Although he didn't know what exactly the System messages meant, he retracted his gaze from the hole of the jar as he felt like he would be consumed any seconds longer.
But, the next System messages caused him to wear a surprised look as he read through them.
…
[Items with Chaos origin that can be combined:]
1. Tainted Branch of Mystara
2. Tainted Seed of Mystara
3. Fruit of Chaos
[Choose the items that you want to combine.]
[After the combination, a random item will be generated.]
Within seconds, Russell's surprised expression morphed into a sour one as he remembered his abysmal Luck score of "7".
It was a clear indication that his chances of dying were higher than winning a lottery. Unfortunately, as an "Invariable Stat", increasing his Luck required successfully triggering desired outcomes related to probability.
Engaging in irrelevant probability-based activities, such as playing arcade games endlessly, wouldn't help raise his Luck stat.
As Russell perused the list of items eligible for combination, he muttered under his breath, "Fruit of Chaos..." Despite being consumable, he had no clue about this mysterious fruit.
It was said to be the fruit that grew from the tree that sprouted from the "Seed of Chaos".
However, Russell dismissed the idea of pursuing it as it seemed too risky. He trusted his instincts and believed that avoiding the unknown was the best way to stay safe.
Russell was lost in thought, weighing the different possibilities and combinations of the items in front of him.
He pondered whether to combine the Fruit of Chaos with the other two items or first combine the tainted seed and branch before adding the fruit.
He was worried about the outcome of the first combination being unusable in the jar.
As he scratched his head in frustration, a notification from the Mistress of Twilight appeared on his screen, interrupting his thoughts. The message read,
[ "The Mistress of Twilight laughs at you and challenges you to try your luck!"]
Derek was taken aback by the sudden interruption, but he recognized the voice immediately. It had been a while since he last heard from the Mistress of Twilight.
Despite his worries and doubts, Russell couldn't resist the challenge. He knew that the Mistress of Twilight never offered such challenges lightly, and there was always something to be gained by accepting them. "…Oh, hello, it's been a while."
He timidly muttered. It's the first time since he left the Hidden Dungeon that he received a System's message with the Mistress of Twilight in concern.
For some reason, Derek felt comfortable upon reading the System message that said the Mistress of Twilight had been watching over him, a very unlike emotion compared to the previous encounter that almost left him dead in anxiety.
'…Is it because of the Symbol of Night…?'
He wondered as he randomly recalled something as he finished reading the System's message.
The Constellations that were eyeing this world, although the Emergence had happened, couldn't fully interact with the people due to their "low" influence as Close Mystery Towers have yet to open.
"…This is an ultimate gamble!"
He firmly said in the deep of the night before he chose the items he intended to combine after some thinking.
[You have chosen the following to combine:]
1. Tainted Branch of Mystara
2. Tainted Seed of Mystara
3. Fruit of Chaos
[Combine?]
[Yes or No?]
[Your Trait: Nihility has taken effect!]
[The Chaos Aura in the surroundings emanated by the items with Chaos Origins has been completely concealed!]
Before combining the items he activated his trait Nihility, so that no chaos aura is leaked and detected by the people and constellations.
After that Derek clicked "Yes" which appeared on the holographic screen.
After that, the specific items that were mentioned above were released from his Dimensional Inventory and were consumed by the "Jar of Nothingness", which released itself on his hand as it started to float mid-air.
[You have combined the following items: Tainted Branch of Yggdrasil, Tainted Seed of Yggdrasil, and the Fruit of Chaos.]
[Your Luck unexpectedly strikes!]
[You have acquired the "Dice of Chaos"!]
[Your Luck increases by 1!]
After the combination process, the Jar of Nothingness spat out three dice which he easily caught with his hands.
These dice were dyed in dark blue, emanating an aura that resembled Chaos, and then, the jar floated inside his Dimensional Inventory as though it has a will on its own.
[The Mistress of Twilight is deeply amazed by the result!]
Derek was taken aback by the unexpected message. "Is that... sarcasm?" he asked, feeling uncertain.
The Mistress of Twilight giggled in response, confirming his suspicion. "That was sarcasm!" Derek grumbled, feeling slightly annoyed.
Despite the sarcastic tone of the message, Derek eagerly inspected what he had acquired from the combination of the three specific items.
...
[Dice of Chaos]
The three dice that the [Mistress of Twilight] created out of boredom. The materials used in its creation are unknown.
Rank: Ancient
Classification: Miscellaneous
Conditions of Use:
– Profession: Chaosweaver.
– Once every 15 days.
Throwing Effects:
1. Throwing the Dice of Chaos in the ground will give the player random items depending on the player's Luck.
2. The rank of the item will also be random.
3. Throwing "three dice" at the same time will give the player a random weapon, armor, or crafting material.
4. Throwing "two dice" at the same time will give the player a random Skillbook or Consumable item.
5. Throwing "a die" will give the player a random Miscellaneous item.
...
"Is the [Mistress of Twilight] trying to raise my Luck or what...?" Derek wondered to himself, a chuckle escaping his mouth as he fiddled with the Chaos Dice in his hands, throwing and catching them repeatedly.
However, one of the dice slipped from his left hand and fell to the floor with a soft clatter.
"Ding-! You have thrown the Chaos Dice!" a notification from the system interrupted his thoughts.
But before he could reach for the fallen die, another message appeared on the screen, "What!? That was counted!?" Derek exclaimed in surprise.
The [Mistress of Twilight] snickered at his outburst, and Derek's mouth hung open in shock as he read another message from the system, which pointed out his behavior.
As he stood there in a daze, subsequent notifications appeared on the screen before his deep blue eyes.
"A die was thrown! A Miscellaneous item will be randomly given!" the system declared, followed by another unexpected message,
"Your Luck unexpectedly strikes! Your Luck increases by 1!" Derek couldn't help but feel grateful for the unexpected stroke of luck.