Lanyu Kingdom, Talin City, the slums.
This was the third rain since autumn began, but the sheer volume of water felt like it was still summer.
The bleak autumn wind carried the downpour, lashing the entire slum until it seemed to shiver.
"DRIP, DRIP!"
In a shabby rented room in the most remote corner of the street.
Gritty, dark rainwater stubbornly seeped in, creating a beaded curtain of drops for the room's occupant.
A downpour outside, a drizzle inside. This was Chen Qi's simple, unadorned life.
...
'Can something this good really just fall from the sky?'
'Any wish granted, with no price to pay!'
Chen Qi stared at the bronze die floating before him, oblivious to the rainwater dripping onto his body.
Just before this storm arrived, he had been nothing more than an ordinary worker.
But when he was running home in the rain and fell into the black, muddy water, this die had magically appeared.
*Roll the corresponding number to have three wishes granted for free.*
This was the message that had suddenly appeared in his mind after he picked up the die.
...
'Excitement? Disbelief? Ecstasy?'
Chen Qi only remembered looking around before madly scrambling back to his rented room.
But after calming down, Chen Qi grew hesitant. 'Could this be some kind of evil trap? Can a person really get something for nothing?'
His past life, numb and mediocre, held him in a death grip.
...
Inside the room, the bronze die still floated silently.
It was a standard icosahedron, marked with numbers from 1 to 20.
Additionally, each face bore some blurry patterns and designs. It didn't seem to be an issue of wear and tear; rather, Chen Qi was simply unable to see them clearly.
What was even more peculiar was that some faces were also engraved with text.
Chen Qi counted them: faces [1], [14], [15], [17], [19], and [20] were all engraved.
The handwriting on each was completely different, and the scripts were entirely unfamiliar.
But strangely enough, even though Chen Qi didn't recognize the script, he could still read the message on face [1].
"Roll the corresponding number to have three wishes granted for free. (Note: Each person has only three rolls. The magnitude of the wish that can be granted is determined by the number rolled.)"
...
"RING, RING!"
His communicator suddenly rang, startling Chen Qi from his thoughts.
"Next month's rent is due early. You have three days."
"Also, the rent's going up by 200. Don't try to bargain with me. This is for Black Dragon Hall's protection fee."
The landlord's coarse, hoarse voice was like the roar of a jackal.
But Chen Qi had no power to resist, as his salary could only afford this place.
Oh, no, that's not right. He couldn't afford it anymore.
Just today, he had lost his job, which was why he was able to come home before dark.
Before Chen Qi could even begin to protest, the landlord abruptly hung up.
And with that, all of Chen Qi's prior hesitation shattered.
He had nothing left to lose in his life now.
...
"O Divine Spirits of antiquity, great Ancestors of humanity, revered forefathers of the Chen Family, please grant me boundless Qi Fortune!"
After washing his face and hands and changing into his most presentable clothes, Chen Qi lit three cigarettes and prayed with sincere devotion.
This was the most "Xuanxue" way he could think of to increase his Qi Fortune on short notice.
'You might be able to cheat with an ordinary die, but with one this magical, it probably all comes down to luck,' he thought.
After the cigarettes burned down, Chen Qi took the die in his hand and, with the utmost solemnity, rolled for his future.
...
The moment it was thrown, the bronze die emitted a seven-colored rainbow light and then truly materialized in the real world.
The die that had been floating in the air before seemed to exist only in Chen Qi's perception, not interacting with the surrounding world at all.
He alone could feel and touch it; otherwise, it would pass through anything.
But after the die appeared in the real world, Chen Qi could no longer touch it. He could only watch helplessly as it fell to the ground, tumbled a few times, and came to a stop.
[4]
A gut-wrenching number appeared before Chen Qi's eyes. All his previous fantasies vanished in an instant.
The die floated into the air again. Now, all Chen Qi had to do was state his wish aloud for it to be granted.
...
'Sigh, what kind of wish can 4 points even grant?'
Forced to again accept that he was just an ordinary person and not some chosen one of fortune, Chen Qi tried to communicate with the bronze die.
But there was no response!
Undeterred, Chen Qi began testing wishes one by one. After all, as long as he didn't state the wish aloud, it wouldn't be activated.
Besides, there was no time limit for making the Wish; he just couldn't roll again until the first wish was fulfilled.
'I want to live forever!'
[Insufficient points]
'I want to get a Superpower.'
[Insufficient points]
To his surprise, his tests were actually getting feedback. This immediately piqued his curiosity, and he began to experiment relentlessly.
Half an hour later, Chen Qi felt like he had overworked his brain, which was now a complete blank.
However, he had finally determined the scope of wishes that 4 points could grant.
"Win a 30 million lottery jackpot!" [Possible]
"Have my body go through another growth spurt!" [Possible]
"Completely cure a cancer patient." [Possible]
"Master 10 foreign languages in one day." [Possible]
"Become a police chief in one year." [Possible]
"Instantly recover from a comminuted fracture." [Possible]
"..."
'What magical and terrifying power. Just 4 points can achieve so much.'
'If I rolled a seventeen or eighteen, could I really become immortal?'
All his earlier dejection was swept away. Chen Qi was now filled with desire and ambition.
Even with just 4 points, it was enough for him to hit the big time and completely change his life.
But when it came to what wish to actually make, Chen Qi suddenly found it difficult to decide.
...
'Four points limits the upper ceiling of the wish. It can't let me transcend being a Mortal.'
'What Mortals need is nothing more than power, wealth, and health!'
'I'm healthy. If I choose the 30 million, it would be like a child carrying gold in a crowded market. It would definitely attract trouble, and if I were pushed into a corner, I'm afraid I'd have to immediately use another wish.'
'I only have three chances to wish. I must use them cautiously and for long-term gain.'
'Choosing power would take too long, with too many variables in the middle.'
'In the end, my social status is too low to bear too much risk. But I don't want to compromise. I only have three chances to change my fate, and I have to make the absolute most of them.'
After thinking it over and over, Chen Qi finally made up his mind.
'If my social status is too low, then I'll just have to raise it.'
While testing wishes earlier, remembering how he'd been unjustly fired today, a resentful Chen Qi had wondered if he could become the chairman of the group.
Incredibly, the answer was [Possible].
He wanted to become the chairman of the Cross Group, a private corporation. That position came with a fortune of at least 180 million, which was clearly way over the limit for his roll.
What was even more unbelievable was that it would only take two days to achieve this.
Yet, when Chen Qi had asked to become the general manager of a subsidiary—his former company—it had said it would take a month.
'This bizarre situation definitely conceals some mechanism behind the Wish.'
'Since there are risks either way, I might as well go for the big one!'
"I wish to become the chairman of the Cross Group within two days!"
Facing the bronze die, Chen Qi stated his wish with conviction.