The Xianzhou Luofu, Chang Le Tian—inside a dilapidated house.
Renji Takahiro had just come to terms with his transmigration when a notification suddenly rang in his mind.
Overwhelmed with excitement, he immediately cast aside the panic and fear he had felt upon first arriving in this world.
[Congratulations, Host, on awakening: Villain Simulator.]
[In the simulation roleplay, the higher the script difficulty and the more evil your actions, the higher your evaluation will be. Evaluation levels can be exchanged for various traits.]
Simulator, traits... These terms were nothing new to Renji!
Before transmigrating, he had loved reading web novels and playing mobile games.
Simulators were one of the most common cheat abilities—by repeatedly simulating, one could obtain various traits to enhance their strength.
Earlier, based on the information from the Jade Abacus (the Xianzhou equivalent of a smartphone), he had deduced that he had transmigrated into the world of Honkai: Star Rail.
Star Rail was touted as a space opera, but in reality, danger lurked everywhere in this world.
For example, the Xianzhou Luofu, where he currently was, would soon experience a series of major events: "Stellaron Outbreak, Reignition of the Ambrosial Arbor," "Revival of the Yaoshi Sect," "Emanator of Destruction's Ambush," and "Hoolay's Prison Break," among others.
Reality wasn't a game—these events would result in significant casualties.
If the "plot" deviated, the casualties could be even greater, with the worst-case scenario leading to over half of the Luofu's ten billion inhabitants perishing.
To avoid becoming just another insignificant death statistic in the news, he needed at least enough strength to survive this chain of major events.
The looming crisis filled Renji with a sense of urgency.
The Villain Simulator was clearly designed to make him play the role of a villain in simulations—and the more evil he was, the greater the rewards.
Before transmigrating, Renji had been an ordinary person. While he might have hesitated to commit evil acts in reality, simulations were like virtual reality games.
Since it was just a game, he had no reservations.
Just as no one cared about how many slices of bread they'd eaten, no one cared about how many people they'd killed or how many bad deeds they'd done in a game.
"System, can you briefly explain the basic rules of the Villain Simulator?"
Out of caution, Renji made a request to the system.
[This simulator divides script difficulty into three tiers: Easy, Medium, and Hard, with corresponding increases in rewards.]
[After completing a simulation, the system will evaluate the Host's actions and allow one free trait to be retained. Evaluation levels can be exchanged for corresponding-tier traits or used to upgrade trait quality.]
Hmm, similar to the simulator web novel rules he'd read before, the way to grow stronger was quite straightforward—repeated simulations to farm traits.
These traits came in various types, some resembling talents or skills, others akin to equipment.
Once enough powerful traits were accumulated, it would be time for the "Ten-Mile Slope Sword God" to emerge.
"Come on, System. Start the first simulation!"
After roughly understanding the rules, Renji couldn't wait to declare.
[Scanning for associated characters...]
Renji's vision suddenly blurred as dozens of cards fluttered across an endless starry expanse.
Looking at this somewhat familiar scene, Renji couldn't help but comment.
"Well, the gacha effects are nicely done."
Then a card flipped open—cold moonlight, an aloof blue-clad swordswoman, a black eyepatch, flowing white hair...
"Jingliu!?"
Renji exclaimed in surprise.
This was none other than the former Sword Champion of the Luofu Xianzhou, nicknamed "Flawless Radiance," one of the Five Cloud Knights, and also the master of Luofu's general Jing Yuan. Having defected from the Xianzhou, her current whereabouts were unknown.
But Renji knew that in upcoming major events, Jingliu would return to the Xianzhou Luofu.
"System, is it because I'm currently on the Xianzhou that I drew a script related to Xianzhou characters?"
Renji asked curiously.
[Affirmative. Host's current location significantly increases probability of drawing region-associated character scripts.]
Renji tapped Jingliu's card—whoosh! Three scrolls unfurled, though two appeared unselectable in black.
Selecting the only available scroll, the system immediately prompted:
[Proceed with simulation using this script? (Difficulty: Beginner)]
Renji stroked his chin.
Apparently, only after clearing the beginner difficulty script would the other two unlock.
Without further hesitation, Renji directly selected "Yes."
The system immediately displayed an interface:
[Select two initial traits. Upon script completion, one may be permanently retained for free]
(Trait rarity ascending: White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Red)
[Prestigious Lineage (Gold): You will be born into a prominent family. Your starting point exceeds others' endpoints.] (Beginner difficulty bonus—unavailable for retention)
[Accumulated Experience (White): Whatever you do, experience gradually accumulates over time, improving proficiency. Effects intensify with duration.]
[Silver Tongue (White): Your lies are more easily believed.]
[Easily Distracted (White): You struggle to focus on single tasks, attention frequently divided.]
True to beginner difficulty—aside from the gold system bonus, it was all "white clouds" without even "blue skies."
After a quick scan, Renji immediately confirmed the gold trait was mandatory—it would drastically reduce simulation difficulty.
Of the remaining white traits, "Easily Distracted" was clearly a debuff and first to be eliminated.
Effect-wise, "Silver Tongue" would better assist in clearing the script.
But after brief consideration, Renji still chose "Accumulated Experience."
From a long-term perspective, "Accumulated Experience" was clearly a growth stock with future potential.
Just before the simulation officially began, the system popped up another message.
[Warning: After the simulation is completed, the protagonist of the script will retain the memories from the simulation! Please take note, Host!!!]
Afraid that Renji might overlook this warning, the system displayed it in bold, highlighted red font.
After reading the warning, Renji frowned but wasn't overly shocked.
In the web novels he'd read, many simulation stories allowed the female lead to retain memories from the simulation while deliberately keeping this crucial information from the male lead, leading to a series of misunderstandings, conflicts, and tension—glorified as the "battlefield of love."
Unexpectedly, his system turned out to be an honest one, not only refraining from hiding the truth but also going out of its way to ensure he noticed.
After weighing the pros and cons, Renji still chose to proceed with the simulation.
The reason was simple: the series of major events that would unfold on the Xianzhou Luofu later could easily cost him his life if he got caught up in them.
Thus, improving his strength for self-preservation was urgent.
As for offending Jingliu and facing the pursuit of a madly beautiful swordswoman—those were problems for the future.
Survival came first, no matter what.
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Hey there! I'm Kyron! I'm new to this fanfic translations, so there might be some mistakes in the translations, but I'm committed to working hard and making this fic good. So if you find any mistakes, point them out to me and I'll do my best to improve them.
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