Kaelen's eyes locked onto the cash shop interface. The first offer glowed with tempting promise.
**`[Starter Pack]`** `(One-time Offer - 6 Credits)`
**`Contents:`** `[Iron Sword] x1, [Iron Armor] x1`
——
**`[Iron Sword]`** `(Common)`
**`Attack:`** `5-5`
**`[Iron Armor]`** `(Common)`
**`Defense:`** `3-3`
According to the limited official information, Ascendant's equipment tiers progressed from Common and Bronze up to Silver, Gold, Primal, and even mythical Soul-tier gear. Right now, every new player struggled with pathetic starter equipment - a flimsy [Novice's Cudgel] with 1-2 Attack and a threadbare [Novice's Robe] with 0-1 Defense. That made the Starter Pack's rewards incredibly appealing. In a race where every second counted, this early advantage could mean securing first kills and priceless rewards.
Kaelen's mouth went dry. This was the moment of truth. He focused on the Starter Pack and activated his trait.
**`> System Alert: You have used your trait [Miracle Engine] (Unique, SSS-Rank) and successfully claimed the [Starter Pack] reward!`**
**`> System Alert: You have obtained [Iron Sword] x1, [Iron Armor] x1!`**
It worked! The iron weapons materialized in his inventory. But his excitement quickly faded as he looked around - half the players in the village already sported the same gear.
"People are spending money already?" he muttered. "We don't even know if the game's any good."
"Six credits is practically free," a nearby player shrugged. "Why not take the advantage?"
Shaking his head, Kaelen turned his attention to the other reward tiers. The next levels offered Bronze gear for progressively larger amounts - 100 credits for bracers, 1,000 for greaves and helm, climbing all the way to 10,000 credits for a Bronze ring.
"The developers aren't even trying to hide their greed," Kaelen grumbled. Then he smiled. Good thing he had the ultimate loophole.
With focused intent, he claimed all four tiers simultaneously. Items clinked into his inventory as system alerts flashed before his eyes. He was about to finally start playing when new, previously hidden tiers unlocked with staggering price tags - 100,000 credits for Silver armor, half a million for a cosmetic outfit, a full million for a Silver weapon.
These were clearly meant for the whales - players who thought nothing of dropping real fortunes on games.
"Hey, big spender!" a voice boomed beside him.
Kaelen turned to see a portly man in an ornate blue robe that screamed real money. His nameplate read [Galeslice].
"Where'd you get that gear?" another player asked the wealthy man.
"Five hundred thousand credits," Galeslice said casually. "Nothing special."
The reaction was immediate. Players crowded around, showering him with attention while a few female characters moved closer, hoping to catch a wealthy patron.
"Please, I'm nobody special," Galeslice said, though his smug expression showed how much he enjoyed the attention.
Kaelen felt a wave of disgust. Without hesitation, he activated his trait three times in quick succession, claiming each of the high-tier rewards.
**`> System Alert: You have used your trait [Miracle Engine] (Unique, SSS-Rank) and successfully claimed the reward for [100,000 Credit Tier]!`**
**`> System Alert: You have used your trait [Miracle Engine] (Unique, SSS-Rank) and successfully claimed the reward for [500,000 Credit Tier]!`**
**`> System Alert: You have used your trait [Miracle Engine] (Unique, SSS-Rank) and successfully claimed the reward for [1,000,000 Credit Tier]!`**
A final message appeared, stating that further tiers were level-locked. Kaelen almost felt disappointed - he'd been curious how far the developers' greed extended.
Galeslice did a double-take as Kaelen's avatar suddenly appeared in the rare cosmetic outfit from the 500,000 credit tier. "Wait, you just got that outfit now? How much did you spend?"
Kaelen told the simple truth. "Nothing. I'm playing free."
Galeslice laughed derisively. "Impossible! That's the Azure Tempest outfit - it only comes from the half-million credit tier. No free player has that!"
Other players joined in the disbelief. "Yeah, right! You must have dropped serious cash!"
Kaelen just shrugged. "Call it beginner's luck."
Galeslice's eyes narrowed. "Fine, keep your secrets. But that outfit doesn't make you special - I have one too, remember?" He gestured to his own identical robes. "I could afford the million credit tier too if I wanted - the rewards just aren't worth it."
To emphasize his point, he summoned a glowing green spirit bird that fluttered around him - clearly another cash shop item.
**`[Forest Sprite]`** `(Temporary Familiar)`
**`Level:`** `1`
**`HP:`** `500`
**`Attack:`** `20-20`
**`Skill:`** `[Healing Light]`
"Lucky lottery tickets," Galeslice said with a mocking glance before strutting away.
Lottery tickets! Kaelen remembered the stack in his inventory from the top-up rewards. He used one immediately, and a magnificent prize wheel appeared with horrifying odds - 50% for trash D-Ranks, dwindling to a microscopic 0.0001% chance at SSS-Rank.
Then inspiration struck. If getting an SSS-Rank reward required winning the lottery... couldn't he just bypass that requirement too?
He focused his will and activated [Miracle Engine] on the wheel itself.
**`> SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: You have used your trait [Miracle Engine] (Unique, SSS-Rank) to ignore the lottery's probability restrictions! You have received a random SSS-Rank reward!`**
The remaining tickets turned into common items as the game recognized he'd already won the top prize.
Kaelen burst out laughing, drawing stares from nearby players. But their attention quickly shifted as the sky tore open.
A deafening roar shook the village as golden light flooded the sky. A dragon of impossible scale emerged from the void, its white-gold scales blazing like a sun. The sheer presence of the creature pressed down on everyone in the village.
Galeslice came rushing back, shoving through the crowd. "Did you win the lottery?" he demanded, his voice tight.
"Just got lucky," Kaelen said calmly.
The dragon's voice boomed across the world: **"Mortal Kaelen, your fortune marks you as worthy. You are charged with the care of my heir."**
A golden egg descended from the sky, coming to rest before Kaelen as system messages flooded his vision and world announcements trumpeted his achievement.
The village erupted in chaos - screams, curses, and cries of disbelief. A dragon egg! At level one!
Kaelen gave a formal bow. "This humble one thanks you, Elder. I will protect it with my life."
The dragon gave a dismissive snort and vanished. The moment it disappeared, Kaelen felt the weight of countless jealous stares. He quickly stored the priceless egg and hurried out of the village before anyone could think to stop him.