Ten Lucky Draws: I Became OP - Chapter 497: To Be or Not to Be
Chapter 497: To Be or Not to Be
Ash turned his gaze away from Ancestor Sealing, the old man’s ancient face remaining composed on the surface, but internally he was in turmoil.
’This… this can’t be happening.’ He thought to himself, ’That fool Alchemy and his Devourer pet… they dragged me into this mess with their half-truths.’
He sighed internally, ’Ash Originat isn’t just strong… he’s something else entirely. If I try to resist now, I’ll end up like the others. But is submitting… even an option?’
His mind raced with conflicting thoughts — fear, calculation, pride, and the growing realization that Ash was not someone who could be reasoned with or bargained with.
Especially after seeing most of his journey… there wasn’t a single moment he could find where he bargained to reason with anyone.
Not just that, the ease with which he had erased the others made Sealing’s own plans feel laughably naive.
He stood there, hands clasped behind his back, trying to maintain dignity while his heart pounded with the knowledge that his turn was coming.
Ash, however, simply nodded at Don.
“Continue.”
Don, ever the showman, stepped forward with a dramatic flourish, his eccentric suit still sparkling under the lights.
“Ladies and gentlemen. It is time for the Beings of Reality Nine to choose… Damnation or Paradise.”
Snap!
With a snap of her fingers, Creara created a shimmering pool of pure Divinity in the center of the room. It glowed with a soft, inviting golden light, its surface rippling gently like liquid starlight.
Don gestured toward it with both hands, his voice booming with theatrical flair.
“This is a Conversion Pool! This is your one chance to leave behind your past loyalties and become one of the inhabitants of Pantheos.” He said as he begun explaining.
“You will not become members of the Ineffable Pantheon — that is the Boss’s call alone. But you will step onto a road of power far more fascinating than the old mana system ever offered.”
However, even with such a revelation… The hall remained completely silent.
No one dared to move out of fear that they would speak wrong. And with all the things that had been showcased tonight….
The honestly didn’t know if this was some sort of joke… or not.
After a long, heavy pause, The Gambler stepped forward from the crowd. He straightened his suit, still visibly shaken from the earlier events, but his eyes held a spark of desperate ambition.
“Although I am not from Reality Nine,” he said, voice steady but respectful, “I wonder if I am still able to make this change.”
Seeing the familiar face step forward, Clara and Evelyn, seated on the dais, chuckled softly.
Clara leaned toward Ash with a grin.
“Dad, I think you should give him a shot. He’s a good sport, maybe he’s earned it.”
Ash, already knowing the Gambler’s history, simply nodded.
“You may step forward.”
As the Gambler approached the pool, stopping at its edge.
He looked up at Ash, though like every other being in this room… He wasn’t sure how should feel about these beings.
If he was being honest with himself, he was truly frightened, but after everything that had happened, that feeling was almost expected.
One thing, however, was certain.
’The power they hold… it feels so limitless…’ he thought for a fleeting moment before speaking up.
“Will I have the power to never lose a game of gambling again?”
Hearing this, Ash arched a brow.
The question was entirely subjective, hinging on countless factors. For someone embarking on the path to becoming a god, the potential to rise above all in their chosen domain was undeniable.
Yet, no matter how strong he became, he knew there was no hope of surpassing anyone from the Ineffable Pantheon.
“Perhaps… but it will be up to your own power,” Ash said, his words holding nothing but truth. Inwardly, he chuckled, thinking,
’As long as you never try to challenge one of us, you’ll surely never lose.’
And with that, the Gambler drew a steady breath and stepped into the shimmering pool of Divinity.
The golden liquid rippled around his ankles, then rose to his knees as he walked forward. The entire hall watched in tense silence, but the murmurs began almost immediately.
A high-ranking elder from a mid-tier sect whispered hoarsely to the man beside him, his voice barely audible but trembling with disbelief.
“This… this isn’t a joke, is it?”
“He’s really letting that man change him?”
Another cultivator, a woman with a powerful aura, clutched her wine glass so tightly it nearly cracked.
“If even the Gambler — one of the strongest in all of Existence — is bending a knee… what chance do the rest of us have?”
Some faces paled with dawning horror. Others shifted uncomfortably in their seats, the weight of the choice pressing down on them like an invisible hand.
Since its creation, the clock had mocked without pause.
This was truly the ultimate decision—the fork in the road: submit and evolve or resist and be erased.
The Gambler continued forward, the golden liquid rising to his waist, then his chest.
His expression was tense but determined as the Divinity began to strip away his old connections to the mana systems of existence.
Ash simply spoke, his voice calm and carrying across the silent hall.
“To be… or not to be.”
The words hung in the air like a quiet decree as the Gambler fully submerged himself.
The murmurs grew louder for a moment before dying down again as everyone watched the transformation unfold.
HUMMMMM!!!!!
Then the pool surged massively once before he was revealed again.
When the Gambler stepped out of the pool, he looked… different.
His once slicked-back green hair now tumbled freely, streaked with shimmering gold that seemed to pulse with a life of its own, like living luck woven into every strand.
The sharp edges of his face had eased into something softer, lending him a timeless, almost otherworldly charm.
To those watching, it was instantly clear—every trace of mana had vanished from him. Yet somehow, his presence felt lighter, purer, and at the same time, even more unshakably powerful.
He flexed his hands, staring at them in quiet awe, then looked up at Ash with a mixture of disbelief and reluctant respect.
“The Constellation of Eternal Chance….”
