Blessing.

'What in the world is happening? Where am I?' Confusion swirled in Mark's mind as his eyes flickered open.

'Shouldn't I be dead?' he wondered, recalling the inexplicable projectile that had struck him down. He gazed at the infinite expanse of white surrounding him.

'Is this heaven?' He couldn't remember performing enough good deeds to warrant such a destination. Before he could dwell on this, a screen, wreathed in dancing purple flames, materialized before him.

-[A God has witnessed your suffering and, in their mercy, granted you a reward.]

-[Reward is being distributed.]

-[Congratulations! You have received 100 Attribute Points.]

-[Congratulations on your reward!]

-[Beginning transportation to your new world.]

Mark stared, speechless, at the cascade of information. As the last words appeared, a powerful force seized him, his body dissolving into motes of light before vanishing completely.

-----

Within a magnificent palace, a conclave of gods was in session. Amethyst pillars, shimmering with divine energy, framed the scene as the assembled deities lounged on their grand thrones, gossiping like mortals.

"Did you hear? They say Ignis snatched another soul from Mortem's grasp to throw into one of his ridiculous game worlds," boomed a god whose beard resembled woven starlight.

A ripple of laughter echoed through the divine hall.

"Ignis apparently hasn't learned from the last time he plucked a squirrel soul from Mortem to create a super-intelligent squirrel civilization. The world ended up with an overabundance of… 'nuts'," another god chuckled, provoking another wave of amusement.

"Which soul did he take this time? A panda?" another deity quipped, roaring with laughter.

"Not quite. This time, it's a human soul. In fact, it's the very one that Truck-kun, disciple of the Death and Reincarnation God, trick-shotted not long ago," the first god replied.

"Oh," the assembled gods murmured, falling silent.

"I wonder what he's planning."

"It's certainly going to be interesting."

A sense of anticipation hung in the air.

-----

Mark opened his eyes after an indeterminate period of traversing the void. He wasn't sure if he was experiencing this as a body, a soul, or something else entirely. Blinding light assaulted his vision, causing him to wince and quickly shut his eyes. "That hurts," he muttered. The brightness felt like it was searing his retinas, and his entire body ached.

After a moment, he cautiously opened his eyes again, slowly adjusting to the light. He immediately surveyed his surroundings. "What the… where am I?" he thought, taking in the unfamiliar scene.

He lay on a bed in a simple room, the brick walls and furnishings suggesting an ancient, pre-modern era. His body was wrapped in bandages, explaining the pervasive soreness. He wondered where he was and whose body he now inhabited, as it certainly wasn't his own. Before any further questions could form, the familiar purple-flamed screen appeared once more.

-[Transportation complete.]

-[Welcome to Aetherium.]

-[Preparing your welcome bonus.]

Mark's attention snapped to the second line, ignoring the rest. "Aetherium? Isn't that the world from Emperor's Crucible?" he thought, a flicker of recognition sparking in his mind. Had he somehow been transported into a game world, and ironically, the very one he loathed the most?

-Ding!

-[Your welcome bonus is ready.]

-[Congratulations! You have received three mysterious packages. Please proceed to open them.]

The notification interrupted his thoughts. He frowned, realizing he needed to focus on his current predicament before anything else. "Status," he commanded.

-----

-[Status]

Name: Magnus Lancaster

Age: 18

Health:33% (Gravely Injured)

Title: (Weakling Son of Arthur Lancaster)

Level: 1

Trial Status: (0/10)

Magic Affinity: Locked

Mana: 1,000

[EVOLUTION POINTS: 10,000]

[Attributes]

Strength: 10

Agility: 12

Defence: 9

Charm: 14

Endurance: 2

Luck: 0

〔Attribute Points: 100〕

[Skills]

>General Skills:

None

>Combat Skills:

Unarmed Combat [Lv 1/10]:Basic hand-to-hand combat techniques. *Current Effect: Limited effectiveness. Relies primarily on brute strength and basic movements.*

>Magic Skills:

None (Locked until Essence Awakening)

Crafting Skills:

None

-----

Mark, now Magnus Lancaster, stared at the information displayed before him, a frown etched on his face. As a game programmer and an avid reader of web novels, he remained remarkably calm, recognizing the familiar tropes of a system interface. He carefully assessed his status, beginning to formulate a plan for his survival and, perhaps, his escape from this unfamiliar world.

