Chapter 36: One Step Closer to the End

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: One Step Closer to the End

Victor had every right to think that way, because even though they had worked together to defeat the Penitents of the Mist, they were still strangers. It would take more than a couple of days for him to truly trust her.

That was why he hoped that, after this, nothing would change until the end of this second scenario.

The gacha system’s sphere continued doing its job. The colors cycled one after another until it stopped on gray, which was to be expected for Victor, who had been paying close attention to what the System window was telling him.

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained: Cooking Utensils.]

[Rarity: C]

He could almost feel all his excitement running out the front door.

’Did I seriously spend 600 coins on this?’

At least he had to look on the bright side. He didn’t have any cooking utensils, so this was a good acquisition. However, considering the other rare items he had obtained before, he had to admit he was genuinely disappointed.

But come on, this was only the beginning. The sphere transformed into a pair of wooden spoons that fell into Victor’s palms, much to Brika’s surprise. Then, the sphere continued changing colors.

Unfortunately for Victor, however, the next item was also Common rarity.

[You have obtained: Fingerless Gloves.]

Brika was already starting to notice the frustration on Victor’s face. He pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t believe that, after everything he had been through, this was the reward he had gotten.

His Luck Value had increased! So why the hell was he still getting nothing but garbage?!

He felt the urge to grab the gloves and throw them into the firewood, but he tried to calm himself by taking slow, deep breaths.

’If I’m going to get Common items, at least let them be something like the Lightweight Feather. Seriously, I don’t want the only coins I’ve earned to go to waste.’

He hoped the System would reward his achievements, so he patiently waited for the next gacha reward. However, the sphere glowed gray once again.

[You have obtained: Travel Backpack.]

’This... Well, at least it’s useful, but... give me a useful ability or some food!’

Brika frowned when the backpack emerged from the sphere. Irritated, Victor grabbed everything he had obtained so far and stuffed it inside. Then, the sphere continued its game of chance, and finally, a blue light illuminated the darkness like a flame.

Victor’s breath caught for a second.

’Finally.’

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained: Elentir Root.]

[Rarity: R]

’A root?’

[Description: A powerful medicinal ingredient whose healing properties surpass even the deadliest diseases.]

This was pretty good. Victor frowned thoughtfully. The description was clearer this time, so if the System said this root could cure deadly diseases, it had to be true.

Meanwhile, Brika watched Victor’s changing moods as if the poor guy were the strangest person in the universe.

That made three of the six items. The next rewards were a small box of tea bags, which nearly made Victor tear his hair out in frustration, and a bar of soap that, according to its description, would last forever—something pretty strange for a Common-rarity item.

The item that finally brought this Summon session to a close made the sphere glow purple. Victor watched expectantly. What would come out?

[Congratulations!]

[You have obtained: (Skill) Ironclad Defense.]

[Rarity: SSR]

’A skill! It’s a skill!’

Now this made everything that came before it worthwhile. This was the third time he had obtained an SSR-rarity item with a Luck Value of 4 out of 100, making him wonder once again what rules this gacha system actually followed.

But that didn’t matter right now. Victor hurried to read the description.

[Description: The body concentrates all its strength in the outer muscles, hardening them to their limits and granting the user tremendous iron-like resilience. However, this places a heavy strain on stamina.]

’Great defense at the cost of accelerated physical exhaustion... It’s a double-edged sword, but an extremely useful one. It could save my life later on.’

He hoped he would find a use for this skill in the future, but for now, he took the sphere in his hand and crushed it. Immediately, the sphere’s light transformed into strands that pierced Victor’s skin and merged with his body.

He felt his muscles twisting beneath his skin. Every cell in his body accepted this new power, and just as with the Fire Wolf’s Sense of Smell, he could feel the change instantly.

He silently looked at his hand. All he had to do was think about activating the skill, and he could do it. That was exactly what he did.

His muscles contracted, and although his body didn’t change on the outside, it became a solid wall of flesh.

’Excellent...’

He deactivated the skill simply by thinking about it again. In fact, it was almost like breathing: he could do it without having to concentrate.

Then he looked at Brika, waiting for her to say something. She was watching him, but when their eyes met, she simply shrugged and went back to what she was doing.

With a small, awkward smile, Victor thought:

’Seriously, she’s a woman of few words. It’s almost like she couldn’t care less about what’s happening around her. That’s good for me, I guess. But...’

It was a little unpleasant to sit in silence all the time when you had company. Aware of that, Victor stood up.

"Brika, we should keep moving. We need to get out of this scenario as soon as possible."

However, her reply surprised Victor.

"If I were you, I wouldn’t rush to leave this scenario. In case you haven’t noticed, if we kill more Penitents of the Mist, we can get more rewards."

Those words hit Victor like a bucket of cold water.

’It’s... It’s true!’