BXBX NOVEL Chapter 14: Villain Simulator, Ch 14
Chapter 14: Villain Simulator, Ch 14
Is this heading in a strange direction?
[Age 7: While playing in the forest with Rostam, you both come across a strange man digging a grave. Rostam wants to stop him, but when the man turns around, you both see a face so terrifying it\'s impossible to describe. Even the brave Rostam feels fear and pulls you away to run. You tell the villagers, but no one believes you. Afterward, you frequently dream of the man\'s face and his eerie smile.]
[Age 8: Your medical skills have already surpassed your father\'s, but he disapproves of your "novel" methods, feeling they go against traditional medicine. You two often argue over this.]
[Age 9: The bullies from a neighboring village steal your rabbit Snowball. Though frustrated by the loss of this "medical tool," you don\'t dwell on it. That evening, a battered Rostam returns Snowball to you, smiling. You later find out he fought off ten kids to get your rabbit back.]
[Age 10: Rostam\'s swordsmanship is as exceptional as your talent for medicine. Despite lacking a skilled teacher, he finds ways to train himself. One day, during training, he accidentally breaks his leg. The injury is so severe that even your father, the village\'s only doctor, believes he\'ll be crippled. But you refuse to give up. Using every method you know, you miraculously heal his leg. Touched by your efforts, Rostam asks to become sworn brothers. Your choice is...]
[1. Happily accept]
[2. Politely refuse]
Rostam, the future Wolf Pup, wants to be my sworn brother?
Once he becomes successful, won\'t I benefit too?
Without much thought, Lucas replied, "Choose the first!"
[You happily accept Rostam\'s invitation, and you both vow to protect Mondstadt together in the future.]
[Age 11: You and Rostam become well-known as close brothers. People say that you two are destined to become a great knight and doctor pair.]
[Age 12: Your research in medicine hits a bottleneck. No matter how talented you are, outdated equipment and limited resources slow your progress. You know that only by continuing your studies at Mondstadt\'s Favonius Academy can you improve further. However, the tuition is beyond your family\'s means.]
[Age 13: The village chief raises funds to support one person for higher education. However, the money can only send either you or Rostam. To be fair, the chief decides to hold a lottery. The night before the drawing, Rostam tells you he plans to let you win and advises you to choose the stick on the right.]
[Feeling conflicted about Rostam\'s words, you prepare for the lottery the next day. Facing the two sticks, you decide...]
[1. Choose the right stick]
[2. Choose the left stick]
What... do I really need to choose?
Is this testing whether I trust Rostam?
Indeed, Rostam is a good friend and brother, but this lottery determines both your futures. Both of you are extremely talented, and the one who wins will have a bright future, while the other will likely remain in the impoverished village, leading a mundane life.
"I... I\'ll choose the right stick."
Finally, Lucas decided to trust Rostam.
[You choose the right stick, but it is Rostam who wins the lottery. In that moment, you are deeply shocked. If he had asked, you might have given up the spot for him willingly, but being betrayed by your most trusted friend plants a seed of doubt in your heart. From then on, you decide never to trust anyone again.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Lie Eater]
[Effect: When you lie, there is a 10% chance the other person will believe you unconditionally. When others lie to you, there is a 10% chance you will see through their lies.]
So... I was betrayed?
Lucas felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment. It wasn\'t about winning the opportunity, but the betrayal by his closest friend that was difficult to accept.
[Devastated, you shut yourself away. Rostam visits many times, but you refuse to see him. Eventually, he leaves for Mondstadt without saying goodbye.]
[Age 14: You don\'t let the incident defeat you. Instead, you resolve to master unparalleled medical skills and someday seek "revenge" on Rostam in Mondstadt.]
[You build a "medical lab" in a cave outside the village, filled with various animals for research. You begin experimenting with organ transplants on rabbits but can\'t achieve success. Exhausted after long hours of study, you fall asleep at the lab.]
[When you groggily wake up, you find someone standing at your operating table. Before you can shout, you\'re shocked to see that they\'ve completed the surgery you couldn\'t. To your further astonishment, the person helping you is none other than the grave digger you encountered years ago. You\'ve never forgotten his decayed, twisted face.]
[Despite your fear, your curiosity gets the better of you. You ask about his background and where he learned his medical skills. He tells you he was once a healer at Favonius Cathedral but was banished for studying forbidden medical techniques. Impressed by your talent, he offers to take you on as a disciple. Your choice is...]
[1. Refuse in outrage]
[2. Accept eagerly]
A strange man suddenly offering to be my teacher?
This feels like a cliché from a third-rate martial arts novel. For a moment, Lucas didn\'t know what to choose.
Refuse?
Wouldn\'t that provoke him to kill me?
After all, I didn\'t pick the [Try Again] talent this time, and the [Die of Old Age] talent can\'t prevent me from being murdered.
"I... I\'ll choose the second."
No choice. Better to accept for now and figure out an escape plan later.
