Three suns hung in the sky, their luminosity tinting the entire sky a fiery red.
It was July of the Frostwinter Calendar year 492, a month also known as Scorching Month, symbolizing the hottest period of the year.
Not a single breeze blew, as if the thick air had somehow congealed.
Beneath the burning sun, within Vernon Manor.
A handsome young man, bare-chested, practiced with a silvery-white long sword in an unpolished manner.
Sweat slid down Milton Cheney's defined muscles as he took short, heavy breaths.
Practising swordsmanship under this kind of heat was a bit too much, even for Cheney with his robust physique – it was simply too hot.
He could not imagine how those people wearing heavy armor could endure this heat if they were to wage a war of lords in this month.
He didn't forget that in the last simulation, he died due to a war of lords.
In recent days he had been investigating which territories had significant conflicts with the Far East Territory, but his efforts were mostly fruitless.
Cheney stopped his sword practice, returning the silvery-white long sword to its sheath and placing it back on the sword rack in the courtyard.
"You're already doing quite well, Vernon. To have roughly learned a basic swordsmanship sequence in just over half a month shows that you have immense talent in the path of the knight," said William Connelly, his face lighting up with a faint smile and a hint of relief in his voice.
William was the head of the Earl Arthur's guard.
He was a Grand Knight who had activated the Life Seed and walked a long way on this path.
Some of those who are hostile to the Far East Territory refer to this aide-de-camp of Earl Arthur as the [Greedy Wolf Knight].
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Vernon Wesley grew up under William's care.
Seeing the young master taking the same path as his father, it was no wonder that he felt relieved.
"Lord William, I am very grateful for your guidance in past days. I will not let you and Father down. I will try my best to become a honorable Guardian Knight," Cheney said earnestly, crossing his hand over his chest.
Combining his former life's memories, Cheney understood that the people here seemed to be very respectful of these courtesies.
Sure enough, upon hearing Cheney's words, William's smile deepened, and he gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder.
After bidding farewell to Cheney, William had other matters to attend to besides his daily instructions.
A Grand Knight was a highly respected figure everywhere.
Watching William leave, Cheney took a bath in the small bathhouse on the estate before changing into clean clothes.
Over half a month had passed, and his aversion to water had greatly diminished.
After his bath, Cheney gently dried his blonde hair with a towel.
The next moment, a transparent light screen appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Milton Cheney]
[Spirit: 1.3]
[Physique: 2.1]
[Realm: Quasi-Knight (Pseudo)]
[Magic: None]
[Knight Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Beginner 12/100)]
[Simulation Count: 1]
"I have a new simulation count!?"
The moment he saw the transparent light screen, a glimmer of joy arose in Cheney's heart.
He checked the panel every day to see if there were any new simulation counts. To his surprise, a new opportunity had indeed appeared today.
Calming his mind, Cheney didn't rush to start the next simulation.
Instead, he pondered why a simulation opportunity suddenly appeared.
Despite racking his brain, he couldn't discern anything special about the day.
After all, his activities for the day were rather ordinary.
If there had to be something special, was it that he had an extra apple pie and a glass of milk in the morning?
Cheney shook his head and dismissed this implausible thought.
Suddenly, an insight flashed through Cheney's mind, causing him to instantly understand the crux of the problem.
"A month! Today marks exactly one month since I first activated the simulator!
Does this simulation count only once per month?
I guess I'll have to wait until the same time next month to know for sure."
Milton Cheney thought it was highly likely.
If there was anything different about today compared to other days, it was that today marked the thirtieth day since he had bound himself to the simulator, which in common parlance was a month.
He didn't know whether he could stack simulation amounts on the simulator, but he decided to use this simulation amount anyway.
After all, it was necessary to increase his strength earlier.
The next moment, a string of black text appeared before him.
[Do you want to start the Life Simulation?]
"Yes!"
Milton didn't hesitate, answering yes in his heart.
The blue light screen disappeared, and a string of black letters began to float before Milton's eyes.
Milton read very seriously to ensure he wouldn't miss anything.
[Life simulation has started. Due to the low version of the simulator, only text simulation is supported]
[At 17: You've adapted to your new environment, and your fitness is up to the Quasi-Knight standard. You've begun practicing horse archery and swordsmanship.]
[At 18: Due to your high physical condition, your abilities in horse archery and swordsmanship have made rapid progress, reaching the level of a knight apprentice in just one year.]
[At 19: You've reached the standard for practicing the breathing technique in just two years. Your father, Arthur Wesley, claims that you are the most talented knight in the Wesley family in nearly three hundred years.]
[At 21: After two years of practicing the breathing technique without being able to activate the Life Seed, you've decided to use the secret medicine to forcefully activate the Life Seed.]
[At 22: Your father, Arthur Wesley, rejects your request but teaches you the Wesley family's ancestral knight skill, "Lionheart Slash," to avoid disappointment.]
[At 23: "Lionheart Slash" is the only knight skill of the Wesley family that you can perform without energy. You spend this year practicing this skill.]
[At 25: You've painstakingly practiced "Lionheart Slash," worked hard on improving your physique, but you are still unable to activate the Life Seed after three years. Your father has no choice but to let you use the secret medicine.]
[At 26: After taking the secret medicine, you failed to activate the Life Seed. Your father, though disappointed, still comforts you not to lose heart.]
[At 29: You use the secret medicine to activate the Life Seed for the second time, but you still fail. You resign to focusing on improving your knight skills.]
[At 32: The Lord's war broke out. Despite managing to kill two official knights of the Earl Garden, you got struck by a sword from the Grand Knight Liam Steves, which cracked your armor. You died.]
[Simulation Ends, Please Choose Your Reward!]
[Retain Realm] or [Retain Technique]
"Phew~"
Milton sighed, and the black text started to disappear one by one, leaving only the last text.
"Still couldn't activate the Life Seed to become a knight, and still died at the age of thirty-two in the lord's war."
Milton murmured to himself in his heart. He remembered the name, Liam Steves.
Liam Steves is a subordinate of Earl Melan, who is adjacent to the Far East Territory, also known as the Rock Knight.
Earl Melan is also known as Earl Garden.
In Milton's memory, this man got along very well with his father, Earl Arthur.
"Since I couldn't activate the Life Seed and become a knight, I'll keep the techniques."
Milton happened to be curious about whether knight skills were considered techniques.
The simulator did not disappoint him.
As soon as he thought of this, countless memories flooded into Milton's mind like a stream.
Memories of horse riding, archery, swordsmanship, and the knight skill "Lionheart Slash" instantly flashed in Milton's mind.
These memories felt as if Milton had personally experienced and practiced them for countless years.
Milton could feel some changes in his body. At this moment, his back was forcibly straightened, making him extremely upright.
He could feel that his strength had not increased, but he could use it better.
In other words, if he only had strength before, now he had control over his strength.
And all of these huge changes were brought about by only two simulations!
With just two simulations, Milton went from an ordinary person to a peak Quasi-Knight who could even compete with an official knight.
(I will write an extra 400-500 words for the simulation part, so don't suspect me of padding ^.^~)