Chapter 4: I Choose Sublimation—“Sublimation”

“Lucky grand prize?”

By heaven and earth, he was truly an unlucky soul—constantly stuck with consolation prizes at supermarkets, always relying on guaranteed draws in games. Yet now, entering this apocalypse, his luck had somehow changed?

Lu Ming was stunned for three seconds before a prompt suddenly popped up:

[Mysterious gift box detected. Opening it grants three lottery chances. Open now? If declined, the gift box will be randomly transferred to a lucky recipient.]

Transfer? There was an option to choose?

“Open it now.”

[Congratulations, you have received three lottery chances. Prizes are randomly drawn from four categories: Supplies, Skills, Weapons, and Special Items. At least one high-level reward is guaranteed in three draws. Please choose the draw method: Single Draw / Triple Draw.]

“Triple Draw.”

[Congratulations, you have obtained the S-rank skill “Advanced Appraisal.”]

[Congratulations, you have obtained the E-rank skill “Basic Swordsmanship.”]

[Congratulations, you have obtained the exclusive skill “Ascendance.”]

This… was hitting the skill jackpot?

Three skill draws, with only one being an E-rank gray skill, and the other two increasingly rare!

Suddenly, the gift box dissolved, then reformed in midair into three glowing orbs—one gray, one gold, and one red—hurriedly flying toward him. The sight was somewhat surreal. He intended to demonstrate the limits of human reflexes and dodge consciously, but before his body could move, the three light orbs struck him directly.

[Successfully learned S-rank skill “Advanced Appraisal.”]

[Successfully learned E-rank skill “Basic Swordsmanship.”]

[Successfully learned exclusive skill “Ascendance.”]

Instantly, countless unfamiliar pieces of information flooded his mind.

He quickly opened his attribute panel; indeed, the data had changed.

Name: Lu Ming
Gender: Male
ID Number: 66666
Age: 24
Specialization Level: Junior Soldier
Common Functions: [Gathering], [World Channel], [Trading Post], [Spatial Pouch]
Skills: [Basic Swordsmanship (E-rank)], [Advanced Appraisal (S-rank)], [Ascendance (Exclusive)]

He immediately opened the skill details, naturally starting with the rarest one.

[Ascendance] (No rank)
Category: Exclusive Skill
Effect: Consumes a certain amount of specialization crystals to permanently upgrade any object by one tier. Cannot be used repeatedly on the same target.
Owner: [Lu Ming]
Skill Trait: Transfers upon death.

“…”

After reading the skill description, Lu Ming felt his blood boiling.

To permanently upgrade any object by one tier meant that anything he touched would evolve and ascend to a higher level—like that 500ml bottle of pure water.

Thinking this, Lu Ming took out the 500ml pure water, clenched it tightly, and silently commanded, “Ascend!”

Flash!

[Notice: Ascending 500ml pure water requires consumption of 1 specialization crystal. Initial exclusive skill usage grants three free uses without cost. Confirm consumption of one free use to ascend 500ml pure water into 500ml multifunctional sports drink?]

[Confirm (Use one specialization crystal)]
[Confirm (Use one free privilege)]
[Cancel]

Three free uses without consumption?

Staring at the confirmation options, Lu Ming pondered.

So that was it—the developers worried that demanding specialization crystals from the start might be too harsh, so they generously granted trial privileges. Quite considerate.

But using the free privilege on a mere bottle of pure water would be foolish. It was far more worthwhile to save it for costly upgrades, especially those that could boost his own strength. After all, food consumed is gone, but having strength would secure an endless supply of food.

With this clarity, Lu Ming canceled the upgrade of the pure water. Yet before canceling, he noticed that the multifunctional drink option within the ascendance skill could be viewed in detail.

He clicked to view.

[500ml Multifunctional Drink]
Category: Tier 2 Beverage
Effect: Rich in energy substances; 100ml can simultaneously relieve dehydration, fatigue, weakness, and other mild negative symptoms.
Shelf Life: Three years.

Both its effects and shelf life were surprisingly potent, incomparable to any sports drink on Blue Star, and far beyond ordinary pure water. This implied tier 2 beverages were quite rare, perhaps only obtainable through supply crates.

Even more gratifying was how thoughtfully the ascendance skill allowed detailed information viewing before upgrading. Since tier 2 items were inherently superior to tier 1, having access to detailed info beforehand was crucial.

The greatest advantage was the ability to compare. For example, if a tier 1 pure water and compressed biscuit were to be upgraded, and one drink could simultaneously cure dehydration and fatigue, then prioritizing the upgrade of satiety-providing food would be less urgent.

Or if upgrading two similar types of weapons or facing multiple choices during ascendance, detailed information would become even more essential.

This was undoubtedly a divine skill, worthy of deep study. But he was in no rush to test ideas; first, he would examine the other two skills.

Turning to the second skill, he chose to view its details.

[Advanced Appraisal] (S-rank)
Category: Support Skill
Description: When used, it can read detailed information about the target item.
Effective Range: Single target
Information Depth: Quite detailed

Usage instructions were missing, but a clear concept had already formed in his mind.

Focusing on appraisal, all objects within his gaze were outlined in blue. After locking on, silently uttering the word “Appraise” would activate the skill, allowing him to read detailed item information.

“Appraise!”

Fixing his eyes on the glass display cabinet before him, he activated Advanced Appraisal; a stream of information flooded his mind.

[Rusty Xinghui Brand Glass Display Cabinet]
Information: An aged display cabinet manufactured by Xinghui Display Factory, later purchased by Peng Ge, owner of Innovative Phone Repair Shop. Currently nearing the end of its service life.

Quite detailed indeed, even the manufacturer and buyer names were revealed. The skill’s utility was obvious. Though it might not rival the exclusivity of the Ascendance skill in rarity, its practicality was undeniable—especially in this unknown apocalypse, it was akin to the Eye of Truth.

Unfortunately, he dared not expose himself now, or he could appraise the maggot-like mutant to discern potentially useful information such as habits, characteristics, or attack methods.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Ming proceeded to examine the third skill: Basic Swordsmanship.

[Basic Swordsmanship] (E-rank)
Category: Combat Skill
Effect: Basic mastery of sword usage.

True to its E-rank reputation, the description was curt and perfunctory. Yet, Lu Ming was still pleased—not for anything else but because, in this apocalypse, any strength-enhancing asset was priceless and deserving of careful attention.

With that, he had a general understanding of all his skills. What remained was to contemplate perfect ways to utilize the exclusive skill.

Lost in thought, Lu Ming revisited the Ascendance skill’s effect, carefully scrutinizing every word.

“Consumes a certain amount of specialization crystals to permanently upgrade any object by one tier… any object? Any… could it be?”

A brilliant idea suddenly ignited his eyes, a bold notion flashing through his mind. He immediately blurted out, “Select Ascendance exclusive skill.”