"A treasure chest!" Ling Ye's eyes lit up instantly, a surge of excitement flooding his veins. This was it—the same chest he'd opened in his previous life. Back then, it had only yielded some food and a pitiful E-rank piece of gear. But this time? This time, things were different.
Now, he had Golden Legend. With that trait in play, the chest would be forced to reveal its rarest possible reward. Just imagining the possibilities made his pulse quicken.
Curiosity overriding all else, Ling Ye dismissed his earlier plan to return to Immortal City. He spurred his female centaur mount forward, racing toward the marked location with deliberate urgency.
When he arrived, there she was—Claria, standing gracefully beside an ancient, ornate chest. The succubus queen bent slightly, one elegant hand poised to lift the lid, her lips curved into a mischievous smirk.
"Stop right there," Ling Ye called sharply, sliding off his mount. "Leave that chest to me."
Claria froze mid-motion, red lips pursed in mock offense. "Oh, come now, my lord. My luck with treasure has always been exceptional. Surely you can trust me with this one?"
Ling Ye snorted, amusement tugging at his mouth. "Luck? Please. Even the luckiest gambler can't compete with my Golden Legend."
He strode forward with confidence, rubbing his hands together as if summoning divine intervention. "Alright, here we go. Buddha, Jade Emperor… bless this pull. Open sesame!"
With a soft creak, the chest unlocked, and a brilliant golden light burst forth, bathing the clearing in dazzling radiance.
Claria's confident grin faltered, her eyes widening. "Wait… is that… gold? Did you just—?"
Ling Ye smirked knowingly. "What else did you expect?" He reached inside and pulled out the contents, one by one, savoring every moment.
[You have opened a B-rank Treasure Chest.]
Rewards obtained:
S-rank Crop Seed – Star Dew Fruit ×1
S-rank Gear – Hundred-Feather Robe ×1
Time Scroll – 20 hours
Food ×2000 units
Ling Ye couldn't hold back a satisfied chuckle. Golden Legend truly was broken—beyond broken. No matter which chest he opened, it always handed him the best possible loot.
Claria was stunned into silence before rushing up to him, her enchanting eyes filled with awe. "My lord… how did you do that? I've never seen anyone pull S-rank loot from a mere B-rank chest."
Ling Ye's expression turned deliberately mysterious. "Let's just say the Goddess of Fortune owes me a favor or two. Do you believe that?"
Claria blinked at him, lips parting but no words coming out. Whether or not he had divine backing, one thing was clear: her seemingly weak and unassuming lord was far from ordinary.
[Claria is impressed by your mysterious methods. Favorability +5. Current favorability: 65.]
Ling Ye smirked inwardly. Heh, and it even boosts affection. Nice.
He turned his attention back to the spoils. Another S-rank seed, Star Dew Fruit, with a base yield of 20,000 units, just like the Ghost Pumpkin seeds he'd planted before. With both crops cultivated, Immortal City's food production would skyrocket, ensuring a constant surplus for his troops.
Then came the gear.
[S-rank – Hundred-Feather Robe]:
HP +5000 | Defense +350 | Magic Attack +600
Perfect for a magic user. He glanced sideways at Claria, her outfit as revealing as ever, her curves barely concealed under strips of dark leather. Though pleasing to his eye, it wasn't exactly… appropriate.
"Put this on," Ling Ye ordered, tossing the robe toward her. "Cover up a bit."
Claria caught it mid-air, tilting her head with a teasing smile. "Oh? My lord doesn't like how I look right now?"
Ling Ye's gaze swept over her, slow and deliberate, before he answered seriously, "I like it just fine. But you're my hero. That means you belong to me, and no one else gets to stare."
Something in his tone, firm and possessive, sent a flicker of warmth through Claria's chest.
[Claria is moved by your domineering declaration. Favorability +2. Current favorability: 67.]
She slipped into the robe, the soft white feathers cascading elegantly over her slender figure. Instantly, her aura shifted—less sultry temptress, more dignified queen. Ling Ye nodded in approval. "Much better."
By the time they were done looting, the island had been stripped bare of all resources. With Claria and their army of Centaurean Cavalry and Fire Elementals in tow, Ling Ye began the march back toward Immortal City. Several packs of stray monsters tried to intercept them along the way, but they were cut down effortlessly.
With every kill, experience points flowed into Ling Ye's body until—
[Level Up: You have reached Level 7. One Infinite Golden Trait extraction available.]
He didn't hesitate. "Extract."
The mechanical chime rang out in his mind.
[You have obtained the Infinite Golden Trait: Hidden Evolution.]
Effect: Unlocks hidden evolution paths for all troops and heroes under your command. Meeting the required conditions will trigger their transformation into far stronger forms.
Ling Ye froze mid-step, heart skipping a beat. "Holy hell… this thing is insane!"
Evolving units and heroes weren't unheard of, but only the rarest special troops and legendary heroes could do it naturally. The Hidden Evolution trait broke every rule, opening advanced evolutions for every single subordinate in his army.
He immediately opened the troop interface, scanning through the new evolution routes.
[Centaurean Cavalry] → Hidden Evolution: Tier 5 – Centaur Heavy Knights
Requirements: 5,000 Mana Crystals, 500 Refined Iron Ingots
[Fire Elemental] → Hidden Evolution: Tier 6 – Spirit of Eternal Flame
Requirements: 20,000 Mana Crystals, 1,000 Flame Essences
[Claria] → Hidden Evolution: Unique Tier – Goddess of Temptation
Requirements: 1,000,000 Succubus Hearts, 1,000 Hero Fragments, 1,000,000,000 Mana Crystals
Ling Ye's eyes widened further at the last one. Claria, already an SSS-rank powerhouse, could evolve into a unique-tier hero—something beyond the reach of almost any lord. But the cost… ten billion Mana Crystals and rare materials he couldn't even dream of acquiring right now.
For the time being, he set that thought aside. Centaur Heavy Knights and Eternal Flame Spirits were more attainable goals, provided he could track down refined iron and flame essence deposits. Thankfully, his past life knowledge wasn't entirely foggy; there were islands he vaguely remembered that could yield these materials.
As his mind churned with strategy, Claria approached, her graceful movements slicing through the dimming sunlight. "My lord, do we keep pushing forward?" she asked softly.
Ling Ye glanced westward. The sun was already sinking below the horizon, its last rays bleeding red across the ocean. Darkness would soon envelop the island. While his troops could fight at night, their vision would suffer, and exhaustion weighed on them after a full day of relentless battle.
He exhaled, decision made. "No. We head back and get some rest. We'll crush more of this place tomorrow."
With that, he rallied his forces, leading them back toward Immortal City, already plotting the next day's route to secure everything this new world had to offer.