By the afternoon, the bus stopped in front of the school entrance. The doors opened and the students descended in a throng, anxious to leave the nightmare behind and lose themselves in the safety of their routines.
Frank said goodbye to Lief with high spirits and even warmly invited him to an academic salon at his house next week, which he rejected without hesitation.
Lief watched how he walked away and then turned toward Jennifer.
"Come on, I'll take you."
They walked together to her house. The journey was silent but comfortable and upon arriving at the porch of her house, they stopped.
Jennifer turned toward him.
"I suppose this is where I go back to being a normal girl..." she said playing with the edge of Lief's jacket.
"Something like that," he replied, looking her in the eyes.
Taking a step forward, Jennifer's hands went up Lief's chest until surrounding his neck, and she rose onto her tiptoes.
"Do not let me be 'normal' for too long," she whispered against his lips, before attacking.
The kiss was deep and slow, savoring the moment.
A kiss of possession, a territorial mark. Jennifer pressed against him, her fingers tangling in his hair, while Lief held her firmly by the waist, anchoring her to reality.
When they finally separated, Jennifer already had rosy cheeks.
"Call me tonight," she said with a mischievous smile, biting her lip while backing toward the door.
"Count on it."
Lief waited for her to enter and close the door before heading to his own house.
Upon entering, silence received him.
His parents were still on their work shifts and his "sisters" were probably at school.
The house was empty.
Lief let himself fall heavily onto the living room sofa, letting the air out of his lungs in a long sigh.
"Home, sweet home."
But he did not stay there long. He had pending matters.
He went up the stairs, entered his room and locked the door. He went straight to the shower, letting the hot water wash away the dust of the trip and preparing mentally for what was coming.
Ten minutes later, dressed in comfortable clothes, he sat on the edge of his bed.
He closed the curtains and, with his mind focused, the system appeared.
"System, open the draw panel."
[Draws:
– Basic: 1,000 coins x 10 pulls. – Intermediate: 1,000,000 coins x 10 pulls. – Advanced: 10,000,000 coins x 10 pulls. – Supreme: 100,000,000 coins x 10 pulls.]
Looking at the Advanced Draw option, excitement invaded him.
"No fear of success," he murmured, "System, initiate a draw of ten at Advanced level."
[Confirmed. Consuming 10,000,000 Coins. Initiating High Level Draw!]
The hologram changed. A gigantic roulette wheel occupied his vision and the squares began to spin at a dizzying speed, emitting a powerful hum, like that of a turbine.
"Stop!"
With the order, the wheel began to slow down, the hum lowering in pitch while the lights flickered, jumping from square to square, full of suspense.
Finally, the wheel stopped.
Ding
A golden flash illuminated the room and the first reward materialized.
It was an icon that represented an octagonal stone with the figure of two tigers, each one looking to the sides.
[Item: Tiger Talisman]
[Description: An ancient relic imbued with the concept of "Balance". Grants the user the ability to divide his own existence or that of others into their fundamental halves (Light and Darkness / Good and Evil) or recombine what has been fragmented.
The perfect balance in the palm of your hand.]
"The Tiger Talisman?" He raised an eyebrow, impressed.
Obviously he knew the object.
In theory, it was one of the most broken talismans.
But the system did not give him time to analyze it thoroughly. The wheel spun again for the second reward.
Ding
[Skill: Psychic Link]
[Description: Allows establishing a mental communication channel that cannot be spied on or cut by external forces, like a group chat inside the brain.
Current capacity: 4 Simultaneous users.]
His eyes shone with genuine interest.
"This is pure gold."
Goodbye to screaming in the middle of combat or relying on signals.
With this, he could talk to Jennifer or Carrie like a hive.
Ding
The third triumphant sound resonated.
In the center of the roulette appeared an evil-looking gauntlet, forged in a dark metal like basalt, with pulsing red energetic veins.
[Item: Oni Gauntlet]
[Description: A relic of primordial power. Coming from the world of Onimusha, it grants the bearer the ability to drain ESSENCE. It can absorb the souls of fallen beings to replenish the user's own stamina, heal wounds, and serve as a catalyst to release Oni tactics.]
"Fuck! Jackpot!"
The Oni Gauntlet.
Absorbing souls to strengthen himself was a very useful skill in the reality where he lived.
It was the perfect equipment for his future incursions against the supernatural. His breathing accelerated and he had to close his eyes for a moment to assimilate the stroke of luck.
But the draw had not ended.
Ding
[Item: Rooster Talisman]
Another talisman! Although I do not like this one much...
[Description: An object endowed with the power of Levitation, allowing the user and any object touched by him to float and maneuver freely in the air.]
The roulette, as if it were sensing his disappointment, accelerated its pace for the following draws.
Ding Ding Ding
The lights of the squares followed one another at a frantic pace, but Lief no longer tried to follow them. He only focused on the final image.
[Item: Mortal Blade]
[Description: Coming from the world of Sekiro.
A katana to which is attributed the power to kill immortals.
WARNING: Drawing this weapon being a mortal will result in the immediate consumption of the bearer's life. Use it only as a last resort.]
"Damn it! A weapon capable of killing gods, but with a suicide guarantee if you touch it!" He crossed his arms, feeling the tension, "An ace up the sleeve, I suppose."
[Item: Resurrection Cross x1]
[Description: Single-use item. If the host receives fatal damage, this object is consumed automatically, instantly restoring the host's complete state.]
"An extra life"
This was what really provided security. With this Cross, his confidence to take risks in the future skyrocketed.
[Item: PlayStation 11 (Limited Edition)]
"... System, are you giving me items from the gift shop now?"
The System maintained its usual silence.
[Item: Fine Lingerie Costume Kit (Private Collection)]
[Contains: Nurse outfit, bunny set, secretary uniform, French maid costume, school uniform... and dozens of other high-fashion outfits. Premium quality materials, provocative design. Good use guaranteed.]
An involuntary smile appeared on his face.
The image of Jennifer dressed in those outfits made his cock throb.
But he shook his head quickly, laughing to himself, but accepting the gift with joy.
The System had a questionable sense of humor, but it knew how to satisfy him.
Ding
[Item: Holy Water (Flask) x1]
[Description: Blessed liquid. Inflicts splash damage to demons and creatures of evil.]
"Better than nothing." A useful support tool.
Ding
Finally, the last prize sounded, closing the batch.
[Skill: Holy Light Effect +1]
[Description: The skill 'Holy Light Effect' has evolved to Holy Light LV1. Now provides a comforting physical heat and is capable of repelling demons and very low-level entities.]
Activating the skill, a soft golden light, brighter than before, lit up in the palm of his hand. He brought his hand close to his face and, effectively, felt a faint warmth.
"... So we finally went from being special effects to a mystic hand warmer?"
He couldn't help but complain, expecting something more from the advanced draw.
The draw had ended.
He did a quick headcount: Tiger Talisman, Rooster Talisman, Oni Gauntlet, Psychic Link, Resurrection Cross...
It was a massive haul!
Each element was a piece capable of redefining the rules of the game.
The trip to Shadyside had been an investment with an explosive return!
With a thought, the Oni Gauntlet materialized on his left forearm, and the dark metal instantly adapted to the shape of his muscle, pulsing with a faint red glow.
________
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