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They regarded Pellasgi as beings on par with purgatory and demons. Not a single man sent to the battlefield ever returned.

The Four Great City-States immediately fell into a decline.

If not for the rewards and blessings bestowed by the gods, they likely would have struggled even to maintain their former positions.

As for the gods—

With the fall of Artemis, the Twelve Olympians of Olympus became the Eleven Olympians.

Although Zeus stabilized things after the war,

the question you raised took root in the hearts of the gods. Coupled with the shock brought by Artemis's fall,

the gods fell into self-doubt.

Unable to ignore the commands at their core that made them love humanity, yet unable to escape the shackles of destiny,

the gods descended into the madness of self-contradiction.

It was, truly, a sorrowful myth.

Under the rule of the Machine Gods, humanity had no future.

Greek Hero Mythology—

Simulation Ended

Once again, he awoke from the void-like darkness.

It felt the same as his first simulation.

This time, it was no longer merely twenty-six years of experience, but nearly seventy years of unforgettable hardship.

The countless agonies he suffered beneath the gods' descending thunder.

The resentment and coldness he felt while leading his people in bloody battles against enemy armies.

The fulfillment of facing death alongside his beloved.

And the unwillingness and sorrow he felt for the gods bound by Primal Destiny.

"I..."

Moran clutched his chest, his brows tightly furrowed.

The impact brought by this simulation was a hundred times greater than the last.

Especially the horrifying torment of God's Thunder.

Even after leaving the simulation, it was an unforgettable terror and pain engraved into his soul.

His second simulation alone had already hit him this hard.

An ordinary person would probably have been driven insane by such experiences long ago.

But Moran was not merely a hero.

He was also the king who led Pellasgi!

"All this pain and these memories are everything I possess. I have never regretted the life I lived in the simulation! Even the divine thunder and whips that struck my soul will never shake me in the slightest!"

Moran's eyes seemed to burn with raging flames.

He was a hero, and he was a king.

The two tidal waves fused together. There was no longer any distinction between simulation and reality.

His vision returned to the Simulator.

Greek Hero Mythology

Simulation Rating: A+

This rating belongs to a special evaluation tier.

Although you led your people to crush the enemy army sent by the gods, even slashed apart the divine body of the Great God Zeus, shattered every human impossibility, and possessed both the qualities of a king and a hero,

you still did not solve the crucial problem.

You sighed over the deaths of the women and the failed ending of resisting the gods. You grieved for the Machine Gods, still bound by destiny, and for humanity under their control.

Perhaps there could have been a better ending.

Even if it meant enduring torment like the purgatory of the underworld, you still longed to reach a better ending once more.

As both a king and a hero,

you would not yield to an ending of destruction like this.

P.S.: The next chapter will be a brief transition, just one or two chapters. The next simulation will begin very soon...

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Simulation achieved an A+ rating.

Your simulation has reached a special evaluation tier. Congratulations, Host, you have successfully unlocked the Preset Slots. The Preset Slots can be used together with your Fixed Skill Slots to better assist you in simulations.

"Preset Slots? What are those?"

Moran frowned curiously.

He had originally thought there would be no reward for this simulation.

As far as he currently knew, the Simulator only had Fixed Skill Slots and a Skill Pool for drawing skills.

The Preset Slots were probably a new mechanic.

The function of the Preset Slots is this: after the Host has fixed selected abilities, if there are still skills the Host wishes to retain, the Preset Slots can be used in this situation.

They can store skills for the Host and retrieve them immediately whenever the Host wishes to change fixed skills.

"This...!"

Moran immediately understood what it meant.

After choosing skills in his previous simulations, there were always some he had failed to select, which were thrown back into the Skill Pool.

Now, there was no need to throw them back.

He could place those skills directly into the Preset Slots!

If Moran had not fixed any skills that day, he could also choose not to simulate and directly use the abilities in the Preset Slots to swap skills.

He could even use them this way during battle.

