SWNOVELXO Chapter 5: Simulation Start! (2/3)
Just as Hong Ye was about to launch into another tirade, a new message flashed across her vision, the cold, mechanical text overlaying the childish room.
[Success rating calculated: Impossble Grade 99. You have been refunded your life-seek token. Would you like to automate this life?]
Hong Ye's teeth gritted together, her small hands clenching into fists. The sheer audacity of this system, the cold, uncaring way it was treating her, it was all too much. The "Impossible Grade 99" rating was an insult, a blatant declaration that she was destined to fail, and the offer to "automate this life" was just another way of saying "give up and die." It was a slap in the face, a blatant insult, and she was not going to stand for it.
Two options, stark and unyielding, appeared before her: a simple [Y] and a simple [N]. It was a joke, a cruel joke that made her blood boil. It was a choice between giving up and waiting to die, or living a life that was guaranteed to be nothing but pain and suffering.
"I'd like some more options than, 'Give up and wait to die by infinite fast-forward' and 'live a horribly painful life that is probably going to be shorter than a fantastically gaudy magic wand in a new-age scam store!'" she demanded, her voice laced with sarcasm and barely contained fury. She would not be treated like a pawn, she would not be a tool, she would not be controlled.
The system, predictably, remained silent for a moment, and then, a new message appeared:
[Processing... Generating....]
A few minutes passed, and Hong Ye, her patience wearing thin, was about to demand to see some kind of manager, to talk to someone higher up about this mess, when something strange happened. The very thought, the sheer audacity of her wanting to talk to a manager, seemed to rush the generation bar from 20% to 100% in an instant. A barely visible [emergency overclock] message flashed for a bare moment, a glitch in the system that was so fast that she almost missed it. It was something that she decided to ignore, for now. She would figure out what that meant later.
A new option appeared, a third option, that was not simply giving up:
[New option added. Auto mode. You may accelerate simulations up to 10x and automatically make normal actions as per a set goal. Cost: 10 Life-S -]
Hong Ye glared at the message, her eyes narrowed in hot rage. The idea that she would have to pay, that she would have to expend some sort of resource to make a single decision in a life that was already going to be sped up, it was an insult. It was a way to control her, it was a way to make her into a tool, and she hated it. It was also clear that the system was terrified of the idea of her calling the manager, and that was something that she could exploit.
Then, another message, a small concession that made her smirk:
[Discount enabled. first level of Auto-mode is 90% off.]
She smirked, a small, almost predatory smile that played on her lips. It seemed that even this system, this cold, uncaring machine, was terrified of the idea of a manager, of someone higher up the chain of command, and that was something that she could exploit. She nodded, a small, almost imperceptible movement. She had no idea what was going to happen, but it was better than nothing.
"Fine," she said, her voice laced with a mixture of resignation and a newfound sense of purpose, "I'll take it."
The purchase was instantaneous, a silent transaction that felt like a small victory. Apparently, being terrified of the manager was a universal constant, even in a system that was designed to be completely uncaring. That was something that she would keep in mind, and something that she would use against them.
Hong Ye noted, for the first time, that the way the system was filling her mind with explanations of how everything worked was incredibly convenient. It wasn't a new feature, it wasn't something that she had just purchased, it was something that had been happening in the background, slowly but surely, and she was only now becoming consciously aware of it. It was almost like the system was trying to make things easier for her, or perhaps, it was simply a function of the system itself, something that it had been doing all along. She had no idea, and that made her wary, but she had to admit, it was useful.
[Would you like to enable auto mode?]
The message was simple, direct, and devoid of any emotion. Hong Ye, with a barely perceptible nod, silently gave her consent. Reacting to my thoughts, huh? she mused, that's...interestingly efficient.
The moment she nodded, the system began to move, the world around her blurring slightly as the simulation began to accelerate. She still didn't know what living this life would get her, but in a life where she was doomed, she would surely gain enough rewards to survive the ghostly situation outside of this insanity, right? She was a customer, and she deserved a reward for her purchase.
A new message appeared, presenting her with a list of options:
[Select Archetype goal.( Scholar, martial artist(BAD! HORRIBLE DANGER) (Cultivator (IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE DANGER! FATE WORSE THAN DEATH: GRADE 99!) (Clan Heir IMPOSSIBLE! DANGER! FATE WORSE THAN DEATH: GRADE 10! GAURENTEED BAD END GRADE 50!) (Servant disciple(IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE DANGER! FATE WORSE THAN DEATH: GRADE 99!)]
Hong Ye looked at the list, her eyes narrowing slightly, but not with suspicion, but with calculation. All of the options, except for one, were marked with warnings of "fate worse than death" or "horrible danger." It was clear that the system was trying to steer her in a specific direction, and that made her cautious, but she had to admit, it was also probably for the best. She could only choose scholar anyway, it was the only option that did not have a fate worse than death, and the only difference was that it would be actually chosen, and her tiny self wouldn't do anything dumb. She had to admit, she had been an idiot in her past life, she had been too trusting, and that had been her downfall.
She silently gave the system an apologetic thanks for actually cooperating with her demands, for not simply forcing her to do what it wanted. At least the system wasn't totally out to get her, maybe she was treating the system a bit rudely. She was not used to being treated with even a modicum of respect, and that made her feel almost grateful, but she would not let her guard down.
[+1 favorability with the system]
A new message, a small notification, appeared, and her eyes widened slightly, not with suspicion, but with a hint of surprise. What was this "favorability" that the system was talking about? Was it another way to control her? Was it another trap? She would have to figure it out later.
[Additional option added to scholar archetype.]