Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Orange Radiance
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Chapter 42
An orange glow filled my vision.
But it wasn't unpleasant.
*Ecstatic...*
It was the kind of production for a gacha success that made people say, "This is why we spend money."
Whoooo...
The glow pouring from Aje Rup's eyes shifted colors.
Having shown the preview first, it now began revealing the accessories one by one.
Green.
[★★ Summons Static Spirit.]
Zzzzt-zzzt-zzzt!
A small spirit cried out with a boom-!
A single one wasn't very useful, but when gathered in numbers, they could merge or strengthen in other ways.
Whoooo...
Blue.
[★★★ Summons Steel-Jaw Turtle.]
Craaaack-!
A massive turtle appeared, jaws wide open.
*I can feel how sluggish it is.*
A familiar with ocean, earth, and metal attributes—a solid, reliable choice.
*If I had to nitpick, it'd be decent for wearing down intruders' stamina.*
Whoooo...
Next... purple!
[★★★★ Summons Orc Warlord.]
"Grook... War, is it?"
Finally, an orc that could speak the common tongue of humans and demons.
One fun thing about Remegaton was that as the grades of familiars derived from a species' lineage increased, communication with them became smoother.
Even ones that couldn't speak before could hold conversations effortlessly by 4-star or 5-star.
*Of course, some can't... and they all have their quirks.*
On to the next.
Whoooo...
Blue again.
[★★★ Successfully acquires Curse Talisman of Lovesickness.]
*...Pass.*
Not particularly useful.
It was a curse that only affected adventurers of certain dispositions, typically used for targeted strikes, otherwise left in storage or sacrificed to evolve other talismans.
When curse talismans grew, not only did the success rate of the curse increase, but new effects could attach as well.
*Well... most high-grade curse talismans are like that.*
Curses generally allowed only one to trigger during a dungeon run. There were exceptions, but that was the norm.
One thing worth noting here was the question of whether a dungeon could grow infinitely strong. For non-special cases like curses, could familiars fill the entire dungeon?
*Theoretically possible... but just theoretically.*
In that scenario, the dungeon would be stuffed with low-quality familiars.
Think of the dungeon as a house.
A dungeon with a core chamber and three boss rooms was like a house with three bedrooms. Room sizes varied based on the designer's whims.
Familiars were like furniture.
You could cram it in, but without harmony, drawers wouldn't open, beds would be uncomfortable—disasters.
Failing to fulfill their role as furniture.
How to pack in more familiars without breaking harmony?
*Enlarge the house itself or reallocate space from other rooms.*
This applied to both physical space and the mana supplied by the dungeon core.
*Well, since the dungeon core grows infinitely, it's not wrong to say the dungeon itself does too.*
While lost in thought, four weapons had already passed.
[★★★ Successfully acquires Horn Trumpet of Madness.]
[★★ Successfully acquires Stinky Dagger.]
[★★★ Successfully acquires Blasphemous Armor.]
[★★★★ Successfully acquires Skull Collector.]
Whoooo...
There was a purple one—a hero-grade weapon—but I felt indifferent.
Why the different reaction from familiars? Weapons had compatibility; only specific wearers could equip them, and middling grades felt even less impactful.
*At least the Skull Collector... that'd suit the Orc Warlord.*
A 4-star familiar fully equipped with proper gear would be tough for frontal assaults in this area. Even so...
*What I really need are familiars...*
The dungeon would expand gradually. Probably to a scale incomparable to now.
Weapons wouldn't fill that vast space—familiars would.
*Hope the next one's a familiar.*
Pzzzt-zzzt-zzzt...
The signal came.
My turn, huh.
*Orange!*
Aje Rup groaned.
"Krghhh..."
The omen of a 5-star.
The signal on the ninth summon.
Zzzt-zzzt-zzzt-!
With the sound of striking thunder, a massive silhouette appeared.
- Grooooooo...
"...A golem?"
Its bulk felt larger than even the Hell Gate.
Just its size outdid a Forest Troll Wanderer.
[★★★★★ Summons Domain Guardian.]
"Hmm..."
An earth-attribute golem.
Its standout features: immense durability, plus an infinite regeneration mechanism as long as the core wasn't destroyed.
Definitely useful—top pick for a boss room if building ruins or earth fields.
*Still, earth lacks a foundation.*
No forces to properly build an earth field. More pulls would tell, but without a miracle of only earth summons, field setup would be tough for now.
