Whatever this thing was, it was absurd.
The floating texts in front of him were just… strange. He 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, Cecilius! Would you like a full system tutorial?]
Ah.
"You have been awfully silent for a while now. What's on your mind?" Oathria 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.
Oathria had been offering to get him to town and buy him 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 woman asked again, her voice low.
"That's actually why I've been silent. I'm trying to figure out what is going on," Sees answered truthfully.
Oathria hummed and nodded. "But at the very least, you can tell me how you were able to bond with me without your heart, right?"
Sees froze.
"…Bond…?"
The woman, walking with some difficulty beside him, raised her eyebrows. Even under the layers of blood and dirt, the elegant, noble structure of her 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," Oathria explained, an amused smile on her lips.
Sees's jaw went slack. Looking at her, he felt dizzy. He had assumed this absurd "system" was the thing supplying him with mana!
Oathria's smile widened a little as she tiptoed up, bringing her face closer to his by tilting it sideways. "Impressive indeed. To be able to use only this much mana to replace a vital organ. Your control is astonishingly accurate."
"As expected of Prophet Cecilius," the woman straightened her body, her tone teasing. He couldn't tell if it was a mock compliment or just endearing sarcasm.
"You… flatter me," Sees 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," Oathria said, her voice still deep and authoritative, 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?" Sees narrowed his eyes. He wanted to refuse her offer to hunt for him, but… that felt rude. Who was he to stop her? So, he joked instead.
[Congratulations! Oathria 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 woman sighed, hiding her smile as she turned away.
Sees blinked, not saying anything, his eyes focused intently on her.
Her demeanor was as majestic as ever. Her movements were graceful and unhurried, but carried a weight of intensity. But every time she turned to look at him, or when their eyes met, a floating [+2] materialized and vanished. It happened even more when he was staring at her like this, the speed of the text increasing rapidly.
"Prophet, why are you staring at me?" The woman glanced at him, narrowing her 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 Oathria finally washed her face clean, revealing more of the striking features beneath the grime.
"I will return in a while and continue washing up after you," the woman said, turning to leave after seeing his faint smile. She disappeared into the shade of the trees, leaving him alone with the rushing water and a mind full of system notifications.
After he was sure he was alone, he 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 his eyes, layered but not so much that they overwhelmed his 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 him. So the reason he could bond with Oathria without his heart was… this system?
[You've filled your first Love Interest slot with Oathria Alicei! If you want to add more love interests, you can buy the next slot with 100 Love Points.]
Sees blinked. In front of him was a transparent screen with Oathria's picture. Beside it was her name, her titles, her age—440?! Oh. Ohh…
Wait, wait, wait.
Date of Birth… 9th of September—
"What is today's date again…?"
[10th of September!]
"Yester—"
[Height: 5'4]
[Hair color: Misty White]
[Eye color: Misty Grey]
[Favorite food: Unknown]
[Favorite color: Unknown]
Alright, he didn't need to explore the digital stalker notes right now. Sees 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?" he clarified.
[Correct! You have now accumulated 62 Love Points in total from Oathria Alicei! Every 7000 Love Points accumulated, you'll be able to rank up your bond with her. You can reach rank 7 to achieve the maximum bond!]
"What does that mean?" Sees asked.
[It means you can use more of her magic and resonate easier with her 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…" Sees muttered. "But needing 7000 Love Points for each rank is… a lot."
[Don't worry, Cecilius! You can also rank up your bond by getting a copy of her bond in the Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner! Tap here for details!]
Sees tapped the arrow, and a new screen popped up.
[Five Stars Love Interest Exclusive Banner: Oathria Alicei]
[Seven days left]
[Obtain five stars Oathria 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 her!]
[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?" Sees 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 Oathria wished to bond with him…?
…
…Ooohhhh…
Sees submerged his head underwater with a frown. His reddened ears 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 her for being emotional right before dying together with… with… with… him… right?
Aside from that… what triggered the system itself?
Why him?
[You have been chosen as our ninth System Player]
[We admire the essence of your soul]
[Would you like to continue the tutorial?]