100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 717 - Gathering

Morning arrived over the preserved region differently than it had for thousands of years.

There was no silence waiting between the mountains.

There were voices. Countless voices!

The vast region that generations had avoided as a dead scar of the Millennia War had just become the busiest place in the Big World.

Even with its enormous size, Lootwell had been forced to divide the gathering into countless districts.

The central competition grounds occupied only part of it. Residential zones stretched much farther, connected through teleportation hubs, spatial corridors, elevated routes, and temporary transit formations.

Entire areas had been prepared solely for beast clans whose bodies made ordinary accommodations impractical.

Not everyone could see the central plateau with their own eyes.

They did not need to.

Projection formations covered every major district.

Giant images floated above plazas, mountain walls, lakes, and open fields. Smaller formations had been installed in residences and faction compounds, while communication devices carried the same broadcast throughout the region.

Even those who had remained behind on the five continents could watch.

It was the only reasonable way to organize something on this scale.

The number of people connected to the competition had already become difficult to comprehend.

Participants alone came from nearly every known race and major power. Behind them were entourages, families, merchants, researchers, healers, craftsmen, faction representatives, spectators, and people who had traveled simply because they did not want to miss something that might only happen once in their lifetime.

Across all the gathering districts and connected territories, the population involved had climbed into numbers that stopped feeling meaningful when spoken aloud.

Yet despite the scale, the morning began without chaos.

That was not an accident.

Lootwell had spent months preparing for exactly this.

•••

That very day, many people noticed something unusual about the preserved region before anything else caught their attention.

They noticed how they felt.

Something was slightly wrong.

Everything felt fractionally heavier.

A sword expert noticed that the Law flowing through his weapon took slightly more concentration than usual.

A mage discovered that an instinctive manifestation formed a little slower before correcting itself.

Several beasts raised their heads as their bloodlines reacted to an unfamiliar pressure.

Eternals noticed almost immediately.

Most Celestials did too.

The ancient beasts noticed before they had even finished arriving.

Ordinary participants were less certain.

Some blamed nervousness. Others assumed the strange sensation came from standing among so many powerful beings at once.

A few thought the preserved region itself was responsible.

None of those explanations were entirely unreasonable.

They were simply wrong.

High above the central plateau, Lucien could feel the entire network working.

He had activated the first layer before sunrise.

Only the weakest layer.

The pressure was so subtle that it could not meaningfully hinder anyone.

That was intentional.

The Authority Resistance network was already training them.

The competition had not officially started, yet the first lesson had begun the moment people settled into the region.

Lucien had no intention of suddenly crushing everyone beneath overwhelming pressure.

That would teach them very little.

Authority interference was dangerous precisely because most people had never experienced the sensation of something stronger pushing against the Laws they considered their own.

So Lucien intended to make that sensation familiar.

Today, the pressure was barely noticeable.

Tomorrow, it could become slightly stronger.

Then stronger again.

The body would learn. The spirit would adjust. People would become accustomed to maintaining circulation and Law control while something external resisted them.

More importantly, they would stop panicking the moment their abilities no longer responded perfectly.

The training would progress gradually enough that most participants would adapt without even realizing how much they were changing.

Lucien adjusted one section by a tiny amount.

Several sensitive experts inside immediately glanced around.

He smiled.

’Good.’

•••

Security was equally unusual.

Lootwell had guards everywhere, but ordinary guards were not the only ones watching the gathering.

On several distant peaks, immense figures could occasionally be seen.

Astraea rested atop one of the highest ridges, her presence restrained but unmistakable.

Farther away, Saber watched another major district.

Condoriano remained above one of the aerial routes, occasionally disappearing among the clouds before returning.

Kira occupied a separate region, while the other ancient beasts bound to Lucien through Concord Pacts had taken responsibility for additional sectors.

They were not there to intimidate participants.

They were there because nothing ordinary could reasonably police a gathering like this alone.

There were Eternals present, ancient bloodlines, beasts whose tempers had survived longer than some civilizations, and experts who could flatten cities during an argument if nobody stopped them quickly enough.

Lootwell had no intention of discovering whether polite signs were sufficient deterrence.

The ancient beasts did not interfere with ordinary disputes.

Lootwell’s guards and administrators handled those.

But everyone understood what their presence meant.

If something truly dangerous happened, there were beings nearby capable of ending it before the entire district became collateral damage.

The effect on public behavior was impressive.

Several ancient rivals who had spent centuries insulting each other’s bloodlines suddenly remembered the value of calm discussion.

Lucien considered the security arrangement highly successful.

•••

Near the central plateau, Vivian stared at the crowd below and immediately regretted volunteering.

It’s not because she wanted to retreat.

She simply believed someone should have warned her that looking at the numbers on an administrative report and actually seeing them were completely different experiences.

The central gathering area alone seemed endless.

Terraces carved into the surrounding mountains were filled.

Floating observation platforms hovered above distant valleys.

Faction representatives occupied designated sections stretching beyond what ordinary eyesight could comfortably distinguish.

Beyond them were countless other districts watching through projection formations.

Vivian swallowed.

She had spoken for Lootwell countless times.

For years, she had been one of its most recognizable faces.

People knew she was Lucien’s older sister.

They knew that when Lootwell needed something explained publicly without Lucien being dragged in front of everyone, Vivian was frequently the person chosen to do it.

Usually, she handled that responsibility without much trouble.

This was different.

This was not a branch opening. It was not a territorial announcement. It was not even a continental event.

This felt like speaking to the world.

Several Lootwell administrators stood behind her.

Kael was among them, already looking tired despite the day barely beginning.

Vivian glanced toward him.

Kael gave her an encouraging nod.

Unfortunately, he also looked relieved that he was not holding the megaphone.

Vivian narrowed her eyes.

He immediately looked elsewhere.

She took a slow breath.

She had volunteered for this.

If she intended to continue standing beside Lucien while Lootwell grew, then there would only be more moments like this.

She could not keep thinking of herself as the woman who had once helped manage something small enough to understand at a glance.

Lootwell was no longer small.

Neither was Lucien’s path.

Vivian tightened her grip around the megaphone.

Several tiny wind spirits hovered nearby.

One spun around the end of the megaphone curiously.

Another settled on Vivian’s shoulder.

The wind spirits had been asked to help carry and stabilize the sound through the surrounding formations.

They appeared far more excited about the responsibility than Vivian was.

She looked at the nearest one.

"If you make my voice squeak, I will remember."

The little spirit spun in a circle.

Vivian had no idea whether that meant agreement.

Probably not.

Then the signal came.

The projection formations activated.

Vivian’s image appeared across the preserved region.