In the end, after staring at the windows, which offered no further explanation, for some time, Noel finally muttered, in a low voice, "Yes."
[Life Simulation begins.]
[21 years old. You finally started dating your childhood friend, Selena.]
[You were content, but deep down, you knew something was wrong. So, you stayed cautious.]
[You returned home to find your younger sister, Lilith. After a brief conversation, where she clearly became displeased upon learning you now had a girlfriend, you retreated to your room.]
So, this Codex Null... is not with me in the simulation? Noel wondered, as he continued reading the flowing text.
[Inside, you took out your notebook from a hidden compartment in the drawer and began going through it.]
[Your eyes stopped at a page where you had written: What does Selena expect from me?]
[Slowly, you added a single word beneath it: Love.]
[Time passed. You searched for what felt wrong with this world but found nothing.]
[Six months Later. Your relationship with Selena deepened further, and at last, you crossed that final line.]
Reading this part, a small, genuine smile briefly appeared on Noel’s face.
[When you returned home, Lilith somehow sensed it instantly. She screamed hysterically, then locked herself in her room.]
[You tried everything to make up with her, said all you could. But time passed, and Lilith still refused to see you.]
[22 years old. Lilith remained shut in, only opening her door to take food from your adoptive parents.]
[Then, one day, she appeared at your door and asked to talk.]
[You, having already prepared the expression you should wear, greeted her with relief and joy. But without meeting your eyes, Lilith began confessing.]
[She spoke of having stolen something too precious from you — something she could never repay. Then, at last, she began expressing her love... her forbidden love for you.]
[You didn’t care about what she had taken — and as for her feelings, you had long suspected them. So, you simply said: That’s fine.]
[Maybe that was what she’d been waiting for. Lilith’s face blossomed with a crazy smile as she finally looked at you, her crimson eyes glowing darkly.]
[And as her gaze locked onto yours, your consciousness began to slip away.]
[When you woke up, you were alone in a modestly furnished basement room. A single bed. A desk. A small bathroom tucked to one side. Nothing else.]
[Your phone was gone. Anything that could connect you to the outside world had disappeared.]
[You frowned and tried to open the door, but no matter what you did, it wouldn’t budge.]
[You screamed in anger, but no one came.]
Noel’s eyes gleamed dangerously as he read what was unfolding.
But knowing this was only a possible future, one he could now prepare for, one he could change, he stayed composed, and continued reading the simulation’s contents.
[Time passed like that, measured only by meals silently delivered through a small compartment in the door at set hours by your adoptive parents. Nothing else.]
[One week later, Lilith finally visited you.]
[You were haggard, your eyes bloodshot, but you didn’t raise your voice. You just calmly asked her why she was doing this.]
[Her answer was simple: she couldn’t bear to share you with anyone else.]
[You didn’t argue. Instead, you tried to ask how you’d lost consciousness and other questions, but Lilith only hugged you, murmuring in a crazed, satisfied tone: That bitch’s scent is finally gone.]
[You tried once more to stay calm, but when she pulled away, you rushed for the door. And just like before, you couldn’t make it far — your consciousness slipped away again.]
[And like that, trapped in the room, sleeping every day on the same single bed with Lilith hugging you tightly, whispering "you’re mine," time passed.]
[Three months later, you nearly lost all your sanity. And that’s when, for the first time, you tried to take Lilith down by force.]
[You didn’t hit her; you just tried to restrain her so you could run for the door as she entered. But instead of bringing her down, you ended up on the floor with Lilith on top of you, smiling as she whispered: That was a nice try.]
[More time passed. Every attempt to escape failed. And finally, you couldn’t hold yourself together anymore.]
[The madness inside you broke loose. You shattered everything in the room. When there was nothing left to break, you turned on yourself.]
[And when Lilith finally appeared again, worry on her face, you snapped.]
[Without thinking, you raised your hand and slapped her across the cheek.]
[Time froze. Lilith was still. You were still.]
[Her cheek was red, and for a long, silent moment, neither of you moved.]
[Without a word, Lilith finally left.]
Noel raised an eyebrow as he read, a strange sensation building in his chest.
Something about himself... the self in the simulation, felt off.
It wasn’t just the instability caused by the unbearable circumstances. No, it was deeper.
Even in that mental collapse... that version of him had become too emotional.
It was the reaction after the slap.
[When you wake up the next day, you find your injuries had somehow miracoulesly healed.]
[But, naturally you were not surprised, instead you just made a hollow laugh, before your routine of harming your self, only to wake up, finding yourself without any.]
[More time passed. Your once-black hair had turned white. Your gray eyes had lost all their light. The will to live had finally drained from you.]
[At some point, you stood in front of the mirror, rope in hand — one you had quietly made from your bedsheet. Staring at your hollow face, you finally made your decision.]
[You finished all the preparation quickly, and after standing on a table, took a moment before you kicked it away.]
[The rope jerked tight around your neck, cutting off your air. Instinct told you to fight, but you stayed still as the pressure mounted and your vision darkened.]
[Your legs dangled, numb and weightless, your eyelids growing heavy... until, at last, everything went black.]
Noel’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the final lines.
His fists clenched tightly, and an angry expression took over his face.
Between clenched teeth, he muttered, "Pathetic..."
He repeated the word again. And again.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. The simulation’s version of himself, broken and defeated, choosing such a miserable, shameful end.
And for the first time in his life, Noel felt something boiling inside him.
His emotions, so rarely moved, were now searing in fury.
But at himself... at the him who had given up so easily.
Noel was caught in that moment, lost in emotions that felt strangely foreign to him, when suddenly, something else tugged at his attention.
With his gaze still locked on the system notice, he realized... the text hadn’t ended!
[The simulation is over. You can choose one of the following.]
[1: Weak Soul Recovery (Seedling Talent)]
[2: Strengthened Soul (Slightly Recovered Soul)]
[3: Memory of this simulation]
Seeing the list of choices appear in front of him, Noel’s boiling emotions began to settle.
The anger didn’t vanish... but it pulled back, coiled, controlled.
He didn’t even bother considering the third option. Instead, his gaze hovered between the first and the second choices.
Two choices. Both soul-related.
And the moment he saw that, something clicked.
Adding together what he’d read in the messages before the simulation... and comparing it to his current situation... Noel felt like he could start to infer something.
That’s why, rather than choosing the second option, his thoughts leaned toward the first.
His finger moved to select it...
But stopped just before making contact.
This is reality, he reminded himself. Not a simulation.
And then, an idea occurred to him.
Without hesitation, Noel tried to dismiss the system window.
And when he found that he could... that it obeyed, and vanished on command, he went one step further. He summoned it again.
Realizing he had control over this aspect of the Codex Null, Noel made his decision.
He would delay choosing his reward... for one week.