LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 80: The Poorness of the Rich
In his past life, Adam had only ever interacted with a few powerful viewers.
Most of them came and went, leaving behind only faint memories and the occasional cryptic message.
But he remembered one incident clearly, an S-tier viewer had once entered his stream!
Of course, it hadn't lasted long...
The viewer had stayed for less than ten minutes, growing bored with Adam's content and leaving without a trace.
At the time, Adam had lacked the strength or creativity to catch the attention of someone at that level.
Back then, he'd barely been scraping by on lower floors, constantly pressured by death and time.
But things were different now...
So when the system notification popped up with a glowing message, Adam paused, his heart beating just a little faster.
'Holder of Severance...'
That name didn't ring any bells.
It wasn't one of the S-tier viewers he remembered from his past life.
Then again, there were millions of viewers scattered across the multiverse.
He hadn't known them all.
Some S-tier users preferred to lurk in the background, silent observers who only interacted when something truly caught their interest.
Still, it wasn't every day that someone like that showed up.
Adam tapped open his system menu, eyes narrowing as he scrolled to his abilities.
[Permanent Copy] — Cooldown: Refreshed.
Perfect.
This was the best chance he'd had in a while.
Permanent Copy was one of his most valuable abilities, allowing him to randomly select one of three S-tier skills and make it his own permanently.
But it wasn't guaranteed...
The ability selection was randomized.
If luck wasn't on his side, he might be forced to choose from a trio of underwhelming powers.
Worse, the S-tier skill he wanted might not even appear at all!
He needed an edge just in case...
"System."
Adam said aloud, keeping his tone calm.
"Open the shop and filter for items that enhance luck effects."
The interface blinked for a moment before displaying a message.
[Only three results have been found.]
It was to be expected.
Items that affected the domain of luck were some of the rarest in the Tower.
Most had been hoarded by players or taken off the market entirely.
And even when they were available, their prices were beyond absurd...
Three options appeared on the screen, each accompanied by a dazzling golden frame and glowing item descriptions.
[Fortune's Thread (1.2M Gold)]
A silver bracelet woven with enchanted threads of destiny. Increases the effectiveness of chance-based abilities by 40% for one hour. Cannot be stacked. Single-use.
[Wishing Ember (950K Gold)]
A glowing coal from the remains of a divine star. When held, grants the user one randomized 'fortunate' outcome within the next five minutes. One-time use. Cannot be controlled or predicted.
[Clover Sigil (4.7M Gold)]
A carved emerald charm blessed by a forgotten deity. Raises the probability of gaining higher tiered skills by 10% when ranking up. Passive effect lasts until one ability is chosen.
Adam leaned back slightly, arms crossed as his gaze settled on the upper corner of his interface.
Current Balance: 20,713 Gold.
He clicked his tongue.
It wasn't awful... there were beginners in the lower floors who would've killed for that kind of money.
But for someone aiming to get his hands on anything remotely tied to luck enhancement, it was laughably low.
He let out a breath.
"Still not enough…"
The shop window stayed open in front of him, displaying the three luck-related items the system had managed to dig up.
Just three... That alone told him how rare luck-affecting artifacts were.
All of them far out of reach.
Adam rubbed the back of his neck.
He exited the shop window and opened his inventory instead.
Maybe he could sell some stuff.
It wasn't ideal, but he didn't have a choice if he wanted to maximize the effects of [Permanent Copy].
The cooldown had just reset, and this could be his only shot at copying a truly game-changing S-tier ability...
He began scrolling through his list of items.
Seven [Death Tattoos] sat neatly in his storage.
They were decent loot from the Death Knights on the second floor.
Valuable? Sure...
But stacking them didn't do much.
The effect was the same no matter how many you had.
He only needed one.
The others were just taking up space now.
Further down, he saw five [All-Purpose Keys] from Celestia's Corpse Puppets.
They could unlock almost anything within the dungeon.
Useful, definitely, but five was overkill.
Keeping two for emergencies made sense.
The rest? Up for sale...
Adam opened the System Shop and hovered over the selling tab.
There were two ways to go about this...
Auto-Sell or Queue-Shop.
Auto-Sell meant instant payment, but a much lower price than the market value.
The system gave you the bare minimum, which made sense.
You were trading speed for value.
Queue-Shop was slower.
Hunters from other floors would have to find your listing, decide it was worth it, and make the purchase.
But the key difference was that you could set the price as you please
Adam stared at the screen for a moment longer.
He remembered how the Stream Hunters in his past life manipulated prices in the Queue-Shop.
One time, a coordinated group started buying out all the [Healing Orbs] under market value.
