Apocalypse: System of lotteries

Alan and Mike, perched side by side atop a summit sofa, clutched their coconuts, gazing across the great chasm with faces awash in woefulness and despair.

Alan inquired, "Mike, wasn't it handsome to see our big brother take on the king-level boss singlehandedly during your last copy?"

"..."

Mike sipped his coconut water, unsure how to respond; he was drugged and hallucinating in that copy. But, he had bragged about conquering his solo dungeon, even embellishing a little just now.

He took another sip of coconut water, "Oh, incredibly dashing! You can't fathom the awe-inspiring magnitude of our brother's prowess without being there!"

"Indeed, today we can only watch from afar," Alan's face was painted with envy.

Mike surreptitiously exhaled, relieved to have evaded suspicion. Lying was exhausting.

Alan turned and remarked, "You're quite formidable yourself, having achieved five stars in that dungeon."

"Ah, that was just a bit of good fortune, just a bit," Mike replied awkwardly, vowing never to boast again.

...

The special Dancers and  Singers began to chant and dance at the square. Some had completed two promotions, gaining more powerful buffs and advanced combat techniques.

Everyone basked in the song and dance buffs; everyone's strength surged by 30% instantly. With a unified spirit and bolstered confidence, all people readied themselves, eyes fixed on the sky.

At 9:00 AM.

Whoosh!

Dozens of white light columns struck the ground, unleashing humanoid zombies. This time, no one panicked.

"All are five-star lords!"

"Attack the closest ones! Don't scatter!"

"Shield-bearers, activate your defenses and taunt! Everyone else, attack!"

"..."

Standing beside Ming, David pointed at the approaching lord-level Zombie and asked, "Shall we take it down together?"

"No, you go help the others. I'll handle this one myself!" Ming pushed David aside, "Try to balance the fighting power."

"Alright, just be careful," David nodded, turning towards another battle circle, thinking that despite his usual nonchalant attitude, Ming could be pretty serious when needed.

da! da

Ming snapped his fingers on both hands, first sending a psychic hunting dog to bite the Zombie's lower body and draw its attention. Then, a psychic giant eagle swooped down, its talons gripping the Zombie's shoulders before taking flight. The eagle didn't fly high this time but brought the zombie face-to-face with Ming.

"Pay !"

Ming activated his exclusive skill, "Personal Prescription," tossing a piece of paper with a prescription at the Zombie. The paper appeared in the Zombie's hand the next instant, leaving the suspended creature bewildered.

Then, a voice sounded in Ming's mind: [Skill effect activated, collecting 1,024 gold coins from the target.]

Ding! The addition of 300 gold coins.

"It works!" Ming was delighted but also wondering, knowing he should have received 1,024 coins, yet only 300 had arrived.

Had the skill calculation gone awry?

[Zombie is out of money, automatically compensating with personal items.]

"..."

Ming then witnessed a dramatic scene: the Zombie held aloft by the psychic giant eagle had its weapons, clothes, shoes, socks, and even underwear automatically transferred into his inventory.

Upon inspecting his inventory, Ming saw that the collected items needed Appraisal scrolls to unlock. Despite this, the skill was too potent, and he resolved to obtain more identification scrolls or cards in the future.

Several people passing by caught sight of the bare-bottomed Zombie floating in midair and stopped in shock.

"Isn't this... Gutmann?"

"I admit, the guy is powerful, but this... this hobby..."

"It's a bit perverse..."

"Let's move on quickly."

The group turned to leave, only to hear 'Gutmann' call out, "Stop!"

They all froze mid-turn, looking simultaneously at the guy wielding a chainsaw.

What now? Would they be killed just for looking at his perverse hobby?

Then, they watched as 'Gutmann,' chainsaw in hand, sawed off the arms and legs of the floating Zombie. Afterward, covered in blood, he walked up to them and said, "You go ahead and finish it; I need to help the others." With that, he dashed towards his next target.

The stunned group exchanged glances.

"So, the guy turned the zombie into this state to make it easier for us to kill."

"I admit, I just thought of guilt in my mind. I apologize sincerely."

"Attack!"

The group charged towards the dismembered Zombie, weapons in hand, unleashing a barrage of attacks.

Ming thought the "Personal Prescription" skill was potent as he ran with the chainsaw. The only downside was its lengthy 5-minute cooldown time, which could have been more reliable.

At that moment, he spotted a familiar face, Nick.

"It's been a while since we last met. After defeating the shared monster, I wanted to catch up with you," Nick said, stopping in his tracks upon seeing Ming.

Ming remembered him but noticed that Nick's female companion had changed.

He quickly scanned Nick's two female companions with his "Eagle Eye." Generally, support classes like theirs, having completed two promotions, should have buffs that reduce skill cooldown times.

After scanning them, Ming was thrilled to discover they had such buffs. He immediately told Nick, "Bro, lend me your two girlfriends for a bit."

"..."

Nick's smiling face instantly darkened, thinking that girlfriends couldn't be lent out.

The two female companions were taken aback but laughed, "Ming, what are you talking about?"

"That's right, just tell us what you want."

"..."

Nick's face was crossed with irritation, reminding them he was still standing there.

"Do you two have a buff that reduces skill cooldown times?" Ming asked the two women.

"Yes, we do~."

"Come on, cast it on me."

"Alright."

"..."

Nick felt relieved, realizing that Ming just wanted to use their skills. That had given him quite a scare.

Ming thanked Nick and his companions a minute later before charging off with his chainsaw.

The Dancer performed a "Battle Latin" dance up close, reducing all of Ming's skill cooldown times by 20% for 30 minutes.

The Chanter sang the "Champion's Song" in his ear, reducing all skill cooldown times by 25% for 20 minutes.

Through this experience, Ming realized the indispensability of buffs and resolved to become good brothers with Nick in the future.

...

Alan handed the telescope to Mike, saying, "Look, those lords are no match for our boss."

"Of course, in the copy, I..." Mike caught himself about to slip off the tongue and quickly changed the subject, "I'm really looking forward to seeing our brother take on the king-level monster later."