Fate was so elusive, granting a bit of hardship, only to offer a turning point, then just as quickly, plunging one into an abyss.

Who could grasp life and death?

If you couldn't afford to play, don't easily confront it.

Nie Yan calmed himself, reaching out to touch the fate dice, unsure of what lay ahead—great surprise or endless regret. He would never know until the dice rendered its judgment.

The spinning fate dice whirred like a flywheel, beckoning toward an unknowable destiny.

Watching the dice dance, beads of cold sweat formed on Nie Yan's forehead. "Please, not a curse!"

"Stop!" Nie Yan felt as though his heart had been punched.

The fate dice ground to a halt, stopping abruptly on the flamboyant number five. Again, five. Perhaps five was his lucky number.

Nie Yan was enveloped in overwhelming joy. Anything but a curse was fine by him; he hadn't even considered what the reward might be.

After all, three fate dice rolls were beyond the means of ordinary people. This extremely dangerous game had placed immense pressure on Nie Yan's heart.

System: You have obtained Pandora's Box.

Pandora's Box (??): Fate Item.

Another fate item. Nie Yan was starting to crack under the strain of these fate items. If he got another fate dice item like the Cursed Skull, he'd rather it just disappear. Each time he activated the fate dice, he didn't want to play this terrifying game ever again.

Once was enough. He had no regrets.

Pandora's Box was a square, silver-grey box, with a different image engraved on each side: an evil skull, a hideous demon, a winged angel, and so on. Each image was incredibly detailed and lifelike.

They pulsed with an eerie magic.

Nie Yan examined Pandora's Box. Thankfully, it wasn't a fate dice item like the Cursed Skull, but a treasure.

Pandora's Box (??): Fate Item.

Item Description: Place three items of the same grade into Pandora's Box for a 10% chance of receiving a higher-grade item. If it fails, all items will disappear. If you place one item and a Lucky Gem into Pandora's Box, there is a chance to increase the item's grade by one level. If it fails, the item's grade will decrease by one level.

When the time (in rounds of three seconds) is even, Luck +5. When the time is odd, Misfortune +5.

Usable by: Any faction.

This was a rare find. Nie Yan had heard of it before but never seen one. It certainly lived up to its name as a legendary item. For example, if Nie Yan placed three gold-grade pieces of equipment into Pandora's Box, he had a 10% chance of creating a dark gold piece of equipment. Of course, there was also a 90% chance of failure. If he put in three dark gold pieces, he might even get a legendary item. But few dared to try it with three dark gold pieces, as they were incredibly expensive.

As for the second function, Lucky Gems were used by jewelers to increase the success rate of socketing gems into equipment. They could also be used to increase the grade of items. They were very expensive—currently about five silver coins each on the market. They were rare and few could afford them.

As for Luck and Misfortune values, they had a great impact, influencing drop rates, the success rate of crafting items, and the probability of all other random events. +5 was a huge boost; an increase of five Luck could increase a player's drop rate by 200% and the success rate of crafting items by 20%. But with +5 Misfortune, you would basically accomplish nothing.

This item cut your time into two equal halves, one blessed with good fortune, the other plagued by bad luck.

Nie Yan pondered briefly. This might not be a bad thing. He could try to ensure that probabilistic events occurred during even-numbered seconds. Although three seconds was fleeting, he could seize those three seconds.

Happiness had come so suddenly. He didn't yet know the grade of Pandora's Box. He'd study it later. Nie Yan put Pandora's Box into his bag. Obtaining it made the trip worthwhile.

With his heart racing, Nie Yan further appreciated the mysteries of fate.

Once the fate dice had finished, time resumed its course. The motionless skeletons in the distance stirred once more, gathering around Nie Yan.

When time had stopped within a twenty-yard radius, many skeletons had approached and halted at the edge of that area. He could see a dense, endless mass of skeletons.

"So many skeletons!" Nie Yan didn't dare linger and fled, leaping onto the city wall.

The wall-covered Sote Ancient City was a vast maze. Nie Yan didn't know where he was. He only relied on his sense of direction and the massive pyramid in the center of the ancient city, heading toward the center.

The magnificent pyramid in the distance served as a signpost, assuring Nie Yan that he wasn't lost.

The skeletons relentlessly pursued him. The magic of the skeleton mages rained down like a storm.

Nie Yan leaped, scrambling up a wall and sprinting along the stone.

Magic struck the stone wall with popping sounds, sending up sprays of plaster.

-21, -27, -25…

Damage values floated above Nie Yan's head. There were too many skeleton mages below. His health quickly dropped below 30%.

Nie Yan drank a health potion and jumped down from the wall.

He landed lightly and sprinted away, leaving the skeletons far behind. He ran into an increasingly remote area, farther and farther from the central pyramid. But he had no choice; he had to evade the skeletons first.

He entered a relatively open area—a plaza. In the distance was a ruined building, covering a vast area. It had collapsed into rubble, but from its remaining outline, one could imagine its former grandeur.

System: You have discovered the Sote Arena.

So this was the arena. He hadn't been here in his previous life. Nie Yan circled the ruins, searching for direction.

Running across the plaza, Nie Yan suddenly felt his feet lose purchase. His heart leaped—a trap! Below was a deep pit. He hadn't noticed it and stepped right into it.

Nie Yan lunged forward, trying to avoid falling into the pit, but realized it was too large, spanning over ten yards. There was no way he could jump out.

Nie Yan fell, plummeting downwards.

Not knowing how deep the pit was, he prepared the skill on his Feather Fall Gem. If the pit was too deep, he'd have to use Feather Fall to avoid dying.

With a thud, Nie Yan landed on his feet. A damage value of -26 floated above his head. The height was manageable, only about ten yards.