Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness

Inside his room, having finished receiving the two rewards from the first simulation, Noel turned to his Codex Null.

For a brief moment, he hesitated — should he spend a thousand Null points or just a hundred?

With only 1,648 points left, a thousand-point simulation meant he could only run it once.

But the thought lingered: what if even the Boundless Soul wasn't enough? What if he needed another strong talent to truly solve his situation?

And so, in the end, Noel decided to take the more logical route, and spend one thousand Null points.

[Life Simulation begins.]

[21 years old. You were still fascinated by the sudden changes in your soul, and though you sensed something amiss, you decided not to dwell on it.]

[A few hours later, instead of being in the university, you found yourself still at home — standing before a visibly shocked Selena and Lilith.]

[Your transformation had not escaped their notice. In fact, they looked completely bewildered, questioning you about what had happened. Naturally, you kept your silence.]

[The next day, Lilith and Selena returned, this time bringing Hilda with them, and asked for another conversation.]

One day? Noel blinked, just as surprised as Selena and Lilith clearly were at how quickly things were moving now that his qualifications had changed.

[They didn't wait for you to share any heartfelt reunion with Hilda. Instead, with hopeful expressions, they explained their plan: to determine exactly what kind of unique soul you had suddenly acquired, and to uncover its precise effects — because the solution to the sealed relic inside you might lie within it.]

[After considering their words for a short while — and noticing how naturally Hilda stepped to stand behind you, as though her place had always been there — you set out a few conditions of your own before finally agreeing.]

[One month passed. During that time, Selena and Lilith worked tirelessly, every effort devoted to uncovering the nature of your unique soul. Their deliberate search eventually brought them to a single conclusion: there was no record of a soul like yours ever appearing before. It was the first of its kind.]

[You were unable to uncover all of its extraordinary traits, but two stood out clearly — a vastly expanded Soul Zone, and an apparently inexhaustible reservoir of Soul Power.]

[These qualities felt almost tailor-made for your condition, and the realization left Selena and Lilith even more astonished than before.]

[Another month passed. This time, Selena and Lilith led you into a special dimension — a vast, enclosed space where a massive ritual circle dominated nearly the entire floor. All around it lay countless rare resources, each one meant to heal or protect the soul.]

[After confirming the nature of your unique soul and estimating its natural healing speed, the three of you held a long and careful discussion. In the end, you chose not to use any of the resources just yet. Instead, you would allow your soul to continue mending naturally while devoting your energy to gathering even more supplies. When your soul was fully healed, that moment would mark the true turning point.]

[Two more months passed. Your soul continued its passive recovery, and in that time you returned home and shifted your focus entirely to the Blood Refinement Path. Steadily, you pushed deeper into the Six Gates stage.]

[One day, while you were training as usual, Serah arrived — her expression uncharacteristically serious.]

[She stood in silence for a long moment, simply sizing you up. Then, in a voice laced with burning desire, she asked, "Will you really not take my first time?"]

[It was a far cry from her earlier teasing, where her tone had been half-serious and half-playful. This time, she was utterly earnest. And so, rather than refusing outright, you hesitated — a response that sent her jumping in joy.]

Is she also monitoring me?

Noel narrowed his eyes, suspicion flickering within them. Her behavior seemed to change every time she sought him out, as if it were being influenced by unseen factors.

He pondered the thought for a while before shaking his head. For now, things were moving even more smoothly than in the previous simulation. And besides… jumping in joy like that?

That really was cute.

[22 years old. After Serah's visits suddenly became far more frequent, your relationship with her deepened quickly — and before long, you had taken her precious first time.]

Noel blinked in surprise. The speed at which things had developed was startling enough, but the fact that his simulated self had slept with Serah before even Selena was unexpected on its own.

Maybe… it was because he still felt dissatisfied with her? A kind of lesson?

He raised an eyebrow, curiosity building. Whatever the reason, the potential drama ahead was something he looked forward to reading about.

[Serah didn't bother to hide what had happened. In fact, she bragged openly to Selena and Lilith. And as a result, a visible crack formed in the once mended relationship you had with the two of them.]

[Still, your attention wasn't on that. It was on your painfully slow progress in the Six Gates stage. After months of practicing the Blood Scripture, you could clearly gauge your advancement in refining your lungs — a measly 5%.]

[One month later, you stood in Florence, Italy, before the still unstable inheritance dimension. At your side were Hilda, Serah, and Elysia.]

[Following the quarrels with Selena and Lilith, they had chosen not to come. Serah, on the other hand, seemed increasingly glued to you and stayed by your side without fail.]

[You waited patiently for the dimension to stabilize, paying little mind to the Ravelli family members stationed around it as guards. But, that was when Elsa appeared.]

[She paused when her eyes fell on you — a faint flicker of surprise breaking through her otherwise composed expression. Whatever thoughts crossed her mind, she kept them to herself. Instead, she went straight to the point, asking about your intentions.]

[Your reply was blunt, almost matter-of-fact. It was obvious what someone standing before an unclaimed inheritance dimension wanted.]