[The Abyssal Academy - Floor Two Arena]
With the "Sword-Piercing DLC" unlocked, the fifty Paladins finally broke through Lord Sterling's defenses. Blessed steel slashed across the vampire's velvet coat, burning his pale skin with divine energy.
"I yield! I yield!" Sterling shrieked, dramatically falling to the sand. He clutched his chest, winking directly at the security cameras hidden in the torches. Taking a dive was written into page four of his employment contract.
Sterling dissolved into a swarm of bats and fled into the ceiling vents.
In his place, a massive, ornate golden treasure chest materialized from the floorboards. It pulsed with a warm, divine light, surrounded by a chorus of angelic, pre-recorded chiming sounds.
Commander Kael dropped to his knees in the sand, gasping for breath. Dozens of his men were bleeding heavily.
"We did it," Kael panted, his eyes locking onto the treasure chest. "The beast is slain. Clerics, our licensed magic has run out! Open the chest! There must be high-tier healing elixirs inside!"
Two heavily armored knights rushed to the golden chest and grabbed the lid.
It didn't budge.
A bright neon screen flickered to life on the front of the chest.
[PREMIUM LOOT BOX.]
[Unlock 1 Key: 100,000 Gold.]
[Unlock 10 Keys (Guaranteed SR Item!): 1,000,000 Gold.]
Kael stared at the screen, his mind completely snapping. "A lock? We defeated the guardian! We earned the spoils!"
"Commander, Sir Elric is bleeding out!" a medic shouted from the backline. "We need potions now!"
Trapped, desperate, and completely out of options, Kael lunged forward and pressed his platinum Kingdom Treasury card against the chest's scanner.
BEEP.
[1,000,000 Gold Deducted. Opening 10x Premium Loot Box!]
The chest exploded with blinding, obnoxious rainbow lights. Confetti shot out of the top, raining down over the bleeding holy knights. Victor Thorne had meticulously engineered the chest to trigger maximum psychological dopamine.
Ten items popped out of the chest and landed in the sand.
Kael rushed forward, sifting through the loot.
"A wooden spoon?!" Kael screamed, tossing it aside. "A pair of rusted horseshoes?! A signed portrait of the Principal?! Where are the healing potions?!"
He grabbed the final item. It was a single, generic bandage glowing with a faint blue light.
[Item: Minor Bandage. Rarity: Super Rare (SR). Drop Rate: 0.5%.]
Up in the Security Control Room, Princess Ignis burst out laughing, her demonic tail whipping back and forth. "A wooden spoon! You charged them a million gold for garbage!"
Elara looked like she was about to vomit. "You are exploiting their desperation... this is gambling. It's evil."
"It's not gambling if I control the drop rates, Elara. It is a highly optimized revenue stream," Victor said calmly, checking his gold pocket watch. "The SSR Tier-4 Healing Potion has a 0.001% drop rate. Let's see how much their Kingdom Treasury is willing to bleed."
Down in the arena, Kael applied the single bandage to a dying knight. It wasn't enough. The other men were still crying out in pain.
Kael looked at the glowing screen on the chest. The rainbow lights flashed enticingly. Guaranteed SR Item. Maybe the next pull would save them. Maybe the next swipe would drop the elixir.
His hand trembling, Kael pressed the platinum card to the scanner again.
BEEP.
[1,000,000 Gold Deducted...]
"Keep pulling!" Kael roared to his men, his eyes bloodshot with gacha addiction and despair. "We have to hit the jackpot!"
Victor Thorne simply smiled, watching the numbers in the Tycoon's Ledger climb into the stratosphere.