Pov: Vik
Still unsure, I asked Louriel if Gullnor could be revived again. She explained that Gullnor's soul has already entered the cycle of reincarnation. Otherwise, she would have tried to bring him back as an undead, but even she can't do that.
Then she pulled out a ball, which I instantly recognized as a Heavenly bead. She said it was now hers. Since we had already discussed killing Lin Chen and taking his luck, she mentioned that she had taken her share, and now it was my turn to take mine.
I was impressed by her honesty, but I didn't know how to extract or absorb luck. She then produced a ball of golden light. She explained that it contained the remaining luck and legacy of Gullnor, which was meant for me. I asked her how to absorb it. She told me that my position as the Chosen one would naturally attract this luck, which was trying to blend back into nature. By bringing it into my hands, it could find a new host. I just needed to establish a connection with it.
Following her guidance, I started to absorb the luck, aiming for a new type of power. At first, it felt as if I were trying to absorb something solid like rock. But soon, as if recognizing me as the Chosen one, the luck became as fluid as air and slowly entered my body.
The feeling was incredible. If I had to describe it, it felt like soaking in a hot spring after suffering in the freezing mountains. I couldn't help but let out a moan of pleasure.
Once I absorbed all of it, I opened my eyes. Louriel was smiling at me and remarked, "I didn't expect you to moan from pleasure over just this amount of luck."
I didn't respond but instead looked at my hands. I didn't feel any new strength, but I felt a strange confidence. I now believed I could do anything, and my hesitation had almost vanished. It felt like getting a new life with a sense of mental peace.
I asked Louriel about this feeling, and she explained, "Vik, luck is not just a power-up. It's more than that. After gaining Gullnor's luck, who was a level 2 Chosen one, you may not have reached level 2, but you are almost at the peak of level 1 in terms of luck."
Louriel continued, "Luck can influence more than you can imagine. While you didn't gain any power-up, you will find many opportunities and treasures just by being around with this luck."
I nodded at her explanation; I already knew that. However, I still did not understand the rules of being a Chosen one, so I asked her about it.
Louriel smiled and said, "Vik, you know a lot about Chosen ones, as your system has informed you. But there are some hidden truths you still need to learn."
"First, the most important rule: Chosen ones cannot kill each other."
"This rule does not apply to you, as you are somehow an error in the system, an anomaly in the matrix."
"I know this sounds strange since you saw Lin Chen die, but Lin Chen was an artificially created Chosen one and was not killed by Gullnor."
Knowing about Lin Chen, I asked her, "Yes, I know Gullnor didn't kill Lin Chen, but how could Lin Yang, his destined person, kill him?"
She pointed a finger and said, "No, Vik, you're mistaken. Even if Lin Chen was artificially created, Lin Yang still couldn't kill him. In the worst-case scenario, he could have died in an accident or committed suicide."
Confused by her words, I asked, "Then how did Lin Chen die?"
Louriel responded, "Your disciple, Lu Xiaoran, killed him, and that brings us to our next rule."
"While you were away, your disciple Lu Xiaoran took Lin Chen to your mansion in the city for treatment. He tried to rescue and help him."
I nodded but still found it hard to believe that Lu Xiaoran had killed Lin Chen. Lu Xiaoran had issues with him, but he wouldn't kill him while he was unconscious; that wouldn't feed his ego. Still, I listened to her and planned to confirm everything upon my return.
Louriel explained, "Lin Chen became deeply disheartened by the betrayal of Lin Yang and the Lin family. He wanted the complete destruction of the Lin family and their plans, so he did something outrageous. He asked Lu Xiaoran to kill him, thus dying at Lu Xiaoran's hand."
"You know that Lu Xiaoran is a destined villain of Lin Chen. So, what happens when a destined villain kills a Chosen one?"
"In most cases, that's impossible; and even if it happens, the Chosen one is reincarnated or revived by something. But here, Lin Chen died by his own choice, which created an anomaly. So, now Lu Xiaoran is an anomaly—a villain who was able to kill his destined Chosen one."
"The world will now try to correct this anomaly. Lu Xiaoran will face many other Chosen ones, including ones from different stories. He will become a villain for many Chosen ones. It's a closed loop; you kill one Chosen one, and many will come after you."
This made me worried about my disciple, Lu Xiaoran. I asked her if there was any way to resolve this. "Louriel, is there a way to fix this? Lin Chen requested it; this is clearly suicide. I'm sure Lu Xiaoran didn't want this."
She smiled again and said, "Vik, there are always two sides to everything. While you learn about the bad things Lu Xiaoran must face, there are also benefits. It's nearly impossible to kill a Chosen one, but if a villain does manage to do so, they become the next protagonist of the story."
"I'm sure you've heard stories where the villain becomes the main character. If everything goes right, Lu Xiaoran could become the next Chosen one with villain characteristics. I bet Lu Xiaoran has already been approached by a system. As soon as he accepts it, he will become a Chosen one like you and me."
Hearing her explanation, I sighed in relief. At least Lu Xiaoran was out of danger. He just needed to accept a system and become its host. Although these systems seem like lousy chatbots, if it keeps him out of Heaven's radar, that's fine.
But while I was relieved, the system's voice rang in my head: "Host, you should also consider another possibility. What if your disciple rejects the system's offer, just like you?"
Vik: "Fu$#! System, you just raised another red flag."