"It is not strength," Kiara continued evenly. "It is not wealth. It is not authority. It is luck. A man can lose a coin and find another. He can lose status and claw his way back. But if he loses his luck at the wrong moment… even the heavens won't step in. I hope you don't run out of it today."
The adventurer's face darkened instantly.
"Are you cursing me, lady?" His voice rose, sharp and loud.
The floor supervisor finally stepped in. "Mr. Jareth," he said sternly, "please lower your voice. You're disturbing business."
Jareth ignored him. In one smooth motion, he unsheathed the heavy sword from his back and pointed it toward Kiara.
"Don't think that just because you're a beautiful woman, I'll let you speak to me like that." His tone turned cold. "You should be thankful we're inside the store. If you'd said those words outside, you would've paid for it dearly."
Zion moved instantly, stepping in front of Kiara, body taut and ready.
She lightly touched his shoulder. "It's fine."
Kiara stepped forward, still wearing that calm, composed smile. "In that case, I'll remove myself from your sight—for my own safety, of course."
She offered the supervisor a small, polite bow. "My apologies for the disturbance. I'll return another time."
She turned toward the exit.
*Fifty seconds.*
*Forty-five.*
*Forty.*
The invisible countdown continued as she walked.
When she reached the group of adventurers, she paused and glanced back. "Oh, I nearly forgot."
She pointed at the saber still in the staff member's hands. "The Warp Steel Saber. It was forged using War Bee blood as a catalyst, correct? That only truly benefits those with the Space Attribute. For anyone else, the effect is mostly decorative."
The staff member froze. A heavy silence fell over the polished hall. Even the distant clink of metal from the lower floors seemed to fade.
"How… how did you know the catalyst, miss?" the staff member asked carefully, all casualness gone from his voice. "Without pouring Ether into a weapon, it's impossible to tell its grade, let alone identify the hidden forging materials."
Kiara gave a light shrug, her smile relaxed and unbothered. "Let's just say I have good eyes."
A loud scoff cut through the room.
"Who do you think you're fooling?" Jareth snarled, openly disdainful. "You must've been here before. Only nine-star spirit warriors or people born with special ocular abilities could casually identify forging catalysts like that."
Several customers nodded in agreement, their skepticism plain.
Kiara glanced at the countdown only she could see.
*Twenty-five seconds.*
She turned her gaze to Jareth's armor. "Speaking of which… your armor was forged with Troll blood as a catalyst. The greaves too. Seventy percent tungsten, thirty percent silver. It looks sturdy on the surface, but the internal lattice is brittle. Hard, yes. Truly durable? Not as much as you were told."
She tilted her head slightly. "Did the seller mislead you?"
"Nonsense!" Jareth snapped, jaw clenched.
Behind the counter, the supervisor broke into a cold sweat. He had personally sold that armor to Jareth six months ago.
The surrounding customers exchanged uncertain glances. Curiosity was starting to win over doubt.
Kiara continued calmly, as if she were simply appraising goods at a stall. "And that sword on your back—it's different. Freiten steel base, similar to the Warp Saber. Forged with winged Drake blood. A faint trace of pure dragon lineage remains in the metal."
Her eyes flickered with interest. "You have roughly a one percent chance of awakening a minor draconic skill through resonance. I wonder which trait will appear first."
The hall grew deathly quiet.
[Two Luck points fully absorbed.]
The warmth from the copper ring faded.
Jareth's anger twisted into confusion. That sword had been a personal gift from a reclusive blacksmith whose life he'd saved. The forging details were known only to the two of them.
Kiara coughed softly. "In any case, I'll take my leave. I have no interest in staying in a place with such poor management."
She gave the supervisor a brief nod and headed for the staircase, Zion following silently behind her.
No one tried to stop her.
Jareth stood frozen for several seconds before turning slowly to the supervisor. "Is what she said about the armor true?" His voice was low and heavy. "You told me tungsten-based armor was exceptionally strong. She called it brittle."
The supervisor forced a strained smile. "This is Damascus tungsten alloyed with silver—far superior to common tungsten. You can trust Everlasting's reputation."
Jareth grunted and sheathed his sword, though doubt still lingered in his eyes. "Perhaps. Still… I'll teach that pauper a lesson for running her mouth."
---
Outside the store, Kiara walked briskly down the bustling street. She didn't waste a moment.
She opened her inventory and tapped the circular icon of the Lottery Wheel.
[Integrate Lottery Wheel into Character?]
"Yes."
[Lottery Wheel integrated.]
[One free spin granted.]
"System. Open Character."
A new tab appeared. She selected it.
The wheel materialized in front of her eyes—twenty-one segments, only seven with prizes. The rest were blank.
Her gaze swept across the visible rewards: Random Bloodline, Mysterious Potion, Unknown Stone, +2 Chance, Battle Tank V, Unique Skill, and a lone Question Mark.
"Bloodline, Battle Tank, or +2 Chance would be ideal," she murmured. "But the odds are narrow."
She flexed her fingers. "With five Luck points… perhaps fortune will favor me."
She pressed the glowing Free Spin button.
"Bloodline," she whispered as the wheel began to spin. "Bloodline… bloodline…"
Her pulse quickened. A bloodline would dramatically boost her potential once she reached one thousand gold and unlocked Ether Particles.
The wheel spun for ten seconds before gradually slowing.
It passed the Bloodline slot.
Her heart sank a little.
It continued creeping across blank spaces. Two empty segments lay between Bloodline and Battle Tank.
Five seconds.
Four.
Three.
The pointer ticked once more—
And stopped.
[Congratulations. You won Battle Tank V.]
The free spin icon grayed out, replaced by a six-day, twenty-three-hour, fifty-nine-minute countdown. All other prizes except the Question Mark faded from view.
A genuine smile spread across Kiara's face. If she weren't in public, she might have laughed.
"System. Open Gallery."
The gallery appeared. Single-Shot Pistol, Revolver, 9mm Bullet—everything else still locked.
Her smile faltered. "Where's the Battle Tank?"
She checked her inventory.
There it was: a detailed tank icon.
Kiara frowned. "It's an item, not a blueprint…" The dream of commanding an army of tanks dissolved.
[Host should be satisfied with the free reward.]
She exhaled. "Fine."
She pressed and held the icon. Three options appeared: Dismantle, Details, Summon.
She chose Details.
A holographic projection expanded before her. As she read the full specifications, her eyes slowly widened.
"I see…"
The faint disappointment vanished completely. She gripped the air where the projection hovered.
"No wonder only one was granted."
If used correctly, this single machine could shift the balance of power in ways this world had never seen.