Just like always, Alex, Alice, and Aurelia appeared in the [Fox Tribe Village], landing safely after narrowly escaping from the deadly grasp of Lord X.
Their six [Fate Gift Boxes] shimmered faintly as they held them.
It had been a close call.
Had they delayed even a second longer, the outcome would have been fatal, not just an in-game death, but a permanent one.
Alex had no doubt that if Lord X had caught them, their journey would have ended in complete annihilation.
For now, though, they were safe.
Alex knew that none of the [Guardians of Hatred] could track him except for Lord X, whose detection range didn’t extend into the safety of the [Fox Tribe Village].
Still, the brush with death left Alex deep in thought.
“I need to grow strong enough to handle level 1,500 entities quickly,” he muttered to himself.
If he could ascend to the 10th tier, he’d gain the strength to eliminate most of the gods that had descended upon the world.
While some divine beings were as high as level 2,000, taking out the majority of these entities would remove the biggest threats to humanity’s survival.
To keep himself focused, Alex had created a list of his ultimate goals:
[Alex’s Elimination List:]
[1. The Corrupt Angels.]
[2. The Dark Elves.]
[3. The entire Demon Race.]
[4. Every single God (number unknown)]
[5. Hatred Sect and Hatred Demon.]
[6. Evil Grand Mages.]
Of course, he would add more if it came to it.
But the [Dragon Race] wasn’t that much of a threat, and neither were the [Undead] as long as you left them.
Eliminating these six forces would trigger a domino effect, dismantling the enemy factions and tribes they controlled.
The [Corrupt Angels], [Dark Elves] and [Demon Race] had several other factions and tribes under their command after all.
Without their leaders, the allied forces of darkness would crumble.
Even a low-level entity, if left unchecked, could wreak havoc on the real world.
Alex refused to let even a level 20 NPC roam freely, knowing the devastation they could cause.
Because even though that level seemed insanely low to most now, you need to remember that they would still be able to kill hundreds if not thousands of humans in the real world.
That’s why Alex harbored a deep disdain for races like the [Silver Skins], who, despite their minor roles, could still become dangerous threats.
“Anyway,” Alex sighed, slapping his cheeks to refocus.
He glanced at the girls, who seemed far more relaxed than him. “Should we open our boxes now?”
Alice grinned mischievously, holding up her two boxes. “I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
“Me too!” Aurelia chimed in, her excitement bubbling over.
Alex nodded, though his mind remained preoccupied.
His own [Fate Gift Boxes] had the rare [Legendary Item Inside] tag, but he couldn’t say the same for the girls’ boxes.
Alice tossed her boxes onto the ground.
The boxes began to shake before bursting open in a flash of light.
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box], but unfortunately, you didn’t get anything.]
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box], but unfortunately, you didn’t get anything.]
“Damn it,” Alice groaned, disappointed. She crossed her arms and glanced at Aurelia. “Your turn.”
Aurelia gave a confident nod and hurled her boxes down.
They shimmered briefly before opening.
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box], but unfortunately, you didn’t get anything.]
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box], but unfortunately, you didn’t get anything.]
“NOOO!” Aurelia dropped to her knees dramatically, her wail of despair echoing through the village.
Alex sighed.
As he’d expected, the girls’ boxes had yielded nothing.
It was an unlucky outcome, but not unexpected, only around 10% of these boxes contained anything of value.
“Alright, let’s see what I get,” Alex said, tossing his own two boxes to the ground, acting oblivious.
The [Cursed Eyes of the King] were truly a curse and advantage.
If he received a gift from someone, would he be able to see the contents before it was opened?
The boxes began to glow as they opened, revealing their contents.
But in contrast to Alice’s and Aurelia’s failures…
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box] and received an Artifact Item: Talent Evolution Fruit!]
[Ding Dong: You have opened the [Fate Gift Box] and received an Artifact Item: Curse Remover!] Stay tuned to empire
“WHAT?!” Alice and Aurelia shouted in unison, their disbelief clear.
“I’m cheating,” Alex grinned, reveling in their reactions.
Of course, they didn’t know the full story.
After all, they couldn’t know that he had to battle Kars inside of the carriage space since it took less than a second for him to come back.
“Seriously, lucky you,” Aurelia muttered, shaking her head.
“Not luck,” he pointed at his eyes, “I have my ways.”
“Damn it!”
Alex laughed it off and focused on inspecting his prizes.
The [Talent Evolution Fruit] was particularly intriguing.
He’d eaten two of these fruits before, gaining the powerful [Potential Extraction] and [Synthesis] abilities.
And now, he had another chance to enhance his talent further.
It was amazing news!
But a thought nagged at him. Should he keep it for himself, or give it to Alice or Aurelia?
Alex already had four talent effects, more than enough to rise to the top of Universal Descent.
Alice and Aurelia, on the other hand, each had SS-level talents.
[Star Archer] for Alice and [Assassin of Shadows] for Aurelia.
But they only had one or two effects each.
Without a [Talent Evolution Fruit], gaining additional effects would be nearly impossible except for maybe a higher-level tier-advancement quest.
Alex pondered the dilemma and sought advice from the three entities residing within him.
‘Opinions?’
[Alphox thinks you should take it. “Who even cares about them anyway?”]
[The Undead King doesn’t care. “As long as we can conquer Undead Land, do as you please.”]
And then…
[The Heart of Calamity thinks you should give it to Alice.]
“Huh?” Alex blinked, surprised.
Not only did it give the option that wouldn’t strengthen Alex, but it also selected one of the girls specifically.
“Why?” he asked.
[Because the Heart of Calamity knows what is best.]
Alex sighed.
He wasn’t entirely sure if the Heart of Calamity could sense something he couldn’t, but it didn’t matter.
He had told Alice all the way back in the novice village that when he found another fruit, he would give it to her.
Now was the time to fulfill this promise.
“Here,” Alex said, extending the fruit to Alice.
Alice took a step back, startled. “You’re… giving it to me? You’re not going to eat it?”
Aurelia looked confused, unfamiliar with the fruit’s significance.
Alice, however, recognized it instantly.
She’d seen Alex consume two of these fruits before, each time growing significantly stronger, and she even helped him with the side-effect.
“It’ll be more useful to you,” Alex said with a warm smile. “And I did say I’d find one for you, didn’t I?”
Alice hesitated, her eyes flicking between the fruit and Alex.
She knew that Alex would likely gain a better effect from the fruit than she would, but his faith in her was clear.
“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling him into a quick hug.
With Aurelia still watching curiously, Alice brought the fruit to her lips and took a bite, eager to see what effect it would grant her.