Chapter 9: And Here Comes the Lottery

After my finger touched the word "lottery" in the status, something happened. It felt like I pressed a button, and at that very moment, the button lit up like the sun with a bright color, revealing a list of various tickets before me.

There were a total of five lotteries displayed, while the rest were hidden behind question marks. When I was about to ask Ever a question, she spoke up first.

"Some cells are closed for the user due to the low lottery level," she said.

"So, that's why it was labeled as Level 1?" I asked.

"Yes, the current lottery level is 1. To increase the level, you must use the given lotteries frequently. The more you use them, the faster the level will rise," she replied.

"I see," I said thoughtfully, and then added, "Does the weekly lottery ticket count?"

"Yes, each ticket will be counted," she replied in a monotone voice.

"Alright then, let's use it. But before that," I said, "Do I have to use the ability immediately, or can I save it for later?"

"You can use it at any convenient time for you, but within 168 hours from the moment you receive the ability, otherwise it will be destroyed by the system," Ever explained.

"Okay. How do I use the lottery ticket?" I asked her.

"In the weekly lottery section. You will always have one free attempt per week. Additional attempts will cost 500 points," she said.

"Wait, so I can just buy this lottery?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, you can, but there are limitations on them," she replied to my outburst.

"Should I press here?" I asked, pointing my finger at the icon of the weekly lottery.

"Yes," came Ever's response as a box-like strip appeared before me.

I was thrilled by this captivating process. It felt as if a real gaming scene unfolded before me. Abilities I had never seen before flashed before my eyes, igniting a sense of excitement within me.

Observing this spectacle, I felt a desire awaken in me to win something mythical, even legendary. I could sense it as the colorful abilities, mesmerizing to the eyes, flew past me. They shimmered in white, gray, blue, yellow, red, violet, green, and golden hues. But for a moment, it seemed like I even caught a glimpse of a black-colored ability.

Time flew by unnoticed; perhaps a minute had passed when the scrolling speed finally slowed down. With each beat of my heart, fueled by adrenaline, the speed decelerated more and more. And then, after approximately 10 seconds, I obtained it. A completely black-colored ability. It was... Mine! My first ability!

I felt an immense happiness, as if I had won a ticket to a blissful life where I became immensely wealthy. Waves of joy and relief washed over me, sweeping away all my problems in an instant.

My jubilation from acquiring the ability might have lasted much longer if it weren't for Ever, who addressed me.

"Congratulations! You have obtained an 11th category ability called 'Thunderous Symphony.' Would you like to view the ability information?" she asked.

"YES! YES! Of course, yes!" I exclaimed, filled with even greater excitement.

After my words, an informational sheet appeared before me, designed in the same style as the lottery status.

Ability Name: Thunderous Symphony

Description: In a moment of inspiration, the character enlivens their inner power and creates an impressive thunderous symphony that deals devastating damage to enemies, the strength of which depends on their numbers.

Mechanics: Upon activating the ability, the character gathers energy in their hands, creating resonating vibrations around them. With each enemy in proximity, the energy intensifies and is then released as powerful sonic waves.

Damage: The damage inflicted by the ability increases proportionally to the number of enemies near the character. The more enemies there are, the stronger the thunderous symphony becomes, and the greater the damage it deals to each of them. Damage can be represented as a percentage of the enemy's maximum health or as a fixed numerical value.

Effects: Upon activating the ability, the character is surrounded by charges of energy, creating a beautiful glow and trembling waves around them. The energy is then released with tremendous force, accompanied by melodic thunderous sounds, creating a spectacular visual effect.

After reading the description of the ability, I felt like an anime character. I hope I won't resemble that yellow character associated with lightning, or I'll be overwhelmed with shame.

But even so, I was very happy. Not only was it an 11th category ability, but it was also so powerful. There's just one question. How many times will I be able to use it in an hour?

"You will be able to use the ability twice, if you manage to," Ever said.

"Only twice? That's so little..." I said, almost with tears in my eyes.

"Keep in mind that you can use this ability without depleting your own energy, so two times per hour is fair. Most abilities in the 11th category have a cooldown of several hours. You're lucky that the cooldown for this ability is only 30 minutes," she said.

"But..." I wanted to argue, but I decided it was right. Such a powerful ability shouldn't recharge quickly.

"Then another question. How do the damage conditions specified in the description work?" I asked.

"The damage depends on the number of enemies. The more enemies around you, the higher the percentage of damage inflicted. In the end, the damage can exceed even 100% of the enemy's health. However, if there's only one enemy, the damage will be fixed," she replied.

"I see. And what damage does the ability inflict?" I asked.

"The damage to a single target is equal to your mana. If there are multiple enemies, the damage will be equal to the sum of 30% of each enemy's maximum health within the ability's range," she answered.

"Can you explain how the damage is distributed? Will it affect everyone or only the last enemy?" I inquired.

"In the beginning, this ability accumulates within the character and then releases two lightning bolts. The first one marks the enemies, and the second one simultaneously deals damage to all enemies within the ability's area of effect," she replied, adding, "Would you like an example?"

"Of course, if you can," I responded.

"Let's suppose that within the range of your ability, there are 100 skeletons with 120 health points each. The damage would be 0.3 * 120 * 100 = 3600. Therefore, each skeleton would receive this damage and perish."