Cold air clung to the frozen passengers like invisible frost. Suspended dust motes hung in the air, glowing under the harsh fluorescent lights of the subway car. On his left, a businessman was caught mid-sneeze, his face comically contorted in suspended animation. On his right, a young woman stared endlessly at a phone that had gone completely dark. Floating directly in front of Zohar, the semi-translucent blue screen pulsed with a soft hum. "Four hundred points," he muttered, his voice sounding flat and hollow in the dead silence of the subterranean tunnel. "Hey. Can you hear me?" Nothing changed on the display. Undeterred, Zohar stepped closer, narrowing his eyes at the glowing text. "If this is a system designed for a multi-world fusion, there has to be an administrative or guiding interface," he said, speaking clearly. "Is there an interactive support function?" A chime echoed inside his mind. "Affirmative," a neutral, genderless voice resonated directly in his skull. "Vocal recognition activated. The System Guidance Subroutine is now online for User Zohar." A cold smirk touched his lips. Most people, panicked and rushing to survive, would probably just mash their fingers against the screen. Asking questions was always the superior strategy. "Explain the skill tree structure," Zohar commanded softly. "Understood," the voice replied instantly. "The system utilizes seven main attributes: Strength, Constitution, Agility, Perception, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck. The first six attributes possess branching progression paths. Luck does not have branches." "Why does Luck have no branches?" Zohar asked, tilting his head. "Luck is a primal, unmappable force," the voice explained. "It cannot be categorized into logical branches because it operates outside the physical and metaphysical laws of the cosmos. It represents the probability of favorable outcomes across all actions." "How do the branches unlock for the other six?" he asked. "When a main attribute reaches twenty points, its first branch is unlocked. For example, reaching twenty points in Strength unlocks the branch 'Physical Power'." "Go on," Zohar urged. First branches must reach level thirty to unlock the subsequent specialized skills. For example, once 'Physical Power' reaches level thirty, both 'Melee Combat' and 'Heavy Weapons' become available simultaneously. "And after that?" Zohar pressed. "Each subsequent skill must reach at least level thirty to unlock the skills that follow it." Information flowed onto the screen, rearranging itself into a massive, glowing flow chart. Zohar scanned the lines quickly, committing the structure to memory. Starting Skill Tree: Strength -> Physical Power -> Melee Combat / Heavy Weapons Constitution -> Vitality -> Defense / Regeneration and Stamina Agility -> Speed and Reflexes -> Fast Combat / Light Weapons Perception -> Sensory Perception -> Energy Detection / Weak Point Detection Intelligence -> Arcane Understanding -> Magic Use / Magic Development Wisdom -> Spiritual Will -> Magic Control / Spirit Magic Luck -> No branches. "Are there any specific synergies I should know about?" Zohar asked, his eyes darting across the glowing nodes. "Yes," the system voice explained. "Agility and Perception form an important combination for ranged combat. Intelligence and Wisdom form the complementary foundation for developing and controlling magic." Zohar nodded slowly, absorbing the data. "Show me my current status," he commanded. A small window popped up on the left side of the main interface. Strength: 10 Constitution: 10 Agility: 10 Perception: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Luck: 1 "One," Zohar chuckled dryly, a bitter edge to his voice. "Of course my natural luck is a one." His entire life had been a series of cosmic jokes, a constant string of statistically improbable disasters. Once, he had won a rare local sweepstakes, only for the prize ticket to be eaten by a stray dog three seconds later. Another time, he had been struck by a localized bolt of lightning on a perfectly sunny day, surviving only to find his medical bills matched his exact savings. Fate loved to play with him, giving him a taste of hope before violently snatching it away. "Twenty points represents the limit of natural human capacity," Zohar murmured, recalling the system's earlier prompt. If he wanted to break the cycle, he had to take a massive gamble. "System," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous quiet. "Allocate ninety-nine points to Luck." A sharp chime sounded. His Luck attribute instantly jumped from 1 to 100. Deep down, a quiet, desperate part of him had always believed that if he could just control his fortunes, his life would finally belong to him. Now, he had made himself the luckiest man alive, at least on paper. "Next," Zohar muttered, eyeing his remaining three hundred and one points. He needed a solid baseline to survive whatever monsters were about to pour through the rifts. Raising his six main attributes from ten to twenty-five seemed like the smartest move. He used fifteen points on each. Fifteen multiplied by six was ninety points. With a soft chime, Strength, Constitution, Agility, Perception, Intelligence, and Wisdom all climbed to twenty-five. A sudden surge of heat rushed through his limbs. His spine aligned with painful precision, and his vision sharpened, allowing him to see the individual dust motes with microscopic clarity. Mental clarity washed over him, as if a heavy fog had been lifted from his brain. Every basic aspect of his mind and body was now comfortably beyond conventional