Chapter 656: Mystic Eyes Awakening

{ Reward selection in progress; please prepare to receive your reward. }

Perhaps due to the low number of options available or the enhanced tier of the wheel, Leo could somewhat see the spinning process this time around.

The insane speed at which it seemed to spin seemed to be nothing more than an illusion as the small golden red arrow at the center kept alternating between slowing down and going fast.

’I don’t know what this one means, but it seems to like it.’

Quite like spin & win games back on Earth, one specific prize looked like it would be picked over and over as the arrow slowed down when it came around it, but then it would speed up right at the end, starting the cycle all over again.

If Leo could actually read the symbols inscribed on the partition or at least understand what it signified, he could have at least cheered for the option if it was a good thing or prayed that it wouldn’t get picked if it was bad.

However, when it came to these alien writings, Leo was as ignorant as a chicken.

’It’s definitely taking longer than before.’

With the small golden arrow insisting on keeping up its teasing behaviour, Leo felt the time stretching over in comparison to his first spin.

Last time, the whole process only took seconds, but by now, over a minute had passed.

’Be patient.’

Keeping his desires to end this agonizing wait at bay, Leo took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself to receive the best reward possible.

The first step to getting something was for one to fully believe that they would get it.

If you couldn’t even be optimistic about what you were being granted, then why would it be granted to you at all?

Belief and intention sometimes mattered even more than putting in the work itself.

’Wait, no.’

Leo quickly realized the trap he set himself up with. Asking for the best reward was no different from shooting himself in the foot.

After all, what good would it do to receive the reward with the highest value if it wasn’t something that fit his needs?

A radioactive core was worth tens of millions of dollars, but it would only be worth its cost in the hands of a specialist who was in possession of the right kind of facilities and equipment.

In the hands of a layman, however, it was no different from a death sentence.

Value was always relative!

’God willing, I will receive what I need the most!’

At that moment, the small golden red arrow was spinning past its beloved partition when it suddenly spun the other way around, stopping right at the edge of its favourite partition!

{ ’Enigmatic Eyes Of Influence’ has been chosen. }

’This...’

{ The awakening of the ’Enigmatic Eyes Of Influence’ will be imparted to you. }

As soon as the announcement reached Leo’s ears, a stinging pain rose from the very depth of his pupils as the wheel shattered and reconverged into two streams of golden red light before burrowing into his eyes!

’...Endure.’

Leo hadn’t experienced it himself before, but he believed that his current experience would be no different from having someone light his eyes on fire.

Even for someone who had lived many years beyond his age and endured various kinds of excruciating pains, it took all of Leo’s mental strength to keep himself from fainting or breaking into a hideous scream.

It was far too much for even the toughest of people to endure.

Shutting his eyes tight only slightly contained the pain, but the fire inside was still raging like a storm.

"Gahha-"

Despite all his attempts to remain unaffected, at least on the surface, groans still escaped through the small openings between his gritted teeth.

His only saving grace that kept him from breaking character was the fact that they were barely audible.

Even then...

"Mas- Cassian! Are you okay?"

Although she was supposed to be busy receiving her own reward, Kara instantly managed to notice the slight changes in Leo’s expression, making her run to him in worry.

In fact, she had the urge to use her replicated Shadow Movement to reach him in a split second, but in order not to upset Leo by blowing her cover, she chose to run all the way forward regardless of how exhausted her body and mind were.

’Hold it.’

As the pain slowly started to subside, Leo steadied himself even more. Now that the path to relief was becoming clearer, enduring was a lot easier.

"I’m fine. Something just went into my eyes."

As Leo slowly opened his eyes to show that he was fine, the running Kara suddenly froze in place, staring at Leo intensely as if she was seeing him for the first time.

"Your- Your eyes!"

"My eyes?"

Naturally, Leo was expecting something to happen to his eyes after all of this, but he had no idea about the nature of that change.

Taken right out of his Shadow Pocket, a mirror floated atop the surface of Leo’s own shadow, giving him a clear look at his face.

’Is this... Some kind of beautifying surgery?’

The eyes reflected in the mirror no longer contained Cassian’s pitch-black pupils; instead, a magnetic deep purple mixed with shining specks took their place.

In a way, this new living shade that they took was somewhat similar to Kara’s starry night Enigma, only it was far more mystifying, giving Leo a sense of increasing charm.

’The leveled-up reward that I was meant to receive couldn’t be that auxiliary... Right?’

As someone who possessed heterochromatic eyes, Leo understood that special eyes had some kind of pull over people, but could this really be what the eyes of influence meant...?

Was this the meaning behind the eyes of influence?

Pulse!

Just as Leo started questioning everything, the fading pain finally disappeared altogether, only for a terrible pulse to run through the nerves spread over his eyeballs!

Pulse! Pulse! Pulse!

Receiving one shock after the other, Leo had an even harder time keeping his composure as his body started rocking with each pulse... But right then, it happened.

"Cassian?"

’...Fascinating.’

Leo was instantly mesmerized.

As if a huge kaleidoscope had been placed over him, an array of colorful lights possessing various gorgeous shapes appeared in his line of view, as if opening a whole new world that was left unseen.