Chapter 140: Special Jackpot Triggered

In a manner of minutes, the soft, rhythmic breathing of Calista filled the quiet space.

Her face, so pale and lifeless since they had rescued her from Sublevel 8, now held a healthy blush of color. Her hands rested gently over the blanket, her fingers completely relaxed.

Amber and Zephyra sat together on the sofa by the bedside, speaking in hushed, affectionate whispers as they watched over her.

Evren stood near the wide window overlooking the Capital’s evening skyline.

Before his eyes, the golden system interface hovered in the air, pulsing with radiant energy.

[S-RANK FORTUNE WHEEL SPIN READY!]

[UNLOCKED VIA HEROINE #3 (CALISTA VESPER) 25% DEVOTION MILESTONE!]

[INITIALIZE SPIN NOW? (YES / NO)]

Evren smiled faintly and selected [YES].

Instantly, a massive golden roulette wheel materialized in his retinas, carved with ancient geometric runes. The wheel began to rotate at blinding speed, creating a radiant halo of golden light.

Tick... tick... tick...

Slowly, the wheel decelerated. The golden pointer passed over legendary weapons, divine potions, and spatial blueprints, clicking toward the top of the dial.

With a sharp, resounding chime, the pointer locked directly into an iridescent, multicolored prism slot.

DING!

[SPECIAL JACKPOT TRIGGERED!]

[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST! YOU HAVE LANDED ON: DUAL BONUS RE-SPIN!]

[2x S-RANK BONUS SPINS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO YOUR QUEUE!]

Evren’s eyebrows lifted in mild surprise. "A double jackpot?"

[SPIN 1 OF 2 READY. INITIALIZE? (YES / NO)]

Evren mentally tapped [YES]

The wheel surged into motion once more, spinning with intense azure radiance.

Tick... tick... tick...

Ten seconds later, the wheel slowed down and stopped on a deep crimson and violet slot marked with an intertwined, triple-crested shield.

DING!

[S-RANK FORTUNE WHEEL SPIN COMPLETE!]

[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RECEIVED: S-RANK PASSIVE TRAIT — SOUL-AEGIS RESONANCE & DANGER INTERCEPTION!]

[TRAIT EFFECT 1 (STAT RESONANCE): HOST’S BASELINE ATTRIBUTES ARE PERMANENTLY ENHANCED BY A FRACTION OF ALL BONDED HEROINES’ TOTAL POWER. VITALITY +35% (AMBER), AGILITY +35% (ZEPHYRA), MANA DENSITY +20% (CALISTA)!]

[TRAIT EFFECT 2 (DANGER SENSE): HOST INSTINCTIVELY PERCEIVES ANY DIRECT HOSTILE INTENT TARGETING BONDED HEROINES WITHIN A 1-KILOMETER RADIUS!]

[TRAIT EFFECT 3 (ZERO-LATENCY INTERCEPT): IF A BONDED HEROINE FACES A LETHAL BLOW, UMBRAL BLINK COOLDOWN IS RESET TO ZERO, ENABLING INSTANT SPATIAL INTERCEPTION TO PARRY OR ABSORB THE ATTACK!]

A wave of crystalline warmth flooded directly into Evren’s core.

His muscles felt denser, his senses sharpened, and a faint, intangible tether formed in the back of his mind, quietly linking him to Amber, Zephyra, and Calista in the room behind him.

Evren let out a slow breath, feeling the immediate surge. "Now for the second spin," Evren thought.

[SPIN 2 OF 2 READY. INITIALIZE? (YES / NO)]

Evren commanded: [YES]

The wheel flared with deep primal gold, spinning rapidly with powerful momentum.

Tick... tick... tick...

The pointer clicked past various slots before locking into a dark-gold sigil shaped like a roaring celestial chimera.

DING!

[S-RANK FORTUNE WHEEL SPIN COMPLETE!]

[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RECEIVED: SS-RANK ACTIVE ABILITY — BEASTLORD CORE MANIFESTATION!]

[ABILITY TYPE: BOSS-TIER SPIRIT SUMMONING / WAR-BEAST MANIFESTATION]

[EFFECT: HOST CAN IMPRINT AND AWAKEN THE CRYSTALLIZED CORES OF SLAIN RIFT BOSSES INTO PERMANENT, SENTIENT COMBAT GUARDIANS. MANIFESTED GUARDIANS RETAIN 100% OF THEIR FORMER COMBAT RANK, ABILITIES, AND INNATE SKILLS, BOUND IN ABSOLUTE LOYALTY TO THE HOST!]

[SUB-DIMENSIONAL POCKET: SUMMONS REST IN A SOVEREIGN BEAST SANCTUARY AND CAN BE MATERIALIZED INSTANTLY WITH A THOUGHT!]

Evren’s eyes gleamed with genuine satisfaction.

He still had the massive Level 65 S-Rank Void Devourer Boss Core inside his Spatial Storage Ring. Meaning whenever he chose to awaken it, a titanic S-Rank predator would fight under his command.

Evren dismissed the system screen and stepped quietly out of the room onto the cool, private balcony.

He pulled his phone from his coat pocket and dialed Director Mikay.

The call connected on the very first ring.

