"What the..." she muttered, glancing down at it in confusion.
BOOM!
The necklace shattered into countless fragments, releasing a surge of red light that shot straight into Melina's forehead. She stumbled, her head spinning as the energy flooded her mind. For a moment, it felt like her skull was about to crack from the pressure, but then, just as quickly as it started, the sensation faded.
"Great Destiny Technique..." she muttered, the words escaping her lips instinctively.
Memories and knowledge that weren't her own began to unfold in her mind, almost as if they had been unlocked by the light.
"Great Destiny Technique... divided into three stages," Melina whispered, the knowledge now flowing into her mind. Currently, she could only access the first stage—Destiny's Eye, which allowed her to see others' luck.
"YYESSS! Finally, now watch, you insolent insect! WwWHAHaHaHa..." she cackled, her eyes gleaming with newfound confidence.
But as she activated Destiny's Eye and looked at the cockroach, reality hit her hard.
"...Haha, ahhh… wait, watching luck… doesn't really help right now, does it?"
Melina's face fell, and she quickly turned around, once again running for her life.
"AHHH, why?! Why does my luck always suck? Damn, now what do I do?!" Melina groaned, still sprinting from the insect chasing her.
Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a small box wrapped up neatly in the middle of the forest. Without stopping, she scooped it up, feeling baffled as she glanced at it. "This... what's a box like this doing here?"
Her thoughts raced as she held the mysterious object. "It can't be... Is the World Will feeling bad for me? Is it trying to soothe my suffering?"
A notification suddenly popped up in her mind.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ACQUIRED 'The Paradox Box']
[NOTE: YOU MAY ONLY OPEN THREE SUCH BOXES IN THIS TRIAL]
Melina blinked at the message, eyes wide. "Oh great, a box with a catch... just my luck!"
Melina hurriedly activated her Destiny's Eye, focusing on the mysterious box. It wasn't just for gauging people's luck—she could also use it to assess the potential of objects. The stronger and more valuable the item, the higher the luck associated with it.
Her eyes widened as the box shimmered with a brilliant purple aura.
"Great Purple!" she gasped in excitement, "It seems I really am the favored Daughter of Destiny!"
In her mind, the technique categorized luck into colors: White for the lowest, followed by Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, and the highest, Red. Seeing purple was a rare occurrence, a sign that something extraordinary lay within.
Her heart raced. "This... this could be my ticket out of this mess!"
Melina came to a screeching halt, her eyes darting between the approaching UNDYING and the box she held tightly. Panic turned to desperation as she tore the lid open, like a wild child unwrapping a birthday gift.
A blinding light burst out, momentarily dazzling her, and as it dimmed, she blinked furiously to clear her vision. Her excitement drained away instantly.
In her hands was a toy gun.
[Toy Gun (Damaged): A toy gun from ??? used by their newborns to play. At full power, it could kill ???. Due to damage, it has lost 99.9% of its power. Can be used three more times.]
Melina stared at it in disbelief, her hands trembling. "A... a toy gun?!"
The UNDYING creature was closing in fast, and with a resigned sigh, she gripped the gun tightly. "Well, better than nothing, right?"
A beam of light erupted from the toy gun as Melina pulled the trigger, aiming at the approaching UNDYING. The instant it made contact, the monstrous creature disintegrated into nothing but dust, vanishing without a trace.
Melina's jaw hung open in disbelief. "...I am stunned," she muttered, barely able to process what had just happened.
Her hands trembled as she re-read the gun's description. "Used by newborn... 99.9% damaged..."
Her mouth twitched in frustration "Which great beings use this to play?" she groaned internally felling her lever becaming green with regret. "And I wasted it on this worthless creature with zero power!?"
Her heart sank at the thought of such a powerful item being blown on something as weak as the UNDYING.
[YOU HAVE CLEARED THE LEVEL]
[LEVEL: 2]
[DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE?]
Melina grinned. "Hell yeah! Wouldn't I be stupid if I stopped here?"
[KILL THE RED-EYE RABBIT TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL]
Soon, a big rabbit with glowing red eyes materialized before her. Melina, feeling confident, activated her talent, and her own red eyes shone brightly. The rabbit twitched nervously, sensing an impending challenge. It seemed to believe it was about to face a terrifying opponent.
Only for Melina to turn on her heels and start running like a terrified kid caught in a thunderstorm, arms flailing wildly. "Nope, nope, nope! Not dealing with that!"
Melina was not stupid; she wasn't scared but was instead searching for another Paradox Box. The power of the toy gun was great, but she needed to save it for something more formidable.
As she ran, her eyes darted around, catching glimpses of more Paradox Boxes scattered throughout the landscape. However, she hesitated to open them, noting the glowing white light emanating from them. "As expected, mystery boxes are a scam," she muttered, shaking her head in frustration.
Suddenly...
Melina spotted a box shining with gold. The moment she laid eyes on it, she took off running with all her strength. Maybe it was because of her physique, which was related to wind, but she felt lighter and faster than ever before. The rabbit, with its red eyes, was unable to catch up to her as she darted across the grassland.
"This is it! This has to be good!" she thought, her heart racing with excitement as she closed the distance to the shimmering box. As she reached it, she skidded to a halt, breathless and eager to see what treasure awaited her inside.
As Melina opened the box, a magnificent sword materialized in her hand. It was so heavy that she struggled to keep her balance.
[Great Sword of Fire (Top-5 grade): Increases physical capacity by five times when activated. Special Attack: Fire Slay (Releases a fire slay 10 times stronger than your original attacks)]
Reading the description, she couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement. "Finally, some real firepower!" But before she could revel in her newfound strength, the Red Eye Rabbit leaped toward her, ready to attack.
"Hmph! Today is your last day, rabbit!" Melina declared, activating the sword. A surge of energy coursed through her, and she felt her strength increase exponentially. With a swift and powerful swing, she brought the sword down on the rabbit, slicing its body cleanly in half.
The creature didn't stand a chance. As it fell to the ground, Melina couldn't help but smirk, the thrill of victory igniting her spirit. "Let's see what else this trial has in store for me!"
[YOU HAVE CLEARED THE LEVEL]
[LEVEL: 3]
[DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE?]
"Continue!" Melina shouted, her determination unwavering.
***
With the Great Sword of Fire in hand, she charged through the trials, cutting a swath of destruction all the way to level 6. Each victory fueled her confidence, but she quickly realized that with every level gained, the strength and realm of the beasts grew significantly stronger.
By level 5, she faced a fearsome beast radiating the power of the 4th Astral Refinement realm, it's aura menacing and formidable.
"If it weren't for Fire Slay, I'd probably be sitting outside, gazing at the night sky and singing about my misfortunes," Melina thought as she tightened her grip on the sword, feeling the heat emanating from its blade.
With a fierce battle cry, she unleashed the Fire Slay attack. A torrent of flames erupted from the sword, engulfing the beast in a blaze of fiery destruction. The air crackled with energy, and the ground trembled beneath her feet. The overwhelming force of the attack left her breathless, but the thrill of victory washed over her as the beast fell to the ground, defeated.
"That was too close for comfort," she panted, wiping the sweat from her brow. "But I'm not done yet!" With renewed vigor, she prepared herself for the next challenge, eager to see what lay ahead in this unpredictable trial.
...TO BE CONTINUED