Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness
Chapter 24: Not Enough

Chapter 24: Not Enough

[But then, one night, just before finishing your training, your house was suddenly attacked.]

[You didn’t even know what happened. One moment you were standing... the next, buried beneath debris — the wreckage of what used to be your home.]

[Thankfully, thanks to your strength, you were only lightly injured. You tried to crawl free — forcing your limbs to move — but before you could exert any effort... you felt the weight above you lift.]

[A breathtakingly beautiful woman appeared before you — her expression cold, her presence wrapped in layers of twisting, blooming plants.]

[You caught a glimpse from the corner of your eye — Linda and Ryan were fighting, along with others, locked in a chaotic battle. No one could help you.]

[You knew, in that moment, that you had to defend yourself.]

[But before you could stand — before you could properly rise — the woman simply waved her hand toward you and said: Die.]

[You didn’t feel anything. You didn’t see anything.]

[You died.]

[The simulation is over. You can choose two of the following.]

[1: Sixth Sense (Seedling Talent)]

[2: Strengthened Soul (Slightly Recovered Soul)]

[3: Strengthened Physical Strength (First Stage of the Blood Refinement Path)]

[4: Initial Mastery over Blood Scripture.]

[5: Memory of this Simulation]

Spacing out, his gaze still fixed on the end screen of the simulation, Noel’s clenched hand slowly loosened as he exhaled.

Why is he this weak?

That was all he could think about.

It had been a strange simulation — full of twists and unexpected turns. Even so, he had lived longer than before.

He broke the previous record.

But Noel wasn’t happy.

He could feel it — the weak mentality of the simulated version of himself. And he didn’t like it.

Would he break too... if he were to face the same situation?

With that thought, Noel clenched his relaxed hand once again.

It had been twelve years since he woke up — with all his memories gone. And throughout that time, he’d lived with control, always hiding his true thoughts.

Maybe he could have done better.

But considering his condition, his confusion, and everything he lacked... he still believed he had managed things well enough.

So then, why now?

Why was he starting to fall apart?

Was it because his emotions... were finally returning to what they should have been all along?

Then again, should he have just remained that way — someone quiet, restrained, ruled by only a few lingering desires?

... No. That was impossible.

And deep down, Noel knew the truth.

At the end of the day, the situation in the simulation had always been too extreme.

He had been isolated — cut off from the world by both Lilith and Selena.

He couldn’t get involved in anything. His eyes were covered by them, and his choices were limited.

Worst of all... his pride was constantly being trampled underfoot.

Not in an obvious, humiliating way — but slowly, deliberately.

Being watched over, controlled, coddled, and never truly trusted — all of it chipped away at something inside him.

Noel’s eyes gleamed intensely. His thoughts were beginning to spiral, becoming more tangled and unstable.

But then, without warning, he closed his eyes.

He stayed like that for a long moment — silent — before opening them again.

Now, his gaze... though calm, felt sharper. Colder.

Noel had decided to stop dwelling on his own state of mind.

Instead, he turned his attention toward analyzing the simulation.

If there was still one thing bothering him, it was how both Lilith and Selena had suddenly grown busy during the later parts of the simulation.

For Lilith, he could guess the reason — most likely assimilating the inheritance of the Cross family. Their family’s inheritance.

But then... what about Selena?

It kept happening — in every simulation.

She would always leave at some point. Disappear for a while.

Noel found himself genuinely curious about that.

But without enough clues, he knew he couldn’t come to a conclusion just yet. And so, he pushed the thought aside.

Instead, he shifted to the more pressing question: his death.

Once again, he had been killed by Coren’s mother.

Should he have not written Coren’s name in his notebook?

The thought crossed his mind.

But even if he hadn’t — the one who made the first move hadn’t been him.

It was Coren.

So, that wouldn’t have changed anything.

Then, should he have tried to solve the problem peacefully instead — avoided escalating it by killing Coren during the simulation?

That’s impossible.

Noel firmly concluded, letting that thought die in silence.

He exhaled slowly, the tension that had gathered in his chest finally easing — if only slightly. The storm of emotion had passed.

And now... it was time for his reward.

He turned his attention to the still-hovering simulation window. Two choices remained, waiting.

The choice for Strengthened Physical Strength was clear — obvious.

But for the second one, he hesitated.

Should he choose the Seedling Talent? The Strengthened Soul? Or perhaps the mastery over the Blood Scripture itself...?

He considered them one by one.

The mastery over Blood Scripture — he eliminated that first.

If he really wanted it, then the memory option would give him the same result — and more.

And besides... the Blood Scripture was a training method. Not a combat technique.

And so, in the end, Noel selected the choice that granted him immediate strength — and possibly, better qualifications for what’s ahead.

[You have selected: Sixth Sense (Seedling Talent).]

[You have selected: Strengthened Physical Strength (First Stage of the Blood Refinement Path).]

—

Noel barely had time to brace himself.

He felt an unprecedented amount of strength begin to flow inside him the moment he made his choice.

His hearing sharpened. His sight became clearer. His sense of smell and taste grew more precise — all of it, heightened.

Then, beyond the five senses, he began to feel the world around him through something else... subtle, but undeniable.

A new sense — silent, ambient, and unshakable — had awakened.

Was that all?

No.

The most significant change had happened in his blood, after all.

And in his body, where that very blood flowed.

If before, he could simply move his limbs... then now?

It felt like he could command them.

His movements no longer felt like signals sent from brain to muscle — they felt unified.

And this was without even selecting mastery over the Blood Scripture.

Then... what would happen if he did?

Noel stood still, silent — his body humming with new life, and his thoughts burning with quiet resolve.

He didn’t need to shout, or smile, or even breathe loudly.

Because now, he knew.

This body... this power...

It wasn’t the same one that had entered the simulation.

And yet... it still wasn’t enough.

Not yet.