At this moment, the Pandora's Box hovered in midair, radiating a sinister, aberrant darkness. It trembled violently, as if something within was desperately trying to burst out.
Rover frowned and tried to move, but he realized he could not. His body was completely frozen, forcing him to stand still and watch as the Pandora's Box shook harder and harder.
"Tsk! This brat is unbelievably slow. Let me kill him!"
"Don't be so hot-tempered. He's quite handsome after all. Maybe he can satisfy my desires, hahaha…"
"Ah! So troublesome. We've hinted that much and he still doesn't get it?"
"Huh! Humans truly are such stupid creatures."
"Hehehe… although he's stupid, his greed is certainly not small."
"And yet someone like him can possess the Pandora's Box. He has no right to it at all."
"I'm starving!"
Rover stiffened when he heard seven different voices ring out. They were all female, yet each carried a distinct personality, and all of them felt… gloomy and eerie.
"You… who are you?"
BAM!
In that instant, the box snapped open. Seven streams of black shadows burst out, circling around him before rising into the air and lining up before him.
The seven dark mists slowly condensed into seven stone tablets, each one carved with a strange symbol.
"This brat is unbelievably stupid. He still doesn't realize who we are."
"Ah! Well, we've been asleep for far too long. It's normal he doesn't know us."
"Hahahaha… fine, let me explain it to him."
A seductive voice echoed, as if trying to seize his heart and kindle an endless blaze of desire.
One of the seven tablets lit up, bearing a sigil shaped like a Succubus heart tattoo.
From within the sigil, a shadowy figure drifted out. It circled him a few times before embracing him from behind. Two cold arms slid forward, touching his chest and neck.
"Hahaha… so handsome. You really are my type. Unlike that fat pig from before."
"Heh?!" Rover's brows furrowed. The moment he heard those words, he immediately recalled that the "fat pig" mentioned by the shadow could only be the previous owner of the Pandora's Box in his past life.
In this life, he had only just become the box's new master. Did this shadow mean there had been yet another master before him?
"You're not mistaken," the shadowy voice whispered again. "It's that filthy, stinking fat pig from your previous life."
"What?!" Rover jerked in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Hehehe… perhaps you're wondering how I know, right?" the shadow said. "Then tell me, how do you think you were able to reincarnate and return to the moment before the Apocalypse began?"
"And why do you think that fat pig handed the Pandora's Box to you so easily, without suspicion or refusal?"
Rover took a deep breath, a chill rising in his chest. Did that mean… everything had been arranged?
As if reading his thoughts, the shadow immediately replied, "Yes, and also no."
Rover frowned. "Then… why did you choose me? Do I have something special?"
"Hahahaha… you're overthinking it. Choosing you was pure coincidence. But I do think I'm quite lucky. I didn't expect to end up with someone this handsome."
The shadow laughed softly as it spoke.
Rover realized then that… he was simply lucky. But that was enough. Lucky that he was the one chosen. Otherwise, he would already be a resentful wandering spirit, forced to watch the ones who killed him continue living happily.
He looked at the stone tablets, then at the shadowy arms touching his neck and chest, and asked in confusion, "Then… why did you pull me in here?"
"Hehehe…" The shadow chuckled mysteriously, then said, "We are the Seven Deadly Sins sealed inside the Pandora's Box. I am Lucia, the Sin of Lust."
"Ah!" Rover seemed to understand something and immediately replied, "You mean… you want me to help set you free?"
"That's right," Lucia said as her hand caressed his face. She drifted before him, gently lifting his chin with one finger and asked with a playful smile, "Don't worry. We won't do anything that endangers you. On the contrary, with our support, you'll be able to tear apart the veil surrounding this world."
Rover didn't hesitate and asked at once, "What do I need to do to help you?"
"You won't think it over?" Lucia asked with a laugh. "What if we're tricking you?"
Rover shook his head. "No need. Even if I am being tricked, it doesn't matter. You're the ones who gave me the chance to live again. Even if I am deceived, I'll accept it."
