Absolute darkness.
The familiar feeling of weightlessness.
Her consciousness felt like it had been forcibly ripped from a long, deep nightmare, or like it had plummeted from a great height, finally crashing back to this starting point of nothingness with a “thud.”
Baida abruptly “opened” her eyes—if she had eyes right now.
She found herself once again a pure sphere of conscious light, floating in that boundless, lightless black void.
The heart-wrenching pain, the cold of being pierced through, Herta’s desperate cries, and the bittersweet relief as her consciousness faded…
All of it receded like a tide, leaving only clear memories imprinted on her core consciousness, heavy and suffocating (if consciousness could suffocate).
“I…
I’m back?” Baida’s consciousness fluctuated violently, carrying the dazed disbelief of a survivor.
“I really…
died?
In Herta’s arms…?”
The memories of those final moments cut through her awareness like the sharpest blade.
Herta’s tears, their warmth still seemingly burning her (nonexistent) skin.
The blood-stained letter, every crooked word still vivid.
The cold numbness of her body being pinned to the pilot’s seat…
“Wah…” Baida’s consciousness let out a sob-like ripple.
“Herta…
she must have cried so much…
that idiot…
was I too cruel at the end…?”
She wallowed in that sorrow and guilt for a while before jolting back to attention, remembering where she was and, more importantly, the pressing matter at hand.
“System!
System Daddy!
System sworn father!
Are you there?!” Baida’s consciousness frantically “called out” into the darkness, like grasping at a lifeline.
“Come out!
I have a million urgent questions!”
The moment her thought ended, the familiar floating panel emitting a soft white glow appeared silently in the void before her.
The panel had no fancy decorations, only a few lines of concise, emotionless white text:
[First Life Simulation: Herta Chapter — Completed.]
[Simulation summary generating…]
[What is your question?]
Baida stared at the cold panel.
Compared to the world she had just left, with Herta’s flesh-and-blood tears and embraces, she felt a pang of loss, but more than that, she felt anxious.
“Questions?
I’ve got tons!” Baida’s consciousness nearly lunged at the panel.
“Let me ask the most important one first!
The skills I learned in that simulation world, those talents I picked—[Strength Enhancement], [Foolish One’s Strength], [I Reckon It’ll Work]!
After I died, can I still use them?
How much carries over?!”
These were the very foundation of her ability to survive and protect her sister(s)!
The text on the panel paused for a moment, as if processing her question.
Then new text appeared, still with that same businesslike, synthesized tone (though there was no actual sound):
[All experiences, memories, and emotional experiences gained during the simulation will be fully preserved and integrated into your core consciousness.]
[As for the ‘talent’ abilities obtained through your initial selection, their ‘essence’ and ‘growth potential’ will be fully inherited upon the conclusion of each simulation.]
Baida was a bit confused: “Speak in human terms!
No, system terms!
Keep it simple!
How much carries over?!”
The panel seemed to “understand” her impatience.
The text changed again, concise and clear:
[Retainable: All.]
All?!
Baida’s consciousness sphere suddenly brightened, as if her heart had skipped a beat.
“All?!
You’re saying, [Strength Enhancement]’s physical boost—even though I’m just consciousness right now—[Foolish One’s Strength]’s mental barrier, and most importantly, that huge BUG [I Reckon It’ll Work]…
they all still work?!” She confirmed in disbelief.
[Yes.] The panel’s response was cold and firm.
[Talents have become part of your consciousness and will not be stripped upon simulation completion.
Their effects will adaptively manifest according to world rules upon entering a new simulation or specific environment.]
“WOW!!!” Baida’s consciousness was instantly flooded with joy, washing away much of her grief and heaviness.
“System sworn father!
You really are my real sworn father!
That’s amazing!
I thought I’d have to start from zero!”
She excitedly “spun” in place a few times (if a sphere of light could spin) and began fantasizing about the future: “So, carrying these three god-tier skills into Silver Wolf’s simulation, I’ll be soaring right from the start!
