Villain Simulator, Ch 10

After all, in this world, there was no such thing as "Stockholm syndrome." Shenhe had no way to explain why she felt a strange affection for this "bastard" who had been threatening her all along.

"Are you...serious?" Shenhe slowly walked towards Lucas. "You should know, being with me will come with significant obstacles, right?"

"I know," Lucas nodded, "but I'm willing."

"I..."

Shenhe felt a surge of emotion, and just as she was about to reach Lucas, there was a sudden crisp "snap" from beneath her feet.

She looked down to see an oddly shaped small device at her feet that had appeared out of nowhere. Picking it up, Shenhe murmured, "Is this...a kamera?"

Thanks to the bustling trade network in Liyue Harbor, foreign goods often made their way there. So for someone like Shenhe, from a wealthy family, a camera wasn't unfamiliar.

She instinctively turned the camera on, and what played on the screen was...

As the sounds from the camera filled the air, Lucas's face darkened.

It's over. I'm done for.

Lucas truly found himself in a situation where no excuse could save him.

Those cameras were placed by the version of himself in the "Villain Simulator," not by his own volition. But explaining that to Shenhe? She would never believe it.

"I actually, for a moment, believed your words..." A cold killing intent radiated from Shenhe. "Lucas, from start to finish, you're nothing but an irredeemable villain!"

With a loud "snap," the red rope that Shenhe used to suppress the fierce aura of the "Lone Star Calamity" unraveled and fell to the ground.

"I'm going...to kill you!" Shenhe declared, word by word.

And this was the last image Lucas saw before he exited the full-immersion mode.

[Due to the discovery of the cameras you placed, Shenhe, enraged beyond measure, unsealed her powers and, in her madness, gave you no chance to explain. She killed you in a brutally cruel manner.]

[Life simulation over.]

[Cause of death: Killed by the furious Shenhe.]

[Overall evaluation: One wrong move, and you lose everything.]

[Your rewards have been sent and can be viewed at any time.]

Staring at the words on the screen, Lucas found himself laughing bitterly.

Wha...what kind of nonsense is this?!

He was just one step away from living a shamelessly blissful life with Shenhe.

Why did this kind of plot twist suddenly happen...?

"It's like the game itself just decided to kill me off!" Lucas, scratching his head in frustration, shouted, "System! Are you messing with me on purpose?"

[Every detail can potentially change the outcome.]

[Additionally, during full-immersion mode, you had plenty of chances to put away the cameras, but you didn't pay attention.]

Hearing this from the system, Lucas couldn't think of a proper retort.

It was true. If he had just been a little more mindful of the details, maybe this ridiculous outcome could've been avoided.

Luckily, this was just a game. If it were real life, dying like this would have been incredibly frustrating.

[Please choose one of the two talents: "Mischievous Shiba Inu (Purple)" or "Exceptionally Brilliant Mind (Blue)" as your innate talent.]

Since he had previously chosen the innate talent [Try Again], this time he could only pick one from these two options.

"I'll choose [Mischievous Shiba Inu]," Lucas said, his face turning slightly red. "Don't get me wrong, I'm picking this just because its rarity is higher."

[No need to explain, I understand.]

To be fair, the [Mischievous Shiba Inu] talent was indeed quite powerful. For example, in this life simulation alone, it had earned Lucas twenty C-rank loot boxes.

Although the activation conditions for this talent were a bit "peculiar," it was mostly a challenge in real life. Within the life simulation, its efficiency was very high.

At the very least, after going through the [Villain Simulator] twice, Lucas had a decent understanding of the system's mechanics. As long as he stayed true to himself, even becoming an infamous villain in the virtual world wasn't a problem.

Being evil in the virtual world was all about doing good in the real one!

Of course, to Lucas, this was just a way to console himself.

As for those twenty C-rank loot boxes, after some careful planning, Lucas exchanged them for one A-rank loot box, three B-rank loot boxes, and two C-rank loot boxes.

While higher-tier loot boxes might offer better rewards, their overall value could sometimes be outmatched by lower-tier ones.

[Opened A-rank loot box: Received reward - "Serenitea Pot."]

[Dust Serenitea Pot.]

[Rank: A]

[Effect: Creates an independent space of your own.]

[Description: At least you won't need to buy a house anymore.]

So, the Serenitea Pot was an A-rank reward?

Although creating an independent space might not seem immediately useful, it was actually quite convenient. Whether it was for storing materials or other purposes, it would be extremely handy.

[Opened B-rank loot box: Received reward - Skill: "Diamond Body."]

[Diamond Body.]

[Rank: B]

[Effect: Permanently increases defense by 10%. once per day, you can generate a defensive shield that blocks 90% of one attack's damage.]

[Description: This skill will make you...very tough!]

A defensive skill?

Although it could only be used once a day, blocking 90% of damage from one attack was nearly equivalent to negating the damage altogether.

Of course, this only applied to most attacks. If someone like Raiden Shogun hit him with her "Musou no Hitotachi," even if 90% of the damage were blocked, Lucas would still probably be sliced in half.

