Apocalypse: System of lotteries



Ming returned home, but instead of resting, he instructed Kubo to drive into the mist, following the trail of Napoleon's journey, joining him in his grand battle.

After all, he had never witnessed such a grand scene. Besides, he could gain some experience, but most importantly, he worried for the safety of his frog friend.

The car summoned this time was truly exceptional. A high-powered off-road vehicle, it sped along as Kubo drove with sheer joy.

Sitting in the back, Ming noticed a faint patch of snake scales emerging on the back of Kubo's neck. Thankfully, it was just scales, at least his legs were intact.

Acting impulsively the last time, he had injected Euryale's blood. If Kubo turned into a full snake, he wouldn't be able to drive anymore. Yet, Ming would find him another job; he didn't need to worry about being unemployed.

Leaning back, Ming closed his eyes, reflecting on the hidden tasks from earlier, with a key theme: the belief in friendship.

This was the central theme of the fourth chapter. Facing life and death, would one stay true to their beliefs? Of course, he couldn't always expect the game's rules to be so 'kind,' given it initiated the apocalyptic scenario.

Glancing out the car window, he saw they were still some distance away from Napoleon. Checking his gains: 

He had automatically converted special coins to 830,000 apocalypse gold coins and had a combined total of 1,000 units of food and water.

"Free experience points~ Nice."

Ming switched his profession to his secondary one, Puppeteer. Using the 1 million experience points, his level rose to 50. Just 10 more levels and he'd acquire the talent associated with his secondary profession. Right now, his sole thought was to become stronger.

At present, Napoleon was the pinnacle of their household's strength – the zombies of an entire city, the hidden task's descending bosses, and a red-eyed flying leech. Their combat power was truly unparalleled.

"200 free attribute points."

Ming allocated them all to agility. He thought if another restriction came into play in the future, higher agility would be beneficial. Even if he couldn't win a fight, he'd be able to escape.

"Epic material box?"

Ming opened the golden supply box before him, and inside, radiant beams of light shimmered, illuminating the contents:

Fusion Scrolls X10.

Identification Scrolls X20.

Super Attack Ruby X2: When embedded in a weapon, it adds 1,000 fixed damage points, ignoring elemental defenses.

Super Defense Sapphire X2: Embedding in armor grants an additional 1,000 points to all attribute defenses.

Super Critical Hit Citrine X2: Embedding in any equipment increases critical damage by 1.5%.

Mist Barrier Necklace: When worn, allows the user to traverse through the mist into random areas, like calamity zones or other special regions.

Conch Shell X1.

"Incredible!" 

Upon seeing his loot, Ming clenched his fists in excitement. The Mist Barrier Necklace seemed tailor-made for him.

What a splendid necklace!

Title [Dog Bites Don't Scare Me Anymore]: Once owned, bites from canine creatures won't infect you, and intimidation effects from these creatures won't work on you.

"What a great " Ming remarked with a smile, then continued to inspect the next title:

[My Precious Brothers and Sisters:]

[Limited-Edition Title]

1. Every second that the seven owners of this title exist in this world, they each receive 1 experience point.

2. With this title, when all holders are alive, all attributes increase by +300 points.

3. With this title, when all holders are alive, all attribute defenses increase by 20,000.

If one dies, the title's effect disappears.

"!!"

This title was beyond extraordinary. As for that lucky lamb, it seemed it would now be harder for it to die even if it wanted to.

If only such a title could be inherited... Perhaps he could find a mate for it, providing a safety net. However, such an idea felt inhumane. What difference did it have from collecting taxes for 40 years?

"Kubo, speed up!"

After giving the command, Ming started to empower himself, utilizing the identification scrolls to determine the nature of the unidentified equipment in his inventory:

[Desert God Chestplate] [War God Ares Chestplate]

[Desert God Arm Guards] [War God Ares Gauntlets]

[Desert God Leg Guards] [War God Ares Leg Guards]

[Desert God Golden Crown] [War God Ares Golden Crown]

[Golden Necklace]

[…]

Along with some other equipment, once all items were identified, Ming began the fusion process.

