"Huff…"
Eden let out a deep sigh as he sank in the soft bed of his room.
The lingering feeling of adrenaline vanished as he felt more tired than ever.
He never expected that forming a contract with a dragon would be so… easy.
'Well, it worked out somehow.'
He thought, grabbing the pendant wrapped around his neck.
Seraph had already told him that she needed some rest.
With a soft exhale, he sat back up as he called. "Sana."
[Yes?]
"Where is my reward?"
[Just think of the Subspace.]
Eden nodded as he focused slightly, and a small portal opened in front of him.
Eden hesitantly put his hand inside it as he grabbed onto the first thing.
When he took out his hand, a glowing white orb was in it.
Eden stared at it for a while. "….Echo, huh?"
He put it back inside as he looked at the floating screen. "The Newbie Pack?"
[Touch me!]
'….Not the right word, but whatever.'
Eden tapped on the glowing screen, and a neat little icon labeled [Newbie Pack] shimmered before him.
The icon pulsed once before bursting into soft golden particles.
Five smaller orbs floated out, each labeled with faint text.
[Item 1: Beginner's Potion Set]
[Item 2: Weapon Orb]
[Item 3: Random Skill Orb]
[Item 4: System Assistant Upgrade Module]
[Item 5: 10,000 Gold]
Eeden observed the screen with a thoughtful expression. "Okay, that's actually… not bad."
[See? The goddesses aren't that stingy,] Sana said smugly.
"Yeah, but I nearly got frozen, blasted, and trampled before this," he replied flatly. "A little danger bonus would've been nice."
[You're still alive. That's your bonus.]
'.....'
Eden sighed and reached for the Random Skill Orb. It glowed faintly, vibrating in his hand.
[Do you wish to absorb the Skill Orb?]
"Yes."
The orb shattered into bright light, and text appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Frost Veil (D-Rank)]
[Description: Creates a thin layer of frost around the body, reducing physical and elemental damage by 10%. Can be layered with mana for stronger defense.]
Eden blinked. "Huh… that's actually useful."
[Looks like Seraph's influence boosted the compatibility,]
Sana said thoughtfully.
[That's a skill normally exclusive to Ice-type beings.]
"What's an Ice-type being?"
[Beings who mainly use frost and ice, like Frost-Orcs.]
'….Hm, that's new.'
Eden turned his attention to the Weapon Orb next. "Let's see what I can get here."
The orb shattered into bright light, and text appeared in front of him.
[You obtained: Frozen Fang Dagger (C-Rank)]
A short dagger appeared in his hand, the blade shimmering with blue frost.
Cold vapor curled from its edge.
"….I don't like fucking daggers," Eden mumbled. "They are the worst types of weapons."
He threw the weapon back in the Subspace as he planned to use it if absolutely necessary.
Eden gave a quick look at the Beginner's Potion Set but immediately lost interest when he couldn't understand most of it.
The system upgrade module was the same.
Putting those things aside, he looked at the glowing screen once again.
"Alright, how do I use the Wheel of Chance?"
[Before you use it, know that the more Echo you use, the higher the chances of getting better results.]
"I will use all fifty Echos."
Eden said, his voice firm.
[Really?]
"Yes," he nodded before he asked. "Wait, does flipping a coin increase luck as well?"
[It does, but—.]
Eden ignored her as he thought about the coin that appeared in his hand.
He flipped it in the air as he mumbled. "Heads."
The coin landed back on his palm, and Eden smiled when it landed on heads.
"Alright," he said excitedly. "Bring out the wheel."
A bright circle appeared in front of Eden, its rim glowing with golden light.
Symbols and items spun around it.
[Wheel of Chance (Fifty Echo Mode) Activated.]
The screen flickered as Sana's voice turned serious for once.
The wheel began to spin rapidly.
Bright streaks of light circled around like a storm, each item flashing faster until it was impossible to distinguish one from another.
The sound of chimes filled the room, echoing softly as the momentum slowed.
