Chapter 77: Great Luck!

Silas slowly turned around. At the edge of the platform, Aiden stood watching him.

Their eyes met. Silas didn’t say a word. Instead, he walked forward and dropped to one knee.

His head lowered, his expression solemn. It was his way of expressing gratitude. And his determination.

Aiden had given him strength, shown him the direction he needed to take, and, most importantly, given him the opportunity to break the shackles that had restrained him.

Silas would never forget that.

Aiden walked over and pulled him to his feet. He patted Silas’s sturdy shoulder, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"Well done, Silas." His gaze swept over the battered shield before returning to Silas. "Only now are you truly worthy of the codename ’The Bulwark.’"

He gave his shoulder another firm pat. "From now on, you are the most solid backing our team has."

Silas nodded heavily. The fire of loyalty burned fiercely within his tiger-like eyes.

There was no need for another oath. His actions had already made his answer clear.

Aiden turned and began walking toward the exit. Silas followed closely behind. The core member’s potential had finally been unlocked, and his loyalty was beyond doubt.

With Silas standing at the front, the foundation of Aiden’s team had become even more unbreakable.

...

Silas’s breakthrough during the Guardian’s Trial injected a new level of confidence into the team.

To further hone their coordination and test Silas’s newly enhanced defensive capabilities, Aiden set his sights on the Gloomy Cave, located southwest of Ashford City and classified as Low Risk.

In his previous life, the cave had been famous for producing a primary alchemical material known as Fluorescent Moss. The monsters inhabiting the area were generally between Levels 3 and 5, which theoretically posed little to no pressure for their current three-person team.

However, Aiden had another, deeper reason for choosing this place.

He vaguely remembered rumors from his previous life suggesting that, hidden deep within this seemingly ordinary, low-level cave, there was an undiscovered secret.

Unfortunately, whatever that secret was, and when exactly it had been discovered, had long since been buried beneath the dust of the apocalypse.

Now, Aiden intended to find it before anyone else did.

With a slight gambling mindset, combined with his anticipation of Luna’s heaven-defying luck, he decided that the Gloomy Cave was worth exploring.

"This trip to the Gloomy Cave is mainly for adaptation and gathering," Aiden said to the two before they set off. "Silas, focus on consolidating your newly acquired power. Luna, if your condition allows, you can try a slightly higher-risk luck check. The goal is..."

He paused, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"To increase the exploration yield of this trip."

Luna nodded obediently, her small hand unconsciously brushing against the three dice tucked inside her pocket.

After spending more time with Aiden and receiving his guidance, her fear of her own class had diminished considerably.

In its place was something else.

A cautious curiosity.

She was no longer simply afraid of what her Heavenly Karmic Dice might bring.

She wanted to understand them.

And perhaps, little by little, learn how to control the fate they could unleash.

...

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Gloomy Cave, a cold, damp aura rushed toward them.

The entrance was narrow, and the interior quickly descended into darkness. The only source of illumination came from patches of self-luminous moss and strange fungi clinging to the damp stone walls, casting a faint, eerie glow across the cave.

The main inhabitants were Level 3 Cave Bats and Level 4 Giant Poison Spiders.

Silas took the lead. With the newly awakened Unyielding Bulwark, his confidence had risen considerably. He planted his feet firmly and advanced without hesitation, his heavy tower shield easily knocking away the swooping bats while steadily blocking the venom spat by the spiders.

Whenever a monster slipped past his defense, Aiden dealt with it effortlessly.

His Power Gauntlets combined with kinetic smash allowed him to dispatch the weaker monsters with overwhelming efficiency, while the occasional instant-cast Root Entanglement would erupt from the ground, instantly restraining groups of enemies and leaving them helpless.

The three-person team advanced steadily through the cave.

Luna remained protected in the center, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings as she quietly focused on the flow of spiritual power within her body.

After clearing the third wave of monsters, they entered a relatively spacious hall filled with towering stalactites.

Luna suddenly stopped. She remained silent for several seconds, as though sensing something invisible in the air. Then she turned toward Aiden.

"Sir Aiden..." Her voice was soft. "I feel... the aura here is very peaceful, and my spiritual power feels unusually full."

She hesitated, her fingers instinctively tightening around the three dice hidden in her pocket.

"I want to... try Great Luck."

There was a trace of nervousness in her eyes. But beneath that nervousness was something else. Eagerness.

Aiden and Silas exchanged a glance. Both could see the anticipation in each other’s eyes.

They had already witnessed a glimpse of the power behind Minor Good Fortune inside the dungeon. Now, neither of them could help wondering just how extraordinary [Great Luck] would be.

"Good." Aiden nodded calmly. "Go ahead. We’ll guard you."

Luna took a slow breath and her hand slipped into her pocket and wrapped around the three dice.

For a moment, she closed her eyes. Then she prepared to roll.

Luna took a deep breath. Her expression became incomparably focused and devout.

She held the three ancient dice in her palm and closed her eyes, as though silently communicating with some mysterious force beyond the visible world.

After several seconds, she gently tossed them onto the moss-covered ground before her.

Scarlet. Pitch-black. Grey-white.

The three dice traced mysterious trajectories through the air before clattering across the stone floor.

Then, one after another, they slowly came to a stop.

In an instant, the entire dim cave seemed to brighten.

The scarlet die faced upward, revealing a "Luck" character that radiated a warm, golden light like a miniature sun.

The pitch-black die displayed a brilliant pattern resembling an endless starry sky.

The grey-white die revealed a golden double arrow pointing upward.

Great Luck!

BOOM!

An indescribable torrent of warm, surging luck erupted from Luna and spread outward, instantly enveloping Aiden and Silas.

The sensation was completely different from Minor Good Fortune. It was at least ten times stronger.

For a fleeting moment, Aiden had the strange sensation that the entire world was smiling at them.

The very air seemed to carry a sweet, almost tangible aura of having one’s wishes fulfilled.

At the same time, system notifications appeared before their eyes.

[You have temporarily gained the Luck Stat.]

[You are affected by the "Heavenly Karmic Dice · Great Luck" effect.]

[Luck value greatly increased. Duration: 15 minutes.]

The moment the notifications appeared, the effects of their enhanced luck began to manifest.