Chapter 64: The End, and the Anchor of Fate
[You have died.]
[Simulation Ended.]
[Simulation Rating: Perfect.]
[Desire, pressure, pain. You carried the weight of the world and marched forward through the mud. You were a true man who walked through adversity.]
[Your lover became strong because of you, finding her redemption. And because of her, you awakened to your true self, achieving the state of 'Serene Mirror, Still Water'.]
[This was a perfect simulation. Although it lacked tragedy in the end, it is still worthy of applause.]
[Simulation Rewards: Simulator Update, Fate Anchoring, Medicine (Perfect Simulation Level), Auditory Nerve Regeneration Drug (Tech Beyond the Era), Physical Enhancement, Crystal of Dreams.]
In reality.
"..."
"..."
Haruka stared coldly at the simulation interface. He looked at the rewards—items that clearly defied common sense—yet he felt absolutely no joy.
It was a stark contrast to his usual hunger for rewards.
"Serene Mirror, Still Water? My desires? Shadow within?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"Society is made of people. The differences between individuals guarantee the existence of classes. And classes mean oppression and exploitation. That breeds pain and resentment."
"In the end, the weak just look up at their 'betters' with ugly, powerless jealousy. They're like rats in a sewer—dying in the dark, stinking filth without ever seeing the beautiful scenery above."
Haruka's thoughts spiraled into madness.
He wanted to refute the 'him' in the simulation.
He judged that version of himself as weak!
'Love? Fine, I can admit that exists.'
'Shoko? Fine, she can be saved!'
'But why do I have to admit that my past self was wrong?'
'Why do I have to deny who I am right now?'
'Obsession? What obsession? What is wrong with wanting a better life?!'
'So what if I'm extreme?'
'If you don't go mad, you don't survive!'
'If I don't even have the will to be extreme, what gives me the right to be disciplined? What gives me the right to break the rules? What gives me the right to get what I want?!'
'How am I supposed to surpass those geniuses born with silver spoons in their mouths? How do I beat the opportunists who are better at sucking up than I am?!'
'With speeches? With Talk No Jutsu?!'
'Cowardly?'
'How am I cowardly?'
'Refusing to accept these soft, weak philosophies... refusing to admit that "wrong" is just a label for the fearful... does that make me a coward?'
'I wasn't wrong!'
'I wasn't!!'
Haruka's breathing was heavy, his eyes filled with rage.
He hadn't enjoyed this simulation at all.
'You're just a simulated construct. What right do you have to deny my past?!'
'Who do you think you are?!'
'It's disgusting!'
BANG!
Haruka slammed his fist into the bed. The frame shuddered violently.
Under the force of his enhanced body, the sound of wood cracking echoed dully from beneath the thick mattress.
"..."
Tick-tock, tick-tock...
The sound of the clock was exceptionally loud in the dark room.
Haruka curled up on the bed, clutching his head.
***
2:00 AM.
Click.
The light turned on.
Haruka sat with his head lowered and tapped open the simulation interface.
After hours of psychological self-regulation, he had finally calmed down.
He had understood a truth long ago: people who couldn't control their emotions could never rise from the bottom.
Losing control for a moment was acceptable. But if you couldn't rein it back in, you were just a loser.
'A simulation is just a simulation in the end. Getting angry over it isn't worth it.'
'Besides, I do have some problems. I shouldn't let anger blind me to them.'
Now calm, Haruka's intellect came back online.
'First, being extreme is a real issue. I need to change that. Besides, I hold a lot of cards now. Academically, I'm guaranteed a top university. My physical stats are insane. I have the medical knowledge from the rewards, plus the business experience. Even without the simulator, my floor is now "upper class."'
'But that's not enough. I'd still be controlled by others.'
'So, I need to keep working hard.'
'Also, regarding relationships... this is a Love Simulator. The more romance involved, the better the rewards. I don't know why, but even though the simulations kept ending in tragedy before, it doesn't matter.'
'Next time, I'll try to lean more into the romance angle in the simulation to farm better rewards for my real self.'
'Of course, a less extreme version of me should logically treat Shoko and the others better. At the very least, I should solve their tragedies. Karma and all that bullshit…'
'That way... I can count as having a conscience, right?'
"Yeah. That's it." Haruka muttered to himself, sounding like he was trying to brainwash himself.
For him, admitting he was extreme was one thing.
But that didn't mean he would do things he didn't want to do.
He still didn't understand—and didn't want to understand—some of the choices the "Sim-Haruka" had made.
'Alright, alright. Let's look at the rewards. That's the most important part.'
Haruka looked at the interface.
[Simulator Update, Fate Anchoring, Medicine, Auditory Nerve Regeneration Drug, Physical Enhancement, Crystal of Dreams.]
Six rewards.
"What does 'Simulator Update' mean?"
[Literal meaning.]
[Since you achieved a Perfect Simulation, the Simulator will undergo its first update. It will add or modify certain rules and functions to provide the Host with a better romantic (or tragic) experience.]
"Wait, the Perfect Simulation is the end? What about the Real Simulation?" Haruka was stunned.
[Reality is reality. There is no such thing as a "simulation" of reality. The reality you are currently living in is the Real Simulation.]
"???"
"So you were just messing with me before?"
The Simulator didn't respond.
Haruka's head was buzzing.
'The Real Simulation is just... real life?'
'Am I simulating right now? All these people around me… are they just fucking pieces of code…?'
'No, it probably means that there's no such thing as a "simulation mode" for my real life.'
'But if there's no Real Simulation mode, what was that about "Real Simulation Rewards" mentioned earlier?'
[Rewards have been distributed.]
"..."
"So, basically, the Perfect Simulation rewards are part of the Real Simulation rewards, right?"
Haruka sighed helplessly.
There was nothing he could do.
The Simulator had the final say.
What could he do? Sue it?
'Damn it!'
'Don't get angry. Don't get angry. Don't get angry...'
Suppressing the urge to scream, Haruka looked at the next reward.
"What does 'Fate Anchoring' mean?"
[Simulation is the process of extending and deducing the infinite possibilities of a living being's existence. It can be viewed as an alternate timeline—a quantum state between reality and virtuality.]
[When a Perfect Simulation occurs, this timeline located between the real and the virtual becomes fixed.]
[Embedding into the current timeline.]
[Moving forward, the fates of the key characters related to you in that timeline will be locked.]
[Shoko Nishimiya will receive salvation. This event has become the 'Effect', and the 'Cause' will be rewritten to match it.]
[Fate will flow in the established direction.]
[No matter how the tributaries of fate diverge, and no matter how many variables occur, the result will remain eternal and unchanged.]
[Unless another Anchored Timeline is embedded.]
"Wait a minute!"
"I'm just speaking hypothetically here, but does this mean... my fate is fixed too?"
"I will marry Shoko Nishimiya?"
"Even if I don't actually like her right now?"
Haruka's expression darkened.
This gave him the feeling of being played with. It felt terrible.
'Fucking fatalism!'
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A/N: What would go through your mind if you found out your fate is sealed—that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you fight, you're gonna end up marrying one specific person in the end?
.....
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