Chapter 2: Spiritual Energy and the Mysterious Lottery
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Inside the small, dimly lit bathroom, Kent stood under the cold stream of water.
The droplets cascaded down his body, it's very cold. He was pouring cold water into his body, but he wasn't shivering at all.
"What… happened to me?" Kent murmured, wiping steam off the mirror with his hand. His voice was filled with disbelief.
He flexed his arm slightly.
This isn't normal.
Before he could wrap his head around it, a sudden notification rang in his ears.
Ding!
System Panel
SSS-Rank Skill: Copy Spiritual Energy
Description: Host can copy spiritual energy from others by triggering their emotions (joy, anger, sadness, love, frustration, etc.).
Make it into spiritual points (SP) for use.
Host cannot absorb spiritual energy directly from the environment.
Spiritual energy is stored as 'Spiritual points' , a balance that can be spent in the system shop, lottery and others.
Kent stared blankly at the glowing text hovering before him, only half-listening as the water continued to patter against his shoulders.
"What's this?" he whispered. "Spiritual energy points? Not money?" but it says Balance.
Kent shut the water off abruptly, grabbed a towel, and sat on a wooden stool. Droplets fell to the creaky wooden floor as he sat.
Income Record–
+1, +1, +98 spiritual energy copied from the shopkeeper.
+1, +7, +99 spiritual energy copied from the truck driver.
+1, +7, +99 spiritual energy copied from the xxx, xxx, xxx.
Kent's eyes twitched as he scrolled.
"Are you kidding me? I thought I'd hit the jackpot… real money!" He groaned, leaning back. "So this system is basically some weird scam."
Before he could complain further, a familiar voice echoed from the other room.
"Kent! Are you done yet?" Nima shouted impatiently. "I'm hungry!"
Kent rubbed his temple and called back, "Nima! Just cook the cup noodles yourself. And make some for me, too!"
Ding!
Suddenly, the system chimed in his mind.
+66 spiritual energy copied from Nima.
+99 spiritual energy copied from Nima.
Kent froze, his eyes widening. "Wait… what happened just now."
He stared at the glowing screen.
"So this is how it works? All types of emotions, any reaction—will let me copy their spiritual energy?" His voice filled with realization.
He smirked slightly as he leaned back, the puzzle pieces slowly coming together. "Joy, anger, sadness… whatever emotions they feel because of me. I can copy it and turn it into my spiritual points."
Kent tilted his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"I can't absorb energy from the environment like those so-called awakened cultivators on TV… but if I can trigger reactions from others, I can still collect it."
He squinted at his balance.
Balance: 1110 points
Kent suddenly perked up. "This… this looks like a balance. Maybe I can withdraw it into cash?"
The thought sent a wave of excitement through him. He clapped his hands together and shouted, "System! Withdraw balance into money!"
Nothing happened.
"Money!" he repeated. "Cash! Dollars! Withdraw!"
Still nothing.
"Damn it, you useless system!" Kent grumbled. "You show me points like I'm rich, but I can't even touch the money?"
Kent's frustration only lasted a moment before curiosity got the better of him. Another glowing option caught his attention.
Lottery.
"Huh? A lottery?" Kent muttered, scrolling to the new tab. "Let's see what this is about."
The panel transformed into a large wheel divided into 15 slots. Kent frowned when he saw the design.
Empty… empty… empty…
Only 3 slots had faint, shadowy outlines, their contents hidden. The rest were labeled "empty."
"What's the point of this?" Kent muttered, leaning closer. "How rigged can you get?"
At the bottom of the panel, a small message flashed:
Cost: 100 spiritual energy per spin.
Kent scratched his head. "A hundred points for this useless-looking wheel? Forget it—"
Then, his gaze fell back on his balance.
1110 points.
"…Screw it," he said with a sigh. "Let's just try once. What's the worst that can happen?"
The moment he pressed the spin button, the system came alive with sound.
Woop woop woop woop woop…
The wheel began spinning furiously, the pointer moving so fast it became a blur.
Kent stared at it, leaning forward in anticipation. His palms grew clammy.
"Stop on something good. Stop on something good!"
The wheel slowed down, and Kent held his breath.
Clink. Clink. Clink…
The pointer approached one of the shadowy slots.
"Come on, come on!" Kent whispered.
Ding!
The wheel stopped. A blinding blue light burst out of the screen as a notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You have won a
Physique Enhancement Fruit.]
Kent blinked, stunned. "A fruit?"
The system panel flickered, and a new section labeled Item Storage appeared.
Inside, a glowing blue fruit the size of a large grape sat calmly.
Description: Physique Enhancement Fruit
Boosts the host's physical strength / improves physique for cultivation.
Kent swallowed nervously as he stared at the description.
"Wait a minute…improves physique for cultivation boost strength, a fruit that? Isn't this just like the powers those awakened guys on TV have?"
The blue fruit glowed faintly inside the storage panel.
"Can I take it out?" Kent wondered aloud.
"System, bring the fruit out!"
Poof!
Suddenly, the fruit materialized in front of him, floating for a brief moment before landing softly in his hand. It was smooth, glowing faintly, and emitted a soft humming sound.
"Whoa…" Kent whispered, holding it closer to his face. "This looks… legit."
But then his brows furrowed.
"What if it's poisonous? What if this is some weird prank from the system?"
His stomach growled loudly in response.
Grrrrr!
Kent sighed, glancing at the fruit again. "It doesn't look dangerous. And honestly, I've got nothing to lose. I survived getting hit by a truck, didn't I?"
He held the fruit up, took a deep breath, and popped it into his mouth.
Glup.
The moment Kent swallowed the fruit, a wave of energy exploded inside his body.
"AAAAHHH!"
Kent screamed, clutching his stomach as his whole body heated up like molten lava coursed through his veins.
His muscles tensed. His bones cracked audibly.
CRACK. CRACK.
Every fiber of his being burned with a strange, overwhelming power.
The entire room began to glow faintly as blue light pulsed from Kent's body.
BOOM!
The old wooden walls vibrated from the shockwave of energy.
Minutes passed. The room fell silent again.
Kent collapsed back onto the floor, breathing heavily. His skin glistened with sweat, and his chest rose and fell in sharp gasps.
He glanced down at his hands.
They looked stronger. His veins pulsed faintly with blue light before disappearing.
"…Holy crap."
He sat up slowly, examining his body. His muscles were firmer. His energy levels felt like they'd skyrocketed.
"I feel… stronger," Kent whispered in disbelief.
The system chimed again.
Ding!
"Physique Enhanced. +.... +..
Kent sat there, stunned. A slow grin crept across his face.
"This system… it might not be so bad after all."
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