I have a life simulator.

Currently, the player possesses seven fixed talents: Childhood Sweetheart (Gold), Unforgettable Love (Gold), Perseverance (Gold), Pet Owner (Purple), Fighter (Purple), Some Assets (Blue), and Close Friend (Green)

Currently, the player possesses two items: Ichinose Honami's Blessing and Ichinose Honami's Self.

"Ahhhh!"

Liang stared at the lines of text appearing on the screen, then grabbed a pillow and rolled around on the bed several times.

"Finally, finally, we got a good ending."

It's supposed to be just a life restart simulator, but it's been made to feel like a visual novel, with all sorts of events, branches, and numerous endings. It seems the developers put a lot of effort into it.

Liang lay on the bed with his eyes closed. In the third simulation, he felt a little more involved than in the first two. However, he only used the item "Temporary Talent Card" just before the final showdown. But the core gameplay of the Life Restart Simulator is to simulate life by combining talents and achieving the final ending by matching a suitable set of talents. If you get too involved, it will be no different from a regular text adventure game.

Liang pursed his lips, but in the middle and later stages of the story, whether it was the second or third time, he did feel the awkward situation of being an outsider. It was like a reader who was simply watching the story, who was aware of the impending tragedy but could only watch it happen helplessly.

He held his phone up to his eyes, not in a hurry to start the next simulation, but instead followed the clues from the game development studio to their official website. What's a bit strange is that, despite the fact that the storyline of this version of the Life Restart Simulator should be quite well done, there are no related reviews online. Even the official website of the studio called "Skill Supreme" is lifeless, as if no one is running it at all.

Even the download link that I obtained by chance could not be opened again.

Liang tried sending them an email:

"After experiencing your studio's Life Starter Simulator, I think it's a simulator that's definitely worth playing. It's just that perhaps due to insufficient promotion, there doesn't seem to be much discussion about it at the moment. But I believe that gold will always shine, and this is truly a great game!"

Liang didn't have high hopes after sending the email. He just wanted to encourage the game development studio as an ordinary player. However, he didn't expect to receive a reply from the 'Skills First' studio in about a minute.

"Thank you for your love of this game. This Life Restart Simulator is indeed in a very small closed beta phase. Through your email, we have also felt your enthusiasm for this game. Would you be willing to serve as a closed beta tester for this game?"

Liang looked at the email with some surprise. He had indeed heard that some large games would conduct multiple closed beta tests and internal tests before their release, but those were basically the various virtual reality games that had become popular in recent years. As for this kind of pure text game that still relies on mobile media... did it really need any internal testers?

"Please rest assured that this life simulator is currently only in the initial stage of script construction. The final product will also use Unreal Engine to build the world. If you are willing to serve as an internal tester for this game, you will have the opportunity to have a better gaming experience through virtual reality."

Seemingly sensing his concerns, the 'Strength First' studio immediately sent a second email with the same message.

Liang looked at her cramped basement room and replied with some regret:

"Sorry, I don't have any virtual reality gaming devices."

He was already struggling to survive in this society. Just like in the simulation game, some people can use the most advanced virtual reality equipment to play the latest virtual reality masterpiece "Sword Art Online", while Liang can only use his mobile phone in his bed to play the simulation game of life through text and imagination.

"We just learned from our backend data that you are currently the only player to have completed the first chapter. This proves your connection with the game. If you are willing to serve as a beta tester for the game, our studio will provide you with virtual reality equipment to experience the game free of charge."

"Our studio believes that cooperating with you is a win-win choice."

It must be said that the other party's offer really impressed Liang, or rather, without this opportunity, he might never have had the chance to come into contact with these things again in his entire life.

"Okay, I agree."

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It has to be said that the 'Strength First' studio was incredibly fast. The day after Liang filled out his personal information, a package bigger than himself was delivered to the basement, which was no more than two meters deep than the sewer. It took Liang two whole hours to assemble all the various parts according to the accompanying instructions. He even had to move his table further in before he could barely put this behemoth into the room.

Although it was my first time playing a virtual reality game, I was already very familiar with the process online, so my movements weren't too unfamiliar.

Wearing the gaming wristwatch and then the helmet, Liang connected to the virtual network and selected the only available game, "Life Restart Simulator: Skill Supremacy," from the game menu. Without hesitation, he entered the game.

In the chaos of consciousness, lines of white text emerged:

[Identity verification in progress... Successful]

[ID verification in progress... Successful]

[Iris verification in progress... Successful]

【Life Restart Simulator】

Each time a life simulation is conducted, five talents will be randomly selected. Talent levels are divided into five tiers: white, green, blue, purple, and gold. After each simulation, players can choose one talent to solidify and retain for the next simulation.

Please note that each chapter can be simulated a maximum of five times. The game is lost after five failed simulations.

Upon successfully completing each chapter, players permanently gain all the talents acquired at the time of completion and can use them in the simulation of the next chapter.

[A mystery prize will be awarded upon completion of all chapters.]

