Chapter 167
A golden sphere suddenly rolled out of Eren's pocket.
Just as the golden sphere was about to hit the floor, a slender hand swiftly scooped it up in a graceful motion, holding it firmly in the palm.
Looking at the sphere he'd just retrieved, Eren felt his earlier unease diminish somewhat.
"This thing really can't take a fall…"
What lay sealed within that golden sphere was none other than a wisp of an evil god's aura, bound by the power of a six-winged angel.
Although the six-winged angel had used a fair amount of strength to set up the seal, making it not so easily broken, the aura of the evil god within was no weakling either.
In less than an hour, the once radiant golden sphere had already been heavily corroded by that evil aura.
Gazing at the sphere in his hand, which would occasionally flicker with a ghostly gleam, Eren's eyes shimmered slightly.
"Looks like I need to get rid of this hot potato as soon as possible…"
Without the ace up his sleeve—summoning an angel—Eren's risk tolerance had plunged. He no longer had a powerful means of dealing with this evil god's aura. If he got careless and allowed the aura to escape, he would be in serious trouble.
As just a mere jester, he definitely couldn't handle the kind of abomination that would emerge once tainted by an evil god's aura. Worse still, if it actually got out, Eren might be the very first one it tried to pollute.
Just as Eren was about to enter the Balance Space to spend some Fate Points and purify the evil god's aura inside the golden sphere…
Off to the side, Little Monster—seeing the golden sphere in Eren's hand—started drooling profusely, the corners of its slightly open mouth dripping with a puddle of saliva.
"So…good…"
"Wanna…eat…"
"Really…wanna eat…"
Huh???
Eren was still stroking Little Monster's head with his other hand when he suddenly sensed the strong emotion coming from his dog-like companion. He turned his head, looking with surprise at the Little Monster that was practically drooling over the golden sphere. Lifting the sphere, he asked in puzzlement, "You want to eat this?"
Little Monster hesitated for a moment, then let out a series of "ka-ba ka-ba" noises.
By now, Eren understood Little Monster's vocalizations well enough to translate them in his head:
"Wanna eat… but scared…"
Huh?
Scared yet still craving it?
Hearing that, Eren tapped Little Monster's head in mild exasperation.
If it had such a strong appetite for the golden sphere (or the evil aura within), it must surely mean there was some unknown benefit to be gained by devouring it.
However, it was a power that even a six-winged angel had to cleanse with all their might—most likely far beyond Little Monster's current ability to digest. Otherwise, it wouldn't be hesitating out of fear.
"Alright, quit drooling. There's no way you can handle what's inside this thing right now…"
After patting its head, Eren dismissed the idea of feeding the golden sphere—or the evil aura inside—to Little Monster.
The evil aura of a god was different from something like an Abomination's remains. If it were just that Abomination, it could be eaten and digested without too much worry; Little Monster might not get anything from it, but it also wouldn't suffer.
A god's aura, though, was on a different level altogether. Even if it was just one wisp, its essence was terrifying. Who knew what effect it might have once devoured?
Physical distortion would be the least of concerns. If the evil aura were to twist and pollute Little Monster's mind, that would truly be a disaster. Eren would never want to see that happen.
…
After he reassured Little Monster, Eren once again entered the Balance Space.
Treading on that mercury-like white mist, he walked slowly to the edge of the limitless silver river. Gazing upon the vast surging waters, Eren raised a hand, and a massive silver scale appeared before him.
"Manifest 'Light of Purification'!"
[Ding!]
[Spend 1,000 Fate Points to condense a 'Light of Purification' from the River of Fate—confirm?]
"Yes!"
Right after summoning the projection of the silver scale, Eren didn't hesitate. He immediately used 1,000 Fate Points to manifest a "Light of Purification" from the River of Fate.
Staring at the pure radiance that floated before him, emanating brilliant light at every moment, Eren lobbed the sealed golden sphere straight into it.
The instant the golden sphere sank into the Light of Purification, its outermost golden glow was quickly dissolved and absorbed, becoming fuel to strengthen the purifying radiance.
Having lost the sphere that imprisoned it, that wisp of evil god's aura—finally free—surged up like a horse thrown off its reins. Yet it could do nothing before it was instantly surrounded by the Light of Purification.
Almost the moment it touched the evil aura, that radiant light seemed to meet its natural prey. It flared with an impossibly dazzling brilliance, so bright Eren had to shut his eyes against its glare.
"Hiss…ssss…"
It felt as though an eternity had passed, and yet it might have been just a moment. When Eren opened his eyes again, the wisp of sinister aura had been wholly cleansed.
But what Eren failed to notice was that the moment he opened his eyes, after purging the evil god's aura, the Light of Purification did not entirely vanish. It flickered for the briefest second, and a last glimmer of it slipped into Eren's body.
…
At the same time Eren purified that wisp of evil god's aura, the seemingly boundless River of Fate before him heaved up a gigantic wave, crashing down with a roar.
