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Chapter 1 - My first simulation

Baker Town. A dim cellar, hidden beneath the bustling market.

Alaric, his face bruised and swollen, stared into the soft glow of a Lesser Mana Crystal. His eyes were a storm of torment.

He'd been in this world for nearly a decade. A helpless child had grown into a young man. Ten years of selling herbs in the market, all to save enough for a single, tattered magic primer.

But without mana crystals to practice, years of study had been for nothing. He was barely a Level 1 Magic Apprentice.

Then, just a few days ago, his luck had seemingly changed.

Some rich young master had appeared out of nowhere and bought his entire stock of herbs for twenty Lesser Mana Crystals.

Alaric thought his fortune had finally turned. With this windfall, his progress in magic would skyrocket.

He never imagined the thug, Rob, would find out.

He came straight to Alaric's door, demanding sixteen of the crystals.

Alaric was lucky he'd hidden them beforehand, or he would have lost everything on the spot.

But Rob wasn't giving up. He gave Alaric an ultimatum: hand over sixteen crystals in three days, or he would make him "disappear" from the market for good.

Should he risk it all? Take the crystals and run for his life?

Or should he swallow his pride, endure the humiliation, and hand them over? The choice was tearing him apart.

As he stood there, paralyzed by indecision, a crisp, electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind.

[Ding! Host detected in an impossible dilemma. Activating the Life Simulation System.]

A system... It's really a system!

Alaric was so overjoyed he almost burst into tears. When he first arrived in this world, he had called out for a "system" countless times, but there was never an answer. To think it would appear now, at his lowest point.

As elation washed over him, new streams of information flowed into his mind.

He quickly understood.

This Life Simulation System could simulate his future at the cost of Points. Based on the simulation, he would earn rewards.

And how did he get Points? By "recharging" with mana crystals.

Recharging one Lesser Mana Crystal granted 1 Point.

At his current rank of Level 1 Magic Apprentice, starting a simulation cost only 1 Point.

Without hesitation, Alaric grabbed a Lesser Mana Crystal and commanded inwardly, Recharge!

The mana within the crystal was drained instantly, leaving behind a dull, worthless powder. On the system interface, 1 Point appeared.

Suppressing his excitement, Alaric issued his next command. Start simulation!

As the thought formed, lines of text began to scroll through his consciousness.

[Day 1: You immediately absorbed one Lesser Mana Crystal. Drunk on the feeling of growing power, you couldn't stop yourself and absorbed a second.]

[Day 2: You absorbed two more Lesser Mana Crystals.]

[Day 3: As you were about to use another crystal for your training, Rob burst in and snatched them from your hands. Fortunately, you had hidden ten away, saving most of your assets. Rob beat you savagely and threatened that if you ever dared use "his" crystals to train again, he would sell you to the Cult of Bones to be forged into a mindless thrall.]

[Day 4: You only dared to train in secret at night, planning to escape the moment you broke through to the next level.]

[Day 5: You finally broke through your bottleneck, becoming a Level 2 Magic Apprentice. You tried to flee that very night with the remaining crystals. You never expected Rob's men to have the market exits surrounded. They spotted you. You were cornered. Despite your desperate struggle, Rob overpowered you with ease. Enraged to find only four crystals on your body, he sold you to a low-ranking member of the Cult of Bones.]

[Day 7: You were forged into a thrall by the Cult of Bones. You are dead.]

"..."

Alaric stared at the text in his mind, his face draining of all color.

That... that was exactly what I was planning to do.

The outcome was more horrifying than he could have imagined.

As he stood there in shock, a new notification appeared.

[Simulation Complete]

[Evaluation: You chose to follow your heart but lacked the strength to back it up. You died.]

[Based on the simulation, you may choose one of the following rewards:]

[1. View a first-person recording of the simulated life.][2. The rank of a Level 2 Magic Apprentice.]

Alaric had absolutely no desire to watch himself being turned into a thrall. He chose "2" instantly.

The next moment, a surge of warmth flooded the core of his being.

Silently, effortlessly, he broke through his limits. He was now a Level 2 Magic Apprentice.

Feeling the mana surging within him, a delirious grin spread across Alaric's face.

It's real! I can bring my level from the simulation into reality!

After the initial wave of ecstasy faded, Alaric grabbed two more Lesser Mana Crystals. Recharge!

Now that he was Level 2, the cost of a simulation had doubled to 2 Points.

With the points added, Alaric started the next simulation.

[Day 1: Having seen the outcome of defiance, you chose to submit. You willingly handed sixteen mana crystals to Rob. He praised you for "knowing your place" and took you on as his lackey.]

[Day 2: You continued to work your stall, but word that you were Rob's dog had already spread. The other vendors began to shun you. You didn't bother to explain, focusing only on earning crystals and training in secret.]

[...]

[Day 16: Your luck turned. You made a good sale, earning six Lesser Mana Crystals. Because you were now one of Rob's men, you only had to hand over four as a "protection fee".]

[Day 43: You finally broke through again, becoming a Level 3 Magic Apprentice.]

[Day 55: Rob discovered your new rank by accident. He decided to make you his personal enforcer. You were unwilling, but you didn't dare resist Rob, who was already a Level 5 Magic Apprentice.]

[Day 56: You helped Rob bully another vendor for the first time. After a brief pang of guilt, you were surprised to find that the feeling of power was... not bad.]

[Day 70: You began extorting the other vendors regularly. Your shame faded. Your methods grew harsher, and the crystals you collected mounted. The only thing that annoyed you was that you were only allowed to keep a tenth of your earnings. The rest went to Rob.]

[Day 86: A vendor came into a massive windfall. He offered you half of it to help him hide the earnings from Rob. You were tempted. In the end, you demanded sixty percent.]

[Day 93: You broke through again, becoming a Level 4 Magic Apprentice.]

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