Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer

The system giving him a reward is pretty much a confirmation that his guess was actually correct. That being said, it certain didn't make him happy.

They're so far from the Last Bastion...they're on the other side of the planet actually.

This specific spot where the City M ended-up? Is the actually the farthest distance humanity managed to travel so far according to the history books. Those who participated in the expedition mostly died and only one managed to return home.

Even then, the survivor of the expedition only lived long enough to make a report before dying as well.

Sufficed to say, Ashton's pretty screwed right now. The more he discover things about their current predicament, the more it seems impossible for him to make it back home.

How is it that things gets worse first instead of getting better. It just doesn't make sense! What did he ever do to deserve this?

Still, Ashton had no other choice. He didn't want to die so he at least needs to try. He doesn't want to give-up here even though it so tempting to do so.

Aria didn't say a word. She just stared at Ashton and watched as his face morphed into a fierce conflict before gradually retaining it's calm.

She doesn't really know whether to commend him for not losing his cool or to be scared that he's suppressing everything in. It's unhealthy, she thinks. But panicking will make Ashton reckless, which in turn make it even riskier for him to go out and explore.

The worst part of this is the fact that she felt so utterly useless. She's constrained within the walls of the Grand Library, unable to step out because it's dangerous for her. She hated the fact that she had to rely on Ashton through everything. She hated that she could only watch as he risks his life for the both of them.

She hated being so weak...

"T-the System pretty much confirmed that our guess was spot-on." Ashton said in hopes of diffusing this tense atmosphere. "I-I unlocked another System Function."

"T-that's great! What is it?" She asked.

"Simulation Zone." He replied, "Hold on, let me learn more about it."

Ashton sat down and rested his back against the chair. He then closed his eyes and communicated with the System.

'System, how does the Simulation Zone works?'

[The Simulation Zone allows Host to replicate things that he sees, be it a place or a person, so long as the host knew sufficient details of what he saw, it can be replicated in the Simulation Zone.]

[In simpler terms, this is your own Virtual Reality. In the Simulation World, you can do anything you please so long as you could think of it.]

'Hmm...a bit vague but understandable.' Ashton mused to himself. 'Alright, let's try it. Uh...simulate an Imp please?'

[Host should immerse himself into the Simulation Zone first.]

'Right. Let's do that.'

He then felt a pull which caused him to jolt. The next thing he knew, he's standing at a vast empty white space.

'Is this the Simulation Zone?'

[Indeed, Host.]

'It looks boring...uh, so I just imagine things are they'll appear here right?'

[Correct.]

'Okay. Let's start with something simple.' Ashton took a deep breath and started visualizing an image.

Then, before his very eyes, he saw the ground being covered in tiny blades of grass, spreading as far as the eyes could see. He looked up and the sky turned blue with puffy clouds above. He imagined a cool breeze of air and it appear. He thought about trees and they appeared too.

In a span of a few seconds, the vast empty space transformed into a peaceful forest much like the Training Field A of the Mystic Academy.

'Okay, I think I understand how this works now.' He whispered, 'A few more tests I guess...'

Ashton then did a few more test to see where his limit lies. Before he knew he it, he tested a bunch of things and it all worked according to how the System described it. He actually ran out of ideas instead which forced him to stop the experiments.

Ashton could replicate anything he had seen so far. So long as he knows its composition or general description, the System would accurately replicate it here. Missing the tiny details was fine because the system will fill that gap in.

Once he thought that he had a pretty good understand on how things work here. He decided to use it to his advantage.

He changed the scenery to what it was like outside, the ruins of City M. The wreckage was replicated perfectly before his eyes, even the infected soil as well.

Then he added an Imp. Just a single one. He replicated an Infant, one that has a single pair of horns.

He then replicated his arsenal and his cultivation. After that, he took a couple of deep breaths and applied the changes.

The moment he did, the Imp instantly came for him. Ashton's eyes widened and was half a second late from defending himself which caused his cheeks to be grazed by the pitchfork the demon wields.

Ashton then experienced why Imps were such a troublesome foes. He could feel a disgusting sensation running through his body. He felt like he's covered in lead or goo. It didn't slow down his movements but it made him feel so dirty.

The Imp didn't allow him to relax. It was a menace as it repeatedly tried to punch holes on his body using the pitchfork. Ashton was barely able to deflect the attacks using his stuff.

He didn't have enough time to buff himself up nor attack at all. He was pushed into the defensive by an infant imp.

The frustrating part of this is that, Ashton was vaguely aware that this fight shouldn't have been this difficult. He knows that he's much stronger than the Imp thanks to the additional refinements on his cultivation yet he couldn't even change the rhythm of the battle to his favor.

And even though this is but an infant imp, it's physique is naturally stronger thanks to its demonic lineage. It's their natural talent so this thing could last as long as he could.

His lack of experience caused Ashton to stumble on his stance, and with just a single mistake. The demon's pitchfork punch a hole through his chest, effectively ending the simulation.

Ashton jolted back to reality. His eyes snapped open, he was pale and sweaty. His heartbeat rang loudly in his ears as he clutched his chest, feeling a phantom pain in there.

"Ash! You alright?"

Ashton looked at Aria and nodded stiffly. He took a couple of breaths to calm himself down and said:

"Yeah I'm good. Just did a whoopsie, I guess."

"Huh?" Aria looked confused.

"I tried fighting an imp. I lost. Got stabbed in the chest. Thankfully it's just a simulation."

Ashton then proceeded to tell Aria how the Simulation Zone works. By the end of his story, she looked convinced.

"That's extremely useful." Aria stated, "This way, you can gauge your chances. And if I'm guessing this correctly, you can accumulate combat experiences this way."

"Yep, that's what I'm banking on as well." He replied. "Still, it's going to take sometime to get used to it. Even though it's just a simulation, it feels real. I can still feel a phantom pain in my chest."

"Then you shouldn't use it before that sensation disappears. It's fine, you can take it slow."

"Right." Ashton nodded while sighing as well. "Come, let's make some food. I'm famished."

The addition of the Simulation Zone in his arsenal increased Ashton's chances, there's no doubt about that. This function essentially allowed him to pick his battles, therefore increasing his survival chances too.

Since he's relatively knew to the sensation, it'll certainly take some time before he gets used to it. Plus, he had a feeling that he's still using it to it's full potential so he'd have to experiment some more.

The Tormentor could honestly choke to death for all he cares though. There's no way Ashton would even consider simulating that thing anytime soon.

He'd work his way up of course. Thanks to how vivid the simulation is, the battles should be realistic as well.

For now, he can tell that he's so inexperienced that he can't even defeat a single imp. That stings a bit but he can work with that.

Like Aria said, there's no rush. He has time and certainly he's got patience.

The road home is going to be a long and arduous one but he can take it one step at a time. It'd be in his best interest to pay attention to the journey itself since who knows what he'll find out?

This reminds of something that Rycard used to tell their class:

'Fortune favors the bold. Opportunities are often found within layers of dangers. There will be times that you'd have to risk your lives in order to get something valuable. Observe, learn and fight. Take what you can get and keep yourself safe. That's how you get strong.'

This advice should be worth remembering given his current circumstances.