When the supply was drained, they relisted them at three times the price.
It caused chaos...
People couldn't afford them during boss raids, and entire parties wiped because they didn't have healing backups.
That little trick earned them a fortune, and ruined a few climbs in the process...
Adam had no plans to start a market war, but he wasn't about to sell rare loot for pennies either.
He clicked into Queue-Shop and began listing.
[Death Tattoo] x6 – Listed at 20,000 Gold each
[All-Purpose Key] x3 – Listed at 2,500 Gold each
He set the prices slightly under the current market average.
Not too low to hurt his returns, but just enough to move them quickly.
As he hit confirm, notifications popped up in the corner of his screen.
[nthnth_9 has sent an F-tier gift]
[You have received +11 Soul Cores]
[nthnth_9]: Hm? Why's the streamer suddenly selling stuff? Need cash that badly?
[Frog Eater]: With how loaded his rewards have been, what's he buying that costs this much?
[WeaverOfStories has sent an F-tier gift]
[You have received +1 Soul Core]
[WeaverOfStories] : I bet it's a pet! A strong, mysterious one with some hidden power, maybe?
[Disciple of Ice] : A… pet? Why would he need a pet?
[WeaverOfStories] : Uhm.. I don't know. But if we follow the cliche, usually a powerful magical pet should be accompanying him right now...
[Experienced Old Knight is confused by the Story Weaver's words.]
[Prankster of Kingdoms says he does not understand the cliche that the Weaver is talking about.]
Adam glanced towards the chat.
His viewers were sharp.
He hadn't told them about [Permanent Copy] refreshing, but the sudden push to liquidate items wasn't subtle.
He tapped his fingers against the edge of his console.
Should he say something?
Most streamers wouldn't hesitate to exploit rich viewers.
Drop a hint, act desperate, let the gifts roll in.
But Adam had always been… different about that.
Asking directly felt cheap.
He didn't want to beg as it didn't really align towards the personality that he was trying to show towards his viewers.
After all, a streamer's personality was something that was quite important to viewer's...
Still, if someone just happened to send him something useful, he wouldn't complain.
[LORDTEE is contemplating about the Streamer's richness...]
[LORDTEE says he has an idea]
[LORDTEE has sent an F-tier gift]
[You have received] Stylistic Prosthetic Boot Leg: A mana-enhanced prosthetic for those missing a limb. Comes with adjustable enchantments and glittery decals.
[LORDTEE has sent an F-tier gift]
[You have received] Enchanted Elbow Brace of Unpredictable Flexibility: Grants the user spontaneous elbow control. Functions may include impossible yoga and surprise joint rotations.
[LORDTEE has sent a D-tier gift]
[You have received] Mystical Monocle of Skeptical Appraisal: Grants the wearer the passive ability to squint judgmentally at enemies, lowering their morale by 50%.
Adam blinked.
"What?"
[LORDTEE is glancing towards the streamer with an expectant gaze]
[LORDTEE] : I have a lot more, do you want them all, streamer?
[Woman Of Specters is stunned]
[Bird Hunter] : What in god's name are those items...
[5th Style Sword Master asks what kind of universe LORDTEE is living in to have these kinds of items....]
[Prankster of Kingdoms asks if he could buy some...]
[Holder of Severance stares at the other viewers as though he is looking at strange creatures...]
Adam was about to thank the viewer "Lord Tee" for his... oddly useful gifts.
But he stopped mid-sentence.
He glanced around him.
The ground beneath his suddenly feet trembled.
It wasn't much at first... just a faint vibration in the stone floor.
But it deepened quickly, becoming a low, grating rumble that echoed across the ancient walls of the catacombs.
Dust fell from the ceiling, drifting through the air like ash.
Adam's eyes narrowed.
His hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his weapon as he turned in a slow circle, scanning his surroundings.
That's when he saw them.
Figures emerging from the shadows.
Dozens of them.... maybe more.
Wraiths. Shimmering, translucent, and gliding silently over the ground.
Their hollow eyes glowed faintly, like dying embers.
Beside them, wrapped in rotting linens and ancient armor, mummified guardians began stepping out from behind broken pillars and shattered tomb doors.
Their movements were stiff, unnatural... each step sending cracks along the stone.
But none of them attacked.
They simply... stood there. Watching.
Adam shifted his stance slightly, ready for an ambush...
But it didn't come.
The wraiths hovered around him in a wide circle.
The guardians took position like silent statues, their rusted weapons drawn but unmoving.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then, a crisp notification rang in his ears.
[Warning! You are about to trigger a Boss Fight.]