1.
I thought a lot.
My body floated in a space covered in black paint.
This was already my third death since arriving in this other world.
I’d gotten a little used to it, so the fear was gone.
It wasn’t comfortable, exactly, but it felt like swimming in the deep sea....
"Ah, fuck...."
Adrian Servet, who had steeled himself for death, had simply lost to Hanabi.
In the chain of short, fragmented thoughts racing through my head, only one thing stood out clearly.
Why the hell were those two fighting?
Was this a catfight?
They were risking their lives over a catfight?
Were all the fights between women I’d seen until now just the surface of the deep sea?
I was terrified, and my body was trembling all over.
Even so, there was one thought I was absolutely certain of.
"Silver Wolf, if I ever see you again, you’re getting a hundred flicks to the forehead."
So why were you fighting in the first place!!!
2.
I’m coming.
I left the past behind and boldly started my fourth run.
This time, I planned to do things differently.
"Silver Wolf."
"Whyyy...."
"Take just one hit."
- bonk
"......That hurts!"
"You need to be punished. I told you not to fight your friend!"
"When did I ever have a friend other than you...?"
The moment we met, I flicked Silver Wolf on the forehead.
Damn it, I wanted to do this and that to her so badly, but I held back.
"Nnngh...."
"Hold still for a second."
With Silver Wolf in my arms, I rubbed her warm stomach and thought back to the final fight of the previous run.
I’d gone all out.
Not just ordinary all out, either.
I’d gone in fully prepared to die, calculating that I had forty seconds left to live.
I’d somehow kept pace, only to get completely crushed in the final mind game.
She’d deliberately swung her sword a beat late, knowing I’d try to counter.
"Those talent freaks...."
I’m a regressor, Adrian Servet!!!
When the hell am I supposed to get to act cool!!!
She summoned a revolver and fired it.
She controlled kamikaze goldfish.
And with the mask on, her reaction speed shot up even more.
Every single one of those things was absurdly overpowered.
My superior version.
For now, I’d put the idea of recruiting Hanabi on hold.
If she joined and things ended up like the previous run, I might literally die of rage.
"For now, let’s go home."
"......Stop rubbing my stomach."
"Huh."
3.
I currently had 256 Pt in hand.
I had one title ticket.
After a solemn bath and a proper cleansing, I knelt down and stared at the capsule toy.
This was the only trump card I had.
In the end, it all came back around to a pure luck-based trash game.
If I could just pull one four-star, I could coast like crazy!
The Ring Blessed by the Luck of the Whole World had that kind of performance.
"God, Buddha, Allah, Cthulhu, please!!!"
First pull, go!
[Red Thread of Fate]
- Rarity: ★★★☆☆
- First Effect: When used, it connects you to the person you need most right now.
- Source: "Destruction" ■■■
- Note: One-time use. Might create a new bond?
"Oh my...."
I was moved.
A three-star right from the start?
Truly, the great Destruction.
I worship you, GOTY.
Unlike some Harmony or some modified clown, you’re on another level.
Let’s keep this momentum going and go straight into the next gacha!
I had to do it fast before my luck ran out, or I’d never get to coast!!!
"Let’s go!!!"
I’m going to Mars!
[Seasoning That Makes Things Delicious~! Moe Moe Kyun!]
- Rarity: ★★☆☆☆
- First Effect: When used, it manipulates perception and the body, allowing you to eat things you normally couldn’t and even making bad food taste delicious.
- Source: "Elation" ■■
- Note: Usable until the container is empty. Makes the impossible possible.
"......I’m getting tempted to switch sides."
Aha.
If you keep pulling this kind of stuff, I can’t help it.
I’m going to have to seriously consider changing jobs right now.
Even the name pisses me off.
Moe moe kyun? You looking for a fight?
"Hmm...."
Should I make Silver Wolf wear a cat maid outfit and have her use this?
Even I think that’s a genius idea.
"One more pull!"
Rattle, rattle.
As I turned the capsule toy, the last capsule popped out.
This one had a set color too.
One-star was white.
Two-star was green.
Three-star was blue.
Four-star was yellow.
What came out this time was....
Blue!
"Yoshi!"
A three-star at least pays for itself.
I put some strength into my hands and cracked the capsule open, only to find....
[Wardrobe Filled With a Man’s Dream]
- Rarity: ★★★☆☆
- First Effect: When used, it can produce a variety of costumes sized to fit the target.
- Source: "Mystery" ■■■
- Note: Three uses remaining. It includes plenty of indecent outfits.
"......"
My chest swelled with emotion.
Was this what I thought it was?
Bunny girls, Santa girls, micro bikinis, maids, all kinds of cosplay outfits....
My brilliant dreams.
"Ughhh...."
I was seriously moved.
Wasn’t the Aeon of Mystery called Mythus?
If anything ever comes up, I’ll definitely help you.
It was a shame the uses were limited, but that just meant I only had to save it for special occasions!
After meditating for a while as thanks to Mythus, I opened my eyes.
I now had 100 Pt left.
And I knew exactly where that was going.
"Silver Wolf, come here!"
"Ugh, seriously...."
"You’re trying to tempt me, aren’t you? You are, right?"
I ran into Silver Wolf as she came out after washing up and roughly towel-dried her hair.
Her black tank top and panties-only loungewear were pretty memorable.
"Let’s spin it. If you do it, maybe another four-star will come out."
"......You’re not going to curse me out if it doesn’t, right?"
