Bell's excitement vanished the moment he saw the character displayed on the card.
Instead of the muscular, brawny Orion, it was a stunning beauty with waist-length hair—Artemis, the Moon Goddess.
'Super Orion's Spirit Origin might have a few useful skills I could extract, but what kind of useful concept could I possibly get from a toy bear?'
Honestly, the toy bear's skills were tightly bound to Artemis, and the number of viable concepts he could extract from her Spirit Origin was extremely limited—basically just 'Mind's Eye.'
Bell cast a helpless glance at the card projection displaying the removable options.
[Tri-star Amore Mio], [Affection of the Goddess], [Wedge for the Capricious], [Mind's Eye], [Magic Resistance], [Independent Action], and [Goddess' Essence (Artemis Exclusive)].
Seeing the label [Goddess' Essence (Artemis Exclusive)], a few question marks popped up in Bell's mind. He didn't really understand what this "essence" was supposed to do—he hadn't begun studying deities yet.
'So, my two choices are this Goddess' Essence and Mind's Eye?'
His expression grew a little conflicted.
'I'll take the Essence.'
Even though 'Mind's Eye' could offer a certain degree of strength enhancement, it felt like a huge waste to draw a 5-star Heroic Spirit and end up settling for just 'Mind's Eye.'
He didn't know what exactly the 'Goddess' Essence' was, nor what made it 'Artemis Exclusive,' but even for research purposes, it still seemed far more valuable than 'Mind's Eye.'
[Divine Core materialized.]
A transparent, diamond-shaped crystal appeared out of thin air before Bell.
The unconscious pressure it radiated made him feel slightly weighed down.
Fortunately, thanks to the powerful barriers he'd set up around his temporary base, the oppressive aura of the Divine Core didn't leak outside. Otherwise, the Dungeon might have reacted in unexpected ways.
'So this is a god's core?'
'I wonder if the gods from the Type-Moon world are anything like the ones here.'
That was something he'd have to observe over time.
He pushed the question aside for now and reached out to touch the Divine Core.
Despite the oppressive aura it gave off, it was physically tangible.
A Divine Core, as the name implied, it was likely the very essence of a god. But how could something like this be touched by hand?
In Bell's opinion, something like a 'Divine Core' should be more conceptual in nature.
Still, just as he'd thought earlier, studying a deity's core in this temporary stronghold wasn't a wise move. Even if he had confidence in the strength of his barriers, there was still the chance that something could go wrong.
Suppressing his curiosity, he tossed the core back into his four-dimensional storage.
Then, he turned his attention to the other items from his ten-pull.
"This gacha really is pure chance."
Bell glanced over the Craft Essences he'd pulled earlier—they made his heart ache.
One hundred million Valis, gone in the blink of an eye.
Even though he'd earned a lot from selling Runes, spending so much so quickly still stung.
If the Heroic Spirit card he'd drawn had been a proper 5-star, with the power to remove concepts through Craft Essence selection, he wouldn't have felt so bad.
But instead, he got the rare "Goddess' Essence"—something whose use was still unclear—which only made the pain cut deeper.
'Damn probability.'
He looked away, trying to ease the sting in his heart.
After composing himself a little, he turned his attention to the large number of 3-star Craft Essences he'd acquired.
Plenty of disposable items for stamina recovery and healing, and a huge stack of Black Keys.
The three-colored Black Keys were by far the most abundant among his haul.
Unlike the limited five-per-account Craft Essences, the three-colored Black Keys were consumables, just like the single-use recovery items.
'Looks like I won't be dodging Black Keys anymore.'
Since "Heaven's Luck" didn't apply to the Type-Moon system, there was no escaping this streak of bad luck.
Of course, Bell wasn't a fan of low-efficiency Craft Essences, but they could still come in handy at times.
Take "Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu" for example—it restored stamina and injuries, and worked as food to fill the stomach.
Sometimes it could improve a meal, other times it was a lifesaver in emergencies.
Back when he used to play games, Bell liked to stockpile food items. Maybe he really did have hoarder syndrome.
Now, as for the current batch of Craft Essences:
"Yggdmillennia's Pedigree": Increases resistance to poison, curses, and burns.
"Sunday Dinner": Restores 1% of stamina per minute.
"La Siesta": Restores 1% of both stamina and mana per minute.
"From Uruk": Restores 1% of mana per minute.
"Blessful Time": Increases stamina recovery speed by 1%.
"Angel Breath": Increases recovery speed of both stamina and mana by 1%.
"Dear Friend": Increases recovery speed of both stamina and mana by 1%.
All 3-star Craft Essences with five copies could be enhanced and absorbed.
Among them, those that boost resistance were especially useful.
Even though Bell had Runes for defense, when his mana was drained and he couldn't use them, having built-in resistance was invaluable.
"Sunday Dinner," "La Siesta," and "From Uruk" all restored 1% of stamina or mana per minute—an incredible effect. After all, there was no limit on how many Craft Essences Bell could absorb, aside from type and enhancement level.
Two Craft Essences might not do much, but what if there were dozens?
Even small bonuses added up fast when stacked together.
To boost the effectiveness and power of his Runes, Bell needed to use more mana—so stamina and mana recovery were essential.
Any Craft Essence that increased his stamina and mana regen was a huge asset.
"Blessful Time," "Angel Breath," and "Dear Friend" all improved stamina and mana recovery speed, letting Bell stay in battle longer.
Even if the boost was only 1%, it was still a big deal for Bell.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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