Chapter 83: Separation

Fortunately, the sound-absorbing effect of the surrounding tiles was excellent; Lockes’s shout did not travel very far.

Perhaps the designers had anticipated this situation and used these special materials to ensure the environment remained quiet.

It was thoughtful and visionary, certainly Caesar’s style.

Qiaolin also made the connection.

From Lockes’s reaction, the simulated opponents inside must be incredibly abnormal. Wait, no…

‘Why was Lockes shouting “Celestial Hero”? Could it be…’

Something suddenly occurred to Qiaolin, and his eyes widened.

By then, Loki had already pushed open the small door to Lockes’s room and poked her head inside.

“Why are you here? Go find somewhere else to hang out!”

“Oh? Did you get crushed by the opponent again? Are you in a bad mood? Do you want me to play with you?”

Loki laughed mischievously, but Lockes was long accustomed to her tricks.

“Forget it. It’ll just be me getting beaten up while you use your skill-copying ability to sweep the board. You’ll take all the Points, and I’ll be left with nothing!”

“But you’ll gain valuable battle experience.”

“Get out of here! I need to keep training. Don’t bother me!”

Lockes issued an eviction notice, preparing to put the Crown back on.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I brought two experts with me today.”

“Experts?”

Hearing this, Lockes slowed down his movements.

“Did you bring Lady Demigula and the Demon King?”

Loki smiled faintly, then pulled the door open.

The figures of Qiaolin and Fafna appeared before Lockes’s eyes.

With a clatter, the Crown in Lockes’s hand fell to the floor.

“Mr. Jolin… and Lady Fafna?!”

“Hello,” Qiaolin said with a smile, waving his hand at Lockes.

However, the shock in the boy’s eyes lingered for a long time.

“You mean they also obtained permission to enter the Mock Trial?” Lockes asked Loki.

“Yeah. I used some Points to trade for magic for Mr. Jolin earlier, and they insisted on helping me earn them back.”

Lockes’s expression turned odd.

“Then you could just take some missions in the Starfall Palace. The difficulty of the trials here…”

“Hey, little Vampire, are you looking down on me?”

The dragon girl raised her small fist.

Lockes quickly waved his hands, smiling bitterly.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s just that the Mock Trial has never been opened to outsiders before. No one knows how the scenario might change once you enter.”

“Hmm? What does he mean by that?” Qiaolin asked Loki.

“Supposedly, to prevent strong people from helping others farm Points, the difficulty becomes unadjustable once anyone above King Rank enters. All data is set to 100%.”

Loki looked at Lockes and giggled behind her hand.

“When this guy plays solo, he always adjusts the values to one-third or less than half, yet he still can’t win.”

“Wh—What are you laughing at?!”

Lockes stammered, his face turning red.

“The—The difficulty is just too high! I mean… the opponent is at the King Rank! I’m only at the Mortal Rank, of course I can’t win!”

“Don’t worry. With the help of Mr. Jolin and Lady Fafna, unless the opponent is Saint Rank, you can just sit back and win.”

“I’ll crush them even if they’re Saint Rank!”

Fafna said, crossing her arms with a disdainful smile.

“I—Is that for real? Then… how about one round?”

Lockes made a gesture of invitation.

He activated the device, and the walls of the originally cramped cubicle retracted, forming a room large enough for five or six people.

“Just lie on the beds and put on the crowns. The devices in this area have been linked together, equivalent to forming a party.”

Under Lockes’s direction, Qiaolin’s group found their spots and put on their crowns.

Buzz —

The moment Qiaolin put it on, a strange Mental Power entered his consciousness.

His instinct was to block it, but thinking it was harmless, he let it in.

Pure white light filled his vision, and a cold voice echoed in his mind.

[Constructing character. Camouflage-type magic detected. Breaking down and analyzing — ]

Qiaolin noticed his appearance was changing.

The device seemed to simulate the soul’s true form.

However… his original form should have been what he looked like before transmigrating — the initial state of his soul.

Why was it becoming the silver-haired, blue-eyed Celestial Hero he was summoned as?

Troubled, Qiaolin blocked the Crown of the Ruler’s analysis.

He used his Mental Power to counter-invade, reverting his appearance to his current physical state.

A plain-looking, black-haired human youth.

[Virtual image construction complete. Welcome to the Mock Trial. Waiting for the Captain to select the scenario…]

‘The Captain is probably Lockes. I hope he doesn’t choose the Celestial Hero as the opponent.’

Thinking about it, it made sense; back when Qiaolin was the Celestial Hero, he was the most ruthless enemy of the Demon Race.

Using him as an imaginary enemy was perfectly fitting.

[Selection complete. Constructing scenario…]

Buzz —

Qiaolin felt a moment of dizziness, and then the scene before him changed abruptly.

The temperature plummeted, and snow covered everything.

“Where is this?”

“Are you alright, Mr. Jolin? Do you feel any discomfort?”

Lockes’s concerned voice came from beside him. Qiaolin turned to look at him and smiled.

“No, I’m fine. This is the simulated location, then? I wonder who the opponent is?”

“You might be very familiar with them. The opponent is — “

Before Lockes could finish, a scream erupted from behind.

“Eek! Xiao Bai, why… why are you standing in front of me?!”

The black Dragon Princess stared in disbelief at the dragon girl who looked just like her.

With hair as white as snow and blue eyes, she was undoubtedly the side of Fafna’s soul that represented the Frost Dragon.

They were originally two souls in one body, but now, they had separated into two distinct entities!

“Huh? I…”

The white Dragon Princess examined her body carefully.

She turned her head to look at the large tail covered in snow-white scales behind her and wagged it twice to confirm it was her own body.

Black Fafna suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the other’s face, and squeezed it hard.

“Haha! Xiao Bai, your cheeks are so soft!”

“Stop pinching me!”

Seeing this, Lockes’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“How did Lady Fafna become two people? Is there a problem with the device? No, we have to log out immediately!”

“Don’t you dare!”

Black Fafna glared at him, frightening Lockes so much he didn’t dare move.

“Brother Jolin, look at me!”

At this moment, Xiao Bai was like a little girl eager to share her joy with her older brother.

She waved her arms and wagged her tail, showing off her body.

“I see you,” Qiaolin said, smiling as he rubbed Xiao Bai’s head.

“I didn’t expect this device to actually construct the shape of the soul so perfectly. I think that’s why you two were able to separate, even if it is only temporary.”

“Xiao Bai likes it here!”

The white Dragon Princess hopped with excitement.

She turned to thank Lockes and Loki.

“Thank you, Mr. Lockes and Ms. Loki!”

“Uh, y—you’re welcome.”

Lockes scratched his head.

Being thanked by such a cute dragon girl made him feel a bit embarrassed; he even forgot that she was originally a fierce dragon.

That was, until he caught a glimpse of the black Dragon Princess standing next to Xiao Bai with a fierce look in her eyes.

“Hmph, this broken device is actually somewhat interesting,” Black Fafna huffed.

When her gaze fell on Xiao Bai, however, her eyes softened.

She was also happy that Xiao Bai had received a physical form.

Usually, she was the one in control of the body, only letting Xiao Bai take over at night.

Even then, Black Fafna would wake up if anything happened.