"Are you ready?" I asked one last time, my fingers hovering over the recruitment card. Even I wasn't sure what would happen once I used it. Whether they'd vanish, change, or… something worse.
"Yes, my lady." X2
Both voices overlapped in perfect sync.
Seeing their determined expressions, I exhaled softly. My eyes, however, betrayed me, sliding down just a little on instinct. Ahem. Only for a second, though! I immediately chased away the unholy thoughts that tried to sneak into my head.
...Okay, maybe I did take a peek at Ghislain's abs. Just a peek. They were… unfairly perfect. Tch, I need to start training again after this.
I had touched them once, with her permission of course, and the memory alone made me nearly drool. That solid warmth… gah, focus, Hinata! You're a commander, not a perv!
Deep breath.
With my mind finally back on track, I pulled out the recruitment card. From their reactions, it was obvious they couldn't see it. Same as my system interface. To them, I must've looked like some lunatic waving invisible paper around.
I looked at Ghislain first, voice steady. "Do you wish to become my summon?"
"Yes."
The instant she spoke, her entire body began to shimmer, light blooming around her like scattered motes of dust. "Wha—!" was all she managed before she dissolved into a stream of particles. The recruitment card in my hand pulsed with golden light, and when it dimmed, Ghislain's printed form appeared upon it, standing proud in her warrior outfit, tail curled behind her.
"…Whoa."
Even I was a little stunned. The process was fast, clean, and way too flashy.
I turned to Lilia. Her eyes were wide open, her lips trembling. Shock, disbelief, maybe even awe.
"Lilia," I said softly, "do you wish to become my summon?"
She blinked once, twice, then straightened up and nodded sharply. "Y–Yes, my lady!"
The same golden light enveloped her body, fluttering like paper petals in the wind. And just like that, she too vanished, leaving behind a second card in my hand.
"…Huh." I stared at both cards side by side. Warrior Beast and Elegant Maid.
"Fufufu~" I couldn't help but grin, raising the cards dramatically like an RPG hero. "Party formation complete! Guess I'm just your generic isekai protagonist, huh?"
Sparkle~! ✨
Now that I'd officially recruited them, I decided to summon them back once I returned. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
Honestly, this trip went way better than I expected. Not only did I secure two subordinates, but I also managed to analyse magic itself.
At first, I thought it'd be simple to observe spells in the city. I mean, tons of adventurers use magic, right? Wrong. Turns out, nobody just goes around casting flashy spells in public like some shounen battle maniac.
"Ugh… guess I'll have to get creative," I'd muttered back then.
So, I posted a quest at the Adventurer Guild. And what do I get? A private tutor.
…A blue-haired demon loli.
I could almost hear her shrill little voice echoing in my head again. "Tch! You're not even trying what I teach you!"
Ugh, she was so pissed that I didn't try a single spell she showed me.
But what does she know? I don't even have mana. And there's no way I'm wasting my magicules.
Still, I did analyse every single spell she cast. Every chant, every motion, every flick of her wrist, stored neatly in my mental archive.
Heh, once I'm back, I'll try to replicate them all with magicules instead.
And if the gacha's feeling generous, maybe I'll finally pull a mana-user protagonist template. That'd make things a lot easier.
Alright… time to head home.
"Three… two… one…"
I blinked once, and the world shifted. The faint smell of wood polish, the warmth of the room… yeah, this was my space again.
I glanced around and let out a small breath. "So, I'm back."
"Alpha!" I called out, already sensing her aura rushing toward me.
Moments later, the door slid open with a soft thud, and there she was.
Hmm. Her clothes were exactly the same as when I left. It seems I didn't leave her alone for long. "How much time has passed?" I asked.
"Eh?" She tilted her head, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"
"After I told you to return to your room," I clarified, narrowing my eyes slightly. "How long has it been since then?"
"Uh… maybe a minute or two?"
Just a minute or two?
So… time either doesn't flow there, or only a few seconds passed here.
Though the gacha timer advanced since I did get points every day there, meaning it did recognise the passage of time on its end.
...Interesting.
Before I could overthink it further, Alpha's soft voice cut through my thoughts.
"Um… Shadow, aren't you going?"
"Huh?" I blinked once before realising what she meant. Oh right, she still thinks I'm preparing for the trip.
I chuckled softly. "Oh, that? Don't worry, Alpha."
I reached out and patted her head gently, earning a surprised "Ah—!" from her. "I'm not leaving again. Not for a while."
"Alpha, go do your sword training. I have some work to handle," I added, pulling my hand back.
"Okay!" she answered, her voice soft but clearly happy. She bowed lightly and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Now then…
I plopped down on the bed, crossing my legs as I opened the shimmering blue interface before me.
[Points: 37]
"Hmm… twelve cards, huh?" I muttered, cracking my knuckles. "Alright, GACHA, don't screw me this time."
The points ticked down rapidly. The golden light of the gacha wheel spun, ding-ding-ding!, before exploding into a rain of cards.