"Do the Preset Slots have a quantity limit?"

Moran immediately asked the Simulator.

The result, naturally, was not as good as he had hoped.

There was no way there would be no quantity limit.

The number of Preset Slots is fixed at three. Each time the Host receives an EX-rated simulation, one additional slot will be added.

Please continue working hard.

"As expected. I knew there wouldn't be such a good deal. Still, three Preset Slots aren't bad."

Moran let out a helpless sigh.

Then, he entered the skill-drawing page.

Skills learned in this simulation: Golden Demon Sword, Our Epic Shall Endure Here, Other Sealing: Blood Temple, Forced Sealing: Temple of All Evils, Apostle of God, Blessing of the Harvest God... 25.

He had learned far fewer skills during his second playthrough.

The reason was nothing else.

Most of the skills in his second playthrough overlapped with those from the first, so there were fewer new abilities overall.

However, quite a few skills in the Skill Pool had leveled up.

That was the benefit of repeatedly running the same dungeon.

The memories and experience accumulated in simulations would become the foundation for raising skill levels.

Golden Demon Sword (EX), Petrifying Magic Eye (A++), Battle Continuation (EX), God Slayer (B), Mind's Eye: True (B), Charisma (A+), Unbending Resolve (A)

Please select three skills to fix.

After pondering for a moment, Moran made his choice.

His index finger rapidly tapped the screen.

Unbending Resolve (A): Even when facing the pressure of gods, you have never submitted, cycling through life and death countless times. Pressure, killing intent, and other aura-based abilities below A-rank will not affect you. Your endurance and resilience are greatly enhanced, and the more perilous your predicament, the higher your overall attributes become.

Petrifying Magic Eye (A+): Anything caught in your sight will be petrified. The effect depends on the enemy's attributes.

Golden Demon Sword (EX): The authority of all demons, manifested from your blood and formed entirely of blood. It can unleash slashes bearing monster-like traits, and can also grant those traits to any target through its slashes.

You are the Father of All Demons. No monster can ever become your enemy. They are your most loyal children.

Selection complete.

The above three skills have been saved in the Preset Slots. The simulation and fixing attempts will reset tomorrow night at nine.

The Simulator has entered cooldown.

Cooldown Time: 23 hours, 59 minutes.

"Mm, this will do."

Moran did not directly fix the three skills.

Instead, he chose to place them in the Preset Slots.

Although he could have directly chosen to swap his skills, he felt there was no need to change his current fixed skills.

Golden Demon Sword was extremely powerful.

It also appeared to be a superior version of Demonic Bloodline.

But in reality, Demonic Bloodline could strengthen the body, while it possessed no such capability at all.

Without a way to ensure sufficient physical strength,

it would be nothing more than a glass cannon.

"This skill..."

Moran looked toward the Fixed Skill Slots.

He discovered that one of the skills there had changed.

Love of the Moon Goddess (A+): Having been loved by a god, you possess luck far beyond others. Curses, charms, mind control, and similar abilities at A-rank or below cannot affect you. The Moon God gave up everything just to be with you. She stepped forward to face the invincible Great God Zeus. You possess the highest-level special defense against gods.

Favor of the Goddess had evolved into Love of the Moon Goddess.

His resistances were practically maxed out.

"Artemis..."

Yet Moran could not feel happy.

The image of Artemis surfaced in his mind, along with her willful appearance when she abandoned her responsibilities as a Machine God in the end.

A trace of bitterness rose in his chest.

But it was quickly swallowed by blazing fire.

"Whew..."

Moran let out a deep breath.

His emotions became the driving force behind his desire for the next simulation.

He still had a chance to make up for his regrets.

He only needed to wait one more day. Once tomorrow night arrived at nine, he could enter another simulation.

Recalling every moment of his second playthrough,

he had failed, and he had indeed fallen.

But that was far from enough to stop Moran from yearning for happiness. As long as there was an opportunity, he would keep striving.