Chapter 500: Lottery Draw First
This time, the little puppy didn’t listen to Tan You, just put on a stern puppy expression. "First, the lottery."
"You’re that insistent on me doing the lottery?" Tan You arched an eyebrow slightly. "Fine, let’s do it. We’ll start with a ten-pull."
The little system had been constantly goading her into doing the lottery, and Tan You had a nagging suspicion about it. A quick pull would confirm whether she was right. And if she wasn’t, it would only cost her a few Energy Points.
Feeling like a high-roller now, Tan You was acting particularly extravagant. ’It’s fine,’ she thought. ’I can afford the loss.’
The lottery wheel unfolded before Tan You’s eyes. She glanced at the prizes, selected a ten-pull, and 10 cards immediately flew out from the wheel. Tan You squinted at the cards—the 10 of them had yielded 20 Beauty Value points.
As for the Intelligence Value she was so desperate for, she hadn’t gotten a single point.
Seeing Tan You’s eyes narrow, the Beauty System immediately wagged its tail. "Host, look at the lottery wheel! Did you see the new rewards that just popped up?"
Tan You followed its gaze to the lottery wheel. When she saw the new reward of 9 Intelligence Value points, her breath hitched. She completely missed the "Flower-Like Smile" prize next to it. "Is this... a bonus reward? Were you gone just now... for this?"
The Beauty System wagged its tail smugly. "They asked what the Host wanted most, and I told them you wanted Intelligence Value more than anything..."
"System, you’re such a thoughtful little thing!" Tan You’s smile grew wider and wider. If the little system had a physical body, she would have scooped it up for a hug and a kiss.
This was the first time the Beauty System had received such an enthusiastic response from Tan You, and its voice even stuttered a little. "H... Host, you still have to... do the lottery..."
Tan You was feeling particularly generous now. "As long as it’s within 84 Energy Points, you can handle the pulls."
"Really? You’ll really let me do the pulls myself?" The little system’s eyes lit up in an instant, just as Tan You’s had when she saw the 9 Intelligence Value points.
"Yes, you do it!" ’How could Tan You not know this little thing wanted to use this chance to skim some of her Energy Points? But she truly didn’t care. As long as it got her the Intelligence Value, Tan You was willing to go bankrupt.’
"Host, you’re the best!" The Beauty System nuzzled against Tan You. After getting her permission, it began a frantic lottery spree. The main system had given Tan You a bonus reward, but that didn’t stop this little system from burning through her Energy Points, right?
Either way, it was confident it would get the Intelligence Value before it used up all of Tan You’s Energy Points.
Tan You simply watched as the little puppy went on its lottery spree. Even after nine ten-pulls, her expression didn’t change one bit. Seeing how calm Tan You was, the Beauty System didn’t dare dawdle any longer and finally pulled the 9 Intelligence Value points from the main system.
Tan You glanced at her remaining 4 Energy Points, then at the smug-looking little puppy, and suddenly sighed. ’Oh well. I guess both the system and I got what we wanted.’
’Trading her not-so-useful Energy Points for 9 points of precious Intelligence Value was a good deal.’
As her consciousness touched the 9-point Intelligence Value card, Tan You felt a golden light fly into the spot between her eyebrows.
"Ngh..." With a muffled groan, Tan You bit her lip, refusing to make another sound. When she had received 1 point of Intelligence Value before, she had barely felt a thing. But now, with 9 points, it felt as if her head was being split open.
After rolling around on her bed for a long time, breaking out in a cold, sticky sweat, Tan You finally endured the wave of agony from her brain’s development.
She glanced at the time. Great. Only ten minutes had passed. ’The saying "a day feels like a year" is no exaggeration,’ Tan You thought. Even in her life as Adina, she had never suffered such agony.
It was as if someone was inside her head with a chisel, just banging and clanging away. And what’s worse, there was no way to distract from the pain; she could only force herself to endure it.
"Check status." Taking a deep breath, Tan You gradually regained some strength and felt her mind become exceptionally clear.
The status screen unfolded before her: Appearance: 90 (Perfect Bone Structure, Jade-Like Skin, Eyes Like Autumn Pools, Inky Black Hair, Sweet Dimples)
Spiritual Power: 102 (not on a 100-point scale)
Intelligence: 70
Physique: 39
Charisma: 39
Energy Points: 4
Beauty Value: 256 (not usable in the current world).
Only then did Tan You realize she had gotten a dimple enhancement from the lottery. "I can understand my spiritual power rising to 102, but why does it now say ’not on a 100-point scale’? Does this mean its limit isn’t 100?"
Beauty System: "Of course. In a Basic-level Mission World, the cap for spiritual power is only 100. But Host, you’ve already met a Divine, and a Divine’s spiritual power is limitless."
Tan You waved her hand dismissively. "I wouldn’t dare compare myself to a Divine. But why did my Physique drop? I remember it was 40 before, right? Did adding 9 points to my Intelligence Value weaken my physique?"
Beauty System: "You can build it back up later if you train, Host."
Tan You didn’t dwell on it. Her eyes were fixed on her 70 points of Intelligence Value. ’Speaking of which, with an Intelligence Value of 70, can I solve those math competition problems just by looking at them?’
She was one to act on her thoughts. A quick check of the time told her the braised pork in the kitchen wasn’t ready yet, so Tan You hopped off the bed and grabbed the math competition book she had brought back. She flipped to the problem she had most recently been puzzling over. After staring at it for over ten minutes, a clear approach formed in her mind.
She didn’t know how she compared to other students, but right now, Tan You felt incredibly gratified. ’The power of Intelligence Value is truly something else!’
She hugged the math competition book, giddy for a good while, before finally composing her expression and walking out of her room. Tan Deming saw her and smiled. "I heard a funny noise from the pot and was just about to call for you."
Tan You laughed. "Well, here I am."
Tan Deming: "I know you’ve got a good sense of timing. Did something good happen? You look so happy."
Tan You said, half-jokingly, "I just solved a tough problem."
"I always said you were smart," Tan Deming, a little old man who was excellent at providing emotional support, immediately lavished her with praise. "Don’t listen to your mother when she calls you slow. You’re so clever! A slow person couldn’t have earned so much money at such a young age, right?"
Tan You’s steps were light. "Yes, I suppose I can be considered a smart person now."
’With an Intelligence Value of 70, she could probably dominate the entire school. Of course, Tan You was only referring to the town’s middle school she attended. After all, in her memory, the former top student of the ninth grade only had an Intelligence Value of 63.’
At this thought, Tan You couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.
’So, it’s possible to obtain Intelligence Value through means other than the system’s lottery? Glancing covertly at the little puppy, who was still grinning foolishly, Tan You furrowed her brow. Why did the main system reward her with Intelligence Value? The reason behind it was worth careful consideration.’
’Thinking about it more right now was useless. Pushing those thoughts aside, Tan You just wanted to enjoy a nice dinner with the old couple. As for everything else, she could investigate in detail after the placement test for her first year of high school.’
The thought of the placement test the day after tomorrow made Tan You pause. ’A placement test? I spent over a thousand years messing around in a Western Fantasy World. I haven’t forgotten everything I once learned, have I?’