[Pov; Reinhardt Selig]
The victory lap came to a screeching halt.
To recap, im Reinhardt Selig, a 19 year old dropout bumming it up, I've got enough debt to make a college graduate weep, and I've just screamed at the top of my lungs in a building that is more than likely inhabited by some creatures like the ones outside.
'Way to go, Rein. Why don't you just ring a dinner bell while you're at it?' I thought, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I slowly walked over to one of the kitchen drawers, reaching in and gripping the handle of my cheap steak knife. My palms were sweating so much I was worried the plastic grip would slide right out of my hand. I went back and stayed low, pressed against the fridge, listening to the wood of my front door groan under the impact.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Then, a sound drifted through the cracks of the doorframe. It didn't sound like a monster. It sounded like someone trying to imitate a machine—or a bird.
"Po… po… po… po…" a mechanical like sound came from behind the door.
I felt the hair on my arms stand up. I didnt know what this was, nor was I stupid enough to scream out "Hello?!?"
I looked at the side of the door, where the frame met the wall. A long, spindly finger—white as bone and far too long to belong to a human—slithered through the narrow crack. It didn't move smoothly. It twitched, advancing in jagged, frame-by-frame increments like a stop-motion animation.
Twitch. Slide. Twitch.
It was searching for the deadbolt.
"Po… po… po…"
The sound was vibrating in my teeth now. It wasn't just a noise; it felt like a weight pressing down on my lungs. My hands felt heavy. My vision was starting to blur.
'Knees weak, moms spaghetti'
'If I stay here, she's going to unlock the door. If she unlocks the door, I'm dead. I could 'sense' that much.
I had to use it. Those mystic eyes. Part of me was actually happy, the other part–the more rational part that remembered the brain melting part wasn't.
'Fine! If my gray matter turns into fondue, I'm putting it in the bug report!'
I focused, immediately activating the slotted ability, which was quite easy to do.
[Activating: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]
SHUCK.
My vision turned grey.
The gray wallpaper, the wooden door, and that flickering, twitching white finger were suddenly covered in jagged, red lines.
"Agh—!"
A pain like a hot needle drove straight into the center of my skull.
[Warning: Mental strain exceeding safe limits. Brain damage imminent in 4.2 seconds.]
'Four seconds?! That's not even enough time to skip a YouTube ad! Give me a break!'
I didn't have time to complain. I lunged.
I didn't aim for the finger. I aimed for the thick, red line running right through the center of the wooden door—the line where the monster's presence was leaning the heaviest.
I drove the steak knife into the crack.
CRACK-SHATTER!
There was no resistance. It was like cutting through air. The door didn't just break; the concept of the "door" and whatever was "pressing" against it seemed to fold in on itself.
"PO—?!"
The mechanical voice let out a distorted, glitching shriek. Through the hole I had just punched in existence, I saw a flash of a white dress and a terrified, jointed face before the entire entity turned into a spray of black, digital-looking ash.
I slammed my eyes shut and I collapsed to the floor.
[Target Destroyed: Hachishakusama (Fragment)]
[GP Acquired: 20]
[Coins Acquired: 22]
"Haa… haa… haa…"
I lay on the linoleum, my head throbbing so hard I thought my ears were bleeding. I reached up and touched my face. No blood. Just a lot of sweat and the feeling that I'd just finished a marathon.
'Twenty GP,' I thought.
'I almost turned my brain into a vegetable for twenty percent of a Bronze Pull. This economy is a joke.'
I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling. The silence had returned, but then a new window flickered into view.
'I also earned 22 coins from her…from what I read when browsing the system—coins can be used for either the system shop, or to upgrade my stats, 20 coins can upgrade me once until I reach E rank in stats, then its 300 coins.'
[Feat Achieved: First Kill (Urban Legend)]
[Description: Defeat a supernatural entity while possessing Normal Human stats.]
[Reward: 1x Silver Ability Gacha Ticket]
"So Gp isnt the only way to get tickets…" I whispered, actually happy about this. It means I wouldnt have to do this 4 more times for a bronze pull.
Then the pain hit again.
"Never mind. It's worse. It's definitely worse."
The Gacha-addict in me was already reaching for the ticket. I needed something that didn't involve me having a stroke every time I fought back.
"I'll deal with the stats in a second," I muttered. "First...Ima let it ride."
I tapped the Silver Ticket icon.
"Come on... give me something I can actually use!"
