Whatever this thing was, it was absurd.
The floating texts in front of her were just… strange. She had never heard of magic like this. Was it some form of ancient magic? What was a "roll"? What were "love points"? And what in the world was a "love interest exclusive banner"?
DING!
[Welcome, Cecilia! Would you like a full system tutorial?]
Ah.
"You have been awfully silent for a while now. What's on your mind?" Oathran suddenly asked.
They were walking down toward the nearest river. At the very least, they needed to wash up and find something to eat. Make a fire, cook something… the mundane necessities of the suddenly-not-dead.
Oathran had been offering to get her to town and buy her that bone broth soup. But showing up like this would just scare children, right? And… it would likely get them both hunted as monsters before the soup even reached a boil. So, the river was the second-best choice for now.
"I've been wondering, how did you do that?" The man asked again, his voice low.
"That's actually why I've been silent. I'm trying to figure out what is going on," Cecilia answered truthfully.
Oathran hummed and nodded. "But at the very least, you can tell me how you were able to bond with me without your heart, right?"
Cecilia froze.
"…Bond…?"
The man, walking with some difficulty beside her, raised his eyebrows. Even under the layers of blood and dirt, the sharp, noble structure of his face couldn't be hidden. Yes, even with that mangled cheek and jaw.
"You did the same thing, no? You circulated your blood with telekinesis and your immaculate control. The magic you're using now came from our bond, and thus, you are staying alive using my mana," Oathran explained, an amused smile on his lips.
Cecilia's jaw went slack. Looking up at him, she felt dizzy. She had assumed this absurd "system" was the thing supplying her with mana!
Oathran's smile widened a little as he bowed down, bringing his face closer to hers. "Impressive indeed. To be able to use only this much mana to replace a vital organ. Your control is astonishingly accurate."
"As expected of Saintess Cecilia," the man straightened his body, his tone teasing. She couldn't tell if it was a mock compliment or just endearing sarcasm.
"You… flatter me," Cecilia said hesitantly. "As you can see, I didn't even notice that we had bonded. I truly… don't have the answer right now."
"That's alright," Oathran said, his voice still deep and dark, yet the tone was light and tender. "You can put your thoughts together first. We will figure things out. There's the river. Go wash up while I catch us something to eat."
"You're not going to catch an orc and make me eat it, right?" Cecilia narrowed her eyes.
[Congratulations! Oathran Alicei's Love Points have increased by 10!]
"I was kidding when I said I wanted to eat an orc. I wanted to make you smile last night, thinking that it would be the last thing I'd see. Foolish of me. Now you think I'm a tasteless brute," the man sighed, hiding his smile as he turned away.
Cecilia blinked, not saying anything, her eyes focused intently on him.
His demeanor was as majestic as ever. His movements were graceful and unhurried, but carried a weight of intensity. But every time he turned to look at her, or when their eyes met, a floating [+2] materialized and vanished. It happened even more when she was staring at him like this, the speed of the text increasing rapidly.
"Saintess, why are you staring at me?" The man glanced at her, narrowing his deep-set eyes. Now it was a flurry of [+3]s.
DING!
[Love interest affinity level up!]
[Lv. 0 —> Lv.1]
[Claim rewards?]
[Yes/No]
So, there were Love Points and Love Interest Affinity. What even was the difference between the two?
The river was now within view, and Oathran finally washed his face clean, revealing more of the striking features beneath the grime.
"I will return in a while and continue washing up after you," the man said, turning to leave after seeing her faint smile. He disappeared into the shade of the trees, leaving her alone with the rushing water and a mind full of system notifications.
After she was sure she was alone, she began to wash up. And more importantly, figure out this… whatever this was.
"Tutorial first. Explain everything to me."
DING!
[Tutorial: Beast Gacha System]
[Continue?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes."
Suddenly, transparent floating screens appeared in front of her eyes, layered but not so much that they overwhelmed her vision.
[Let's start! This is the Beast Gacha System, where you can get countless rewards and bond with any beast, as many as you like!]
Wot?
It struck her. So the reason she could bond with Oathran without her heart was… this system?
[You've filled your first Love Interest slot with Oathran Alicei! If you want to add more love interests, you can buy the next slot with 100 Love Points.]
Cecilia blinked. In front of her was a transparent screen with Oathran's picture. Beside it was his name, his titles, his age—440?! Oh. Ohh…
Wait, wait, wait.
Date of Birth… 9th of September—
"What is today's date again…?"
[10th of September!]
"Yester—"
[Height: 6'4]
[Hair color: Misty White]
[Eye color: Misty Grey]
[Favorite food: Unknown]
[Favorite color: Unknown]
Alright, she didn't need to explore the digital stalker notes right now. Cecilia touched the next text on the screen.
[Obtain Love Points by making your Love Interest emotionally affected by you!]
"So, all emotion counts…?" Annoyance, amusement, joy, sadness…
[Correct!]
[The System will record how many Love Points you've accumulated from a Love Interest, and after you reach a certain point, you can get rewards!]
[You can also spend Love Points to roll for exclusive banners!]
"So, I can spend the points… but the total Love Points recorded from a 'Love Interest' won't decrease?" she clarified.
[Correct! You have now accumulated 62 Love Points in total from Oathran Alicei! Every 7000 Love Points accumulated, you'll be able to rank up your bond with him. You can reach rank 7 to achieve the maximum bond!]
"What does that mean?" Cecilia asked.
[It means you can use more of his magic and resonate easier with his soul!]
A list appeared:
[Rank 1: Bond]
[Rank 2: Locked]
[Rank 3: Locked]
…
[Rank 7: Locked]
"So… I can unlock the rewards if I rank up the bond…" Cecilia muttered. "But needing 7000 Love Points for each rank is… a lot."
[Don't worry, Cecilia! You can also rank up your bond by getting a copy of his bond in the Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner! Tap here for details!]
Cecilia tapped the arrow, and a new screen popped up.
[Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner: Oathran Alicei]
[Seven days left]
[Obtain five stars Oathran Alicei bond! Guaranteed 5 stars in 69 pulls!]
"Alright, explain all of this. Properly."
[Every time the system detects a capturable five stars love interest, an Exclusive Banner will be triggered, and you can roll to get bonded with him!]
[Every triggered banner gives you 10 free rolls!]
[Every 50 Love Points from any Love Interest can be converted into 10 rolls to be spent in any banner!]
[You are guaranteed a 5-star item every 70 rolls!]
[50% chance to win Love Interest Bond, 50% chance to win 5-star items, including:]
[1. 5 Stars Weapon (Random)]
[2. 5 Stars Artifact (Random)]
[3. 5 Stars Skill Orb (Random)]
[4. Heavenly Elixir]
[5. Love Potion]
[Missed the featured bond this time? Your guarantee is now active! The next 5-star you pull will be the featured Love Interest Bond!]
What was this system, really? A… game?
"What is the condition to meet to make the system detect a love interest and trigger these exclusive banners?" Cecilia asked, getting to the heart of the matter.
[Of course, only if the Love Interest is a Five Stars Lover, and only if they wish they can bond with you!]
Pause.
Wish to bond…?
You're saying… last night… right before they were about to die… the banner was triggered because Oathran wished to bond with her…?
Cecilia submerged her head underwater. Her reddened cheeks desperately needed the cold, refreshing water to calm down.
Alright… alright… it might have just been a last wistful wish before they both died. No one could blame him for being emotional right before dying together with… with… with… her… right?
Aside from that… what triggered the system itself?
Why her?
[You have been chosen as our ninth System Player]
[We admire the essence of your soul]
[Would you like to continue the tutorial?]