"Aww!!!" Lucia lifted both her cheeks with her hands. Even though she was only a wisp of shadowy smoke, Rover could tell from her voice that she was genuinely thrilled.
Lucia immediately hugged him tightly, her face coming close to his as she smiled with deep satisfaction. "Hahaha… this man is mine. I'll protect him. Don't even think about stealing him."
"Huh! Just a filthy man."
"Lucia! Are you insane? Have you forgotten our original purpose?"
"Ah! Can you hurry up already? I'm so tired."
"Tsk! So enviable."
"Hahaha… why don't we just share him?"
"I'm starving!"
Lucia laughed softly. "Rover, you're really adorable, hehehe… Don't worry, I will definitely help you. You've seen the last two glimpses, haven't you?"
Rover was slightly startled. He frowned and asked, "Those glimpses… were they something you showed me?"
"That's right." Lucia smiled and then waved her hand. The space around them shifted instantly, transforming into the scene within the villa Rover had just purchased.
He saw Robert behind Vivian, violating her, while beside them, Nana was desperately hitting him with her thin, frail hands, but it was useless.
Kaito stomped on Rover's head and laughed. "Don't worry. Our game is far from over. I won't let you die so soon. Hahahahaha…"
The vision froze, then shattered into countless fragments like broken glass. Each fragment reflected a different possibility.
One piece showed Vivian killing him while Kaito stood behind her, laughing maniacally.
Another fragment showed his limbs being severed, his body hung at the entrance as food for monsters.
Another showed Rosie tricking him into a dangerous place, only for him to be killed by Kaito and Robert.
Although countless fragments floated around him, each one representing a different timeline, his ending remained the same, and only one.
Death.
Even after reincarnating, even with the System, he still died.
"Now you see, don't you?" Lucia said with a soft laugh. "Even if you reincarnated, even if you obtained the System, your fate is still death."
"Why?" Rover was truly confused. "Why do I still have to die?"
Lucia did not answer immediately. She waved her hand, and a holographic screen—like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, appeared before him, displaying several lines of information.
"As you can see," Lucia said with a smile, "the System you received only has a handful of functions, most of which focus on base construction."
"However, can a base protect you? The answer is… no. You will still die, because you are an ordinary human. Before the Awakened, you are nothing more than a hardworking little ant."
"If you want to live, you must become stronger. Otherwise, everything you build, everything you work for, will simply become a safe haven for your enemies to take from you."
Rover took a deep breath. Deep down, he knew Lucia was absolutely right.
In the end, he was still just an ordinary human. Even though he awakened the talent Infinite Storage Space, so what? That talent wasn't meant for combat, it only served to stockpile supplies.
"Do you have a way to make me stronger?"
Hearing his question, Lucia smiled brightly. "Hehehe… of course I do. I will add another function to your System, one that will help you grow stronger. However…"
"You want me to free you," Rover said. "Is that it?"
"Very clever," Lucia laughed. "But don't worry. Not until you reach the veil surrounding this world will I even start thinking about escaping the Pandora's Box."
"Of course, I help you and you help me. It benefits both sides. As for those who don't help you, you don't need to help them either."
Rover: "…"
He nodded. At this point, he truly had no other choice. If he wanted to survive, if he wanted to overcome everything, he needed more support.
"I agree," Rover said.
"You haven't even heard what I'm going to give you," Lucia asked in confusion.
Rover shook his head. "Right now, I'm standing at zero. Any help is precious. Besides, I don't think you would gamble your own freedom for a joke, right?"
He even winked at her.
She opened her mouth wide, then burst into delighted laughter. "Hahahaha… hahahaha… Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Hahahaha… Do you all see how right my choice was? Hahahaha…"
Lucia hugged him tightly. Her invisible lips brushed lightly against his. In that instant, he felt heat spark through his manhood, startling him.
"Hehehe… The pact between you and me has been formed," Lucia said, licking her lips.
Rover glanced downward for a moment, but given that Lucia was the Sin of Lust, it was only natural that anything related to their pact would involve something sexual.
"Wait!" A lazy voice echoed at this moment. "I will help him as well."
"Selothia?!"