[Silver Ability Gacha Ticket - 1]
[Poisonous]
|Common Ability|
You are poisonous, everything about you. Anything trying to digest anything from you is going to have a bad time. The potency of the poison is dependent on your physical stats.
I stared at the screen. My heart, which had been performing a drum solo against my ribs, suddenly felt like it had been dunked in ice water.
'[Poisonous] |Common Ability|'
'Are you serious?'
I read the description again. Then I read it a third time, just in case my oxygen-deprived brain was hallucinating. It wasn't. I was poisonous. My blood, my spit, probably even my sweat. If something tried to eat me, they'd get a stomach ache.
'This is the "Silver Ticket" experience? This?!'
The Gacha-rage was bubbling up now, hotter than the pain in my head. A Silver Ticket is supposed to be a step up! It's supposed to be the "pity" that keeps you from uninstalling the game of life! Instead, I got a passive defense that only works if I'm already being chewed on.
"So my strategy is... to get eaten?" I whispered to the empty kitchen. "Fantastic. I'll just lay down and season myself with salt so the monster has a 'bad time' while it's killing me."
I flopped back onto the floor, the "Poisonous" notification mocking me. It was an Ability, which meant it occupied one of my precious slots, it should've been a trait honestly, and not only that its dependent on my currently weak physicals. But hey, at least it didn't cause brain damage.
'Calm down…I have 22 coins. And a passive skill that basically makes me a spicy snack for monsters.'
The Gacha-gods were truly cruel. They give you a nuke but make the trigger mechanism your own optic nerves. Then they give you a "Silver" reward that basically says, 'I hope you taste like bleach.'
I looked at the jagged, impossible hole in my doorframe. I couldn't stay here. The Hachishakusama "Fragment" was gone, but the "Po" sound was still echoing in the back of my mind. I needed to move, and I needed to not be a level-one scrub when I did.
"System," I muttered, sitting up and rubbing my temples. "Stat menu."
The gold screen flickered, showing my mediocre life in numbers.
[Name: Reinhardt Selig]
-Mana: 50/50-
-Strength: 10 (F-Rank)-
-Agility: 10 (F-Rank)-
-Endurance: 10 (F-Rank)-
-Intelligence: 10 (F-Rank)-
-Willpower: 10 (F-Rank)-
-Luck: 15 (F-Rank)-
-Special Traits: Gacha-
[ Upgrade available. Cost: 20 Coins. ] [ Note: Growth is Exponential (10% increase per point). Current Rank: F. ]'
Numbers usually make my head swim, but the System made it feel intuitive. My current Agility was 10. If I bumped it to 11, I'd be 10% faster. It didn't sound like much on paper, but when a monster is trying to turn your intestines into a necktie, 10% is a lot.
'I need to stay alive long enough for the poison to actually matter. Or, better yet, I need to be fast enough to use the eyes and get out of the way before the four-second timer hits zero.'
"System. Put 20 coins into Agility."
[ 20 Coins Expended. ]
[ Agility: 10 -> 11 (F-Rank) ]
[ Current Balance: 2 Coins. ]
I didn't feel particularly fast. But there was a slight... lightness? Like the gravity in the room had been turned down by a fraction of a percent. My twitchy, nervous movements felt a little smoother.
I kept [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] slotted. The [Poisonous] ability was staying in the inventory for now; until my stats were high enough to make the toxins lethal, it was just a "Consolation Prize" for whatever eventually killed me.
"…Alright. Okay. Think."
I looked at the hole in my doorway. Beyond it lay the hallway, shrouded in a heavy, unnatural silence. The screaming from outside had died down, but that just made the internal building noises louder.
"A man of culture doesn't stay in his kitchen while there are... potentially cute survivors to be rescued," I muttered, trying to bolster my courage.
I shoved the fridge the rest of the way. My "Normal Human" strength was barely enough to get the damn thing to budge, but eventually, I cleared a path. I stepped out, my steak knife held low, sneakers squeaking softly on the carpet.
The hallway was a mess of flickering fluorescent lights. To my left, the stairs. To my right, apartment 4B.
Thump... thump... thump...
The flickering lights made it look like some horror movie.
'Right. Let's go.'
The sound was rhythmic. Heavy. I crept closer, the "Po-po-po" sound still playing on a loop in the back of my mind. The door to 4B was slightly ajar. I peered through the crack, and my eyes widened…
'I didnt know that there was someone like this here?!?'