[Opened B-rank loot box: Received reward - Equipment: "Giant's Gauntlets."]

[Giant's Gauntlets.]

[Rank: B]

[Effect: The size and weight of your fists increase with the force of your punches.]

[Description: What's a man without size?]

Equipment?

What appeared before Lucas was a pair of simple, black fingerless gloves. For someone like him, who only had the [Charging Fist] skill, this was the perfect piece of gear.

Though wearing these gloves might make him feel a little edgy.

[Opened B-rank loot box: Received reward - Summon: "Greymon."]

[Greymon.]

[Rank: B]

[Effect: Summon a Greymonto assist in combat.]

[Description: Greymon, a Digimon at the Champion level. It has sharp claws and huge horns, its body a deadly weapon, making it highly aggressive.]

Whoa! A Tyrannomon?!

Not only that, but the reward also came with a PokéBall... Although, there was something oddly out of place about storing a Digimon in a PokéBall.

Still, Tyrannomon was only a B-rank summon.

This made Lucas curious about what higher-level summons could be. Could it be Godzilla? WarGreymon? Ultraman? A Gundam? EVA?

[Opened C-rank loot box: Received reward - 300,000 Mora.]

Ah! How simple and straightforward!

For the currently penniless Lucas, this kind of reward was very practical.

[Opened C-rank blind box: Received reward - Equipment: "M1911 Handgun."]

[M1911 Handgun.]

[Rank: C]

[Effect: Comes with a silencer, 7-round capacity.]

[Description: A .45ACP semi-automatic handgun. It doesn't quite fit this world, but it's a reliable companion.]

Seriously, a handgun?

However, what made Lucas want to laugh was that the gun's rank was actually lower than the gloves. Then again, in a fantastical world like Teyvat, firearms were naturally limited.

At least, compared to those who could easily hurl fireballs, summon rocks, or shoot lightning with their Visions, the power of bullets seemed a bit underwhelming.

Besides, for someone like Lucas, who hadn't received any formal firearms training, this gun might actually be less effective than a brick.

After opening all the rewards, Lucas finally felt a bit tired and gradually drifted off to sleep in the bumpy carriage.

He couldn't help but wonder if Shenhe would appear in his dreams tonight.

...

Meanwhile, at Mt. Aozang, at the residence of Cloud Retainer:

"Kill...I'll kill you!"

A silver-haired woman suddenly sat up from a wooden bed, her pale face drenched in sweat. She was panting heavily, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Another nightmare?"

At that moment, a low, somewhat raspy female voice came from beside the silver-haired woman. "This adeptus has told you before: even when sleeping, you must wear the red thread. Never be careless."

The silver-haired woman was, of course, none other than Shenhe, a disciple of Cloud Retainer, the adeptus known as "Liyue's three-eyed and five-manifestations adepti."

Shenhe turned her head and saw a white-feathered crane standing beside the bed. Her expression grew somewhat complex as she said, "Master..."

That crane was none other than Cloud Retainer herself, one of Liyue's renowned adepti. In a calm tone, Cloud Retainer said, "I have often heard you speak in your sleep, but never have I heard such violent and malicious words before. What did you dream of?"

Shenhe's constitution was a rare one, known as the "Lone Star Calamity." Combined with her traumatic childhood, it often caused her to wake from nightmares in the middle of the night.

However, no matter how terrifying her previous nightmares had been, Shenhe would usually forget them soon after waking up.

But this dream was different...

In this dream, not only had she encountered many people she had never seen before, but what was even stranger was that she remembered the events in the dream with unusual clarity...

Especially the three months she spent with that villain named Lucas. Even the smallest details felt as if they had truly happened.

And when she thought about that man... no, to be precise, that boy, who had deceived her from the very beginning, Shenhe couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rising again.

She only remembered that, at the end of the dream, she had been unable to suppress her rage and had killed the boy outright. Immediately after his death, the dream abruptly ended, and she woke up.

Everyone knows that what you think about during the day can manifest in your dreams at night. But much of what appeared in Shenhe's dream was completely unfamiliar to her, especially... certain things. Shenhe, being an innocent maiden, had never experienced anything like that in real life, yet the details of the process in the dream were so vivid and realistic. Even thinking about it now made her face flush, her heart race, and her mouth dry.

"Shenhe?" Cloud Retainer, noticing the odd expression on her disciple's face, furrowed her brow and asked again, "I asked you what you dreamed about, why aren't you speaking?"

"Ah, I..." Shenhe's face reddened again.

How could she possibly tell her highly esteemed master that she had done such shameful things in her dream?

"No need to hold anything back," Cloud Retainer softened her tone, speaking gently. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"I..." Shenhe hesitated for a moment but finally spoke up, "In the dream, I killed a villain with my own hands."

"Oh? I thought it was something serious, but you only killed an evil person." Cloud Retainer nodded, looking rather approving. "Tell me, what wicked deed did this villain commit?"

"He..."

As soon as Shenhe opened her mouth, she suddenly felt confused.

What bad thing had he done? 

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