Felix felt a chaotic mix of confusion and sudden excitement. He had never been much of a gamer, but he wasn't oblivious; he knew what gacha meant.
Which, honestly, was pretty hilarious considering how much he used to preach about hating gambling and luck based systems.
But staring at these glowing sigils, his hypocrisy did not bother him one bit, considering it laughable how fast principles dissolve when met with a worse alternative.
Discovering that his own system utilized a lottery mechanic was nothing short of exhilarating. Even better, a new update caught his eye: he could finally track exactly how much currency the system absorbed.
[Soul Balance: 187]
'Man, if I was going to risk myself, it would have been way more satisfying to take from bums with deeper pockets.'
Before even allowing himself to entertain the thought of testing the new gacha function, Felix's eyes scanned everything once more. Then, he checked it a second time.
Much of everything was rather simple, nothing appearing out of the ordinary or tricky in most senses.
Only when he was absolutely certain he hadn't overlooked a single detail did he finally let out a slow, measured breath. During a moment like this, he needed to control himself to the best of his abilities.
'I wonder. .'
Felix stared at the phrase inherent capability, his mind tracing back to his status screen. He recalled the layout vividly—specifically how it had grouped his state and progression. Though he glossed over it, the mention of his scale never lost his mind.
Felix had begun to form a theory regarding it. It was rather interesting too.
Since the system grouped his scale directly with things like his name and progression, he was inclined to believe they were fundamentally connected in some way.
Following the traditional logic of systems surrounding games and other media, categories grouped together like that should be the foundation for his identity and existence.
Also, in many gacha games, a player's current level often established a fixed scale that would directly dictate drop rates, making the pool heavily inclined toward rewards that match their grade or level.
Although most of this theory hinged on the premise that this followed video game logic, it was one of the few ideas that sounded plausible.
Fixing his gaze on the prompt, Felix willed the system to initiate the exchange.
The moment he did, a wave of agony forced him to bite his tongue. As his eyes went wide, he curled inward, clenching his teeth and gripping his body tightly.
'My body, it's burning hot! It feels like my bones are melting. No. . it's everything inside of me!'
The dreadful heat started in his chest, rapidly surging through his entire body. It was, without question, the most excruciating pain Felix had ever known. He had almost wished he had died right then and there, because the agony was that unbearable.
And it continued for a significant amount of time. Still panting and recovering from the pain, Felix was met with a sight from his system.
[Capability Unlocked: Biological Zipper]
[Description: Generate a bloodless opening along the forearms through the use of a zipper. Acts as a secure, organic compartment for small objects.]
The searing heat finally began to cool, leaving behind a numbness in his forearms. Felix let out a raspy breath, his forehead resting against his knees as the last of the tremors left his body. All that agonizing torture for a literal pocket. It was ridiculous.
'Are you fucking kidding me? Do I seriously have to deal with this every single time I use the gacha?'
Trembling, he rolled his eyes at his new ability. He hadn't expected much, yet somehow, reality still managed to underwhelm him. If nothing else, it confirmed his theory.
He reached over with his right hand, groping blindly until his fingers brushed against his left arm.
The only guiding light was the very little that came from the glowing red cracks covering his body. His fingertips traced the ridges of the glowing red cracks running down his skin.
As he focused on the left crack, a strange, instinctual understanding clicked in his mind. It was like discovering a muscle he had never known existed.
Felix willed the ability to activate. With an indistinct zzzip, a line of glowing red light split open along his left arm, looking exactly like a zipper.
The crack revealed a vast emptiness beneath. It was deeply unsettling to stare down into his own arm—feeling nothing, seeing nothing.
He reached over to his right arm, testing the crack there, and found it mirrored the exact same function.
It hadn't occurred to him at first, but he was beginning to see that the physical transformation was only half the story. The changes weren't just on the outside, but they were happening on the inside, too.
No matter how deeply he reached inside himself, he found nothing but a void space. In that sense, he had become a mere shell.
He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt hollowed out, his insides replaced by coarse grit.
Sighing, he leaned his head back against the rusted metal wall of the dumpster, his eyes automatically drifting back to the system.
[Cost for Next Invocation: 200 Souls]
'. . The fuck?'