When the light cleared, I blinked at the first one.
1. Lugh Tuatha Dé (The World's Finest Assassin)
My jaw dropped.
"Oh shi— did the gacha hear me complaining about not having mana earlier?!"
Still… an isekai protagonist getting another isekai protagonist's template?
Of course I'll assimilate him, especially with those five starter skills. I want to see how they'll adapt to this world's logic.
I remember watching the first season… not bad, definitely on my waiting-for-next-season list, right next to No Game No Life, Failed Knight, Reincarnated as a Spider, and a bunch of other chaotic fun ones.
Hehe great start... I hope the flow goes on.
"Hehe… great start. Let's keep that flow going!"
I swiped right to the next card and immediately groaned.
2. Hulk's Pants (Marvel)
"....."
"…Tch. I jinxed it."
I slumped forward. "Seriously? Pants? Out of everything present in that world, I get the guy's pants?!"
Still, after a moment of sulking, I sighed. "Well… it's not complete garbage, I guess. Maybe I can find some DNA traces left on it."
I leaned back, thinking aloud. "Though, man… Tensura's strong, but Marvel's on a whole different cosmic tier. I wonder… Rimuru versus Hulk… who wins? One creates a multiverse with a snap, the other can destroy one with a clap. Huh."
Shaking my head, I flicked to the next card.
3. Alt Form Mechanic
"Oh?" I tilted my head, reading the description. "A perk that lets me fully or partially transform into assimilated characters or ones still syncing…"
Then I froze.
"Wait, so I can become them?!"
Dragon, Vampire, Elf, eldritch beings...
I felt my grin stretching way too wide. "Holy crap, that's awesome!"
My eyes practically sparkled. "Just imagine— if I get Ainz someday, I could use his magic while human, but if I transform fully, I'd gain all his undead traits. No pain, no fatigue… no limits!"
A soft fufufu~ escaped my lips. "And if I use it for Talia's form, nobody would even recognise me unless they can literally see through my soul. Even auras would change completely!"
I paused for a moment, fingers on my chin. "Wait… if everyone's soul is unique, would my soul itself change when I transform? Ireally need a non-human template soon to test that out."
"Hehe, this is gonna be so useful for kingdom control later."
I leaned back against the bedframe, smiling to myself.
After thinking through countless plans, I'd already decided. I was going to take over a kingdom.
This one I'm living in now is a good candidate; not the strongest, but stable and well-positioned.
Given what I know about Mariabell, her grandfather Grandbell, Yuuki, Michael, Feldway… it'd be stupid to sit back and wait for chaos to come knocking specially when this world is much more than canon tensura.
I'm not waiting for a certain slime to show up and fix everything. Who knows if he'll even appear here? And even if he does, what if he's too weak this time?
Plot armour isn't absolute, and thanks to me, the butterfly's already flapping.
A storm's coming.
But for now…
I turned to the next card.
4. Minamoto-no-Raikou (Fate)
"Oh?" My eyebrow rose. "It doesn't mention her class? Berserker? Lancer? Just says Servant. Summonable."
I smirked, rubbing my palms together. "Mama Raikou, huh… this gacha knows exactly how to tempt me."
She's going straight into my summoning list, no hesitation there. Still… I can't help but wonder how this world will perceive her when I eventually bring her out. Given her ties to Indra, and that whole divine mess surrounding her origins… yeah, that's gonna raise some eyebrows.
And wasn't there something sealed inside her too? Ugh, it's been ages since I watched that arc. Fate's timeline is more tangled than an isekai protagonist's love life.
Still, that thought leads to another, much more important one.
"How easily could I give up absorbing her?" I muttered under my breath, leaning forward slightly. "Would I even be able to?"
Raikou aside, there's someone else I can't ignore. Scáthach.
Just thinking her name makes my brain short-circuit for a second. The Queen of the Land of Shadows. The teacher of heroes. The woman who could turn me into mince meat while lecturing about spear technique.
"She's easily one of the best instructors in the multiverse," I said aloud. "And a top-tier rune user too. If I could bring her here, she'd be perfect for training the special individuals I pick up later."
But then my voice softened. "…The problem is, she wants to die."
That cold, beautiful face flashes through my mind, the look of someone who's lived too long, fought too much, and just wants peace through death.
"Would she hate me if I summoned her here?" I murmured. "Would she… resent being pulled back into another world?"
I frowned, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't even know if the gacha summons come willingly or not. Like… does it respect their will, or just yank them in similar to my situation?"
For a moment, the usual excitement dulled, replaced by quiet thought.
If they don't come by choice, am I just creating another cycle of forced servitude?
"Tch…" I clicked my tongue, forcing the thought away. "Let's not get philosophical now. I will think about it after getting her card. Maybe the working is similar to recruitment."
For now let's see what else I got...
---
I decided to end the mushoku arc, maybe I will write the some more chapters as extra chapter sometime in future but for now let's focus on gacha. What being/race/rank will Minamoto be after summoning here?