Six months passed in the blink of an eye, with days turning into nights and seasons revolving without pause. Under a slightly muted sky, snowflakes drifted lazily.
Fifty meters underground, in the eastern sector of Japan's capital, a sprawling underground research facility glowed brightly. Rows of scientists in white lab coats busied themselves with instruments and displays as they examined a strange crystalline substance.
At the center of the largest chamber lay a naked man trapped within the crystal-like material, his eyes closed. At first glance, it was impossible to tell whether he was alive.
Six months earlier, Fuyuki City had been ravaged by a succession of catastrophic events—meteor showers, magical energy explosions—that had nearly obliterated the metropolis. The Holy Grail War was ultimately determined to be the cause. During the cleanup and investigation, this strange crystal formation had been discovered in a massive sinkhole along with the man imprisoned inside. The substance was not true crystal, but a superdense material with a crystal surface infused with high concentrations of energy. Officials were deeply curious about the man inside.
For months scientists had attempted to study it, but conventional methods could not damage the nearly impenetrable shell. Paradoxically, the harder it was to crack, the more fascinated the researchers became.
"Crack… crackle…" Without warning, tiny fissures began to spread across the crystalline surface, the sound like twigs snapping.
"Did you hear that?" A scruffy, bearded researcher holding a stack of reports glanced at his colleague.
"No," the other replied.
"Really? Maybe I misheard…"
"Crackle…" Another crack echoed, louder this time. Five or six scientists turned toward the strange noise.
"Cry… crystal…" A young researcher stammered, pointing at the crystal. His hand shook as he stumbled backward. Everyone stared at the formation, transfixed. Cracks spidered outward across the surface, and most importantly, the man within opened his eyes.
"Boom…" The crystal shattered explosively, shards flying like glass as a figure emerged. Lucien floated upright, completely naked, breathing deeply. He felt unprecedented strength coursing through his body. His Ki and physical power had clearly increased—he felt at least one or two levels stronger than before. This alone justified the time he had spent entombed. Even though his original wish had not been granted, the sheer growth in his strength made it worthwhile. At his current level, he was as powerful as he had been when he fought Li Chong while under his war music enhancement.
Scanning the room, Lucien appeared only slightly surprised to find he had been studied. Apparently he had slept for quite a while. As he stretched, a T-shirt and beach shorts materialized on his body as if summoned by instinct.
"Was I being analyzed?" He glanced around at the towering equipment and dozens of observers.
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed outside the door. A team of more than a dozen security personnel in uniform stormed in, their guns raised and fingers on triggers.
"Don't move, or we'll shoot!" The apparent captain barked, face tense. He clearly knew Lucien had just emerged from the crystal.
"Stop breathing." Lucien spoke casually, and in the next moment, the guard captain's face flushed red as he staggered backwards, gasping for air.
"Kill each other." At Lucien's words, pandemonium broke out. The guards turned on each other without hesitation, firing wildly. In a matter of breaths, flaming bullets sprayed the walls and more than a dozen officers lay dead on the ground.
"You want to kill me, then you all kill yourselves." The young researcher's face drained of color. In a trance, he walked mechanically toward the exit. Meanwhile, the other scientists, terrified beyond reason, seized nearby knives or sidearms and stabbed themselves through the heart or throat. Law Following Speech proved its power yet again. Even the guards, who were stronger than average humans, were far below Lucien's level. Their resolve buckled instantly before him.
As the underground elevator started to rise, the young researcher could not stop quaking with fear. This man was either a god or a demon. A single word could end a life.
The elevator reached the first floor, and when Lucien stepped out, more armed police in full combat gear awaited him, well aware of the situation below. Lucien did not bother responding. With a burst of golden lightning, he shot upward, vanishing from sight.
Inside the elevator, he had already asked the young researcher for directions, learning that he was no longer in Fuyuki City.
Lucien opened his light screen as he flew. He had no idea how long he had slept, but to his surprise, the once-useless Golden Finger system had finished its update. At first, Lucien had endured the pain that accompanied the deep slumber, but eventually he could no longer resist and fell into seemingly instant unconsciousness. He blinked, then awakened to the scene he was now experiencing.
Lucien pursed his lips as he studied the Golden Finger. It had updated twice, yet the interface was fundamentally unchanged. It still offered the same options, without fresh features. Version 1.0 was the original, and honestly, it felt like a scam from the start. Version 2.0 had changed monthly rewards to yearly and had increased the reward values. Now, Version 3.0 appeared.
The upgrade allowed him to combine ten normal Dice rolls into one luck-boosted Dice roll. Lucien's eyes lit up. Generally, the Golden Finger's normal draws were trash. Occasionally they yielded something useful, but the odds were far too low. Only with luck boosts or VIP-enhanced luck could he reliably obtain valuable items. In other words, this update actually meant pay-to-win potential. The new system was decent. Although ten chances became one, the quality of what he could earn improved dramatically. Thankfully, he did not have to combine them compulsorily. Sometimes quantity and quality together were the ideal combination.
The light screen flipped to the next message, and Lucien grinned broadly.
"Successfully hunted Shirou Emiya, the Child of Destiny from the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works world, rewarded 4 Dice rolls, VIP Luck +1."
"Successfully hunted Kirei Kotomine and Illya, the secondary villainous supporting characters from the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works world, congratulations, you have gained 2 chances."
It was unfortunate that he could not kill the original heroic spirits like Gilgamesh or Artoria; otherwise, he would have gained many more Dice rolls and luck-boosted opportunities.
Wait… Secondary supporting character Kirei Kotomine? Lucien patted his head, suddenly remembering he had forgotten to roll the Dice for Kotomine's reward. When he killed Li Chong, Lucien had already rolled Li Chong's four Dice rewards, but Kirei's were still pending. Now the system even reminded him explicitly, which he grudgingly acknowledged as helpful.
To be honest, Lucien no longer valued normal Dice chances as he once did in the pirate world, when he had been dirt poor, anxiously awaiting every monthly Dice roll. He had changed. He was no longer a penniless youth. Now, he was wealthy.
He rolled the Dice immediately. The sphere spun and bounced, tiny model planes zoomed across his vision, dazzling white light faded… Then Lucien used VIP Luck.
"Weight Burden."
"Description: Applies intense gravity to oneself for enhanced training. The gravity penetrates deep into cells and bones and can be regulated or removed at will…"
"Note: Cannot be used in combat, only for personal conditioning…"
Lucien's eyebrow rose slightly. At least this one was clearly described.
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