Fate is so unpredictable. It gives a bit of hardship, and then a turning point may emerge at any moment. Just when a glimmer of hope appears, it plunges one once again into an abyss.
Life or death—who can foresee or control it?
If you cannot handle the stakes, you shouldn’t face it lightly.
Nie Yan calmed himself, reaching out to touch the Fate Dice. He had no idea what would come next—tremendous joy or endless regret. Until the dice rendered their judgment, he would never know.
The spinning dice rolled like a flywheel, and an unknown destiny beckoned.
Watching the dice spin wildly, Nie Yan’s forehead broke into a cold sweat. Please, not a curse!
“Stop!” Nie Yan felt his heart thump violently.
The dice halted abruptly, coming to a stop. The striking number that appeared was five—again, five. Perhaps five was his lucky number.
Nie Yan was overwhelmed with immense relief. He didn’t care what the reward was, as long as it wasn’t a curse.
After all, rolling the Fate Dice three times was not something an ordinary person could afford. This extremely dangerous game had placed tremendous pressure on Nie Yan’s heart.
System: You have obtained Pandora’s Box.
Pandora’s Box (?): A Fate Item.
Another Fate Item! Nie Yan was nearly driven to the brink by these so-called Fate Items. If this time it was another cursed skull-type item, he would rather it vanish completely. Every time he rolled the Fate Dice, he no longer wanted to play this thrilling yet terrifying game.
Once was more than enough—there were no regrets.
Pandora’s Box was a square-shaped item, silver-gray in color. Each side was engraved with a different pattern—evil skeletons, ugly demons, winged angels, and so on. These engravings were exquisitely detailed and lifelike.
These patterns radiated an eerie magical aura.
Nie Yan examined Pandora’s Box. Fortunately, it wasn’t a cursed item like the cursed skull. It was a treasure.
Pandora’s Box (?): A Fate Item.
Item Description: A player can place three items of the same tier into Pandora’s Box. There is a 10% chance of producing a higher-tier item. If the attempt fails, all items will be lost. Alternatively, placing one item and a Lucky Gem into the box gives a certain probability of upgrading the item by one tier. If the attempt fails, the item will be downgraded by one tier.
When the time (counted in three-second intervals) is even, Luck +5. When the time is odd, Misfortune +5.
User Restriction: Usable by any faction.
This was indeed a rare item. Nie Yan had heard of it before but had never seen what it actually looked like. This item lived up to its reputation as a legendary artifact. For example, if Nie Yan placed three Rare-tier items into Pandora’s Box, there was a 10% chance of obtaining an Epic-tier item—though a 90% chance of failure. If he were to place three Epic-tier items inside, there might be a chance to produce a Legendary-tier item. Naturally, very few dared to attempt such a costly experiment, as Epic-tier equipment was extremely valuable.
As for the second function, Lucky Gems were items crafted by jewelers to increase the success rate when enchanting equipment. They could also be used to attempt upgrading an item’s tier, though they were extremely expensive. Currently, the market price was about five silver coins per gem, and such gems were rarely available and seldom used by players.
As for Luck and Misfortune values, they played a significant role in affecting probabilities—monster loot drops, synthesis success rates, and all other random events. A +5 bonus was substantial; adding five points of luck could increase loot drop rates by 200% and synthesis success rates by 20%. Conversely, a +5 Misfortune meant that during that period, one would likely accomplish nothing.
This item essentially divided your time into two equal parts—one filled with fortune, the other with misfortune.
Nie Yan pondered for a moment. Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad thing after all. He could try to time random events to occur precisely during even-numbered intervals. Although three seconds passed quickly, if he could seize that window, it was manageable.
Happiness arrived so suddenly. Nie Yan didn’t yet know the exact tier of Pandora’s Box, but he decided to study it later. For now, obtaining this item made the entire endeavor worthwhile.
His heart still racing from the highs and lows, Nie Yan gained a deeper appreciation for the mystery of fate.
After the Fate Dice roll concluded, time around him resumed its flow. The previously motionless skeletons in the distance began moving again, gathering and closing in on Nie Yan.
Earlier, within a twenty-yard radius, time had frozen. Many skeletons had approached and stopped at the edge of that area. Looking ahead, it was a dense, endless sea of skeletons.
“So many skeletons!” Nie Yan dared not linger. He quickly fled, leaping onto the city wall.
Sogot Ancient City, covered with walls and fences, was a vast maze. Nie Yan wasn’t sure exactly where he was. He simply followed his directional instincts and used the massive pyramid at the city’s center as a landmark, heading toward the ancient city’s core.
In the distance, the grand pyramid served as a guidepost, assuring Nie Yan that he hadn’t lost his way.
The skeletons did not cease their pursuit. Skeleton Mages rained down spells like hail.
Nie Yan leaped forward, vaulting onto a wall, and sprinted across the stone surface.
Spells struck the wall with loud cracks, sending up clouds of dust.
-21, -27, -25…
Damage numbers floated above Nie Yan’s head one after another. There were simply too many Skeleton Mages below. Nie Yan’s health quickly dropped below 30%.
Nie Yan consumed a health potion and jumped down from the wall.
Landing lightly, he quickly sprinted into the distance, leaving the skeletons far behind. He ran into a more remote area, moving farther away from the central pyramid, but he had no choice—he needed to escape the skeletons first.
He entered a more open area—an ancient plaza. In the distance stood a ruined building, massive in scale, now collapsed into ruins. From the faint outlines still visible in the wreckage, one could imagine how magnificent this structure must have once been.
System: You have discovered the Sogot Arena.
So this was the arena. In his previous life, he had never come here. Nie Yan bypassed the ruins, searching for his bearings.
As he ran across the plaza, Nie Yan suddenly felt his foot slip. His heart leapt—trap! Below was a deep pitfall, and he had unknowingly stepped right into it.
Nie Yan lunged forward, trying to escape the pit. But to his shock, the pit was enormous—over ten yards in diameter. How could he possibly jump out?
Nie Yan fell downward, rapidly descending.
Not knowing how deep the pit was, he prepared to activate the Feather Fall ability on his gemstone. If the fall was too great, he would have no choice but to use the spell to avoid death.
With a loud thud, Nie Yan landed on his feet. A damage number of -26 floated above his head. The drop was moderate—around ten yards high.
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