Free Web NovelChapter 21: Chapter 21: Combat Simulation
This was another powerful function of the Eye of Truth: combat simulation.
By consuming a small amount of Spiritual Power, the plug-in could create a nearly realistic combat scenario in his mind, generating various monsters for highly authentic simulated battles.
It was a way to gain invaluable survival experience at the lowest possible cost.
He could quickly accumulate combat experience, familiarize himself with the attack patterns of different monsters, and find ways to counter them, all without having to risk his life against terrifying creatures in the real world.
This was also part of his preparations for the second group assessment in seven days.
At this moment, Mo Ning stared at the motionless monster before him, which seemed frozen in time, and couldn’t help but complain,
"A Hard-Armored Ogre is bad enough, but one with two talents? Isn’t that a bit much?"
The so-called "Hard-Armored Ogre" could be considered a mutated "breed" among Ogres.
Or, to put it another way—an elite mob.
Ordinary Ogres had no armor; the thick layer of earthy-yellow or black skin covering their bodies was their only defense.
Hard-Armored Ogres, however, had undergone a mutation—their skin glands could secrete a special mucus.
They would smear mud on their bodies, mixing it with the mucus. Once it dried and hardened, it formed a layer of natural armor.
The armor was nearly as hard as stone.
An ordinary sword would only leave a white scratch on its surface.
Even more frightening, Hard-Armored Ogres were also physically much stronger than ordinary ones.
An ordinary Ogre might collapse from a certain wound, but a Hard-Armored Ogre could keep roaring and charging.
Hard-Armored Ogres were far rarer than their ordinary counterparts.
From what Mo Ning knew, only one Hard-Armored Ogre would emerge for approximately every fifty ordinary ones.
Even a Second Level Apprentice would have to struggle to kill a Hard-Armored Ogre in a direct confrontation.
A First Level Apprentice with only a few Witchcraft spells would have no choice but to flee, unless they had Witchcraft Items.
And yet, the Hard-Armored Ogre simulated by the Eye of Truth even possessed the rare talents of Self-Healing and Spiritual Intimidation.
You might not find one Ogre like this in a million.
That was why Mo Ning felt the Eye of Truth was being unreasonable.
Lines of text flowed past, providing an explanation:
"According to available information, the difficulty of the academy’s assessment is excessively high, exceeding the capabilities of 92.5% of the new recruits.
"Analysis indicates a 99.85% probability that the assessment is designed to test a recruit’s ability to handle a crisis, and a 67.92% probability that it is meant to stimulate a recruit’s potential.
"Based on this data, the probability of a dual-talented Hard-Armored Ogre appearing in the assessment is 0.24%.
"Per the simulation parameters, monster type and talents are determined by ’random selection.’ This instance’s random calculation resulted in a dual-talented Hard-Armored Ogre."
The corner of Mo Ning’s mouth twitched again.
0.24%?
’A monster with a point-two-four percent chance of appearing, and you put it in my simulation?’
’Are you messing with me on purpose?’
Just as Mo Ning was about to argue, the Eye of Truth offered further explanation:
"The purpose of the simulation is to better prepare for danger. Therefore, selecting a high-difficulty target is of greater practical value."
His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
Because it did have a point.
Beating up on weaklings ten thousand times wouldn’t lead to much improvement.
Challenging difficult targets and learning from failure was the only way to truly improve.
If he really did encounter a dual-talented Hard-Armored Ogre or a monster with similar abilities during the wilderness survival assessment, this experience would keep him from being caught completely off guard.
’Fine!’
’If it wants to mess with me, then let it!’
The plug-in then presented a disclaimer: "All combat simulations are based on the existing database and may deviate from actual conditions. Please use for reference with caution."
The "existing database," to put it bluntly, was just the information Mo Ning had gathered from the Royal Library.
He had never seen a Hard-Armored Ogre in person, let alone fought one.
No matter how detailed the descriptions in books were, they were still just words. No matter how lifelike the illustrations, they were still just static images.
The plug-in could only run simulations based on known information, so discrepancies were inevitable.
Even so, the simulation was still an incredibly valuable reference.
