100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full?-Chapter 34 - Changes

Bright.

Lucien opened his eyes to an unfamiliar place.

Light.

Radiant and golden light surrounded him in every direction. It was like standing within a sunbeam yet somehow, it didn’t hurt his eyes.

He turned his head slowly, scanning the horizon for any sign of where he was.

Nothing.

Only endless golden brilliance.

Then he looked down... and panic surged through him.

He was floating.

Even beneath him, there was no ground. Just the same glowing light stretching on forever.

Before he could process more, a soft woosh cut through the silence.

A figure approached.

It was shaped like a person but made entirely of light. It was faceless and mysterious.

It drifted... towards him.

Lucien’s body tensed.

He dropped into a stance.

His muscles coiled.

He was ready to strike or defend at any moment.

But the figure didn’t attack.

It stopped just in front of him.

"Who?! Are you the plot twist?!" Lucien called out in a sharp voice.

No reply.

The silence was deafening.

He took a step forward but then... the figure began to quiver.

It looked as if it were in pain.

Lucien froze. He didn’t know what to do.

Help it?

Run?

Attack?

Then...

He heard it.

A voice.

Soft.

Melodic.

Beautiful.

Like music carried on wind.

Yet underneath, there was something... wrong. Something fractured.

Lucien narrowed his eyes and focused, desperate not to miss a word.

"...Please... get strong fast... and..."

The voice faltered.

Then without warning, the golden figure exploded into radiant light and surged toward him.

It wrapped around him like an embrace.

The message was never finished.

And the world turned black... again.

•••

Huff... huff...

Lucien gasped as consciousness returned.

He blinked, only to realize he was in someone’s arms.

Clara.

She was holding him tightly while her tears streamed down her face.

"What happened? How long was I out?" he asked.

Clara looked up and finally looked relieved. She gently helped him sit upright.

"My Lord... I was so worried," she said with her voice trembling. "You suddenly collapsed about an hour ago. I used all my Light Magic spells but nothing worked..."

She wrapped her arms around him again.

Lucien tapped her hand. "I thought... it was only a minute. Okay, that’s enough. Let me go for now."

Clara hesitated... then obeyed. But the moment she looked at him again, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"My Lord... your vessel... there’s something different. I can’t believe it. How is this possible?"

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked.

Clara’s voice was nearly a whisper. "This... your vessel... divine energy..."

Just as she said that, Lucien heard it—

[Ting!]

A string of system notifications rang in his mind.

His eyes lit up.

He spoke in a rush, "Clara, I’ll call you again later. I need to stabilize and recompose this vessel immediately."

Clara gave a respectful nod. "Understood, my Lord." She bowed and left without another word.

Now alone, Lucien sat still.

"Damn... Is this connected to what just happened? That light... that voice..."

He clenched his fists, forcing himself to focus.

"No. Deal with the now first. I need to understand what’s changed."

Lucien’s heart was still racing.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then calmly, he spoke.

"System, please repeat the notifications."

***

<Achievement: Face to Faceless>

<Meet the unknown>

<Reward: Divine Blessing>

***

[Ting!]

[Your body has undergone a change.]

[You can now harness Divine Energy.]

...

[Ting!]

[CONDITIONS MET]

[...]

[CRAFT is now unlocked.]

[Launching system interface...]

< STATUS >

< INVENTORY >

< SKILLPEDIA >

< MAGIC BOOK >

< MONSTERDEX >

< CRAFT > (NEW!)

...

There was a lot to take in.

But first... his body.

Lucien could feel it. Something was different now.

He still didn’t have mana vessels yet divine energy flowed through him.

It was subtle but constant as if nourishing every inch of his being.

And then he sensed it. Right near his heart.

A core.

The divine energy had formed a glowing core at the center of his chest. It pulsed gently, sending waves of energy throughout his body.

The flow circled back, over and over, like blood being pumped through veins.

But unlike blood, this energy strengthened him with every cycle.

It was warm.

Vital.

Alive.

Lucien’s lips curled into a smile.

He felt energized and invigorated. Maybe it was just a placebo but if so, it was a damn good one.

"With this... I should finally be able to use magic!"

His excitement surged.

It was all happening too fast and too surreal... but undeniably real.

And Lucien couldn’t wait to test it all.

But then, Lucien turned his gaze toward the system panel hovering in the air.

And there it was... another surprise.

A new cheat.

CRAFT.

His eyes gleamed with anticipation. He didn’t know all the details yet but he could already imagine the possibilities.

Weapons.

Potions.

Tools.

Maybe even something absurdly powerful.

His excitement only grew.

Without hesitation, he tapped on the new cheat.

It responded instantly.

A panel unfolded before him. It was neat and glowing with divine energy.

***

—CRAFT—

• CONSUMABLES

• EQUIPMENTS

• TOOLS

• ARTIFACTS

• MACHINA

***

Lucien’s eyes glowed with excitement...

