“H-Help!”
Just as Freya was feeling bewildered, a scream rang out from nearby. She looked over to see Victor hanging completely off the side of the ship, holding onto the railing with only one hand.
Fortunately, Victor had reacted quickly enough to grab the railing at the last second. He had also canceled his 【Luck Storage】 ability, letting his luck return to normal levels.
Then, he watched as a fish flew right past the hand he was holding the railing with, falling into the sea with a splash. He was nearly scared out of his wits. Why was there even a follow-up attack?
He was in the middle of the ocean on a fast-moving ship. If he accidentally fell in, it would be an absolute death sentence!
Hearing Victor's cries, Freya immediately rushed over to help. Even though she didn't know what had happened, a life was on the line. Other people nearby on the deck also gathered to help, and together they successfully pulled Victor back up.
Panting heavily, Victor said to everyone around him, “Thank you, everyone. That really scared the life out of me just now.”
Freya asked in bewilderment, “So what exactly happened? Why did you suddenly decide to jump overboard?”
Victor's mouth twitched slightly. How was he trying to jump overboard? Those fish were clearly trying to murder him! Furthermore, he finally understood. The moment he moved a certain distance away from Freya, his luck immediately reverted to its actual state, leading to that ridiculous barrage of flying fish.
After resting on the deck for a while, once the crowd had mostly dispersed, Victor carefully said to Freya, “Miss Freya... No, Boss, are you also an extraordinary of the Destiny Pathway? Rank Five? Or Rank Six? Are you on the 【Gambler】 pathway like me?”
It seemed this was the only explanation for why his ability had no effect on Freya. This was a classic case of high-rank suppression from the same class!
Granted, Victor still couldn't wrap his head around how Freya had become a Rank Five or even Rank Six extraordinary at such a young, seemingly underage age. He had spent ten years running around all over the place, only reaching Rank Four now in his thirties. The gap between them was simply too depressing!
But then Victor had another thought. It was also possible Freya was lying to him and wasn't underage at all. Since she was a high-rank extraordinary, it was perfectly reasonable for her to have some means of making herself look younger.
Regardless, a boss was a boss, not someone a nobody like him could mess with. Victor shifted directly from sitting on the deck to kneeling on both knees. Bowing his head, he said, “I am truly, deeply sorry!”
Victor's words left Freya completely bewildered. The sheer volume of information was quite overwhelming. After a moment of silence, she said, “So, you're an extraordinary of the Destiny Pathway? And your class advancement is called Gambler? What rank are you?”
“Rank Four,” Victor replied instantly without the slightest hesitation.
One couldn't really blame him for being so cowardly. For extraordinaries of the same pathway, those of higher ranks generally possessed incredibly strong suppression effects over those of lower ranks.
When two people had identical abilities, stats became the deciding factor, not to mention that high-rank extraordinaries possessed new abilities that low-rank ones didn't.
Victor carried a special revolver, which was an extraordinary item. Every time he fired it, one of six special effects would trigger at random. For example, it could multiply the bullet's power tenfold, or imbue the bullet with a property that made wounds difficult to heal. Of course, along with these positive traits came negative ones, such as jamming, or even... the revolver exploding on the spot.
Victor could say with absolute certainty that if he drew this gun and shot at Freya, even if he threw in all of his stored luck, the final outcome would most likely be the revolver exploding. How could he possibly fight?
But to Freya, the whole scene was utterly baffling. She had no idea Victor was an extraordinary, let alone why he was suddenly acting so subservient, repeatedly claiming to be a high-rank extraordinary of the Destiny Pathway.
Freya thought for a moment and said, “So, what's with the sudden apology? You didn't really do anything, did you?”
In fact, aside from looking rather disheveled during their first meeting, Freya's impression of him wasn't half bad after interacting with him for a bit.
Victor looked up slightly, stealing a cautious glance at Freya before whispering, “Well... it's just that, when we first met a few days ago, I used my ability to boost my luck slightly. I wanted to get close to you and wait for the sea breeze to blow up your skirt so I could catch a glimpse of what was underneath...”
Normally, if Freya really were a high-rank extraordinary of the same pathway, she would definitely have known Victor had activated his ability and wouldn't be asking this. But Victor figured this might be the boss testing his honesty. In any case, lying right now was definitely not an option.
After saying that, Victor hurriedly explained, “After all, you are just so cute and beautiful. It's only human nature, completely natural!”
However, Freya's expression turned into one of pure disgust. Her delicate brows furrowed as she looked down at Victor like he was a piece of trash. Honestly, with her posture and expression, she was only one step away from stepping on his head.
Victor felt his heart skip a beat. I'm doomed. I might actually die.
But... just as Victor had thought, while wanting to look under a girl's skirt was perverted, it wasn't a particularly grave sin. He didn't deserve to die for it.
Besides, Victor hadn't even succeeded. Since he was apologizing so sincerely, Freya sighed and decided not to press the issue. “I accept your apology. But regarding what you said about a high-rank extraordinary of the Destiny Pathway, I think you've misunderstood. I'm not even an extraordinary~”
Hearing the first half of Freya's response, Victor let out a sigh of relief. But by the second half, he froze. “Not an extraordinary... What do you mean?”
Freya said, “Exactly what it sounds like. I'm just an ordinary person.”
Victor couldn't help but complain, “Ordinary people don't even know about extraordinaries, okay!”
