Chapter 1: Villain Simulator

Xianzhou Luofu, in a dilapidated building on the fringes of the Exalting Sanctum.

Solon had only just come to terms with the fact that he'd transmigrated into another world when a mechanical chime suddenly rang out in his mind.

A surge of joy washed over him, instantly sweeping away the panic and fear he had felt just moments ago.

[Congratulations, Host. Villain Simulator activated.]

[In the simulation, the harder the scenario and the more villainous your actions, the higher your evaluation. Evaluation grades can be exchanged for various Traits.]

Simulator… Traits… these were nothing new to Solon.

Before transmigrating, he was an avid reader of webnovels and mobile game enthusiast. Simulators were one of the most common cheat systems. By running simulations repeatedly, one could acquire Traits and gradually become stronger.

From the interface of the Yuzhao—the Luofu's version of a smartphone—he had already deduced that he was now in the world of Honkai: Star Rail.

The game was branded a space opera, but in truth, this universe was filled with dangers at every turn.

For example, right here on the Xianzhou Luofu, several major events were destined to occur soon: the Stellaron eruption and Ambrosial Arbor revival, the resurgence of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, the ambush by the Lord Ravager, and Huaiyan's prison break, just to name a few.

This wasn't a game anymore. These events would lead to massive casualties.

Any deviation from the original "plot" could trigger even greater disasters. In the worst-case scenario, over half of the Luofu's billion-strong population could perish.

To avoid becoming just another statistic on a casualty report, Solon needed strength—enough to survive the storm of catastrophes heading his way.

The looming crises filled him with a pressing sense of urgency.

And now this Villain Simulator—clearly a system designed to let him play the villain in simulations, with higher rewards tied to more wicked choices.

In real life, Solon had been an ordinary man. He might have hesitated to do anything immoral. But a simulation? That was basically just an ultra-immersive game.

And since it was a game, there was no need to hold back.

No one cared how many loaves of bread you'd eaten, and no one cared how many people you'd killed in a video game. Same logic applied here.

'System, can you give me a simple overview of the rules?'

Solon asked out of caution.

[This Simulator divides scenarios into three difficulty levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Higher difficulty yields better rewards.]

[After each simulation, the Host's actions will be evaluated. You may keep one Trait for free. Evaluation rank determines the quality or rarity of Traits you can redeem or upgrade.]

Hmm. Just like in the simulator webnovels he'd read. The path to power was straightforward: repeat simulations, stack Traits, profit.

Traits came in all forms. Some resembled talents or skills, others functioned like gear or equipment.

Once he had enough strong Traits… it'd be like a hidden sword master descending the mountain after ten years of training.

'Alright, System. Let's start the first simulation!'

Having grasped the basic rules, Solon couldn't wait any longer.

[Drawing a character... Please wait.]

His vision flashed. In the endless starry sky, dozens of cards swirled through the air like a celestial roulette.

Watching the scene unfold, Solon couldn't help but mutter, "Well, at least the gacha animation looks decent."

Then, a card flipped open.

Cold moonlight. A proud swordswoman in blue. A black eyepatch. Flowing white hair...

"No way—Jingliu?!"

Solon stared, astonished.

She was the previous Sword Champion of the Xianzhou Luofu, known as Flawless and Radiant, one of the Cloud Knights' Five Heroes, and the former master of General Jing Yuan. After defecting from the Luofu, she had gone missing.

But Solon knew that in the upcoming events, Jingliu would return to the Luofu once again.

'System, is it because I'm on the Luofu right now that I drew a Luofu-related character?'

[Correct. The Host's current location significantly increases the chance of drawing characters connected to the area.]

Solon tapped on Jingliu's card. Shh-shh! Three scrolls unfurled—two of them locked in black, leaving only one available for selection.

He clicked on the open scroll, and the system prompted him:

[Do you wish to select this scenario for simulation? (Difficulty: Beginner)]

Solon stroked his chin. It seemed the other two scrolls would only unlock after clearing this one.

Without hesitation, he chose "Yes."

A new interface popped up.

[Please select two starting Traits. After the scenario ends, you may keep one of them as a permanent Trait.]

(Trait rarity from lowest to highest: White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Red)

[Noble Lineage (Gold): You are born into a prestigious family. Your starting point is higher than most people's end point.] (Beginner-only bonus. Cannot be retained post-simulation.)

[Accumulated Experience (White): No matter what you do, you slowly gain proficiency over time. The longer you persist, the more skilled you become.]

[Silver Tongue (White): Your lies are more convincing and easier for others to believe.]

[Fickle Mind (White): You can't focus on one thing for long. Your attention often strays.]

Typical beginner pool—aside from the gold-tier freebie, the rest were all white-tier trash. Not even a single blue.

Solon barely glanced at them before locking in his choices. The gold one was a must-pick—it'd greatly lower the difficulty.

As for the others, Fickle Mind was clearly a debuff, so that was immediately out.

Between Silver Tongue and Accumulated Experience, the former might offer more short-term benefits in the scenario.

But after a moment of thought, Solon went with Accumulated Experience.

In the long run, it had much more potential.

Just before the simulation began, another warning message popped up:

[WARNING: After the simulation ends, the main character in the scenario will retain all memories of the simulation! Host, please proceed with caution!]

The system highlighted this message in bold red font, as if terrified Solon would overlook it.

After reading the warning, Solon frowned, but didn't seem too surprised.

He'd seen this trope plenty of times in webnovels. Many simulators let the female characters remember everything, while hiding that crucial fact from the protagonist—leading to all sorts of misunderstandings, conflicts, and romantic chaos. They called it: The Harem Battlefield.

To his surprise, this system was actually honest about it. Instead of hiding the info, it practically screamed it in his face.

After weighing the pros and cons, Solon still chose to proceed.

The reason was simple: once the upcoming Luofu catastrophes began, anyone without strength would be swept away and killed.

So power was his top priority.

As for pissing off Jingliu and being hunted down by a beautiful, psychotic swordswoman...

That was a problem for future Solon.

First, he had to survive.

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