Chapter 17: A Natural Troublemaker

Surrounded by torrential rain, the young Feng Xue stepped out of the inferno, flanked by two drenched children, while in front of this upright and proud youth stood the firefighters, clad in protective gear, their faces etched with astonishment.

The scene froze at that moment, and Feng Xue's consciousness detached from his body as the settlement interface slowly materialized before him:

"Combat concluded, flawless tactics."

"Node settlement: +3 Phantasms."

"Item drop drawing…"

"No items dropped this operation."

"Ah, this…" For the first time, Feng Xue encountered a scenario with no drops, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

"So, regular combat guarantees drops, but a perfectly executed emergency operation doesn't?"

Observing the reward of merely three phantasms, Feng Xue felt an empty pang of disappointment, his previous impressions of the pigeon game's fairness now tarnished.

As the settlement interface faded, he looked towards the next node—

A random encounter.

"Wonder what's next…" Feng Xue muttered, clicking on the node, and the clichéd phrase that always seemed to precede such scenarios caught his eye once again.

"These random encounter prompts always seem to…" Feng Xue silently scoffed, but the scene had already shifted, revealing a classroom not particularly spacious.

A group of ten-year-olds dragged their stools together, facing an old but sturdy television set, which currently displayed a low-grade animation of anthropomorphic characters that he had never seen before, but the sheer 'childishness' oozing from the few scenes was palpable.

"Kids watching TV?" Feng Xue found the scene reminiscent of his own kindergarten days. He couldn't remember specifics, but the feeling of sitting together was nostalgically familiar.

"Your long-awaited leisure time has arrived, and as the most respected individual among these children, the remote control naturally finds its way into your hands. Faced with this childish program, will you change the channel?"

"1. Only a three-year-old would watch this insipid show. Change the channel!"

"2. This program might be a bit childish for the kids, but it's just right for me. Keep it!"

"Is there really an impact?" Feng Xue stared at the simplistic animation on the TV, but his first thought wasn't about the choice itself but about the information revealed in the description.

Recalling the 'Youthful Vigor' node featuring children fighting, which he had experienced in his first run, and now being labeled as the 'most respected person', he suspected that his previous act of saving people in the fire might have influenced this scenario.

But if this theory held, it would require him to contemplate more deeply about his choices ahead—

Although he had control over the choices and combats within the nodes, these were merely brief segments of the character's life within the game, with the majority left to evolve on its own between sessions.

This meant that the choices he made could potentially serve as guides for the character's evolving personality within the simulation.

Perhaps his simulator-self's tendency to become a ruffian stemmed from an incident where he made a child cry during a fight, cultivating a mindset that violence could elevate his status.

If this golden opportunity was only about retrieving a legacy, it would be one thing, but if it potentially altered timelines like those simulator-type golden opportunities, every choice regarding character influence would need careful consideration.

With these thoughts, Feng Xue turned his gaze back to the television and decided to switch channels—

If the TV had been playing something like Kamen Rider or similar tokusatsu shows, he might have endured it, but a juvenile anthropomorphic show was too much to bear with a clear conscience.

He acted on his choice, and the TV channel changed in an instant, replacing the childish animation with a scene featuring a group of dubious-looking adult males. Simultaneously, new text scrolled across his vision:

"By decisively rejecting the juvenile animation, you switched to a crime-themed show more to your liking. Observing your preference, the children who respect you crafted a gift for you."

"You have received a Wooden Sword (Blue)."

Feng Xue paused for a moment but couldn't suppress a sarcastic remark in fluent Mandarin.

"Retracting my previous statement—no matter the choice, my predecessor was destined to be a troublemaker!"

He took a deep breath, deciding not to dwell on the seemingly predetermined fate of his predecessor, and focused on the newly acquired item:

Name: Wooden Sword

Category: Survival Aid

Quality: Blue – Fine

Effect: +6 Phantasms

Note: A crudely fashioned wooden sword carved from a branch, once the favorite toy of a child.

"Well then." Observing the straightforward +6 Phantasms, Feng Xue had no more criticisms. Whatever else, this item would at least ensure he could afford an expert-level skill in the shop.

His gaze shifted to the path leading from the now greyed-out node; it branched into two, an unforeseen encounter above and a combat node below—

"Afternoon Nightmare."

"I know this node." Feng Xue didn't glance at the unforeseen encounter. Holding six phantasms, he saw more value in safely reaching the shop to purchase skill unlock vouchers.

Even though the "Afternoon Nightmare" node featured an unknown monster, understanding the method of passing it was clearly safer than risking an unknown challenge.

"Running away might be shameful, but it's incredibly effective."

As the node activated, the cautionary words flickered briefly before vanishing, and Feng Xue once again felt his physical presence—but this time, the setting had changed significantly.

"The bed's different than before, the children look older, and the patrolling teacher is now male… Could it be due to the node's location? Even within the same level, do the same nodes vary by position?"

Feng Xue pondered the subtle differences and their implications, not rushing any particular action.

Based on his previous experience, the nightmarish creature would need some time to appear, and he planned to use this period to further train his resonance with the G·I field.

As his focus intensified, a droplet of water in his mind quickly took shape, and with this process, Feng Xue began to feel his consciousness connecting with something external.

But this sensation was starkly different from what he felt when deploying the field in the "Firefight with Herculean Strength" node. Not only was there an absence of mastery over everything, but it also felt unnervingly cold and…

Bone-chilling!

Feng Xue abruptly realized something as he opened his eyes wide, and the SAN value at the top of his vision had already plummeted below 60!