[You accept his offer to become his disciple. He is delighted and promises to teach you everything he knows.]
[Age 15: The man, who calls himself the "Mad Doctor," rapidly improves your medical skills. He tells you that the ultimate medical art is resurrection—the ability to bring the dead back to life. At first, you think he\'s delusional.]
[Until one day, the Mad Doctor revives a rat that had been dead for half a day in front of you. You have no choice but to believe him.]
Resurrection? This isn\'t medicine—it\'s practically magic!
[Age 16: The Mad Doctor can resurrect many animals, but he can\'t bring humans back to life. To continue his research, he often digs up fresh graves and steals bodies. You finally understand that years ago, he wasn\'t just a grave robber—he was a body thief.]
[Though you know it\'s wrong, the allure of fresh "medical tools" proves too tempting. As a medical fanatic, you give in and begin using bodies for your research.]
[Age 17: You\'ve nearly learned all the Mad Doctor\'s knowledge. He tells you that his most important research notes are hidden in a secret chamber at Favonius Cathedral. He hopes you can enter as a physician to retrieve them. You tell him that you lack the qualifications and money to enter, but he just smirks and tells you to wait patiently.]
[Age 18: A sudden plague sweeps through your village. Despite your years of medical training, you are powerless against it. Soon, nearly all the villagers, including your parents, succumb to the disease. Strangely, you remain completely unaffected.]
[Looking at the bodies of your parents, friends, and fellow villagers, you feel despair for the first time. However, as a physician, you quickly regain your composure, realizing the bodies must be burned to prevent further spread of the disease.]
[You set your home and your parents\' bodies ablaze. As the fire consumes the house, an old, unstable beam collapses, knocking you unconscious.]
Could it be? Am I going to die here?
[However, luck is on your side. Just as the flames begin to engulf your body, you hear footsteps outside. Before losing consciousness, you see a group of people in white uniforms pulling you from the fire ([Die of Old Age] talent activated—you do not die in the fire).]
Phew...
Seeing this message, Lucas finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems picking that talent was the right choice. Otherwise, I might have been burned to death in an accident.
[You don\'t know how long you were unconscious, but you eventually wake up in a hospital room at Favonius Cathedral. A nun informs you that they arrived too late to save anyone else, and you are the sole survivor of the village.]
[Although you survived, half of your face was disfigured by the flames, leaving you with a hideous appearance—almost as terrifying as the Mad Doctor.]
[In the spirit of humanitarianism, Favonius Cathedral sponsors your stay in Mondstadt and allows you to choose a profession. You express your desire to remain at the cathedral as a physician. Your exceptional medical skills easily earn everyone\'s approval. You never expected to fulfill your "dream" this way.]
[Age 19: To hide your burned face, you create a mask for yourself.]
[Age 20: Your medical expertise quickly establishes you at Favonius Cathedral. You are granted the opportunity to further your studies. The wealth of knowledge and advanced equipment help you temporarily forget the pain of losing your home.]
[Age 21: One night, a mysterious figure stops you on your way home. To your shock, it\'s the Mad Doctor! He reveals that his plan succeeded. The plague that destroyed your village was his doing, and he was the one who alerted the cathedral. The reason you survived was that he secretly gave you the antidote, ensuring you would be the sole survivor and gain entry to Favonius Cathedral.]
[You are in disbelief. You want to turn him in, but he threatens that if he is captured, your connection as his disciple will be exposed, linking you to the plague. Everything you\'ve worked for will be stripped away. Faced with his threat, your choice is...]
[1. Compromise]
[2. Refuse]
This plot twist left Lucas momentarily speechless.
Refusing would be the morally right choice, but doing so would expose your relationship with the Mad Doctor, and the plague could be traced back to you.
"I\'ll choose... the first."
It seems I\'m destined to walk the path of darkness.
[You agree to the Mad Doctor\'s demands and promise to help him as much as possible.]
[Age 22: You easily gain control of the morgue. At night, you and the Mad Doctor experiment on bodies, while during the day, you act as the kind and gentle "masked physician."]
[Age 23: The constant switching of identities and immense pressure wear you down. One day, while walking through Mondstadt\'s plaza, you hear a beautiful song. Drawn by the sound, you find a stunning girl singing in the square. Her heavenly voice soothes your soul.]
[Age 24: You return to listen to the girl\'s song every day, finding it to be your only comfort. You learn that her name is Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter. For the first time, your heart stirs with emotion. However, you lack the courage to approach her. With your disfigured face and dirty hands, how could you possibly be worthy of such a pure and beautiful woman?]
Rosalyne?
Lucas frowned.
Isn\'t that the real name of "The Lady," one of the Fatui Harbingers?
This can\'t be... unrequited love, can it?
