Limitless Fortune: I Collect SSS-Rank Skills as Payment-Chapter 179: Lucien’s Doubt!

The World of Origin was a completely different realm from the worlds Soren or Earth Lucien knew of.

At first, Lucien thought it was some kind of game-like world due to the existence of classes and dungeons.

But after obtaining the Memory Crystal from the short old man, he finally realized that this world was far more than that.

In fact, when he discovered that the place he was in was merely a low-level interface of the World of Origin, and that the world of Soren itself was just a lower realm, Zhiran's heart skipped a beat in wonder.

After all, this really screwed with his perspective of how he viewed this place.

The top of the world he had been striving toward all this time… wasn't the top at all.

How could he not feel shaken?

Still, he calmed himself down for the moment and managed to focus on his current situation.

Although the information given by that short old man wasn't much, he now understood most of what he needed to know.

He learned that he was currently inside a 5-Star Scene; the Mirage Pond.

According to the old man, a Scene, also known as a Realm, was a unique existence within the World of Origin, even more mysterious than dungeons.

In essence, every Scene was a direct manifestation of the rules of the World of Origin. That was why many believed it to be a gateway to the upper interfaces of the world.

Unfortunately, entering such places wasn't simple and required specific conditions.

Just like this Mirage Pond, which used Luck as a requirement for one to even enter.

Still, Lucien now understood that within a Scene or Realm, the rules were absolute.

No one, not even the Guardian of the Realm, could violate them.

'No wonder the system gave me that hint before.'

Lucien thought as he suddenly threw a Bronze Coin toward the frog, completely ignoring its growing aura and pressure.

"One Bronze Coin for fishing another hour. That should be enough, right? Can you please leave now?"

The rule of the Mirage Pond was simple, pay one bronze coin to fish in the pond. If you caught something, you could leave with it.

If not, you could either pay another coin to continue fishing or pay two to leave.

This rule was absolute and couldn't be violated, not even by the Guardian; the frog itself.

In fact, unless someone broke a rule, the Guardian couldn't even harm those inside the Mirage Pond.

It was the protection granted by the Scene to those fortunate enough to enter.

Still, Lucien couldn't help but feel there was something suspicious about the Guardian's existence. From his perspective, there seemed to be no real need for one at all.

Not to mention, demanding only Bronze Coins for such an advanced place was strange. He was certain that Bronze was the lowest denomination of Origin Coins.

"…"

"Boy, it seems you managed to get some information from that short guy. Tsk… that guy is still as hateful as ever."

After Lucien threw a Bronze Coin in his direction, the frog remained silent for a moment. But after a while, it completely dissipated its aura and smiled at Lucien with a wide grin.

"Okay, you've got one extra hour to fish in the pond. I wish you good luck."

Once the Bronze Coin was accepted, the Guardian was bound to leave the fisherman alone. It couldn't interfere, even if it wanted to. That was the rule.

So, although the frog was annoyed at Lucien and the midget who had just vanished, it still puffed out smoke from its cigar one last time before disappearing from its spot, heading toward a shadowy figure in the far corner.

'Alright, let's try catching a fish once more. I hope that old man didn't lie to me.'

Once Lucien saw that the frog was gone, he sat back down on his log, gripped the fishing rod, and cast the line into the serene pond in a smooth, beautiful arc.

Lucien now had only three Bronze Coins left. Even though he still had another hour remaining, he was determined to catch a fish within that time, no matter what.

After all, he didn't want to take unnecessary risks. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if this method could really help him advance his class.

The World of Origin hadn't announced anything yet, but at least he now had some information about fishing in the Mirage Pond.

'Hope that old man didn't lie to me… otherwise…'

Lucien thought bitterly, shaking his head before closing his eyes. He then recalled the information recorded within the Memory Crystal left by that old man.

***

"If you want to catch something in the Mirage Pond, close your eyes and think about what you want while fully concentrating on your fishing rod.

Remember, this pond is a Mirage Pond, not an ordinary one.

The fish inside aren't exactly what you see with your eyes. For example, that tiny black fish you saw before was actually a Peka, an Epic-rank blacksmith hammer that I'd been searching for all this time."

"As for the trick to catching something here… heh, there's no real trick. It's just some information I've gathered after visiting this place countless times.

Remember, the Mirage Pond only lets you fish out things that you're destined for, or have a deep connection with in real life. You can't just pull out something amazing by luck alone.

So, if you want to fish, think about something you want desperately or share a deep connection with while closing your eyes. If what you wish for isn't beyond your league, and your luck's at least decent, you'll definitely catch something.

It's only a matter of when…"

***

This was the information Lucien received for that one Bronze Coin he gave to the old man. To be honest, he felt like he'd been scammed after seeing it.

Unfortunately, the contract was already signed, and he couldn't back out now. Besides, he had a hunch that there was some truth in those words.

'Something I want desperately or share a deep connection with? Do I even have one?'

Lucien was suddenly confused. He really didn't know what to think about fishing in the Mirage Pond.

After all, he had lived a very short life in the magical world of Soren and hadn't had the time to make any deep connections with anything.

Moreover, because of his ability to collect debts, he had little interest in increasing his own strength. That was another glaring flaw Lucien noticed in himself.

As Lucien sat there thinking with his eyes closed, time trickled by slowly, not giving him a single chance. But even after an entire hour had passed, he still couldn't find anything he genuinely wanted or felt connected to.

He tried thinking about many things: a sword, a pill that could raise his realm, even a simple homemade meal.

Heck, he even thought about an item that could take him to his previous world, Earth.

But no matter what he thought of, the fishing line didn't move at all. It seemed he didn't have that much desire to go back to his previous world.

The fishing line stayed still as ever without a single movement. For a moment, he even wondered if that old man had just gaslighted him.

In the end, one hour passed before he even realized it, and Lucien had to spend another Bronze Coin to continue fishing for one more hour.

Now, this was his last hour to complete the class ascension quest. After this, even if he didn't catch anything, he would have to leave, since he only had two coins left.

Unfortunately, even after half the time passed, Lucien still didn't manage to catch anything.

The longer it went on, the more irritated he became.

'Damn, what do I even want? Why does it feel like I have no real connection, no real desire I can recall? What the hell is my purpose?'

As silence filled his mind, Lucien began to doubt his own existence. It felt like there was nothing he truly wanted in this world.

Sure, he wanted to be at the top and strong enough to control his fate, but the Mirage Pond couldn't give him that. Or rather, his luck just wasn't that heaven-defying.

Lucien was so stressed that, at this point, he just wanted to relax and forget everything.

'Damn it, I don't want anything that badly. The only real connection I have is with Lilith. What, do I wish to fish her out with this rod now?'

He rolled his eyes, speechless, already realizing there were only fifteen minutes left before the session was over. After that, he would have no choice but to leave since all his Origin Points were used up.

He never thought a class ascension quest could be this lame.

'Lucien? I–is that you?'

Just as Lucien was about to give up completely, the mark inside his mind suddenly stirred, followed by a faint voice.

'Lilith?'