Damien stared at the screen for a while, the glowing, virulent runes dancing in front of him.
'A system…'
He thought.
Another screen popped up in front of him again.
[Would you like to review your stats?]
Before he responded, he turned his gaze towards the door for a while; chances of Radia coming back soon were slim, so he could afford to spare some time to explore the system.
'Yes.'
[Owner Stats.]
[Name: Damien Grimer.
Level: 1
Star Crystal: 5900.
Shards: 24
Avatars: 0
Skills:
Commander lvl 1: The stronger your bond with your avatar is, the more proficient and reliable they will be to you.]
'...Star crystals.'
That was the first thing to catch his eye, as he knew their importance.
A star crystal, back in his former world, was an in-game currency he would use to pull for characters and weapons once their banner was out.
If there are star crystals, shouldn't that also mean there would be a banner?
Damien followed his instinct and uttered out loud.
'Open Banner shop.'
Just like that, three options displayed before him.
Character Banner, Weapon Banner, Pet Banner.
He picked the first option.
Before him were images of three beautiful maidens, each taking a different screen to display themselves to Damien.
[Featured 5 star Avatars.]
{Lyria, Blade of the Void}:
Element: Hydro
Rank: S rank
Signature skill: Hydro Slash - Unleashes a powerful water-based slash that cuts through even the hardest of enemies.
Description: Lyria wears a dark dress and tights, complemented with a red rose in her red hair. She is agile and fast but loves to sleep.
{Veyra, Divine Arbiter}:
Element: Electro
Rank: S rank.
Signature skill: Stormalsh - Summons lightning bolts dealing 180% damage to random and targeted enemies.
Description: Veyra wears a green skirt and a stocking on one leg, leaving the other exposed, while wearing an orange shirt. She is unusually horny and will do anything to sleep with you.
And then came the last one-
{Ava Mongrial}:
Element: Pyro.
Rank: SS+ rank.
Signature skill: Flaming Sword - Her blades take on the form of an ancient burning sword and deal maximum damage to anyone they touch.
Description: She has short silver hair, two red horns, and wears a white dress, complemented with armor pads. She is very protective but also very strict and disciplined.
Damien had already made up his mind on the banner he was going to pull; it was quite obvious when looking at the stats.
In each banner, there were 50 maidens, usually from 4 star or lower.
For a single pull, Damien would need 300 star crystals; from said pull, he would most likely only get shards or a lower-ranked character if lucky.
The only way to get the guaranteed character was to spin the 10x pull twice, which would cost 5900 star crystals in total.
Meaning he had enough crystals to pull for a character at that very moment.
But Damien knew what was coming next, so he needed to take his steps wisely.
The multiple screens that displayed before him canceled as the door to the room suddenly opened.
And in walked Radia, a somewhat guilty look on her face.
"Turns out you're not positive. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience."
Damien sighed.
"It's fine. Can I go now?"
"Go where? You speak as though you know anyone in this city you can go to. Remember where we found you? All the way from the outskirts; you can't be from here, so do you plan to explore outside the city or something?"
Damien was quiet for a while.
'She's good. I'll play along.'
"Then what do you think I should do? I barely remember where I'm from or how I got here."
Radia sat down on the chair, her legs tucked in such a way that it made it easier to see how massive her thighs were. The thigh-high she had on made it even more erotic.
Using a file to fan herself, she grunted.
"Honestly, I have never seen a case like yours before. Most people wouldn't even have survived until now."
She looked at him for a while.
"Tell you what. I like you, so I'll tell you something I don't normally tell others."
'Sure you don't.'
"Why don't you just take the test directly? There's a chance you might have awakened your crystal heart. And since you are an outsider, you'll be free to serve whatever city you want; that should make it easy for you to find your home, right?"
Damien was surprised.
It was unusual for them to make such an offer.
People who don't attend the military academy of any city are allowed to swear their loyalty to any city they want. This is why the Majors of every city go out of their way to make sure the young men in their jurisdiction attend the academy and stay as one of their own.
So for Radia to make such an offer, especially when they were declining in resonators, was quite shocking.
"Why would you tell me that? Wouldn't it be better if I worked here?"
Radia pulled her top down, a smile on her face as she exposed her cleavage for Damien to see.
"Eh? What is this? Don't tell me you've fallen in love with me and now you don't want to leave."
Damien simply stared.
"I'll let you touch them if you say yes." Radia pulled down her shirt even more.
'This woman doesn't quit.'
Cameras were everywhere, so Damien knew better than to fall for such obvious bait.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Radia threw a serious face.
"The reason I don't care if you serve here or not is simple, really. There is no hope for this city. Not at this rate."
She continued,
"The north has now been run by raptors; it won't be long before they start pushing all the way in. Adding you to the list of soon-to-be-dead resonators won't do any good. By the time the Major realizes how badly we are losing against these monsters, it will have been too late."
'I see how it is.'
Damien stood up and looked Radia dead in the eye.
"I'd like to take the test, please."