Enjoy the game!

In the dazzling starry sky, line after line of subtitles appeared.

According to the 'Skill-First' studio, at the current production stage, only the story CG allows players to immerse themselves in the game; daily simulation information is still presented in text form. However, for Liang, this is already much better than reading text on his phone and having to fill in the gaps in his mind. He gently touched the second chapter that had already been unlocked, and the white-bordered UI fragmented and then reassembled itself:

Chapter: Karuizawa Megumi's Autumn Lies

Please name your character.

[The player chose to name themselves Kitagawa Ryo]

[Named]

The first simulation of Chapter One will follow.

Seven talents have been selected for the player, as follows:

【Devoted to You (Gold): You are devoted to the heroine of this story. When I open my eyes, the bright moon and gentle breeze are you, the flowers and trees are you; the vast ocean and mountains are also you; when I close my eyes, the stars in my dreams all transform into you. (Completing the game with this talent will increase your final score in this simulation by 10 points.)】

"Oh, that's good. With so many fixed talents on my character, if I'm not a sentimental person, it should be quite easy to achieve the mission objectives."

Liang then frowned, as if he had just thought of something.

"Wait, it seems the mission for the second chapter hasn't been released yet. The mission for the first chapter was to change Ichinose Honami's past, so the mission for the second chapter should be to change Karuizawa Megumi's past?"

[Universally Adorable (Purple): Significantly enhances your personal charm (appealing to both men and women)]

"...I'm at a loss for words to say whether this talent is better or worse than the 'Tokyo heartthrob' from back then. It's a pity there are no talent refresh cards or similar items this time."

[Captain Tsubasa (Blue): Your soccer skills are extremely high, you're one of the best among your peers (Take this bicycle kick!)]

"Another talent that's better than nothing, but I remember the last time I met Karuizawa Kei in the first chapter was because of a friendly soccer match."

[Distinguished Family (Blue): Your family is quite prestigious in the area (Rebirth: I'm a Prodigal Son 2)]

"Suddenly, all sorts of bad memories came back to mind."

【Aloof (Green): You always present an aloof demeanor in front of strangers (being handsome is what makes you aloof)】

"This thing looks like an upgraded version of 'silent and reserved', but only by a tiny bit."

[Carnivorous type (green): You crave more physical contact and even more in a relationship (it's always better to take the initiative than to be taken advantage of)]

"Aloof and carnivorous, what kind of 'secretly passionate' combination is this...?"

Ryo covered his forehead, especially since he didn't have any items like talent refresh or upgrade cards in this simulation. The only thing he could rely on now was the item "Ichinose Honami's Self".

[Pseudo-sister complex (green): You have a special obsession with the role of your younger sister (your biological sister, yet you feel nothing for her)]

"If the green talent doesn't cause any trouble, that's a victory. Anyway, Karuizawa Kei can't have a younger sister like Ichinose Honami, can she?"

[Talent selection complete. The effect of the item "Ichinose Honami's Self" has been activated, randomly drawing talents for upgrade.]

The "Intimate Friend" (green) relationship has been upgraded to "Mutual Affection" (blue).

[Mutual Understanding (Blue): You have a close friend (of the same sex) with whom you can talk about anything]

[The talent of Carnivorous (green) has been upgraded to Carnivore (blue)]

[Carnivore (Blue): You always crave more physical contact and to take things further in a relationship (you've become accustomed to taking advantage of others in the relationship)]

[The gifted scion of a prestigious family (blue) has been upgraded to the eldest son of a powerful clan (purple)]

[The Eldest Son of a Powerful Family (Purple): You are the sole heir of the Kitagawa family, a powerful family with a history spanning hundreds of years (Rebirth: I Am an Urban Tycoon)]

[Player has completed talent selection]

[Childhood Sweetheart (Gold), Unforgettable (Gold), Perseverance (Gold), Wholehearted Devotion (Gold)]

[The Great Pet Owner (Purple), The Heir of a Powerful Family (Purple), Adored by All (Purple), Fighter (Purple)]

[Slightly Affluent (Blue), Carnivore (Blue), Like-Minded (Blue), Captain Tsubasa (Blue)]

[Aloof (green), Pseudo-sister complex (green)]

[Chapter 2 Completion Objective: Find and correct Karuizawa Megumi's personality weaknesses until she can survive independently at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School]

【Simulation starts】

Chapter Two: Plot Preview: A Familiar Face Returns (Part 1)

[Preview CG triggered: It seems an old friend has returned]

[It's like an old friend has returned: The fantasy of love and a fake boyfriend who will never come back makes the young girl feel more weary and even hateful than the tragedy of reality.]

[Do you want to watch this teaser CG? (This may be helpful for your subsequent gameplay)]

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Karuizawa Kei is very proud to have an "all-powerful" childhood friend. Although she has heard that children think their parents are omnipotent during their childhood, for Karuizawa Kei, Kitagawa Ryo seems to be even more capable than her own parents.

