Getting a Rune was a pleasant surprise for Ash, but it also brought a very important question with it.

How was the Rune even here?

Originally, the Rune of Harmony was supposed to be discovered in the Land of Forge and later put up for auction. But now, it was lying in the treasury of the Black Market within the Neutral Continent. The timeline didn't add up.

Well, I can think of only one way something like this would have happened...

And that was because of Ash's interference.

If the events were compared, the original timeline clearly didn't match the current one. It was highly possible that in the original flow, the Rune of Harmony was first found in the Neutral Continent before eventually being transferred to the Land of Forge, where the auction would take place.

Ash didn't know who organized that auction in the novel, but it was most likely under the control of the Black Market.

Right now, however, it was still too early for that auction to even exist. And because of Ash's earlier actions that had changed the storyline, the Land of Forge was now completely isolated from the rest of the world due to the Hollow Mothers' invasion.

That meant no contact, no transport, and no exchange of goods. No one could reach the Black Market anymore to supply items for the auction.

As a result, the Rune of Harmony never left the Neutral Continent and stayed right here, hidden within the Black Market treasury.

As for how Hollow Mother was not mentioned in the Novel? That was a mystery even for Ash.

Has my luck actually improved..?

Otherwise, none of this would make sense. After all, Ash had always been known for his terrible luck. Things rarely ever went his way, and the idea of luck suddenly favoring him felt unnatural—almost suspicious. The thought alone made him uncomfortable.

Without wasting any more time, Ash decided to contact the Whisperer. Within a few rings, the call connected, and a deep, calm voice echoed through the link.

"What is it, lad? Everything's fine?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Ash felt a small wave of relief. He quickly replied, his tone relaxed but tinged with hesitation.

"Yeah, I'm alive and kicking. What about you?"

"...I'm fine as well. So, why did you contact me? Knowing your personality, you wouldn't bother to call unless something happened or you needed help."

Well...

Ash went silent for a few seconds. The old man's straightforward words were a little sharp, but not wrong. He sighed softly and decided not to argue.

"The thing is... I feel like my luck is shining lately."

"....."

The line went quiet for a moment, and then the old man spoke again, his voice slightly rougher than before.

"Is this a joke, boy? Because if it is, it's not a funny one."

"Wait, you don't get it," Ash said quickly, afraid he might hang up. "You might not know this, but my luck's always been bad. I mean, really bad. I attract trouble like a magnet. But lately, things have been going... too well. I'm getting lucky now, and it's honestly creeping me out. I feel like something bad is going to happen soon."

There was a pause. The Whisperer's voice came after a few seconds, slower and more thoughtful.

"Listen, lad. There's no person in this world who has zero luck or zero bad luck. If you're afraid this is some trick of fate, then there's a fifty percent chance you're worrying for nothing."

Ash blinked, not entirely reassured. "...And what about the other fifty percent?"

The old man's tone shifted slightly, carrying the weight of humor and quiet warning at the same time.

"...Then, you're doomed."

Ash froze for a second before groaning out loud. "Fuck, I knew it!!"

"Don't get your horses up, let me explain in detail," the old man's voice carried a calm weight, one that seemed to cut through the tension. "Even though fate is supreme, it follows its own set of rules. I can't say too much about it since there are many restrictions, and even I don't know much, but I can tell you what has already been recorded in the Ancient Ruins."

He paused for a brief moment, as if recalling something buried deep within time.

"According to one of those rules, no being can have permanent bad luck or good luck, and no being's fortune can ever become completely null. In simpler words, fate cannot give you endless bad luck, no matter how much you claim it has. Think about your journey for a moment. If your luck was permanently bad, do you really think you would still be alive? Do you think you would have found Elysia? Or become as strong as you are now?"

Ash stayed silent, quietly listening as the Whisperer continued.

"What fate can actually do is shift your luck to one extreme or the other, but only for a limited time. After that period ends, your luck will automatically swing back in the opposite direction for the same amount of time. It's a balancing cycle—fair in its own twisted way."

"So, if you experienced one month of bad luck, you would then experience one month of good luck. That's how fate maintains its balance. What you're feeling right now might simply be your turn at good luck, and it's so unusually strong that it's making you paranoid about what's happening."

