The Archangel's Obsession and the Rainbow Pillar

Cheonma, having caused quite a scene from the very start, seemed to be venting all the frustration of not being able to pull the Gacha until now. With a face radiating pure bliss, she raised one arm to the sky, shaking it back and forth, clearly enjoying the enthusiastic response of the angels.

I understood that feeling—the desperation of pulling nothing, only to finally hit something big—so I didn't stop her immediately. I let her savor the moment. I knew better than to pour cold water on a success that had been so hard-won; there was nothing more annoying than that.

Come to think of it... among the unexpected quests that had popped up earlier, the one I felt was the most difficult was "Summon a Pillar of Light." I wondered how that had turned out.

I brought the quest to mind to check its progress.

Thankfully, the quest window marked the "Summon a Pillar of Light" as a success. It was done. It was over. Cheonma had solved the hardest part at the most critical moment. Now... I just had to handle the rest well.

Cheonma, sensing she’d enjoyed herself enough, glanced at me sideways. When I smiled and gave a slight nod, she beamed with joy and approached me. I picked up the microphone I’d briefly lowered, keeping the angels in mind for the next contestant. I had to keep the momentum going and ensure the angels remained fully immersed in the Gacha.

I couldn't waste the opportunity Cheonma had created for humans to be recognized by the angels. As the self-appointed moderator, my role was crucial—I had to manage the aftermath and keep the flow going right after the heroes, or rather, the contestants. I busied myself with the proceedings, keeping a sharp eye on the angels' reactions.

"Now! Did you all enjoy the performance of our first contestant, Cheonma!!!!!"

- ...Yes! -

The angels looked at each other before answering. It wasn't forced, and they hadn't ignored me. The fact that they answered was proof enough that my "logical assumption" was working. I poured all my energy into fueling their interest in the Gacha so it wouldn't wane.

"Did you know!? That these items have hidden, unique abilities!? And..."

- ...? -

Do you know the two sure-fire ways to irritate a listener during a conversation? It’s cutting yourself off mid-sentence... and leaving a "and" hanging at the end to pique curiosity. I paused for two seconds to let the anticipation build.

1... 2...

- Tell us quickly! Why won't you say it! Are you going to run away without telling us!? -

Unable to stand the two-second silence, one of the angels shouted at me to hurry up. Run away? Me? A "no-show"? I was slightly annoyed by the accusation, so I let the information—or rather, the non-information—slip out casually.

"The abilities will be revealed later after I use my own power to verify them. Please, hold your horses for now! For starters... I can guarantee that these are no ordinary abilities! So, don't even dare try to imagine them!"

Murmur, murmur, murmur.

As I withheld the full information, the angels started to look suspicious, their whispers growing louder as they gestured to confirm each other's stances. Seeing this, I quickly moved to deploy the next contestant, Hwaryeon, hoping to shift the focus.

"Alright, let's have our next contestant, Hwaryeon, enter! Everyone, please give her a round of applause... Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh! What is that cute creature!!!! Hwaryeon!"

Just as I was about to introduce her, the cube showed Hwaryeon holding a baby white tiger in one arm while waving with the other. To my utter surprise, Hwaryeon had come up with a brilliant strategy: using the cuteness of the white tiger to wipe the memory of Cheonma's antics from the angels' minds while pulling the Gacha.

- Kyaaaaaaaah! -

The scream of the angels witnessing the white tiger's cuteness shook the entire hall. What was that? A summoned beast? Who cares! Cuteness is everything! Humans have so many fascinating things!? That must be why she confidently grabbed our attention like this! I wish I could hold it just once... Is it fluffy? Me too... Me too!

The angels, who had been chanting Cheonma's name just moments ago after her high-stakes victory, had completely flipped their stance, now screaming and cheering for the baby white tiger.

"Tsk... That was a sword I pulled... That cute white tiger was... supposed to be mine... It was mine...!"

Cheonma clicked her tongue, looking at Hwaryeon with envious eyes, as if she never expected her to summon a tiger during the Gacha pull.

"..."

"..."

Hwaryeon, who had been waving at the angels, locked eyes with Cheonma in the air. Surprisingly, Hwaryeon, who was always bickering with Cheonma, slowly nodded with a benevolent face, as if to say, "I know how you feel."

