Chapter 9: Blades of Vengeance and Unlocked Horizons
With dinner waiting and Wanda's voice still echoing in the lab, Alex paused, the system's re-roll menu hovering in his vision like a tantalizing promise. The new options had populated, a mix of familiar and obscure worlds drawn from his past-life obsessions:
[Simulation Menu]
[Available Worlds: Random Selection Based on Host Knowledge]
[Option 1: Movie - The Matrix (Red Pill Awakening) - Cost: 2 Credits]
[Option 2: Anime - One Punch Man (Hero Association Trials) - Cost: 6 Credits]
[Option 3: Cartoon - Scooby-Doo (Mystery Solver) - Cost: 1 Credit]
[Option 4: Game - Grand Theft Auto V (Heist Mastermind) - Cost: 2 Credits]
[Anchored Simulations Available:]
[Assassin's Creed - Templar Hunter (Advanced Training) - Cost: 3 Credits]
[CS:GO - Counter-Terrorist Ops (Revisit) - Cost: 2 Credits]
Four credits burned in his mental ledger, earned from his bond with Wanda and Pietro. High school loomed tomorrow—a normalcy he craved amid the chaos of Genesis's global expansion and the Maximoffs' integration into his life. But the anchored Assassin's Creed sim called to him. Advanced training could refine his stealth and bladesmanship, synergizing with his CS:GO knives and Limitless cognition. His hypothesis from the Limitless sim nagged: Killing main characters maximizes rewards. Time to test it in a familiar world.
He selected the anchored option, deducting 3 credits.
[Simulation Initiated: Assassin's Creed - Templar Hunter - Advanced Training]
[Credits Deducted: 3]
[Current Credits: 1]
[Entering World…]
The lab faded, replaced by the sun-drenched rooftops of Renaissance Florence, the Arno River glinting below. Alex's body felt familiar yet evolved—stronger, more attuned from his previous run. He was back in his apprentice robes, hidden blade bracer snug on his wrist. The system briefed: Resume as an Assassin operative. Hunt Templars, advance the Brotherhood. Greater risks yield greater rewards. Alter the plot for optimal outcomes.
His mentor awaited in the hidden sanctuary, the grizzled hooded figure from before, now named Giovanni—a composite of the game's lore, wise and battle-scarred. "You've returned stronger," Giovanni rumbled, clapping Alex on the shoulder. "Time for the real work. The Templars grow bold; their leader, a cunning Auditore rival (the simulation's main character, a twisted Ezio-like figure we'll call Lorenzo for distinction), plots to seize the Apple of Eden."
Training intensified over simulated weeks: eagle vision drills sharpening Alex's sight to spot hidden enemies from afar, dual-wielding hidden blades for fluid assassinations, poison darts and smoke bombs for escapes. Alex's real-world skills amplified it—CS:GO precision making him deadly with throwing knives, Assassin's Creed fundamentals evolving into master-level parkour. He infiltrated Templar strongholds, sabotaging shipments and eliminating lieutenants, his senses catching whispers of betrayal.
Then, the turning point. On a moonlit night in Venice's canals, Alex and Giovanni ambushed a Templar convoy. But Lorenzo—the simulation's main character, a charismatic Assassin-turned-traitor corrupted by Templar promises—emerged from the shadows. "The Brotherhood is weak," Lorenzo snarled, his own hidden blade flashing. In a brutal clash, Lorenzo outmaneuvered Giovanni, driving a blade into his mentor's chest. Giovanni gasped, eyes wide with shock, collapsing into the water. "Avenge… us…"
Rage surged through Alex, not just simulated but personal—Giovanni had been his guide, a father figure in this world. Lorenzo turned, smirking. "You're next, apprentice." But Alex's Limitless brain calculated every angle, his CS:GO reflexes kicking in. He dodged Lorenzo's lunge, using parkour to vault onto a gondola, then countered with a smoke bomb. As Lorenzo coughed, Alex struck—Falchion Knife instincts guiding a precise slice across the throat, mirroring his accidental kill of Eddie Morra but intentional this time. Lorenzo gurgled, clutching his neck, eyes dimming as he fell. The main character's death rippled through the simulation, Templar plans crumbling without their leader.
[Simulation Complete: Assassin's Creed - Templar Hunter - Advanced Training]
[Plot Outcome: Altered - Main Character (Lorenzo) Eliminated After Mentor Assassination]
[Rewards: Master-Level Assassination Techniques (Eagle Vision Adaptation, Dual Hidden Blades Proficiency), Increased Mental Resilience (Reduces Future Mental Strain)]
[Simulation Upgraded: Assassin's Creed - Level 2 Anchored (Revisit Cost: 4 Credits)]
[Mental Strain Applied: Moderate Grief (Temporary)]
Alex returned to the lab, the faint tang of canal water lingering in his nostrils, a dull ache in his chest from Giovanni's "death." But the rewards validated his theory—killing the main character after a pivotal event (the mentor's murder) had unlocked premium gains. His senses sharpened further, eagle vision manifesting as a real-world intuition for spotting hidden details. Two hidden blade bracers materialized on his arms, retractable and sleek, while an Apple of Eden fragment—a glowing orb shard—appeared in his palm, pulsing with energy for creating minor illusions.
He flexed, testing the blades with a snap—perfect for blending with his Butterfly and Falchion knives. The grief faded quickly, bolstered by the new resilience. Hypothesis confirmed: Target protagonists for big payouts. But ethically? He pushed it aside; this was survival in a multiverse of gods and monsters.
Wanda peeked in again, her green eyes curious. "You okay? You zoned out." Alex smiled, hiding the bracers under his sleeves. "Yeah, just thinking about school tomorrow. Let's eat—Pietro's probably starving."
As they headed to dinner, Genesis's success hummed in the background: mutant hires thriving, SHIELD orders rolling in, global uproar settling into profit. But high school with the Maximoffs promised new dynamics—fitting in, hiding powers, perhaps even early hero encounters. With 1 credit left and the menu tempting, Alex pondered his next move. The Court of Owls' unseen Hydra web tightened in Gotham, and Hydra's role in the Maximoffs' tragedy loomed. The game was escalating.