Chapter 345: New Skill
In his heart, Zane vaguely felt that this system might be on the same level as the OAA, the supreme entity of the Marvel universe—or perhaps even beyond it.
After all, before exhausting his last ounce of strength, Arishem had once told Zane, "You have something foreign within you."
Just as the Destruction Celestial had previously warned Zane, Zane knew that Arishem's mention of "something foreign" referred to his system.
Zane wasn't sure whether Arishem's final words were meant as "friendly advice."
But in the original work, there was indeed a race that had held "foreign objects." Arishem had also mistaken Zane for a member of this race.
This race was known as the "Beyonders," creators of the "Beyonder" entity.
The "Beyonders" had hardly intervened in the Marvel universe, and it was said they were beings from a "realm beyond" the entire Marvel universe.
So, even Arishem, the cosmic judge of the Celestials, knew very little about them.
He only knew that this race's creation, the "Beyonder," had once infuriated his lord, the Living Tribunal, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Because later, through undeniable achievements, the "Beyonder" proved itself as a terrifying existence in Marvel, second only to the OAA and above all other gods.
Of course, this power ranking did not include those who had never taken direct action…
After all, even the simplest creation from them could upend the Marvel universe, let alone if they intervened directly.
However, since they almost never crossed into Marvel's affairs, it was likely that the OAA was still far more powerful.
But, after Arishem's reminder, Zane himself couldn't help but wonder if his system might really be related to them.
The similarities between the two were striking, making him question the connection between them.
One thing Zane could confirm, however, was that he knew no one here knows about him being a transmigrator.
'If I get the chance, I must find someone or something connected to this and get to the bottom of it.'
Zane silently vowed in his heart. He had always hoped to return to his original world, even if only for one last look, to formally say goodbye.
"But right now, the most important thing is to check my rewards."
Besides a divine spark with impurities, Zane decided to leave it along with the Destruction Celestial's spark untouched. He had a feeling these two would be useful in the future.
Then, Zane began carefully sensing how much his strength had grown since his battle with Arishem.
In that final clash with Arishem, Zane had also expended a significant amount;
Due to the union of his soul and body his last soul attack cost him 80% of his divine realm's faith power.
Combined with the depletion caused by the "Judgment Formula," there was now little faith power left in his divine realm.
This was likely why, despite being on the verge of breaking through to the mid-level of the seventh dimension, he hadn't yet crossed over.
This also indicated that advancing at the seventh dimension level was no longer as quick as before; the required energy was too massive.
Fortunately, after this battle, the number of souls his "Divine Realm" absorbed had expanded to an unimaginable extent.
Most importantly, there was the system's reward, as this time it was a random reward with an SS-level cap.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the first stage task. You may now claim a lottery draw opportunity…]
As expected, the system's voice echoed in Zane's mind.
The Mirror Dimension—after the fall of its original master, the Celestial Judge Arishem—was still as vast as ever.
Zane stood inside it, gazing at the endless expanse around him and listening to the faint buzzing of chaotic temporal currents in the background.
He thought to himself that this was probably a true "pocket dimension," far larger in area than his "Divine Realm" by who knows how many times.
It just felt rather empty and monotonous, likely a reflection of Arishem's masochistic personality.
Looking at what Arishem had described as a self-sealed world, Zane recalled the golden "Judgment Tome" that had transformed into the formula in Arishem's hands.
If this "Judgment Tome" was truly, as Arishem claimed, "a gift from the Living Tribunal"—a sacred artifact of the universe
then finding and claiming it would be Zane's greatest reward from this battle.
He was confident that with "King's Treasury," a supreme artifact capable of storing the wisdom of an entire world, he could tame the "Judgment Tome" as well.
If not, he could always toss it into the "Magic Furnace" and let it be destroyed—it wouldn't be a bad solution.
After all, a confrontation with the Living Tribunal was inevitable.
So if this artifact couldn't be used, Zane wouldn't hesitate to destroy it.
With this thought, he immediately began searching the space around him but found nothing.
At that moment, the system's voice suddenly rang in Zane's mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You've successfully completed the first-stage task.]
[You have gained a skill lottery draw, allowing you to randomly receive a skill ranging from B to SS level.]
[Would you like to use it now?]
"Hm? Why is it a random A to SS level skill?"
Zane asked the system. Based on his previous experience, this time he had faced Arishem head-on and defeated him—surely his completion rate was 100 percent.
He should have at least earned an S-level skill draw.
Including A-level skills in the range would be a serious letdown for Zane.
It felt like he had fought hard to build his empire, only to be betrayed by those closest to him.
[Host, this time, two tasks were merged.]
[So the final completion rate can only be determined after the last task stage is finished.]
[Since one stage is complete, the system is issuing a reward immediately.]
[Of course, host, you may also choose to forfeit this draw opportunity.]
The system's voice echoed coldly in Zane's ears, devoid of any emotion.
"System, proceed with the draw."
Zane knew he couldn't argue with this emotionless system, and since he already had a draw opportunity, it was better than nothing.
After all, after his battle with Arishem, Zane didn't have much else to show for it.
He could only hope for some good luck with this draw.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You successfully drew an A-level skill: 'Devil Fruit Ability - Glint-Glint Fruit!]
[ [Devil Fruit Ability - Glint-Glint Fruit] originating from the world of One Piece, is one of the Logia-type Devil Fruit abilities. The possessor gains light-based attributes.]
[The power of this ability increases as the user develops it.]
With that, the system's voice faded, and a beam of light suddenly shot into Zane's head.
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