Noel was in his room, door and window tightly shut. The space around him was spotless. Not a speck of dust, not a book out of place. Even clean and tidy felt too small to describe it.
Since that quarrel-like conversation with Selena — the one that followed right after their first kiss — nothing else had happened between them.
Their relationship had, on the surface at least, returned to what it was before.
It went the same way.
It seemed like as long as he didn’t go all the way with Selena, Lilith wouldn’t act.
All that aside — it was time.
Finally, it was time to make his choice.
[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]
The message window floated in front of him, the same one that had accompanied him patiently, silently, for the past week.
He stared at it one last time — and then made his choice.
[You have selected Weak Soul Recovery (Seedling Talent)]
The moment he did, something shifted.
A strange sensation moved through him — faint, almost imperceptible — like a ripple inside his body that he couldn’t quite describe. There was no pain. No sound. Just the briefest shiver of something... before it faded, and the world returned to normal.
Or rather, it seemed to return to normal.
Because he already knew.
Weak Soul Recovery wasn’t the kind of talent that gave immediate results. It was one of those that worked quietly, passively, its effect unfolding over time.
Which was why, instead of lingering on something he couldn’t yet feel, Noel turned his attention elsewhere.
It was finally time to explore the message windows — his Codex Null — further.
He hadn’t been able to do anything with it during the past week. That bending choice had held everything still.
But based on what he’d gathered, from games, novels, and other things online, these kinds of systems should hold more. Hidden layers. Extra functions.
He ignored the new message reminding him that one free simulation was available again, and instead fiddled his way through the message windows.
And not long after, a new window appeared.
Overall Rank: 0 (Regressed)
Soul State: Refined (Heavily Damaged)
Destruction – Inherited (Fragmented; in slow recovery)
Dominion – Inherited (Semi-Dormant)
Silence – Initial Understanding (Linked to the sealed relic)
Control – Inherited Fragments
Relics: Hollow Scarf (Sealed)
Talent: Weak Soul Recovery (Seedling Talent)
Free Simulations Remaining: 1
Noel stared blankly at the window in front of him... at its absurd contents.
It gave him some answers about his current situation.
But at the same time, it only brought more questions.
That was why it took him time — sitting still, mind catching up — before he finally let his gaze drift to the final row.
Free Simulations Remaining...
Did that mean he could accumulate more free simulation chances? If he wanted to?
With that thought in mind, Noel turned his focus toward something else — the premium simulation. The one that required Null Points.
[Do you want to start a premium simulation?]
[You can spend either 10, 100, 1000, or more Null Points to begin a premium simulation.]
[With premium simulation, you can select two rewards. Their quality will scale according to how much you spend.]
Noel stared at the new message windows, lost in thought.
In the end, he couldn’t find anything more about the Null Points.
That’s why he dismissed the current messages and slowly moved his gaze to the drawer.
Opening it — then working through the hidden latch with practiced fingers — he finally took out the notebook concealed inside, and set it on the desk in front of him.
He stared at it for a moment.
When suddenly something changed.
An old notebook used by an individual with abnormal situation for more than ten years.
"This is...?" Noel muttered under his breath, reading the strange description that floated into view.
Even ordinary items... have Null Points?
That was his first thought, and with a flick of his eyes, he turned his attention to another object on the desk.
Not discouraged, and catching on to the method, he went on to appraise nearly everything in the room — scanning, checking, hoping. Looking for anything else that might hold a Null Point value.
But in the end, only the notebook had one.
What made the difference?
Was it just because it was old?
The thought lingered. It felt like a clue — maybe even a breakthrough.
Eventually, his eyes returned to the notebook on the desk.
He stared at its description for a long while, deliberating whether or not to offer it to Codex Null.
But in the end — thinking it was just a single point — he didn’t.
Instead, he opened the notebook.
He flipped through the initial pages — scattered notes on emotions, how they were expressed, recorded in his old, careful hand. Further in, he found brief observations about the world, fragments of thought written without context. Then he stopped.
What does Selena expect from me?
Beneath it, the space was still blank.
But Noel didn’t add anything.
He just turned the pages again, until he reached an empty one. Then he picked up the pen and began to write.
He wrote each word slowly, pausing after every one, wondering how the simulated version of him would interpret them. What would it mean this time — going through the simulation while already knowing parts of the future?
After all, these were things he only knew because of Codex Null.
So... would they be filtered?
The thought lingered. Then, at last, he added two more words — smaller, quieter.