Inside the locked bathroom door, Lucille sat in the bathtub, trembling as she watched blood gushing from her wrist.“It hurts. It hurts. When will the miniature temple come?” she muttered anxiously, her eyes shifting towards the health potion she placed near the tub to aid her recovery later once she couldn't take the pain anymore.The confusion about her suspicion that Drake might have stolen her chance to summon the miniature temple lingered, intensifying the anxiety and physical pain.“Time's up!” she exclaimed, feeling foolish.“I was wrong; the miniature temple is not coming either!”She stretched her trembling hand to reach the health potion, but unexpectedly knocked it down instead.“Oh no! No! No!” she panicked.Lucille immediately got up to pick up the vial, but it was already broken, and its contents spilled all over the bathroom floor.“I've lost too much blood already!” she said, attempting to scoop as much potion as she could, but broken pieces of the glass vial pricked h
Moments before Lucille's doubt toward her lover could blossom further, she found him already awake, just as she suspected."Drake! Help! Help me!" she cried, unaware that Drake Chwe stood frozen before the locked bathroom door, his eyes fixed on the barrier separating him from Lucille's desperate pleas.Though Drake had awoken at her initial cry, something else distracted him, delaying his response to Lucille's distress."Drake!" she called again.Her muffled sobs and pleas tugged at his conscience, but an unexpected sensation diverted his attention. A peculiar tingling filled the air."How is this happening?" he mused.Before him, a miniature temple materialized, intricate details slowly unfolding with an ethereal glow.Drake furrowed his brow in confusion, uncertain about the sudden appearance."Why are you here?" he inquired, addressing the temple.The temple remained silent, its divine aura creating an otherworldly ambiance in his bedroom. Drake sighed, his gaze briefly leaving th
Lucille trembled as a flash of memories returned to her mind. The revelation struck her like a lightning bolt, and she couldn't believe that Drake, the person she trusted, had been deceiving her.The emotions that surged within her were a turbulent mix of shock, betrayal, and hurt.Unable to comprehend the reality of the situation, Lucille felt a cold chill run down her spine. She clutched her fading fourth finger, the sacrifice she had made to regain the stolen memories, and the weight of the truth settled heavily on her shoulders."No, this can't be true," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the confined space of the utility room. The image of Drake stealing her chance—the memory of their first encounter playing vividly in her mind—was like a dagger through her heart.“Drake will never..."She replayed the moment in her memory—the stolen ‘chance’, the hidden motives, and the coldness in Drake's actions.The person she thought she knew seemed like a stranger, and th
Fear and uncertainty gripped Lucille as she pondered Drake's message. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to reply, cautiously typing out her response.“I don't know how to check my reward. My system is still suspended,” she texted back, her fingers trembling slightly.The seconds felt like an eternity as she anxiously awaited Drake's reply. The notification chimed, signaling his response.“I’ll teach you how. Come back here to my office. We have a lot to talk about,” he messaged, leaving Lucille with a sinking feeling in her stomach.“What about Natasha Ling?” she asked.“She already left. Don't worry; she knows nothing about us.”“Okay.”She reluctantly made her way to Drake's office, her mind racing with thoughts of how to navigate the upcoming conversation.As she entered, she found Drake engrossed in a phone call, his back turned to her.She took a deep breath and waited.After finishing the call, Drake turned to her with his usual warm gaze.Lucille felt like choking as s
The next morning, Lucille didn't accompany Drake to work. She claimed she had something to do at the university, which Drake didn't think much about and simply allowed."I have to find out," she murmured to herself as she was escorted to the university by Drake's guard.An ominous thought gnawed at her—that the powers emanating from the miniature temple were not a blessing but a curse. With no real business at the university, she needed to be away from Drake to conduct her investigation."I don't want to unwittingly bargain with the devil instead of a deity," she thought, feeling the weight of her unease."Is something troubling you?" the driver inquired."No, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Lucille responded, her caution heightened, feeling as though every person under Drake's employ was an eye watching her."You seem quite anxious, biting your nails like that, madam," the driver observed, causing Lucille to glance at her ruined nails."I'm just concerned that I'm not of much help to Drak
Lucille felt a wave of relief wash over her as she watched the miniature temple slowly fade away."Who cares about kidneys when there's a health potion?" she muttered, examining her newly restored system. With confidence, she purchased a regeneration potion from her tribute system."There's no way I can ask Drake for a regeneration potion; he would definitely ask for details," she thought, unwrapping the bandages on her hand to conceal the fact that she was missing a finger.However, her confidence quickly faded as her face turned pale, realizing that the regeneration potion wasn't working on her."Why—why isn't it working?" she asked her tribute system."That potion restores something that existed before. You cannot regenerate something non-existent," the tribute system explained.Lucille's jaw dropped in regret and devastation."So once I offer it, I can no longer restore it?" she asked, staring at her hand missing a ring finger while other hand was lightly rubbing her lower rib."T
Inside a hotel in Magrao City, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting warm rays across the room where two brothers, Zemo and Zanjo, sat, their eyes fixed on the view of the city."What a beautiful view, very different from the hell we've seen here," Zemo White commented as he sat on one side of a polished mahogany table, while Zanjo White, his younger brother with a more laid-back demeanor, leaned against the window, gazing at the city below. Both men were dressed in sharp suits, a reflection of their affluent backgrounds.Leaning forward, Zanjo asked, "Zemo, do you really think we can trust Drake Chwe?""He helped us out when Zack tried to ambush us," Zemo replied, focusing more on observing his brother than the outside view. "He promised to protect us, after all."Zemo was well aware that Zanjo White was the one who understood and cared about Zack White the most. That's why he was genuinely worried about his brother's loyalty wavering at any moment."But isn't he more suspic
In a moderately quiet restaurant, the afternoon hummed with comforting sunlight. The atmosphere felt bright and inviting, yet in one corner, two individuals exuded an air of seriousness.One of them was Zack White."So, my dear winner, came to meet you?" The woman asked, her presence stifling as she spoke."She didn't come to me. We met by accident as we have the same target," Zack replied, his gaze involuntarily studying the woman's face.She had been providing system items to him for free, making his progress easier despite his tribute system being suspended.He looked at her with a mix of awe and intrigue."What's intriguing about her is that she always claims she doesn't have any clue about the tribute system, denies being a user, and labels all the system items she possesses as her research items. What a peculiar woman," he thought inwardly, feeling curious whenever he interacted with her. "I don't know what game she's playing, but it's obvious her system was suspended too. She w