While Ryo was contemplating the value of the "True Eye" technique and its immense potential, a sudden idea crossed his mind. His gaze shifted toward Eva, and without hesitation, he activated the "True Eye" on her.
[Name: Eva
Occupation: SSS-Level Luck Roulette Manager
???
???
???]
Only the information Eva had personally revealed appeared; the rest remained hidden behind question marks. Suddenly, he heard her voice in his head:
[Host, do you think it's wise to use your technique on me?]
Ryo smiled sheepishly and apologized in a low voice, "Sorry, I was just excited to test the True Eye skill."
[It's good to be excited, but host, you must be cautious when using it on powerful individuals. If they're in a bad mood, they might kill you on the spot. I should also warn you: you cannot reveal information about those who are five levels above you.]
Ryo nodded, indicating that he understood. Eva's words made perfect sense.
What if he used it on someone ranked S or SS? That might spell his end.
He had to be careful and never reveal anything about the Roulette or any of his abilities.
What if he were discovered and used as a tool to uncover secrets? Or worse, experimented on? In this world… there was no medicine for regret.
He knew well that humans could be far more terrifying than monsters, doing anything for their own benefit.
As for why he didn't ask Eva about the question marks, his instincts told him that Eva was not someone to mess with.
Even though she was helping him grow stronger, there had to be a reason—she and whoever called him the "True Universe." That's why he had to remain vigilant and continue down the path to power.
Eva's voice suddenly cut through his thoughts:
[Do you want to try the "Information Roulette"?]
"Yes… And also, Eva, from this moment on, stop reading my thoughts."
[Alright, thought-reading disabled.]
To make sure, Ryo began thinking of all sorts of insults and curses aimed at Eva.
But there was no response.
This left him with two options: either Eva had truly followed the command… or she was just pretending.
Ryo thought to himself, "Either way, I should stay cautious… or I won't find regret medicine in the market."
[Host, what are you doing? Why did your mind drift? You're not thinking anything unkind about the kind manager, are you?]
"No no, how could I? Of course you're… the kindest manager!"
Eva narrowed her eyes slightly, then smiled playfully:
[You think I'm kind? Really?]
It was obvious she was delighted—how could she not be, as she fluttered around Ryo's head, dancing lightly and joyfully like a glittering butterfly in the air.
"Idiot…"
Ryo coughed twice to get her attention:
"Cough... Cough... Do you want to stop and activate the Information Roulette?"
[Ah! Yes!]
She stopped dancing and summoned a machine that looked like one of those used to sell kids' gum.
Eva pulled the lever, and the balls inside started spinning rapidly.
Suddenly, ten differently colored balls popped out…
"How do I reveal the information inside?"
[Simple—just touch the ball, and its content will appear.]
After Eva's explanation, Ryo touched a white ball. Suddenly, a white screen appeared in front of him:
[Nothing found.]
"Haah!" Ryo was shocked—there was nothing!
[As I told you before, you can't always get something useful on the first try. If you do, it just means you're lucky… and I don't think you're one of the lucky ones.]
Ryo thought that made sense, so he didn't insist. But when he touched a second orb… same result. Then the third, the fourth… each time, he got nothing!
Ryo felt so frustrated that he sat in the corner of the room, silently drawing circles on the floor.
[Host, don't give up. There are still four orbs left.]
Truthfully, Ryo had no hope left, but he continued. He touched another orb… and a faint gray screen appeared:
[Your neighbor's wife is pregnant with another man's child.]
"Damn it! Why should I care if she's pregnant or cheating on her husband? I want something useful!"
Ryo shouted out in anger and frustration, but even so, he kept going.
Another screen appeared, this time it was blue:
[The price of land in this area will rise in a month.]
At first, Ryo felt happy that the color had changed, but then his eyes widened in shock:
"Damn it! If that's true, that bitch will kick me out of the house just to sell it for a higher price!"