Eden leaned forward, holding his breath. "Come on, give me something good."
The wheel slowed… slower… slower… until it finally stopped.
A single golden light burst from the center.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique. Cataclysm (1%)]
The air shifted. A wave of pressure rolled out from the screen, making the curtains flutter.
Eden blinked, stunned. "Uh… what the hell?"
Eden felt like he had been scammed as he looked at the screen dumbfounded.
"I already have this technique for fuck's sake!"
[Not the complete one,] Sana replied flatly.
[It's a Cataclysm rank technique, but the one you learned barely passes Epic Rank.]
"Wait, what are the rankings again?" Eden asked, frowning deeply.
[Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Mythic, and Cataclysm. There are more, but you don't have enough Echos yet.]
Eden rubbed the back of his neck as he let out a sigh. "….I am too tired to argue."
Sighing, he quickly lay on his bed as he closed his eyes.
He still felt stiff in the new body, but apart from that, Eden was really exhausted.
'…I wonder how I would deal with Eden's family?'
He wondered, a distinct uncomfortable feeling lingering in his heart.
'I just hope they don't kill me.'
———
Knock! Knock!!
Two heavy knocks on the door pulled Eden out of his sleep.
Eden groggily opened his eyes to look at the door.
"Young master?"
A soft yet cold voice echoed from behind as Eden sat back up.
"I am coming in."
The voice continued, and without waiting for his response, opened the door.
'….Woah.'
Eden's mind turned blank as he looked at the young woman in a maid dress.
She was short, with small black hair that touched her shoulders.
She wore a vintage black and white maid dress along with a white tiara on her head.
The maid stepped into the room quietly.
She stopped beside the bed, looking down at him. "You are still alive?"
Eden tilted his head at her words. "…What?"
"The fever you had for almost a week," she spoke. "I thought you were a goner."
Eden blinked the sleep from his eyes, his mind still fuzzy. "Uh… I am fine now?"
"Good to hear," she spoke as she pulled him out. "Now, please move. I need to fix your bed."
Eden almost fell down as she pushed him aside.
'What type of fucking maid—.'
His thoughts halted as he remembered something from Eden's memories.
….The young boy liked when his personal maid used to yell at him.
And somewhere down the line, Lira picked it up, and that is the reason for her behavior.
'….Ah, fuck.'
Eden stood awkwardly at the side of the room, scratching his neck as the maid began fixing his bed.
"You really gave everyone a scare," she said finally, her back turned. "The mistress didn't sleep for three days."
Eden blinked. "She… didn't?"
She didn't respond as she turned towards the door. "Follow me, I have already prepared your bath."
Eden followed her out of the room, still half-asleep and dragging his feet.
The hallways were quiet, sunlight spilling through the long glass windows.
The whole place felt way too fancy for someone like him.
'Man… the real Eden was living a spoiled life.'
"You walk like an old man," she said suddenly, voice flat.
Eden frowned. "I just woke up."
"Excuses," she replied without missing a beat.
He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You're really not the comforting type, huh?"
"I'm a maid, not your therapist."
'She's got a mouth.'
They reached an open balcony as a faint sound caught Eden's attention.
He slowly came to a halt as he turned towards the sound.
Lira stopped as well, following him.
Eden looked from the balcony as he found a young man standing in the empty training ground.
His golden hair was cut short as he wore only pants, showing his toned upper body.
The young man swung a wooden sword tirelessly with the same precision.
Eden knew this young man very well from the memories.
'…Abel.'
The young man noticed Eden as well as he turned towards him.
He tightened the grip on his sword, threw his body back and—.
SWISH!!
Hurled the sword at him at an incredible speed.
Eden didn't even have time to react as the sword was close to his face.
Clang!!
A hand shot out, grabbing the sword from the tip.
Lira slowly put the sword down without any words.
Eden could see Abel's smirk even from afar.
'….Fucking asshole.'
Eden knew about him because he was his older brother….
…And Eden's biggest hater.