The student services staff member had a trained, professional smile on his face. After hearing Lian’s request, he moved the screen in front of him slightly and said.
"To reserve a simulation room, you need to have enough Student Points."
"I probably do." Lian shrugged indifferently.
The last time he had checked, it was zero. But after the fallen city mission, he definitely should have gained a significant amount, right?
The staff member moved his fingers across the screen.
"Student code?"
Lian announced the code, and a few seconds later, the information appeared on the screen.
And then... the number next to Student Points made the staff member’s finger stop in the air.
1000 Student Points
His eyes widened for a moment. He refreshed the page, then again, and even entered the student number once more to make sure.
But the result didn’t change.
A thousand points.
In his mind, he unconsciously began to calculate.
A third-year student who had been at the Academy for three full years, completed dozens of missions, and risked their life many times, might at best have gathered eight or nine hundred points.
But a first-year student? This was practically impossible.
Then suddenly, he remembered the news of recent days. The fallen city, rescuing survivors, hundreds of monsters, the satellite images, and the name everyone was talking about these days.
Lian Vonhelm.
Finally, he muttered to himself.
"Right... with that mission, it’s normal to receive such points."
His demeanor immediately became more respectful.
"The reservation will be made. For how many hours would you like?"
"Five hours."
A few seconds later, the system’s sound was heard.
500 Student Points Deducted.
The number on the screen dropped to five hundred. The staff member placed a special access card on the table.
"The Academy’s best simulation room." And then he explained.
"Unlimited environment adjustment, weather adjustment, enemy count adjustment."
"Enemy level adjustment, enemy rank adjustment, and full combat data recording." He paused briefly, then smiled.
"Good luck, and we wish you the best experience."
A few minutes later.
Lian stood in front of the Academy’s largest simulation complex.
A massive building that occupied almost half of the Academy’s eastern grounds.
The automatic gate opened as he approached.
After passing through several security layers, he finally reached the special room. The massive door opened quietly, and behind it... an endless white space appeared.
No visible walls, no ceiling, no floor. Just absolute whiteness. At that moment, a mechanical, neutral voice echoed through the environment.
[Welcome, Lian Vonhelm.]
[Combat Simulation Ready.]
[Select Environment.]
A small smile appeared on Lian’s lips.
"Well... let’s begin." His goal for coming here today was to practice his skills. He wanted to see what the best way to use his skills was.
He also wanted to practice fighting in various environments and against various types of monsters. Also, after gaining that many stat points and new skills, he needed to take a look at them and test them as well.
He had a few free days, and this was the best time to do this.
He looked at the various environments, and the variety was truly impressive. He thought for a moment and finally made his decision.
The first environment was a plain with a blue sky, a gentle breeze, tall grass, and twenty normal rank level fifteen monsters.
For most first-year students, such a fight was impossible. Even second and third-year students couldn’t participate in such a fight alone, let alone win.
But for Lian... it wasn’t even a warm-up.
The monsters were still running toward him when the first strike landed.
The sound of breaking bones.
Then the second.
Third.
Fourth.
Each punch was like being hit by a truck.
His 168-point strength was now something a level fifteen monster could not withstand.
Less than two minutes later, all twenty monsters lay on the ground. The simulation AI announced:
[Simulation Complete.]
[Casualties: 20.]
[Damage Taken: 0]
Lian looked at the bodies.
And he realized that he seemed to have underestimated himself. But it wasn’t bad for a start and warm-up. Now he could finally get a little serious.
For the second environment, he chose a desert with hot winds, burning sand, and of course, a hundred normal rank level twenty monsters.
This time, he had a different goal. This time, he wanted to use one of his favorite skills at full power.
[Thunder Calamity.]
This was a skill that had been with him in almost all his battles since he obtained it. But now it was time to test its maximum potential.
From the very first moment, the sky changed.
Black clouds formed, sunlight faded, and the sound of thunder echoed across the horizon.
The monsters didn’t even have time to understand what was happening.
Lian raised his hand, and mana erupted from his body. Massive columns of lightning emanated from his body. He put his maximum mana into it.
One.
Ten.
Twenty.
Fifty.
The desert ground turned into a sea of lightning. The monsters’ screams lasted only a few seconds, and then everything went silent. When the dust settled...
No monster remained alive.
The AI was silent for a few seconds, as if processing the result.
Then a warning appeared.
[Area Damage Exceeds Expected Parameters.]
