【Please select your birthplace.】
The words appeared before Eirik's eyes. Below them was a world map.
It displayed five major regions: the Northlands, the Central Lands, the Eastern Lands, the Southern Lands, and the Western Sea.
However, only the Central Lands and Dawnstar Dynasty were lit up, while the others remained gray.
"Hmm... I never really paid attention to the other regions during simulations. Looks like I'll have to start paying attention and at least uncover the map."
Eirik muttered to himself before decisively choosing the Central Lands. He'd grown a little tired of the Dawnstar Dynasty already.
As soon as he selected the Central Lands, the background shifted. This time, the silhouette of the Central Lands' landscape appeared before him, and to his surprise, the figure of Elvynna was included in the scene!
Without a doubt, these silhouettes were from the life where Eirik had helped Elvynna ascend to the rank of Archmage.
【Please choose your starting point.】
【Note: Starting options are randomly assigned and are not fixed.】
【1. You are a homeless wanderer who has offended a local gang. 】
【2. You are an adopted son of the Bloodthorn Clan, and the princess of the clan sees you as her future husband, waiting for you to come of age. 】
【3. You have a deep, bitter enmity with the Central Lands' royal family. You've gone to great lengths to become a personal servant to one of the princesses. However, serving the royal family requires castration, but you were never castrated. If discovered, you’ll be in grave danger. 】
【4. You have emerged from the forbidden zone, holding an identity shrouded in mystery. 】
...
Which option to choose?
Eirik was suddenly struck by a sense of indecision. Damn, this was tough.
After pondering for a while, Eirik reasoned that for freedom of choice, options 1 and 4 seemed the most appealing.
Option 2 was clearly going to pit him against the entire Bloodthorn Clan, and he didn’t need that headache. The royal family’s princes, whom he’d seen back in the day, were all ugly as sin, and the princess was definitely no saint.
Being viewed as her husband could very well lead to a nightmarish start, not some exciting romance. And with the Bloodthorn Clan’s power, choosing this path would only spell disaster.
Option 3 wasn’t much better. Though the princess might be beautiful, going up against the royal family was no easy task either.
After some more contemplation, Eirik figured that option 4 was the best. Option 1 felt too ordinary.
"I'll choose 4. I’m a man who has walked out of the forbidden zone! I don’t even know who I am, or how powerful I might be!"
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
[Loading... Please wait.]
Wait, it’s still loading? Eirik grumbled, feeling puzzled. He didn’t remember this part from his past simulations.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side, the female players received a message from the system.
[Randomly distributing Locator Mirrors. Lucky players participating for the first time may receive this item!]
[Locator Mirror: Choose one NPC and locate the city of their birth.]
"Oh, this new system is pretty thoughtful," Pixie remarked with a smile. She was filled with excitement.
Earlier, she’d been worried about the random relocation of NPCs. With this change, it’d be hard to find her beloved Eirik if they were sent to different regions. Should she pick Dawnstar Dynasty or the Central Lands? If she chose wrong, the simulation would lose its charm.
[Congratulations! You have received Locator Mirror x1.]
The system prompt rang out, and Pixie couldn't contain her joy. She’d been lucky enough to get a Locator Mirror.
Without hesitation, Pixie used the mirror to locate Eirik’s position, finding him at the border of the Central Lands, near Ironpick Town.
At that moment, the world chat channel was filled with quiet murmurs, but soon, someone couldn't hold back and sent an anonymous message.
"Sisters, who got the Locator Mirror? Where’s Eirik?!"
"Haha, who would tell you?!"
"Damn it, I didn’t get the mirror. Now it’s all about luck!"
"Sigh... This new system has added endless possibilities, but it’s also lowered our chances of meeting Eirik. Right now, there are only two regions, but what about later? As more regions open up, if you don’t have a Locator Mirror..."
"Seems like it’s getting harder to find him."
While the others lamented, the new simulation game finally began.
【Bang, bang, bang! 】
【You, still sleeping, hear the sound of metal clashing above you. Slowly, you open your eyes, only to find yourself in complete darkness. 】
【The energy substances that once sustained you and kept you alive have seemingly vanished.】
【With a thought, immense power surges from your body, shattering the surrounding earth.】
【You crawl out from the dirt, only to be met with unfamiliar exclamations and screams.】
【Your sudden appearance has startled the nearby miners. 】
【News quickly spread that a living person had been unearthed from the ancient magic stone mines. 】
【This news reached the nearby Institute of Primeval Magic. 】
【Pixie, a student from the Institute of Primeval Magic, arrives to meet you, inviting you to the academy. 】
"Wait a minute..."
Junior Sister is also in the Central Lands now, and she’s become a disciple of the Institute of Primeval Magic.
Eirik couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps this was fate.
After all, he was only interested in choosing from Pixie, the Master Alchemist, and Elvynna. He decided to choose Pixie this time.
She, too, had the potential to ascend to the Archmage level. Her "Heaven-Forsaken Body" was a major negative buff in the early stages, but once she overcame that, her path ahead would be smooth sailing.
In the early stages, she was weak and looked down upon by others, but later, she would become extremely powerful—this was the script used by many protagonists in novels!
"Hahaha, I’ve found my beloved Eirik! This is God’s will, we’re destined!"
Pixie laughed as she kicked the blanket off her bed, bouncing up in excitement.
To meet Eirik right from the start was simply too satisfying!
In the room, the maid, who had grown numb to the sound, sleepily dragged herself out of bed and grabbed a new blanket from the wardrobe, placing it over Pixie.
"Hahaha, Talia, you don’t know how happy I am right now!"
Pixie held the maid’s little hand.
"...Miss, why are you so happy?" The maid couldn’t help but ask. She was so tired of this routine!
"Because... because I had a good dream! I met my dear one. You don’t know, my husband, he’s a superhero..."
A dream? Her husband in the dream?
"Miss, as long as you’re happy."
...
"You already found Eirik?!"
Elvynna couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated. She’d also received a Locator Mirror and was in Ironpick Town, but she was still getting familiar with her surroundings, while Pixie had already met Eirik.
"So, Eirik’s in the Central Lands..."
Violanda, on the other hand, shook her head slightly. She’d given up on this round of the simulation.
Her luck hadn’t been good. She didn’t get a Locator Mirror, and after some hesitation, she chose Dawnstar Dynasty.
However, Violanda wasn’t discouraged. Among all these women, even though she came late, she was the fastest to catch up with Eirik.
Soul fusion, in some ways, was even more reliable and enduring than physical intimacy.
Making love with the body was something only normal people did—true mages sought soul fusion!
And with the effects of that item, Eirik would dream of her every night. The power and utility of that had yet to fully manifest, but she was already looking forward to it...