"But I'm still not done."
His fingers moved again.
Without pause.
Without regret.
He closed the Summoner's Shop.
Opened—
The Lottery Wheel.
The circular interface spun lazily on the screen, glowing faintly, each segment whispering possibility and risk at the same time. His eyes locked onto one specific icon, the image of a sabertooth-like beast carved into the segment like a promise waiting to be claimed.
Arceus cracked his knuckles slowly.
The sound echoed faintly in the cave.
Sharp.
Deliberate.
"Alright…"
His lips curved.
"…might as well get that sabertooth too."
He tapped.
x11 Draw.
The wheel spun.
Fast.
Bright.
Then slowed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The minutes blurred.
Coins vanished.
Rewards flashed.
The rhythm became almost hypnotic.
Spin.
Light.
Result.
Repeat.
Over the next few minutes, Arceus burned through 3,000 coins, his focus narrowing into a single, unwavering line as he chased the shards he needed. His breathing stayed steady, but his fingers moved faster, each tap carrying a quiet urgency beneath the surface.
Then—
Finally—
The result settled.
112x Smilodon Shards
837 Coins
A grin spread across his face.
Wide.
Unrestrained.
"Got you…"
He didn't hesitate.
He tapped.
Assimilation.
Ding!
[Smilodon Egg (summon token) has been added to Inventory.]
[New Item unlocked: Jade Spirit Tonic]
The new entry glowed softly.
He clicked the token.
Smilodon
Element: Fire
Grade: Epic
Potential: Lv. 40 (Lord Tier)
Arceus tilted his head slightly, his expression shifting from satisfaction to quiet confusion as his thoughts began to churn again.
"I just don't understand one thing…"
His voice lowered.
Thoughtful.
"Why is it that others…"
A pause.
"…have beasts with lower grade and higher potential…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…but the system gives me higher grade monsters with lower potential?"
The question lingered.
Heavy.
Unanswered.
Silence followed.
The system—
Remained silent.
As always.
Arceus exhaled slowly, his shoulders dropping just a fraction.
"Yeah… figures."
A faint, dry smile appeared.
"I'm probably the only one dealing with this anyway."
No guidance.
No explanation.
Just—
Him.
"Alright…" he muttered, shaking his head lightly as if physically discarding the thought. "Let's move on."
He reopened the shop.
Scrolled.
Stopped.
[Jade Spirit Tonic]
Cost: 1,000 Coins
Effect: Cures any internal injury, toxin, or lingering ailment in monsters under Level 50. Partial effectiveness for those above Level 50.
His eyes lingered on the vial.
It floated on the screen, a soft green glow pulsing within its glass body, subtle and refined, lacking the explosive presence of Growth Pills or the dangerous aura of the Blood Coagulation Pill.
But—
It felt…
Important.
"Oh…"
He leaned forward slightly.
"This is interesting."
His mind began to turn.
Slow.
Careful.
"This isn't flashy…"
He murmured.
"…but it's practical."
A healer's tool.
A safeguard.
A solution.
"Cures any internal injury…"
His fingers hovered near the screen.
"…any lingering ailment…"
Then—
A thought struck.
"Fever…"
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Moonpaw Fever."
The image appeared instantly.
Clear.
Sharp.
The white cat.
Curled.
Sleeping.
Unaware of its own fate.
His brows furrowed.
"The system called it an internal ailment…"
His gaze dropped to the vial again.
"That means…"
A slow inhale.
"…this can cure it."
His finger hovered over the Buy button.
One thousand coins.
His throat tightened slightly.
"That's…"
"…a hundred thousand credits."
The number settled.
Heavy.
Real.
He leaned back slightly.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Weighing.
A hundred thousand credits.
That wasn't just money.
It was—
Time.
Security.
Growth.
It was years of rent.
Dozens of Direwolf eggs.
Power.
Expansion.
And who was it for?
Veronika.
A stranger.
A beautiful one.
Yes.
But still—
A stranger.
Arceus's eyes dimmed slightly.
"I'm not stupid…"
He whispered quietly.
"…and I'm not rich enough to act like one."
His finger slowly moved away.
Decision made.
"Sorry, Miss Li…"
He murmured softly, almost apologetically, though no one was there to hear it.
"…maybe when I'm filthy rich."
The interface closed.
Silence returned.
Outside—
Celia stood at the edge of the grassy hill.
Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, her fingers pressing into the fabric as if anchoring herself in place. The wind brushed past her, lifting strands of her hair, but she didn't move.
Her gaze—
Locked.
On the cave.
Fifteen minutes.
That's how long it had been.
Fifteen minutes since Arceus disappeared into that darkness.
Fifteen minutes since uncertainty began to grow into something sharper.
Her heartbeat—
Faster.
Her fingers curled tighter.
"How much time is left?"
Her voice was steady.
But only barely.
Alaric stood beside her.
Still.
Unmoving.
His hands rested behind his back, his posture relaxed, but his eyes remained fixed on the same point.
"Only a few minutes more."
Celia nodded.
Her eyes never left the cave.
A silent decision had already formed in her mind.
If he didn't come out—
She would go in.
Rules.
Warnings.
Consequences.
None of it mattered.
Time passed.
One minute.
Two.
Three.
Then—
The wind shifted.
A faint tremor brushed past her ear.
Soft.
Subtle.
Light flickered at the cave entrance.
Celia's breath caught.
A figure—
Formed.
Faint.
Then solid.
Arceus.
He appeared as if pulled from another world, his body stabilizing in a soft glow before fully returning to reality. His feet touched the ground lightly, but his posture lagged behind, like his mind hadn't caught up to his body yet.
"Huh…?"
His voice came out low.
Confused.
Like someone who had just woken up—
From something far too real to be called a dream.
Celia didn't wait.
The moment Arceus appeared, her body moved before her thoughts could catch up, her steps quick and uneven as she closed the distance between them. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe, searching for injuries, for blood, for anything out of place, and only when she found none did the tension in her shoulders loosen slightly.
"You're… alright?" she asked, her voice softer now, though the trace of panic still clung to the edges of her words.
Arceus blinked, still caught somewhere between two worlds, his thoughts lagging behind his body as if he had been dragged out of a dream before it could finish.
"Yeah…" he said slowly, nodding once as if convincing himself. "Of course. What could happen to me?"
His gaze drifted.
Around him.
The grass.
The sky.
The cave.
Then realization dawned.
"Oh…"
His brows lifted slightly.
"So that's what it means…"
He murmured, half to himself.
"The one-hour limit…"
A faint exhale left his lips.
"It's not that I have to leave…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…it just throws me out."
Behind them—
Silence.
Then—
Something changed.
Alaric's eyes.
For a brief moment—
They glowed.
A faint ripple of golden light passed through his pupils, like sunlight reflecting on still water, subtle but unmistakable.
His entire body stilled.
Then—
Shock.
His lips parted.
His hand lifted slowly, trembling just slightly as he pointed toward Arceus.
"You…"
His voice faltered.
"…You…"
Celia turned sharply.
Arceus did too.
"You managed to bend the will of the Spirit King?"
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
Both of them froze.
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Impossible.
"You… managed to bend the will of the Spirit King?" Alaric repeated, this time slower, clearer, as if confirming his own disbelief.
Arceus stiffened.
His heartbeat skipped.
Then surged.
A cold bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
How does he know?
The thought hit him like a sudden drop.
The system absorbed it… didn't it?
His fingers twitched slightly.
The instinct to deny rose instantly.
But—
Too late.