Chapter 49: System Lottery Scam
Morning sunlight filtered in through the window and cast a soft glow over Reiji sleeping on the bed.
"Urgh..." Reiji lay on the bed covered in sweat, feeling very exhausted as if he had run a marathon.
He felt the bed was wet. Thankfully, it wasn’t only around his pants area, but the whole bed was drenched.
Reiji sat up with great difficulty. He managed to stand up, but his legs felt as if they could give up at any moment.
Ding!
_____
[Daily Quest: Training For Dominion]
[PUSH-UPS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}
[SQUATS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}
[SIT-UPS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}
[RUNNING] – [0/20KM] {Incomplete}
[Bonus Objective: Wear Mana Suppression Weights for 24 Hours.]
[Reward: +20 Xcoins, +10 Strength, +10 Stamina.]
[Failure: Soul Torture Chamber (SSS+++)]
_____
"This is going to be hell..." Reiji muttered to himself.
Vel lay on the ground staring at Reiji, confused as he didn’t understand what his Lord was talking about.
Reiji started with push-ups, but every time he went down he felt as if he should just give up and lie down.
But he continued because he had a feeling that if he stopped, the system might make up some stupid excuse and cut his progress.
"97..." Reiji’s jaw was clenched so hard that his teeth were shaking more than his arms.
"98... 99... 100...."
Reiji collapsed on the floor, his breathing heavy. It was even harder than when he started.
If it was just normal weight, Reiji would not have had much difficulty. But with it restricting his mana, it was like forcing water through a narrow pipe, and Reiji felt that if he forced it too much, he might actually explode.
After resting for about half an hour, Reiji stood up and began the squats.
’My Lord?’
’What?!’
’Is your stomach hurting?’
’Why are you asking me that?’
’Because it seems like you’re taking a crap.’
Reiji couldn’t argue because, from anybody’s perspective, it really looked like he was taking a crap, and a stubborn one that refused to come out.
After Reiji finished with the squats and rested for another thirty minutes, he did the last exercise.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Reiji lay on the ground drenched in sweat. Even the floor was drenched in his sweat.
It had taken him three hours to complete the exercises, and now all that was left was running.
Reiji let out a long breath as he stood up. He went downstairs, and every step down the stairs felt like hell.
Vel quietly followed behind him.
After that item had appeared on his Lord’s arms and legs, he seemed to be struggling. Vel had guessed he was cursed by some powerful being, but his Lord had said he wasn’t cursed. Seeing how he struggled down the stairs, Vel guessed that His Majesty was really cursed and was just pretending to be strong.
He finally reached the treadmill, turned it on, and entered the number of kilometers he was going to run.
As the machine started, Reiji found it hard to find his rhythm, but after a few minutes he finally found it and continued.
After running about 5KM, Reiji realized something. His mana was flowing randomly, and the narrow pipe seemed to be expanding a little, making things slightly easier.
After reaching 10KM, Reiji became very confident and wanted to increase the flow of mana, but suddenly his chest tightened.
Reiji immediately stopped and almost tripped. Luckily, the safety cord stopped the treadmill before he fell.
Reiji stopped, grabbed the water bottle, drank from it, and rested for a bit.
’What was I thinking?’
Reiji felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
He ran a hand through his hair.
"Ugh... I shouldn’t force this thing."
Reiji knew that over time he would get used to it, but now wasn’t the time to force it. He needed to take things slowly.
After resting for a bit, Reiji climbed back onto the treadmill and continued.
Time flew by, and Reiji was on the ground, his breathing heavy. He couldn’t feel his legs.
Ding!
_____
[Daily Quest: Training For Dominion]
[PUSH-UPS] – [100/100] {Completed}
[SQUATS] – [100/100] {Completed}
[SIT-UPS] – [100/100] {Completed}
[RUNNING] – [20/20KM] {Completed}
[Bonus Objective: Wear Mana Suppression Weights for 24 Hours.] – [8/24] {Incomplete}
_____
Reiji stared blankly at the screen in front of him. He had actually completed the hellish quest, and all that was left were the damn weights.
Reiji stood up and went upstairs. After soaking in the hot tub for a while, Reiji finished up and came outside.
He put on a simple white T-shirt and black pants. He came downstairs and went to the kitchen.
After preparing food for himself and Vel, Reiji came to the living room.
Reiji sat down on the couch and began eating.
For a moment, the living room was completely silent except for the sound of Vel stuffing his face.
The chubby cat had his entire face buried inside a bowl.
"Slow down."
