"Yes, you can choose, Evan... but listen," One said solemnly, "don't ever try to find that girl. It'll only bring you trouble. This is our final chance."
He stepped aside, revealing the array of treasures for Evan to examine.
"Alright then, let's see the real deal," Evan said, cracking his neck in a show of confidence—though he didn't actually know how to do it properly.
"Look here, Evan," One said as he pointed toward the items. "You obtained hundreds of things from his body... but did you know he didn't completely die?"
Evan blinked, confused."Huh? What do you mean he didn't die that day? Oh... you mean he's back now? Since we traveled to the past, he'll return again in the future?"
"Exactly. But it's more than that. Even when you killed him, he didn't truly die. All the candidates have their soul wisps bound to something called the Universal Revival Tower or something similar. It lets them revive... infinitely."
Evan's eyes widened."...So, wait—we can't kill them? That's way too overpowered!" he protested, anxiety creeping in.
"No, no," One said quickly. "Our master told us their revival count depends on their ranking. The more they die, the more they lose—power, items, reputation. Eventually, they drop in rank and get wiped out."
"...Still sounds like fighting immortal cockroaches to me," Evan muttered.
"Yeah," Grim chuckled. "But cockroaches with divine armor and nukes."
Despite himself, Evan laughed.
"Alright, listen up now, Evan. I'm going to explain everything you wanted to know," One said, signaling for his full attention. Evan nodded, eager yet overwhelmed.
"Here's what your loot includes:Talents, Skills, Abilities, Pills, Techniques, Titles, Traits, Classes, Subclasses, Items, and even more weird stuff."
He raised a hand and began listing:
Talents include:Plunder, Supreme Adaptation, Infinite Evolution, Swordmanship, Marital war god…
Skills:Cosmic Stride, Thunder Retribution, Black Nova, Ice field, Grand Death Magic…
Abilities:Eclipse Strike, Elemental Forge, Devour, Blaze Manipulation, Void Manipulation…
Classes:Death Knight, Blaze Lord, Saint Archer, Death Lancer, Life Priest, Darkness King, Flame Lancer, Warlord, Dark Magus, Necro Knight, Priest, Saint Knight, and all elemental mages…
Subclasses:Blacksmith, Herbalist, Cook, Trainer…
Miscellaneous:Recovery potions, purification elixirs, cultural artifacts, monster eggs—things even we haven't fully catalogued.
Evan stood there, absolutely stunned.
"...Wait. That's everything that guy had?"
"Only about thirty-five to forty percent of it," One replied casually.
Evan's mouth went dry."...That's absurd. It's like a cheat compilation."
"Now then," One smiled. "What have you decided to pick?"
Evan took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
He walked over and began the selection process. Fifteen minutes later, he was done.
"So, you've chosen these five talents?" One confirmed.
Evan nodded.
"Let's start with the first:
Evan grasped the orb. As before, it vanished into his chest, absorbed.
"How do you feel?" One asked.
"...Like something massive just crammed itself into me," Evan said. "Way too big for my body, and yet—I'm not even half full."
"Good," One said. He gestured to Grim. "Next."
Grim brought forth another orb.
"Talent two:
Evan absorbed it. The orb shimmered, then vanished inside him.
"Status?"
"I'm fine."
"Next—
And it did.
Evan winced, his face twisting as pain flared through his body. But he held on, enduring the storm until it passed.
"Limit surfacing?" One asked.
Evan shook his head. "No, just... the usual body-breaking pain."
"Alright then, next—
This time, the orb integrated smoothly. But Evan was starting to feel the strain. The feeling of being "full" was halfway there.
"Okay... last talent. Be ready. This one might actually be your last."
A golden orb floated forward, radiating divine light. It was hard to even look at it.
"Talent five:
Evan nodded and reached out.
The moment he touched it, the world seemed to change.
Pain exploded in his chest, intensifying every second. He bent over, golden light pouring out of his torso.
Above him—two enormous golden eyes appeared in the void, gazing down upon him.
Everyone froze. The divine pressure was unbearable. Even One, ready to intervene, couldn't move.
Just as they were about to collapse, the eyes vanished. The pressure faded.
Evan gasped, panting heavily.
"Evan! You alright?" Soul rushed to help him.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine now. Just felt like something crushed my soul... and then lifted it," Evan replied weakly.
"Can you still feel the talents you absorbed?" One asked.
Evan closed his eyes and focused.
"...Yes. I can feel all five."
One exhaled in relief.
"I believe that was the real Goddess of Luck checking whether you were worthy. Since you still have the talent, you must've passed."
"Hah... great," Evan muttered. "She really stomped on me like a million-ton elephant, though."
"Can you still take more?" One asked carefully.
"...Maybe two. Three tops."
"Alright, let's move on to some supplementary items," One said, turning to select six other tools that might help Evan ascend faster—though they wouldn't integrate quite as easily.
What awaits Evan now?Has he reached his true limit, or will he risk pushing further?Stay tuned for the next chapter!