The next day, sleep lingered longer than usual. Waking up felt optional, even avoidable. Normally an alarm wasn’t necessary — my body handled that on its own.

  My face pressed deeper into the cushion. What needed to be done was obvious, but the idea of dying — even in a simulation — was deeply unappealing. Testing the new spell and finding a way to handle the level seven Kobold could wait just a little longer.

  My musing was interrupted when I remembered the new Legendary Food Package sitting in my inventory. The package was a soft, warm gold, and with a surprising amount of anticipation, I pulled the string.

  The contents were… impressive. Ridiculously so.

  Truffle-infused almond bar. Cured bison. Edible gold dust.

  I stared at it for a second.

  This was the System’s idea of legendary — just not the kind that felt like home. For me? I would’ve taken my mom’s stew any day. Still, I couldn’t complain.

  I tentatively took a bite of the almond bar. It was surprisingly good. Truffle had not been something I ate before. I finished all of the food labelled under breakfast and had to be honest, it did take very good.

  Not able to put off doing the simulation any longer I took the stairs down to the A.C.S.C Chamber or just the simulation Chamber the days I forgot the long-ass name I gave it before.

  I shrugged and turned my attention to the new window that had just appeared.

  I played it safe, knowing I would probably die testing my new spell against the Level 7 Kobold, but basic was just... well too easy, and advanced… I was not crazy.

  “Intermediate. I want to Fight Level 7 Kobolds, but only one at a time.”

  I still wasn’t used to the way the illusion realm unfolded around me. It was wondrous — and a little frightening, if I was honest. The System felt incredibly powerful. It could probably wipe the world clean of every last human, and there would be nothing we could do to stop it.

  Shaking the thought away, I started down the road, scanning for a level seven Kobold.

  I didn’t have to go far. One was lurking a few blocks away.

  I needed to test my spells, Mana Shield and Mana Reflection. That meant letting it attack first.

  The goal was simple. I needed to protect myself, reflect the spell back, and hope that was enough to take it out. Their attacks were powerful, but they were very fragile themselves.

  Allowing the Kobold to release its first attack and not do anything was difficult. I tried to time my spells. First the Mana Shield and a split second later the Reflection.

  My thought process was that if I could not reflect the spell or just partially reflect it, the Mana Shield would protect me, and I failed.

  The pain of being fried by the fire of the Kobold’s attack felt real, and I was back home.

  Damn, and I must go back again… Shit. I will just have to make sure that does not happen again.

  I entered the simulation again and started searching for the level seven kobold. Its attack speed was much faster than I’d expected.

  I needed to be quicker. I only had a small window to use my spells — four seconds for the shield and only three seconds to deflect the attack. It might not sound like much, but in a fight, it was a lifetime.

  The kobold stood before me, and I waited. I saw the spell when it was released, and I was still too slow.

  Dead.

  Entering again, I sighed. Even if it was only pretend dying, I hated it — and yet, I was getting used to it.

  I watched the kobold, reacted… and again I was too slow.

  Only after the fifth try did something change.

  Not the attack.

  Me.

  I stopped watching the weapon.

  I stopped watching the hands.

  Instead, I started watching the whole shape.

  I began noticing patterns, and each time I died, it wasn’t wasted. The kobold became too still — a precise stillness. All the small shifts stopped, and its tail stopped swaying.

  The final tell was the staff. It stopped drifting and locked into place.

  I still died a few more times getting the timing right.

  Then it finally worked.

  I just stood there for a second, slightly in shock.

  I did it. I fucking did it.

  I left the simulation room and sank onto my couch. I needed a snack before going out to hunt the real kobold.

  Wandering the streets while dodging lesser kobolds, my nerves started to show. The first two fights with the level seven had been mostly luck, and the second one I’d barely survived.

  I ducked into a shop and gave myself a quiet pep talk. Finally, once I’d calmed down enough, I stepped back out and started looking for the kobold again.

  A Kobold Level 7 appeared on my Mini Map. I took a deep breath, and waiting for it to come to me. When it was within range, I looked for its tells and cast my spells.

  Nothing went wrong, and I looked down at a dead Level 7 Kobold.

  Hey everyone! ??

  If you’ve been enjoying the story so far, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a quick ? rating or review. It only takes a second, but it helps a lot with visibility and reaching new readers.

  first Royal Road chapter of each pair. The second one won’t have pictures. If you want to see all the art together (or earlier), it’s on Patreon with the combined chapters!