[Dimensional Ascension Star Core]
[Effect 1: Unlock the "Special Card Draw" interface, limited to 10 minutes]
[Effect 2: Grant a max-level Stand another chance to evolve]
Two effects, concise in words, yet containing too much information.
'Special card draw… Stand evolution… So it's like this.'
On the first day of obtaining the system, Ryosuke had already formed a guess about the "Normal Card Draw."
Since there was "normal," there must surely be "special."
He had been waiting to see when the special card draw interface would unlock. Unexpectedly, just as he guessed, it really was related to the World Shift.
Ryosuke's gaze fell on the four words "Special Card Draw."
A moment later, the detailed description appeared in small text, [Special Card Draw has no guaranteed bottom limit, may draw 5–6 star Stands or items]
[100 soul fragments for one draw.]
Ryosuke felt his lips dry.
'Too expensive!'
The card draw price had directly increased tenfold.
He killed Yagura, defeated Obito, and the aftershocks blasted away a group of die-hard faction lackeys. Adding the 1,000 points from the recent World Shift, at most, it was still less than 3,700 soul fragments.
Placed in the normal card draw, that was 370 draws.
If luck wasn't too bad, that was enough to draw 2–3 five-star Stands.
But placed in the special card draw, 37 draws couldn't even draw out a fart.
If he consumed the Dimensional Ascension Star Core, opened the special card draw for 10 minutes, and didn't draw a Stand, or worse, didn't draw a suitable Stand, wouldn't that be a complete waste?
Ryosuke's gaze fell on "Effect Two · Evolve Again."
When he looked over, silhouettes of several Stands in his possession appeared. The vast majority were gray-white, indicating they did not meet the conditions for another evolution.
Only the max-level Star Platinum had a sprinkling of starlight upon it.
Ryosuke sorted his thoughts.
'Either gamble, and within 10 minutes, spend resources and bet I can draw a six-star Stand…'
'Or honestly, take a suitable Stand in hand, raise it to max level, and use the Dimensional Ascension Star Core to evolve again.'
Star Platinum was the first-draw welfare reward. Without the effect of "guaranteed in ten draws," normally drawing a five-star Stand would require about 150–160 draws, plus the resources from level 1 to level 5, 400 + 1000 + 2000 + 4000 = 7400.
Raising a five-star to a six-star in total cost 8,900 soul fragments + 1 Dimensional Ascension Star Core.
From the cost perspective, the most economical was clearly to use the normal card draw to obtain a Stand, raise it oneself, and then consume the Dimensional Ascension Star Core.
After all, even if one spent 8,900 fragments in the special card draw to pull a six-star Stand, fragments would still be needed to raise it. If unlucky, one might not draw anything at all.
The problem was, many powerful Stands, such as D4C, Weather Report, etc., could not be drawn from the normal pool.
In Ryosuke's hands, Star Platinum, which could evolve into Star Platinum: The World, possessing the ability to stop time.
White Snake, which could evolve into C-Moon, possessing the ability to control gravity.
These were known evolution routes.
As for Stands such as Aerosmith, Rainbow Catcher, perhaps they could also evolve.
But since this was not reflected in the original work, it was impossible to determine whether, after evolution, they would be worth the cost.
Ryosuke held the Dimensional Ascension Star Core, and gradually formed a plan in his heart.
First raise the Star Platinum and White Snake he had to level six, fully evolve them, and then, depending on the Dimensional Ascension Star Cores and soul fragments obtained later, consider whether to do special card draws.
After thinking it through, Ryosuke clicked the system.
'Use Dimensional Ascension Star Core, target: Star Platinum.'
Time stop was absolutely the ability Ryosuke most wanted to have. Five seconds of time stop was enough for him to smash apart any enemy daring to stand in front of him.
