[A Few Days Ago.]

  .

  .

  On a sunny day, James was enjoying the breeze while sitting on a bench in front of the university he attended.

  He seemed relaxed, but his heart was hesitant about the things he had received from the game Castlevania.

  James looked at the ring on his finger. It had been about a week since he started wearing it, and he had needed some time to get used to all that power. But the 30 Intelligence points provided by the ring had benefited him greatly.

  All his college subjects had become much easier, and his memory had improved to the point where it was difficult for him to forget anything he read.

  He wondered if it was right to use something like this to pass college when he could be doing something more important.

  But remembering all the problems that the heroes in stories had to face, James simply thought that being a hero wasn’t for him.

  "It’s better to just keep things this way!" he told himself.

  After all, there was no reason not to use the ring for his own benefit. With a sigh, he decided to make the most of what the ring offered at the moment—after all, passing his exams was his current goal.

  As he was lost in thought, a girl wearing the same university uniform as him approached.

  Her blue eyes looked pleasantly surprised when they landed on James, like a friend who hadn't seen him in a long time.

  But even with his extra 30 Intelligence points, James still couldn’t remember her.

  "Can I sit?" she asked with a smile.

  James’ brain almost froze when he saw that smile.

  "She’s really beautiful," was his first impression of her at that moment.

  "Sure."

  "Thanks! By the way, I’m Samantha," she introduced herself as she sat down.

  "James."

  Looking at her more closely, James couldn’t resist asking:

  "Do we know each other from somewhere?"

  She looked at him for a moment.

  "Yeah. We studied together in 7th and 8th grade at Dalton. It’s normal not to remember—I’ve changed a lot."

  James then used all the power of his brain to recall everyone who had studied with him at Dalton. It wasn’t easy, considering that had happened when he was only 14.

  After a few seconds, he finally remembered a blonde girl who used to sit in the front row.

  "You were that annoying girl?" he accidentally blurted out.

  "Annoying girl?" she repeated.

  Yes, the Samantha he remembered was a typical annoying girl—always bossing people around and constantly telling the teacher whenever someone did something wrong.

  "Wait! Weren’t you blonde?"

  He looked at her short, dark hair.

  "Hmm? You really remembered? I was never actually blonde—I used to dye my hair." Samantha smiled as she ran her fingers through her hair.

  "But back to what you said… Annoying girl?" she asked again.

  And so, they started reminiscing about those times. Samantha was happy to recall the science project they had worked on together, which made James burn even more brain cells trying to remember.

  To be honest, James couldn’t recall many good things about that time—he had been quite reserved back then. That’s why he was so surprised that she actually remembered him.

  Gradually, the conversation shifted until she mentioned the mysterious game Castlevania.

  "Have you played it? If not, you should." she said. "I managed to finish it after a lot of effort, but it was worth it."

  This surprised James, since in his opinion, Castlevania was the hardest game he had ever seen.

  "I finished it too."

  "Really? What did you get?" Samantha asked.

  "Intelligence Potion. Now I get perfect scores on almost everything." he lied. "What about you?"

  "Luck Potion."

  She then smiled.

  "Actually, I used it earlier today. And then I ended up running into you here. I guess I’m lucky."

  James smiled as well.

  "Maybe I’m the lucky one."

  "Or maybe we’re both lucky."

  They both agreed that they were experiencing a stroke of luck at that moment.

  They talked for almost an hour before Samantha had to leave. Of course, before parting, they exchanged contacts and promised to hang out someday.

  Back at his apartment, James climbed the stairs and accidentally bumped into his neighbor from the apartment next door.

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  The poor man hit the ground as if he had crashed into a steel pillar, dropping a box full of newspapers. James quickly apologized and helped him pick everything up.

  As they sorted the newspapers, one headline caught James’ attention:

  "Group of Young People, Meeting Under the Full Moon."

  Reading the rest of the article, he realized that tonight would be a full moon.

  "Maybe…" James began to think, considering the possibility of testing the full potential of Dracula’s Cape, since its defensive power was doubled under the full moon.

  After apologizing to his neighbor again, he finally entered his apartment.

  He quickly grabbed his old hockey mask, dressed in darker clothes, and put on Dracula’s Cape.

  Looking at himself in the mirror, he laughed.

  "I look like a killer from a bad horror movie…"

  And he really did.

  James waited until 7 PM and, unseen, climbed up to the rooftop of his apartment building.

  Under the moonlight, he didn’t feel any physical difference, but he assumed that his defense had increased due to Dracula’s Cape’s effect.

  Looking at the rooftops of the neighboring buildings, James felt a strange urge to explore them—as if some mysterious force was calling him to take a nighttime stroll among the heights.

  Driven by this impulse, he ran and easily jumped onto the next rooftop.

  "Successful jump." he said, pleased.

  That strange urge grew stronger, and James kept moving with agility, hiding from sight like a true ninja among the rooftops.

  Observing the people coming and going below, he found himself intrigued by this nighttime adventure. He continued exploring the rooftops, surrendering to the flow of the moment, moving like a shadow in the night.

  While exploring, James spotted Samantha and two other friends leaving the cinema. Without thinking much, he decided to follow them secretly.

  "It’s dangerous to walk around at this hour." he told himself, but deep down, he knew the real reason was his interest in her.

  As he followed the girls, James noticed a car approaching rapidly. The strange urge that had guided him before was now stronger than ever.

  The driver, distracted while talking on his phone, suddenly saw a small cat crossing the street. In a reflex, he swerved to avoid the animal, but now the car was heading straight toward Samantha and her friends.

  In a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, James’ thoughts accelerated.

  Before even fully understanding what was happening, his instincts exploded into action, like an uncontrollable impulse.

