Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness-Chapter 96: Colossal Vessel

[25 years old, you were forced to abandon your residence as the situation continued deteriorating at an alarming rate.]

[You persisted in trying to gather more information, even when Lirien seemed on the verge of defecting, apparently ready to skip over her contract obligations, while all the others you knew were quite busy searching for a solution to the current crisis.]

[Five months later, you hadn’t seen Lilith, Selena, or Serah for more than a few months now, and Lirien had already fled.]

[Even under these circumstances though, you continued practicing the Blood Scripture, hoping to at least achieve Advanced mastery before your time inevitably came.]

[Two months later, you had already passed the halfway point in refining your Kidneys and were training as usual when Hilda suddenly seemed to notice something, and warned you urgently that you should run away immediately.]

[But feeling that the situation was utterly hopeless, you didn’t flee and simply waited for the inevitable end.]

[Minutes after that, you were suddenly enveloped by an unfathomable darkness that seemed to consume reality itself.]

[It appeared to devour everything about you — your senses, your body, and your very soul — with merciless efficiency.]

[Your Regeneration talent, which you had taken such pride in, didn’t seem to make any difference when faced with this all-consuming darkness. But you still tried to hold on as much as possible, fighting against the inevitable.]

[Even then, it was hopeless. Before long, you couldn’t even gather your thoughts coherently as the darkness claimed everything.]

[You died.]

[The simulation is over. You can choose two of the following:]

[1: Colossal Vessel (Ascended Talent)]

[2: Strengthened Soul (Eclipsed Soul)]

[3: Strengthened Physical Strength (Second Stage of the Blood Refinement Path)]

[4: Strengthened Blood (Sanguine Might Bloodline)]

[5: Initial Mastery over Blood Scripture]

[6: Control Law (Initial Understanding)]

[7: Memory of this Simulation]

Instead of focusing on the choices, Noel stared at the ending of the simulation, reflecting on how in that simulation where he had skipped its content, he had actually managed to survive until this moment too.

But unlike how he endured everything there, here it was different... at least at the start. By the end, it seemed his simulated self had simply concentrated on his goal, not on those around him.

But maybe that’s acceptable too?

Noel shook his head, dismissing the thought.

What mattered was something else entirely — this darkness phenomenon that consumed him... had it happened all around the world? Had it consumed the Earth in its entirety?

Noel wondered about this because, to him, that was the crucial point. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Regardless though, after witnessing this kind of outcome where even the world seemed to be ending, he didn’t plan to simulate in this world again for some time.

It felt like he had reached the limit of how long he could survive here, after all... which was until he 25 years old.

While in Charix’s world, he had achieved the same lifespan from his very first attempt.

Next time? He would definitely survive longer.

And there were other Dead worlds to explore, at the end of the day!

Anyway, there were three important points for him in this simulation.

Lirien, Elsa, and the Wane Dimension.

Those were three things worth pondering upon carefully.

Lirien — a witch who, despite betraying him in the end, had done so simply for her own safety. Aside from that fault... if it could even be considered one, he couldn’t find any other significant issue with her.

So Noel pondered whether he should try bringing her to his side already, or if he should run another simulation first, just to be cautious.

In the end, after a moment of contemplation, Noel decided to put the topic of Lirien on hold and move on to... Elsa.

Here, Noel didn’t need to spend a long time pondering to arrive at a decision.

Noel wanted her.

Just not as his woman, like he had in the simulation... instead, as a maid.

He had wanted one even before he lost his memories, and Selena had been his first candidate.

In the end though, it wasn’t meant to be.

But this time was different.

This time, he had a good feeling that he was going to succeed!

Chuckling softly, Noel moved on to the third point... the Wane Dimension.

It was a dimension that had already appeared on Earth, and at this moment in time, no one knew of its true danger.

So should he warn Serah once again? Or should he try to solve its problem more aggressively through simulation?

