Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness
Chapter 19: Vital Purification

Chapter 19: Vital Purification

[Selena left after finishing her explanation. And as you watched her back, your heart softened a little more. But without dwelling on that for now, you quickly pricked your finger, squeezing a drop of blood onto the book — just as Selena had instructed.]

[And the book dissolved into blood and drilled into your body. Its content, written in a foreign language, yet somehow perfectly understandable, became imprinted in your mind.]

A superior technique really is something else, Noel thought in wonder, reading about the Blood Scripture.

[Two weeks passed. You devoted all your time to the technique — practicing its breathing and movement patterns to awaken bodily awareness. And at last, you reached the threshold of the first stage.]

[So absorbed were you in your training, that your agitation over not seeing Lilith, and your situation, seemed to fade. Even your relationship with Selena began to improve.]

[One month passed. You could now sense the blood flowing through your body more clearly, and began the early process of removing impurities within it.]

[During that time, your relationship with Selena returned to how it was before, and you began sleeping together again.]

[Then one day, you mentioned the name Coren Merrow to her.]

[Selena raised an eyebrow and asked how you knew that name. But you brushed her off.]

[Two months passed. You had already started cleansing your bloodstream and blood vessels, and your physical strength alone had more than doubled compared to before you began this path.]

[Another two months went by. With further mastery over the early parts of Blood Scripture, you were finally able to measure your progress in the first stage — Vital Purification. Shockingly, despite how powerful you already were... you had only reached 1%.]

[But instead of feeling discouraged, you found yourself looking forward to the future even more — to how strong you could become when you reached the higher stages.]

[That day, Selena came to you and said you were changing houses.]

[When you asked her why, she replied with a peculiar expression: It’s the Merrow family.]

[She didn’t elaborate further, but you already understood what was going on.]

[Even then, you tried to run away on the way, thinking that maybe, with your current strength, you could make a difference.]

[But all it took was Selena casting her gaze at you... and your body froze in place.]

[The new house was worse than the last. But the servants there were clearly stronger — you could feel it.]

[You, who thought that even if your first escape failed, the next one might be different — had to change your plans.]

[Three months passed. But your progress was slow. You were still at 3% of the Vital Purification stage.]

[23 years old. You advanced a further 2% on the Blood Refinement Path. You were far stronger than before, but instead of rejoicing, your thoughts remained on Lilith — on when you would be able to see her again.]

[Four more months passed. Your progress continued to rise steadily. But as you continued to go without seeing Lilith, it felt like you were going mad. And so, the fights between you and Selena — fights that had stopped ever since she brought you the Blood Scripture — started again.]

[Maybe it was because of how agitated you were... or how haggard you looked, even with your now-robust body. Selena, who hadn’t said a word about Lilith during all this time, finally relented.]

["She’s assimilating the inheritance of the Cross family — to take me down," she told you. "So when she finishes... she’ll come to you herself."]

[You calmed down somewhat upon hearing that. A part of you felt happy. But the stronger part of you hated the situation — hated that you had to wait for Lilith instead of going to her.]

[That’s why you threw all your frustration into training, pushing yourself harder than ever — never caring about the toll it took on your body.]

[Four more months passed. Your progress had now reached nearly 15% of the Blood Refinement Path — far faster than before.]

[The Blood Scripture focused on building a foundation though, but yours still felt weak even now.]

[Naturally, you didn’t care about that. Because more than the future... your mind was completely trapped in the present.]

[It was on that day that Selena casually told you she’d be away for a week or two. And that you wouldn’t see her during that time — so you wouldn’t worry.]

[You simply nodded at that. Your only thought was that you could now pour even more time into your training.]

Noel’s eyes narrowed as he read that part.

Last time... and this time.

If he calculated it correctly, it was around the same period that Selena went away.

So, what was going on?

This time, he felt fairly certain that he had no direct relation to whatever was happening.

And most importantly — would he be kidnapped again by the Merrow family this time?

Noel wondered, as he continued reading.

[Time passed. Four days later, in the middle of the night, after finishing your training and falling asleep, you suddenly woke up. And beside your bed, a breathtakingly beautiful woman was standing.]

So they still came. Just a day later this time.

Noel exhaled softly, thinking that this was probably it for this simulation.

[You, naturally, didn’t care about the woman’s beauty. All your focus was on her cold expression — and how it clearly spelled trouble.]

[You rose from your lying position and instinctively retreated a few steps, taking a defensive stance. But the woman only stood there... silently staring at you, unmoving.]

[Time passed like that. And just as you started doubting yourself — wondering if maybe you’d misunderstood the situation, even though that seemed highly unlikely — you finally asked what she wanted.]

[She didn’t reply immediately. She simply took her time... and then finally said: Go and accompany my son in the underworld.]

[As soon as her words finished, she made her move.]

[You died.]