Ace of the Bench - Chapter 12: First Steps of Iron

This was an era where everyone could experience various worlds through simulations.

When everyone reached 16 years old, they would receive a Life Lantern, which would grant them two free simulations.

During the free simulations, they had to break through the limits of humans in order to attain a bright future in reality.

Otherwise, they would lose their Life Lanterns and they would slowly be corrupted by a black fog until they eventually died at a young age.

Lin Qiye, who transmigrated to this era, failed his first simulation.

During his second simulation, by chance, he acquired a permanent SSS-rank talent – the Deduction of Genesis.

Lin Qiye’s first life: [When you were two, you had a sudden illness, causing you to have a deformed head and low IQ. When you were 15, your parents passed away. When you were 18, you died of an incurable disease.]

Lin Qiye commanded, “The Deduction of Genesis, deduce for me a way to transcend this life.”

[Congratulations for defying the heavens and successfully changing your fate. You acquired S rank in your evaluation. Your rewards are…]

…

His second life: [When you were 15, the spiritual aura on Earth rejuvenated. You did not awaken any talent while your childhood best friend achieved outstanding attainments with her awakened talent. When you were 16, you were killed by a stranger.]

Lin Qiye summoned, “The Deduction of Genesis!”

[You carefully made plans before the spiritual aura rejuvenated. Because of this, you defied the heavens and successfully changed your fate. You acquired S rank in your evaluation. Your rewards are…]

Yu Li and her boyfriend had known each other for four years and had been together for three. They were deeply in love.Her boyfriend was gentle and considerate. Apart from being a little too clingy, lacking a sense of security, and always dragging her to watch horror movies, he had no other flaws. They were about to get married when a car accident took both their lives.After death, she transmigrated into a book.The good news? Her boyfriend transmigrated too.The bad news? He lost his memory.The even worse news? Some entity calling itself a “system” told her that her boyfriend was originally the villain of this world.And not just any villain—he was a twisted, obsessive, and deeply dark antagonist, completely fixated on the female lead.This world operated on eerie, supernatural rules. The protagonists would be pulled into horror movie scenarios at night to complete survival missions. If their performance scores were too low, their lives would be at risk.And her little boyfriend was already teetering on the edge of danger.Yu Li fell silent.Amnesia, transmigration, and an infinite flow survival game.Now that’s what you call stacking buffs.—The first time she entered a horror scenario, she became the neighbor of the protagonist group. When the male and female leads came over for a visit, her gaze landed on the second-floor window of the house across the street, and she silently curled her lips into a smile.That night, a mu*derous ghost who had claimed countless lives turned into a wisp of smoke and slipped into her home, lying gently beside her. Lowering its head, it inhaled her scent like an addict, utterly intoxicated.“You smell so good… I want to eat you up… So good…”

Nine Characters, all bound to the whims of a 'Deranged Entity.'All the clues they have are the vast differences they have with those that bore them.His Madness has seeped into them, crowning them with Glory. They shall come to know the price of Sin & Virtue by Sacrilege & Madness:Krael _My Pride can overturn Creation, drowning it in the madness of an unwilling. And yet I have to offer servitude to one who will always be beneath me, in the twisted guise of learning Humility - If only she knew how I long to grind her bones, she would know to control her tongueBorn to Pride, servitude to Humility.:Kaelan_My Hunger can consume the very foundations of existence leaving behind an abyss born from my will. And yet I have to exercise temperance lest I lose meaning. Why do the gods mock me so...to give me all I can ever eat, and yet never to touch any satiate my growing hunger. I have seen the cruelty of the divineBorn to Gluttony, raised by Temperance:Zaen_My Envy stalks the might of existence, wishing for its grandeur to be mine. And yet, my envy is never allowed to fester for Kindness plagues me like a curse. Compassion that was never mine, empathy I could care less about, heavens know I would rather drown in my own spit than to share goodwillBorn of Envy, chained by Kindness:Xaelan_My Greed clouds the hearts of even gods, from the mortal coils to the vastness of the cosmos chaining the 'Old Ones to sin. I feel the sickening embrace of her love, and yet I can never have it, for whatever is mine, I must give. To know Charity—that bustard—is the punishment I was accordedBorn in Greed, defiled by Charity: ...My Wrath burns the Heavens and fuels the pits of hell, bringing the end to all, as I ride my mount to Herald the storm. -Oops, this is not my stage. Sorry, but worry not my progeny will carry the mantle on my behalf. As they unleash the wrath stocked in their blood. But soon they will learn just how deep my Lord intends to go and that only Patience is the key to his games...hahaha...poor children, if only I could march alongside you in misery.Born to Wrath, burial by Patience:Thaen_My Sloth... uhm mm... well, I am too exhausted to think of a monologue.But Yah, blah blah...something Diligence... All I know is that I am more hard working than all of them combined... that 'guy was truly not fair when dishing them out_Born to Sloth, death by Diligence:Laen_My Lust fuels the passion of Creation, all beings lost in the throes of my splendor, indulging in desires so dark, and yet I am the purest of them all, abstinence is second nature. I weep for desires unfulfilled and yet Chastity that horrendous bi*** mocks me with laughter. Yet it seems only I suffer this cruelty; others are free in indulgence only I am a slave to virtue_Born in the flames of Lust, sustained by Chastity:Haelan_My Hatred runs so deep that the abyss is flooded; the rivers of the underworld are mere streams to my Hatred. I hold nothing but hate in my heart and yet 'he wishes I hold onto compassion. In 'his twisted form of madness, 'he has left me with no other choice. I shall let 'it fester until the day I make 'him pay_Born in the depths of Hate, Compassion my Love and my Death:Raelin_My Despair has seeped into the cracks of existence, corrupting the Light' of the 'Creator. All I feel is the despair and sorrow of all those born and chained in the embrace of 'the sisters' misery.'Unlike them, I search for her, elusive like the wind. I despair for the sight of her, and yet she will always elude me, shunning my pleas_Born in Despair, mourning for Hope...I feel the twisted love 'he holds for us all and yet they do not see it, blinded by Sin and Virtue:>Long but necessary:) what is the story about? Simply it's about the interplay of Sin and Virtue with a hint of Madness and Malevolence. Complicatedly, what makes sense may not actually make sense.