Freya replied, “True. But even though I know things ordinary people don't, I really am an ordinary person. That's the truth. Why did you think I was an extraordinary of the Destiny Pathway in the first place?”
Victor was tongue-tied for a moment, then asked in confusion, “Are you really an ordinary person? But your luck seems constant. My ability has absolutely no effect on you, and just by standing near you, my own luck gets influenced in reverse.”
“Just like the gambling earlier, I didn't cheat at all! It was because your luck was so good that I kept winning!”
Freya said, “Now that you mention it, my luck indeed is very good. But I don't know why either. Can you tell me more about it in detail?”
Extraordinaries of the Destiny Pathway were quite rare, especially a Rank Four. This was a good opportunity for Freya to learn more about her own “strange luck.”
“Well...” Although the situation was quite different from what he had imagined, Victor still held Freya in high regard. The two left the deck to find a more suitable place to talk.
Naturally, they went to Victor's room. Aside from the dining hall and casino, there were only guest cabins on the ship. Since Euphemia was currently resting, Freya obviously couldn't bring a strange guy back to her own room, so she followed Victor instead.
She was bold because of her strength. Judging by their brief conversation, Victor's ability seemed to have absolutely no effect on her. Besides, even if it did, he was only a Rank Four. If this guy tried anything funny, War Freya and Life Freya would appear out of thin air and toss him straight into the sea.
Victor's room was a standard cabin. It wasn't very spacious, containing only a single bed, a nightstand, and a small area to move around.
Still, it was much better than the lower-class cabins, which packed tightly crammed bunk beds into the same amount of space. Freya had caught a glimpse when she walked past earlier, and it felt less like a place for people to live and more like a cargo hold.
Not minding at all, Freya sat down directly on the bed and crossed her legs, her black-stocking-clad thighs overlapping. She said, “So... what exactly is going on?”
You certainly don't act like an ordinary person facing an extraordinary! Victor complained inwardly before beginning to explain seriously.
First, Victor explained his extraordinary abilities of Luck Storage and Bestow Misfortune, then briefly summarized what had happened in the casino and how he had almost died on the deck right after leaving.
Hearing this, Freya also fell into thought. “So, you mean this constant luck of mine is highly likely from the Destiny Pathway, specifically a high-rank ability of the Gambler class?”
Victor nodded. “Yes. So, if this isn't your own ability, then someone else must have cast it on you.”
Freya asked again, “Can you guess what rank it might be?”
“I don't think it's Rank Five. It's most likely Rank Six.” Victor paused slightly before adding, “Or... maybe even Rank Seven?”
Just as the transition from Rank Three to Rank Four was a massive leap—a transformation from a mortal to an extraordinary creature—the transition from Rank Six to Rank Seven was a transformation from an extraordinary creature to a demigod.
The gap between Rank Six and Rank Seven was even wider than that between Rank Three and Rank Four! If the person who placed this constant luck on Freya really was Rank Seven, that would be terrifying!
In an era where true gods did not appear, demigods were the most powerful existences in the world. They could establish new religions on their own and influence the future of great nations. This was no exaggeration.
It was worth noting that Rank Eight, which sat above Rank Seven, was the absolute pinnacle of extraordinary power in this world. All explored pathways peaked at Rank Eight potions and advancement rituals.
Freya's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Perhaps to others, being protected by a boss who was likely Rank Six or Seven would seem like an incredibly fortunate thing, but she didn't see it that way.
She had a system now—and a powerful one at that. Her future growth was a certainty; she had that much confidence. Therefore, this luck, a gift of unknown origin, was actually quite concerning.
There was no such thing as a free lunch. Perhaps some unknown price was hidden behind this luck.
Thinking back carefully, she had first noticed this luck when rolling dice with Euphemia, which was about half a month ago. However, that didn't mean she had only obtained it then; the actual time was likely much earlier.
Freya couldn't even be sure if she had had it since she transmigrated, or if it had been there even before that.
Following that, the room fell into a brief silence, until Victor broke the awkward atmosphere first. “Um, may I ask what your final destination is for this trip?”
Freya said, “The Fanipaca Empire. I have some business to take care of there.”
She wanted to pursue the Mind Pathway, and ultimately investigate the “Countless Blessings” and “Countless Resentments” on her. But now, it seemed she had another mystery to investigate: this “constant luck.”
Victor was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, before an excited expression spread across his face. “What a coincidence! My destination is also the Fanipaca Empire. May I travel with you?”
However, Freya gave him a suspicious look. After all, she was the one who had mentioned her destination first. Who knew if Victor was lying? Thus, she asked, “And what are you going to the Fanipaca Empire for?”
Victor said, “Actually, I'm a bounty hunter. I've been hired to find someone from the Mind Research Association. I have some business with them...”
Freya raised an eyebrow. “That really is a coincidence. I'm also looking for the Mind Research Association on this trip. But as I said, I'm not some boss, and this luck doesn't come from me. Why do you still want to follow me?”
Victor said, “No, no, no, you don't understand. The Destiny Pathway, especially the Gambler class advancement, is highly correlated with luck. Meeting you now is highly likely a choice of destiny, and following destiny can never go wrong!”
“Even in the worst-case scenario, the fastest way to digest the potion for a Gambler of the Destiny Pathway is to 【experience low-probability events】. And being around you, the chances of experiencing such events are definitely not small.”
Freya said, “To put it simply, you just want to leech off my luck, right?”
......
Rate on N.U.
