Chapter 183: A Lucky Day (1)
"Let's see..."
The first thing Kai did after logging into MID Online was sit down and open up an internet window.
I should at least search what I can get with my contribution points and what would be the most efficient choice.
With so many participants in the Invasion Event, opinions on the rewards were divided.
-Is this a joke? I opened five random boxes, and all I got were five Normal grade weapons.
└ Stop complaining. I got two duds and two Normal grade armors.
-I really think getting random boxes as rewards is crazy. Just trade for complete items instead of hoping to strike it rich.
└ People are only going for the random boxes because they don't have enough contribution points for complete items...
-If you want to make money, just buy top-tier random boxes and put them up for auction. The gamblers have jacked up the prices, so you can make a fortune. That’s how I made some good cash.
└ Thanks for the tip. But you can only open three random boxes per person anyway.
└ If you're going to open any, it’s better to go for the top-tier boxes.
"Random boxes? Complete items?"
Kai tilted his head in confusion and scrolled through the event reward list.
"Oh, I see."
There was a wide variety of items that could be exchanged with contribution points.
The items can be categorized broadly into equipment, potions, skill books, and so on.
The interesting part was that each category had random boxes.
For example, a random box costing 5 contribution points could give equipment with level requirements from 10 to 20.
That was the gist of it. The more points one spent, the better the chances of getting higher-grade items with a higher level requirement.
"Of course, as a result... everyone failed."
There were hundreds of thousands of posts already up, but fewer than a thousand players had managed to pull Rare grade items. The odds were dreadful!
But looking at the items, it is pretty tempting.
Not all Rare items were created equal, and the equipment from the Invasion Event boxes had significant value.
"Hmm. What should I do..."
Kai could trade for one level 320 Unique grade complete item with his contribution points, which would cost him exactly 100,000 points.
But if I buy random boxes, I can get a lot more.
As Kai was debating, a rustling sound came from behind him.
"Mmm..."
The oversized shirt Helik wore dragged along the ground like a robe. Still drowsy, she rubbed her sleepy eyes with her long sleeves and yawned as she walked toward Kai. She had developed a keen interest in human clothing after observing their world, and sometimes she would recreate outfits she liked.
She can't seem to cook, though.
Yawning and smacking her lips, Helik squinted and stared at Kai. "Ah, it’s a snack."
"It's Kai," Kai grumbled, getting up from his seat, annoyed that she now practically referred to him as a snack.
Since the last place he had logged out was the Celestial Garden, he was still there when he logged back in.
"Oh, right. Helik."
"What is it?"
"You gave me a blessing last time, right?"
He glanced over and saw that there were still nearly four days remaining on the duration.
If the luck blessing worked as promised, opening random boxes would not be such a bad idea.
"Mhmm. A blessing was bestowed upon you by me, the Solarian God Helik. Use it wisely."
"Is the effect guaranteed?"
Helik's ears perked up. Though small, she was still female, and she immediately picked up on the slight doubt in Kai's tone.
"Are you doubting the power of me, the Solarian God Helik?"
"N-no, it’s not exactly doubt... I’m just curious about how effective it is."
"Hmph. Enough."
With her cheeks puffed up, Helik walked in the opposite direction, the bottom of her shirt dragging behind her. Of course, with Kai's much longer strides, he caught up to her in just three steps.
"I’m gonna trust you then, okay?"
"Who else would you trust if not me? Surely you're not thinking of trusting another god...?"
"No, no, don’t overanalyze it."
Sharply cutting off her words, Kai nodded to himself.
If Helik is this confident, there’s no need to doubt the blessing.
After all, she was a god...
"Alright, then. I’ll be back."
"Oh, bring cake on the way back!"
Kai slightly bowed to Helik, who was seeing him off, and headed to Glendale.
As the streets grew more crowded by the day, Kai found an event NPC and immediately approached them.
"Brave hero who stopped the invasion, welcome! Your contribution points are... Gasp! Over 120,000 points!"
The NPC's wide-eyed exclamation drew the attention of nearby players.
"What's going on?"
"That guy has over 120,000 contribution points."
"What? That means he's ranked in the top ten for contributions, right? Where, where?"
"Wait, I’ve seen that cleric robe before..."
"Oh...! K-Kai... It's Unknown!"
A crowd of players swarmed around Kai in an instant. It felt like being an idol at the airport!
Th-this is too much.
Kai had never experienced receiving this much attention so directly from so many people.
Sensing his discomfort, the event NPC called out to him, "Quickly, please tell me what you'd like."
"Right, well..."
Kai had initially planned to browse the rewards a little more leisurely, but there was no time for that now. Eventually, he fired off his request.
"Three top-tier weapon random boxes, and three top-tier riddle skill books, please."
"Here you go!"
As the event NPC hurriedly handed over six boxes, Kai shuddered at the sight of the crowd rushing toward him.
Maybe I should get a mask or something to wear from now on.
The next moment, Kai used his Shadow Shift skill and vanished from the street.
***
"Huff, huff."
As Kai let out an exhausted sigh, Helik, who had been peeking curiously from the side, asked, “Did you bring back cake?”
"No, I didn't have time."
"I told you to bring back cake!"
"Surely you are the one who oversees mercy and virtue, so you wouldn't get upset over something like this, right?"