I'd have to hold onto it like a white elephant.
Deploying it without synergy would just guzzle core mana, making it less efficient than a 4-star.
Whoooo...
[★★★ Successfully acquires Indistinct Sulfur Pit.]
Last was a fire field trap.
*Satisfying, yet a bit disappointing.*
No real heavy hitters. The Orc Warlord, at best.
No familiars tailored to new fields, no external scouts...
But no need to worry.
*Today's me... has plenty of mana stones.*
Whoooooo...
One by one, the 10-pull proceeded.
This time at higher speed.
[★★ Successfully acquires Polluted Drain.]
[★★★ Successfully acquires Short-Circuited Gate.]
[★★★ Summons Blast Toad.]
[★★★ Summons Flame Imp.]
[★★★★ Summons Volcano Worm.]
[★★★ Summons Grotesque Experiment.]
[★★★ Summons Marsh Ghost.]
[★★ Successfully acquires Curse Talisman of Sloth.]
[★★ Summons Static Spirit.]
[★★★ Summons Underdeveloped Yeti.]
*Hm...*
No joy or sorrow.
I'd started with enough stones for 60 pulls.
*My pool is steadily growing.*
Might seem like a bust 10-pull, but it wasn't.
Dungeon management wasn't just boss rooms. Fields to gauge intruders, whittle their stamina and morale while supporting bosses were crucial.
In that sense, low-mana general familiars keeping coming wasn't bad.
*Of course, best would be pulling demons... but expecting that is greedy.*
I already had Amon, one of the great demons, by my side. I'd felt a fraction of her power just recently—no need to force another demon.
*What I need now is composure. Step by step...*
Whoooo...
Another 10-pull.
[★★★ Summons Windcatcher.]
[★★ Summons Grave Zombie.]
[★★★★ Summons Salamander.]
[★★★ Summons Incorporeal Spirit.]
[★★★★ Summons Bonfire Arsonist.]
[★★★★ Successfully acquires Curse Talisman of Forked Paths.]
[★★★ Successfully acquires Venom Fang.]
[★★★ Summons Skeleton Berserker.]
[★★★ Summons Sulfur Monkey.]
[★★★ Summons Flame Imp.]
*...Time to settle on the next field.*
Remegaton's pay-to-win was vicious, as always.
Far more attributes than the beginner-limited four, plus branches within each—initial capital for proper fields was insane.
*...At least one full field per truckload, right?*
Calling the priciest raw mana stone pack a "truckload"—over 100,000 won, hands shaking each purchase.
Remegaton could make a truckload's worth hit rock bottom. The dreaded "spent money, nothing changed."
*40 pulls, and not even one field? Damn it!*
"Will you stop?"
Aje Rup's words seemed to urge retreat.
I gave my answer.
"...No."
Aje Rup let out a 'Hoo...' of admiration at my resolve.
No backing down this time.
Not until securing a new field and external agents!
Whooooooo...
Pzzzt-zzzt-zzzt...
"Krghhhhh..."
...No way?
Whooooooo-!
Orange radiance exploded from Aje Rup's eyes.
The light didn't shift.
Meaning the first emergence was the owner of this orange.
Crackle... Zzzt-zzzt!
With lightning, its silhouette appeared.
"Grrrrl..."
From the smoke, a ferocious werewolf silhouette loomed, then shrank into a slender adult woman's form.
Smoke cleared, revealing a beauty with a horizontal scar across her nose bridge. Fierce eyes, brimming with confidence.
"You're my contractor?"
[★★★★★ Summons Moonlit Werewolf.]
...Jackpot.
* * *
To summarize this gacha upfront: no 6-star demons.
*Roughly... the lineup's shaping up.*
But numerous familiars to run the dungeon joined. And pretty lucky—I could debut one new field.
*Had to think hard...*
New field conditions: resources for a boss room, and enough general familiars to exploit the environment.
First condition met by three attributes.
*Earth, fire, lightning.*
Only fire met the second. Thus, next field: fire.
*Lightning... the familiars are different types.*
Secured some lightning familiars, but few fit the abandoned lab theme.
*Better to reinforce from the front anyway.*
Phenex would greet intruders before Amon—empowering her was right.
*Alright... then...*
New familiars knelt before the throne. Some stood out.
The 5-stars.
I'd done 50 pulls this session...
*Has light finally shined on me?*
The new 5-star familiars kneeling before me...
Totaled four.