Chapter Three: The Aftermath of Change
The world was no longer the same as it had been before that night.
Lin Chen didn't feel it immediately, but the system told him the truth with a cold calm:
Any change to the path of a chosen hero does not disappear… it leaves a mark.
The next morning, news of the incident spread across the training ground. The young man hadn't died, but he emerged with a severe injury to his leg and remained unconscious for long hours. The technique he had been destined to obtain? It never appeared. The treasure? It didn't exist at all.
The instructors attributed it to bad luck.
Lin Chen knew better.
As he walked among the trainees, a small window appeared before his eyes—one that hadn't existed before:
[Fluctuation in the laws of luck detected]
[Source of fluctuation: You]
[Note: Each intervention increases the probability of attention]
He paused for a moment, then continued walking as if nothing had happened.
"Attention…"
He repeated the word in his mind.
There was no conscious entity watching him, no hidden force judging him. What the system meant was simpler—and more dangerous:
The more a path changes, the greater the chaos, and chaos attracts conflict.
In a corner of the training ground, the young man who had previously found the strengthening pill was training with unnatural enthusiasm. His body was stronger than yesterday, his movements faster, and the gazes of others toward him were filled with envy.
The data appeared again:
[Luck: 68]
[Current Path: Accelerated growth – Probability of confrontation within 7 days]
His luck had dropped.
Lin Chen noticed it instantly.
"Even without direct intervention… paths still change."
Breaking one hero had weakened the balance around the others. Opportunities were not created from nothing—if one person didn't obtain them, they were lost… or transferred.
In this case, they had partially transferred to him.
Lin Chen felt a faint warmth flow through his body. It wasn't an explosion of power, but a sense of stability. His breathing grew deeper, his focus sharper, as if the world itself had slowed by a single degree.
[Accumulated stolen luck has begun to affect the body]
[Recommendation: Avoid hastiness in direct combat]
He smiled.
"Even the system doesn't want me to appear."
That was fine. Appearing too early was a beginner's mistake—the same mistake chosen heroes themselves made. They relied on coincidence to pull them out of crises. As for him, he would create their crises first.
That night, he didn't follow anyone. He didn't plan. He didn't intervene.
He sat alone, reviewing the paths he had seen throughout the day. Names. Probabilities. Turning points. Some would die. Some would rise. And some… would be stripped before they even began.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Lin Chen felt certain.
Not because he had become strong.
But because he had become different.
In a world where everyone gambled on opportunity, he was the only one who knew when and where it would fall—
and the only one capable of nudging it aside slightly…
just enough to destroy an entire future.
He opened his eyes and stared into the darkness.
"Partial plunder is not enough."
His voice was calm, but the decision was final.
"If I want control…
I must begin by stealing the main paths."
And somewhere, without anyone noticing, the threads of luck in this world began to twist around a single name.
Lin Chen.
If you enjoyed this chapter, I'd really appreciate your support. It helps me stay consistent.