Galaxy's First Ruler

The black ball crumbled, and Stats appeared in front of Aldrich.

[…

Item: Sugaar's Boombox

Type: Instrument

Rank: Common

Durability: 60/60

Minimum Usage Condition: NA

Description: A Boombox to enjoy music and rhythms

Item-specific Skill: Lobdy Sound System

Item-specific Skill consumption: 5 MP

Item-specific Skill's Detail: Increases the sound quality for a better experience for 10 minutes

Warning: The sound coming out of Boombox is addicting in nature and can adversely affect hearing in a long term

Do you want to equip the Item?

...]

Aldrich stared at the Data and stared hard for quite a time.

The thundering clouds hadn't calmed down, the storm hadn't ceased, but atop the mountain, there was an eerie quietness. The ends of Aldrich's white hair gently swayed by the light breeze, while Aldrich kept staring at the first reward. After a full 30 seconds, Aldrich closed his eyes and muttered.

"… Is this some kind of joke? If it is, it isn't funny."

Aldrich didn't care about what he was saying at this point. He knew the Presence within the Mana and the Record, if it had its own Will, could hear him. And all he wanted to do was to curse at it. But there were three other Rewards left, making him hold the hundreds of "Fucks" within.

Aldrich saw the question flashing at the end of the Item's Stat and, for the first time, replied.

"NO."

[…

Dreamer has rejected the Item

Are you sure you don't want to equip the Item?

…]

"… YOU, MOTHERF…"

Fffffuuuu!!!

Aldrich took a deep breath to cut his sentence. His white eyes shook with rage as he sensed the mocking tone of that question. Suddenly, his mind went to the day he had assigned his name to the System. The three words came rushing to him. The words that should have given him an idea about RECORD. He now doubted if the RECORD saying "Best of Luck" had a sincere tone or that of mocking.

'No wonder I found it odd that it hadn't done the same with other Dreamers. Humph!'

Aldrich harrumphed inwardly and calmly replied, again.

"Yes, I am sure."

[…

The Item 'Sugaar's Boombox' is rejected

Eliminating the Reward…

…]

Sigh!

If Aldrich had known that the RECORD would have begrudging thoughts because of the Sacrifice, he might as well have just sacrificed to it.

'I need to find a way to bypass 'RECORD'…'

Aldrich thought for a second and looked at the second reward. He had a feeling about what it was going to be. His finger went to the black ball and poked it.

[…

Item: Sugaar's Disco Ball

Type: Instrument

Rank: Rare

Durability: 250/250

Minimum Usage Condition: NA

Description: A Disco Ball having ten thousand facets

Item-specific Skill: Lightless Reflection

Item-specific Skill consumption: 30 MP

Item-specific Skill's Detail: Produce the same effect as if reflecting many colored lights

Warning: The flashes have the potency to cause temporary blindness

Do you want to equip the Item?

…]

"…"

Aldrich licked his lips and gave it considerable thought. He didn't believe that a Viscount Ranked Crawler could only have such worthless Items as the rewards. But it was still better than the Boombox. The Disco Ball also gave him an idea for his next Item, so for the sake of it, he accepted it.

"Yes…"

A fist-sized ball, covered in what seemed like tiny mirrors, appeared in his hands. But Aldrich knew they were facets, which reflected the light. And the sheer number of them was beyond anything anyone on earth was capable of.

Aldrich put the Disco Ball away in his Inventory, as the equipped Items couldn't be stored in the FIR.

"I will make Sha eat it later…"

"NO!"

Aldrich was muttering to himself when Sha shouted out in his mind. Her voice was filled with intense disgust and fear of the inevitability of Aldrich's thoughts.

"Sha? Are you awake? Don't tell me you were awake this entire time…"

Aldrich narrowed his eyes and asked in a strict tone. No way he believed that the moment he had mentioned Sha and the Disco Ball, she coincidentally awakened and shouted in refusal.

"Da… Daddy… I… woke… up… Boombox."

Sha was still having trouble expressing herself, but Aldrich figured out what she meant. She had woken up when he was checking out the Stats of Item Sugaar's Boombox. He just couldn't figure out why she hadn't said something. Suddenly, his mind went to their time in the first Plaza and a thought popped up in Aldrich's mind.

"Did you think that I would force you to eat the Boombox?"

"…"

Aldrich could find out the answer in Sha's silence, but he needed to know what was going on in her mind.

"Sha, speak!"

"I… I… Eating… that… not… ladylike."

Aldrich's mouth fell open hearing the reason. He couldn't help but smack the mask on his face and exclaim out.

"And biting people's heads off is?!"

"I…"

"Never mind. Huh! You ARE eating the Disco Ball. Consider it as a punishment."

Aldrich could feel Sha's sulking emotions and shook his head. He looked at the third reward and touched it. And just for the sake of it, jokingly prayed to whichever God was watching him for this reward to turn out a worthy one.

[…

Item:

???####???****####???

[…

Skill: World Scorching Dual Devastation (Viscount)

Nature: Active, Non-Upgradable

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Minimum Usage Condition: Understanding of Law of Storm and Law of Thunder

Consumption: 1300 MP - 1600 MP

Description: A ball of condensed lightning and wind that expands outwards with the Dreamer as the center

Warning: The Mana consumption will depend on the intensity of condensed lightning and wind

Warning: The lack of Dreamer's understanding about the required Laws can cause an implosion of the Skill

Warning: Once letting the Skill expand, the lightning and wind isn't controllable

Do you want to equip the Skill?

…]

Some things were beyond Shared Vision in the Universe, and some Beings were out of the category of the Great Old Ones and the Oldest Ones. If some wanted to call them Rules, then so be it.

Aldrich smiled as he saw the reward, drastically different from the previous two, and let out a low laugh.

"Haha! So even You are bound by Rules, 'RECORD'."