Hearing the old man's words, Ash felt as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes. The explanation was so full of knowledge that it almost felt sacred, something forbidden to be known. His head throbbed slightly, as if the truth itself was pressing down on his mind, but the discomfort soon faded.

"I see..."

He let out a quiet breath. Well, his words make sense... If my luck was really that bad, I wouldn't have obtained even a single rune.

"But then," Ash asked slowly, "why did you say it was only fifty percent true?"

The old man chuckled lightly before his tone grew serious again.

"As I said before, after great bad luck comes great good luck, but the reverse is also true—and much more dangerous. With great good luck comes the greatest bad luck. Now tell me, boy... have you experienced anything unfortunate before this streak of good fortune began?"

A chill crept up Ash's spine at those words.

With great good luck comes the greatest bad luck.

The phrase echoed in his mind like a curse. It was terrifying because it carried truth. Thinking back, Ash realized that before stealing the goods, nothing bad had actually happened to him. Nor had anything good—until now.

He hesitated before answering softly, "No... I haven't experienced any bad luck lately."

A faint sigh came from the other side of the line.

"I see. Then it's good that you contacted me. Your instincts were right—something bad is coming your way, and it won't be small. So be prepared. Don't lose your life, boy. You are the only hope I can see. And don't worry about Elysia, I'm looking after her. I can't meddle too much in the affair of fate, sigh..."

Ash continued speaking with the old man for a while longer, asking about ways to counter it, hoping there was some method to avoid the coming disaster.

But there was none.

Sigh... I knew it, it was too good to be true...

Lamenting his fate, Ash sank back into his soul vault.

If bad luck was truly coming, then all he could do was prepare. He decided to review everything he possessed. Because who knew? Maybe something among them would end up saving his life.

Opening the Records, he started from where he left.

After going through the formations, Ash began reading the list of all the blood samples stored within vials.

- True Titan Blood (EX)

- Lightning Dragon Blood (SSS)

- Phoenix Blood (SSS)

- Leviathan Blood (SSS)

- Void Dragon Blood (SS)

- True Vampire Blood (SS)

- High Elf Blood (S)

- Frost Dragon Blood (S)

- Golden Lion Blood (S)

- Thunder Wyvern Blood (S)

- Storm Leviathan Blood (S)

.

.

.

- Diluted Titan Blood (S)

.

..

...

Here too, the blood of a Titan was present, but its quantity was extremely low. Compared to the size of its heart, limbs, and body, only around one liter of blood remained stored.

The black market must have used most of it to create potions or perform some kind of experiments... but I didn't see any potion made from Titan blood listed anywhere...

Of course, something that valuable would never be left unused. It must have already been consumed by someone seeking to increase their strength or advance their rank.

Other than the Titan's blood, there were countless other types as well, but in comparison to true Divine blood, they all felt lacking, almost insignificant in his eyes.

The list of blood samples wasn't short by any means. The black market had collected the blood of nearly every kind of beast, ranging from ancient monsters to rare creatures that existed only in legends. These samples were essential for creating potions, forging artifacts, or even for alchemical research.

In total, the number of samples easily reached into the thousands, carefully categorized from the highest grade to the lowest.

Moving on to the next section, Ash opened the record of artifacts. However, his hope was quickly turned into disappointment. The highest-ranked artifact was only at the Legendary Rank, and even that one had unimpressive stats and weak abilities.

It was easy to guess the reason.

The truly powerful artifacts were likely being held by the Head of the black market or distributed among the top members. It wouldn't make sense for them to be lying here in a general vault.

Even so, Ash couldn't help but hope that at least one useful artifact might still be hidden within the collection, something that could serve him in the future.

The next category was books. There were over a hundred thousand of them. Reading each one would take ages, so instead, he transferred all of them directly into his Soul Library, where even real, physical books could be stored without damage or decay.

After that, his attention shifted to the section listing all living beings inside his Soul Vault. There were roughly a hundred in total. Among them, ten were demons, while the rest consisted of rare beasts and powerful monsters, each possessing unique traits.

The loot he had obtained from the black market was beyond satisfying. Every record he opened revealed something new, something valuable. It was a true treasure trove that exceeded his expectations in every way.

After resting for a while and taking a deep breath, Ash finally closed the Records and left the cave. His next goal was already clear in his mind.

He had come here for one reason, and that reason still remained.

To search for the Rune.

***

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