NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58: Regeneration
[22 years old. You were training like usual, when a special guest arrived, and you were stunned as you recognized her identity.]
[You looked at the mature woman, with a veil covering her face — Edith, the strongest woman alive, the leader of the Order of Veil, and the woman you once set your sights upon to conquer. Yet now, you were strangely filled with shame, so you lowered your head, not meeting her gaze.]
[When you learned that she had come to check your condition, your eyes gleamed, but you didn't make any move in Edith's presence.]
[Even then, Edith was still unable to glean any useful information about you, disappointing Selena and Lilith greatly.]
[You were on the verge of erupting after she went away, seething in frustration, but deciding there was something more important — and that now was not the time to fall out with Selena and Lilith — you endured.]
Reading until this point with seemingly calm eyes, Noel seemed to wonder why everything seemed to be repeating itself.
He was once again enduring.
Before, it was due to the lack of information, strength, and other reasons.
Now, it was due to the lack of strength — which he had already acquired to some extent.
Then later… what kind of reason would it be?
Would this kind of shit never end?
An intense light seemed to swirl in Noel's eyes, and amidst the gray expanse, an amethyst color began condensing quietly, but surely.
Not knowing any of that, Noel, who actually felt like shit, turned away from the still-running simulation toward his notebook.
He opened the last page and gripped the pen so tightly it was on the verge of snapping, as he began to write.
Live… live freely as you want… then die.
Die with your head held high.
Try not to leave any regret.
Don't be restricted.
Nothing is more important than your pride.
Noel stopped after finishing the word pride.
It felt as though he had just written a collection of hollow phrases — words without weight or meaning for the him that existed in reality.
But.
He'd had enough of reading about himself behaving like this inside the simulation.
That was why he didn't bother continuing to read the following text in detail. Instead, he simply skimmed through the content, eyes drifting until—
[Enveloped by a darkness you couldn't discern the source of, you didn't last long.]
[You died.]
[The simulation is over. You can choose two of the following:]
[1: Regeneration (Formed Talent)]
[2: Strengthened Soul (Slightly More Recovered Soul)]
[3: Strengthened Physical Strength (Second Stage of the Blood Refinement Path)]
[4: Strengthened Blood (Assimilated Blood Source)]
[5: Initial Mastery over Blood Scripture]
[6: Memory of this Simulation]
The method of his death had been updated.
His survival record had been updated as well.
He had reached the Six Gates stage in the Blood Refinement Path.
Results wise, Noel couldn't deny the simulation counted as a success.
But… that was only results wise.
Even from the few lines he had skimmed, he could already picture the kind of shit his simulated self had been put through — and to him, that wasn't success at all.
With a slow exhale, Noel shook his head, then moved his attention to the choices now laid out before him.
He immediately eliminated the last two options — he neither wanted this kind of memory nor the initial understanding of the Blood Scripture.
The fourth choice, strengthened blood, was also set aside. For now, he had no need for a second refined blood drop.
That left the first three.
The first, Regeneration (Formed Talent), was unquestionably a must-have.
It would be his very first Formed Talent, after all. Not to mention, he felt certain that a talent like this could prove invaluable to him in the future.
So, it came down to the remaining two: increased physical strength — where he had already reached the Six Gates stage — and the strengthened soul.
Had he not achieved the Six Gates stage, Noel wouldn't have hesitated. But with it already in hand, his decision was less straightforward.
In the end, his hesitation was brief.
With a huge part of his memories returned, he understood now that whether it was the second or even the third stage of the Blood Refinement Path, neither would truly change his current situation. They wouldn't alter the root of his problems.
And so, he followed through with his earlier intention: heal his soul fully before anything else.
[You have selected: Regeneration (Formed Talent)]
[You have selected: Strengthened Soul (Slightly More Recovered Soul).]
Noel received no memory this time, yet he could still feel, sharply and undeniably, the changes taking place deep within his soul.
But his focus wasn't there.
Instead, it was caught on the strange, indescribable sensation that came over him the moment the talent took effect.
He had been wondering whether the Regeneration Talent would only affect his body — or if, by some chance, it might also work on his soul.
He hadn't held out much hope for the latter.
But perhaps Formed Talents really were on another level…
Because, in truth, it did affect the soul.
And to a terrifying extent.
Even if the healing process was slow, now that he was focusing on it, Noel could feel it — quietly, steadily, working within him.
A moment ago, he had been worried he would need to run several more simulations before his soul fully recovered.
But now… there was no need for that.
Because Noel was certain, that in the very next simulation, his soul would be whole again.
That thought sparked a flicker of excitement in him, one that quickly grew. And so, without wasting another second, he turned to the Codex Null.
[Do you want to spend 1,000 Null Points to start a Premium Simulation?]
At the now familiar prompt and the familiar number, Noel didn't hesitate.
But—
[You have already reached the limits of the Premium Simulations for the day.]
Apparently, there really was a limit to how many Premium Simulations he could attempt in a single day.