Chapter 19: Goddess of Fortune
At five in the morning, Gakubak Prison.
The early sun slowly rose. By the wall of the prison courtyard, dozens of soldiers stood or sat. Before them was a prisoner in prison garb, speaking animatedly, occasionally drawing laughter from the soldiers.
This prisoner was named Kevin Moore, known as the most famous swindler of the century and also an escape artist. He was imprisoned in Gakubak Prison for involvement with confidential intelligence of the Geya Alliance military.
Escape artists like him were generally not let out of their cells, but today, Warden Skain had specially permitted all prisoners to get some fresh air.
Although Kevin Moore was an escape artist, he had no thoughts of fleeing today. Any one of the dozens of soldiers before him could kill him on the spot within five seconds. Escaping from under the noses of dozens of soldiers from the Killing Force was almost as good as seeking death.
These dozens of Killing Force soldiers were enjoying Kevin Moore's performance with great interest. They had just withdrawn from the front lines.
"Kevin Moore, I hear you're an escape artist?"
A bald soldier stood up and walked slowly toward Kevin Moore.
"I'll give you ten seconds. If you can escape ten meters, I'll give you my breakfast this morning."
The bald soldier took off his black military uniform, revealing his scar-covered upper body.
Kevin Moore swallowed.
"Really?"
"Do I need to lie to you? Start."
Hearing the word "start," Kevin Moore immediately crouched low. His hands pressed against the ground, the muscles in his legs bulged, and his pant legs stretched to the point of tearing.
Three seconds later, Kevin Moore was pinned to the ground, his panting blowing up dust.
"Monsters... absolutely monsters."
Kevin Moore's mouth twitched. The burly man pinning him down weighed at least over a hundred kilograms, but his speed was far too fast.
No one would choose to escape today. One hundred seventy-six members of the Killing Force were temporarily stationed at Gakubak Prison.
On the second floor of Gakubak Prison, in a single-room cell.
Su Xiao sat cross-legged on a wooden bed, holding a crimson treasure chest in his hand.
He had eight hours of rest. After eight hours, he would head to the battlefield. Based on information from the World Communication Platform, Gulu, Mizaki, Ghost Lady, People's Teacher, and others were already active on the battlefield.
The Geya Alliance and the Sun Kingdom were neighboring countries, so their battlefields were almost spread out horizontally, each side pushing toward the other's territory.
If any frontline was breached, it could trigger a chain reaction. Not only were contractors from Reincarnation Paradise active on the battlefield, but those from Sanctuary Paradise were as well. As for the soft targets—the contractors from Apocalypse Paradise—they were quite interesting.
Initially, Apocalypse Paradise wanted to ally with Sanctuary Paradise to besiege Reincarnation Paradise. Sanctuary Paradise naturally welcomed this. But ten hours after the war began, the contractors from Apocalypse Paradise withdrew.
Originally, it was a one-on-one between Reincarnation Paradise and Sanctuary Paradise. Apocalypse Paradise's interference clearly angered the madmen on Reincarnation Paradise's side. As a result, the Apocalypse Paradise contractors who arrived on the battlefield suffered a tragedy. Reincarnation Paradise turned its spearhead toward them, ignoring Sanctuary Paradise.
Given the fearless nature of Reincarnation Paradise's contractors, Su Xiao could imagine how badly the greenhouse flowers from Apocalypse Paradise were beaten, even without being on the battlefield himself. Simply put, in the first battle, Apocalypse Paradise was stunned. These guys were also eccentric. After the first battle, Gulu said something on the World Platform: "Apocalypse Paradise is the husky of the paradises—the easiest to bully."
The front lines were lively. Su Xiao was already eager to get there, but for now, opening the Scarlet Chest was more reliable.
[Yes/No to open the Scarlet Chest.]
After Su Xiao chose to open it, three options appeared.
He had already decided what to draw. He directly chose to draw a skill scroll, hoping to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle with this one move.
[Randomly drawing...]
The chest emitted a blood-red light. After a moment, a scroll appeared in Su Xiao's hand.
[You have obtained 'Goddess's Favor.']
It wasn't the ability he had anticipated, but after seeing the effect of the Goddess's Favor scroll, a smile appeared on his face.
[Goddess's Favor]
Origin: World of Gods.
Quality: Gold ~ Legendary.
Type: Skill Scroll (Passive).
Prerequisites: Charm 25 points, Luck 2 points.
Effect: After using this scroll, you will gain the favor of the Goddess of Fortune.
Goddess's Favor (Passive): Luck attribute +1. For every 10 levels this ability increases, an additional 1 point of Luck attribute is gained.
Rating: 400 ~ 500 points.
Introduction: When the Goddess of Fortune gently kisses your forehead, your fate will be different.
Selling Price: Cannot be sold as an external item.
...
"This is... an unexpected gain."
Su Xiao's heartbeat began to accelerate. This was the first time he had seen a skill that could directly increase the Luck attribute. Since entering Reincarnation Paradise, among the equipment and skills he had obtained, only Destiny Redemption could increase the Luck attribute—permanently by 1 point and temporarily by 4 points.
He glanced at the prerequisites for the skill scroll. His Charm attribute was sufficient, and his Luck attribute happened to be exactly 2 points.
[Yes/No to use the 'Goddess's Favor' scroll. The process of mastering this ability is quite special. Please consider carefully, Hunter.]
After a moment of thought, Su Xiao chose to use the skill scroll in his hand.
The Goddess's Favor scroll shattered. To Su Xiao's surprise, this was actually a summoning-type scroll.
Golden particles like raindrops emerged in the room, giving a sense of comfort.
Within the golden light, a fair arm reached out. The delicate skin could ignite the flames of desire in any man's heart.
"Mortal, was it you who summoned me?"
A gentle voice spread from within the golden light. A woman, completely naked with her private parts covered by holy light, floated in midair. She had fluorescent white long hair, and her golden eyes were like two gems.
Su Xiao looked at the woman floating in midair. He seriously suspected he had summoned the Goddess of Fortune.
The Goddess of Fortune's voice, though gentle, carried a sense of majesty. Her alluring body also gave off an untouchable aura.
The Goddess of Fortune's eyes opened. Her face smiled gently, but in the next moment, her smile froze.
"Law... Law-Destroying Shadow."
The Goddess of Fortune blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering.
The golden light in midair stopped. The Goddess of Fortune's smile was no longer warm; it was very stiff.
With a crash, the Goddess of Fortune vanished. She... seemed to have fled.
Su Xiao watched the gradually fading golden light, momentarily unsure of what had happened. After using the skill scroll, the Goddess of Fortune appeared. She only took one look at him, spoke the words "Law-Destroying Shadow" with a somewhat panicked tone, and then... fled?
Su Xiao reached up and rubbed his forehead. Judging by the Goddess of Fortune's panicked escape, the Law-Destroying Shadow seemed to have left an indelible memory for her.
In fact, it was no wonder the Goddess of Fortune reacted this way. Once, a female Law-Destroying Shadow had sought her out, hoping to become lucky. The proud Goddess of Fortune refused on the spot—the most regrettable decision she ever made. Not long after, that female Law-Destroying Shadow left.
It took the Goddess of Fortune 36 years to recover from her injuries. It was said that the female Law-Destroying Shadow had beaten her until she cried—very shameful. In the end, that female Law-Destroying Shadow never became lucky either. She was already too powerful at that time, and nothing could change her fortune.