"Alright, you digital bastard. Don't let me down. I've never been a fan of losing, especially when the stakes are my own life."
Kai stood in his cold, cavernous bedroom, eyes locked on the shimmering interface.
The Wheel of Fortune was a masterpiece of gold and prismatic light, pulsing in sync with his heartbeat. Fueled by the frustration of his pathetic new body, he reached out with his mind and let the lever rip.
The wheel began to spin, a golden blur accompanied by a rapid, rhythmic clicking that echoed inside his skull. It was a sound he knew well—the sound of the gamble.
In his previous life as Alexis Chase, he had bet millions on the turn of a card or the outcome of a fight. Now, he was betting on his ability to survive a world that viewed him as nothing more than a "dud."
The clicking slowed. Clack… clack… clack…
[Ding! Congratulations! You have received Bronze Rank Passive: Adaptive Weapon Mastery.]
"Bronze?" Kai's lip curled. "A participation trophy?"
He opened the description, and his irritation cooled into sharp interest. The skill was a passive, always active.
It didn't just teach him to fight; it granted an instinctive, god-level mastery of any weapon he touched. Whether a toothpick or a sword, his body would now move with the muscle memory of a master.
"I guess that's good enough to use as a foundation," Kai muttered, his fingers twitching. "But this world has magic, right? I can't possibly fight magical monstrosities with a simple sword."
He gripped the imaginary lever again, pouring his intent into the spin. "Give me something good."
The wheel roared to life, the light shifting from a warm gold to a cold, piercing silver. It spun for what felt like an eternity before the system chime rang out once more, sharper this time.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have received Silver Rank Active Skill: Lightning Control.]
A predatory, shit-eating grin spread across Kai's face. He looked at his pale, thin hands. As he focused his will, tiny blue arcs of electricity began to dance between his fingertips, smelling of ozone and burnt air.
"Lightning," he whispered, watching the sparks illuminate the dark corners of his room. "Now that's fucking OP. Being able to shoot lightning from my fingertips... that makes me like a superhero, right?"
Only one Legendary Rank Skill was left. To Kai, this wasn't about luck; it was exactly what he deserved. He started the final spin, and the room was suddenly filled with a blinding, golden light.
The wheel didn't click—it sang with a frequency that vibrated through his very marrow.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have received Legendary Rank Active Skill: Skill Synthesis.]
"Skill Synthesis?" Kai's brow furrowed. He pulled up the data, and as he read, a cold shiver of pure, unadulterated excitement traveled down his spine.
The skill was monstrous. It allowed him to take existing skills—active or passive—and fuse them together into something entirely new and vastly more powerful.
In a world where people were born with one or two fixed abilities and risking your life was the only way you had any chance to get any more, he had just been handed a laboratory for godhood.
"This is it. This skill is how I'll rule this world," he realized, his mind racing through the possibilities. "I think I remember a certain slime having this same ability and eventually becoming a god. I'll start by combining Lightning with Weapon Mastery just to see what happens."
He was so absorbed in the potential of his new arsenal that he almost missed the sharp, physical ding of the doorbell. It wasn't the System's chime. It was the sound of reality crashing back in.
"Hey, waste of space! Get out here and clean my room unless you want to get your ass frozen!"
The high, arrogant voice made Kai's blood boil.
Memories surfaced of Aria Ashford, the middle sibling of the household—a frost-magic prodigy who viewed him as a stain on the family name.
The old Kai would have scrambled to scrub her floors while dodging ice shards.
Alexis Chase didn't scrub floors.
Kai adjusted his robe, feeling the lightning in his veins as he walked toward the door with a steady, predatory gait.
He swung it open to find Aria standing there like a statue of jade and moonlight. She was undeniably beautiful, but her blue eyes held a contempt sharp enough to cut diamonds.
"What are you waiting for?" she snapped, the air around her dropping several degrees. Frost began to bloom on the dark mahogany doorframe.
"Do you really want to be turned into an ice sculpture today? I'm in a bad mood, Kai. Don't test me."
Kai didn't bow. He didn't look at his feet. Instead, he stayed right where he was, staring her straight in the eyes.
He was shorter than he used to be, and certainly weaker, but his gaze was that of a man who had stared down world tier martial artists and billionaires alike.
"You want to freeze me?" he said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that seemed to catch her off guard.
"Then do it. In fact, if you're so disgusted by my presence, why stop at freezing? Just kill me. If you actually have the guts to do it, Aria, get it over with. Otherwise, get out of my face."
Aria's retort died in her throat. She instinctively took a half-step back, her eyes widening in genuine shock.
The "useless bum" who usually couldn't look her in the eye was standing his ground, his gaze icy and immovable.
For a fleeting second, she felt a prickle of something she hadn't felt in years: discomfort.
[Main Quest Activated: Seduce and Conquer your older sister, Aria Ashford.]
[Reward: 100 Skill Points and 2x Wheel of Fortune Spins.]
Aria found her voice, though it lacked its usual bite. "What… what did you just say to me?"
Kai didn't answer. He simply leaned against the doorframe, a dark, knowing smile playing on his lips.
"You heard me," Kai said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Now, are you going to freeze me, or are you going to move? I have things to do, Aria. And none of them involve cleaning your room.