Time to Grow (4)
"Haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-haa-ack! Th-th-th-th... this!!!! How long can you keep it up? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? I’m going to check it right now!! Let go!"
Merlin was lunging toward me like a starving piranha that had just discovered a feast, her eyes rolling back and drool spilling from her mouth. I barely managed to hold her back, and through the chaos, I caught sight of Hwaryeon and Cheonma staring at me in sheer horror.
Seeing that, I raised my hand and quickly signaled the rest of the heroes for help.
"Guys! A little help here! Merlin’s lost her mind!"
!!!
At my urgent cry, the heroes finally grasped the situation and scrambled to help Hwaryeon and Cheonma restrain Merlin.
"... Merlin!"
"What is wrong with you! Snap out of it!"
"... Merlin, dear! Please, regain your composure!"
With all the heroes pinning her down, she didn't seem quite far gone enough to start spamming magic at her allies, but she still tilted her head back and roared while held fast.
"Uwaaaaaaaaah! Pleeeeease! Haa... haa... Aaaaaaaack! Let me go!"
...
At first, I was terrified seeing her come at me with drool dripping from her lips, but seeing her now—trapped and suffering at the hands of her fellow heroes, even though she hadn't committed any crime—didn't feel great.
She was just... obsessed with discovery. Did they really have to treat her like that?
Having experienced firsthand how agonizing and stressful it is to be controlled and prevented from doing what you want during my two years in the military—and having witnessed people lose their minds because they couldn't handle it—I felt I could understand Merlin’s current state and feelings to some extent. I felt like I needed to soothe her.
Haa-haaa...
A moment later, perhaps exhausted from screaming her lungs out, Merlin finally bowed her head and gasped for air.
I deactivated my Aegis skill and, dragging my slippers, slowly approached Merlin, who was still being held by the others with her head hung low.
The surrounding heroes watched me with bewildered expressions.
Shuffle-shuffle—
I got close to Merlin, slowly reached out, placed my hand on her head, and—just like I used to pat my younger sisters' heads back at the orphanage—I slowly stroked her hair.
!
Merlin, who had been bowing her head, flinched.
"Merlin... It’s not like I’m running away. I’m going to need your help a lot in the future to test my abilities and grow anyway."
"... Ha... aa.... R-really...? Haa..."
"Of course~"
Merlin, who had looked so dejected, lifted her head and panted at my words that I would need her help later.
Her eyes were welling up with tears as she looked at me.
She’s not some adolescent little sister... but I guess I need to calm her down first.
"First... let’s breathe properly. Take a deep breath in."
"Haa... hoo—"
"And breathe out."
"Haaa—"
After repeating this a few times, Merlin’s breathing finally stabilized.
Watching her calm down, I called out to her.
"... Merlin."
"Yeah?"
"I... I trust you, Merlin."
"...Huh?.. Heh.."
"So... I’m going to use the Skill Creation Ticket one more time."
"No!"
"... Alright. Hey! Let him do it. I’ll support him."
When I declared I would use the ticket again, Hwaryeon and Cheonma immediately jumped up, but Merlin’s calm declaration silenced them. Relieved, I turned my body toward the Gacha machine.
Approaching the machine, I called out to the system.
"I will use the Skill Creation Ticket again."
..
The system instructs you to return to the scale.
..
I dragged my slippers over to the scale, approached the right side, took all three Skill Creation Tickets from my pocket, tore them all in half, placed them in the center of the scale’s tray, and then stepped onto the left tray.
The system asks you to visualize the skill to be created.
...
The most necessary skill for my future had to be one perfectly suited for future-oriented investment.
It was the skill I had prioritized creating ever since I first obtained the Infinity Gacha trait, but because survival skills had taken precedence, I hadn't been able to get it until now... but thanks to the extra Skill Creation Tickets Lancelot had pulled, I finally had the chance.
A skill absolutely essential for a Gacha-user, now that my survival was somewhat guaranteed...
That was the Appraisal skill.
Appraisal...
I wished it would be like in the novels, where just by wanting, looking, and focusing, items, people, and all sorts of objects would automatically pop up as holograms with neatly organized information... but...
This damn world, no, this system, clearly wouldn't allow that.
Of course, if I accepted a penalty like in some manga—where using it continuously causes blood vessels in the eyes to burst, leading to bloody tears—I could surely get it easily, but I had absolutely no intention of obtaining it at such a cost.
Why?
Because if I did...
The heroes might actually tie me down and gouge my eyes out...
Judging by their behavior so far... they were heroes capable of exactly that.
So...
I had to come up with a different method.
A method the system would accept... and one that would keep me safe from the heroes' retaliation.
After a moment of thought, I closed my eyes and focused on visualization to create the skill.
[Appraisal] (Active Skill) - Creates a small circle on the cornea next to the pupil to turn the Appraisal skill on/off. It remains transparent when off, and appears when turned on.
The number of circles increases as abilities are added.
Appraisal Type (Item) - Can only appraise items pulled via Gacha.
Usage: Consumes 1 Gacha Coin per appraisal.
