Alright, alright, so that's how it is, huh? Fine then! I refuse to believe this is how it ends!
Lorne watched helplessly as the gambling funds he had painstakingly saved up were completely wiped out, and he hadn't even gained any tangible benefits in return.
To be honest, at this moment, he couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration.
With a surge of stubborn anger, he traced a Hermetic rune in the air, activating a magic circle and dumping out his last remaining stash.
Clink, clink, clink-
Thirteen bronze badges clinked to the ground, quite the pitiful sight.
These were the scraps he had managed to collect over the past half month.
Due to the difficulty levels of [Daily Dungeons], [Weekly Dungeons], and [High-Difficulty Dungeons] increasing exponentially, the exchange ratio between them was 100:1.
Therefore, if he wanted to trade these bronze badges, which were practically consolation prizes—for a single silver badge won through blood and sweat and gamble big again, he'd need to complete 100 [Daily Dungeons], which meant a full 100 days of grinding.
By the time he managed to gather enough funds, there was a good chance he'd already be dead and buried.
The whole process was a scam, honestly.
At this rate, it might be more worthwhile to go straight into [Weekly Dungeons] and try to scavenge resources directly.
But right now, there was no better option.
All he could do was take what little he had and try his luck in the Friendship Pool.
Even if it was a long shot, it was better than doing nothing.
Lorne silently grumbled as he picked up the twelve-sided die from the floor with a sigh and rolled it with a flick of the wrist.
Five familiar serpent patterns appeared before his eyes—this represented Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.
The gods of Olympus could be ranked in many ways, but the most popular method was by power and status.
The twelve main gods corresponded perfectly to the twelve faces of the die:
1 - King of the Gods: Zeus
2 - Queen of the Gods: Hera
3 - God of the Sea: Poseidon
4 - Goddess of Agriculture: Demeter
5 - Goddess of War and Wisdom: Athena
6 - God of Light: Apollo
7 - Goddess of the Hunt: Artemis
8 - God of War: Ares
9 - Goddess of Love: Aphrodite
10 - God of Fire: Hephaestus
11 - Goddess of the Hearth: Hestia
12 - Messenger of the Gods: Hermes
At that moment, seeing the result of his roll, Lorne didn't show the slightest bit of excitement.
Instead, his face twisted as if constipated.
If this were the Silver Pool, this roll might've been the jackpot. But no—he was stuck with the cursed Friendship Pool, where Athena's rewards were usually bottom-tier trash.
Or more accurately, the absolute worst possible drop.
Sure enough, as the die on the ground stopped spinning, the bronze badge in Lorne's hand began to twist and transform, becoming a bronze coin with Athena's profile on the front and an owl relief on the back.
—Reward Obtained: Athena's Copper ×1…
Effect: Equivalent to one unit of currency in circulation. Can't even buy a loaf of bread in the city, would still owe two coins…
'Seriously, when you want something, it doesn't show up; when you don't want it, it comes crashing in.'
'Talk about rotten luck.'
Lorne muttered in frustration as he tossed the Athena's Bronze into the magic circle.
In the pitch-black corner of the void space, there were already two identical coins, loot from previous Friendship Pool attempts.
'No worries, it's just a minor loss, there are still twelve more chances left.'
Trying to console himself, Lorne picked up the twelve-sided die again, ready to go all in on the Friendship Pool.
"Athena's Copper ×1…"
"Hera's Silver ×1…"
"Athena's Copper ×1…"
"Athena's Copper ×1…"
"Athena's Copper ×1…"
"Zeus's Gold ×1…"
The string of six consecutive results made Lorne's facial muscles twitch violently, he was on the verge of completely losing it.
What the hell's the point of giving me money when I'm running for my life?
So I can drop more coins when I die?!
Also—wisdom lady, you showed up four times out of six!
You didn't come when I needed you in the silver pool, and now here you are ruining things in the bronze pool?
Way beneath your dignity, ma'am!
This tier doesn't deserve someone of your stature,
Cut me some slack and stop screwing me over for once, will you?!
