【New Beginning】

  【Reflection on the Previous Life】

  【Skin Collection】

  【Unknown Instance】

  Eirik’s mind buzzed with options as he opened the simulation interface.

  The New Beginning was self-explanatory—his chance to embark on a new adventure. But the one that caught his attention was Skin Collection. He had to see what it held.

  To his mild irritation, the majority of the skins were all of him—each one more ridiculously handsome than the last. He couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward, even though it was his face staring back at him from the screen. It almost seemed excessive.

  On the other hand, Elvynna’s skins were few, almost impossibly rare. There were only one or two, and most of them were paired with his own.

  Eirik scowled.

  “What’s up with this game? Shouldn’t there be more skins for the girls? What am I supposed to do with a bunch of skins of myself?” he muttered to himself.

  Back in his previous life, games usually rewarded players with elaborate female character skins—things to admire and drool over. Sometimes they were even locked behind a paywall. But here, it was just endless portraits of his own face.

  "What’s the point of all this?" Eirik huffed. "I’m already too handsome as it is. If I keep getting these skins, I might just become too much for people to handle. People might start avoiding me!"

  Meanwhile, somewhere else, Pixie and Elvynna were also navigating the same game.

  "Oh my gosh, these skins are gorgeous! Look at how handsome he is! As expected from the man I’ve got my eye on!" Pixie squealed, flipping through the portraits of Eirik. Her cheeks flushed, and her voice betrayed the excitement she felt.

  Pixie had always had a thing for good looks, but when she saw the skins were locked behind Elvynna’s name, her excitement quickly soured. She clicked on the preview button, only getting a fleeting glimpse of the portraits before they gray out again.

  "Ughhh! I want those skins too! Whether it's in the game or in real life, I must get my hands on this card!" Pixie muttered, fist clenched in determination.

  Eirik then noticed the Unknown Instance tab—it was grayed out, like something out of reach.

  【This feature is currently unavailable. Continue exploring the current simulation to unlock it.】

  "Huh. I guess the system isn’t fully unlocked yet. What kind of content will this unlock, though?" Eirik mused. He didn’t linger too long on it, quickly clicking on the New Beginning option instead.

  “Elvynna, my love, here I come!”

  Eirik shouted silently in his mind as he began once again down the well-worn path—vowing to stay loyal to Elvynna.

  He still hadn’t helped her become the Queen of the Elves, and as far as he was concerned, their journey wasn’t over yet.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  In the past, he might have shouted that aloud, but this time, he kept it to himself. Elvynna lived next door, and who knew if she could hear through the walls with her sharp senses? If she caught him muttering something like that, he might just end up branded as a creep.

  【You visit Elvynna and request to become her retainer, but… she politely declines, explaining that she prefers working alone and does not need an assistant.】

  Eirik blinked, staring at the message in confusion.

  "What the hell? This is different."

  "Wait… I get it! It’s a probability thing, isn’t it?" Eirik scratched his chin in realization.

  It wasn’t guaranteed that Elvynna would accept him as her retainer. She was a genius mage, and he was just a regular guy in the simulation. His previous successes had been lucky flukes—like hitting a jackpot in a game and pulling a rare card on the first try.

  This time, though, the odds weren’t in his favor.

  "Ah well. I’ll just try again tomorrow."

  On the other side of the simulation, Elvynna sighed softly after rejecting him. She hadn’t wanted to turn him down, but she had her reasons.

  After thinking it through, she was certain this was the best course of action.

  The simulation was just that—a simulation. A place to test possibilities and shape reality. But reality, as she knew well, mattered far more.

  Right now, her focus was on Pixie—her sly rival, always scheming to steal Eirik from her. In real life, this challenge was already in full swing.

  Elvynna had always struggled with situations like this. With her cold and distant personality, she wasn’t sure how to handle someone like Pixie. That’s why the simulation was perfect—she could try different strategies and find the best way to win Eirik’s heart.

  "Junior Sister," she muttered under her breath, "I’ll let you have him for now. But just wait—I’ll get him back."

  Back in the game, Pixie was practically dancing when she saw Eirik fail to become Elvynna’s retainer.

  "Hahaha! My chance has come! That idiot senpai didn’t even realize the golden card was right in front of her!"

  【Pixie has noticed your exceptional qualities and hopes you will become an honored guest of the Ravenshadow family. Will you accept?】

  Eirik chuckled at the message.

  "Well, this is getting a little too real now."

  He paused for a moment, but then declined the offer.

  His journey with Elvynna still wasn’t complete. He hadn’t yet experienced the full arc of transforming from an ordinary man into someone extraordinary. Everyone else who transmigrated always went from zero to hero—there was no way he was going to fall short.

  Becoming a noble’s guest? That felt too easy, too simple. He could explore that option later.

  "You turned me down?" Pixie pouted, but her resolve didn’t waver.

  "The fact that he didn’t just rush to Elvynna means there’s still hope! I’ve got a shot at this!"

  The next day, Eirik visited Elvynna again.

  【Your request has been declined.】

  "Seriously?" Pixie groaned, frustrated as she pulled at her hair.

  "Why is he so obsessed with Elvynna? What’s wrong with this guy?"

  Eirik kept trying, only to be rejected again and again.

  【Pixie invites you on a lake excursion and offers you a rare magical tome as a gift.】

  Eirik was touched. The young lady from the Ravenshadow family was generous—she’d been sending him gifts both in-game and in real life. How could he not feel moved?

  He accepted the book but declined the outing. Learning magic was his top priority—he couldn’t afford another setback.

  "I’m going to be the Queen’s consort. I don’t have time to waste!"

  But despite all his efforts, Elvynna continued to turn him down.

  Eirik was baffled. Had the system secretly changed the probability, or was there something more going on here?

  "Or… maybe I just got lucky the first few times?" He frowned in thought.

  Realistically, he was just an ordinary person, while Elvynna was a genius. It made sense that the odds weren’t in his favor.

  "No way am I giving up!" Eirik clenched his fist. "I’ll become her retainer, even if it’s the last thing I do!"

  Just as he was preparing for another attempt, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

  He quickly set the game to autopilot and went to answer it.

  Standing outside was Pixie’s personal maid, curtsying gracefully.

  "My lady has sent you a gift, Eir—a box of Essence of Mana."

  Eirik’s heart leaped with joy.

  Though he had awakened the Eye of Divine Insight, he hadn’t yet had time to study magic. This mana elixir was exactly what he needed. He couldn’t afford to stay weak forever.

  With a grin, Eirik accepted the gift. It was time to improve his abilities.

  As for the simulation? The system could handle it for a while.