But the more he explored the interface, the more that glow began to fade.

Because...

Most of the items were locked.

Only the most basic entries in each tab were available.

For example, under CONSUMABLES...

Simple items like Health Potion, Mana Potion and Stamina Potion were unlocked. As long as he had the proper ingredients, the system could craft them.

But everything else?

Just names.

No details.

No ingredients.

No recipes.

Lucien frowned, slightly disappointed.

Still, he continued browsing, determined to familiarize himself with every corner of the CRAFT feature.

"There had to be something worth discovering. Something hidden. And knowing the system... there always was."

Then, something caught his eye.

<Atomic Bomb> (Locked)

Lucien’s heart skipped.

"Oh, hell yes! I can finally pull off the iconic ’I am Atomic!’ move!"

He grinned... then immediately frowned.

"Wait... how do I unlock this?"

[To unlock recipes, either purchase them or create your own.]

"These things can be bought?!" Lucien muttered in disbelief.

He tapped on the recipe.

<Recipe: Atomic Bomb>

<Price: 100 High-Grade Mana Cores>

Red text.

That could only mean one thing. He didn’t have enough credits.

Lucien’s face darkened.

"Seriously?! Damn it... I only have lowest and a few low-grade ones. Just how much is a high-grade?!"

He groaned and threw his head back.

"You’ve turned into a damn money-grabbing system, haven’t you?!"

As expected, the system gave no reply.

Lucien clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Still... maybe it was for the best.

This world wasn’t ready for that kind of power.

After all, not every problem should be solved by blowing everything up.

Even if it would’ve been awesome.

Lucien continued studying the CRAFT interface, digging deeper into its structure.

Then it hit him.

"I have a Crafting Division, don’t I...?"

A smirk tugged at his lips.

"Why not make them research recipes?"

It was a perfect solution. If he managed to unlock or purchase a few cheap recipes, he could pass them on and let the division experiment and innovate from there.

While the system’s crafting feature was amazing, relying solely on it wasn’t sustainable.

It wouldn’t be good if his people started depending on him for every single potion, tool or weapon.

He knew well. A territory couldn’t function if the lord tried to do everything himself.

With a sigh, he leaned back a bit.

But then... something in the MACHINA category caught his eye.

<Recipe: Airship (Small)>

<Price: 100 Mid-Grade Mana Cores>

Lucien’s breath hitched.

His eyes lit up.

An airship.

He could already see it.

Sailing through the skies.

Banners fluttering.

His enemies looking up in awe... or terror.

But reality quickly brought him back down.

"Of course it’s expensive..."

One hundred mid-grade mana cores.

He checked his inventory again.

***

—INVENTORY—

Assets:

• 2 Low-Grade Mana Cores

• 1678 Lowest-Grade Mana Cores

• 1215 gold coins (1 gold coin = 10 silver coins/100 copper coins)

• 1 silver coin (1 silver coin = 10 copper coins)

• 8 copper coin

...

***

Still poor. "Damn."

Lucien wondered for a moment.

The Slime Boss had only dropped a low-grade mana core.

So what kind of monster would drop a mid-grade? Or worse, a high-grade?

Whatever it was, it had to be formidable. Possibly something far beyond what he or his people could currently handle.

Still, he had plenty of gold coins now. Maybe he could buy some?

...But he quickly shook his head.

Mana cores were essential for advancement. Everyone needed them. Which meant their prices would be ridiculous.

He sighed.

So much for soaring through the skies with Vivian in an airship.

The dream would have to wait.

But he didn’t let it drag him down.

It wasn’t an urgent need... not yet.

Besides, he had to be careful. If word got out that he could produce something as revolutionary as an airship, questions would start piling up.

Nobles, spies and opportunists would swarm like flies.

He needed to lay the groundwork.

He’d pass the blueprints to his Crafting Division first. Let them "develop" it naturally. That way, if anyone asked, he could point to his people’s brilliance... not the system’s.

Satisfied with that plan, Lucien gave the floating system panel a final look.

Then turned the cheat off.

Lucien wanted to check on something again.

"MAGIC BOOK."

The book he had been most curious about materialized before him.

He opened it with anticipation.

"Too bad... only Fire Attribute Magic is unlocked," he muttered. "But... that’s not bad at all."

He flipped through the pages.

Basic spells.

Intermediate spells.

Advanced spells.

And even... Ancient magic.

There were so many spells that the sheer volume began to overwhelm him. But the fire in his eyes only burned brighter.

It was exactly the kind of power he wanted.

But then...

He felt something.

A subtle pulse.

Since the transformation, his sensitivity to divine energy had heightened. Even without borrowing Clara’s Divine Sense, he could feel it now.

And right now... something was stirring.

He turned his head, instinct guiding his eyes toward the garden.

The divine energy there had reached a new stage.

His breath caught.

The special crops... had matured.

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