It had been hours, then days, since Alex had tried to figure out his situation. Now, he found himself in an ancient-style Greek bar, complete with tables and a counter for drinks.
"Damn, when is he going to get here?" Alex grumbled to himself. Gard had contacted him earlier, instructing him to wait at a bar named "Might of Zeus" and said he would join him soon. Alex was hopeful that Gard would help him figure out where he lived.
The conversations around him were filled with news about the recent meteor.
"Hey, did you hear about the Skyfall?"
"Yeah, the meteor that fell nearby. Everyone heard that explosion; it was deafening."
"I heard the Emperor's Guildia has cordoned off the area around the meteor."
Alex listened to these snippets, reflecting on how he had survived thanks to both the system and his own actions.
"Heyyy..." Gard finally entered the bar, waving at Alex.
"Yoo, finally you're here!" Alex smiled and they embraced.
"Good to see you up and about. I wish I could have been there when you woke up, but you know how the army is," Gard said, shaking his head.
"One beer, please," Alex ordered.
"Oh? I wonder if they'll call me," Alex mused.
"I don't think so! We made sure you got all the rest you needed. Alex, you really saved us out there. We made sure..." Gard leaned in and whispered, "Your secret is safe."
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Alex laughed and took a swig of his beer.
"Now, why did you want to meet me? I was heading home already," Alex asked.
"Well, I kind of locked the doors with a ton of wood. The only way in is either to break it or remove the wood with a specific pattern. I knew you'd just break it," Gard explained with a grin, taking a sip of his beer.
"Ohhh, alright then. Let's go," Alex said, amused. It seemed like he wouldn't have to search for anything after all.
"By the way, I need to tell you something," Gard said as they prepared to leave. He paid for the beer, and they headed out.
As they walked, Alex marveled at the odd mix of Greek and Victorian England aesthetics surrounding him.
"Alex, I know you have magic now. I wonder if you'd consider leaving the army?" Gard asked tentatively.
"Huh? Why?" Alex inquired.
"Well, you're wasting your potential in the army. The work is dangerous and poorly paid. I could help you with some gold to enroll in an academy," Gard offered.
Alex was puzzled by Gard's offer. He didn't fully understand their relationship or why Gard was being so generous.
"I saw the academy myself; it's mostly teenagers. Do you really think a grown man like me would be accepted? Hahaha," Alex laughed.
"Huh? Are you okay?" Gard asked, placing a hand on Alex's forehead.
"Yeah, what's up?" Alex replied.
"Most Magos are over 150 years old. You won't be out of place. Consider it if you wish; we still have three months before we're called back to the frontlines. The empire is pushing too much, and I suspect Emperor's Guildia is planning something," Gard said.
They arrived at their home—a two-story white stone house with a brown brick roof.
"(Is Gard my roommate?)" Alex wondered, looking at the house.
"Here you go," Gard said, removing the wood from the door and letting Alex in.
"Damn..." Alex observed the refined interior: a well-furnished floor with tables, a couch, and a fireplace.
"Alright, Alex, remember what I said about the academy. It's right next to the Army headquarters—a large building. You'll find it easily. Goodbye!" Gard closed the door behind him.
Alex stood there for a moment, scratching his head. "Now what... I'm kind of stuck. Wait a minute." He checked his bag and found a few silver coins.
"I see now..." Alex sat on the couch and decided to use the coins for the system.
~~
[Mythology Simulation System
Start the simulation?
Life Simulator - Y/N
Prompt Simulator - Y/N
Summon Simulator - Y/N]
~~
"Since I don't know the worth of the three choices, I need to make a decision..." Alex had no more money left and needed to choose carefully, as the Life Simulator required 800 gold coins.
"I need to take a risk," Alex said, selecting the Prompt Simulator.
--
[At age 28, you were released from the university helping center after assisting a young girl.
At age 28, three months later, your captain called for your help on a mission. After much deliberation, you decided to decline the mission due to its danger. However, you learned that you needed to complete at least 30 missions to earn the right to decline future ones while still receiving your payment. Declining the mission meant losing your army salary. this was something that was unnaceptable for you so you decided to agree and go to this mission.
At age 29, the mission involved infiltrating the secret service of Emperor Kelion to obtain critical information. this was a dangerous mission but you all had goot teamwork so you had a good chance of succeding, you were sent here just because of that.
At age 30, you managed to uncover a way to escape from Kelion with the gathered information, but discovered too late that Kelion was expecting spies from Macedonia and had set a trap. All your fellow soldiers were captured and tortured. you found this very weird.
At age 30, betrayed by your captain, who was brainwashed during the torture, you were sent into a trap by the Alvarez Empire. You fought valiantly and escaped using a spell of your own making, but were eventually struck down by Kelion's Magos.]
--
[You died at age 28.
You can keep 1 thing from the simulation:
The strength you had at age 30The experience you had at age 30The knowledge you had at age 30]
--
"HOLY SHIT!!!" Alex exclaimed, startled by the outcome of the simulation. "I'm definitely not becoming a soldier again."
End of Chapter.