[Host, the System has finished cooling down. You can begin the Life Simulation now.]
Right.
So much had happened lately that he'd completely forgotten about this.
Counting the days he spent inside Amber's Life Simulation, the System had been cooling for twenty days.
"You said the cooldown was long because you were upgrading. Besides lowering Pain Value to earn Attribute Points, did you get any new features?"
[The Host's attribute cap has been increased. It is now limited to 999.]
"Anything else?"
[…Uncontrollable time fluctuations have been frequent lately. The upgrade is not yet complete… The remaining upgrade will continue during the next cooldown.]
Kael could actually hear guilt in that otherwise mechanical tone.
"You're unbelievable. You're not even done upgrading... why did you pop out so early?"
"Six, three, three."
[…The incidents involving Kamisato Ayaka and Amber drained a significant portion of my energy.]
Ah.
So it was desperate to earn more energy.
"Fine."
Starting a Life Simulation was never a bad thing for him anyway. He could earn rewards from it.
And mentally, he was steady again.
Even though he still had to choose a tragic ending in the end…
He would genuinely interact with everyone along the way.
Kael told the System to give him a moment, then rushed back to his house in Mondstadt.
"I'm ready."
[Received. Beginning Life Simulation.]
[Please select three random Talents from the following list. Talents will affect the final outcome of your life. If your final rating reaches S-rank, you may keep one Talent as a permanent Talent for the Host. Choose carefully.]
[Rarity from lowest to highest: White, Blue, Red, Gold, Black.]
[Deceiver (White): You are skilled at lying.]
[Yin-Yang Eyes (White): You can see things others cannot.]
[Restless (White): You dislike staying home and crave adventure.]
[Unlearned (White): You dislike studying and are naturally lazy.]
[Arrogant (White): You are prideful and poor at socializing, making conflict more likely.]
[Medical Sage (Red): You possess exceptional medical talent.]
[Possession (Gold): After death, you have five chances to possess another person's body with your soul.]
"…"
Kael stared at the wall of white Talents, speechless.
Sure, there was the principle of conserving power—since there was one Gold Talent, the others wouldn't be too impressive.
But this many Whites?
Sensing his dissatisfaction, the System continued:
[The System currently has very little remaining energy. Only Talents of this level can be randomly generated. After completing these three Life Simulations and cooling down again, higher-grade Talents may appear.]
Yeah, right.
Kael rolled his eyes.
Who knew what kind of mess it would spit out next time?
Other people's Systems were all ridiculously powerful.
Meanwhile, he had this scammer.
It was stingy with rewards every single time.
"Whatever."
Kael was used to the System's nonsense by now.
When it had more energy, it wasn't generous either. Now? There was no hope.
This round, the only Talents worth picking were the Gold and Red ones—and he couldn't use them in the same run.
The white Talents were so pathetic he'd have to pair them carefully.
If he ended up with a run made entirely of Whites, it'd be miserable.
"This time, I'll take Possession, Deceiver, and Yin-Yang Eyes."
Gold Talents were rare. He had to grab it first.
[Understood. Life Simulation beginning.]
[Age 0: You were born into a merchant family in Liyue. The household is moderately wealthy, and your parents get along very well.]
At this point, Kael felt nothing about whatever family he started with.
No matter what, he always ended up an orphan.
[Age 1: Your parents notice something strange. You often stare at empty corners, and sometimes babble to places where no one stands, as if talking to someone invisible. (Yin-Yang Eyes triggered.)]
[Worried that you might have a cognitive issue, they take you to a well-known physician in Liyue.]
[The physician finds nothing wrong.]
[Age 2: You're speaking simple sentences now, and strange things around you are happening more often…]
[You suddenly call out the names of deceased relatives behind servants.]
[Sometimes, you smile at empty air and reach out to it.]
[Word spreads across the entire estate that you can see ghosts.]
[Everyone knows this, and no one dares approach you.]
[But your parents' love for you does not decrease.]
[For your sake, they dismiss a batch of gossiping servants, keeping only the most loyal ones.]
[Your mother even begins caring for you personally instead of leaving it to others.]
Oh?
Kael found this surprising.
In previous Simulations, the moment he showed anything unusual, his parents abandoned him without hesitation.
These parents were different... actually reliable. They truly loved him.
[Age 3: There aren't many people in your home, mostly just your parents but you never feel lonely.]
[Many friends that only you can see are always with you]
[Xiao Lan, the maid who drowned herself after being assaulted by the previous owner.]
[Lao Li, the first homeowner who lingered in the house after death because he couldn't bear to leave it.]
[Binbin, the servant's child who died young.]
[And several ghosts who came from elsewhere just to visit after hearing you could see spirits.]
[Your parents were worried at first that these ghosts might harm you, but since you always look genuinely happy and never seem hurt, they slowly accept your special friends.]
[Age 4: With ghosts chattering around you all day, you speak more fluently and mature earlier than other children.]
[You now understand that normal people cannot see your friends.]
[Your ghost friends teach you that in front of others, you must pretend you can't see them, or people will think you're insane.]
[So you learn to hide your Yin-Yang Eyes ability in public.]
[You hide it well. Other than your parents, everyone gradually forgets your strangeness. (Deceiver triggered.)]