Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Nexus Simulation

Alexander slowly opened his eyes squinting against a sudden blinding brilliance.

The oppressive freezing darkness of the iron sarcophagus was completely gone.

Instead he found himself lying flat on his back in the middle of a vast open field.

He reached down his fingers brushing against the cool vibrant green blades of grass beneath him feeling the dirt right under his fingernails.

He looked up at the pristine blue sky completely bewildered by the sudden shift in reality.

Suddenly a clean robotic voice resonated from every single direction at once echoing across the open horizon "WELCOME TO THE AVALON-NEXUS SYSTEM."

"This hyper-biometric simulator is specifically engineered to train your cognitive and physical responses in operational environments that would otherwise be impossible to replicate without lethal or severe consequences."

A cloud of digital particles began to condense right in front of him rapidly solidifying into the figure of a woman.

She looked exactly like a high-end department mannequin—her face was entirely featureless and lacked any human expression but her body was mapped with multiple glowing digital indicators.

Floating holographic text appeared right next to her displaying three clear directives: [LICK] [SUCK] [BITE]

"Please follow the highlighted sequence to initiate physical calibration."

The indicator for [BITE] flashed aggressively waiting for his compliance.

Alexander stood up brushing the grass off his bare skin as he approached the mannequin.

He looked into her blank faceless head reminding himself that this was nothing more than an elaborate NPC—a synthetic training tool completely devoid of feelings or human emotions.

Shaking off his hesitation he leaned forward opened his jaws and bit straight down onto her left breast right over the glowing target indicator.

The realism of the sensation hit him like a physical blow.

The simulated flesh had an incredibly authentic texture a distinct warmth and an undeniable skin-on-skin taste that felt terrifyingly genuine.

Instantly a floating strength meter materialized in the air—a horizontal gauge with a single target calibration line right in the middle.

Reacting with his usual aggression Alexander instinctively clamped his teeth down harder.

The meter spiked immediately blasting past the safe zone and locking straight into the deep crimson red.

SMACK!

Before Alexander could even register the movement the mannequin’s hand moved like lightning delivering a brutal resounding slap across his left cheek that sent a sharp stinging pain radiating through his jaw "Do you honestly believe you are chewing on raw industrial rubber?" asked the NPC her voice completely monotonous despite the violent action "Human nipples are exceptionally sensitive anatomical regions.

Treat them with strict delicacy."

The mannequin smoothly stepped back returning to her original rigid starting position as if nothing had happened.

Alexander stumbled back a step holding his throbbing cheek in absolute disbelief.

He forcefully pinched his own forearm his skin stinging immediately from the pressure.

The pain was undeniably real.

The overarching system voice boomed across the sky once more answering his unspoken thoughts "While your current consciousness resides within a simulated dream state the millions of active micro-needles are sending direct neural signals straight to your brain and your physical body.

Any damage sustained within the Avalon-Nexus environment will physically manifest when you awaken.

Furthermore there is no safety pain-limiter active within this protocol.

All physical sensations are transmitted at an absolute one hundred percent accuracy."

The glowing holographic text for [BITE] flashed once more refusing to move forward until the calibration was executed correctly.

Alexander rubbed his sore jaw staring at the expressionless mannequin with a newfound level of caution.

He leaned in slowly opening his mouth and placing his teeth carefully around the target area.

He applied a tiny minuscule amount of pressure.

On the floating meter a thin line appeared on the far left glowing a pale almost white-blue color.

Alexander squeezed a fraction harder as the line slid further along the gauge deepening into a rich solid blue.

He adjusted his jaw pressing just a bit more and the indicator turned a dark deep navy blue.

With a tiny precise twitch of his muscles he squeezed just a millimeter further and the bar instantly flashed a vibrant clean green.

A new holographic notification materialized right above the gauge: [SUSTAIN PRESSURE: 10 SECONDS]

Alexander held his breath trying to lock his jaw perfectly in place.

But after just three seconds his muscle twitched slightly from the strain.

The indicator slipped backward out of the green zone turning blue again and the digital countdown immediately reset to zero "Damn it" muttered Alexander.

He instantly applied a bit too much pressure to compensate and the bar shot straight past the green turning a warning shade of yellow.

The counter reset once more "Wow... this is actually incredibly complicated" said Alexander his eyes locked entirely on the fluctuating meter.

He forced his mind to calm down treating his own jaw muscles like a CNC.

He carefully balanced the pressure watching the line crawl back into the green zone and froze completely.

One second... five seconds... ten seconds.

Ding!

The system’s robotic voice boomed across the virtual open field once more "SUCCESS: Basic Exercise Protocol No. 1 has been completed successfully.

Now replicate the process."

Alexander prepared himself expecting the gauge to reappear so he could simply copy the visual cue.

But the air remained entirely empty "NOTICE: The visual assistance gauge has been disabled.

Execute the exact same target pressure entirely by muscle memory.

When you believe you have successfully reached the green zone manually press the verification button."

A large glowing virtual button materialized right beside the mannequin’s shoulder.

Alexander gritted his teeth leaning in once more.

He carefully closed his jaws around the synthetic tissue trying to perfectly recall the exact delicate amount of force he had used just a moment ago.

He held the pressure steady raised his right hand and firmly slapped the floating OK button.

The results screen instantly flashed above him.

The bar appeared showing his marker sitting squarely in the bright yellow zone—he had squeezed just a tiny fraction too hard.

The faceless mannequin’s features didn’t change but her head tilted slightly as if she were delivering a mocking synthetic smile.

Before Alexander could even pull his face away her right hand whipped through the air like a flash of lightning delivering another brutal stinging slap that sent a sharp wave of pain echoing through his face.