Chapter 75

[Age 1: Your face was injured at birth, and as you grew older, your appearance became even uglier. Actually, if one only looked at the upper half of your face, you'd be quite cute. Unfortunately, your lower half is utterly hideous. (Talent "Unbearable to Look At" passively activated.)]

He was genuinely curious just how ugly this could possibly be.

[Your parents deeply resent your appearance, believing you to be the family's disgrace, and thus treat you with cold indifference.]

Great, another orphan start.

[Age 2: Because of your parents' neglect, the servants also treat you poorly. You often go hungry and cold, living even worse than outsiders' children.]

[Age 3: Your parents give birth to a younger brother. They lavish all their love upon him and publicly declare that he will inherit the family.]

[Age 4: You begin to realize your looks are abnormal, and you refuse to step outside your room.]

[Age 5: You spend each day locked away in your dark, gloomy room.]

[Age 6: You stumble upon servants gambling in the courtyard. Although unloved, your family is extremely wealthy, and your room contains several valuable items. They coax you into using your belongings as bets, enticing you into joining their gambling session.]

[Surprisingly, your luck is outstanding, and you sweep the table. (Talent "Born Rich" passively activated.)]

[The servants don't want to hand over the Mora, but for some inexplicable reason, you possess an innate hunger for Mora.]

[Perhaps it's because, for the first time, you experience an overwhelming sense of accomplishment when winning Mora.]

[You rush forward frantically, desperate to seize the Mora from their hands.]

[Your strength is limited, and they could easily overpower you, but your reckless and crazed determination for Mora frightens them enough to hand it over.]

[You clutch the Mora tightly, feeling satisfied.]

[Age 7: The servants, unwilling to admit defeat, continue gambling with you several more times. But each time, you win without fail, leaving them utterly broke.]

[Gradually, the servants stop gambling with you.]

[Your life returns to the usual stagnant existence.]

[Age 8: You've developed a taste for acquiring wealth, but due to your young age, gambling remains the only method you can think of to earn Mora. Thus, you bribe a servant to sneak you into underground gambling dens, offering a 70-30 split of the winnings.]

[Having witnessed your extraordinary luck, the servant readily agrees.]

[As expected, you dominate the gambling tables outside, raking in Mora.]

[Age 9: Your name spreads throughout Liyue's underground gambling dens. They know there's an exceptionally ugly child who is terrifyingly good at gambling.]

[They nickname you "Ugly Kid," and whenever you appear, the gambling dens send people to kick you out.]

...Well, that nickname is pretty fitting.

[Gradually, you lose access to the underground gambling dens, losing your means of earning Mora.]

[Age 10: Bored and idle at home, you ponder alternative ways to make money.]

[Suddenly, a delicate, adorable young boy appears in your courtyard.]

[Although the lower half of your face is horrifyingly ugly, you can still clearly recognize that this child's features greatly resemble your own.]

[You overhear the servants calling him "Young Master."]

[Could this be your younger brother?]

[Since birth, you've seen your parents only a handful of times. Now, finally, a family member stands before you.]

[Your deep yearning for familial affection compels you to approach the young boy.]

[The moment the boy sees you, disgust twists his face.]

["So you're that older brother who's uglier than a ghost?" The boy picks up a stone from the ground and throws it at you.]

[The stone hits your forehead, and sharp pain follows. Warm blood trickles down your forehead, sliding across your cheek.]

["Having a brother like you is humiliating. Why don't you just die already? Your existence only disgraces our family."]

[You stare blankly at the undisguised malice on the boy's face.]

[An unprecedented rage ignites within you.]

[You lunge forward, tackling him to the ground, using every ounce of your strength to punch his face.]

[One punch, two punches, three punches...]

[The servants stand frozen, watching your crazed assault. After a moment, they snap out of it and hastily pull you away.]

[Your younger brother lies unconscious beneath you, his face covered in blood.]

[At night, your father—whom you've barely seen—comes to your courtyard accompanied by servants.]

[You notice the servants behind him holding clubs and immediately understand their intent.]

[At your father's command, the servants savagely beat you. You're beaten until you're covered in bruises and wounds.]

[You're merely a ten-year-old child. Even though you've injured your brother, how severe could it possibly be?]

[Yet, your father mercilessly allows a group of adults armed with weapons to beat you to the brink of death.]

[He doesn't care whether you live or die, leaving you abandoned on the cold floor.]

[Hatred burns fiercely in your eyes.]

[You won't forgive them. The suffering you've endured—you'll return it to them tenfold!]

[Perhaps due to your harsh upbringing, your vitality surpasses that of ordinary people.]

[Without medical care, and with servants neglecting you—bringing only one meal a day—you somehow manage to slowly recover.]

[The distant servants whisper among themselves, saying you're cursed with a stubborn life.]

[You also believe it. Even when you were born and your head hit the ground, you didn't die. You certainly won't die now.]

[In the future, you'll continue to stubbornly survive. You'll ensure those you despise pay the price!]