Taken aback by Hwaryeon’s uncharacteristically sisterly behavior, Cheonma made a pouty face that said, "I don't like this..." and stood silently by my side, watching Hwaryeon.

I suppose... showing off like this was just a small result of the gamble I had taken. They both knew well that fighting here wouldn't do anyone any good, so they seemed to be avoiding it on their own.

Hwaryeon began slowly inserting the 700 coins I had set out, one by one, as if she intended to go ALL-IN. After finishing, she reached for the lever, hesitated, looked at the tiger in her arm, and spoke to it as if asking for its input.

"...Hoya~ Shall we pull this once?"

......... Kyaoooong!

Hoya? Is she calling the tiger Hoya? At Hwaryeon's words, the tiger looked at its master(?) for a moment, let out a soft cry as if it understood, then thrust its front paw forward and slapped the lever down.

Clunk-

Ding!

Wait... Hwaryeon... I was going to mention how to utilize divine beasts later... but she figured out how to apply it on her own!? That intuition born from experience... I can really feel her seniority!

Oops... I need to keep this moving! I quickly grabbed the microphone to inform the angels of the situation.

"Ah!!!!! Contestant Hwaryeon! She's using the same ALL-IN method as Contestant Cheonma! But she's using a unique approach by borrowing the power of a divine beast to take on the challenge!"

The cube shifted from showing Hwaryeon and the tiger to focusing on the screen of the machine, waiting for the results. Unlike Cheonma, who had pulled it herself, Hwaryeon had borrowed the power of a divine beast, and the angels, seemingly only interested in the outcome, held their breath and couldn't take their eyes off the cube.

..

...

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

!? No way, that sound! That sound of the Gacha spinning like crazy is definitely... the one I heard when I pulled a God-tier item!

Along with the intense spinning sound, the machine's screen displayed a "???" mark along with some text.

"..."

-...-

I knew the answer, but I started working my mouth for the sake of the angels.

"It's... it's a new screen! I wonder... what the result will be!"

Hwaryeon, having experienced this before, seemed to guess the outcome and pressed the button triumphantly. As expected, a young girl who looked like she’d be great at being a mesugaki appeared, filling the screen with stars in her eyes.

Wooooooow!

(Thump-thump)

The little girl, hands clasped as if in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠prayer, appeared on the screen with a joyful expression before disappearing.

"Oh!? What is this!? Could it be... the little girl is....!!!!"

No sooner had I finished speaking than the white tiger began to mash the button with its front paw.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap

It was around the 60th press. Beneath the cube screen that everyone was watching intently, a rainbow-colored pillar—blending seven colors—pierced through the top of the machine and shot straight into the sky with a roar.

"It's outtttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!"

-...-

My voice, unable to hide the joy, echoed through the hall.

"Hoya! We did it!"

Kyaoooong!

Hwaryeon, having high-fived the baby white tiger that had produced a result everyone could be satisfied with, pulled the tiger into a precious embrace.

"Ah~ Contestant Hwaryeon! In the end... in the end... she's done it. That rainbow pillar... it's really rare to see... Uh... I believe that was a God-tier item, right?"

- ........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At my mention of a "God-tier item," disbelieving murmurs erupted from all sides, and the hall was thrown into a massive uproar.

.......... You actually pulled it off, Hwaryeon... Seriously... thank you... for raising the value of our, no... my ability even higher!

As I pondered how to address the shocked angels, Gabriel's voice reached my ears.

"...A God-tier... item, you say? Interesting. Truly... an ability that provides a continuous series of surprises, isn't it? Though I can't believe it yet, as it hasn't been verified."

"........."

Gabriel, who had somehow climbed onto the machine and was standing right next ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to me, was looking at me with an unreadable expression. Seeing her, Cheonma stepped in front of me, glaring at Gabriel.

....

Wait, when and how did she get up here? But... is it really "interesting"? It doesn't seem like it... her face looks terrifying...

What is this... feeling?

Obsession?

This... this is the same obsession I felt from the heroes before...?

R-really?

Nah... no way.