Chapter 4: First Gacha Pull
Lucien sat on the edge of the bed. He kept staring at his own hands.
His mind was a whirlwind. The memory had come back, the one from after his past life’s death, but it cut off before he could see the rest.
He wanted to know what the Hollow Throne was going to tell him. What led to his reincarnation.
And those childhood girls. They weren’t what he thought.
His gaze wandered. "System, is that the complete memory?"
Ding.
[No. The remaining memory fragments will be unlocked at certain stages.]
The response made him go quiet. He rubbed his temples. The questions were still there, but he pushed them down. No point chasing answers that wouldn’t come yet.
He needed to get stronger. The system was his only real tool. But he didn’t understand it. Not really. Every time he tried to grasp how it worked, it slipped through his fingers like smoke.
How could he use obsession to pull Gacha rewards? The answer wouldn’t come. Vague. Annoyingly vague.
"Husband. You are awake."
The door burst open. Seraphina rushed inside, her face tight with worry.
Then she saw him. She saw the color back in his cheeks and her shoulders dropped.
She walked to him and began checking his body, her hands running over his arms, his chest, his sides. When she reached lower, he had to stop her with a cough.
The tips of her ears turned red. Her face flushed, but her eyes gleamed. Excitement she didn’t bother to hide.
Her thoughts had wandered.
Lucien watched her. Her beautiful face with that hint of sharpness. Her long black hair falling down her back. Those dark eyes that seemed to hold only him.
His gaze dropped to her lips. An urge to taste them rose in his heart. Before he could think, he leaned in.
Seraphina froze. His lips pressed against hers. Then something in her snapped.
She responded, kissing him back like she wanted to pull him inside her.
Lucien regretted it immediately. Too late now.
Her tongue tangled with his. His head spun. He couldn’t breathe. She kissed him like she was drinking him in.
Then, just before his vision blacked out, she pulled away.
He fell onto the bed, eyes dizzy. Seraphina rested her head on his chest.
It took him a long time to find himself again.
Ding.
[Host has completed a hidden mission: Take the initiative to kiss your obsessive wife. Host has been rewarded with a random Gacha ticket, 200 Eternal Devotion Tickets (EDT).]
Ding.
[Due to Host’s first completion of a hidden mission, reward has been enhanced.]
Ding.
[Host has received a rare Gacha ticket, a random Gacha ticket, and 500 Eternal Devotion Tickets.]
The message excited him. He was starting to understand.
Seraphina rested her head, looking at his excited face. She smiled.
She stood up and said, "Mom and Dad have been worried and you haven’t eaten since morning. You have to put something in your belly."
Lucien coughed. Dad and Mom? Already?
As she left the room, Lucien turned to the system. Time to try pulling Gacha rewards.
Ding.
[Does Host want to use the three Gacha Tickets? Y/N.]
He clicked yes.
A translucent screen flickered into existence. It was not clean or bright. It was dark, smoky, as if made of black glass smeared with ash.
At the center sat a fist sized lump of pitted, dark metal. Cold and Ancient.
Below it, a slot. Below the slot, a counter: Random Gacha Ticket: 2, Rare Gacha Ticket: 1.
Ding.
[Host should feed the Gacha Engine.]
Lucien stared at the screen. He reached out. His finger touched the image of the ticket counter.
The counter dropped to zero. On the screen, the Engine’s slot opened. A shadowy hand, thin and long fingered, emerged and pulled the tickets inside.
The tickets vanished and the slot closed.
Then the Engine began to move.
The image pulsed. Cracks of red light ran along its surface like veins. A low grinding sound came from the screen, vibrating through Lucien’s skull. The metal skin rippled as if something inside was trying to get out.
The grinding stopped.
Three black cards slid out from a seam on the Engine’s side. They floated above the screen, utterly black.
It felt like holding a piece of the dark between two stars.
Ding.
[Host should flip the Gacha cards.]
He flipped the first.
Ding.
[Congratulations, Host. You have pulled a Rare Gacha Card: SS Rank Fire Origin Element.]
[Effect: Grants affinity with fire origin element. All fire based techniques cost 30% less Originat and deal 30% more damage. Passive: Ember Touch.]
[Note: Upgraded from S Rank due to Seraphina’s latent flame talent, gifted unconsciously through her obsessive kiss.]
Lucien held his excitement, looking at the golden card that floated in the screen.
He proceeded to flip the second card.
Ding.
[Congratulations, Host. You have pulled a Super Rare (SR) Gacha Card: Fang of the Unnamed Dark.]
[Effect: A short blade that drinks light. Ignores 10% of enemy defense. On hit, small stamina recovery. Passive: Silent Draw.]
[Note: This weapon can evolve. Requirements: Absorb 10 R rank or higher weapons OR defeat an enemy two major realms above Host.]
Lucien’s eyes were red with excitement as he focused his gaze on the purple card before him.
He switched his gaze to the last card, wondering what it would bring him.
He flipped it.
Ding.
[Host has pulled an Ultra Rare (UR) Gacha Card: Origin Anchor Body.]
[Effect: Physical toughness +100%, stamina efficiency +100%, natural recovery +200%, damage reduction 40%. Passive: Iron Anchor Stance.]
[Note: This physique contains dormant potential that will awaken when the Infinite Origin Source is unsealed.]
Ding.
[Due to the consecutive successful Gacha pulls, System has rewarded Host with a random skill.]
Ding.
[The host has received an unranked skill – Appraisal.]
Ding.
[Appraisal]
[Type: Unranked / Utility]
[Function: Reveals hidden information about a target. The depth of information depends on the target’s rank relative to the host.]