Lian looked at the scorched ground and for the first time understood why this skill was considered Divine rank. Of course, it wasn’t just about the skill’s rank.
It was about the amount of mana he consumed. He put all his mana into it, and in such a state, this was no longer a skill. It was a natural disaster.
He had to wait a little for his mana to recover, and then he moved on to the next simulation.
The third environment was a rocky desert with massive cliffs, narrow valleys, and fifty normal rank level twenty-five monsters.
Even for him, level 25 monsters were not easy. The gap was too large, even if they were just normal rank monsters.
But his goal was exactly that—for them to be stronger than him. And this time, he wanted to test...
[Blood Rush.]
He took a deep breath and activated the skill.
Suddenly... his heart started pounding like a war drum. Blood flowed through his veins at an unnatural speed.
All the muscles in his body tightened.
He could hear the sound of his heartbeat.
But along with it... something else was also there.
Violence. A desire for destruction. A strange, savage feeling formed in the depths of his mind.
As if a part of his being just wanted to kill.
The AI immediately warned.
[Mental Stability Slightly Decreased.]
But there was no time to think. The monsters attacked. The first strike hit his shoulder directly.
The second strike tore his side. The third monster dragged its claws across his chest. But the more wounded he became... the stronger he became.
Blood flowed on his body, and at the same time, more power surged through his muscles. He moved among the enemies like a real monster.
Every strike a death. Every wound an increase in power. The battle lasted more than ten minutes, the longest so far. When the last monster fell...
Lian’s breaths had become heavy.
But a small smile could be seen on his face. This skill was dangerous, but also very useful.
He was curious to know what would happen if he upgraded it.
After a short rest, he moved on to the fourth environment. A forest at night. Absolute darkness. Giant trees. And this time, three level twenty-five normal rank monsters.
His goal wasn’t to fight them. He wanted to test [Shadow Skin].
His body slowly dissolved into the darkness. Shadows crawled over his skin. A few seconds later... even he could barely see his hands. It was as if he had become one with the shadows.
The first monster passed by him. It showed no reaction.
The second.
The third.
None of them sensed his presence.
Lian’s eyes glowed in the darkness, and the hunt began. He moved quietly and delivered lethal strikes with full force. One strike, but with all his power.
Death.
The monsters fell one after another. Three perfect assassinations, without a single enemy even noticing his presence.
When the last monster died... Lian nodded with satisfaction.
This skill was excellent for infiltration and assassination. He was satisfied with all his tests and had achieved the results he wanted.
The space returned to its original white form. He thought for a moment and opened his status panel.
[603 Stat Points]
The number was massive. But after today’s training, he knew exactly what he needed.
More strength, more speed, more resistance, and of course, even more mana!
Without hesitation, he distributed the points.
100 Strength.
100 Speed.
100 Resistance.
100 Mana.
A moment later, the status panel changed.
[Strength: 168 --> 268]
[Speed: 96 --> 196]
[Mana: 186 --> 286]
[Resistance: 85 --> 185]
He still had 203 points left, but that was enough for now.
This time, he didn’t choose any environment himself. Instead, he looked at the simulation list and selected one of the highest difficulty levels.
The number of people who had managed to win this was below 20. Among thousands of Academy students.
The environment was a simulation of a Hidden Area in the eighth Ruined Realm, called the Dead Palace.
The only change he made was reducing the monster’s level from 70 to 20. He also looked at the monster’s rank and saw that it was Fallen.
Then the world around him changed. He appeared in the middle of a massive, abandoned palace.
Broken walls, collapsed pillars, thick mist, and an unnatural silence... The atmosphere was strangely heavy.
Lian walked quietly while looking around, ready for battle at any moment.
He had only one enemy. But that enemy was a level 20 Fallen monster that had gone through its first evolution.
So it was not an easy opponent at all.
Fallen monsters were always dangerous.
But a level 20 Fallen shouldn’t be a threat to him. The fight would definitely be long, but he doubted he would lose.
He continued walking.
A few minutes passed.
But nothing... Silence. Just silence. But suddenly, at that moment, he saw something for a moment.
At the end of one of the dark hallways.
A shadow. A creature. Eyes glowing in the darkness. And at that exact moment... the world collapsed.
He felt something strike directly at his soul.
Not at his body, but at his mind and spirit. As if a thousand blades had simultaneously entered his brain.
All his thoughts shattered. His balance was lost. And before he could even react... the AI’s voice echoed in his ear.
[You Have Died]