Chapter 58: The Dice Of Hope!

The stench of blood lingering in the dilapidated church had yet to fully dissipate, but the heart-palpitating "Great Omen" of misfortune that had been clinging to Luna Everhart finally began to recede like a retreating tide, thanks to the combined effects of the Minor Health Potion and Aiden Cross’s mental power.

Although the lingering effects of the backlash still left her incredibly weak and pale, at least her life was no longer in danger.

She curled up in a relatively clean corner, wrapped in a spare blanket Aiden Cross had retrieved from his ring space. She sipped the water he had handed her in small, cautious mouthfuls, her frail body still trembling faintly beneath the blanket.

Her amethyst-like eyes retained a lingering trace of terror. Every now and then, she would steal a glance at Aiden Cross, who sat not far away with his eyes closed, quietly resting.

She did not know who this man was, this mysterious figure who had appeared so suddenly and possessed strength akin to a descending deity. She did not understand why he had saved her, either.

Her long years of loneliness and bullying had taught her to instinctively distrust everyone. Kindness had never come without a price, and salvation had never been something she could simply accept without suspicion.

Yet despite that ingrained wariness, deep within the most secluded corner of her heart, a faint spark named hope had quietly ignited.

For the first time in a very long time, Luna felt that perhaps... she was not completely alone.

Aiden could feel her cautious gaze. He opened his eyes, looked toward her, and asked in as gentle a tone as possible, "Do you feel better?"

Luna flinched like a startled fawn before hurriedly nodding. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Mu... much better. Tha... thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Aiden Cross paused, his gaze falling upon the three ancient, multicolored dice that had returned to stillness before her.

"Your class is very special."

At the mention of the dice, Luna’s body visibly stiffened. A flicker of fear and self-abasement flashed through her eyes as she instinctively tried to hide them.

"It... it brings misfortune..." Her voice trembled. "Just now... and before... it was all because of it..."

Her words were tinged with a sob. It was clear that she blamed her uncontrollable class for the suffering she had endured, the pain inflicted by the thugs and the backlash that had nearly cost her life.

Aiden shook his head firmly. "No. It is not inherently wrong."

He looked directly at her. "The ones at fault are those who choose to abuse power and force it upon others. Power itself is neither good nor evil. What matters is the person wielding it."

He stood and walked over to Luna Everhart before crouching down in front of her, bringing himself to eye level with her.

"Believe me. Your class is one of the most precious and powerful forces in this apocalypse."

His voice was calm and unwavering. "It is not the source of misfortune. It is... the spark of hope."

Luna Everhart froze. No one had ever said such things to her before. Everyone, including herself, had always regarded those uncontrollable dice as ominous objects, the root of every disaster that had befallen her.

Yet this man before her was telling her that they were not a curse. They were hope.

She stared into Aiden Cross’s deep, tranquil eyes. There was an indescribable sense of certainty within them, a quiet strength that made his words difficult to doubt.

For the first time, the thick layer of ice surrounding Luna’s heart seemed to develop a tiny crack.

"Re... really?" she asked timidly, a sliver of incredulous hope hidden within her voice.

"Of course." Aiden nodded.

"If you’re willing, could you roll for me once? No matter what the result is, it doesn’t matter."

What he truly wanted was to personally verify exactly what kind of astonishing effects the SS-Rank class, Heavenly Karmic Dice, could produce when activated willingly, without coercion or backlash.

The result would also help him determine how he could assist Luna in mastering this power in the future.

Luna stared at Aiden’s sincere gaze before shifting her eyes toward the three dice lying on the ground.

She hesitated. Fear and uncertainty battled within her heart.

But eventually, her trust in the person who had saved her, and her desire to prove that her class truly had value, overcame her fear.

She took a deep breath. Then, with her still-trembling, fair, and slender hand, she carefully picked up the three ancient dice.

She closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly as though she were silently praying.

Then, with a gentle motion, she tossed the dice onto the ground.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The three dice rolled and collided across the dusty floor, their crisp sounds echoing through the dilapidated church.

Crimson. Pitch-black. Grayish-white. The three colors intertwined as the dice spun rapidly before gradually losing momentum.

Finally, they came to a stop.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The patterns facing upward were. The crimson die displayed a shimmering golden character for "Luck," its strokes seemingly outlined by sunlight.

The pitch-black die bore a pattern of auspicious clouds. And the grayish-white die showed an upward-pointing arrow.

It was not the highest tier of "Great Luck," but it was undoubtedly a positive buff.

"Lucky."

The moment the dice settled, Aiden Cross clearly felt an invisible, intangible aura quietly envelop him.

It was warm and peaceful, like a gentle spring breeze brushing against his face.

The sensation was subtle. Yet somehow, it felt as though the entire world had suddenly become a little more... friendly toward him.

The lingering fatigue from his previous battle rapidly faded. His mind became clearer, his senses sharper, and his entire mental state seemed to improve.

And then. A strange feeling surfaced.

’Was this... luck?’

[You are under the effect of "Heavenly Karmic Dice · Lucky."]

[You’ve Temporarily Gained the Luck Stat]

Aiden couldn’t help but frown, ’Damn a special stat!’

[Luck has been significantly increased for 10 minutes.]

A brief notification flashed through Aiden Cross’s mind.

His eyes narrowed.

[Luck had been significantly increased.

Although he could not see the exact numerical value of the increase, the effect alone was already enough to make his heart tremble.

This was absolutely a heaven-defying ability.

Within the hidden rules of Eclipse Online, Luck influenced countless probability-based factors: critical hit rates, block and dodge chances, item drop rates, quest-trigger probabilities, and practically anything else governed by chance.

A temporary and significant increase in Luck could potentially turn an ordinary opportunity into something extraordinary.

"Lucky..." Luna Everhart stared at the result before letting out a visible sigh of relief.

A faint smile, delicate as the first snow melting beneath the spring sun, appeared on her pale face.

For a moment, she looked much brighter. "This... this means that, for the next little while, things should go relatively smoothly for you..."