Vale's mind and body had just gone through the most life-altering journey of self-discovery one could ever take.

While not much actually happened, a lot happened. He gained no Aether, no new Champion, the inventions weren't complete, and the mining wasn't finished. Yet his realizations that day were the spark that ignited and set in motion the branches of fate.

***

Vale, even if Aether were topped out, was exhausted by how long he'd been focused for and meditating. He still lay on the floor while listening to the lullaby that was the worker's claws scraping stone.

Maybe that was why, when his intrusive thought simmered, it sifted through the mental barriers in his head with ease and explained itself with articulate hope and curiosity — It began to barter and reason with the utmost dignity and purpose.

What Vale was thinking about was gambling…

There was the 100 Aether he saved, after all… and there was also the function of the system he hadn't touched yet. While he didn't want to waste said 100 Aether, he could spare a bit for at least an experiment.

'The store…'

♥︎♥︎♥︎

Recruitment:

Champion: [40 Satisfaction]

Worker: [1 Aether]

Warrior: [10 Aether]

Archer: [15 Aether]

Mage: [100 Aether]

Random: [25 Aether]

Items:

N-Mystery box: [5 Aether]

C-Mystery box: [10 Aether]

R-Mystery box: [20 Aether]

???: [1000 Aether]

♥︎♥︎♥︎

Vale had obviously used the function to buy and summon the members of his Legion… but not once had he purchased an item or gambled on whatever 'Random' meant.

'Is it possible to get a Champion with Random?'

In any case, that was too risky to waste 25 Aether on; however, the items were what he was focused on.

While he wasn't too hopeful about getting exactly what he needed or something practical, anything would be helpful, whether for its intended use or deconstruction.

Vale hesitated for a moment, but the tantalizing thought of fabric to sleep on was enough to trounce his worries — not that he even knew what he'd get from the mystery boxes. He got up and went inside the core, then focused intently on the Normal-ranked mystery box.

[Would you like to purchase a Normal Mystery box for 5 Aether?]

"Yes…"

Vale looked up, and the next thing he knew, a grey box was descending from above and landed right in front of him.

'It's so tiny…'

As Vale questioned if there was even anything in it, he picked it up and studied it before peeling off the top and revealing the contents…

"Huh?"

Out of the box, three gray cards floated up into the air and then began circling Vale; each with a pattern of intersecting prisms drawn on their back.

"I got… floating playing cards?"

Vale reached out and took one of the cards to inspect it, but the moment he took hold of it, the box disappeared in a burst of light along with the other two cards. A moment later, the card Vale had reached out to grab began to move…

It started to resist Vale's grip and then tore from his grasp and soared high into the air.

Vale tried to track it, even using Aether to enhance his eyes, but it swiftly receded out of view.

'Did I… just get scammed?'

But a moment later, that was revealed not to be the case because, following where the card disappeared, something began falling…

[You have acquired an N-ranked item, Classic Football]

"What…? What the fuck is that? A… ball?"

Vale watched as a sleek sphere made up of black and white pentagons stitched together fell and bounced off the nonexistent white floor a few times before coming to a stop right in front of him.

Vale bent down and picked up the odd sphere, finding it relatively light. He tossed it up and down in his hands a few times before tilting his head quizzically.

"Is this a weapon?"

'But it appears to be hollow…'

If it were a weapon… it was quite a shitty one; so it probably wasn't. Though its intended use wasn't something Vale exactly knew. Nor did it seem like the material was enough to justify a repurposing.

Well, extra material was always welcome.

But Vale at least wanted to figure out what this Classic Football was before destroying it.

A little unsatisfied with the outcome but satisfied with the procedure, Vale decided to test the waters again.

[Would you like to purchase a Normal Mystery box for 5 Aether?]

"Yes…"

Just like before, a gray box fell from above, and once he opened it, three gray cards circled him, and he studied them…

If his guess were correct, each would represent a different reward he could get. The question was whether he could do something to learn what was what. Sadly, that answer appeared to be no, as when Vale ducked under the rotating cards and peeked at the other side, they held the same design.

'Why not just give me something when I purchase it then?'

'Why give me the illusion of choice?'

Vale sighed as he reached out and took hold of a random one, causing the same phenomenon as earlier to repeat. The card floated up and away, and down came a new item.

[You have acquired an N-ranked item, Classic American Football]

'...'

Vale watched as a brown prolate spheroid bounced around wildly on the ground. When it stopped, he walked over to it and studied it. The white laces, the leather, the paint…

He couldn't help but question…

"What the fuck is a football? This doesn't particularly look like the other one?!"

The same name but also stark differences, made figuring out their purpose much harder…

And why was that all he's getting! What was the pool from which these foreign items were being drawn? He didn't know what to expect… but he at least expected something familiar.

"And what does 'american' mean?"

Judging by the fact that one resembled a typical sphere and the other looked stretched, that must mean the definition of american was probably something to do with the elongated, irregular shape of a sphere.

"So… would the portal back to my dungeon be american? An american portal!"

Vale sighed at his useless gaiend knowledge.

This also appeared to be a useless item with nothing of value except the parts. Of course, just like with the other football, he'd figure out its intended use before destruction for repurposing.

Vale was about to give up and save his remaining 90 Aether, but the curiosity was too strong.

'What about… the other boxes?'

Before he stopped with this reckless spending, he had to check what he'd get out of the other. Obviously, he couldn't check the '???' one. But there were still the C- and R-rank Mystery Boxes.

[Would you like to purchase Common Mystery box for 10 Aether?]

Vale replied, a little hesitant to let his precious Aether go.

"Yes…"

Soon, his Aether reservoir plummeted to just 80. Then a moment later, a box fell from the sky like before, but unlike before… this one was green and slightly bigger.

Vale curiously bent over and peeled off the top and watched as three cards began floating, circling him. But something was different about these… They had the same patterns as the grey ones; however, they were slightly glowing, and two were green, and one was light blue.

"Why did they change colors?"

Vale inspected the different-colored card but saw nothing suspicious. Either way, he was intent on choosing a green one because green was typically a lucky color, and light blue in general gave him the creeps after dealing with Sloth.

'Well, Envy is also a bitch, so maybe blue is the better color…'

But Envy's green was darker. This green appeared brighter and much more welcoming.

His choice was set.

He reached out and took hold of the green card and watched the other two disappear before releasing and watching it fly up and off into the distance.

As the item fell, Vale caught a glimpse of it.

"Finally…"

[You have acquired a C-ranked item, Wingback Chair]

"Something useful."

'Although arguably useless for me, seeing as I already have my throne.'

But at least the others could now enjoy the comfort of plush fabric rather than hard stone.

Vale curiously inspected the green chair as it landed gracefully on its four legs. And he couldn't help but sense the Aether held within…

It seemed this chair, despite appearing ordinary, had something off about it.

Vale curiously sat down in the chair and felt as his ass sank into the unnaturally soft cushion. Then he began to meditate and sensed the Aether contained within the chair flow around and condense where his weight was applied. At the same time, he gained an innate understanding of its special function the moment he touched it.

"It's super soft!"

Yes… The fabric of the chair was extra soft and velutinous.

"Ahh…"

Sitting in the comfy chair, Vale completely forgot about his first two failures in his gambling endeavors, consumed by this massive win.

His eyes flickered as he forced himself to leave the comfort of the chair.

[Would you like to purchase a Rare Mystery box for 25 Aether?]

Vale hesitated for a moment, then solemnly spoke:

"Yes…"

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