The infirmary was silent again.
Angela hadn't said another word after that moment. She simply stood, adjusted her coat like nothing had happened, and left john alone in that small white room—heart pounding, shirt wrinkled, soul shaken.
The door clicked shut behind her.
john remained there, breathing deeply, gaze fixed on the ceiling above.
That kiss... that touch... everything about it had felt like a breaking point. Not one of lust—but of desperation.
He could still taste the bitterness she tried to hide beneath the desire. The frustration. The fear.
She didn't want to be left behind.
And now, neither could he.
———
Later that night, he returned to the simulation chamber.
No ceremony. No mission prep.
He just sat down, closed his eyes, and whispered to the system:
"Let's go back in."
The world blurred.
And the simulation restarted.
———
**[Simulation End — Manual Exit Confirmed]**
**[Evaluating Outcome...]**
**[Final Evaluation: S+]**
**[Reviewing Achievements...]**
**[Summary Uploaded.]**
**[Generating Rewards...]**
**[Reward Panel Displayed]**
Whew! What a god-tier start!
john grinned as he sifted through the rewards laid out before him—spoils from ending the simulation early, and they were anything but ordinary.
But then, something caught his eye.
In the corner of the reward screen, a few plain-looking lines of text stood awkwardly beside some easily overlooked rewards.
> [You ended the world's long-standing wars and divisions, planting seeds of hope across the land—even into the sea. You ensured that the poorest of people could eat and dress well.]
>
> [You brought Honkai Energy under humanity's control and ended its destructive influence.]
>
> [No poem can capture your achievements. No painting can depict your figure. No legend can fully express your living presence.]
>
> [Sadly, no reward.]
> [System Points awarded: 521]
> [Special Reward: Pendant x1]
> [Special Reward: Artifact Spirit x1]
john blinked at the block of text—more like a poetic gush than a proper summary.
Then he noticed the handwriting. Elegant. Soft. Slightly feminine.
That explained everything.
Even though the line about "no reward" sounded ridiculous when rewards clearly followed right after, john didn't comment on it. Instead, he raised a brow and said casually:
"Hey, System. Weren't you the one who said there would be no system points or rewards? So... what's this now?"
The system's voice came back with a little cough.
"Well… rewards still exist, but yeah, they're a bit less practical than Void Archives-level items."
"And the system points?" john asked.
"…There really weren't supposed to be any," the system muttered. "But after seeing how long you spent on that simulation, it felt kinda depressing to just leave you with nothing…"
"So I dipped into my personal stash and added a little bonus! Hehe~"
The system giggled at its own generosity.
john didn't say anything.
But the smile curling at the corners of his lips betrayed his thoughts.
It was obvious now: those dramatic praise lines came from the system itself, full of personal emotion and style.
Honestly… it felt kind of good.
That quiet sort of care that slips in from someone close by—warm, wordless, and genuine.
With a rare bit of amusement stirring in his heart, john finally took a closer look at the two rewards.
> **[Silver Cross Pendant]**
> *(Grants moderate resistance to environmental cold and darkness.)*
>
> Crafted from pure silver, hand-forged and engraved by family. A mirrored cross-shaped pendant, small and exquisitely made. It carries the names of loved ones and holds deep emotional value—able to repel cold and fear.
While it didn't match the raw functionality of something like the Snow Globe, the pendant clearly held a different kind of weight.
It was a gift.
A message.
And that wasn't all.
> **[Tome Spirit: Bennalus]**
> *(A spirit bound to a grimoire. Greatly improves retrieval and targeting efficiency.)*
>
> The magic tome was always a pain to navigate with just basic AI. So... why not a spirit?
> Lucky for you, there just happens to be a wandering soul nearby ready for the job.
john stared at the second reward for a while.
Then smirked.
"Looks like someone had this planned for a while."
Maybe the rewards weren't flashy or game-breaking this time.
But they were personal.
And somehow… they felt heavier than any artifact he'd ever equipped.
Whew! What a god-tier start!
john grinned as he sifted through the rewards laid out before him—spoils from ending the simulation early, and they were anything but ordinary.
But then, something caught his eye.
In the corner of the reward screen, a few plain-looking lines of text stood awkwardly beside some easily overlooked rewards.
> [You ended the world's long-standing wars and divisions, planting seeds of hope across the land—even into the sea. You ensured that the poorest of people could eat and dress well.]
>
> [You brought Honkai Energy under humanity's control and ended its destructive influence.]
>
> [No poem can capture your achievements. No painting can depict your figure. No legend can fully express your living presence.]
>
> [Sadly, no reward.]
> [System Points awarded: 521]
> [Special Reward: Pendant x1]
> [Special Reward: Artifact Spirit x1]
john blinked at the block of text—more like a poetic gush than a proper summary.
Then he noticed the handwriting. Elegant. Soft. Slightly feminine.
That explained everything.
Even though the line about "no reward" sounded ridiculous when rewards clearly followed right after, john didn't comment on it. Instead, he raised a brow and said casually:
"Hey, System. Weren't you the one who said there would be no system points or rewards? So... what's this now?"
The system's voice came back with a little cough.
"Well… rewards still exist, but yeah, they're a bit less practical than Void Archives-level items."
"And the system points?" john asked.
"…There really weren't supposed to be any," the system muttered. "But after seeing how long you spent on that simulation, it felt kinda depressing to just leave you with nothing…"
"So I dipped into my personal stash and added a little bonus! Hehe~"
The system giggled at its own generosity.
john didn't say anything.
But the smile curling at the corners of his lips betrayed his thoughts.
It was obvious now: those dramatic praise lines came from the system itself, full of personal emotion and style.
Honestly… it felt kind of good.
That quiet sort of care that slips in from someone close by—warm, wordless, and genuine.
With a rare bit of amusement stirring in his heart, john finally took a closer look at the two rewards.
> **[Silver Cross Pendant]**
> *(Grants moderate resistance to environmental cold and darkness.)*
>
> Crafted from pure silver, hand-forged and engraved by family. A mirrored cross-shaped pendant, small and exquisitely made. It carries the names of loved ones and holds deep emotional value—able to repel cold and fear.
While it didn't match the raw functionality of something like the Snow Globe, the pendant clearly held a different kind of weight.
It was a gift.
A message.
And that wasn't all.
> **[Tome Spirit: Bennalus]**
> *(A spirit bound to a grimoire. Greatly improves retrieval and targeting efficiency.)*
>
> The magic tome was always a pain to navigate with just basic AI. So... why not a spirit?
> Lucky for you, there just happens to be a wandering soul nearby ready for the job.
john stared at the second reward for a while.
Then smirked.
"Looks like someone had this planned for a while."
Maybe the rewards weren't flashy or game-breaking this time.
But they were personal.
And somehow… they felt heavier than any artifact he'd ever equipped.
He leaned back, hands behind his head, eyes closed.
"For once," he muttered, "things feel... peaceful."
But the moment he opened his eyes again, something in the air had shifted.
A subtle pressure.
A flicker of instinct told him—
That peace wasn't going to last long.
And sure enough, when he got back to the dorm…
It was already too quiet.