"It's not that your methods are bad," Ash said with a sigh, "but I just can't do any of them. First, you suggest I abandon my psychic powers—impossible. With my current identity, especially considering the Dragon Clan and the pharmacists, I need my powers to protect them."
"Second, you mentioned rare treasures that can boost mental strength. That sounds good in theory, but in reality, those kinds of items aren't just expensive—they're nearly impossible to find. Just the time it would take to search for them... it might already be too late by then."
"Third, my powers aren't activated by mental energy alone—Aura is involved too. If I abandon my Aura, it's like deactivating my Sharingan. That's not something I can afford."
After hearing Sabrina's suggestions, Ash calmly explained why he had shaken his head. It seemed his only real hope still lay with the Full Restore Capsule. That realization weighed heavily on him.
The Full Restore Capsule was an incredible item. As long as he wasn't outright killed, taking one would heal him completely. If possible, Ash would rather keep them in reserve—especially now that he could use the system's Copy Card to enter other worlds.
That made the value of the Full Restore Capsule skyrocket in his mind. Who knew how dangerous the next world would be? Keeping one more ace up his sleeve could be the difference between life and death.
"This really is complicated… I didn't expect your powers to mutate to such an extent," Sabrina murmured in amazement. In all her years, she had never heard of a psychic whose abilities were tied directly to Aura. Variants existed, sure—but nothing like this.
"So there's really no way?" Cynthia, seated at the bedside, looked visibly disappointed.
"Relax," Ash said, gently stroking her soft golden hair to reassure her. "I said there were three methods... I just can't use them."
His tenderness didn't go unnoticed. Sabrina's violet eyes flashed with the faintest tinge of jealousy, but she could clearly see the mutual affection between Ash and Cynthia.
"Sabrina, I want something a bit more challenging after dinner. My body's still a little stiff," Ash said, stretching slightly. Every time he recovered from deep sleep, his body felt sluggish, but this time it was worse than usual. The lingering side effects meant he must've spent quite a bit of time inside that white void.
Sabrina turned without a word and began to leave, but paused at the door.
"The challenge can wait—but my terms remain unchanged. Either accept them, or I won't agree."
Ash frowned slightly. It wasn't that he disliked Sabrina—far from it—but her psychic powers, once out of control, had the potential to hurt those around him. Even though he was strong, and Cynthia was by his side, his Sharingan had limited uses left. He couldn't afford unnecessary risks.
"You don't need to worry," Sabrina added, sensing his hesitation. "My psychic powers haven't gone out of control in five years."
Then, without waiting for a reply, she walked out.
"Ash... maybe we should agree to her terms," Cynthia suggested quietly after Sabrina left. "I heard from her that you lost a full day of memory when you were a child."
"I just found out too," Ash admitted. "I'm not exactly sure what happened that day, but whenever I see her, fragments of memory come flashing back. They feel real—so I don't think she's lying."
"Alright," Cynthia nodded. "In that case, agreeing to her might be the best path forward. But I've noticed something strange—her psychic energy seems split. When we fought before, I didn't sense that, but I clearly felt it when I woke up."
Ash thought it over. His Sharingan was nearly unusable now, so unless he found another solution, using the Full Restore Capsule might become inevitable. Dragging this out wouldn't help.
As for threatening Sabrina into helping? That would be a joke. She came from one of the most powerful families.
The League wouldn't punish her over a complaint—even if the complaint came from someone like Ash. They'd simply mediate and try to defuse the situation. All that would accomplish was wasting more time.
"I don't know," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "I don't know much about psychic powers at all. I'm not really the person to ask."
Ash nodded. "I'm going to sleep for a bit. Dear, head back to your room and rest too. Wake me up at dinner."
He suddenly remembered the system lottery. Even though he could now only draw five times a week, the updated system had reset his draw counter. That meant he hadn't used any of this week's chances yet.
"Then get some rest. Call me if you need anything," Cynthia said gently.
Hearing Ash call her "Dear" made her cheeks flush slightly. Even though she was older than him, being addressed like that felt strangely intimate.
It sounded a bit awkward—being called something so casual by someone younger—but at the same time, it made her heart feel lighter. The change in how he addressed her made their relationship feel a little closer.
After she left the room, Ash lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and whispered in his mind, "System, I want to draw."
The moment the words left his lips, Ash's consciousness was pulled into a familiar white spiritual space. It resembled the soul realm in appearance—pure, empty whiteness—but entering here didn't bring about the body stiffness that followed a trip to the soul space. This transition was smooth.
Ding~!
[The lottery is ready. Please begin, Host.]
A roulette wheel appeared in front of Ash, displaying six different items. The colors marked their rarity, but what stood out to him were the two white spaces flanking each item.
"System, isn't this supposed to be a slot machine draw? Why did it become roulette-style?" Ash asked in surprise. Still, he wasn't disappointed. If anything, he was pleased—roulette-style draws tended to offer better odds.
Ding~!
[The system is currently at Level 2. With the upgrade, the lottery format changes accordingly. Compared to the Level 1 version, the Level 2 roulette offers greater advantages. Each draw will now include: one gold-tier item, one black-tier item, and two items each from the red and blue tiers.]
While the upgraded system store would intelligently source items from the current world Ash was in, the lottery remained different. The draw could randomly pull items from any world—making it even more valuable.
Unfortunately, the downside was clear: the number of draws was limited. And with white slots on either side of each item, actually hitting something good wasn't as easy as it seemed.
Only five chances per week.
Still, that was five chances Ash wasn't going to waste.
...
TN:
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