"I won’t curse at you."
Hmm, I felt like we’d had this exact conversation before.
If it didn’t come out, then it didn’t come out.
I sat Silver Wolf on my lap and reached out to turn the lever.
Click, click, and then pop! out came a capsule.
[LUCKY!!!]
"What the hell???"
"......It actually worked."
This is gender discrimination!
You crazy man-hungry capsule toy!
I’m reporting you to the Ministry of Gender Equality!
Silver Wolf twisted open the gold-colored capsule while I watched with shining eyes from the side.
Stardust drifted through the air.
Amid the fanfare and the flashing gold light, the item that popped out was....
[Stellaron, Seed of the Universe]
- Rarity: ★★★★☆
- ■■■■: ■■ ■■■
- Source: "Harmony" ■■
A golden pebble?
A sphere radiating dazzling gold light floated in the air.
"What the hell is this?"
"......I’ve never seen it before either. What does the description say?"
"Stellaron? It doesn’t say what it does."
Harmony really was a scam coin.
Unlike Aha, who at least gave me a proper four-star, I had no idea how to handle this one.
A four-star meant it had to be useful somehow.
So how the hell do I use it?
"For now, I’ll just store it...."
The moment I reached for the Stellaron.
"Adrian!"
"Ghk."
The Stellaron lunged toward my hand.
Golden energy pierced into my skin.
My right hand began splitting apart in gold light.
"Grrrgh...!"
Silver Wolf reached for my right hand from the side, but I grabbed her with my left.
It felt like I’d shoved my hand into the inside of a brilliantly burning flame, and I clenched my teeth.
"Shit... seriously, Xipe, just you wait until I meet you!"
More than a scam.
This was terrorism.
The guys over in the Middle East would probably love this.
- kiiing...!
How many minutes had passed?
I endured it with Silver Wolf at my side, her feet tapping anxiously the whole time.
When the dazzling gold light finally faded, what remained was my right arm, split open in jagged cracks like scars.
My right arm was fractured with golden lines, like a tattoo.
The pain passed after a moment.
I looked at my changed arm and clicked my tongue.
"......Tch."
"Are you okay? It doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?"
"It doesn’t hurt now."
I’d become a glowing human.
Even with the lights off, I felt like I’d still be shining gold.
Honestly, it was pretty damn cool.
A right arm dyed in gold?
Heh, my right hand has the Black Flame Dragon...! level of cool.
I never thought I’d be doing a middle-schooler’s edgy routine at this age.
"......Haah, as long as there’s no problem, that’s a relief."
"Silver Wolf! Why would there be no problem? My arm turned into a glow-in-the-dark dinosaur!!!"
"Shut up."
I’d pass on the Stellaron.
What could two orphans possibly figure out by thinking hard anyway?
I had no clue what to make of it, with nothing to go on except a completely unfamiliar word and a golden pebble.
I’d ask our brilliant pawnshop owner about it later and she’d probably know.
This was different from everything I’d pulled before.
It was the only item in my blessings that used a proper noun.
"Now for the last one."
I touched my right arm, which felt like it had stiffened a little.
I’d keep 50 Pt in reserve, just in case.
I summoned a giant roulette wheel into the cramped one-room apartment.
"This is...."
"The same thing we saw last time!"
I only had one title ticket!
This time, I’d bet my life on it!
I could say the gacha results had been successful, but humans always want even more luck every time they get something!
Greedy as I was, I wanted something even better!
"Please!"
The roulette spun and pointed to one spot.
The arrow rattled and stopped on the blue marker, the two-star result.
I felt a little disappointed, but as long as I could use it, that was fine.
[Stardust Bait]
- Rarity: ★★☆☆☆
- First Effect: When equipped, increases base speed.
- Second Effect: When used, increases speed by 1.5 times for 3 minutes. It takes 12 hours to recharge after one use.
- Source: The artifact storage of Herta Space Station
- Note: Explosive debris formed from the expansion of a chaotic nebula. Its unique scent of cosmic dust once lured ancient beasts, but it has since lost its power.
- Warning: Be careful. The owner of the artifacts is looking for the thief who stole from her storage.
"......This is a hit, isn’t it?"
"Explain the effect to me."
I equipped it right away.
I felt lighter.
After explaining the effect to Silver Wolf, I tried a quick jump.
It definitely made me faster. My whole body felt as light as a feather.
"Let’s use it for a test run!"
I activated Stardust Bait.
The moment I thought that, my body, which had been moving back and forth busily around the room, suddenly sped up.
"Huh? Huhh!?"
"Adrian, stop!"
I can’t control the speed!!!
My feet won’t stop!
1.5 times faster meant my speed had gone up by 50 percent.
My body shot forward like a spring and slammed into the wall.
- bang!
"......That hurts like hell."
"Serves you right for running around like an idiot."
"I was running around to test it!"
Because my face had smashed into the wall, it got flattened weirdly.
My durability had gone up, so at least I didn’t end up with a nosebleed.
Rubbing my reddened nose, I looked over the items I’d obtained.
"Gacha, successful."
Just getting rid of the one-star was already a win.
Before the bonus period ended, I’d gather as many points as I could.
If I got close to clearing the [quest], I’d have to spend every point before that.
I had to squeeze out every last drop I could.
I was sick of seeing white capsules from one-star pulls.
"This is pretty damn nice, isn’t it? Let’s go for it."
Should I try the red thread first?
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