The flames and fragments of the wooden-handled grenades ignite the battery pack of the "Purgatory Gun."
A violent explosion erupts. The underground tunnel collapses completely, stone and earth cascading down in a thunderous roar.
Your body is torn apart by the blast even as tens of thousands of tons of earth and rock bury what remains.
You are dead.
This simulation has ended after thirty days.
This simulation has retainable options:
Krieg Legionnaire Set (New)
A bundle of wooden-handled fragmentation grenades (twelve pieces)
Krieg Grenadier combat experience (one month)
This simulation time has exceeded 24 hours. Simulator loss exemption does not apply.
Cooling time: Thirty hours.
Current available cooling time: Six days and five hours (one hundred forty-nine hours)
Consume cooling time?
Cooling time has not been consumed. The simulator enters natural cooling (cooling can be waived at any time).
Nolan lies on his bed, heart racing with excitement.
Even though it was just a short, simulated life, he's shocked by the series of choices he made. What loyalty! What dedication!
His eyes dart to the rewards from completing the simulation. The smile on his lips grows even wider.
True, he still doesn't have the Imperial firearms he longs for. But a full month of Krieg Grenadier combat experience? That's even better!
This isn't simple training. This is battle experience forged by dancing between life and death every single day.
He barely glances at the other two rewards. With quick hands, Nolan selects the third option.
Instantly, every muscle in his body trembles. It's as though he's absorbed months of nutrition and exercise in a single heartbeat. His muscles expand significantly, swelling with new density and power.
Even his bone structure undergoes subtle but profound changes. His entire body begins to grow.
His height increases from 1.75 meters to 1.8 meters!
The two-meter bed that was once spacious now barely contains him. There's almost no room left.
Simultaneously, countless combat skills honed by Krieg grenadiers through life-and-death struggles flood into his mind. One technique after another, each one hard-won through blood and survival. The memories rapidly transform from abstract knowledge into unforgettable physical instinct.
The spirit and will of a veteran who fears no death suddenly blazes in Nolan's eyes. Then, just as quickly, this fierce determination dissipates and merges deeper, hiding beneath the surface but always present.
Nolan sits up abruptly and looks down at himself.
His muscles are swollen and full, his skin practically glowing with vitality. With just a slight flex, stronger power than before moves according to his will, responsive and controlled.
He feels more than twice as powerful as he was just minutes ago!
Excited, Nolan pushes himself up with one hand. His entire body springs from the bed to the floor effortlessly. He throws a few punches, movements sharp and forceful, cutting through the air.
However, his excitement doesn't last long. Real problems keep emerging, each one more troubling than the last.
Wearing only his underwear, Nolan rummages through the entire bedroom. He barely manages to scrape together a few sets of clothes that might fit. Everything else is far too small now.
He needs to replace his entire wardrobe.
Nolan paces as he thinks, pulling on loose, baggy sportswear that hangs awkwardly on his transformed frame.
Problems that can be solved with money are naturally simple enough. However, some problems can't be solved with money.
For example: How is he going to explain these extreme physical changes to his aunt, who he sees every single day?
Nolan sits on the edge of the bed, thinking hard. Then, suddenly, his eyes light up.
"Maybe... this could work!"
Neurons in his brain fire rapidly, colliding and sparking. A plan, not quite a plan but close enough, begins to form.
He bends down and drags the black duffel bag from under his bed. He unzips it. Stacks of colorful banknotes appear before his eyes.
In the apartment living room, his aunt sits cross-legged on the sofa, her brow deeply furrowed.
After just one night, her slightly round chin seems sharper and slimmer, carved down by stress. Her fingertips, rough from years of handling food and working in the kitchen, press the calculator buttons over and over.
She calculates again and again: the losses from the restaurant, the additional expenses required to renovate and reopen.
Although the restaurant's monthly income has always been decent with considerable profit, once all costs and high taxes are excluded, the reality becomes harsh. If the restaurant is to reopen, she'll have to dip into the family's savings.
Those savings aren't just for her future pension. They're also meant to send Nolan to college. They might even be his only resource for getting married and starting a family someday.
Moreover, Nolan's parents died far too early. They were ordinary people who left no inheritance behind. She is his only guardian. If she doesn't think about Nolan's future, who will help the well-behaved and sensible boy?
Thinking of this, her furrowed brow gradually relaxes. She lets out a long, slow sigh and murmurs to herself, "Nolan, you'll have a hard life..."
The aunt, who has always been vigorous and decisive, makes her final decision. She'll use her own pension to fill the gap first. The share saved for Nolan will remain untouched!
At that moment, the wooden door of Nolan's bedroom creaks slightly and opens slowly.
She looks up toward the sound. Her eyes widen.
Nolan, obviously taller and more muscular than yesterday, walks out with a stern expression on his face!
If this alone isn't enough to shock her, what happens next certainly is.
On Nolan's raised arms rests a pile of colorful banknotes!
Her aunt, who has always been extremely sensitive to money, calculates the approximate amount in the blink of an eye. It's definitely no less than three hundred thousand dollars!
Even for someone who owns a restaurant, this is a substantial sum.
Her heart pounds violently. Her breathing becomes rapid and shallow. Her eyes grow enormous, her slightly round chin trembles, and she shouts with a flushed face, "Where did you get so much money? Did you do something bad?"
"Nolan! Are you trying to kill me with worry?"
She's never been so agitated and panicked. Nolan is her only relative. He's the flesh and blood she's watched grow since childhood, the treasure she's held in her palm. To some extent, he is her son.
But now, Nolan, who has always been well-behaved and obedient, suddenly produces an enormous sum of money from an unknown source. For his law-abiding aunt, it's too much to process. Too shocking.
Yet Nolan, his face still stern and composed, says nothing.
He simply walks toward her. Bending down, he places the pile of banknotes on the table, covering the bills and notes spread across its surface.
He looks at his aunt, who is tearful and trembling. After taking a deep breath, he speaks slowly, word by word.
"Aunt, have you heard of Captain America?"
For a moment, she's stunned.
She looks utterly confused, as if she's forgotten to cry.