1. An Unethical Simulator
"Although I love Honkai Impact 3rd, I've never considered traveling there..."
Yun Ling watched the news broadcast of "Nagazora City News" on TV. The very words "Nagazora City" gave him an inexplicable pang of fear.
As a rookie captain at only level 88, he was well aware of how hostile this world was to men.
One could even say that men were an endangered species...If a normal male could make it to 18, it was a testament to good luck and a decent resistance to Honkai.
If he could survive to old age, it was essentially a blessing earned through eight lifetimes of hard work.
He had to avoid Honkai's pursuit while also preventing himself from being captured by Schicksal as a test subject or surviving the World Serpent's large-scale experiments.
Anti-Entropy was the most humanitarian organization, but it was a shame that Cocolia had emerged from it.
Thus, for Yun Ling's primary goal at present was survival. Survival was paramount.
As for becoming a captain...he wasn't considering it for now. What? You don't know how awesome the Captain is?
The Captain's known achievements include unleashing Judgment of Shamash without taking damage, possessing physical skills comparable to an A-rank Valkyrie, carrying a 400-pound Oath of Judah on his back, reincarnating thousands of times, and pursuing his beloved for ten thousand years without breaking down...
Everyone claims to be a Captain, but how many truly achieve that status? Most can only be lackeys.
In the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, simply surviving is a blessing.
Yun Ling admitted that he longed to change the tragedy of Honkai Impact 3rd, and he also admired female characters like Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Elysia, Mobius, Aponia, and Luna Kindred...
But unfortunately, he's too weak even to fight a single Seraph-class Honkai Beast.
If he's already straining himself to survive, how can he possibly care about anything else?
This thought might sound a bit cowardly, but it's likely the sentiment of most ordinary people.
He's just a jerk, offering nothing except his good looks. Not everyone can be like Kevin, an ordinary high school student, single-handedly taking on a tank-class Honkai beast over ten meters tall with a baseball bat...
Yun Ling glanced at the time. October 2013... Hmm, there was still some time before the third Honkai outbreak in Nagazora City in 2014, giving him plenty of time to leave.
The best option, of course, was to infiltrate the three major organizations: Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent.
The survival rate for researchers was relatively high. The one who left the deepest impression on me was probably Nagamitsu from the Schicksal Research Institute, an "ordinary person" who survived to the end. (He remembered her because she was so beautiful.)
As for Tesla and Einstein from Anti-Entropy, both were affected by the zeroth-rated power of the "Black Abyss White Flower," and could hardly be considered ordinary people.
Of course, he could also consider returning to Shenzhou to inherit the family business, but his aunt might not give him another chance to leave, and the loss of his freedom would still be somewhat painful.
Just as Yun Ling began to plan the rest of his life, a reminder suddenly rang in his mind.
『The Life Restart Simulator has been installed. I really don't want to stay in this rubbish life for even a second longer. Do you want to restart?』
"Is this the cheat code for time travel? Damn, if you didn't come out sooner, I'd have to complain for so long."
Yun Ling tossed the pen and paper aside, already imagining himself stepping on Otto, beating up Kevin, and marrying the Finality Catworm.
The Life Restart Simulator was a popular mini-game in his previous life.
Yun Ling recalled the fan fiction he'd read; it seemed many of them touched upon the protagonist's life story and the rules of the simulator.
So he asked, "By the way, could the simulator simulate events from the past, or perhaps from a parallel world?"
The Life Restart Simulator didn't answer, only making a faint, whirring sound.
Yun Ling remained completely unaware and continued to speculate, "Then the parallel world interferes with the progress of this world, allowing the people in the simulator to access the simulator's memories through dreams or other means?"
Life Restart Simulator: 『...We've detected an abnormality in the host's brain and are erasing the relevant memories.』
Yun Ling was stunned for two seconds, then panicked: "Fuck, you have no moral integrity!"
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he felt as if his brain had been struck by a powerful blow; then he passed out on the spot.
The system curled its lips and grumbled in a very human way: 『You knew everything from the beginning, so what's the point of my work?』
Not long after, Yun Ling woke up from his coma. He seemed to have dreamed of a system... something called the Life Restart Simulator.
A mechanical voice confirmed that he was not dreaming.
System: 『Excuse me, what can I do for you?』
"So it wasn't a dream? No, why did I pass out?"
Yun Ling had discovered his blind spot. If he had obtained the system, he would have been so excited that he couldn't sleep.
Or maybe he's already fantasizing about stepping on Otto, beating up Kevin, and marrying the all-powerful Finality Cat. How could he possibly fall asleep?
『This system consumes a large amount of energy upon awakening, so it drew some from you, the host. That's why you fell into a coma,』 the system offered a random excuse.
Yun Ling frowned. "It shouldn't affect me, right?"
He felt around and found nothing missing, thankfully. Otherwise, he and the system would have perished together.
It was strange. Even though this was his first time communicating with the system, he still had the urge to bash it...
The system replied, 『Don't worry, host. There won't be any problems. Would you like to try an exciting life simulation?』
"Wouldn't you like to explain the functions?" Yun Ling remained bewildered.
He had just had his memories of this subject erased by an unnamed Life Restart Simulator system, so he had no idea what this thing actually did.
The system replied coldly, 『You'll know after playing it once.』
Yun Ling, hands on his hips, said arrogantly, "What's that attitude? Can you show me some respect? You've absorbed my 'essence', so I'm considered your master, and you're talking to your master like that?"
『@#￥%...&*()』 The system displayed a flurry of garbled characters, presumably a cordial greeting to Yun Ling.
『Dear host, the functions of this simulator are mostly related to life simulation. We suggest you play and learn as you go. How about that?』
The mechanical voice replaced a female voice, with a somewhat flattering tone.
"Little fellow, you have two faces? Not bad, I'll consider it." Yun Ling put his hands behind his head and put the system aside.
System: 『My dear, you must be happy! I wish you all the best and good health... (silenced version)』
He could sense that the system still had some needs for him, perhaps replenishing its energy through life simulation? But... with the system, survival shouldn't be the primary concern right now. So...
Yun Ling's eyes swept over the admissions form on the table.
"Chiba Academy" was written prominently at the top.
He wanted to meet the protagonists of this world.
Besides his LSP nature, there was also a slight shift in his mindset.
When you're rich, you should help the world; when you're poor, you should focus on yourself.
Now that he had the power to change everything, he wanted to try.
At least... let this imperfect story become what he wanted it to be.
If he could do that.
The system popped up a panel at the right moment.
『I really don't want to stay in this crappy life for even a second longer. Do you want to restart?』
A large "Restart" button appeared at the bottom.
Yun Ling took a deep breath and pressed it.
...