His back laid against the charcoal-toned couch. The blue walls of his home missing. They were outside as if on display to his house’s corner street. Something squirmed in his remade gray shirt, so he peered inside his unzipped pocket, where a tiny mouse laid sleeping.

Gushi bobbed up and down on the coffee table.

The first thing that came to mind though was where’s Sphinx?

“Yes?” His guide took on an unearthly appearance, looming on a white lounge seat made of puffy clouds. More than half his appearance looked dusty as if someone took an eraser to his skin. “I’m recovering from the decaying effects.” He didn’t need to say that, but Lark took it as a sign that he was willing to talk now.

Their conversation began as usual with Lark shooting questions, but for the first time, Sphinx answered them in a direct manner.

Talking from experience and seemingly taking his time, Sphinx first mentioned the restrictions placed in SIM to prevent future casualties. As an administrator, he obtained a wide range of control over SIM such as delegating the number of ‘printable’ objects and people. Second, he could change the settings of the world: temperature, environment, and set durations and goals for the user to complete. However, some of these restrictions were affected by the user’s overall abilities and actions.

One, SIM required ‘scans’ - after all, they can’t print something from nothing and secondly, the user needed to obtain physical experience and train their physical body before unlocking higher-graded conditions. Third and the most important fact here, the holder needed a living article that could house artifacts like SIM. That’s where Lark’s Trinity Watch came in.

“So how did I end up here?” All he remembered was trembling in Wangshi’s arms, and a separate voice soothing him to sleep.

Sphinx flexed his left arm where his own version of the watch was secured. “Perfect timing when you passed out after consolidating spirit energy. In your heart, you were thinking of someplace safe—and often times more than not— we think our minds are our own safe havens.”

A carefully laid smirk raised on his lips. “Clearly, you were not ready to face the challenges ahead if you fainted so easily. That’s why you’re here: To train and test how far you can go with your current abilities in SIM.”

Lark returned the grin with one of his own. “And the verdict?”

“Passable.” Sphinx shrugged and coughed into his fist. He stretched like a lazy cat over his cloud lounge.

“Out of good will, I’ll answer another question you probably haven’t thought of yet. Have you wondered why were you chosen by SIM and the Trinity Watch? Did you think it was because of your uniqueness—edginess—no, it’s all been driven down to this point in time because of your grandfather, Senior Rune.”

“My grandfather?” Lark lifted a brow. “What’s he got to do with this?”

“What? Do you think he kept SIM for himself, for the butler? No, it’s your inheritance. Take it as part of your destiny. Now, without a living accessory like the Trinity Watch, SIM would never activate. Do you realize what I’m saying?”

As Sphinx had explained, living articles were rare even in Pantheon because it meant that either lots of ‘souls’ were used in the process of making one or the creator sacrificed their own soul power to create it. It wasn’t difficult to understand that the creator must’ve been a highly talented individual in the first place to create a living article. The strange inventor, could he be an Immortal?

“You think the inventor knew who I was,” Lark said finally in a questioning tone while folding his arms.

“It’s possible with certain certainty.”

For the most part, Lark was quiet, all the events leading up to this point blurred his thoughts. If he pressed further about this at Soko’s tomorrow, what would he learn? Did he even want to know? He didn’t think he’d had to meet up with the inventor again in this lifetime and sighed within his heart.

“Some questions only you can find the answer,” Sphinx cut into his anxiety. “I can’t stress this enough that SIM’s job is to set up programs and simulations up in a way that makes life easier for the user (and hope they don’t die).” He muttered the last part under his breath, while Lark rolled his eyes. “But when you use up your limits and start over again…the hope is you will be a little stronger than the last.”

Lark bit his bottom lip. The truth couldn’t be denied, he did gain a lot despite the traumatic experience. “So all these ‘points’ they come from either SIM or the Trinity Watch—is that right—so then, that must mean their powers must’ve been passed into these artifacts in order for me to use them.”

Since completing the survival duration, Lark opened the SIM app, where dozens of notification sprang into the open.

First, he checked his status screen where his jaw unhinged.

