Reed sat on the sofa, staring at the ring in his palm.
The Void Ring looked… laughably normal. It Ain't got any gemstone or ancient runes on it's surface. It was just a plain silver band, almost like something you'd find in a cheap accessory shop.
Yet Reed knew better.
He had lived ten years in hell. And in hell, the most terrifying things were often the ones that looked harmless.
Elise floated above the coffee table, legs crossed, her tiny chin raised proudly as if she was the one who had stolen it, as she proudly proclaimed.
"Hmph, see? My system works."
Reed didn't even glance at her, pondering in his mind.
'But how i am supposed to awaken this thing??'
He slowly slipped the ring onto his finger.
The moment it touched his skin, something cold and unfamiliar surged through his arm, like ice-water flowing through his veins which made his pupils dilate to a terrifying degree.
The ring broke, calling apart as it slipped through his fingers, leaving him very much aggitated, but noticing the system's promt, he instantly calmed down.
『Ding! Successfully absorbed the Void ring, you gained the ability 'Void access'.』
『Void Access: It gives you access to an exclusive dimension, the Void, where Time and Space becomes inane.』
『You have successfully stolen the 'blessed one' Drake's Heaven's Artifact. Drake's luck value -300, Host's luck value +900.』
Reed blinked, various questions arising in his heart.
"…I absorbed it? But how??"
Elise clapped her hands in delight.
"It's my ability, or rather was, humph, it's called 'attune'."
___
『Name: Reed Muller(???)』
『Luck Value: 2890』
『Strength: Mortal++』
『Ability: Attune, Void Access.』
『Heaven's artifact: Heavenly tribunal primordial origin profound mystery... bla... bla... bla... apocalypse System.』
___
Reed leaned back into the sofa, his mind racing, asking a barrage of questions, which Elise calmly answered, even though she don't know sh*t herself.
It turns out, Elise's race is a very race, and she don't really know their ancestry. Her abilities was all she knows about.
About drake's luck value increasing his by three times, it's because his luck is of ten times more pure than an ordinary guy, it's just that the system wasn't able to effectively absorb the stolen luck value.
Reed's expression grew darker.
"…Ten times greater luck, huh?"
Elise nodded proudly.
"Of course, that is how fate works. Heaven gives its chosen ones the aid to rise!"
Reed chuckled softly, then said in a calm voice that carried an unnatural coldness.
"Then let's make sure that the aid shall not be theirs."
"…Reed, your smile is scary."
Elise intoned, which earned a playful chuckle from him.
Instead, he closed his eyes and murmured, as if talking to himself.
"Eighty-six days remain, for us to prepare, and for the world to cherish."
Then he opened his eyes again, correcting.
"No, eighty-five."
Because today had already been spent.
...
That night, Reed didn't sleep much.
His body was tired, but his mind was sharper than ever. He sat at his desk with his laptop open, while the room remained dim, lit only by the glow of the screen. On the table lay a notebook filled with rough handwriting.
Elise floated beside him, resting her cheek on her palm.
"You are planning too seriously."
Reed looked at her, saying, "If we gonna do it, we do it properly."
That shut her up.
Reed typed, brows furrowed.
First priority: supplies.
Second priority: weapons.
Third priority: base relocation.
In the apocalypse, the first few weeks would decide everything, for then came the wrath of nature.
Those who became ruthless early survived, those who hesitated became food, those who trusted the government became…
A painful lesson for others.
At first, Reed's plan was to buy a massive amount of supplies, all done in a disguise of a charitable company, to fool the people and cater to the higher-ups, easily minimizing exposure.
But now his plans changed slightly, while all will go accordingly, just that the storage problem wasn't a problem anymore, thanks to the 'Void Access'.
He stood up, putting on his jacket, as his calm voice resonated.
"Tomorrow, we start looting, legally."
Elise tilted her head, doubtful.
"Legally?"
"Until the appetizers aren't done."
...
The next morning.
Reed left early, before Suzie even woke up.
He didn't want to explain yet, not to have her stress about all that, and to go through the trouble of explaining how sh*ts gonna go down in a while.
If he told her about the apocalypse now, she would either laugh at him… or panic, and panic was contagious.
He drove to the nearest convenience shop first. He walked in like a businessman, professionally stating his terms to the chasier staff there, while giving him the list he had already prepared.
The list intoned a variety of things—Rice, Flour, Salt, Sugar, Instant noodles, Canned meat, vegetable oils, Snakes, Protein bars, Energy drinks, Soft drinks, Bottled water, Multivitamins, toilet paper, bandages, tissues and many more, and in huge quantities too.
"Umm, s-sir, i... can't make the decision for a deal this big, let me talk to the manager."
The chasier hesitating replied, with excitement all over his face.
Reed nodded, not caring much.
He quickly went to the manager's room, explaining to him everything.
The manager came out of his room with a big smile stuck to his face, shaking his hands with Reed.
They quickly proceeded the deal, as the order was huge, they needed three days to deliver. With the delivery point being the warehouses Reed had already prepared last night.
After he paid half the amount, he came out. Driving to another store to repeat the process.
By the third day, Reed had emptied half of the city's suppiles.
He didn't just buy food, He bought things people didn't value yet.
Batteries, power banks, solar chargers, camping stoves, lighters, medical kits, bandages, antibiotics, painkillers, disinfectant, alcohol wipes, water purification tablets, tools, axes, crowbars, sledgehammers, duct tapes, rope, nails, bolts, wires and whatnot. He bought anything, and everything.
Reed's purchases looked insane to anyone else, confusing all around.
But to him… hahaha.