"I’m guessing no news means good news," Evren said smoothly, leaning against the balcony railing.

On the other end, Mikay let out a hearty laugh. "Chairman! It is always good news when you call. How is everything in the Capital?"

"Going well... nothing we can’t manage," Evren replied.

"As expected, Chairman."

"I know I’ve been away for a while and left things with you to handle. So I wanted a bit of an operational update on how things are going in Veridia."

Mikay’s tone shifted into his consummate executive cadence.

"The five foundries in Sectors Three and Four are running three full shifts around the clock," Mikay reported. "With the new automated purification arrays and zero labor disputes, high-grade mana-steel output is up one hundred and forty percent."

"And the mines?" Evren asked.

"Foreman Garon’s extraction teams in Sector One have hit deep veins in Mines One and Two," Mikay continued. "High-purity mana crystal yields have surpassed all quarterly targets. Down at Sector Two, Harbor Master Harlen and Captain Flint are operating the maritime terminal without delay, shipping bulk billets on the Sea-Goliath to our allied regional ports."

"What about DashExpress and logistics?"

"Our five-hundred-vehicle armored fleet is running like clockwork," Mikay said. "Not a single delivery has been delayed."

Mikay paused slightly before continuing in a lower, more serious tone.

"However, Chairman, Veridia has been experiencing its own share of increased rift activities lately. Several Class-B and Class-A spatial fractures opened along the outer perimeter near the mountain ridges."

Evren’s eyes sharpened. "Any casualties?"

"Zero, Chairman," Mikay answered proudly. "Our security forces and tactical strike teams mobilized instantly and neutralized the breaches before the beasts could touch the civilian sectors. In fact, because rival guilds across the continent are panicking and slashing wages, word of Apex’s stability has spread like wildfire."

"We’re getting applicants?" Evren asked with a faint smile.

"Dozens every single day," Mikay said with excitement. "Battle-tested veterans, skilled hunters, and licensed support awakeners are flocking to join Apex. We’ve already vetted and recruited over eighty elite members to reinforce our local guild divisions."

"Excellent work, Mikay," Evren said with genuine approval.

He looked out over the distant city lights, remembering the bitter days when he worked fourteen-hour shifts in rain and snow as an F-Rank courier, fighting just to afford his mother’s medicine.

"Our people are standing on the front lines during a continental crisis," Evren said calmly. "They keep our wheels turning while the rest of the country panics. They deserve to share in our strength."

"Chairman?" Mikay asked, puzzled.

"How many total employees do we currently have across the entire conglomerate?" Evren asked. "The mines, the foundries, the port, DashExpress, and the estate staff."

Mikay tapped his terminal rapidly. "As of this morning’s payroll registry, exactly four thousand six hundred and eighty-one employees, Chairman."

"Good," Evren said evenly. "Authorize an immediate cash bonus of one hundred thousand dollars to every single one of them."

Dead silence fell over the line.

For five full seconds, Mikay did not breathe.

"C-Chairman...?" Mikay’s voice cracked, completely stripped of his usual corporate polish. "Did... did you say one hundred thousand dollars? Per employee?"

"That’s right," Evren said. "Four thousand six hundred and eighty-one workers. That comes out to four hundred and sixty-eight million, one hundred thousand dollars. Disburse it directly into their personal accounts by midnight."

"Chairman... that is life-changing money," Mikay stammered, his hands audibly trembling against his desk. "For a miner or a delivery courier, one hundred thousand dollars pays off their mortgage and funds their children’s education for years! They will follow you into the gates of hell!"

"They earned it," Evren smiled faintly. "And Mikay?"

"Yes, Chairman?"

"Transfer an executive bonus of two point five million dollars directly into your personal account. You’ve earned every penny."

On the other end, Mikay choked back a surge of emotion. "Chairman Evren... I... I don’t know what to say. Thank you. On behalf of every family in Apex, thank you."

"Keep our fortress secure," Evren said warmly. "I’ll be in touch soon."

Evren ended the call and tapped his screen, authorizing the transfer of four hundred and seventy million, six hundred thousand dollars.

A banking confirmation chimed on his screen:

[APEX NATIONAL BANK — VIP SOVEREIGN BLACK CARD]

[AMOUNT DEBITED: -$470,600,000.00 USD]

[CURRENT LIQUID BALANCE: $16,809,647,542.50 USD]

Evren pocketed the phone with a calm smile. Nearly seventeen billion dollars still sat comfortably in his liquid accounts.

He turned to walk back inside Room 104.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Evren’s neck stood on end.

His newly acquired Danger Sense flared with an icy pulse, pointing directly toward the ground floor of the sanatorium.

At the same instant, the door to the corridor clicked open. Guild Master Walter hurried in, his weathered face tight with tension.

"Chairman Evren," Walter whispered urgently. "Two armored town cars bearing the silver sunburst crest of House Vance just breached the hospital gates. Director Gavin Vance’s senior enforcers are in the lobby, demanding an immediate medical inspection of Calista’s room."

Evren glanced back toward the bed where Calista slept peacefully, then down at his storage ring where the S-Rank Void Devourer core pulsed with dark power.

A cold, dangerous smile curved on Evren’s lips.

"Let them come up."