[Color · Beginner's Pity]

The footsteps of the cultists passed by the mouth of the fissure, went away, then passed by again before fading into the distance, like a swarm of flies that couldn't find their target, buzzing and buzzing.

Lin En curled himself into a ball, his knees pressed against his chest and his back against the stone wall. He didn't move.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

He failed.

He broke down. He really broke down.

"System!!!"

[Yes.]

"This is impossible to play!!!"

[Yes.]

"I can't survive!!!!"

[I know.]

"And that's your attitude?! Can't you take some responsibility?!"

[What else can I do? Cry you a tomb?]

Lin En took a deep breath.

Then another deep breath.

Then one more deep breath.

"Do you happen to have a blue bird avatar with five eyes?"

The system answered politely, [Nope. Our systems don't allow moonlighting. Not even the Chaos Gods.]

"You really aren't?"

[You make it sound as if Tzeentch could use Throne Liberation. That's a power only the Creator God possesses. Who does Tzeentch think he is?]

"Fine, I believe you."

Then Lin En took another deep breath and started acting ridiculous with the system. "I'm breaking down. I'm really breaking down. I'm telling you, I'm really, really breaking down..."

Yes, in the tone of that kid from the short-video voice-over memes online.

System: [...Host, could you act normal once in a while?]

"Is there a beginner's pity?"

[...What?]

Lin En enunciated each word. "Beginner's pity. You know, the kind every player should have. A starting bonus, a newbie gift pack, the sort where your first draw is guaranteed to be an SSR. Beginner's pity."

The system fell silent for two seconds.

[No.]

"Say that again?"

[There is no beginner's pity.]

Lin En closed his eyes.

Then he immediately turned around and crawled toward the outside of the fissure.

For the first time, a crack appeared in the system's calm voice. [What are you doing?]

"Say again whether there's beginner's pity! If there isn't, I'm quitting. I'm killing myself right now!!!"

[Wait a minute!]

Lin En stopped, but he didn't crawl back.

He lay there at the mouth of the cave, half his body sticking out through the fissure, like a cat preparing to jump off a building at any moment.

He threatened, "Is there one now?"

The system was silent for three seconds.

[The host has been detected to be in a hopeless situation, with his mental state on the verge of collapse. This attempt has triggered a hidden mechanism: beginner's pity.]

[Draw now?]

Lin En abruptly raised his head.

"...Really?"

[Really. Beginner's pity has been triggered.] The system sounded distinctly unwilling. [Just this once. Don't expect it to happen again.]

"Draw! Draw it now! Immediately!" Lin En's eyes lit up. He crawled back through the fissure and exclaimed, "Bro System, you're so generous!"

The roulette wheel appeared in his consciousness once more.

This time, it was different from before. All the white, green, blue, purple, and gold sections had gone dim, leaving only several colorful sections shining dazzlingly.

The strip at the very top was especially bright: [Throne Liberation], the one that had made him drool just looking at it.

Although it was still glowing, there was a line of tiny text beside it: [Currently unable to trigger. Please continue accumulating Plot Points.]

[Not that one,] the system said. [You can't draw that one yet. But the pity reward will give you a Color-tier one.]

"Really?! Beginner's pity is this humane?!" Lin En jumped up from the ground and smacked his head against the ceiling of the cave. He grimaced in pain, but his excitement didn't diminish at all. "Bro System, you're so generous!!!!!"

System: [Flattery won't work. This is a one-time offer, with no exceptions.]

"Fine, fine, fine."

The roulette wheel began to spin.

The pointer swept rapidly across every colored section, moving as fast as an electric fan until everything blurred into an afterimage.

Lin En stared at it, his heart pounding as if it were about to leap out of his throat.

He stood up, bent at the waist, and pressed his head against the stone wall while he stared fixedly at the roulette wheel in his consciousness.

The pointer slowed.

Slowed further.

Slo--

"Stop!"

Colorful light exploded.

It was as if someone had set off a firework inside Lin En's consciousness. Rainbow light filled his entire mind, flashing so brightly that his vision went dark.

For a moment, he even thought he was going blind. Then the light scattered, and only then did he realize that he hadn't.

A multicolored, diamond-like, white-platinum-colored trait card quietly floated before him.

A Color-tier trait truly lived up to its name. It was incredibly powerful.

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the trait: Thirty Days.]

Trait Name: [Thirty Days]

[Rank: Color (Concept)]

[Effect: When engaged in combat with any enemy, you can survive for thirty days with Immortality. When your injuries reach a lethal level, the blood-lock mechanism will automatically activate, rapidly restoring your injuries to a safe state. Within thirty days, the host absolutely cannot be killed.]

[Note: A concept-tier trait that ignores conventional physical and psychic rules. Thirty days means thirty days—not one second less.]

Lin En stared at the card for about ten seconds.

Then he grinned.

Sorry, but he really couldn't hold it in.

He truly couldn't stop himself. The corners of his mouth rose on their own.