Magnus didn't hesitate in his next course of action.

"System, if you can hear me, please allocate all my attribute points to Luck," he murmured.

-[Are you sure you want to allocate all 100 attribute points to Luck?]

"Yes."

-[100 attribute points successfully allocated to Luck. Current Luck points: 100. Remaining stat points: 0.]

-[Congratulations, host, on maximizing your Luck attribute!]

-[Processing reward…]

Magnus watched the screen with an unwavering, calm gaze. He'd taken a gamble, placing all his points into Luck instead of distributing them among his other attributes, but he had his reasons. As a game developer, he understood the often-overlooked importance of luck. While it wouldn't grant him overwhelming strength or impenetrable defense, luck was crucial in the long run. It could influence rewards, accelerate leveling, and indirectly contribute to faster growth.

He also considered the universal principle of luck: for someone to be lucky, another must be unlucky. In gambling, one person's win is another's loss. This principle, he reasoned, applied beyond gambling, extending to areas like combat. While luck might not offer direct protection, it could cause attacks to miss. It might not grant raw power, but it could influence circumstances to cripple opponents. Of course, it wasn't an all-powerful solution, but he believed the potential benefits were significant.

He hoped his gamble would pay off. His first test would be opening the three mysterious packages he'd received as a welcome bonus. With a thought, the three boxes materialized, floating before him.

"Let's see how this goes," Magnus sighed, tapping one of the boxes.

-Ding!

-[You have received Skill Book x4. Would you like to claim your reward?]

Magnus's breath hitched. Four skill books from the first package alone? That seemed incredibly fortunate. When he'd played Emperor's Crucible back on Earth, his welcome bonus had yielded a single useless weapon and nothing more. Investing in Luck appeared to be a sound decision.

He calmed his excitement, reminding himself to temper his expectations until he knew what skills he'd received.

Without further delay, he claimed his reward.

-[Rewards: SS-Rank 10x Reward Skill Book, SS-Rank Akashic Insight Skill Book, SS-Rank Synthesis Skill Book, SSS-Rank Summoning Skill Book.]

Magnus stared at the screen, dumbfounded. Three SS-Rank skill books and one SSS-Rank skill book, just as a beginner bonus? It seemed excessive. Back on Earth, the highest-ranked skill anyone had ever obtained legitimately was B-Rank. Of course, the game had later introduced a pay-to-win system, allowing players to purchase any skill they desired, provided they had the exorbitant funds required. Even then, acquiring an S-Rank skill was a monumental expense, let alone SS-Rank or SSS-Rank. If anyone knew about his windfall, they would curse their own luck.

"Learn all the skills!" Magnus shouted, overcome with excitement.

He immediately regretted his words.

The four skill books disintegrated into shimmering particles, converging on Magnus and flowing into his head. A searing pain erupted in his skull, as if multiple explosions were detonating within his mind. He gritted his teeth, struggling to endure the onslaught of information being imprinted onto his consciousness. The pain intensified, becoming unbearable.

Finally, he cried out, his body succumbing to the overwhelming assault as he lost consciousness.

At that moment, the door to the room creaked open. A beautiful woman with blue hair, short purple horns, striking purple eyes, and elongated ears rushed in, her gaze sweeping across the room.

"I thought I heard a noise," she muttered, her expression confused.

"Maybe it was just my imagination," she concluded, finding no apparent source of the disturbance. Her eyes then fell upon the heavily bandaged figure on the bed. A flicker of conflicting emotions crossed her face before she turned and quietly left the room.