The allure of a lottery draw was a temptation no one could resist, even the infamously rigged ones in certain gacha games.
You knew you wouldn't get anything worthwhile, yet you simply couldn't defy the magnetic pull of that spinning wheel.
But just like the sun won't rise in the west, the end result was often the same: congratulations, you just wasted two more precious minutes of your already meaningless life.
Uesugi Ryu knew he wasn't particularly lucky.
If reality allowed, he would have much preferred to save up for a ten-pull.
Taking a deep breath, his face tinged with a giddy excitement he could barely contain, Uesugi Ryu slammed his finger down on the system's lottery button.
Sure, a mental command would have sufficed, but tapping it in person gave the whole thing a stronger sense of ceremony.
[Congratulations, Host has obtained D-rank skill: Shunshin no Jutsu (Instant Step)!]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained C-rank item: Dragonblood Elixir]
[Congratulations, Host has obtained D-rank item: Goddess of Luck's...]
---
Obtained Rewards:
D-Rank Skill: Shunshin no Jutsu (Instant Step)
[Effect: Consumes 25–40 mana points. Instantly dashes forward 10 to 25 meters.
Actual effect varies based on the user's proficiency.]
C-Rank Item: Dragonblood Elixir
Type: Permanent enhancement potion
[Effect 1: After use, +3 Constitution, +1 Strength, +2 Intelligence (applies fully within 15 hours)]
[Effect 2: +70 HP, +20 MP
Description: A potion refined from diluted dragon blood. Embrace the glorious evolution!]
D-Rank Item: Goddess of Luck's... (fill in the rest yourself)
Type: One-time consumable
[Effect: +4 Luck, duration: 5 minutes
Description: Only true warriors can discover the correct way to use it. Maybe... it's an accessory?]
[(≧∇≦)ゞ Maybe wearing it on your head will do something special?]
---
Uesugi Ryu couldn't help but grin at the first two rewards, skill and potion alike were excellent.
"As expected, back-to-back draws are the king's path!"
He muttered to himself, pleased, before finally turning to the final item.
His lips twitched and his expression darkened. As someone so serious and proper, even he was starting to feel corrupted by the system.
He swore that even if he were the unluckiest person alive, he'd never seriously use that thing. He swiftly shoved it out of his mind.
Instead of immediately assimilating the Shunshin no Jutsu skill, Uesugi Ryu pulled out the Dragonblood Elixir from his system inventory.
In an instant, a slender glass vial glowing faintly gold materialized in his hand.
Through the clear walls, a shimmering, amber-colored liquid sloshed softly, radiating an alluring golden gleam.
A subtle, inexplicable pull exuded from the vial, making him swallow reflexively.
Without hesitation, he popped the cap and raised the bottle high, then downed it in one go.
What did it taste like?
It was... delicious, but indescribable, it was simply something otherworldly.
Within half a minute, a warm surge rose from his gut, spreading through all of his limbs.
Uesugi Ryu exhaled softly, a quiet hum escaping his lips.
His originally brown pupils briefly flashed with a golden light.
For the briefest moment, his eyes resembled the vertical pupils of a dragon, before quickly fading back to normal.
Collapsing onto his sofa, a feeling of complete relaxation overtook him. Every ache, every ounce of fatigue was swept away in that golden warmth.
In this state, Uesugi Ryu had no desire to move at all.
Within moments, he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Bzzzt.
Bzzzt.
His phone buzzed furiously on the nearby table, vibrating nonstop but Uesugi Ryu, now sleeping like the dead, didn't even stir.
...
When he woke up, it was already the following evening.
Stretching lazily, Uesugi Ryu yawned.
"I haven't slept that well in forever..."
Though the elixir's effects took time to fully activate, it felt leagues better than merely distributing some stat points through the system.
Relaxed and rejuvenated, he murmured:
"System, assign +1 to Strength and +2 to Agility."
Afterward, he began receiving the knowledge transfer for Shunshin no Jutsu.
Now fully upgraded, Uesugi Ryu's status screen had taken on a completely new form:
---
Name: Uesugi Ryu
Race: Human
Combat Strength: SS- (Based only on four base attributes; weapon skills excluded)
Strength: 13 (S+)
Agility: 16 (SS+)
Constitution: 13 (A-) (+1 from equipment)
Intelligence: 10 (A+) (Each point = 10 mana)
Mana: 289
HP: 200
Talent: Soul Devour: (Devouring a defeated enemy's soul permanently increases Mana)
Skills:
D-Rank: Phantom Clone
D-Rank: Shunshin no Jutsu
C-Rank: Blood Frenzy
Energy: 70/100
Remaining Draws: 0
Items:
The pharmacist's "Treasure"
B-Rank Quinque: Viper
A-Rank Quinque: Sakikage
Calming Potion
Goddess of Luck's... (??)
---
At that moment, Uesugi Ryu could feel the immense changes coursing through his body. Compared to before, his physical attributes had easily doubled.
"As expected, lottery pulls are for kings! A full six-point attribute boost in one go!"
He sighed, genuinely impressed this time around.
It had taken him his entire journey from Reserve Investigator to First-Class just to get 7 stat points.
This draw alone had given him nearly the same amount.
Casting a side-eye toward the ridiculous lace panties he drew earlier, he silently turned his head away.
No lottery tickets left, no point thinking about it now.
That raw, raging power within his body was nearly overflowing.
After pondering for a moment, Uesugi Ryu decided to test his own defensive capacity.
Striding into the kitchen, his eyes locked onto the fruit knife in the drawer.
Without hesitation, he pulled it out and, expressionless, sliced it across his right forearm.
The sensation was oddly familiar, almost routine.
The blade dragged across his skin like a dull knife slicing cured leather, only a faint red line formed across his smooth forearm, nothing more.
"Tch. Still not enough."
He set the knife down, mildly disappointed.
As he had expected, his durability still fell short of being truly impenetrable.
Wiping away the blood with a tissue, he shrugged it off.
At his current Constitution, this minor scratch would probably heal within hours.
A ghoul's skin was reinforced by both high physical stats and RC Cells.
However, in the source material, Kaneki lost his regenerative and defensive ability after being injected with an RC suppressant.
That's what made ghoul bodies so monstrous, their incredible defense and healing all came from RC-based biology.
While Uesugi Ryu's physique was certainly exceptional for a human, it obviously wasn't on par with a full ghoul's.
Still, when it took 30% strength just to nick himself, it was clear:
Normal people could no longer hurt him at all.
Why was he so good at slicing himself, you ask?
Because his blood had a strong pull on ghouls, and in the past, he had often ended up cutting himself to bait them out.
He was long since used to the motion.
Just as he was about to head out and test Shunshin no Jutsu, a series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded at the door.