A flash of light blinded me. My senses were scrambled and the first thing I felt was something solid crunch under my feet. I was standing now, not sitting in front of a slot machine. It was cold.

Howling wind pierced my ears. I was standing in a clearing of snow. 

Congratulations! You've won the bet with the [System Shop] through [Gamble]! Your rewards have been calculated. For placing 6500 [Points] on the line and winning, the effective final value of your rewards are 20,000 [Points] after affected by circumstantial modifiers.

[Preference Reward]

Your preferences have been parsed and the following rewards are in accordance with those. This is a high-tier reward. The [ Preference Reward] is a reward in itself and takes up [Points].

[Lottery]

Have a chance to generate a loot box that contains one or more permanent random items. The possibilities of the generated items are endless. The rarity and value of the items are affected by [LUK]. The chance for failure is exceptionally large compared to success. This [Power] has a long cooldown period. Cooldown is affected by [WIS].

[Cheat]

The odds are skewed for you. The next chance-based effect used will be more favorable. This [Power] may be applied to anything involving random chance. The power of this effect is affected by [INT]. This [Power] has a long cooldown period. Cooldown is affected by [WIS].

[Buff Roll]

A random buff is generated and applied to yourself. There will always be a beneficial effect to a buff, however, beware of negative drawbacks. The power of this buff is affected by [INT], the favorability of this buff is affected by [LUK], the duration of this buff is affected by [WIS].

[Weapon Roll]

A random weapon is generated and equipped. The nature of this weapon is completely random and sometimes even useless in a given circumstance. The quality and rarity of this weapon are affected by [INT], the favorability of this weapon is affected by [LUK], the duration of this weapon is affected by [WIS].

[Armor Roll]

A random armor is generated and equipped. The nature of the armor is completely random and sometimes even useless in a given circumstance. The quality and rarity of the armor are affected by [INT], the favorability of this armor is affected by [LUK], the duration of the armor is affected by [WIS].

I stopped and stared at what I recognized were [Powers]. My heart raced, this is exactly the type of thing that I would've wanted. [Lottery] and [Cheat] immediately piqued my interest, I'd probably eventually use both at the same tiem. The theme worried me though, armor and weapons? That implied I was going to be in danger. And what was a buff?

My teeth chattered.

"And where the fuck am I?" I said into the wind, as my vision cleared. Snow fell around me, but the cold only just settled in. Every sound was muffled softly. I shivered.

The jacket I was wearing wasn't gonna cut it. Not here. I'm not sure exactly what happened or how I got here, but given that this [System] could stop time, I'll bet my shirt it's behind this. And given the circumstance, it wasn't a small bet I was making.

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"[Buff Roll]!" I called, feeling slightly stupid. I had no idea what a buff was, but it said it could only be beneficial. Power flowed through me, of chance and happenings, how I knew that I couldn't begin to guess or even attempt to before it coalesced into something.

Favorable Buff: [Heat of the Lizard]!

The heat of a fireblaze lizard runs through your blood. You generate heat equivalent to that of an adult fireblaze lizard. Your resistance to cold is increased. Effectiveness of Fire Magic is increased.

My shaky breath steadied, and I let out a smooth exhale, frost coming from my mouth. "So that's a buff then." I grinned, excited. The whole random nature made me smile, though, for some reason, I felt that it was something undesired in a [Power]. "And favorable too. I guess that's what's affected by [LUK]."

How was I even supposed to know how lucky I was? I shook my head and read the description.

"Heat of the Lizard, huh?" I held up my hand to stare at it for any changes but instead noticed the ground. The snow around me had melted. "Cool." I rubbed my chin. "Or should I say, warm?" I laughed.

"I should probably get moving then, figure out what the hell happened," I spoke to myself. I could barely feel the cold, but I knew it was there.

The trees were covered in snow, laden with frozen water. It was a winter wonderland, through and through. The heat emanating from me kept me warm but a shiver ran down my back anyways. If I didn't get lucky with that buff then I'd be in dire straits.

I needed to find a way to stay warm indefinitely before this buff ran out.

I walked for only a minute before the cold struck me again. And it struck hard. My teeth began to chatter in the seconds after. I was only wearing sneakers so my feet were already feeling frozen. I felt like I was turning blue. If I was to die like this that'd be pathetic. I wouldn't even be able to test out my stuff!

"[Buff Roll]!" I said through shaky teeth. The same power flowed through me, if I wasn't so cold I could focus on it.

Favorable Buff: [Lucky]!

You are lucky. Ladybugs, four-leaf clovers, rainbows, pigs, horseshoes, elephants and shooting stars. You're luckier than them all for the time being. [LUK] greatly increased.

I felt... just that, damn lucky. My heart jumped and immediately I knew what I had to do. The last buff only lasted a single minute so already I was on the clock.

"[Cheat]!" I said, focusing. Something pulled at the strings of happenings around me. I had no idea how I knew that o could even comprehend it. But I did. I was too cold to really get into it. My teeth almost shattered themselves with how hard they were clenching.

"[Lottery]" I called through frosty breath. This time the effect was something visible rather than a feeling inside me. I crossed my fingers hoping against all odds it didn't fail.

An ethereal shamrock green mist, nearly transparent, glittered into the form of a solid box. It was a nicely decorated thing, and it was a good size. I forgot the cold as my heart excitedly pumped.

Favorable Lottery Jackpot:

[Cloak of the Frozen Icicle]!

A cloak of the highest quality formed from the durable hide of an Alpha Icil Wolf. As creatures that brave the coldest environs, this heavy cloak protects against even blizzards. Its ability to be worn comfortably even in heat nods to the magical nature of the fur. Your resistance to cold is greatly increased. Affinity for Cold Magic greatly increased.

[Exquisite Long Ration]!

An unflattering block of tasty mystery food. When eaten this particular ration can sustain the body for up to a week.

I flipped open the lid of the loot box. Shivering, I wasted no time throwing the cloak around my cold shoulders. It settled on me heavily, like it belonged there. At the bottom of the loot box was the ration. I put it into my jacket pouch, it would do for now.

"Now that was probably the best outcome I could've hoped for." My teeth were still chattering. "Looks like the Lucky buff ran out. It served its purpose though.

I calmed myself forcibly. There were times in my life I had almost died, but never by freezing to death. The closest I've ever been to that was sitting by the AC. This... this was who knows where. "I'm alive by pure chance and I know it. I need to explore, that's the best I can do right now."

I began to walk, trying to find anything at all to orient myself towards. It wasn't until thirty minutes of walking that I realized why the ration was so extremely useful for me right now. Maybe even more than the cloak. Why it was possibly considered a jackpot in the lottery.

"How long am I going to be out here?"

Nothing answered me.

Suddenly, this wasn't a winter wonderland. The sun had slipped lower and the day was waning. It was getting dark and the snow no longer glittered. The trees weren't decorated with snow, they were pressed down by it. The pristine snow all around me... it wasn't beautiful anymore.

It was untouched, lonely, abandoned.