Simultaneously, Eren's ears picked up a familiar notification.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations on purifying the evil aura and resolving the god's corruption. Receiving the world's blessing of fate…]
In that instant, a mysterious azure beam of light descended from above and poured directly into Eren's body.
At the same time, the silver scale hovering at the edge of the River of Fate seized its chance as the waters roiled, greedily siphoning off a massive amount of Fate Points from the endless current.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, you have gained 8,000 Fate Points (5,000 from purifying the evil aura, 3,000 from changing Harlem's doomed fate).]
[Ding! You have exceeded 10,000 Fate Points once more. The hidden "Advanced Draw" option is now unlocked. Do you wish to spend 10,000 Fate Points to form one Advanced Draw?]
[Note: The Advanced Draw guarantees at least a Blue item, with increased odds of drawing a Purple or higher. There is also a certain chance of acquiring a Gold item. (First Advanced Draw comes with doubled success rates, guaranteeing at least Purple.)]
A series of alerts echoed through Eren's mind in rapid succession. Sweeping his thoughts across the stream of prompts, Eren saw that his Fate Point total now stood at 12,702. He fell silent, pondering.
The Fate Points he'd gained today were far beyond anything he'd anticipated.
…
Previously, after the clown clone had killed the Hydra operative known as Crossbones, Eren earned 500 Fate Points.
He'd then spent 298 points (along with some other extraordinary items) to trade for the "Instigator" potion, leaving him with 202. Next, he sniped another Hydra agent—one who had actually appeared in the story—earning another 500 Fate Points.
Later, once home, Eren discovered he'd also received the bounty for destroying the soon-to-be-born second-level Forbidden Item, "Shadow of Suffocation," in the abandoned apartment building the night before: a hefty 2,000 Fate Points. Just that alone was worth the trouble of last night's excursion.
In a single day, Eren had already gathered around 3,000 Fate Points. He assumed his next big gain would come from the former director of a certain agency—the hidden Hydra leader known as Alexander.
Who would have guessed that, on the way home, his clown clone would happen upon the battle between Hulk and the Abomination…only for a calamity of worms and the arrival of a Worm Demon to follow?
Summoning the six-winged angel to slay both the Abomination and the Worm Demon had netted Eren a massive haul in one go: 3,000 Fate Points for the Abomination, and then 5,000 more for fully purifying the evil aura, plus 3,000 for preventing Harlem's destruction.
While it cost him 1,000 Fate Points to conjure the Light of Purification, that was a small price to pay.
500 – 298 + 500 + 2,000 + 3,000 + 5,000 + 3,000 – 1,000…
It added up to 12,702. Eren had earned over twelve thousand Fate Points in just one day, which left him feeling elated despite the calm of his newly attained meditative mindset.
…
"Phew…"
He took a deep breath, then finally paid attention to the next piece of information on the Fate Panel: Advanced Draw?
So the system had originally offered Basic Draws, and now that he'd amassed more Fate Points, it had revealed a hidden Advanced Draw. Ten thousand points for one single draw? That gave him a distinct whiff of pay-to-win game design.
But jokes aside, the description of the Advanced Draw was very tempting. It guaranteed at least a Blue-ranked reward, eliminating the low-tier White or Green items outright.
Even that alone wasn't the biggest hook, though. Its significantly higher chance to net a Purple or even the elusive Gold item was much more alluring—especially given the note that the first-ever Advanced Draw guaranteed a Purple at minimum.
Eren had only drawn Purple-grade items twice before, and both times they had been exceptionally powerful: the [Cosmic Mind Meditation Method] and the [Angel's Scepter].
Each possessed incredible abilities. Spending 10,000 Fate Points for an item of that caliber was undeniably worth it—let alone the possibility of striking Gold, an even more exalted tier that Eren had never caught even a glimpse of.
He felt his heart race, threatening to disturb the stillness he had only just regained.
"I can't let my thoughts stray… If I lose my composure, I might drop from this new meditative state…"
With effort, Eren steadied his emotions, then, with a single silent command, he used 10,000 Fate Points to form one Advanced Draw on the Fate Compass.
A moment later, a projection of a massive Fate Compass—easily a hundred times larger than before—appeared above him. It was clearer than ever, and even the faint outlines of various mysterious prizes were now partly visible upon its surface.
Taking a deep breath, Eren muttered, "Draw!"
As soon as the word left his mouth, the colossal Fate Compass spun with dizzying speed. Though larger, it took about the same amount of time as past draws. Barely had Eren registered the motion before the pointer halted over a region shimmering with purple light.
Purple?
So that meant a Purple item…
Even though Eren had half expected it, he still felt a pang of disappointment that it wasn't Gold.
While his emotions dipped, the Fate Compass overhead dissolved into countless particles, vanishing into the strange realm. At the same time, a purple orb fell from above. Before Eren could catch it, that orb dazzled in a rainbow of flashing lights. At its core, a shape gradually revealed itself—colorful, shimmering, and vaguely human.
A second later, a gaudy, rainbow-colored jester pressed its hands outward, tearing a hole in the purple orb from within, then poked its head out.
(End of Chapter)
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