"Food tastes better when eaten quickly, meow."
"That’s not how it works."
"It does for me, meow."
Reiji rolled his eyes and continued eating.
After finishing his meal, Reiji leaned back against the couch and let out a satisfied sigh.
His entire body still ached.
The weights around his wrists and ankles felt like torture devices. Still, compared to this morning, he felt slightly better.
A thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Open the system market."
The familiar screen appeared in front of him.
Skills, weapons, consumables, and so on.
But he wasn’t looking for weapons or consumables. Right now, he needed a good skill that was at least C-Rank and consumed as little mana as possible.
Maybe a buff skill or something.
But Reiji didn’t see what he was looking for.
While scrolling through the skill section, something caught his attention.
At the top corner of the system, just beside the System Market, there was something else.
[Lottery Function]
"Hmm?"
Reiji blinked.
He didn’t remember seeing that before.
Curious, he selected it.
Ding!
[You have gained one free spin for your first time.]
"Oh... come to think of it..."
Reiji remembered something.
When he reached Level 2, the system had unlocked several new functions. Because of everything that happened afterward, he had completely forgotten to check them.
As someone addicted to lottery wheels and gacha pulls, Reiji immediately became interested.
"Use free spin."
A colorful wheel immediately appeared before him.
The wheel began spinning rapidly.
There were Rare Skills, Legendary Equipment, Unique Classes, High-Grade Potions, and more.
The rewards looked amazing.
Reiji watched with anticipation.
The wheel slowed down, then stopped.
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
"..."
Reiji stared at the screen.
"What?!"
[Better Luck Next Time.]
"You’ve got to be kidding me..."
The reward section was empty.
Absolutely empty.
Not even one coin.
Not even a piece of trash.
Nothing.
Reiji felt personally offended.
Reiji looked at his remaining Xcoins, which were 1100.
Then looked back at the wheel.
Then back at his Xcoins.
Then back at the wheel.
"...Again."
Ding!
[-10 Xcoins.]
The wheel spun.
Reiji watched carefully.
It slowed, then stopped.
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
A vein appeared on Reiji’s forehead.
"Again."
Ding!
[-10 Xcoins.]
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
"What?! Again."
Ding!
[-10 Xcoins.]
Spin.
Spin.
Spin.
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
Reiji stared blankly at the screen.
His expression slowly became darker.
"This thing is definitely rigged!"
Ding!
[No.]
[System Lottery is fair and balanced.]
Reiji narrowed his eyes.
"I don’t believe you."
Ding!
[Host’s luck is simply terrible.]
Reiji felt attacked.
He continued spinning again and again and again.
Each time, the result was exactly the same.
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
Eventually, Reiji reached the final spin. The wheel spun dramatically. It slowed.
A rare skill book appeared. Then a legendary weapon. Then a high-grade core. The wheel crawled forward.
Reiji sat up, "Come on...!"
The wheel moved one final space.
Ding!
[Better Luck Next Time.]
Silence...
Reiji slowly lowered his head. The living room became quiet, very quiet. A dangerous kind of quiet.
Reiji’s hands were clenched so tightly that if the system were actually a person standing in front of him, he would have beaten it to a bloody pulp.
Ding!
[Host is simply unlucky, what a shame =_=]
’Shut up, you bastard.’
Ding!
[No.]
Reiji nearly threw a pillow at the screen, which would have simply passed through it.
Unfortunately, all of his Xcoins were gone.
Every single one. Gone. Poof. And his inventory remained exactly the same. Not a single reward. Not even a consolation prize from the system.
"My Lord, meow?" Vel suddenly muttered sleepily.
Reiji turned.
Vel was already asleep.
The chubby cat had somehow fallen asleep halfway through eating.
His face was still inside the bowl.
"..."
Reiji stared at him. Then silently moved the bowl away so the idiot wouldn’t suffocate.
After that, Reiji leaned back on the couch. He let out a long sigh. Today was truly exhausting, and it was only afternoon.
Reiji grabbed the remote control. "If the system is going to rob me blind, then I’m at least going to relax."
Ding!
[...]
He turned on the television.
The familiar opening theme of his favorite telenovela immediately filled the room.
Reiji adjusted himself comfortably on the couch. Within moments, he was completely focused on the screen.
Even the pain from the weights became easier to ignore.
For now, the military, the mysterious hall, Latum, the dungeon gates...
Everything could wait until tomorrow.
Right now...
The female lead had just discovered her husband had three secret families who were filthy rich.
And that was far more important.
