Ten Lucky Draws: I Became OP - Chapter 317: The Eternal Masque

Chapter 317: The Eternal Masque

The moment the group stepped through the doors, it felt less like entering a ballroom and more like crossing a boundary into an entirely separate world.

The Eternal Masque was not a hall built inside of the city—instead it was a realm itself, it was like a continuous ballroom without walls or a roof.

The space stretched outward in every direction, vast enough to feel endless yet arranged with the deliberate structure of a grand event.

Smooth stone pathways curved like gentle rivers, guiding guests between open plazas, raised platforms, and quiet alcoves meant for private conversations.

Everything was arranged with purpose, but nothing felt confined.

Above them, there was no ceiling—only the night sky, impossibly close and impossibly clear.

They weren’t just part of the sky; they functioned as chandeliers, arranged in sweeping arcs and clusters that illuminated the realm with a soft, even glow.

Their light was warm rather than cold, casting gentle highlights across masks, gowns, and polished stone.

Music drifted from multiple points throughout the realm, each ensemble playing in harmony, so the sound never clashed.

Despite the sheer size of the place, the acoustics were perfect—voices carried just enough, never echoing, never overwhelming.

The Eternal Masque felt alive, not with power that demanded attention, but with the quiet, steady pulse of a place designed for intrigue, elegance, and the unpredictable nature of masked gatherings.

Surprisingly to the Originats, the moment they stepped inside, not a single head turned their way.

This was obviously Creara’s work…

Since becoming Gods, their bloodlines had progressed more— which left them carrying a small portion of Erosence, that would normally draw eyes instantly.

But she had muted it just enough to keep the crowd from swarming them. Even so, some things couldn’t be completely suppressed…

Diana clicked her tongue as she adjusted her dress, clearly irritated. “Ugh, this is too neat for my liking.”

Her gaze swept across the realm-sized ballroom, taking in the mingling guests, the drifting music, the shifting clusters of masked figures.

A slow grin spread across her face.

Ash didn’t need to read her mind to know exactly what she was thinking. His voice carried to all of them, calm and unhurried.

“Well, this is the start of a long ending…” he said, the words vague but unmistakably pointed.

His form began to fade at the edges, dissolving into the ambient light of the realm.

“I’ll be around—doing what I do. You all, like I said… have fun.”

Aurora stared at the empty space beside her, blinking a few times as if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

“Did… he?” she murmured.

Sonna chuckled and gently took her daughter’s hand.

“Your father likes to be mysterious. I thought you knew that by now, Rora.”

Nia rolled her eyes as they all began drifting toward an open guest area lined with tables and refreshments.

“I’m sure he’ll be causing chaos any minute…. Hmph—how dare he leave me.”

Aurelia laughed at Nia’s sudden flare of possessiveness. “Oh please, are you going to die without Ash? He told us to have fun, didn’t he?”

Her smile turned mischievous as she stepped closer to Aurora and took her other hand.

“Hey, Rora… come with me?”

Seraphiel watched the exchange and immediately understood where this was headed. Instead of stepping in, she simply turned away, already focusing on the goal she intended to pursue tonight.

Vaeloria spoke as if picking up the same thread of thought the others were following. “We can have fun… but this is also the perfect place to start our plans.”

Seris nodded. “Right. We still need to travel into those other dimensions.”

While the women talked, the men had already slipped away—Kaelthyr and Kyron included.

Kaelthyr in particular moved with purpose; Ash had passed him something mentally before disappearing, and whatever it was had clearly caught his interest.

—–

When Ash reappeared, he was leaning casually against a pillar, watching the dancers and mingling guests with an ease that made him blend into the scene rather than disrupt it.

Before stepping inside, he had used the Eyes of First Dawn—not to calculate outcomes or optimize his actions, but simply to observe what the Eternal Masque itself intended to unfold.

It had shown him a few interesting threads.

One of them stood directly across the floor.

A woman in a black dress trimmed with red stood among the crowd, her long blonde hair falling in soft waves down her back.

The red tattoos along her arms, throat, and collarbone glowed faintly, pulsing with a rhythm that marked her as unmistakably different from the rest.

Ash’s smile deepened as he watched her.

“Lucy…” he murmured.

Ash reached out just as the floating waiter drifted past, the tray balanced effortlessly in one hand, flutes of shimmering wine catching the soft light from the star‑chandeliers above.

His arm moved with smooth precision, slipping around the waitress’s waist and drawing her gently against his side.

The moment his hand touched her, the slightest essence of Erosence slipped out—controlled, subtle, but unmistakably potent.

The waitress’s breath caught.

Her cheeks flushed instantly, pupils widening as her body leaned into him without hesitation.

[Isa’s Affection 99%]

Her affection spiked in a heartbeat—her free hand trembling as she instinctively pressed closer, eyes softening with sudden, overwhelming adoration.

Ash removed the essence just as quickly as it came, the effect vanishing cleanly, leaving no lingering trace of her surging lust.

The waitress blinked, confusion flickering across her face for a single heartbeat before she steadied herself.

A small, flustered smile formed,

“P… Pardon me, sir,” she said softly, her voice still carrying a faint breathlessness she couldn’t quite hide.

Ash kept his arm loosely around her waist, the gesture casual and unforced, as though it were simply the most natural place for his hand to rest.

He leaned in just enough for his words to be private.

“Tell me… what do you know about the Eternal Sin race?”

Her eyes widened slightly, the reaction small but telling.

Of course, she knew something. In a place like the Eternal Masque, everyone knew something about someone.

That was the entire point of the event.

And while Ash already understood the Eternal Sin race down to its roots—he was the Origin of all races, after all—what he wanted now wasn’t biological or historical detail.

He wanted factional nuance….

Politics. Who hated who, and why. The things people whispered about, not the things written in records.

As always… he never planned to take the simplest route.

Things either went two ways with Ash… either complete erasure, or complete erasure through magnificence.

’Tonight, will be a special show indeed.’ He thought as he was truly enjoying yet another masterpiece in the making.

’You are something indeed Master.’ Elysia said from inside his mind.

’Right, you could easily gain affection, copy ranks and be on about your business.’ Creara added.

Ash rolled his eyes internally, ’Yea, but where’s the fun in that? Since this place loves gossip… and chaos. Why not stir chaos even more?’

The two spirits only chuckled at his math.

His eyes though remained on Isa. And this woman—she wasn’t random. She was a pawn, one that had already been turned over to his side with a single touch.

Her fingers tightened around the tray, her gaze lifting to him with a mix of hesitation and attentiveness.

“…The Eternal Sin?” Isa repeated softly, confirming the question before deciding how much she dared to reveal.

Ash didn’t backtrack. He simply waited.

So, she spoke.

“They are a faction stemming from the Third Dimension…” she began, and from there she explained.

It was thoroughly enough that Ash pieced together the entire structure of their faction, their alliances, their enemies, and the subtle tensions they carried into the Masque.

By the time she finished, a small, folded note appeared between Ash’s fingers as if it had always been there.

He smiled, warm and disarming.

“Thank you. And would you mind giving this note to that beautiful woman with the blonde hair?”

He didn’t need to point.

As… Isa already knew exactly who he meant.

Lucy was her target after all.