The celebration in Belobog lasted well into the night. People from both the Overworld and Underworld came together, finally able to let loose after the two enormous threats looming over them had vanished.
The IPC had already withdrawn just before the Swarm Mother descended upon Belobog, and hadn't returned even after the crisis had passed, likely due to a change in corporate priorities.
Unsurprisingly, Bronya became the new Supreme Guardian.
Early the next morning, Yevenko woke up at dawn. Remembering yesterday's events clearly, he couldn't help but pat his chest anxiously.
I nearly bit the dust again. Thank goodness for Tom.
He'd thought becoming Aatrox with Tom's milk would make him invincible. Yet once the [Light Cone's] effect wore off, exhaustion overcame him, and the blast combined with the fall back to Jarilo-VI had nearly sent his soul straight to heaven.
Fortunately, his mastery of the Path of Trailblaze had deepened, protecting his body and leaving it mostly intact. If he'd exploded into space dust, even Tom might not have been able to bring him back…
Then again, if Tom really wanted to, who knew?
Whatever the case, Tom was essential!
Thinking this, Yevenko glanced fondly at Tom, who was lazily getting up. He immediately scooped Tom into his arms and playfully wrapped Tom's paws around his neck like a scarf.
Only together with Tom am I truly invincible!
Still, he'd nearly died without even encountering an actual Aeon Emanator yet. The world of Star Rail really was too dangerous. Relying on Tom alone wasn't enough—he needed to become stronger himself.
To get stronger, I need to rely on effort and talent, he declared.
And by talent, I mean pulling gacha!
With a mere thought, Yevenko and Tom instantly returned to their own Astral Express, which had disconnected from the other train upon their departure.
Seeing himself back aboard, Tom happily strolled to the side, picking from the pile of food and fruit Yevenko had previously pulled from his gacha, and carried it over to the dining table. He neatly tied a white napkin around his neck and pulled a knife and fork from behind his back, blissfully savoring his breakfast.
But Tom paused briefly, scratching his head. He felt something odd—like the power within his body was constantly mingling and intertwining with the Astral Express itself, flowing back and forth.
It wasn't entirely unfamiliar, but this time it felt more intense.
Still, it wasn't uncomfortable—in fact, it felt quite cozy—so Tom just shrugged and continued his meal with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Yevenko employed every superstitious ritual he knew and began pulling his gacha seriously.
Despite defeating two Swarm Mothers, they were ultimately still True Stings. Only the initial kills gave special limited [Exploration Value], while the rest merely provided ordinary Exploration Value.
However, his [Exploration Value] cap had once again overflowed thanks to exterminating so many bugs, enough to unlock a brand-new region.
Without hesitation, Yevenko first used thirty [Star Rail Passes]. Purple lights flashed three times in quick succession:
[Transformation Stone Charger (Small)]
[Tom's Specially-Prepared Milk]
[Tom and Jerry's Jointly-Prepared Milk]
Not bad…
The [Transformation Stone Charger (Small)] was self-explanatory: it could recharge a previously used Transformation Stone. Sounds pretty good—but the "Small" implied greatly reduced duration.
Yevenko casually pulled out his old [Transformation Stone]. Tom's image inside was blurry and faded.
Decisively, he chose to recharge it immediately—but two options appeared:
[1. Use Exploration Value to recharge, transforming (Tom) into (Random).]
[2. Use the Small Charger, restoring (Tom)'s original duration to one-fifth.]
Yevenko frowned slightly.
He was tempted by the first option. Even if the result became some random "Tom and Jerry" animal—like an ant or fish—they'd still retain cartoon immortality, practically identical to Tom.
Yet there was a small risk of getting one of the cartoon's ordinary human characters, who usually lacked comedic invincibility. Ending up as an ordinary person would be a huge joke.
Since he had the [Small Charger] now, he decided to play it safe. He recharged Tom's stone, instantly restoring it to a usable, though shorter, duration.
As for the two milk bottles, one was identical to his previous one, proportionally increasing his power. The other was a concoction from the original "Tom and Jerry," where Jerry attempted to create milk that made one grow bigger, but Tom interfered mid-way, creating a flawed version.
Its effect was the complete opposite—shrinking the drinker proportionally instead, even more drastically.
In the cartoon, Jerry drank Tom's milk and merely became somewhat stronger, about the size of his muscular cousin. But after drinking their jointly-made "mistake," Tom shrank to smaller than Jerry, eventually becoming tinier than a flea.
Obviously, Yevenko wouldn't dare drink that.
Although no new character emerged, these items weren't bad.
Feeling moderately lucky, Yevenko promptly pulled ten [Star Rail Special Passes]. A familiar purple light enveloped him, tinting his face with a purple gloom:
[Peach: from Legends of the Three Kingdoms]
Use when severely injured or near death to recover most bodily functions.
Is this a joke? I already have Tom—why would I need this?
However, he quickly realized the peach could restore him even when he wasn't at death's door—returning him to peak condition after a major expenditure of power.
Honestly, that was quite useful.
For instance, during his battle as Aatrox, if he'd eaten this peach after exhausting himself, he'd never have come so close to death.
Still, Yevenko felt only lukewarm about it now.
Even though the results weren't bad, his initial excitement had cooled.
Every gacha player secretly hoped every pull would yield a fantastic new character. Yevenko shook his head, sighing dramatically.
Guess I'm destined to be a pity-puller forever…
In this cruel, merciless world of non-stop bad luck, only Tom's fur and Ei's embrace could offer him any warmth.
Oh well. Let's see what new region I unlocked.
Compared to the cold despair of pulling gacha, he much preferred the promise of adventure and [Exploration Value] waiting in a new destination.
He just hoped his train wouldn't pull another practical joke, like unlocking something similar to the Xianzhou Luofu. He didn't need another overly dangerous place.
With a thought, Yevenko activated the [Warp] function.
In the next instant, alongside the familiar Jarilo-VI, another planet slowly rotated into view. Large swaths of darkness obscured most of its details, making it difficult to see clearly.
Yevenko squinted carefully as its name gradually emerged from the darkness:
[Izumo]
His eyes immediately widened, a strange sound escaping his lips:
"Gah?"