Inside, the living room was a wreck. Standing over a fallen bookshelf was a girl. She had a silver-toned pixie cut that looked like it had been styled with a combat knife, and she was currently using a heavy metal lamp to beat the life out of something that looked like a very large, very angry hairball.
Bu-dump
"Die... you... stupid... thing!" she hissed.
watching her swing that lamp with a ferocity that made my own arm ache. And if I say so myself, she looked quite fit.
But as I watched, three more of those "tiny werewolf" creatures—ugly, stunted things with yellow eyes—skulked out from under the sofa. They were angling for her blind spot.
'Now isnt the time to admire, no matter how…fitting her clothes looked, or how hot the aggression is…wait am I a creep?'
I didn't know if there was a reward for this. I didn't even know if the System did "quests." But I knew that if I watched a silver-haired pixie-cut girl get mauled while I held a mythical-tier skill in my pocket, I'd never be able to call myself a "Man of Culture" again.
Plus, I really wanted to see if killing these things gave better loot than the "Po-po-po" lady.
I kicked the door open. It swung wide with a satisfying bang.
The door slammed against the wall, the sound echoing through the cramped apartment.
The silver-haired girl froze, her metal lamp held mid-swing. The three stunted werewolves—[Kobold Runts], as the System called them—snapped their heads toward me. Their yellow eyes looked hungry, and the smell of wet fur was making me want to gag.
"Hey! Over here, you overgrown poodles!"
I didn't wait for her to say anything. I just focused on that cold pull behind my eyes.
[Ability 1:Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]
[Warning: Mental strain exceeding safe limits. Brain damage imminent in 4.0 seconds.]
The world bled into a dull, lifeless grey. Everything in sight was suddenly traced with bright red lines.
The lead Kobold lunged. In this monochrome world, its movement felt sluggish and easy to read. I could see a thin red line running right across its chest, pulsing like a heartbeat. I didn't hesitate. I drove my blade through the mark, the Kobold splitting cleanly along the line before slumping into a heap of digital ash.
[Target Destroyed: Kobold Runt] [GP Acquired: 5] [Coins Acquired: 5]
'Five GP and five coins. Better than nothing, I suppose.'
[2.8 Seconds Remaining]
The other two creatures yelped in confusion. They didn't understand the "magic" at play, but they saw their pack-mate get erased by a random human. One scrambled to hide under the sofa, while the other—driven by feral instinct—snapped its jaws at the girl's leg.
"Watch out!"
I lunged, driving my knife downward into the crown of the Kobold's head. I hit the red line perfectly, though, to be honest, the Eyes were probably overkill here. A solid stab to the skull would have finished it regardless.
As that one dissolved, I didn't wait. I adjusted my grip and tossed the knife toward the final runt trying to retreat. The blade spun and caught it right in the center of a flickering red mark.
[Target Destroyed: Kobold Runt x2]
[GP Acquired: 10]
[Coins Acquired: 10]
The hallway went silent. I cut the power to my eyes immediately, the grey world snapping back to color as a massive spike of pain hammered into my skull. I fell to my knees, gasping for air that tasted like ozone.
"Ugh... my head..."
I stayed there for a moment, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Then, a pair of worn-out black combat boots appeared in my field of vision.
Hey." a voice said. It was quiet and flat, but I could hear a slight tremor in it. "Are you going to get up? I don't want to have to carry you."
I looked up. The pixie girl was standing over me. Up close, the "Culture Sensor" in my head was definitely going off. She was covered in soot and looked exhausted. Her face was a mask of indifference, but her knuckles were white from how hard she was gripping that lamp. She held out a hand, her fingers twitching just a little. She was a total dere archtype! I could just feel it!
'Must…Resist…the HNNGGG'
"I'm Chae-won," she said. She was trying to sound composed, but her voice was tight.
her lamp lowered but still gripped tight. She looked exhausted, but her expression was a mask of cool indifference—even if her fingers were trembling just a little. She held out a hand to help me up. "I... I had it under control, but I appreciate the assist...Thank you."
"I'm Reinhardt," I rasped, taking her hand. Her grip was cold. "And it's fine. Just an aftereffect of my ability. Don't worry about it."
"I wasn't worried," she replied quickly, looking away. She took a steadying breath, trying to regain her 'cool' front. "But we can't stay in this room. The smell is attracting more of them, and the door is... well, you broke it. We should find somewhere else."
I didn't actually remember breaking the door. My adrenaline had been red-lining so hard I must have gone and slammed the door hard enough to snap the hinges without realizing it. Cheap ass doors.
