As Rishi opens his [Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket], Alex braces for something legendary. With a LUK stat of 3—triple that of most players—Rishi surely has incredible odds for a high-tier prize.
Yet as the lid opens and Rishi peers inside, his eager smile vanishes. He retrieves the contents, looking vaguely disappointed. "Well, it’s… not bad, I suppose. Just a bit dull. I ended up with 5 Soul Crystals (Small)."
Tereza smirks. "Not sure if that’s great or just plain boring."
Alex considers this, then responds honestly, "For us, maybe it's not thrilling since we already got quite a few, but these Soul Crystals are hugely valuable long-term. I saw they go for around 15,000 FC here and should fetch even more outside the tutorial zone—maybe even 20,000 each. That's nearly 100,000 FC. Most purple-quality items wouldn’t sell for half that! The only downside is you’ll have to wait for the right buyer, but it’s a great stash to have. You can easily invest the earnings to gain even more once we leave the tutorial. I could actually use some so maybe sell a few to me later.”
Rishi sighs, nodding. “It’s great on paper, but I was hoping for something exciting. I’ll keep a few for you. Anyway, it’s your turn, Alex. Let’s see what you get."
With expectations in check, Alex approaches his own [Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket], hoping for something just as valuable and not too obscure. He opens it, but as he lifts the lid, a golden flash erupts from the chest, blinding him and Tereza with its intensity.
[Skillstone]
World: Fantasy Realm
Quality: Deep Gold
Type: Special
Effect: Increases skill slots by 1 - Can alternatively be exchanged for a [Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket].
Note: Cannot be traded. If a player receives this item twice, it will be immediately exchanged.
Note2: This is the jackpot and most valuable item of the [Gold-Rank Lottery Ticket]. The odds of obtaining this item are 1 in 10,000 - Congratulations!
Alex stares at it in disbelief, his eyes widening. "!!!" he shares the item details with his teammates.
Tereza practically jumps up, going wild, "Oh my god! That’s insane! Give it to me—I’ll give you anything in return!"
But Rishi immediately stops her. “It’s untradeable, Tereza! And besides, if he could, he’d hand it over to me.”
Without hesitation, Alex activates it, laughing with excitement. "I already have the perfect skill to learn, too!"
Rishi pauses, advising him, “It’s amazing, yes, but are you absolutely sure about using the skill you showed me earlier? You’ve got some strong abilities as it is. Those spells might not be all that much stronger, especially compared to your grenades and Ice Armor.”
Alex considers this but responds confidently, “You’re right in a way… but I have this strange instinct about the skill. I might regret it, but I feel like it’s ideal for me. And remember, it enhances Fire, Frost, and Thunder—all damage types I already benefit from. Plus, I respect a certain Knight a lot, and this skill reminds me of him. With it, maybe I can even pull off something similar to him. And watching you wield that Fire spell made me a bit envious, to be honest.”
Rishi gives a nod, slightly convinced. "Fair enough, then. With its high and strange requirements, it would’ve been tough to sell, anyway. Go for it. Odds are you’ll get nothing better than a purple skill for quite some time, especially something as powerful as that."
Alex, feeling his confidence rise, recalls the skillbook he has in mind and its unique effects:
[Skillbook: Black Magic (Fire-Blizzard-Thunder-Series)]
World: Final Fantasy 9
Quality: Purple
Effect: Teaches the spells "Fire," "Blizzard," and "Thunder." After learning this skill, upgrading it to lvl 5 grants access to "Fira," "Blizzara," and "Thundara." At lvl 10, you unlock "Firaga," "Blizzaga," and "Thundaga."
Note: Most black magic users must study for many years to learn the basic spell of a single school. With this manual, you instantly gain the knowledge to master all three basic schools of Black Magic in the world of Final Fantasy 9.
Note 2: The skill has higher requirements than a more focused skill of the same rank, as a strong spirit and body are needed to contain and master these conflicting elements.
[Black Magic (Fire-Blizzard-Thunder-Series)]
Quality: Purple
Requirements: 7 INT, 7 MNA +1 per level, 5 PHY, 5 SPR +1 every 2 levels.
