Chapter Forty-One: The Lottery in Progress

Xie Jing had never told Kasumi Kamiji the truth about his origins. Once he began to care about her feelings, he worried that if Kasumi Kamiji discovered he wasn’t really Fujii Yuta, their relationship might lose its current intimacy.

Xie Jing liked Kasumi Kamiji. That was beyond doubt.

So, when the ten-day deadline dwindled to its final hour, Xie Jing became visibly agitated.

“What’s wrong?” Kasumi Kamiji asked with concern, watching Xie Jing pace back and forth across the room.

“It’s… it’s nothing.”

The countdown on the system’s screen inched ever closer to zero, yet still, there was no answer as to whether he could take Kasumi Kamiji with him. No matter how much stronger he’d become, Xie Jing still couldn’t see through the system’s mysteries.

“Kasumi, if one day I had to leave for a very, very long time, what would you do?”

“Ah?” Kasumi Kamiji clearly hadn’t expected such a question. She paused, forcing an awkward smile.

“I… I would…” The words tangled on her lips, tears swelling in her eyes.

“I would wait for you…”

At last, she managed to say it.

“I’ll wait for you to come back! No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait for you! Always!”

“Alright, alright.” Xie Jing hurriedly knelt to embrace the weeping Kasumi Kamiji, gently wiping away her tears.

“I won’t leave. I’ll always stay by your side.” At a moment like this, it was all he could do to comfort her, though he had no certainty in his own heart.

Xie Jing held Kasumi Kamiji close, savoring this anxious yet blissful moment.

Beep—

The countdown on the screen finally reached zero. Cheers rang in Xie Jing’s ears, and the screen filled with flowers and applauding hands.

It all felt like a barrage of instant messenger emojis.

[Congratulations! Mission accomplished. You have cleared the Tiga Ultraman world.]
[The time ratio between this world and the main world is 1:100.]
[Returning to the main world in ten seconds. Refusal is not permitted.]
[You have received the Key to Tiga Ultraman World. You may return at any time.]
[You are free to take any life form from this world back to the main world.]
[Congratulations! Your rewards have been sent. The lottery is now open…]
…

A string of system notifications appeared on the screen in bold black typeface, perfectly clear.

The system’s announcement filled Xie Jing with delight. He had never imagined the system would be this powerful.

He could traverse time and space at will?

A time ratio of 1:100—so spending a hundred days on Earth meant only a single day would pass here?

Ten seconds was more than enough for Xie Jing to react.

He made his decision instantly.

“Kasumi, I’ll be gone for a little while—at most a day. Don’t worry!”

“Oh… what? One day?” Kasumi Kamiji’s tears stopped as she looked at Xie Jing in confusion.

“Yes, trust me, I’ll be right back!”

In the blink of an eye, the ten seconds vanished. Kasumi Kamiji was still hearing his reassurance when, suddenly, the person she leaned against faded from her side.

“Ah! Fuji… Jin…”

The moment Xie Jing disappeared, Kasumi Kamiji’s movements slowed to a crawl. No, it was as if the entire Earth, under some mysterious force, had suddenly been pressed into slow motion.

Leaves hung motionless in the air, the images on television froze unnaturally.

To someone in the main space, it appeared as though everything in the Tiga world had slipped into slow motion, though for the people within, nothing seemed amiss.

As for Xie Jing, at the very instant he vanished, darkness closed over his eyes—then the sharp smell of antiseptic filled his nose.

Footsteps and hushed whispers drifted to his ears.

He knew then: he was back.

As a terminal cancer patient, after four or five surgeries and countless rounds of chemotherapy, all Xie Jing could do on his hospital bed was wait for death.

Had the system not appeared, had he not received the power of light, the grass atop his grave would have been three meters tall by now.

He breathed in deeply, the pungent scent of disinfectant stinging his lungs, and a smile broke across his lips.

Ah… the scent of home…

He didn’t open his eyes, but activated the system instead.

On the screen, the ten-day countdown had ended, replaced by a new timer.

[43199:12]

A quick calculation revealed it was exactly thirty days.

So, he could rest in his own world for thirty days? And when time was up, a new adventure would begin?

If things followed the usual pattern of such novels, Xie Jing’s guess was correct—though he feared the system might break the rules.

He glanced at the countdown, then turned his attention elsewhere.

The rewards from the Tiga Ultraman world had already been credited to his account.

Compared to the system’s prizes, the power of light now coursing through him felt like the greatest gain of all.

Still, the system’s gifts could be useful.

One lottery attempt, one mission completion chest, and one luck enhancement.

It didn’t seem like much, but Xie Jing was eager to try them.

When opening a lottery chest, what matters most? Of course, luck!

Xie Jing decided to use the luck enhancement first.

He clicked to redeem it. A new countdown appeared on the screen.

[1439:58]

Twenty-four hours of boosted luck!

Nothing changed around him, but Xie Jing reasoned that this luck boost merely elevated his existing luck. If his luck was poor to begin with, the boost would only make it average.

Since its effect wasn’t obvious, Xie Jing figured the best way to test his luck was with a lottery draw.

On the screen, a button labeled [Draw] appeared for the first time.

He tapped it, and a large roulette wheel of red and blue appeared.

“Skills, items, skills, items…”

He peered closer. The entire wheel was divided between these two categories: red for skills, blue for items, with a pointer standing upright in the center.

“What a scam!” Xie Jing couldn’t help but grumble.

But he couldn’t do anything about the system. After flipping it the mental equivalent of a middle finger, he tapped the button to begin the draw.

The wheel spun rapidly, red and blue flashing past in turn.

Xie Jing felt calm. Whether he got a skill or an item, it would be useful.

Gradually, the wheel slowed.

Past red—skills, past blue—items, and finally, the pointer stopped on a red segment.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the skill: Silver Tongue.]

Silver Tongue: Your words carry a certain degree of charm. Once you speak, you are the king of the world! Effect: Persuasiveness increased by 50% (effect may decrease randomly against those of strong will).

Xie Jing: “?”

What use was this?

Was he supposed to defeat monsters with words instead of his fists from now on?

And the effect wasn’t even guaranteed…

This was practically useless!