Lin En didn't want to be baited into looking so smug either, but he hugged [Thirty Days], squatted on the ground, and giggled like an idiot.

"Awesome!!!"

"Hehehehehehehehe--"

"Hahahahahahahaha..."

This beginner's gift pack was so honest.

You could survive thirty days with Immortality against any enemy.

"No matter how strong the opponent is, I can last thirty days?!"

[Yes.]

"Even against Daemon Princes, Aeldari Farseers, Necron Overlords, and Tyranid Hive Mothers?!"

[Yes.]

"Even against the Four Gods?!"

The system fell silent for a second.

[...In theory, yes. But are you sure you want to fight the Four Gods for thirty days? Those thirty days might be worse than death.]

"But I won't die!"

[You won't die.]

"Then there's no problem!" Lin En slapped the ground. His palm hurt, but he didn't care in the slightest.

As long as he didn't die, it was fine! As long as he didn't die, he could hide and survive!

As long as he could hide and survive, he could draw cards!

As long as he could draw cards, he could draw [Throne Liberation]!

As long as he drew [Throne Liberation]--!

[Once you draw Throne Liberation, you can make the Emperor stand up from his throne. Then the entire galaxy will have to call you Father.]

"That's unnecessary." Lin En modestly waved his hand. "Calling me Father would be too distant. Just call me Grandpa."

I am the Emperor's father.

He looked over the trait's effects again and suddenly felt that he might be able to exploit a loophole.

"Wait, bro System."

[Hm?]

"What does 'survive thirty days' mean? Do I just tough it out for thirty days? What happens after thirty days?"

[After thirty days, the effect ends. If you haven't escaped the enemy, you will still die.]

Lin En slowly asked, "What if there are two or more enemies on the scene?"

[...]

"I fight A for twenty-nine days, then turn around and fight B on the last day. Does that give me another thirty days?"

[...]

"Or if I disengage while fighting someone, then seek them out and fight them again... can I trigger it again?"

[...]

Taking it even further, as long as Lin En found a new enemy within each thirty-day cycle, or reactivated combat with an old enemy—

In theory, he could live forever.

...Holy crap. An immortality skill.

The system didn't understand, but it was deeply shaken.

Exploit the loophole. Switch to another enemy after thirty days. As long as there were two or more enemies present, he could keep stacking the effect—or disengage and fight again, continuously exploiting the loophole.

Was this really how the skill was supposed to be used?

The system felt that something was wrong, but it genuinely couldn't find fault with his reasoning. A concept-tier ability really could exploit loopholes.

A concept meant not following physics, not following logic, and not asking, "Is this reasonable?" It only followed rules. And the rule was: when engaged in combat with any enemy, the host could survive for thirty days with Immortality.

A concept-tier ability that couldn't be exploited wasn't a proper concept-tier ability.

"This is getting exciting!" Lin En climbed to his feet. "I'm going to go pick a fight with those traitors of the Imperium right now!"

[Don't get excited yet. Read the description carefully.]

"Hm?"

When his injuries reached a lethal level, his blood would lock.

Then they would rapidly recover.

He wouldn't die within thirty days.

[I need to remind you,] the system said. [Not dying doesn't mean you won't be injured or feel pain. If those cultists chop off your hands, feet, or head, they'll grow back, but you won't feel any less pain during the process.]

Lin En imagined himself being dismembered and shuddered.

[Besides, your combat ability is still that of an ordinary mortal. You can last thirty days, but that doesn't mean you can win. They might capture you, lock you in a dungeon, and torture you every day. You won't die, you can't be judged to be in combat, and you can't die. Those thirty days will become your personal hell.]

"So all I have to do is avoid being captured."

[...What?]

Lin En moved closer to the mouth of the fissure and looked outside.

In the darkness, he could vaguely make out several dim red lights swaying in the distance. He couldn't tell whether they were the cultists' torches or the eyes of that abomination.

He took a deep breath.

The Warhammer 40,000 universe was still so rotten that it made him want to curse.

But he couldn't hide here forever. He had to find a way out!

He had Thirty Days. He had the system. He was already far stronger than the humans of this world.

This was a world without hope. No one could fight their way to a good ending for humanity.

But now that he had a cheat, couldn't he fight for one?!!!!

"Bro System, when can I draw again?"

[In fifteen days, or after completing a key Plot Points.]

"What counts as a key Plot Points? Does escaping count?"

[Yes.]

"What about eliminating my first enemy? That should count too, right?"

[Eliminating one hundred enemies for the first time counts. But I don't think you can do that.]

A hundred? That did sound like a lot.

Lin En took another deep breath.

It's fine. With Thirty Days in hand, I have forced survival for thirty days.

Don't be afraid, Lin En. You can do this.

Isn't it just a matter of risking my life? But I have a blood-lock cheat!!!

I am an incredible cheater!!!! I don't need to be afraid!!! No one can kill me within thirty days—not even the gods--!!!!!

Brave little mouse, never fearing hardship, toward Throne Liberation, toward a bright future for humanity, bravely--

Charge!!!