“Lark Rune [Trickster]

[Survivor][Apprentice Beast Tamer*][Familiar][Inheritor*]

Happiness Level: 50%

*STR: 20

*DEX: 25 (+5)

*INT: 30 (+5)

*MG: 25 (+10)

*SP: 35 (+250)

*LUK: 40 (+10)”

Update: These limits will pass over into the real world, therefore, physical growth was limited, but high retention of skill knowledge allowed improvements. Passive strength increase by 2, dexterity increases by 5, intelligence rounded up over 12 points, magical knowledge and usage increase by 10. Result of spirit training: 35 points. Unexpectedly, LUK increase by 5 due to achievement: lucky strike.

In total, his base stats accumulated to 175 without the bonuses given by the Watch and his equipped title.”

Next, he went over his list of achievements.

“[Abomination Slayer] Defeated monster than thy self.

[Brink of Death Kill] Awarded for surviving match with administrator despite fatal wounds.

[First Death] Sad.

[First-time Magic-User] Congratulations, you’ve unlocked mana properties in your body.

[First Party Kill] Good teamwork.

[Goblin Slayer] Heinous, devious, murdering bastards.

[Lucky Strike] Avoided death by counterattacking.

[Mob Slayer]Makeup numbers in an army.

[Perseverance of Wills] You keep breaking but keep trying.

[Potion-User] Wannabe alchemist.

[Sacrificial Lamb] Pet sacrifices life for the beast master. Title upgraded.

[Scanner] Scan more to upgrade SIM and gain gifts.”

Reminder: Achievements are nothing more than ego-boosts. Unlock more for gifts.

Accumulation of more than ten achievements including First Death and Perseverance of Wills, SIM has recognized the user as the Inheritor - a new title granted.

The Inheritor? Is this what Sphinx meant—he was now the true owner of SIM? He checked his new titles:

“[Apprentice Beast Tamer]

Fulfilled requirements: Pet considers beast tamer as a priority over self. Listens and obeys commands.

Passive: Increases the ability to communicate with non-humanoid creatures and their fondness.

Active effects: +15 STR, +15 DEX, +25 SPT

[Inheritor]

Fulfilled requirements: Over ten achievements unlocked including First Death and Perseverance of Wills.

Passive: Unlocked The Library.”

“The Library?”

At that, Sphinx suddenly clapped his hands, causing Lark’s eyes to shoot up. Beams of white light staggered across his vision, and suddenly they were in another room grander than the most famous architectural sights on Earth.

Filled with numerous archives from floor to ceiling, Lark stood at the epicenter, surrounded by the heavy scent of old paper and candles.

Even though he had shoes on, the floor gave off an icy feeling in its pale slab of turquoise-blue. Blue green vines infused with the walls, which seemed to be made of marble, the leaves on the vines intermittently changed colors like lights on a Christmas tree.

Magical columns of violet light stacked across one side of the room. Beyond it, he could see more rows of books, but it didn't seem to be accessible at the moment.

Standing in front of him was Sphinx, who gazed at the shelves and wayward plants with heartfelt adoration. The torches which hung overhead under the high arched ceilings illuminated his already beaming face.

Sphinx grinned from ear to ear. Lark, visibly shocked by the genuine happiness lighting up his face, gently coughed, destroying the ambient silence in the room as if to announce there were now visitors roaming its halls.

“At last.” Sphinx waved at the torches and then the shelves. He announced slightly miffed, “Unfortunately, this room is un-scannable.”

Confused, Lark asked why.

“You remember that boy’s grimoire? Well, it's essentially the same thing. The Librarian used an anti-appraisal ward around his collections. Now what I say next might confuse you...”

Lark sighed. There was a never ending supply of Sphinx's secrets. “Okay?”

“Unlike other objects that you can reproduce in SIM, you can actually bring out a book into the real world.”

“Like checking out a book from an actual library?”

“Yes, but only one at a time.”

Dubious, about this offer, Lark took a second sweep across the great room. A single book of maybe the thousands of texts here… how could he choose?

Just as he thought of this, the floor quaked under their feet—turning the circular pattern on the floor clockwise—a strange, twisted tower rose from the ground. All lit in bright-blue, the magical spire beckoned him to it like a moth to a flame.