More importantly, she hadn't flinched when I mentioned an "ability" save for a slight widening the the eyes. If I had to bet, she probably awakened something too.
[FEAT ACHIEVED: Heroic Intervention]
Description: Save a survivor from a lethal ambush.
Reward: 1x Silver Familiar Gacha Ticket
I stared at the floating text. A Familiar Ticket? I didn't even know that category existed.
I stared at the screen. A Familiar Ticket? I didn't even know that was a thing. If I could pull a tank or something to do the fighting for me, I might actually survive.
"Reinhardt?" Chae-won asked.
She was watching me with that neutral, unreadable stare, but she was fidgeting with the hem of her jacket. She was putting up a good front, but the girl was clearly rattled.
"Are you okay?" she was probably wondering if the guy who saved her had some mental disability. Which I didnt!
"Give me... a second," I muttered, my eyes locked on the shimmering silver icon. "Just... catching my breath."
I tapped the ticket.
'Wait, what happens when I roll this—'
It was too late. The interface didn't ask for a confirmation.
A blinding silver radiance erupted in the center of the room, far brighter than the dim apartment lights. I squinted against the glare, praying for a heavy-hitter—a shield, a wall, or even just a very large, loyal dog.
The light began to condense, spinning into a dense core of light that formed a human shape.
[Summoning Result: Lupusregina Beta(Overlord)]
Rank: Elite
Description: A Battle Maid of the Great Tomb. She possesses high physical capabilities and specializes in healing and recovery magic. She is cheerful, diligent, and possesses a... unique personality. Note: This entity does not have access to the User's Inventory.
'Wait... Lupusregina Beta? FROM OVERLORD?!'
My brain stalled. This Gacha gave me a NPC from the Great Tomb of Nazarick…I didn't expect that at all! I thought maybe id get a monster servant, not an actual anime character!
'hopefully shes completely loyal...'
The air rippled with a golden distortion. As the particles settled, I found myself staring at a tall woman with tan skin and thick, dark braids. She was wearing a maid uniform that looked way too high-quality for this dump, and she was casually resting a massive, ornate mace like weapon against her shoulder.
She blinked, her amber eyes scanning the room before landing on me. A massive, bright grin spread across her face that gave me chills.
"Gosh! So you're the one who called for little old me?" she chirped, her voice bubbly enough to give me whiplash. She slammed her mace onto the floor with a heavy thud, cracking a floor tile. "Lupusregina Beta, at your service! I hope there's lots of fun stuff to break around here!" her head snapped to Chae-won.
Chae-won nearly jumped out of her skin. She scrambled back, her lamp raised again, her cool front finally cracking.
"R-Reinhardt! What is that?! Where did she come from?!" Chae-won's voice was high and tight, her composure practically gone.
"It's... she's with me," I said, trying to stand up straight despite the lingering headache. "She's a... summon, part of my ability."
Lupusregina's grin widening as she took in Chae-won's expression. "Oh? And who's this little cutie? Are we going to play with her, Master? She looks like she'd make the best noises if I—"
"Lupus, no! Bad!" I barked, feeling a cold sweat break out. The description said sadistic, meaning she most definitely has her personality intact, and I really didn't want to find out what that meant for my potential "culture" goals. "She's a friend. We're helping her."
"Aww, boo," Lupus pouted, though her eyes remained dancing with a dark sort of mischief. She hopped over to me and peered into my face. "You look terrible, Master! Your head is all fuzzy! Want me to fix it? It might sting a teeny bit!"
Before I could answer, she tapped her mace on the floor.
"[Lesser Heal]!"
A cool, refreshing wave of light washed over me. The throbbing in my skull didn't just fade; it vanished. My vision cleared, and the lingering fatigue from the Mystic Eyes was replaced by a strange, tingly energy.
I checked my status.
[Mana: 50/50] [Condition: Healthy]
'Right! She's a healer too! This makes things so much better!!' I internally jumped for joy whilst she gave me a smug grin. I suddenly remembered reading something about her being able to read minds or something.
Chae-won was still staring at Lupusregina, her mouth slightly agape. She looked between the cheerful, terrifying maid and my steak knife, then slowly lowered her lamp.
"You... you summoned a maid," Chae-won whispered, her voice trembling as she tried to pull her "kudere" mask back into place. She adjusted her jacket and looked away, though her ears were clearly red. "Fine. If she can heal, she's useful. But tell her to stay... over there." she gestured to behind me.