Ryo lived in a rented apartment in a semi-abandoned building on the edge of the city, where rent was cheap due to the risk of monster attacks from the wild. The "bitch" he mentioned was his greedy neighbor who was cheating on her husband and always chasing money.
He clenched his teeth and kept going. This time, a golden screen appeared:
[In two weeks, a special dungeon will appear in the public library. Coordinates: 4358:7890]
Ryo was overwhelmed with joy. A wide smile stretched across his face, almost reaching his ears—something very rare.
"Haha! A special dungeon! That's amazing! This can't be a dream!"
He quickly pinched his thigh:
"Ouch! Not a dream… it's real! Info about a special dungeon, and with coordinates!"
[It seems the host isn't so unlucky after all.]
He heard Eva's voice in his head.
"Yes! This is a special dungeon, so I must be lucky!"
The reason for his excitement was that special dungeons were rare and often gave those who entered them a huge leap toward the top.
Some even became famous from entering just one.
Also, special dungeons only contain one monster, so even Ryo, who was still level 0, wouldn't be in too much danger.
Excited, he touched the last orb.
And a dark red screen appeared. When Ryo saw the deep red color, he got a bad feeling.
[In three weeks, a dungeon break will occur, releasing a wave of B-rank monsters.]
Ryo swallowed hard. "That… can't be!"
He couldn't believe it. Suddenly, he remembered the recent news reports about the increasing number of dungeons and the possibility of a major disaster.
There had been two similar events before: one fifty years ago, when dungeons first appeared, and another 25 years ago. Both caused massacres that nearly wiped out humanity.
Ryo slowly calmed down and started to process the information.
"This makes sense… ever since that first message about rising land prices. Looks like I need to level up… fast."
The reason land prices rise in an area where a dungeon break occurs is that the area will come under the protection of guilds and the Awakeners' Association. Prices will drop first, then businessmen buy cheap and build luxury housing to resell at high prices.
[Host, I think you're both lucky and cursed at the same time.]
Ryo took a deep breath, then smiled halfway. "Lucky or not? Doesn't matter. What matters is, I have to get stronger to stay alive—one stroke of luck isn't enough."
[Yes, you're right, host. One stroke of luck isn't enough.]
"Alright, I've got three weeks to prepare. Also, Eva said the first pull was free, so how much does a spin normally cost?"
[Well, a spin on the SSS-level Luck Roulette costs one billion.]
"That's fine, not too much."
Suddenly, Ryo froze.
"A billion? Did you just say a billion? Are you kidding me?!"
Ryo was stunned. A billion?! He only had a hundred million in his account. Sure, that's nothing to high-level Awakeners, B-rank and above, but for Ryo, a billion was absurd.
[Why so sad? A billion is nothing compared to the power of SSS-level. Besides, you should focus on training and developing your abilities. It's not good to hoard too many powers without mastering them.]
"Haah, you're right. I shouldn't spread myself too thin. Human energy is limited, so I should train one move a thousand times instead of a thousand moves once."
[Wise host.]
"And the Info Roulette—how much is that?"
[It's free. You can spin it once a week.]
"Really? Free?"
[Yes.]
"Okay, that makes sense. Most of it is useless anyway."
Ryo sat down on the couch, as he really needed to rest and reflect on everything that had happened that night.
He leaned his neck back on the couch, lifted his head, took out a cigarette, and lit it.
He inhaled deeply and blew out a puff of smoke.
Eva floated near the edge of the couch, swinging her legs.
[Host, what are you thinking about?]
"I'm thinking about what happened tonight and how I can use all of it."
Ryo closed his eyes and started to think. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and a terrifying smile spread across his face.
"Yes, that's right. I can use all this info, even if it seems worthless."
A faint, dark, and ominous aura spread from Ryo.
He was going to exploit the fact that the landlord's wife was cheating and pregnant with another man's child to pressure him into selling the building—along with other buildings and land.
Then he'd wait and develop the properties when prices rose, or sell them at high profit.