Chapter 9: Six Spells!

【Day 10: While you slept, you were pulled into the mirror world; inside the dream you overcame obstacles and tried three different spells, but none of them worked… You burned one layer of healing energy and escaped from the mirror world.】

【Day 11: You went out and replenished one layer of healing energy.】

【Day 12: …】

【…】

【Day 17: You entered the mirror world again and tried three more spells, yet they still failed…; you realized the mirror world was pure slaughter, different from the Awakeners’ nightmares. You burned one layer of healing energy and escaped from the mirror world.】

【Day 18: You heard a new voice and learned another spell… Enhance. However, you now felt pessimistic about your plan to become an Awakener.】

【Day 19: You deliberately lit a fire in the residential courtyard to attract other survivors, but you did not show yourself… You listened to these survivors’ inner voices and knew they meant you harm.】

【Day 20: You decided to lie low, left your residence, returned to the school, and lied to everyone that you had been hiding in another Safe Zone earlier.. So you temporarily abandoned the idea of becoming an Awakener… 】

That was understandable.

Staying in a Contaminated Zone offered no chance to awaken and forced you to face the lethal threat of the mirror world…

If not for Fallen Benefaction as insurance, those entries into the mirror world would already have cost you your life.

Since that was the case, a change of approach made sense.

Finding a safer place to hide and observe was certainly no problem.

【Day 21: You were chosen for the security team and would act with Awakeners to secure supplies.】

【Day 22: …】

【…】

【Day 33: A female Awakener liked you; out of jealousy another Awakener picked a fight with you…】

【Day 34: You sensed that the Awakener who clashed with you was plotting how to kill you during an outing.】

【Day 35: During an operation you casually shot that Awakener dead; it was no big deal, even Awakeners could not survive a bullet to the head… Relying on your Talent, you knew the others suspected you, yet they had no proof and none of them wanted trouble.】

【…】

【Day 40: The Awakener who confessed her feelings told you that an Awakener had murdered a Teacher and everyone felt uneasy…】

【Day 41: Because you were not an Awakener, you were kicked out of the security team; your roommate said it was a blessing, as staying with the Awakeners might get you assassinated someday.】

【Day 42: You slipped out of the school and spent the night in a Contaminated Zone.】

【Day 43: You had a nightmare, tried four different spells in it, and all failed; you spent one layer of healing energy and woke up.】

You tried to become an Awakener again?

Mm…

You could feel your simulated self’s desire to awaken… or rather, his craving for Strength.

Both the earlier clashes with Awakeners and being kicked out surely intensified that longing.

Unfortunately, he still failed.

Besides…

One obvious point…

Every simulation, including this one, proved the same fact.

Some people became arrogant after awakening and thought they were superior.

In Su Ze’s view, that was perfectly normal.

To put it in chuunibyou terms, the strong ruling the weak is humanity’s basic rule of play.

Few truly hate that rule; people only hate not being the ones in charge.

【Day 46: A government transport plane flew overhead, and some supplies landed on campus.】

【…】

【Day 48: Your Talent activated and you heard a new voice; apparently there were six spells in total.】

【…】

【Day 50: You learned the school was short on supplies, and the team maintaining the supply route was at its wits’ end.】

【Day 51: The number of Awakeners at school exceeded 30; you knew at least 300 people had failed to awaken and died for every one who succeeded.】

【Day 52: Awakeners from the school clashed with Awakeners from other Safe Zones; a dozen Awakeners died, and you heard the cause was dwindling supplies… the former partners each wanted everything for themselves.】

【…】

【Day 57: You tried to advance to Awakener again, failed, lost one layer of healing energy, but quickly replenished it.】

As time passed, some useful intel emerged.

For example, the authorities had not given up; despite great difficulty, someone was still trying…

There were six spells in total, and you now knew four of them.

Other information was not new.

In earlier simulations Su Ze had survived into the 60-day range.

If he had not obsessed over becoming an Awakener, he could have lived even longer…

This run looked as though… he might break that survival record.

【Day 58: Supplies were desperately scarce; because you got on badly with some Awakeners, neither you nor your roommate received any rations… You heard your roommate’s thoughts; they did not blame you but hated the Awakeners targeting you, which comforted you.】

【Day 59: You fought an Awakener, came out unscathed, and left the school; you hoped he would chase you so you could kill him, but he chickened out, so you returned to the safe house.】

【Day 60: You decided to destroy the pollution source, fully aware it might be a death sentence… even Fallen Benefaction might not save you.】

【Day 61: Before you could destroy the pollution source, a strange fog rolled in; you lost your way in the mist… You saw an indescribable horror, used up all healing energy, and died.】

What the heck?!

What kind of fog snatched him away like that?

Staring at the simulator readout, Su Ze widened his eyes.

Honestly, he knew he was bound to die, but he thought the cause would resemble earlier deaths… destroying a pollution source, triggering a nightmare deadlier than usual.

Even Fallen Benefaction could not save him then…

Why did he keep dying the same way?

The answer was simple.

He could not swallow that anger!

In every simulation he clashed with Awakeners.

Given his nature, he would never suffer in silence.

Besides counterattacking, he also wanted Strength superior to theirs… stronger than an ordinary Awakener…

Hence the repeated attempts, and repeated deaths…

Yet this death was completely unexpected.

A sudden fog had killed him.

He could not tell whether he was unlucky or the fog was simply lethal.

“Seeing an indescribable entity in the fog… that’s far too Lovecraftian.”

Su Ze let out a transmigrator’s sigh.

Regardless, if that Day-61 fog was a fixed event, one that could take his life every time, then he had to stay alert.

He needed to find a solution before the fog really came.

Of course, maybe his simulated self had just been unlucky and hit a death flag…

【Simulation Assessment: Luck is part of survival, but yours seems poor.】

【You may choose one of the following three simulation rewards:】

【1. Natural Furnace (green)】

【2. Father God Listens (gold)】

【3. Two unknown Awakener spells】

Upon seeing the gold Talent among the options,

Su Ze felt utterly calm.

There was no need to think; the gold Talent was the choice.

Although it had not been decisive this run, its utility was undeniable.

Even ignoring the mystical intel-gathering, merely hearing people’s true thoughts was enough for Su Ze to pick it.

Besides, he also noted today’s Simulation Assessment… which seemed to explain why the fog killed him… bad luck, plain and simple.

Still, he could not be sure; maybe his Constitution attracted misfortune.

Finding the exact answer was easy… in later simulations, as long as he lived long enough, the fog would come again, and he could gather intel then…

【Chosen simulation reward… “Father God Listens (gold)”.】

【The simulator is entering cooldown. Remaining time: 19 hours 59 minutes.】

The simulator began another long cooldown.

After sitting in the shop for so long, Su Ze could finally get up and rest.

It was already past 2 a.m.

The door was locked, and only a small lamp stayed on.

“There’s no special feeling, but this Talent should be easy to test…”

Rubbing his chin, Su Ze muttered to himself.

Halfway through, he suddenly frowned…

Damn.

Hadn’t he decided to prepare a safe house and at least two…

Why did today’s simulation give him more than one safe house, yet none of the latter?

That would not do.

He had to put that task on tomorrow’s agenda!