[Top: Dual-God. Golden Armor. Real Tycoon. Alligator... Butcher. Hoodie]

[Pants: Dual-God. Golden Armor. Magic. Butcher... Dueling Cowboy Jeans]

[Gloves: Dual-God. Golden Armor. Magic Butcher... Speedy. Tycoon Gloves]

[Boots: Dual-God. Golden Armor. Frenzy. Butcher... Gale. Sturdy Golden Boots]

[Necklace: Lucky Carp. Barrier Breaker. Tycoon... Charm. Golden. Gem Necklace]

[Belt: Champion. Charm. Frenzy... Golden. Gem Belt]

[…]

Ming quickly estimated that after the fusion of these items, his total attributes reached about 3,620 points. With the features from his own jewelry and titles combined, this might become an overwhelming power.

Time to change outfits!

Ming started dressing in the back seat, turning to Kubo and saying, "Focus on driving and stop staring at me."

That guy shamelessly peeked through the rear-view mirror as Ming changed. Such behavior wasn't to be tolerated.

Once fully equipped, Ming felt invigorated, like a dormant volcano ready to erupt. The strength and spirit infused by the new attire made his attributes skyrocket far beyond 3,600.

Taking a deep breath, Ming checked his status:

[physiques: 4527]

[Strength: 4309]

[Agility: 5011]

[Spirit: 4292]

[…]

"Why does something feel amiss?"

Ming gazed at the four-dimensional attributes, his expression blank, stamping his foot and beating his chest in frustration. His left hand, which had been in the hidden task area, was forgotten and not clenched. It had been teleported out and vanished! That represented a loss of several hundred thousand in spiritual power!

No wonder he had changed his equipment so swiftly earlier... he had used both hands... such a heartbreaking loss.

"This..."

Ming looked at his clenched fists, uncertain of their power.

Clench!

[Expending 300,000 Apocalypse gold coins, strength attribute increases by 3000]

Boom!

Ming felt the surge of power, a strength of over 7000. He was unsure of the impact this force would have.

At that moment, he realized the surroundings seemed familiar. Ah, the spotted deer was nearby... should he test his strength on it? Given the current atmosphere, he felt compelled to.

"Stop the car and wait for me here."

Ming commanded, jumping out of the vehicle and darting deep into the forest.

Inside the forest, a five-star royal deer was feasting on a small creature. Without its usual grassy diet, it had turned carnivorous.

Then, a melodious flute's sound echoed. The deer lifted its head, its ears perked up, swallowing the small prey and following the tune.

As the music drew closer, its pace quickened. It spotted a satyr playing the flute. The royal deer moved forward, drawn by the melody as if it were calling out to its soul.

Suddenly, a white figure lunged, its form indistinct, swirling around the satyr. The latter seemed to take a heavy blow, his face twisted in pain. Soon after, the satyr fell to the ground, his back sunken into the mud as if trampled.

Then, the deer saw the satyr trying to get up. However, each time he propped himself up with his arms, the white figure would smash him back into a pit. Just as he lifted his head, it would thrust him deeper into the mud.

Crack!

The royal deer shuddered. It witnessed the satyr's arm bent at an unnatural 90-degree angle, and his neck twisted and broken.

Swiftly, the deer saw the satyr's head part from its body. Frozen in place, the royal deer was taken aback. In the next moment, the white figure charged forth. It became clear to the deer that this was a man holding the satyr's severed head, and a punch from him was coming down!

Boom! The deer felt its head shatter.

Indeed, its mother's advice had been right: upon encountering a human, one must run immediately without hesitation, or face death. It had always doubted such wisdom, but now, in its final moments, the truth was clear.

Moments later, Ming had dismantled the deer's carcass and stored it away. It would serve as excellent earthworm fertilizer. As it turned out, his fists were undeniably powerful.