Chapter 228: Fate Dominion

"Luck." Link finished his rather lengthy statement and stood there with a smirk on his bearded face, as if expecting Jacob to start screaming and applauding at the rather vague response he had just provided.

"Luck?"

"Yes, Jacob. Luck. Look, I don’t know what else I can say. I was just lucky." Link paused in a way that communicated to Jacob that he was not yet done talking. "You see... I am a reincarnator just like you. And that is how I know of the decision you made. At least 70% of us were allowed to make decisions based on where we would be reborn and what particular cheat we would have."

"Oh really, and what did you choose?" Jacob could not help but be intrigued as he raised a brow, waiting for a response.

Link chuckled. "Now we’re having a conversation, ahah. I can still remember my words as though I had said them a minute ago." The old man paused and stroked his beard, his eyes looking up in reminiscence. "I wish to be the luckiest throughout the cosmos."

Jacob’s eyes widened slightly, imperceptibly. "That explains your answer. If you were the luckiest person throughout the cosmos, it would certainly allow you to escape any battle unscathed."

"I didn’t even know how to fight." Link laughed. "Unlike you, I don’t have a system, but I led a wonderful life. So many joys. I was rich, handsome, black, and endowed in a world full of beautiful damsels that worshipped me and gave me plenty of offspring..."

Jacob crumpled his face very noticeably, causing Link to laugh and get back to the topic.

"...Yes, I was lucky, and this allowed me to scale the tower with no difficulty. So, as the answer to your question, I would say luck. Pray for luck. Do whatever you can to get lucky."

Within the next few minutes, their discussion had ended, and Link’s spirit had vanished back to wherever it had appeared from. Jacob stood alone once again in the arranged aisles of the Library of Life, a wave of thoughts coursing through his supercharged brain.

The response that Link gave him had made him remember a certain cheat ability that he possessed: <Luck Manipulation>

He never had any need for it because of his ability <Future Knowledge>, but now that it was redundant, he had to rely on the others. Not being able to use weapons suggested to him that most of the battles were going to be physical, and if that was true, then he needed an edge.

"System. Give me details on Luck Manipulation."

<Affirmative, host>

<Luck Manipulation>

<Description:

Grants the user the power to influence probability and chance, subtly increasing or decreasing the likelihood of events occurring. The effectiveness depends on the user’s control, the scale of the outcome, and any inherent limitations of the ability, with highly improbable or reality-altering outcomes requiring significantly greater effort or power>

<The rate of control was at 78% previously. But now that all restraints have been lifted, host is able to use this ability at will>

That was not enough for Jacob. He needed to know that he possessed the ability to turn luck in his favor, and he needed the ability to be stronger than whatever another person with the same ability could do.

He knew what to do, and it was simple enough. All he had to do was forcefully evolve the ability using <Grand Authority>

...

"Evolve." The word rolled off his tongue slowly, and he could almost immediately feel it within him. The skill was evolving even beyond the cosmos, bordering on infinity.

<Evolution Successful>

<Luck Manipulation » Fate Dominion>

<Description:

Grants the user absolute authority over destiny, allowing them to assign, alter, erase, or enforce the fate of any being, object, event, or concept. All predetermined outcomes, prophecies, and cosmic destinies become subordinate to the user’s will, causing reality to inevitably align with the fate they decree, regardless of probability, causality, or universal law>

<You have earned the name Supreme Arbiter>

Jacob smiled as he looked at the panel floating a few inches from him, blocking his peripheral. Now he was sure that nothing stood between him and the top of the tower. All he had to do was take a deep breath and embrace the challenge with open arms, or a closed fist.

With a single thought, his body dematerialized, vanishing from the Library of Life and back into the tower halls, which were quiet even with the infinite number of people that supposedly occupied them. Jacob opened his eyes and found Uga standing guard, with a look as empty as it had always been.

"Welcome back, Jacob Ironfell. You were gone for all of zero seconds. Have you received the answers you seek?" Uga spoke as though he knew where Jacob went and what he went to do. It was unsettling for Jacob, but he ignored it and rose to his feet.

"Yes, Uga. I believe I have everything I need now."

"Good, because you are going to need a lot. I don’t want to claim to know how strong you are, but it is the goal of every Meereen to ensure, to the best of their ability, that their mentee makes it to the top of the tower and achieves victory."

"So when do I start my first fight? I’m ready to kick some ass." Jacob twirled his arms around in preparation and cracked his neck.

"You can certainly start your first fight anytime you wish. All you have to do is be ready in your heart, and a door to the first floor will open up to you. You will meet your first opponent there. There will also be a panel of judges, constellations, and a crowd eager to watch how powerful you are. Depending on what you are able to produce, you may or may not receive sponsors."

Jacob straightened his back and walked forward, nodding in response to what Uga had just told him. He stood in front of an open space and controlled his breathing. He breathed in, and breathed out.

"I’m ready," he said out loud.

ZOOM!

A black, rectangular portal-like door suddenly materialized in front of him. He turned back to look at Uga, who urged him to step forward, which he did without hesitation...