human limits. "Now for the branches," Zohar said, clenching and unclenching his fists to test his new physical grip. He wanted to unlock his specialized paths immediately to ensure he could adapt to any threat. To do this, he needed to level up the first six branches to level thirty. He allocated thirty points to each. Thirty multiplied by six consumed exactly one hundred and eighty points. His stat screen updated: Strength: 25 Physical Power: 30 Constitution: 25 Vitality: 30 Agility: 25 Speed and Reflexes: 30 Perception: 25 Sensory Perception: 30 Intelligence: 25 Arcane Understanding: 30 Wisdom: 25 Spiritual Will: 30 "Perfect," Zohar muttered, reviewing the math. Out of his initial four hundred points, he had spent ninety-nine on Luck, ninety on his main attributes, and one hundred and eighty on his first branches. That left him with exactly thirty-one unused points. He decided to keep them in reserve. Having a secret stash of points could save his life when he inevitably needed to unlock an emergency skill. --- Taking a deep breath, he pressed the glowing "Confirm and Proceed" button. Glowing blue panels dissolved into a flurry of golden particles. Ornate wooden chests materialized in the air, floating side by side. "Three initial reward chests have been provided for every player," the system explained. "Do you wish to open them now?" "Open," Zohar ordered. Hovering closest to him, the first box burst open, revealing a mountain of glittering coins. "You have received ten thousand gold coins," the system announced. Zohar raised an eyebrow. "Is there a shop?" "Affirmative. The System Shop is accessible at any time outside of active combat," the voice replied. "Good to know," he murmured, turning his attention to the second box. "Open the second." Splitting open with a flash of orange light, the second chest revealed its prize. Awarded: [Special Spell: Blazing Flame] Rank C. Zohar smiled, thinking his massive investment in Luck was already paying off. An instant later, a harsh red lock symbol clamped down over the spell icon. "Warning," the system chimed. "Players cannot utilize skills, enchantments, tools, weapons, or potions that exceed their current Rank. All players begin at Rank E, Level zero. This item is locked." His smile vanished. Of course. His classic, twisted luck had returned, giving him a powerful weapon only to dangle it just out of reach. "If only there were a way to use it," he muttered through clenched teeth. Bracing himself for another disappointment, he tapped the third box. "Open." Blinding, prismatic light erupted from the final chest. Awarded: [Passive Advantage: Rule-Breaker] SS Rank. Zohar blinked, staring at the description that materialized before his eyes. "This passive ability allows the user to utilize skills, weapons, equipment, and tools up to three ranks higher than their current rank," the system explained. A slow, genuine grin spread across his face. Since everyone started at Rank E, his new passive allowed him to use items and skills up to Rank B. Shackles of the red lock on his [Blazing Flame] spell shattered into dust, leaving the icon glowing a vibrant, usable orange. "Unbelievable," he laughed softly. This was the ultimate loophole. He could now wield high-tier gear and magic without the grueling grind required to rank up, provided he could meet the resource costs like mana or health. --- Curiosity piqued, Zohar decided to explore the shop. "Open the System Shop," he commanded. Vibrant menus shifted, presenting a vast catalog of items divided into strict categories. As he browsed, he carefully noted the pricing structure. Transactions in the shop relied on only two currencies: silver and gold. Silver was the common currency. Basic necessities like food, survival supplies, and simple potions cost between one and five silver. Standard weapons and equipment ranged from ten to twenty silver. Advanced, specialized items cost between fifty and ninety silver. Gold was reserved for the truly valuable goods. Skills, powerful spells, and special items cost anywhere from one to fifty gold. Exceptional, high-tier items hovered around one hundred gold. Then, Zohar noticed the gacha elements. "Lucky Boxes," he read aloud. These boxes came in ranks: E, D, C, B, A, and S. Each box promised a random item, with only a small chance of yielding something matching the box's actual rank. Beneath them were the Supply Crates. Their prices were staggering, ranging from one thousand to ten thousand gold coins. Sitting at the peak of the shop was the ten-thousand-gold Rank S Supply Crate. Its contents were entirely randomized, offering a very slim chance of obtaining legendary Rank S items. "Ten thousand gold," Zohar whispered, glancing at his newly acquired fortune. He had exactly enough to buy the highest-tier crate. His finger hovered over the buy button. Desire to test his one hundred Luck points on the ultimate gamble surged through him. Before his finger could touch the glass, a flashing red warning banner covered the entire screen. *Time Remaining: 00:00:00* The timer reached zero, and immediately, time began to move again. The subway continued its journey for only a few seconds before the tracks disappeared beneath the train. A brutal crash shook the front cars, which derailed and plummeted into a vast cavern that hadn't been there just moments before. In the last cars, Zohar survived the impact, though his own car was violently tilted against one of the tunnel walls. Amid screams and twisting metal, Zohar looked up into the darkness of the newly appeared cavern. The Fusion had begun.

Chapter 2: A Golden Ticket