Reincarnated with a lucky draw system

Chapter 536: INVESTIGATING IT

"Once more, my luck triumphs," Aaron muttered, a wide, satisfied grin spreading across his face.

He opened his palm, and the Absolute Key materialized instantly in a swirl of nightfire and shadow.

The ancient artifact gleamed with otherworldly power, its surface etched with runes that seemed to shift and breathe on their own.

Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the key dissolved into liquid darkness and sank straight into his skin.

It settled there like a living tattoo, pulsing once against the back of his hand before vanishing completely beneath the surface.

A flood of crystal-clear information rushed into Aaron’s mind—every rule, every ability, every hidden secret of the Infinitum Tower.

The knowledge settled deep, merging seamlessly with his Nameless soul.

"So that’s how it works, huh?" Aaron said, his smile sharpening with quiet excitement.

He wasted no time.

"First, I’ll place it within the sanctuary," he thought, already moving with decisive speed.

With a single focused command, Aaron manifested the suppressed Infinitum Tower inside his private sanctuary universe.

The massive structure rose silently at the very center of his domain, towering, majestic, and completely under his control.

Its presence radiated subtle power, humming like a living heartbeat that only he could fully feel.

He immediately gathered every inhabitant of the sanctuary and granted them open access.

"You now have the right to challenge the tower and claim greater power," he announced, his voice carrying across the entire realm.

The news spread like wildfire.

Joy erupted among the residents under his rule.

Their eyes lit up with fierce determination.

Finally, a clear path existed for them to grow stronger at an astonishing pace.

Cheers and roars of excitement echoed through the sanctuary as countless beings rushed toward the tower’s gates.

Next, Aaron placed a second, camouflaged version directly inside the Splitting Heaven Sect.

He shaped it to appear as nothing more than an unassuming special training room tucked away in a quiet corner of the grounds.

To the disciples, it looked ordinary, harmless, even.

Yet beneath the illusion lay the full might of the Infinitum Tower, waiting to test and reward them.

He informed the disciples of its existence, though he deliberately withheld the deeper secrets.

No need to overwhelm them yet.

With the tower now active, Aaron felt certain that the elite group he had personally selected would dominate the upcoming tournament.

Victory was no longer a hope, it was simply a matter of time.

After everything was settled and no urgent matters demanded his attention, Aaron allowed himself a rare moment of personal indulgence.

He decided it was finally time to test the tower for himself.

---

Far away, in the opulent throne room of the imperial palace, heavy silence filled the air.

"My lord," the captain reported, kneeling low with visible tension in his shoulders.

"Every single guard has been killed... except for me."

The emperor’s face twisted with open annoyance.

His fingers tightened around the armrest of his throne as he leaned forward.

"And who dared to oppose me in such a pathetic display?"

"From the information I gathered," the captain continued carefully, "the culprit belongs to the newly rising Splitting Heaven Sect."

"Splitting Heaven Sect?" the emperor repeated, his voice dripping with disdain.

"It’s a recently emerged power, my lord," the captain explained.

"The man responsible is said to be extraordinarily strong. He personally defeated the strongest sect masters from every major sect.

And soon he plans to host a grand tournament."

"Hmm. Hosting a tournament, is he?" The emperor leaned back, eyes narrowing in cold calculation.

"Let him be for now. Mark him as a future threat to be dealt with later.

Focus all efforts on feeding it."

"Yes, Emperor," the captain replied at once.

"I trust there is still enough food to satisfy its hunger?"

"Yes, Emperor."

"Then you may leave."

The captain bowed deeply and retreated from the hall without another word.

Once the doors sealed shut, the emperor turned to his special adviser, voice low and commanding.

"Send a message to our contacts in the higher realm.

Someone annoying and difficult to handle has appeared.

He could jeopardize the entire mission."

"Yes, my lord." The adviser nodded sharply and departed.

The emperor remained seated, staring into empty space with a calculating glare.

He could not allow their carefully laid plan to fail.

He had already poured decades of time, countless resources, and rivers of blood into ensuring "it" grew perfectly.

Failure was not an option.

Unseen and unnoticed, Void stood silently behind the emperor’s throne.

His presence remained perfectly hidden, his influence subtly twisting every mind in the room so that no one perceived him at all.

He observed the entire exchange with cold, calculated eyes, filing away every detail for Aaron.

With no more vital information left to gather, Void decided it was time to investigate the source of the emperor’s madness firsthand.

The very thing that had driven the ruler to kidnap countless children and feed them to some unseen horror.

He walked through the grand palace with calm, unhurried steps, carrying himself as though he owned every marble corridor and gilded hall.

His presence remained perfectly masked, twisting the thoughts of every servant, guard, and noble so they simply never noticed him passing.

He descended into the secret underground passage, the air growing thicker and colder with each step.

Dim torches flickered weakly along damp stone walls, casting long, dancing shadows that seemed to whisper secrets of their own.

The faint metallic scent of old blood lingered in the stale air, mixing with something far more unnatural, something alive and hungry.

At last, Void reached the heavy iron door at the bottom.

He pushed it open without a sound and stepped inside.

There, in the center of the dimly lit chamber, lay the slime.

It looked utterly harmless at first glance, a dark, gelatinous mass wriggling lazily across the cold floor.

Unlike the usual bright blue of its kind, this creature was pitch black, almost absorbing what little light touched it.

It pulsed slowly, innocently, with no outward sign of the danger the emperor feared so desperately.

Void studied it in quiet surprise, arms crossed over his chest.

When he had first read the emperor’s mind, he had been stunned by how seriously the man treated this thing.

Yet now, watching it wriggle across the stone like a oversized blob of ink, he couldn’t help but re-evaluate the threat level.

It seemed almost... cute.

But just as he turned to leave, the slime shifted.

It sensed his presence.

With an almost playful bounce, it began to move toward him, slow, steady, and deceptively adorable.

Void’s instincts screamed in sudden alarm.

Every nerve in his body lit up with raw danger, the warning far sharper than anything the creature’s appearance suggested.