[Age 25: One day, you go to Mondstadt\'s plaza as usual, but Rosalyne\'s song is absent. You see her talking happily with a man dressed as a Favonius knight. When you see his face, your breath catches—it\'s your former brother, Rostam! Now tall and handsome, he has become a rising star in the Knights of Favonius, admired by many women in Mondstadt.]
[You can see the mutual admiration in their eyes, and your heart burns with rage. Rostam stole your future, and now he\'s taking the woman you love.]
[You think to yourself, if only you were as handsome as Rostam, you could win Rosalyne\'s heart. And so, a bold idea takes root.]
[Age 26: You master the art of plastic surgery and give yourself a strikingly handsome face. Excited, you go to the plaza to find Rosalyne. Along the way, many women gasp at your good looks, but in your heart, there is only one woman... Rosalyne!]
[Confidently, you approach Rosalyne and present her with flowers, confessing your love. To your dismay, she politely rejects you, telling you she already has someone she loves.]
[In that moment, your heart shatters. From that day forward, you live recklessly, trying to forget Rosalyne. You pursue many women, relying on your handsome face to easily charm them. Whether young or mature, slender or full-figured, single or married, you accept them all. Yet, the more women you seduce, the stronger your desire for Rosalyne grows.]
[Age 27: Rostam earns the title of "Wolf Pup," and together with Arundolyn, the "Lion of Light," they become the most celebrated young knights of the Favonius Order. You can\'t help but wonder: if you had been chosen that day, would you now be the one receiving such honors and Rosalyne\'s love?]
[Age 28: You and the Mad Doctor make another breakthrough in your medical research—you successfully resurrect a corpse! Although the body only survives for three minutes, the Mad Doctor is ecstatic. However, you suddenly have an even crazier idea... What if Rosalyne dies, and you resurrect her? Wouldn\'t that mean you could be with her forever?]
[You know this thought is insane. You\'re not even sure whether your obsession with Rosalyne is due to an overwhelming love for her or simply a desire to take revenge on Rostam... or perhaps it\'s a mix of both.]
[Age 29: Rosalyne is preparing to leave for distant Sumeru to study abroad. Rostam gives her a small hourglass as a parting gift, telling her that when the sand runs out, it will be time for her to return to Mondstadt.]
[You stand at a distance, high atop a tower, looking down at their farewell scene with a cold smile on your face. You\'ve made up your mind—no matter what, you are going to take Rosalyne away.]
Oh no, things have gone completely off track.
Honestly, reading this part of the story left Lucas with mixed feelings.
Without a doubt, for the protagonist in this simulation, this isn\'t a typical love triangle, because there was hardly any real connection between Rosalyne and Lucas to begin with.
They\'re a perfect couple, so what does it have to do with me?
Why bother with romance at all?
Lucas originally planned for this life simulation to quietly coast until he turned sixty and achieve a peaceful ending.
[You decide to leave Mondstadt and follow Rosalyne to Sumeru. That night, you decide to settle everything. You find the Mad Doctor and bring plenty of food and wine, saying you want to celebrate your recent research success. The Mad Doctor is completely unsuspecting—after all, to him, you\'ve always been nothing more than a pawn to be used at will.]
[You lace the food and wine with a carefully prepared poison. The poison is so subtle that even the highly skilled Mad Doctor doesn\'t notice. When he wakes up, he finds himself trapped inside a giant jar, with only his head exposed.]
[You tell the Mad Doctor that you\'ve amputated his arms and legs, and that the nutrient solution in the jar will keep him alive for years. The Mad Doctor realizes you\'re telling the truth. He rages, curses, and pleads, ultimately begging for a quick death. Faced with the man who ruined your life but also gave you everything you have, your choice is...]
[1. Kill him]
[2. Let him suffer]
"The second one."
This time, Lucas didn\'t hesitate.
[You ignore the Mad Doctor\'s pleas. Not only that, but the toxin you used will gradually rob him of his senses. Soon, he will live in a world without sound, sight, or taste, isolated for years, perhaps decades. Watching his face contorted in agony, you taste the sweet wine of revenge for the first time—and it is intoxicating.]
[You apply to the Sumeru Academia for advanced medical studies, and your application is promptly accepted.]
[You travel to Sumeru and successfully enroll in the Academia\'s medical faculty. Your handsome looks and extraordinary medical talent quickly make you a celebrity on campus. Countless female students are captivated by you, but your eyes are always on Rosalyne.]
[You easily find opportunities to work with Rosalyne and tell her that you came all the way to Sumeru just for her.]
[Though Rosalyne continues to think of Rostam, she is touched by your devotion. While she rejects your romantic advances again, being in a foreign land, she still becomes your friend.]
[Age 30: Your excellent academic performance earns you a prestigious degree from the Sumeru Academia in just one year. Your intelligence and charm earn you a new title—Doctor.]
[You thought that by coming to the Academia and staying close to Rosalyne, you could slowly win her over. However, you are disappointed. She constantly pulls out the hourglass that Rostam gave her, counting the days until her return to Mondstadt.]