"It is not strength," she continued evenly. "It is not wealth. It is not authority. It is luck. A man may lose a coin and recover it. He may lose status and reclaim it. But if he loses luck at the wrong moment, even the heavens will not intervene. I hope you do not run out of it today."
The adventurer's face darkened immediately.
"Are you cursing me, lady?"
His voice rose in volume.
The floor supervisor finally intervened.
"Mr. Jareth," he said sternly, "please lower your voice. You are disturbing business."
Jareth ignored the warning.
With a swift motion, he unsheathed the heavy sword from his back and pointed it toward Kiara.
"Don't think that just because you are a beautiful lady, doesn't mean I would have you speak in such a manner. You should be thankful that we are inside the store. If you had spoken those words outside this store," he said coldly, "you would have paid dearly."
Zion immediately stepped in front of Kiara, body straight and ready.
Kiara lightly touched his shoulder.
"It is fine."
She then stepped forward slightly and maintained her calm smile. "Then I suppose I should leave your sight for my own safety."
She bowed slightly toward the supervisor. "My apologies for the disturbance. I shall return another time."
She turned toward the exit.
Fifty seconds.
Forty-five.
Forty.
The countdown ticked silently.
As she reached the adventurers, she paused abruptly and turned back. "Oh, I nearly forgot."
She pointed toward the saber in the staff member's hands.
"The Warp Steel Saber. War Bee blood was used during forging, correct? That catalyst only benefits those with the Space Attribute. For others, its effect is largely ornamental."
The staff member froze.
For a brief moment, silence stretched across the polished hall. Even the soft clinking of metal from the lower floors felt distant, as though the building itself had paused to listen.
The staff member who had been holding the saber stared at her with visible disbelief.
"How did you discern the catalyst, Miss?" he asked carefully, his tone no longer casual but edged with scrutiny. "Without pouring Ether into a forged weapon, one cannot even determine whether it is graded or ungraded, let alone identify the materials hidden during the forging process."
Kiara shrugged lightly, her smile relaxed and infuriatingly calm. "Let's simply say my eyes are good."
Her tone implied that the matter was trivial.
A scoff cut through the room.
"Who are you trying to deceive, lady?" Jareth, the broad-shouldered adventurer, said with open disdain. "You must have visited this store before. Good eyes? Only nine star spirit warriors or those born with innate ocular abilities could identify forging catalysts so casually."
Several customers nodded in agreement, their expressions reflecting shared skepticism.
Kiara glanced at the faint countdown visible only to her.
Twenty-five seconds remained.
She turned her gaze toward Jareth's armor.
"Your armor," she said mildly, "It used Troll blood as a forging catalyst. The greaves as well. Seventy percent tungsten, thirty percent silver. On the surface, it appears sturdy, but the internal lattice is brittle. Hard, yes. Durable, not as much as you were led to believe."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Did the seller mislead you?"
"Nonsense!" Jareth snapped, his jaw tightening.
Behind the counter, the supervisor broke into a cold sweat.
He had personally sold that armor to Jareth six months earlier.
The surrounding customers exchanged looks.
Some curiosity replaced skepticism.
Kiara continued as though merely analyzing market goods rather than igniting egos.
"That sword," she added, pointing toward the heavy blade hanging at Jareth's back, "is different. Freiten steel base, similar to the Warp Saber. A winged Drake's blood was used as a catalyst. As a result, a faint trace of pure dragon lineage remains in it."
Her eyes flickered briefly.
"You possess a one percent probability of invoking a minor draconic skill through resonance. I wonder which trait will awaken first."
The room grew noticeably still.
[Two Luck points fully absorbed.]
The glow from her copper ring faded.
Jareth's earlier fury shifted into confusion.
That sword had been a personal gift from a reclusive blacksmith whose life he had saved during an expedition. The forging details were known only to the two of them.
Now a stranger had casually revealed them.
Kiara coughed lightly. "In any case, I shall take my leave. I have no desire to linger in a place where there is such poor management."
She gave a brief nod toward the supervisor and turned toward the staircase, Zion following quietly behind her.
No one attempted to stop her.
Jareth stood frozen for several seconds before slowly turning toward the supervisor.
"Is what he said about the armor true?" he asked, voice low but heavy. "You claimed tungsten-based armor is exceptionally strong. The lady says it is brittle."
The supervisor forced a strained smile.
"This is Damascus tungsten alloyed with silver," he replied quickly. "Far superior to common tungsten. It is durable. You can trust the reputation of Everlasting."
Jareth grunted after a moment, sheathing his sword.
"Perhaps," he muttered, though doubt lingered faintly in his eyes. "Still, I will teach that pauper a lesson for speaking so boldly."
Meanwhile, outside the store, Kiara walked briskly down the bustling street.
She wasted no time.
As she moved, she opened her inventory, visible only to her.
In one slot rested the circular icon of the Lottery Wheel.
She tapped it.
[Integrate Lottery Wheel into Character?]
"Yes."
[Lottery Wheel integrated.]
[One free spin granted.]
"System. Open Character."
A new tab appeared beside her usual stats.
[Lottery Wheel.]
She selected it.
A round wheel materialized before her eyes, divided into twenty one segments. Only seven held prizes. The remaining fourteen were empty.
Her gaze swept across the visible rewards.
[Random Bloodline.]
[Mysterious Potion.]
[Unknown Stone.]
[+2 Chance.]
[Battle Tank V.]
[Unique Skill.]
[Question Mark.]
"Bloodline, Battle Tank, and +2 Chance are ideal," she murmured thoughtfully. "But the probability is narrow."
She flexed her fingers slightly.
"With five Luck points, perhaps fortune will lean my way."
She pressed the glowing Free Spin button.
"Bloodline," she whispered under her breath as the wheel began to spin. "Bloodline… bloodline…"
Her pulse quickened.
If she reached one thousand gold and unlocked Ether Particles, gaining a bloodline would drastically enhance her potential.
The wheel rotated for ten seconds before gradually slowing.
It passed the Bloodline slot.
Her heart dipped slightly.
Then it slowed further, creeping across a blank space.
Two empty segments lay between the Bloodline and Battle Tank.
Five seconds.
Four.
Three.
The pointer crawled.
It ticked once more—
And stopped.
[Congratulations. You won Battle Tank V.]
Kiara froze.
The free spin icon grayed out, replaced by a countdown timer reading six days, twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes.
Except for the question mark slot, the other prizes faded from the wheel.
A genuine smile spread across her face.
If she were not walking in public, she might have laughed aloud.
"System. Open Gallery."
The Gallery interface appeared.
[Single-Shot Pistol.]
[Revolver.]
[9mm Bullet.]
Everything else remained grayed out.
Her smile faltered.
"Where is the Battle Tank?"
She scrolled.
Nothing.
"System. Where is my reward?"
[Check inventory.]
She opened her inventory again.
There it was.
A detailed icon of a tank.
Kiara frowned slightly.
"It is an item, not a blueprint," she muttered. The vision of commanding an army of tanks evaporated like mist.
[Host should be satisfied with the free reward.]
She exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
She pressed and held the tank icon.
Three options appeared.
Dismantle.
Details.
Summon.
She selected Details.
A holographic projection expanded before her eyes, revealing the full image and description.
As she read the specifications carefully, her eyes widened gradually.
"I see…"
The faint disappointment vanished.
"No wonder only one was granted."
Her grip tightened slightly.
If deployed correctly, this single machine could shake the balance of power in ways this world had never imagined.
Kiara stared at the holographic projection hovering before her eyes.