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Simulation Start
It's early morning. You're still fast asleep, dreaming peacefully, when suddenly—BAM!—a solid kick jerks you awake. Your sister, Xu Wanxue, stands at the side of your bed, looking way too alert for 6 a.m.
Groggy and blinking, you squint at her, your body begging for a few more hours of rest. Why the hell is she waking you up this early?
Her response is simple: "That breakfast you made the other day? It was actually good. You haven't cooked in forever, so I'm gonna need you to whip up something special again."
No room for negotiation. Defeated, you shuffle out of bed and head to the kitchen. You cook up a feast, making sure Xu Wanxue is well-fed, though you're still half-asleep during most of it.
Breakfast down, and you're free... sort of.
You decide to make the most of your rare free morning and think about heading outside to get in a workout, a nice run to clear your head and start the day off right.
Reality, however, has other plans. As you start to head out the door, your sister hits you with another command: "Dishes. By hand."
"Uh, isn't that what the cleaning bots are for?" You point toward the shiny, efficient dishwashing robots sitting idle.
She just arches a brow. "What? Spending more time at home with me is such a hardship?"
No way out of this. With a sigh, you roll up your sleeves and start scrubbing. Happy Saturday. As you're halfway through the pile of dishes, a low, deep hum fills the air outside. You pause. That unmistakable sound—it's a floating transport vehicle. Something big has arrived.
Curiosity pulls you away from the kitchen. Stepping outside, you spot the delivery: your new bio-implants.
Excitement surges. This is the day.
You're introduced to the ripperdoc who'll handle the procedure. She's sharp and to the point, but there's a spark of interest in her eyes as she assesses you. You get along well, even exchanging a few jokes before the serious business begins.
Unfortunately, the implants aren't ready to be fully installed yet. Only part of them can be integrated today. No problem—you're patient. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is the perfect cybernetic body.
Post-operation, you feel alive. Powerful. Ready.
After making sure everything is set, you say goodbye to Xu Wanxue. She doesn't try to stop you—just gives you one of those rare, tight hugs and watches as you head out.
Free. Finally.
The world outside is yours to conquer. You slide into the driver's seat of your Rayfield Caliburn—the sleek, powerful machine that's basically king of the road in Night City—and roar down the streets of North Oak. Wind whips past as you drive, a sensation of invincibility spreading through your veins.
It's the kind of day that screams for action, and soon enough, a call comes in from Wakako. She's got a job for you, something promising. But that's not even the best part. She lets you know the Sandevistan is ready for pickup.
Hell. Yes.
You hit up Kitagawa, and together, you roll over to Wakako's shop to grab the implant. The moment you have it in your hands, you know things are about to change.
Viktor, your go-to ripperdoc, installs the Sandevistan. The instant the procedure is done, you can feel the shift—the surge of speed, reflexes heightened to impossible levels. You and Kitagawa gear up, ready to tackle the next mission head-on.
Your limits? They just don't exist anymore.
The mission is tense, filled with the typical chaos that Night City loves to throw your way. But thanks to your new abilities—and the fact that you called in backup from a local mercenary crew—you make it through unscathed.
Mission complete.
Not only do you eliminate all opposition, but you do it with style. Afterward, you reward yourself by booking a room at a decent hotel for the night. You take a long, hot shower, washing off the grime of the city and enjoying a rare moment of calm.
Later, you meet up with your crew at Turbo's Diner, unwinding over drinks and greasy food. It's a rare, perfect day where everything falls into place.
Simulation Evaluation: "Hello, Mr. Shadow!"
Simulation Rewards: +1 Attribute Point, +1 Perk Point, Sandevistan Implant Data, +100 Sword Skill Experience, Mystery Reward (Locked until tomorrow at a specific time).
Saturday night, and after watching a movie with his sister, Lin Mo stretched out on his bed, already eager to dive into tomorrow's simulation. His mind buzzed with anticipation as he read through the results.
Attribute points, perk points, and even a mystery reward...
But what really made his pulse race was the thought of installing his first real combat implant the next day—his very own Sandevistan.
"Still," he muttered, staring at the strange evaluation tag. "What's up with that 'Hello, Mr. Shadow' title?"
The simulation was starting to confirm a theory of his—attribute points seemed to be tied to combat, while perk points were more elusive, tied to how well things played out in the simulation's overall evaluation.
It wasn't often that the simulation handed out perk points, and each time it did, the evaluation was more… special.
"Hello, Mr. Shadow!" carried a mysterious weight to it, much like the first time he'd earned perk points with an evaluation labeled "First Blood, Small Blade."
Lin Mo mulled it over, curious about how these evaluations were calculated. Did a better evaluation equal better rewards? Or was it just a quirk of the simulation?
Unable to find any clear answers, he decided to stop overthinking. There was no point in obsessing when the important part was the rewards themselves.
First up was the sword skill experience. Extracting it from the simulation, Lin Mo strapped into the Braindance gear. Instantly, he found himself in a strange, shadowy space, surrounded by vague figures.
A sword appeared in his hand, and he instinctively began to move. Silent, deadly, each swing of the blade cut through the dark, faceless forms. One by one, they fell, dissipating like dust in the wind.
The fight was quick and precise—100 enemies, 100 kills.
When the simulation ended, Lin Mo snapped back to reality. His muscles ached as if he had actually been fighting, his hands tingling with the sensation of gripping a sword for hours. It was eerie how real it all felt.
Next, the attribute and perk points.
Lin Mo pulled up his character sheet.
Current Stats:
Body: 4
Reflexes: 10 (Human Limit—requires implants to exceed)
Technical Ability: 3
Intelligence: 4
Cool: 5
No hesitation.
He dropped the attribute point straight into Body. In a city like this, where survival depended on how fast you could run or how hard you could hit, Body was essential. Reflexes were already maxed out, and while intelligence and technical ability had their perks, they wouldn't keep him alive in a firefight.
A surge of strength coursed through him as the stat boosted, and new perks became available.
Body Perks:
Sprint Champion – Sprinting drains 40% less stamina.
Marathon Runner – Running drains 40% less stamina.
Breath Therapy – Shallow breathing speeds up healing of minor wounds.
SWAT Sharpshooter – Gun recoil is reduced by 20%....
Real Men Use Big Guns – Sniper rifles feel like regular guns. Recoil doesn't phase you.
Running Armor – Gain 10% damage reduction while sprinting.
Mighty Strikes – Melee damage increases by 20%.
"Hmm... nothing too wild," Lin Mo thought, skimming the list.
Out of the ten options, a few were decent, but only two really caught his eye: Mighty Strikes and Running Armor.
But then again, tomorrow, he'd be installing the Sandevistan, and that changed everything.
He hesitated for a moment, then smirked. No need to overthink it. He selected the Reflexes perk: Calm as Still Waters, Swift as Lightning.
This was the one. During Sandevistan activation, sword damage increased by 100%. It was the ultimate perk for a time-slowing swordmaster.
This was how legends were made.