The divine gacha hall was silent, save for the ever-present, softly jingling background music that now felt taunting. Noctar stared at the multicolored box, the knowledge of the universe-shattering Root Access skill still settling into his soul.
The potential was intoxicating, but the dread was real. He had six spins left. Statistically, the law of averages or in this case, the whim of a petty goddess was due for a correction. If what Fortuna said earlier was the truth then his Karma affects his luck and chances.
He willed the box to spin for the fifth time.
It whirred, flashed a cheap, tarnished gold, and landed with a disappointing clink. The light faded to reveal a single, ornate spoon. It was gold-plated, with a clumsily sculpted dragon wrapped around the handle.
[ACQUIRED: Spoon of Stirring - Rarity: Common]
// Effect: Ensures any liquid stirred with this spoon will never develop a skin. Absolutely divine for hot chocolate.
Mortis let out a long, dramatic sigh that sounded like a tomb door creaking shut. "And we're back to business as usual. I was worried there for a moment."
Fortuna preened, flipping her hair. "See? The universe corrects itself. Even the most statistically anomalous run can't escape the comforting embrace of mediocrity for long. It's a lovely spoon, dear. Perfect for your new… everything."
Noctar picked up the spoon. It was warm and oddly comforting.
He spun again.
The sixth spin was more promising. A silver light erupted, and when it faded, a pair of shimmering, ethereal eyes hovered in the air before sinking into Noctar's own.
[ACQUIRED: Skill - Appraisal Eyes (S-Rank) - Rarity: SR]
// Effect: Allows the user to view the status, skills, and general information of any entity or object. Bypasses most low-to-mid-tier concealment spells.
Noctar blinked, and for a second, his vision was flooded with data. He saw Byte's divine energy signature, a roaring torrent of code. He saw Mortis's, a still, deep well of finality. He saw Fortuna's, a chaotic, glittering storm of probabilities.
"Appraisal Eyes," Byte nodded, a look of approval on his face. "A solid, practical choice. No one can argue with that."
Mortis just grunted, disappointed there wasn't another speedboat.
Emboldened, Noctar spun for the seventh time.
The box coughed, sputtered, and deposited a small, sad-looking object onto the floor with a clang. It was a knife, or what was left of one. The blade was rusted, the handle was wrapped in rotten leather, and the tip was broken off.
[ACQUIRED: Rusty Knife - Rarity: Common]
// Effect: Slightly more dangerous than a pointed stick. May cause tetanus.
Mortis's laughter returned with a vengeance, a full-bodied, skeletal roar that echoed through the hall. "YES! THE RUSTY KNIFE! A CLASSIC! IT'S EVEN GOT THE BROKEN TIP! PERFECTION!"
Byte sighed, the sound of a project manager watching his budget get spent on office party balloons. "This is… fine. It's fine."
Fortuna beamed, her confidence fully restored. "The system is working as intended! It provides balance! Nobody can escape the negative karma effect."
Noctar stared at the knife.
He took a breath and spun for the eighth time.
The reaction was immediate. The box didn't just flash; it screamed. A torrent of raw, violent energy erupted from it, crimson and black lightning crackling around the hall. The item that formed wasn't an object, but a pulsing, red orb that looked like a crystallized black hole. It shot into Noctar's chest before he could react.
[ACQUIRED: Skill - Energy Assimilation (SS-Rank) - Rarity: SSR]
// Effect: Allows the user to consume any form of energy: mana, life force, divine power, radiation, kinetic impact, and convert it for their own use. Warning: Over-assimilation may lead to critical existence failure.
The hall went dead silent.
Mortis stopped laughing. His flame like eyes burning with intense heat.
Byte's eyes went wide. Disbelief in every code that emitted from him.
Fortuna's face paled, then twisted into a glare of pure fury.
She spun on Mortis, jabbing a finger at him. "YOU! This is YOUR fault! You said it would be a funny joke to put that in the pool five millennia ago! 'Let's see if some mortal ever gets the power to eat a star,' you said! I told you to remove it!"
Mortis held up his bony hands in surrender, but he was smiling. "Hey, I forgot about that! I was drunk on ambrosia! Besides, it's not my fault his luck is so catastrophically bad it's looped back around to being good!"
Noctar felt the skill settle inside him. It was a hungry, bottomless feeling. A void inside him that wanted to be filled.
Shaken, Fortuna gestured impatiently for the ninth spin. Noctar willed his mind to spin for the ninth time.
The box whirred and landed with a soft, green glow. A gentle, warm energy flowed into Noctar.
[ACQUIRED: Skill - Beast Affinity (B-Rank) - Rarity: Rare]
// Effect: Passive. Non-hostile beasts and monsters will initially view the user with neutral-to-friendly intent. Does not guarantee safety from hungry predators.
It was underwhelming after the storm of Energy Assimilation, but Noctar wasn't complaining.
"That's nine," Noctar said, his voice cutting through the divine bickering. He looked at Byte, then at the now-fuming Goddess of Gacha. "I'm saving the last one."
Fortuna looked like she was about to protest, but Byte stepped in. "Fine. He can hold onto it. The contract said ten draws, it didn't specify they all had to be now."
He turned to Noctar. "Satisfied?"
Noctar looked at his internal inventory. A fedora, a speedboat, a spoon, a rusty knife, a god-tier body, and three skills that ranged from "useful" to "potentially apocalyptic."
It's a start. A weird, dysfunctional, and utterly chaotic start.
"The gacha is a means to an end," Noctar stated, his new, handsome face set in a determined line. "Now, I believe I have two more things owed to me. My sentient AI assistant, and my starter pack. I'm not setting foot on Ethron without my tools."
The real work was about to begin and he will make sure he has all the right tools for it.
Byte gave Noctar one last look before proceeding.