For example, Karuizawa Kei's parents wouldn't get angry and fight the boys who bullied her without any regard for her feelings, even if she mentioned to her parents at the dinner table that she was disliked by her classmates... because at that time Karuizawa Kei didn't even know how to write or what the word "bullying" meant. She waved her chopsticks as if trying to express something, but in the end, she could only get the reply, "Eat your food first."

After dinner, Karuizawa Kei was finally able to speak frankly about how her classmates had been making fun of her. They said she was a show-off and annoying person, that the girls didn't want to talk to her, and that the boys would make faces and stick their tongues out at her when they passed by. She was almost at her breaking point.

"If only one or two people dislike Hui, there's no need to worry about it. It's impossible for Hui to be liked by everyone."

The father said this while looking at the newspaper.

"But—it's not just one or two people, it's many, many people."

Karuizawa Megumi ran to his side and gestured a large circle with her arms, stamping her feet anxiously as if trying to emphasize the seriousness of the situation:

"Apologizing to them is useless."

Children are taught to turn to their parents when they encounter problems they can't solve. This is how most children grow up, but when Karuizawa Megumi finally mustered the courage to tell them, they evaded the issue as if she had made a worthless promise.

Did they hit you?

The father stroked his beard and asked this question.

"Hmm, no, but they would deliberately make a mess of my pencil case and desk; when I bent down to pick up my pencil, they would pretend to accidentally step on my hand; even though they were chatting happily before, they would deliberately stop talking as soon as they saw me coming; when I couldn't answer the teacher's questions in class, they would laugh louder than everyone else; when it was my turn to do chores, they would assign me the most tasks and then go play by themselves..."

Karuizawa Kei counted her misfortunes on her fingers, and seeing that her daughter seemed poised to go on for an extended period, the father nodded slightly before getting up to work.

"Okay, I see."

Karuizawa Kei tilted her head and pouted. She didn't know what her father knew, even though she hadn't finished speaking.

She didn't understand her father's meaning. Did he and her mother only stand up for her if she got a solid slap in the face?

"How strange," Karuizawa Kei thought to herself.

Karuizawa Kei was a competitive and assertive girl from a young age. Before leaving home and entering school, she felt that everything could go according to her wishes, that everyone loved her, and that she could do anything.

However, after entering elementary school and growing up, this idea clashed with reality. Karuizawa Kei was nothing special; she was only average in both academics and sports, and most of the time she seemed like just a child who couldn't do anything.

"That's strange. I thought Dad and Mom would be...angrier?"

Karuizawa Kei said this to Kitagawa Ryo in the sandpit in the park. She watched with little interest as Kitagawa Ryo tried to build a castle—what he called it, but in reality it just looked like a three-layered sand pile with a large cuboid on top of a smaller cuboid and then a cube.

"After all, they always say they love me, like me, and call me their precious daughter, but they don't want to listen to me finish a sentence. Even if they do listen, they'll only talk about it from a completely unrelated perspective. For example, when I tell them I like hamburger patties, they say I should eat more vegetables too."

Karuizawa Megumi poked at the sand with a twig in her hand, and asked Kitagawa Ryo:

"Were Liang's parents like that too?"

"Ok?"

Kitagawa Ryo paused slightly after hearing Karuizawa Megumi's question:

"do not know."

"Because I have never seen them before."

He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly:

“I was raised by my grandfather. He said that my father and mother are still unable to come and see me.”

Karuizawa Megumi was hearing about this for the first time, and she nodded somewhat bewildered.

"Oh, I see."

So they continued playing in the sandpit until sunset, when the grandfather that Kitagawa Ryo had mentioned would come to take him home. He was a middle-aged man with a stern expression on his face, his eyes sharp as knives, gleaming coldly, and exuding a powerful aura.

Karuizawa Kei casually tossed the twig in her hand aside. An afternoon wasn't enough time for Kitagawa Ryo to build the castle he had mentioned, the winding sand walls—he said these were the walls protecting the castle. But they were trampled down by a stray cat shortly after the two left. But it didn't matter; they could rebuild it tomorrow. Kitagawa Ryo didn't actually intend to build a castle out of sand. He didn't like such flimsy imitations that would collapse with a gust of wind.

Karuizawa Kei gradually felt depressed. She tried hard to change her personality, and now she can say "I'm sorry" to others smoothly. Whenever she finishes saying it, Karuizawa Kei always looks into the other person's eyes with hope, hoping that the words can have a fairy-tale magic that can instantly eliminate the barrier between her and others.

But the magic of apologies always runs out eventually. Karuizawa Kei realized that apologies weren't very useful. It was just that the other party initially treated 'apologizing' as a goal that had already been achieved. Once this goal could be easily achieved, they became tired of it.

For them, only humiliating themselves matters. They don't care about the motives or the consequences; all they care about is despising me, placing me in a position lower than themselves—creating the illusion that they are superior to me and gaining peace of mind from it.