Apocalypse: System of lotteries



Ming had initially assumed a direct confrontation. After all, he could now inflict almost 10,000 damage with a single punch, and with a critical hit, possibly as much as 40,000.

He had already devised a strategy: a continuous hammering attack to shatter the enemy's outer defense, followed by a series of palm strikes to break the middle layer, and finishing with a powerful punch to completely break through. To his astonishment, the creature had managed to escape.

A wisp of blue smoke arose, transporting the beast several meters away in an instant. This skill was tentatively named "Smoke Evasion."

Through his eagle vision, Ming observed:

[Black-haired Pig Demon]

[Alliance: LGDJ Legend]

[One Star Legendary Tier]

[Evolution Path: Consumption.]

[...Unable to view...]

[Brief: Once, this pig rose to power through pig farming, becoming a prominent figure in society. After gaining wealth, he indulged in life's excesses and was known for his debauchery. When creditors came knocking, he'd act destitute, yet once they left, he'd frivolously spend at entertainment houses, racking up huge bills. A notorious debtor, his favorite phrase was, "I simply enjoy not repaying my debts. What will you do about it? Try to harm me? Not only will I not repay you, but you'll also owe me money! Sue me? Go ahead, win if you can."]

[...]

[Weakness: He appears affluent; this could be profitable.]

"Heh heh~"

Ming smirked, gazing up at Black-haired Pig Demon who now stood atop the fortress walls. No wonder he could utter such words; for a chronic debtor, speaking such a phrase was as natural as breathing.

Ming observed the neatly arranged 'pig soldiers' on the fortress walls—both black and white varieties. Each stood roughly two meters tall, plump, and with fierce tusks jutting out from the sides of their massive heads. From the neck down, they possessed a humanoid form with the body of a pig, bare-chested and adorned with flamboyant tattoos. They wielded an array of weapons, ranging from steel pipes, machetes, chains, spiked clubs, spears, and large cleavers.

This... was an excellent opportunity. Either they would become experience points or be sent to mine resources. It seemed that he'd have to split the spoils with Napoleon.

[Napoleon hopped onto your palm, looking wronged. "Ming, it's one thing for him to bully me, but he also called you incompetent. Can you stand for that?"]

[Napoleon licked your palm. "I know you won't tolerate that, but let's show some mercy. Just subdue him; don't turn him into roasted pork. After all, he's old."]

[Napoleon turned and croaked at Black-haired Pig Demon on the fortress wall. "See? Even though you bullied me to this extent, I still speak well of you. Show some conscience, piggy!" Black-haired Pig Demon, "Can you stop being disgusting, little frog?"]

"~~"

Damn piggy. Damn, froggy.

"I'm about to puke. "Ming sneered and shook his head. If it weren't for the ability to receive messages, I'd believe your words, Napoleon. But we have a business to attend to, so I'll tolerate this foolish duo for now.

Ming looked at Black-haired Pig Demonand asked, "Can we talk civilly?"

Honestly, he didn't want to resort to violence. It would be a pity if so many pig soldiers were harmed. He believed in showing mercy.

"Talk? Hmph!" 

Black-haired Pig Demon leaned against the fortress wall, tilting his head, "What? Do you want to trick me too? No way. Back in my prime, I was the one tricking others."

"Uh..."

Ming didn't continue the conversation. He had figured it out. Aside from the 'divine' aspect of Black-haired Pig Demon, he was just an alien being, similar to the Orochi, possessing a human-like mindset.

Ming touched the tip of his nose, realizing that gods fall into four categories:

Humans.

mutant beings.

Mythical beasts.

Zombies.

However, it's challenging to determine the depth of their brainwashing. Judging by Black-haired Pig Demons' demeanor, his brainwashing wasn't very thorough. He still had a strong sense of self-awareness.

"Haha!" At first, a frog sought to deceive me," Black-haired Pig Demon said, still holding his belly in laughter. "I was stunned then, accepting how a deadbeat like me has turned into this. At least I can still speak, still have hands, and can still do real work. How many disgraceful things must that frog have done to be transformed from a human into a frog?"

"Enough talk," Black-haired Pig Demon bellowed, "if you dare, come into my fortress and fight me. Come!"

Ming smiled, realizing that Black-haired Pig Demon's words were indicative of his shallow brainwashing. The specifics of why this was the case remained unclear. A good beating might reveal the answer.

"Your Napoleon warns you," a voice sounded, "don't act rashly. That fortress looks very strange. A normal small county town shouldn't have such an ancient, dramatically different fortress. There must be some trick involved."

"Hmm."

Ming stroked Napoleon's head, finding this one more intelligent than Foodie. As a frog aspiring to conquer the world, its intellect was indeed impressive, albeit only occasionally.

He also sensed that Black-haired Pig Demon, standing atop his fortress, was nearly bursting with confidence. As such, Ming thought to give it a try. With this thought, he placed Napoleon on the head of an armored wild boar, drew his Silver Victory Bow, and loosed ten spirit arrows that scattered towards the fortress walls.

The fortress walls, unyielding and seemingly impenetrable, bore no marks from the attack. No damage was inflicted.

"Ha! How does that feel?" Black-haired Pig Demon laughed uproariously from the ramparts. "Does it wound your pride? Is this the first time you've felt useless? It's fine—realizing it now is good enough! Hahaha!"

"…"

Ah~

Ming chuckled. Setting other matters aside, he admired the fortress walls. Such splendid fortifications, he wondered, were they exclusive property or an exclusive skill? They indeed bore a striking resemblance to his tent in their ingenious design.

Ming's initial suspicion was that this fortress could function as a 'grand formation' exerting detrimental effects on its enemies. As such, entering the fortress was likely unwise. If it also carried a skill-silencing characteristic, akin to his tent, then the situation would be bad.

A solution was needed. A frontal assault was futile. Ming touched the tip of his nose, pondering the fact that the vast majority of the Napoleon army behind him couldn't fly. A frontal assault would inflict heavy losses—an utterly unnecessary sacrifice.

Right!

Ming promptly summoned his Spirit Eagle, grabbing hold and ascending to the skies. "If you won't come out," he thought, "I'll sow discord and let internal strife weaken you."

Ignoring Black-haired Pig Demon's mockery, Napoleon's voice rang out, the latter still chattering incessantly, "Look, your master has already accepted defeat and withdrawn. Why don't you join me? I'll find you a beautiful swan as a mate."

To which Napoleon responded with a croak, "You must be dimwitted. Swans aren't for mating; they are for eating, understand?"

"This spot will do," Ming mused, hovering above the central airspace of the fortress. He searched for the perfect location, preparing to deploy Enyo. After all, in such high-stakes combat, it seemed apt to unleash god against god. Go Enyo!

Regardless of the consequences inside, he decided to make the first move.