Mo Ning fell silent for a moment before issuing a command, "Run another round of combat simulation. The target is a Hard-Armored Ogre again."
He quickly added, "I need to add three items."
Text appeared immediately: "Please select your items."
A massive display case of items slowly materialized behind the Ogre.
The case was over twenty meters wide and divided into dozens of shelves, which held thousands of densely packed, dazzling items.
Each item emitted a faint glow, a short description floating beside it.
All the items came from Dawa’s Grocery List and were suitable for wilderness survival.
Mo Ning gazed at the display case, his eyes starting to search through it.
The plug-in began to offer suggestions: "Ogres have a very keen sense of smell. It is recommended to use the Deodorizing Spray to eliminate your body odor.
"Alternatively, use the Plant Odor Simulation Spray to make your scent resemble a plant’s. This will allow you to blend into the environment olfactorily and avoid being targeted by the Ogre."
Mo Ning was happy to take the advice.
He raised his hand and gestured lightly toward the display case.
Two items immediately flew off the shelves, tracing two graceful arcs before hovering steadily in front of him.
One was a small, silver-white canister about the size of a thumb, with the label "Deodorizing Spray" floating above it.
The other was a small, light-green bottle with the label "Plant Odor Simulation Spray" floating above it.
The former was priced at 3 Black Tower Points.
The latter was priced at 2 Black Tower Points.
They couldn’t be considered Magic Potions; at best, they were just items containing a small amount of Spiritual Power.
Although the prices were only in the single digits, most new recruits were short on cash and would certainly be unwilling to buy them.
But with Mo Ning’s resources, he could easily afford them.
******
「Five minutes later.」
The Eye of Truth announced the end of the combat simulation with a single line of text.
"Spiritual Power has been depleted by 20%, reaching the warning threshold. This combat simulation will now close."
Mo Ning felt the wilderness before him blur as his consciousness returned to his body.
He opened his eyes to the familiar sight of his apartment.
The sudden shift from the simulated night to the real-world daytime left him slightly disoriented.
Each simulation consumed a small amount of Spiritual Power. After twenty-six simulations, he had hit the preset warning threshold.
He couldn’t afford to deplete all his Spiritual Power, or he wouldn’t be able to get anything else done today.
Besides gaining a good deal of experience, the simulation had yielded another benefit: a preliminary shopping list.
A holographic panel hovered before his eyes, displaying a list of twenty-four essential items for wilderness survival.
The last line of the list calculated the total price: 98 Black Tower Points.
This was no small sum.
Mo Ning’s head ached at the thought, but he felt it was worth it.
In the simulations he had just run, every item had proven its value. At a critical moment, they could save his life.
Mo Ning stared at the list and made a decision. ’There are still a few days until the assessment. I’ll run dozens of simulations every day to refine this list as much as possible.’
’Once the list is finalized on the last day before the assessment, I’ll do one big shopping trip.’
He sighed. "I’m not skilled in Martial Arts, and it’s hard to find reliable teammates. I’ll just have to spend money to stay alive."
He wasn’t expecting to get an outstanding score on the assessment, let alone an extra reward like he did on the first one.
Mo Ning had only one goal: to survive.
With a thought, the holographic panel disappeared.
He thought back on a few of the simulated battles, his brow furrowing slightly. ’My Spiritual Strength is still too low.’
In those battles, the Eye of Truth had conjured several monsters, forcing him to cast Sub-zero Level Tricks over and over again.
This had directly led to one consequence: a severe drain on his Spiritual Power.
Although this was an extreme case, it clearly reflected a problem: his Spiritual Strength was too low.
On the other hand, he also needed to increase his Spiritual Strength as quickly as possible if he wanted to form his first Spirit Ring.
Mo Ning thought to himself, ’Open the data for the High Mountain Breathing Technique.’
Yesterday, after applying the Calming Ointment and practicing the Secret Technique, his Spiritual Strength had unexpectedly increased by 0.01.
The Eye of Truth had collected a large amount of data in the process, which was extremely valuable for research.
While the data was still "fresh," he planned to study it carefully. He might even be able to improve the Breathing Technique.