With this deep grudge in his heart toward a certain goddess of wisdom and war, Lorne once again picked up the twelve-sided die again, fully embracing the "screw it, let's burn it all" mentality.
The good news was that, in the next few pulls, that goddess of wisdom and war seemed to have actually "heard" his prayer and she didn't appear even once.
The bad news? What replaced her was…
"Oceanic Produce of Oceanos ×1…"
"Hestia's Recipe ×1…"
"Demeter's Grain Essence ×2…"
"Apollo's Musical Verse ×1…"
"Artemis's Hunted Game ×1…"
One string of prophetic prompts after another flashed through Lorne's mind.
Surrounded by the "love of the gods," the desperate prayer-maker's nose stung, he was so "moved" he nearly cried.
What the hell is this trash?!
You might as well just give me some damn cash so I can buy a plot for my grave!
Seeing the thirteen bronze badges he had so painstakingly saved up getting used up one by one, Lorne weakly clenched the very last one in his hand, casting a sorrowful glance at the twelve-sided die with the snake pattern.
He had never been this unlucky when it came to pulling cards.
Even the god-awful gacha game he had helped design at least had a soft pity system where you were guaranteed a purple card every ten pulls.
This was already the twelfth one, and he hadn't even gotten a single strand of hair.
I know the Friendship Pool rates are trash, but this is just cruel.
Come on, Dice-chan, stop messing around. I'm not even asking for a gold-tier drop anymore, just give me something I can actually use right now, alright?
Grumbling about this scamming gacha system, Lorne swore to himself that even a dog wouldn't want to play this crappy game again, but his body betrayed him as he picked up the die once more and rolled his final chance.
Under his tense gaze, the die spun two and a half times before landing on… 10.
At the same time, his hand suddenly felt heavier, and a cyan divine message flashed in his mind:
"Hephaestus's Collection: Wings of Icarus (Damaged)…^"
In that instant, his face that had all but lost the will to live suddenly lit up with divine brilliance.
With his eyes wide open and shining, Lorne stared at the lightweight object in his hand, which resembled a pair of birdlike wings and radiated a breeze filled with wind-elemental energy.
Icarus, son of the renowned Greek craftsman Daedalus.
According to myth, Daedalus had been commissioned by King Minos to build the Labyrinth of Crete with his father.
But afterward, to prevent any secrets from leaking, the king imprisoned both father and son.
To escape, the ingenious Daedalus lured seagulls into their tower with scraps of food, patiently collecting their feathers.
In the end, he gathered wax from candles, meticulously crafting two pairs of wings, one for himself and one for his son, Icarus—granting them the power of flight.
Once everything was ready, the two launched from a stone tower and flew out across the ocean of Oceanus.
But mid-flight, Icarus forgot his father's warnings about not flying high.
Enthralled by the sky, he climbed higher and higher, until the sun's heat melted the wax, sending his feathers scattering into the wind.
By the time Icarus realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Like a withered leaf, he plummeted into the sea, his wings shattering upon impact, lost to the waves
Now, judging by the current outcome, it was likely that Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, had taken a liking to the unique engineering of the wings and casually tucked them away in his treasury as a collector's item.
Speed boost? Flight?!
In that moment, now fully understanding the significance of the item, Lorne completely ignored the [Damaged] label behind "Wings of Icarus."
His mind was laser-focused on those two words: flight and speed, a surge of euphoria rushing through him—the darkest hour is just before the dawn.
Not only did he get something useful in a crisis, but it even came with built-in repair potential! Hephaestus, you absolute legend!
Lorne opened up the Blessing of the Craftsman God that he had previously dismissed as useless and scrutinized it with newfound reverence, showering mental praises without a hint of shame. (Conveniently forgetting how he'd cursed the god to oblivion just a few moments ago.)
BOOM!
Just as Lorne was basking in the euphoria of his good fortune, a violent rumble shook the island.
Pebbles tumbled down from the stone walls, and in the wind, faint howls of agony and furious curses could be heard.
Those mad dogs are back!
Lorne's expression turned grim, like a soldier bracing for war.