[Once sufficiently recovered, you gather all the Mora you've earned over the years and crawl out through a dog hole in the mansion's wall.]

[When leaving, you take nothing but the Mora you've earned yourself.]

[That savage beating was more than enough to sever what little familial bond you had.]

[You owe them nothing now.]

[After crawling out through the dog hole, you arrive at Liyue Harbor, filthy and disheveled.]

[If your family discovers you've run away, they'll definitely drag you back—not out of affection, but to prevent your appearance from publicly shaming the family.]

[Your family is a prestigious clan in Liyue with centuries of history and considerable influence.]

[You know you can't stay in Liyue any longer.]

[At the harbor, you approach merchant ships docked at the pier, asking if any will take you away.]

[No one acknowledges you. Even when offering to pay your own fare, none are willing to give you passage.]

[One captain glances at your face in disgust and says, "Taking you aboard will only bring us bad luck."]

[You wander around Liyue Harbor from afternoon until nightfall.]

[Shockingly, you can't find a single ship willing to accept you.]

What a superficial world.

Kael felt that even if he turned dark in this particular life simulation, it would be perfectly understandable.

In his previous simulations, he had maintained his kindness and goodwill mostly because the world had treated him decently.

But this time, all he saw was a world full of malice.

From birth until now, not a single person had ever shown him kindness.

Kael felt suffocated just imagining himself in this life.

If things continued down this path, he'd probably end up joining the villain's camp.

[Ever since you became aware, you've known that you're ugly. But only now have you realized that being ugly can make even survival difficult.]

[You sit hopelessly by the harbor, gazing at the darkening sea, which now seems somewhat frightening.]

[Suddenly, a ship docks at the harbor.]

[It's an impressively grand-looking, large-scale ship.]

[The neat rows of portholes along its hull indicate it's a heavily armed vessel.]

[Because of its massive size, this ship stands out conspicuously among the smaller merchant ships.]

[Having been confined at home your entire life, this is your first time seeing such a magnificent ship, and your face involuntarily lights up with longing.]

[Even though you've already been rejected by every merchant ship around, you still walk toward this ship without hesitation. (Talent "Reckless Brute" passively activated.)]

[If possible, you'd really like to board this ship and take a look.]

[A tall big sister wearing a tight-fitting red qipao and an eyepatch over her left eye stands by the ship, directing the crew as they unload cargo.]

[Judging from her authoritative stance, you realize she's probably the one in charge.]

This big sister must be Beidou, right?

Then this grand-looking ship... Is it the Alcor?

[You walk up to Beidou.]

[Because you've been malnourished for so long, you're much shorter than other kids your age, and you only reach up to her chest.]

[So initially, she doesn't even notice you.]

["Hello."]

[Beidou glances around in confusion for a moment before lowering her head and finally spotting you.]

["Hey there, kiddo. What's up?"]

[When she sees your face, she doesn't show the usual disgust that others do. Instead, she gives you a warm, friendly smile.]

[This is kindness like you've never experienced before, leaving you momentarily at a loss.]

["I... um... I want to leave Liyue. Could you please give me a ride?"]

[Seeing that Beidou doesn't respond immediately, you quickly add, "I have money! I can pay for passage!"]

[Beidou chuckles lightly and asks, "Did you run away from home? You should hurry back; your family must be worried about you."]

Is this a rejection?

[You lower your head sadly. "I don't have a home. My parents abandoned me because I'm too ugly. If I go back, my father will beat me to death."]

[Because Beidou treats you differently, with genuine warmth and kindness, you can't help but reveal your deepest fears and vulnerabilities.]

["Big sister, are you also refusing to let me aboard because I'm too ugly?"]

[Beidou notices the still-healing scars visible on your exposed arm, confirming your story.]

[She laughs heartily and vigorously ruffles your hair.]

["What's the point of being good-looking? Real men rely on their strength and skills!"]

["Our Crux Fleet welcomes anyone who's willing to brave the seas. But after completing this trade in Liyue, we'll be patrolling the seas for quite some time. We might not reach another harbor for a while."]

[You hurriedly reply, "That's okay! As long as I can leave Liyue, I'll go anywhere!"]

["Alright then. Once we've finished unloading, you can come aboard with me!"]

[You wait patiently at the harbor for quite some time until Beidou finishes handling the cargo.]

["Let's go, little guy. Time to board."]

["Let me introduce you to the brightest star on the seas—the Alcor."]

[You follow Beidou onto the ship.]

[When the crew sees Beidou return, they pause their work to greet her.]

["Welcome back, Captain!"]

["Captain, since we've finished this trade, can we hold a celebration tonight? I'll go get some drinks from... huh? Why is there a kid here?"]

["Captain, did you pick him up somewhere?"]

["What do you mean, pick him up? He ran into some trouble, so he'll be sailing with us for a while."]

[Beidou seems completely relaxed and cheerful when interacting with her crew.]

[She gently pushes you forward from behind her back. "Come on, introduce yourself to everyone."]