The Dimensional Ascension Star Core was thrown into Star Platinum's body. The next second, the system popped up a message
[Star Platinum Trial Stage]
[Trial Difficulty: High]
[Trial Introduction; Carrying Star Platinum, go alone to Cairo to fight Dio Brando until victory. Once defeated or killed, the challenge fails and the Dimensional Ascension Star Core is consumed.]
'Star Platinum's upgrade trial was to fight Dio?'
He found it a bit absurd, but thinking carefully, it was quite reasonable.
Indeed, without defeating Dio, how could one copy… and master time stop?
Ryosuke checked the restrictions. 'Only I and Star Platinum can participate in the battle; other Stands like White Snake, Hermit Purple, etc., cannot be used. During the trial, time in the real world is paused, meaning no one will notice. But after saying all this…'
He scratched his face, '…It seems there's no restriction on my main body.'
'Start the trial?'
The system popped up again.
All the way up till now, he had resisted drawing new Stands, raising Star Platinum, just for this moment. Ryosuke had no reason to refuse.
'Start.'
The command fell, and the world turned upside down.
Before his eyes, an oil painting seemed to melt and be thrown into a washing machine, paints dripping, swirling, displaced, until it stopped, and the field of vision stabilized anew.
Ryosuke stood on a clean, tidy street.
Across the street was a man wearing a golden outer coat, black tight inner wear, with a robust, burly build, fair skin, and a bewitching face.
Step by step he came forward, boots tapping softly on the ground, an evil, overbearing, yet god-like oppressive aura surging toward Ryosuke like a tide.
No unnecessary words were needed, this kind of demonic, eerie temperament could only belong to Dio Brando.
Ryosuke looked left and right, confirmed there were no vehicles, and walked toward Dio.
"Ho ho! Ryosuke, instead of running, you walk toward me?!"
Ryosuke clenched his fist. Compared to the Naruto world, here the Hamon energy was relatively thin, and there was no Giant Blade of Destruction.
However, the impact was not big.
"Skip the pleasantries, let's fight."
Dio curled his lips into a smile, he thought the same, eager to tear Ryosuke into pieces.
The two approached each other, straight to a distance of three steps, "Ora!"
Star Platinum appeared, swinging a punch.
On the other side, The World appeared with even faster speed, kicking Star Platinum's leg.
Rip!
Ryosuke's pants tore, a fine wound appearing on his leg.
"Too slow! Too slow!"
Dio folded his arms, sneering, "Whether in speed or strength, my 'The World' surpasses your 'Star Platinum.'"
Ryosuke nodded, as if entering a cheat code, "Looks like a Stand of the same type as mine."
Dio snorted coldly, "Why is it that the Joestar family is always so stubborn? Since that's the case..."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly noticed the wound on Ryosuke's leg rapidly healing, disappearing in an instant.
"Hm?"
Dio's face showed doubt.
'This kind of recovery ability...'
BOOM!
A clap of thunder exploded, interrupting Dio's thoughts.
Ryosuke, wrapped in golden Hamon, stepped down with both feet, shattering the ground. Even with a vampire's dynamic vision, Dio could only barely catch a residual image.
"What?!"
Dio suddenly turned his head, seeing Ryosuke closing in to attack.
'Hamon!'
'It was that damn Hamon!'
The Hamon energy rippling through the air pricked Dio's skin, nearly paralyzing his whole body.
And this was only the stray Hamon leaking out from Ryosuke's body.
Then… how strong would the Hamon wrapped around both of Ryosuke's fists be?
For an instant, Dio's pupils dilated, as if traveling through time, the Ryosuke before him overlapping with the image of another man from memory, Jonathan Joestar.
Dio faintly saw Jonathan gently waving to him, "Come with me, Dio."
"Get lost! I am Dio! I will not die to Hamon, this ability discarded by the times! Now is the era of Stands, the era belonging to 'The World'!"
At the last moment before Ryosuke's fist landed, Dio spread both arms wide, shouting loudly, "Za! Warudo!"
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