"O-Of course not. It's just cake after all..."
Kai comforted Helik who looked sad, and then immediately placed the boxes he was holding down on the floor.
[Top-Tier Weapon Random Box]
Grade: Rare
When used, acquire one weapon between level 300 and 330.
[Top-Tier Riddle Skill Book]
Grade: Rare
When used, acquire one skill book of Magic grade or higher.
"Whew..." Kai rubbed his hands together nervously and glanced at Helik. "I'm going to open these now."
"Huh? What are they?"
"Well... to put it simply, these are boxes that give better items based on how lucky I am."
"I see. Then you'll definitely get something good. After all, you have my blessing." Helik folded her arms adorably and looked arrogantly down at Kai, who was seated. "Go ahead, my servant. Open the boxes and witness the glory of the Solarian God once more."
"Sure... Here I go."
Kai rolled up to his elbows and gulped as he opened the skill book box first.
Flash!
With a burst of radiance, a single skill book inside the box revealed itself.
[The Top-Tier Riddle Skill Book explodes into a blue splendor, revealing its true form.]
[Congratulations! You acquired Skill Book-Diamond Punch (Magic).]
The name alone made Kai anxious. Very anxious.
No, it’s fine. Skills like Holy Chains also sound simple at first glance. Maybe this too...
Clinging to a thread of hope, Kai slowly read through the skill book's description.
[Skill Book-Diamond Punch]
Grade: Magic
Transforms your fist into diamond.
+200% attack power.
There is a 1% chance the fist will shatter, dropping a diamond gem. If the fist shatters, the user’s HP decreases by 30%.
(Cooldown: 5 minutes)
Now a faded memory from a distant past, Golden Punch suddenly came to mind.
Anyone can see this is... a dud.
From a box that guaranteed a skill book of Magic grade or higher, he had received a mere Magic grade skill book, and even its performance was terrible!
Kai immediately turned his head and looked at Helik.
Helik, meeting his sharp stare, hiccupped and quickly averted her eyes.
"Helik?"
"Oh... well... gambling is always like that, isn't it? Even my powers can't help if your luck is just bad."
"I only bought these boxes because I trusted you..."
Helik's face filled with sorrow as Kai slumped his shoulders with a sullen expression.
"I-I'm sorry. Just try one more. Maybe this time..."
With her encouragement, Kai opened another skill book box.
Flash!
[The Top-Tier Riddle Skill Book explodes into a blue splendor, revealing its true form.]
[Congratulations! You acquired Skill Book-Eye Strengthener (Magic).]
Ugh, it’s doomed. I swore after the strength elixir that I’d never gamble again...
With back-to-back bad results, Kai’s shoulders drooped even further. His neck was now stretched forward like a turtle's!
Watching his pitiful state, Helik gently patted his back. "I-I'm sorry. Would it be alright if I tried opening the last box?"
"You want to open it?" Kai looked at her for a moment before handing over the final skill book box. "Sure, go ahead."
Honestly, he didn't expect much. Even though she was a god, she governed the sun, virtue, and mercy.
Now that I think about it, why did I even expect a luck buff from Helik? It makes no sense!
He had been fooled by her confidence. If he had received a blessing of luck from a god of fortune, it would be one thing, but she was the god of the sun!
"Do I just open it like this?"
As if unwrapping a present, Helik carefully opened the box. Then, a light far more intense than anything before burst out.
Flaaaash!
"R-Red...!"
It was a Unique item!
Before Kai could even compose himself, Helik tilted her head and asked, "This came out. Is it useful?"
"Uh... um... could you hand it to me please?"
Kai took the skill book glowing with an intense red hue from her and carefully appraised it.
[Skill Book-Rank Up]
Grade: Unique
Can be applied to any skill below Advanced Level 1.
Permanently increases the skill’s proficiency level by two, regardless of its current proficiency.
"Th-this is amazing!"
Raising skill proficiency was easy at first. At the Beginner level, just using the skills diligently would make them steadily improve. However, once a skill level rose to the Intermediate level, simple repetitive use was no longer enough to improve it.
There would already be people who had mastered all their skills by now if repetition alone raised proficiency.
In this world, there are plenty of relentless people. However, leveling up skills in MID Online was not something that happened easily.
From the Intermediate level onward, one needs a deeper understanding of the skill itself.
One had to begin applying the skill in various ways. Even Kai had to fight various monsters and accumulate lots of experience and combat techniques when his Swordsmanship of the Dawn was stuck at the Intermediate level.
Thanks to that, I was barely able to reach the Advanced skill level when I entered a state of trance during the Battle of the Bir Plains.
When a skill reached the Advanced level, the player became an expert in that skill. They knew exactly how to use it and in what situations. At this point, the player could clearly distinguish what was possible and what was not with the skill.
From then on, time alone couldn’t solve everything.
It’s the realm of enlightenment. A series of sudden, unanticipated states of trance.
To raise the skill level even by one, immense experience and rare opportunities were required.
For Kai, this skill book was one such opportunity. Without hesitation, he decided to use the skill book.
Ding!
[Would you like to use the Skill Book - Rank Up?]
"Use."
[Which skill would you like to level up?]
“Swordsmanship of the Dawn.”
The moment Kai said those words, something began to change within him.