The water he was drinking wasn't cold. It was warm, making his complexion more at ease.
He was deep in thought.
Then, as part of his daily routine, he opened his system.
Ding—
When the system opened, he immediately saw many changes.
The first was his name.
Before, it had just been Maki.
But now he had a last name and a middle initial.
Name:
Maki D. Ne'nadia
He looked at his name and noticed the "D." It was just an initial letter.
"Even my name has been chosen…" he whispered. "And what a last name…"
Then he noticed the difference in the card where he draws. It was now more golden when it lit up.
And most of all—the points.
They had increased again.
But this time, it exceeded his expectations.
He had been expecting around 200 points total.
Instead—
2,104 points.
He wasn't surprised anymore. He knew that every new person he met was part of this world, and simply standing near them would give him points. Which meant he had changed the original flow.
Everywhere he went within this world, he was changing the flow.
Maybe even the oxygen he inhaled wasn't originally supposed to be inhaled by him.
That was the greatest explanation he could come up with.
But what could he do with this many points?
Then he saw the arrow below blinking. It was the next page.
He pressed it.
The first page of the panel faded, and a second panel appeared. This time, the lock was shining with golden light as well.
Below the lock, in the middle of the panel, there was a counter:
0 / 1000
Which meant he needed to use 1000 points to unlock it.
He didn't hesitate. He pressed the counter.
Automatically, the points began filling on their own.
0…
100…
500…
800…
1000 / 1000.
The chains covering the panel began to shake.
The lock in the middle twisted like a compass needle spinning wildly. As it twisted, the chains loosened around the panel.
With a loud vroooom, the lock swallowed the chains into its keyhole.
Then the locking mechanism expanded, covering the whole system—
Fooooosh.
The panel was clear now.
Just like before, it was red. But this second panel had a title at the top.
LUCK.
It read: Lucky Box..
Below the Lucky box name were three categories:
One Piece
Naruto
Bleach
They were all the universes he had been studying the whole time, trying to decipher from small clues.
He pressed One Piece.
After pressing it, a small box appeared. It wasn't big—about one quarter the size of the system panel. It was like a panel within a panel.
In the middle of the smaller panel was a 3D box. Its exterior was made of white crystals.
Below the box was another points indicator.
It required 100 points to open the crystal box.
He pressed the X button on the right corner of the little panel.
Then he pressed Naruto.
The same thing appeared—another small panel with a crystal box that required 100 points to unlock.
He pressed the X button again.
Then he tried Bleach.
Same thing.
No instructions. Just a new type of draw, but this time 100 points were needed for each attempt.
That meant the prize inside those crystal boxes was much better than the first panel draws.
And he could specifically choose which universe he wanted to draw from.
That was good.
But he didn't know anything about what was inside.
He stopped and thought for a while.
Then he decided.
One draw in each category.
He pressed the One Piece category again.
The small panel appeared. The crystal box floated in the middle.
He pressed the 100 points.
The crystal box began cracking.
Then—
Boom.
It exploded, and a golden orb appeared.
He pressed it.
Zoooom.
The orb flew out from the panel and sank directly into his forehead.
He stared at it, dumbfounded.
There was no information.
Then the pain started.
Just like when he integrated with the card draw before, fragments of videos played inside his mind.
He saw many people using black ink-like energy coming out from their hands, covering their arms and small parts of their bodies.
He felt dizzy.
Then the fragments ended.
The golden orb integrated within him.
It felt like he had been studying this all along. Everything felt real. As if someone had partially added a memory into his mind.
If he wanted to discover more about it, he would need more experience. But the basics were already there.
He looked at his hands.
"Busoshoku?" he whispered..
After stabilizing himself, he looked at his arm and imagined what he had just watched.
Woooosh.
His right fist was covered with black, ink-like armor.
He understood instantly.
It was good for both defense and offense. Like the steel guy from Marvel.
He canceled it.
When he looked at the small panel again, it was black.
A timer appeared:
23 hours, 59 minutes, 32 seconds.
And it was counting down.
So the crystal box had a cooldown.
He pressed the X button and moved to the Naruto category.
He pressed it.
Then he pressed the 100 points.
The crystal shattered and exploded into pieces.
But this time, it wasn't an orb or a card.
It was an item.
Specifically, a crystal necklace.
He pressed it.
It materialized around his neck.
A large, clear crystal pendant.
Shaped like a rounded oval, almost a teardrop.
Smooth and polished.
Attached to a dark cord necklace.
The crystal had a slight greenish tint.
He didn't receive any information about the necklace.
But it gave off a soothing feeling.
So he kept it around his neck.
He looked at the cooldown panel again.
Same as the first one.
He pressed the X button and moved to the Bleach category.
He pressed it.
The small panel appeared with the crystal box.
He pressed the 100 points.
The crystal box cracked and scattered into pieces.
From within, another golden orb appeared.
He steadied himself for what was about to come.
Then, without hesitation, he pressed it.
The golden orb flew out and sank directly into his forehead.
Zuuuuuum.
A surge of pain and dizziness invaded his mind.
The cup of water he was holding dropped and shattered on the floor.
He clutched his head with both hands in agonizing pain.
He didn't make a sound.
Then a fragmented clip appeared in his mind.
A man.
On his right arm, black armor like a shield appeared.
On his left arm, pale white skin with red stripes condensed over it.
He heard the names.
He understood what he was experiencing.
The orb wasn't just transferring abilities.
It was transferring application, knowledge, and experience.
After a while, it stopped.
The golden orb melted into him, blending with his body.
He finally let out a breath of relief.
The pain disappeared as if it had never existed.
Then he felt it.
Something surging beneath his skin.
He whispered, "Fullbring. …?"
"I think I'm really turning into a colossus with all this toughness."