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Requirements: Basic Concentration lvl 0, Basic Mana Control lvl 0 +1 per level
Requirements: Basic Endurance lvl 0, Basic Meditation lvl 0 +1 every 2 levels
Leveling Requirements: 2000 Fantasy Coins + 1000 per level
Effects: Learn "Fire," "Blizzard," and "Thunder" (Level 1), "Fira," "Blizzara," and "Thundara" (Level 5), "Firaga," "Blizzaga," and "Thundaga" (Level 10). Once learned, you can choose to target a specific enemy or use an area-of-effect version of each spell.
Effects: Increases the damage and effects of the aforementioned spells by 5% per level and boosts other fire, frost, or thunder spells by 1% per level.
Alex then announces, “I’ve made another decision.” He activates the [NFFA Recommendation], transforming it into a [Silver-Rank Lottery Ticket].
[Silver-Rank Lottery Ticket]
World: Fantasy Realm
Level: 4 (Due to the maximum allowed level of the world in which this ticket was obtained)
Quality: Deep Blue
Effect: Grants a random reward. Item is guaranteed to be of at least Light Blue Quality.
Note: Can’t be traded! - Disappears in 30 days after obtaining the item.
Rishi laughs, teasing him, “Already addicted to gambling, huh? Better stop while you’re ahead… although, with your luck, I’d probably do the same!”
Tereza just stares at Alex, her eyes showing a hint of jealousy.
Alex goes ahead and uses the [Silver-Rank Lottery Ticket]. While it doesn’t flash gold like last time, a bright purple glow reveals he’s received a high-quality item!
[Destiny Supporter Token]
World: Fantasy Realm
Quality: Purple
Effect: While carrying this item, there is a small chance that certain NPCs may decide to follow you into the Fantasy Realm and become your permanent followers after you finish a mission. You cannot control when this effect activates. This item only works on Purple-quality NPCs and below.
Note: May Destiny choose your next comrade. Non-tradable. Can only be used once.
Alex raises an eyebrow. “This one’s… unusual.”
Rishi, intrigued, examines the item’s description. “Interesting. I’d love to have something like this, but, as usual, the Realm’s made it non-tradable. They sure know how to make us earn our rewards. But think about it: for all the rarity of getting a Purple-ranked item, it could turn out more troublesome than useful. Since you can’t control who the follower is, it might end up with someone you don’t even like. Plus, we don’t know much about followers yet. How many can you have? Do they add real value? Could go either way.”
Tereza adds thoughtfully, “There’s also no telling how or when it might activate… it’s the kind of item you just hold onto and hope it kicks in.”
Alex, still pleased, grins, “I don’t mind items that start out seemingly limited but have potential to be game-changers. It’s how I felt about my conjuration skill. I started with zero skills, and now, with only two under my belt, I feel almost unstoppable!”
Tereza nods with a smile, “Better to aim for the stars and fall a bit short than to stay grounded and never try.”
Rishi says, “Well, now comes the boring part. We’ve got a lot of bloody chests to go through. Might as well get it over with. Most of these players were low-level, so it’s probably just trash or a bit of FC.”
Alex shakes his head, disagreeing, “You might be right about the low-level ones, but there’s something you’re not considering.”
Rishi raises an eyebrow with a knowing grin. “Oh, I’ve considered it. The chests from the last three we took out on the bridge should be a step up, as long as we didn’t hit the minimum—maybe closer to the max of 20%.”
“Alright, let’s get started!” Alex, Rishi, and Tereza take out chest after chest and begin opening them. Alex, going through his stack, reads off each result.
You received 300 FC
You received 200 FC
You received Healing Potion
You received Healing Potion
You received 200 FC
You received Solid Marine Saber
You received 700 FC
You received 1000 FC
You received Healing Potion
You received 300 FC
You received Healing Potion
Alex laughs, amused but a bit disappointed. “Man, these are terrible! Four generic Healing Potions, a bunch of loose FC… these low-level players were broke! Most of them didn’t even get to use their potions—how ironic. But at least those potions are worth 1,000 FC each, so not bad. And look at that, I even got my old friend back—the [Solid Marine Saber]!”
Finally, Alex eyes his last chest, the one he’s been saving: [Bloody Chest (Player 7)]. That guy had complained about burning through most of his items, but he also visited both the Naruto and Mario worlds. There’s a shot at something good here! He says a quick prayer and opens the chest, hoping his luck hasn’t run out yet.