  His body moved on its own, reacting with incredible speed as he leaped from the rooftops and placed himself in front of the car. Trusting his enhanced instincts and the strength of the Ring of Varda and Dracula’s Cloak, James acted boldly and decisively. With all his energy concentrated, he used his arms and body to push the vehicle aside, skillfully redirecting it away from the girls.

  As the car zoomed past them, James felt a mix of relief and exhaustion.

  "Sorry for the scare."

  James forced a smile, though he was breathing heavily and looked ready to collapse at any moment. Changing the trajectory of a high-speed vehicle using only his body had taken a toll on him.

  Samantha quickly recognized Dracula’s Cloak from Castlevania, but before she could ask about it, James had already disappeared in a hurry.

  Using the emergency stairs, he climbed back up to the rooftop and, completely drained, threw himself to the ground to rest.

  "I thought I was going to die!" James exclaimed.

  The strange impulse that had been driving him was now gone, leaving him perplexed by everything that had just happened.

  He recalled Samantha’s words about the Luck Potion.

  "Actually, I used it earlier. And then I ended up finding you here. I guess I’m lucky."

  Thinking about the sequence of events that day, from reuniting with an old classmate to discovering the full moon, then running into Samantha outside the cinema, and finally the car incident—it all felt like an incredible chain of coincidences.

  "She was right. I think she really was lucky." That was the conclusion he came to.

  What James had no idea about, however, was that the luck wasn’t just limited to Samantha—it extended to the entire city. Because of that incident, James realized that saving someone might actually be interesting.

  ◇◇◇

  Ethan and Tyler were walking toward Ethan’s apartment on a sunny morning. Their meeting had been casual—Ethan ran into Tyler near the bookstore and invited him over to play some games.

  As they walked, they chatted casually about the world and their recent discoveries.

  "The world’s gotten kinda crazy, huh?" Tyler said with a carefree tone.

  Ethan nodded.

  "Who would’ve thought a game would give out magical items... But I have to admit, I’m not complaining."

  "True. My Luck Potion is worth almost nine million dollars online." Tyler laughed, clearly excited.

  "Are you planning to sell it?" Ethan asked, curious.

  Tyler shook his head, smiling.

  "No. Luck is priceless. But what about you? Are you planning to sell your Intelligence Potion?"

  Ethan’s response was brief.

  "No..."

  Then, he fell into a thoughtful silence.

  Noticing the shift in Ethan’s mood, Tyler picked up on the curiosity in his expression but chose not to interrupt.

  "You know... I had that magical feeling again." Ethan said, looking intrigued.

  "Intuition?" Tyler asked cautiously.

  "Yeah." Ethan confirmed, noticing Tyler’s growing interest.

  This triggered a memory in Tyler. The last time Ethan had that "magical intuition" was on the same day Castlevania was released—a game that had distributed magical rewards.

  Even though Ethan hadn’t made it into the top three to receive a special prize, that "magical feeling" of his had proven to be eerily accurate on several occasions before.

  It was as if Ethan had a unique connection with the universe.

  As Tyler considered the situation, he wondered if this intuition was a sign of fate, indicating that something important was about to happen.

  "How exactly did you get this feeling?" Tyler asked, intrigued.

  Ethan started explaining how, after completing Castlevania and receiving the potion as a reward, his first impulse was to use it immediately—just like 90% of players would have done.

  However, that "magical feeling" made him hesitate. He felt that using the potion right away would be a waste. Instead, he decided to save it and think of a more effective way to use it.

  That’s when an idea struck him: he researched the potions online and discovered that their effects lasted for 24 hours—and that all the knowledge gained during that time would remain even after the potion wore off. In addition to increasing intelligence, the potion also enhanced learning ability.

  Driven by this intuition, Ethan decided to make the most of those 24 hours and absorb as much knowledge as possible. However, even with that plan in mind, he still felt like something was missing, which was why he hadn’t used the potion yet.

  Tyler was completely taken aback by Ethan’s thinking process. It was clear that his friend had an uncommon level of insight and wisdom.

  "Something’s missing?... Don’t worry, with some luck, you’ll figure it out soon." Tyler said, recognizing Ethan’s unique ability.

  Hearing that, Ethan’s eyes lit up, and he felt that "magical feeling" once again. It was like a fire inside him had been reignited.

  "I think I know what’s missing." He said confidently.

  "Huh? Really? What is it?" Tyler asked, intrigued.

  Looking straight at Tyler, Ethan spoke.

  "Luck... I was missing luck."

  It took Tyler a moment to catch on before he finally said,

  "If you’re talking about my potion, forget it. We’re friends, but there are limits!"

  Ethan chuckled, waving his hand dismissively.

  "I don’t want your potion... But what do you think about a partnership?"

  "A partnership? You’re still after my potion!" Tyler said, pretending to be offended.

  "Look, this is a real business opportunity. Let’s start a company together—50/50. All you have to do is use the potion to help me. Everything is already starting to fall into place in my head." Ethan explained, revealing his entrepreneurial nature and strategic mind.

  Tyler still wasn’t fully convinced. Seeing this, Ethan added a condition.

  "How about this: you join me in this. If, in the end, it fails and everything crashes, then the next reward I win from any future ‘Maravilhador’ game, I’ll give it to you. And if we succeed, I’ll still give you 50% of my future reward."

  This offer took Tyler by surprise and intrigued him at the same time.

  "50% of the reward?"

  "Yes. For example, if I somehow win Dracula’s Castle, I’ll give you half of it. Get it?" Ethan clarified, showing his sincerity.

  Tyler spent some time thinking, weighing the offer and Ethan’s personality. After careful consideration, he finally agreed to the partnership.