Protecting little Silver Wolf will be a piece of cake!
Hehehe…”
But as she laughed, she suddenly stopped, a flicker of doubt passing through her consciousness.
“Wait…
that’s not right…” She floated closer to the panel, with a hint of interrogation in her “voice.” “Those two talents, [Foolish One’s Strength] and [I Reckon It’ll Work], their side effects lower intelligence, right?
In Herta’s world, I was dumb my whole life.
If it weren’t for that final burst of clarity—well, my dying epiphany—I probably would have died a ‘fool.’ Does that side effect carry over too?”
[Talent side effects originate from the interaction between the talent’s operating mechanism and your core consciousness,] the panel explained without emotion.
[They will also be inherited.
However, their manifestation and degree of impact may vary depending on different world rules and your own conscious state.]
Baida: “…”
Translation: She’d still be dumb, but the degree and way she was dumb would depend on the world and her mood?
She suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
“Then…
what about the [As an Older Sister] talent?” Baida remembered the fourth key talent.
“Does that carry over too?
What does it do?
Can I still choose to be Herta’s sister in the next simulation?
Or Silver Wolf’s sister?”
[The identity-designating talent ‘As an Older Sister’ has its core effect as ‘establishing a stable blood or emotional bond recognized by the world’s rules.’] The panel displayed. Find the original chapter at g.com.
[The effect of this talent is exhausted after one simulation.
You cannot designate the same target again in subsequent simulations.]
Baida was stunned: “Exhausted?
Meaning…
I can only be Herta’s sister once?
Then what use is this talent now?”
[The ‘bond-establishing’ essence of this talent has already been integrated into your consciousness,] the panel continued.
[In subsequent simulations, you will find it easier to establish deep, trusting intimate relationships with important target individuals—not limited to blood relations.
The specific manifestation will depend on the simulation world’s background and your actions.]
Baida pondered: “Oh…
so I can’t ‘designate’ being a real sister anymore, but I’ll get a passive buff like ‘max affection’ or ‘fated bond’?
So I can get closer to and protect my target more easily?”
[That is one way to understand it.]
“That’s acceptable…” Baida breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Though she was a bit disappointed she couldn’t rightfully be Herta’s twin sister again, being able to get closer to and protect Silver Wolf more easily was still good.
With her questions about the talents mostly answered, Baida’s heart felt much lighter.
With full inheritance rights to all her talents, she was filled with (blind) confidence for the next simulation.
But just then, deep within her consciousness, the memories of Herta’s chapter’s final moments surged up uncontrollably again—the sharp pain of being pierced by metal spikes, the cold of her life force draining away, and Herta’s desperate cries…
Baida shuddered violently (on a conscious level).
“Wait!” She suddenly realized a very serious problem, her “voice” trembling with dread.
“System!
The injuries I got in the simulation…
no, the pain of ‘dying’ in the simulation…
that doesn’t carry over too, does it?!
That feeling…
I don’t want to experience it ever again!!”
She recalled the heart-wrenching pain of those final moments and felt her core consciousness trembling.
If she had to genuinely bring out the pain of death after every simulation, what was the difference between this life simulation and torture?!
The panel paused for a moment, as if assessing the importance of this question.
Then, new text slowly appeared:
[Sensation and memory will be preserved, including pain.]
[However, its ‘intensity’ and ‘direct impact’ will be isolated, existing only as ‘information’ and ‘experience.’ It will not cause lasting trauma or burden to your core consciousness.]
[Simply put: you will remember that it hurt, but you won’t keep hurting.]
Baida: “…”
Remember that it hurt, but won’t keep hurting…
What kind of consolation was that?!
She imagined the various ways she might die in the future, and how after each death she would clearly “recall” that pain…
Baida’s sphere of light seemed to dim a little.
She “collapsed” into the void and let out a long, desperate wail:
“It’s over…
I can’t live like this anymore…”