Apocalypse: System of lotteries



"God! Are you also a God?"

Its eyes widened in astonishment. "Why then, do you speak of secrets without committing taboo?"

"Because I am a higher deity, appointed by the Creator God to oversee the world! I am benevolent!"

Ming pointed the sharp end of his spear at the top of Euryale's head. "Earlier, that was a test for you. You passed. Henceforth, stand by my side and annihilate the heretics. Understand?"

"!!"

Euryale stared at you, truly recognizing the god before him. Immediately, it lowered its head, "I am willing to give my life to uphold all that belongs to my master."

Mirth shone in Ming's eyes, his voice firm, the tip of his spear pressing downwards, "This is our secret. We must act as normal beings, never revealing our true nature. Understand?"

"Understand!"

Euryale's head sunk even lower.

Sigh~

Ming took a gentle breath, to be honest, during his earlier performance, he had almost believed his own lies. But if he didn't believe himself, how could he convince others? His aim was to ensure complete subservience.

"All right, rise now. Be natural, like an ordinary person. Learn from me; I am quite mundane."

"Yes, master."

Standing upright, yet with its head still lowered, it dared not meet the gaze once more.

Ming was pleased. All he needed was Euryale's obedience. The rest didn't matter. Looking at the serpent woman before him, and noting her snake-like body, he was relieved it wasn't too long, though it was quite thick. However, would moving with such a body be inconvenient?

"Euryale, have you ever desired legs?"

"Legs?"

Euryale, taken aback, glanced at Raoul, adorned with bull horns, a lion's head, tiger stripes, a monkey tail, and eagle wings. She then looked back to Ming, "Master, I much prefer slithering on the ground."

"Ugh..."

Really? A wasted opportunity, given a chance yet not taken.

Ming took out a syringe, holding it close to Euryale, "Don't worry, I'm just drawing a bit of your blood for a health check."

After collecting the blood, he injected it into Kubo's body. Ming had promised Kubo some divine blood as a reward for past services. Now, the promise was fulfilled.

[Euryale looked at you, truly are you benevolent?]

[...]

"Raoul, take Euryale around the house, let her get familiar with the surroundings, and take good care of her."

Ming, after giving out the instructions, turned to Euryale, "Regarding your unique abilities, I will grant them back to you. But not now. I have to step out for a bit. Make yourself at home with Raoul."

"Heh."

Raoul turned, picked up Euryale, and leaped off the rooftop.

"~~"

At that moment, a portal opened and Digennaro walked out.

"You're finally back. I looked for you last night, but you weren't here. I then went to the plains. Sister Clos said she hadn't seen you all day. So, I came back here, had a meal at Brother Mike's place, and waited until dawn but you still hadn't returned. So, I went to the plains again."

Catching his breath, Digennaro added, "It's been such a tiring day."

"Hmm."

Ming gently ruffled the girl's hair, his affection evident in his silence.

"Who's the serpent woman?"

"My new puppet, a minor deity. Keep it a secret, alright?"

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

As Digennaro spoke, he suddenly remembered, "Oh! I ran into Sister Alice in the Trade City. She mentioned if I came across you, to inform you about an interview."

"An interview?"

In Trade City, Ming sat on a chair with Alice to his left and Clos to his right. Opposite them sat a somewhat nervous-looking individual named Luciano.

"Don't be nervous; our boss is quite kind. Please, begin," Alice said with a reassuring smile.

"Um... okay."

Luciano rubbed his knees, saying, "I'm a wood elemental mage. I acquired a unique skill from a lord-level zombie, which allowed me to master... gluing."

"??"

Gluing?

Luciano then stood up, took out two wooden boards, and laid them on the table in front of him. He pressed the palm of each hand onto a board and started rubbing them together. After a short while, a clear, glue-like substance appeared on the boards. He pressed them together, and after a few seconds, he picked up the now glued boards and handed them to Ming. "They're... glued together."

"Hmm."

Ming took the boards and tried pulling them apart. They wouldn't budge. He applied more force and managed to break the boards, but the glued area remained intact.

Impressive!

"Hired!"

A moment later, a man wearing a thick cotton jacket entered. His face mask was covered in frost, as were his eyebrows and eyelashes. He shivered as he spoke, "My name is Ogs. My unique ability was acquired after defeating a 2-star king."

At Alice's signal, the man nodded and extended both hands, producing a massive block of ice. With the ice's appearance, the room's temperature plummeted sharply.

With a flourish of his pen, Ming approved: Hired!

Next, a man with curly brown hair and a prominent nose entered. "I am Hukas Delovski. I defeated a 3-star king-level creature and gained a unique ability. I'm quite the blower."

He then took a deep breath and, with great force, exhaled!

Whoosh! Papers flew wildly about the room.

Once he stopped, Hukas Delovski added, "I wasn't even using my full strength."

Whirl~

A single sheet of paper spiraled down onto Ming's head. Ming blew upwards, causing the paper to flutter away.

Approved!

The last candidate, a diminutive figure named Harlens, tiptoed into the room. He bent forward to greet the two women and one man, "Mr. Gutman, I've always admired you. You're my idol. No, you're a god to me!"

"Thank you~"

Ming blushed slightly, flattered by the unexpected admiration. He gestured for Harlens to proceed, "Show us your ability."

With a shy smile, Harlens began, "Um... some days ago, I killed a 2-star king-level skunk. So... here it goes~"

"!!"

A moment later, Ming, looking utterly defeated, supported the two unconscious women as he laboriously exited the room, taking deep breaths.

Harlens, appearing slightly remorseful, came out of the room and apologized, "Mr. Gutman, I'm so sorry. Seeing you got me all excited, and I couldn't control the intensity~"

"~~"