Apocalypse: System of lotteries



"Ming crouched at the corner, watching Lavia change his occupation. This was the first time he had ever observed such a happening."

Before Ming's eyes, Lavia was transitioning into an Elemental Mage. Most Elemental Mages undergo physical transformations, and he wanted to bear witness. Lavia, eyes closed, was in the throes of this elemental change.

Ming didn't dare blink, observing him closely. He noticed Lavia's oily skin receding, the pores on her face narrowing. The long, curly hairs on his legs were shedding, and his skin was becoming delicate and soft.

"..."

Ming was taken aback. Ignoring the bearded face, looking only at the tender flesh of the small arms and legs, it was truly like a delicate young girl that could be shattered with a puff.

He looked up towards Lavia's face...  gods...his beard was falling out, his nostril hairs were gone, and those thick eyebrows... dropped... even the hair on his head was truly bald...

Ming crouched to one side, silently watching, thinking to himself that regardless of how powerful the job-changing talent was, this ability to shed hair all over the body was truly awe-inspiring.

At that moment, Lavia opened her eyes, noticing Ming staring at him. he looked somewhat startled, asking, "What's the matter? Have I changed somehow?"

"Your frogs simultaneously wriggle out of the pouch, their large eyes darting around... Foodie croaks excitedly, Da Vinci, did you hear that soft and sweet voice just now?"

"Da Vinci is excited. If I hadn't heard, could I come out? It looks around, not finding a woman, but the Lavia in front of it is somewhat startling. Who is this clean and handsome young man?"

"!!!"

"!!!"

Ming and Lavia are both surprised and staring wide-eyed.

"Holy..."

"Holy..."

The two of them simultaneously retreated where they sat, kicking up dust with their feet to maintain distance. They stared at each other, dumbfounded.

"Was that... my voice just now?"

"Did you just speak?"

The air grew quiet... the atmosphere filled with shock and embarrassment...

Ming was the first to break the silence. "What talent did you awaken?"

Lavia, looking vacant, spoke in a gentle voice, "Let me recover for a bit."

Ming used Eagle Eye to check:

[Lavia]

[Secondary Occupation: Water Elemental Mage]

[Talent: God-level Water Controller > Has achieved a terrifying level of control over water elements.]

[Talent: I Am Made Of Water > Literally, make your own interpretation.]

[...]

[Weakness: He is your brother. If you wish to kill him, it's not impossible. Strike when he's not paying attention, behead him with one slash...]

"~"

Ming was speechless, how could he possibly consider killing his own brother? Mostly, he was... envious of his god-level talent.

Sitting across from him, Lavia picked up a knife, using the gleaming blade as a mirror to look at his own face, on the verge of tears.

"Sigh~ I'm having some regrets~~"

Lavia was distraught. Following his words, two slender trails of tears streamed down his cheeks. They were crystal clear, hit the ground, and formed two lines of water.

"!!"

Ming was shocked. He understood the interpretation of the other's talent [I Am Made Of Water], which was not much different from Davie's secretion of sand and was not hard to understand.

Lavia, crying as he spoke, said, "Quick, get a bottle to catch these, don't waste the water~"

Whoosh!

Ming held an empty bottle in one hand, placing it in front of Lavia, the mouth of the bottle accurately aligned with the trail of tears. The water fell into the bottle without a single drop splashing out. He was genuinely impressed that, even in such distress, he was thinking about conserving water to earn money.

The reason they could become friends and brothers was true because of their similar qualities - both knew the value of cherishing things.

"My voice... I don't think I'm a man anymore~"

As Lavia spoke, the flow of tears continued.

Ming extended a hand, intending to pat Lavia's back. However, seeing his skin turning somewhat transparent, with each vein clearly visible, he feared he might damage him. Instead, he used words to comfort him, "It's alright~ In fact, I think a man with a sweet voice... can be quite charming~"

"..."

Lavia paused, and the stream of tears suddenly stopped. In the next instant, a torrent flowed, "Quick, get a larger container!"

Ming immediately began to search, emptying a basin full of dried meat onto the carpet, then placing it in front of Lavia, "Well, your water is quite clear~"

"~"

Lavia was taken aback, the flow of water becoming more rapid, "Bro, if you don't know how to comfort someone, you can say less~"

Ming grinned, "Alright, you keep crying, I'll go find a larger container."

"..."

Meanwhile, in the center of the small city, a building still stood amidst the ruins. From the outside, it looked less like a common residence and more like a temple.

Inside the building, large stone pillars, each several meters high, stood parallel on both sides. The pillars were carved with patterns and hieroglyphs, while the dome overhead displayed a painting that seemed to depict a deity.

The deity was tall and thin, with dark skin. His right hand held a scepter, the left hand spread forward. Key parts of his body were covered with golden armor, and his head resembled that of a jackal. Beneath his feet crouched a sphinx-like beast.

At this moment, hundreds of survivors had gathered in this temple. They were here to avoid the direct sunlight since the sudden lockdown of the warehouse had taken everyone by surprise. Up to this point, not a drop of water had been consumed for several hours.

As the temperature continued to rise, some people began to feel dizzy, and most people's lips started to crack from dehydration.

"Do we have a water Elementalist mage here?"

"Yes, who is a water Elementalist mage? Can you create some water?"

"Does anyone have water? Could you give some to my friend? He's dehydrating."

"At a time like this, even if there's water, it would be hidden. Who would share it?"

"But we won't take it for nothing. We can trade with goods we've found."

"You make it sound easy. For a water Elementalist mage to create water, it consumes mental and physical strength. With the warehouse unavailable, how do we replenish after such an expenditure? We still have to last two more days here!"

"..."

After the discussion, the crowd fell silent. Everyone made sense, but as the temperature was rising, the lack of water could lead to fatal dehydration!

At that moment, a burly black man suddenly attacked a woman, pressing her beneath him, a knife held against her throat in one hand. "Want to live? Then don't move~ you wretched harlot!"

Next, he groped inside the woman's blouse, retrieving a half-full bottle of water before backing away.

The woman screamed in anger, "You bastard! Give me back my water!"

The man dodged the woman's swinging knife and punched her, knocking her to the ground. He didn't pursue further but started to twist off the bottle cap instead.

Just as this was happening, several crossbow bolts whistled through the air. The black man hastily rolled to the side to dodge them, simultaneously yelling as spines grew from his back. He roared and charged in the direction the bolts had come from.

"Damn, it's a mutant!"

"Kill the mutant!"

"Kill!"

Suddenly, everyone targeted the black man. Swords were swung, axes were raised, and arrows were let loose. Some who failed to dodge in time were struck by arrows. Even though they were not critically injured, their defense values decreased, causing them to scream curses!

Boom!!!

At that moment, the ground trembled, the temple shook, and a four-legged figure stood growling at the temple entrance!!

The sound was thunderous, deafening. The chaotic crowd immediately froze, all eyes on the monster. The sight left everyone shocked and stunned on the spot.