Appraisal Type (Status Window) - Can view information of opponents weaker than oneself.
Usage: Consumes 1 Gacha Coin per appraisal.
Consumes 10 coins when viewing information of opponents stronger than oneself.
Seems like a pretty decent setup...
Finished with my thoughts, I called out to the system.
"System. Please confirm."
..
System simulation testing in progress.
..
...
The system states that the balance is slightly insufficient.
The system requests a few more setting changes.
Are you a real highway robber?
How much lower do you want me to go?
"Haa..."
I sighed and started re-examining it.
[Appraisal] (Active Skill) - Creates a small circle on the cornea next to the pupil to turn the Appraisal skill on/off. It remains transparent when off, and appears when turned on.
The number of circles increases as abilities are added.
Appraisal Type (Item) - Can only appraise items pulled via Gacha.
Usage: Consumes 1 Gacha Coin per appraisal.
Upon usage, items can be checked according to the system's Gacha Coin requirements for each item rank.
Appraisal Type (Status Window) - Can view information of opponents weaker than oneself.
Usage: Consumes 1 Gacha Coin per appraisal.
Consumes 100 coins when viewing information of opponents stronger than oneself.
Detailed information cannot be confirmed.
...
"I’ve really conceded a lot at this point... System!"
..
...
System simulation testing in progress.
..
...
The system states that this balance compromise is acceptable.
The system asks if you wish to create the skill.
The system states that creating the skill will be accompanied by immense pain in the eyes.
Pain in the eyeballs...?
Ah... that’s scary...
If I whine about my eyes hurting, the heroes will probably come running, thinking I’ve actually gouged them out... what do I do...
..
...
The system confidently states that there is no threat of death.
Ah... no threat of death?
That means it’s immortality guaranteed by the system, right?
Let’s go for it!
Wait a minute...
If I do it alone again, it’ll be really hard to resolve if they get sulky...
"First... please lower me down."
Cling-cling—
Dudududududu—
As if it understood, the scale shook its tray left and right once, and then slowly began to lower itself to the floor.
Thump—
The heroes, who had been staring at me as I stepped off the scale, turned their heads away when they saw nothing was wrong with me.
I watched the heroes' reactions, waiting for a moment of distraction, and then shouted quickly.
"Right now! Right, now!"
???
The heroes stared at me blankly, as if wondering what I was doing.
..
...
The system states that it will begin in 1 second.
1
1 second later?
Zzzzt—
Suddenly, I felt something stinging in both eyes.
Should I say it was like the stinging sensation when an eyelash suddenly digs into your eye?
And soon, I felt the sensation of spiciness rising, like when you crush garlic right in front of your eyes.
Ack!
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Immediately, a sensation like burning fire rose in both eyes, one after another.
I couldn't possibly endure this internally.
Unable to bear it, I finally covered my eyes with both palms, looked up at the sky, and screamed.
"Hraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack—!"
!!!!!!
Scramble-scramble—
"...!"
"Y-young master!"
"What did he do this time!"
"Merlin! Do something!"
"Really... I’m going to tie you up so you can’t do anything ever again! You couldn't even wait that long and did it again?"
"... He..healing!"
At the same time as I felt someone grabbing both my arms, Merlin must have cast healing on me; a strange, foreign sensation swirled in my body and then vanished.
The pain seemed to decrease for a moment, but since the skill creation wasn't finished, the pain increased again and engulfed me.
"Haa-haa... Kraaaaaaaaaack! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"
How long had I been screaming?
..
...
The system states that it is complete.
The system asks you to check it.
Simultaneously with the system’s notification, the burning sensation in my eyes vanished, and the pain subsided.
Soon, the pain was gone, and as I slowly opened my eyes, there were six pairs of heroes looking at me with eyes filled with murderous intent, as if they were ready to tear me to death right then and there.
...
It’s done...
Now... I have no regrets...
I can die happy...
I was ready to willingly accept my fate to pay the price for causing the heroes worry...
Good work... System... !
Wait a minute...
Sy..s..tem?
I definitely had... in my inventory...
System Upgrade...
I have to finish it...!
Right...?
"U-uh, look..."
"What?"
"Why? Do you still have something to say?"
"..."
"Young master... seriously..."
"... You’re amazing, too... really..."
"Even if you ask me to heal you again, I won't do it."
Ignoring the heroes' criticism, I secretly took the System Upgrade out of my inventory through the sub-space into my hand.
"No... that... well, even if I’m going to go... checking a Gacha item is fine, right?"
"You, when!!!!!"
Seeing the System Upgrade in my hand, Cheonma shrieked.
Goodbye... maybe I’ll never have freedom again... Hehe...
Riiip—
Thinking she might snatch it from my hand, I quickly tore the System Upgrade paper in half.
No time!
Quickly!
Show me!!!!
Give me hope!!!!!!
Before I knew it, Cheonma’s right hand had approached, large enough to cover my face.
Oh no...
The moment Cheonma’s right hand touched the bridge of my nose...!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A deafening roar erupted from behind me, and the surroundings turned pure white.
It’s here...!