Noel needed to think the hardest about this topic before he made his decision... to also keep it on hold for now.

And with that, he finally moved on to the two choices he had available.

For this simulation though, the decision had already been made.

Though one choice still tempted him a little — the fourth one, Strengthened Blood.

It was worth selecting... had the two other choices not been too important for him at this moment.

So Noel made it a point to select it next time, as he made his current choices.

[You have selected: Colossal Vessel (Ascended Talent).]

[You have selected: Memory of this Simulation.]

Colossal Vessel — what did this talent entail exactly?

When he read the name, Noel wondered, and in the end, he deduced that it was probably related to his physical body.

And he was right.

Feeling the immense strength coursing through his body, it became apparent what this talent was about.

But it didn’t stop there.

It also affected his soul.

His already strong and resilient soul seemed to have gained some unshakable stability, and his soul zone appeared to have expanded, ever so slightly.

Nothing as groundbreaking as the changes to his body... but it was still a welcomed improvement.

Then there were the memories themselves.

Noel had actually harbored a misunderstanding here.

Before, he had thought that it would be just like regaining his lost memories, and he had feared that he would be affected by them, even if only slightly.

But it turned out he didn’t need to worry about that concern.

Noel received the memories from a third-person perspective, like he was watching an immersive movie from the front row, where not only could he observe the actions of the main protagonist, but he also had access to his thoughts and emotions.

But that was it.

He would be moved slightly, yes — after all, it was himself... a different version of himself, but still himself. However, he wouldn’t suddenly become the version from his memories.

The one who had given up on resistance when an unfathomable force consumed him.

Noel digested the memories he received with careful attention.

He took note of the flood of information he had gathered in the simulation at first, before moving on to something not mentioned there but which became apparent now that he possessed the memories.

All those around him — Selena, Lilith, and Serah — had all noticed within the simulation how he suddenly started developing at a normal speed... no, at a slow speed, completely unlike the explosive advances he had made at one point.

They had all noticed, but no one had commented on it.

They didn’t want to touch upon a topic he was probably most affected by, after all.

Since when had everyone become so considerate toward him?

Noel really wanted to know the answer to that question.

Regardless, Noel reached a conclusion because of this revelation.

He needed to find a way to hide his strength more effectively.

He really didn’t mind displaying his power in reality or in simulation.

And those bursts of power when he made choices after each simulation?

He had never bothered to hide them.

Because he knew it was impossible.

He could hide things from those weaker than him, or those around his level of strength, but from those far stronger?

That was completely impossible.

So he had been taking the approach of "fuck it... I don’t care."

It was an impossible task, after all, and he himself didn’t possess the type of personality where he liked having that mysterious aura, where he needed to constantly hide his talent or strength.

But that changed when it would affect his image in a different way than he intended.

He didn’t want pity or consideration from anyone — not from his women, not from his allies, and certainly not from his enemies.

Noel wanted none of that condescending treatment!

Noel’s aura flared dangerously as his thoughts moved in that direction, but in the end, he restrained himself and moved on to another discovery he had made through these memories.

Zero Division... the organization he had created.

He had thought to himself that he had actually established an independent organization, but after obtaining his memories, it turned out he was the only one who thought like that.

Others all considered it merely a branch of the Cross house, or something along the lines of a subordinate organization.

This became evident by how he bore no real responsibility, while all the others carried significant burdens.

Whether it was Selena, Lilith, Serah, or any other organization on Earth during that time, all were constantly busy due to their respective responsibilities — except him.

And his simulated self had known this, but he hadn’t bothered taking any action and had simply stuck to his passive role.

Why?

Because he possessed insufficient strength!

Noel’s eyes gleamed with intensity, and he felt even more furious than before.

But in the end, he exhaled a slow breath of air and tried to calm himself down.

All of that was something that hadn’t happened yet, after all.

And he was growing at an insane speed, completely unlike his simulated self.