"Don't worry, Chae-won," I said, feeling much better. I looked at the two of them—the cool, nervous girl with the pixie cut and the sadistic werewolf maid. "Since we got a tank and a healer, things might go much easier now."
"hehe~" Lupusregina giggled, resting her chin on her mace. "Then let's go outside! I can hear more of those fuzzy little runts screaming down the hall. I want to see how many I can squash in one swing!" Her personality would be a real turn on if it wasnt for the situation in this complex.
.....
'Oh who am I kidding.'
I coughed into my fist before answering.
"Right, Lupus, lead the way. Chae-won, stay behind her. I'll pull up the rear."
Chae-won gave a stiff, jerky nod. She was gripping her lamp so hard her knuckles were white, but she stepped into line. She was terrified, but she wasn't freezing up—I had to give her credit for that.
As we reached the threshold of the ruined door, I quickly pulled up Lupusregina's stats.
Familiar Status: Lupusregina Beta
Rank: Elite (Silver) | Level: 1
Strength: 36 (F-Rank)
Agility: 32 (F-Rank)
Endurance: 38 (F-Rank)
Intelligence: 31 (F-Rank)
Willpower: 25 (F-Rank)
Luck: 12 (F-Rank)
Even though it was obvious her stats were scaled down from the series, she was still a monster. With 36 Strength, she was mathematically 15.8x stronger than the average human. She was going to destroy the majority of the monsters here. Not to mention her having a buffed state if she decided to fully transform into her werewolf form.
Lupus stepped into the flickering hallway. The air was thick with the smell of wet dog and copper. Five shadows detached themselves from the darkness near the stairwell—the [Kobold Runts] once more. They snarled, their yellow eyes fixing on the smiling maid.
"Oh, look at you! You're so tiny!" Lupusregina chirped, her voice echoing off the walls. She didn't look scared at all, she actually looked quite excited if the vibe I could feel from our connection was anything to go by. "Do you want to play? I promise it'll only hurt for a few seconds~!"
One of the Kobolds lunged, a desperate, feral leap aiming for her throat.
Lupusregina didn't even lose her smile. She swung the mace in a casual, horizontal arc, the body of one of them exploding, blood and guts now covering the hallway.
[Target Destroyed: Kobold Runt]
[GP Acquired: 5]
[Coins Acquired: 5]
'Oh neat, I get the coins and gp from her kills too?'
The other four creatures stopped dead. Their tiny brains were clearly trying to process how their pack leader had just been turned into red mist by a woman in a frilly apron.
"My turn~!" Lupus giggled.
'Her turn? But she just attacked...not that im complaining.'
I watched as each Kobold was caught by that massive weapon of hers. The impact was heavy and wet, one of the creatures was sent skidding across the wallpaper, while another was sent through the the floor with a squelch that echoed through the narrow corridor. A stray spray of blood splashed against my cheek, warm and jarringly real.
Behind me, I heard a sharp squeak. Chae-won had practically teleported into the space behind my back, gripping the hem of my hoodie as she tried to hide from the carnage.
'HEY, I'M SCARED TOO!' I screamed internally. My knees were shaking, and my heart was trying to beat its way out of my throat, but I couldn't let it show. If I was going to maintain my status as master of Lupus, or even a cool and strong person, I had to do at least that much!
I wiped the smudge off my face with my sleeve, trying to keep my hand from trembling.
'So it seems the reason for the monsters I killed earlier only turned into some digital smoke was due to my mystic eyes...'
[Target Destroyed: Kobold Runt x4] [GP Acquired: 20] [Coins Acquired: 20]
Lupusregina stood in the center of the hallway, her maid uniform somehow still pristine. She hummed a little tune as she rested the mace back on her shoulder, looking back at us with that sharp, energetic grin.
"All done, Master! They were so soft!" she chirped, looking genuinely disappointed that the "playtime" had ended so quickly.
Chae-won slowly peeked from behind my shoulder. She realized she was still holding onto me and immediately let go, smoothing out her jacket and adjusting her expression back into a mask of indifference. Her ears were still bright red, though.
"You... you missed a spot on your face," she muttered, refusing to meet my eyes. "And can you tell her to be a bit quiet...She might attract more monsters." she whispered into my ear, though I could tell with a glance towards Lupusregina that she could hear her clearly.
"Unlikely, she's more of a brute force fighter I believe, so its doubtful she can make it quiet.' I said, finally finding my voice. I looked at the dark stairwell ahead.
[Current Balance: 42 Coins | 42 GP]
'This is so peak.'