Ding!
A long list of gacha results rolls out like a snooze alarm.
I steadied my breathing and began to slowly scan through it.
[1 Star: Well-Dried Mana Herb]
[1 Star: Well-Dried Mana Herb]
[1 Star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1 Star: Well-Dried Mana Herb]
[1 Star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1 Star: Lowest-Grade Recovery Potion]
[1 Star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1 Star: Well-Dried Mana Herb]
[1 Star: Savory Peanut Cookie]
[1 Star: Well-Dried Mana Herb]
[1 Star: Half-Consumed Cheap Whiskey]
[2 Star: Wrist Crossbow]
…
…
…
…
…
[3 Star: Moonlit Crystal]
…
…
…
…
…
★[4 Star: Aura – Potential Burst]★
…
…
…
…
…
[3 Star: Fragment of Conviction]
…
…
…
…
…
…
★★[(Limited) 5 Star: Authority – Avatar of Love]★★
“…Huh?”
I shrugged off the parade of 1 stars. It was obvious this was too much of a stretch, so I expected to see 1-star results for a while.
But then, at some point, 3 stars started to pop up, and suddenly a shiny golden 4-star skill made an appearance.
However, none of that mattered to me right now.
At the very bottom, the last draw was radiating a spectrum of colors.
The gold of the 4 star was dazzling, but what filled my vision was something on another level.
It was like a shockwave bursting forth from all the colors, exploding right before my eyes.
And the text that lay hidden behind that violent glamour was nothing less than…
The moment I realized I had drawn the coveted 5 star, my body reacted before my brain could catch up.
“KYAAAAAAAH!!!!”
Laughter, shock, frustration, relief—an emotional cocktail brewed up to the point of dopamine overload.
My vision spun, a tingling current running down my spine to the tips of my fingers.
I finally regained my senses after letting out a howl that expelled all the air from my lungs.
“Oops…!”
Even in my joy, I thought I might have yelled too loud, right?
Panicking, I hurriedly stuffed the gacha outcomes strewn across my bed into the subspace of my robe.
I needed to hide it from Ellie, who would surely come rushing up to check on my scream…
“Huh?”
For some reason, I didn’t hear any footsteps on the stairs.
Instead, I noticed a faint pink veil filling the room.
It was the full-turned Goddess Statue that I always kept as a totem. Looking closer, I noticed it was actively radiating divine power.
Sanctuary activation? Did it block the sound with this barrier? No, could it even activate on its own without my will?
Just as my brain was getting tangled and nearly malfunctioning, thanks to the existence of the 5 star…
Boom! Bang!
A burst of divine power erupted around the Goddess Statue like fireworks. It didn’t dissolve into the air but started swirling around me like a school of fish, glowing in a spectrum of colors.
“Oh.”
The instant I saw that, I instinctively understood.
At a level of 5 stars, it wouldn’t be strange to have a summoning scene…
Well, this isn’t a game, so it’s not like they would put in cutscenes. But thinking about it calmly, a 5-star draw should probably come with some sort of preparation rather than just being thrown in.
“…Huh?”
The moment I reached that thought, memories of drawing the 4 star came flooding back.
It was a short moment, but wasn’t it incredibly painful?
If the 4 star was like that, what level would the 5 star be? And activating a sanctuary to maximize recovery…
“W-Wait a second!”
Reaching a foreboding conclusion, I reached out, but before I could, the brilliant light swirling around me poured right towards my heart.
“…!”
An intense presence that couldn’t be seen with my eyes or felt by my hands filled the deepest parts of me.
Suffocating under its density, a weight from a being far beyond mine filled me.
I felt like I was flipping over and shattering from within. If I wanted to, this being could crush or dominate me.
But the existence looking down from somewhere far away was gentle.
Like handling a fragile glass bowl, it caressed me carefully, mending any cracks that appeared.
Of course, this was all limited to my spirit. My body couldn’t bear the backlash and began to break apart on its own… but due to the divine power filling the sanctuary, not a single drop of blood flowed.
While I hadn’t shattered, the sharp pain still tore at my mind, but with each twinge, something more affectionate gently stroked me.
That touch felt incredibly familiar. The Goddess of Love? It could only be her.
In this world, there was no one else with this kind of presence, able to make such things possible, and bearing this level of goodwill towards me.
How many times had my body shattered and been repaired in this cycle?
“Gah!”
The infinite pain that felt eternal faded away. Plus, the divine power that filled the room evaporated.
“Phew. Haah…”
As I caught my breath, I scanned the knowledge etched into my mind.
The transformations my body underwent this time were two. The first effect of Aura – Potential Burst was simple.
As the name suggests, it triggered the aura to draw out my body’s potential to its limits.
Of course, there was a backlash. It wouldn’t kill me if I used it once, but it would leave me utterly drained—unable to move even a finger for a while.
But as a trump card in a tough situation, it was definitely more than sufficient.
On top of that, the durability of my body to withstand the excess force that was drawn out was an added bonus.
The increase in muscle strength was minimal due to my inherently weak body, so it wouldn’t exactly elevate my prowess as a vanguard…
But I could at least match the sturdiness of a regular adventurer now.
“This is really a relief.”
Unlike before, when any hit could have been fatal—now, as long as I avoid the weak spots, I drastically reduced the chances of dying in one shot.
Going from playing on Lunatic difficulty to Hard mode!
That’s enough. It’s time to see just how amazing this 5 star really is.
“Whew. Haah.”
I took a deep breath before melding into the unfamiliar power, focusing my mind.
And soon, I recalled what kind of divine power I possessed.
The strongest authority the Goddess of Love can grant.
In brief, the effects were as follows….
A greatly extended lifespan.
Fixed appearance at my ideal age.
Massive resistance to mental interference.
Enhanced power of the original Goddess of Love.
Stamina to last three days and nights without a second thought.
And a corresponding size in the lower department.
“…?”
I was taken aback and started to revisit what I just read, but nothing changed.
This power. It’s impressive, but it won’t help in battles at all…!
“Refund!! Give me another 5-star!!! One for combat!!!”
I cried out while clutching the Goddess Statue, which just wore a benevolent smile.
…Wait, are its eyes kind of droopy? And is it drooling a little?
“Ugh….”
From a distance, it looked like it was smiling sweetly, but up close, it gave off a sinister vibe, so I carelessly tossed it onto the bed and stood in front of the mirror.
The face was virtually unchanged from before. It seems this version of me is what I consider ideal.
However, the overall appearance did show stark differences.
“No matter how you cut it, getting some charm from a guy feels a bit…”
Even by the standards of the Pan Continent, where average looks are high, I was practically a stunning beauty.
Before, I had a more cutesy, youthful presence, but now I radiated a seductive aura.
“What exactly do you want to turn me into…?”
I had a bit of an unsettling feeling during the beauty powers activation, but now it seemed the Avatar of Love power nailed it down.
Well, one by one, these effects surely match the level of a 5-star.
A greatly extended lifespan? I had already lived over a thousand years under the World Tree’s blessing like Eve, so it’s nothing to scoff at.
The Goddess of Love isn’t as specialized in life force or longevity like the World Tree… but I might live a few hundred more years.
I could even maintain my ideal age during that long life.
“Thank goodness Morgana died this time.”
If she had seen me, she would’ve been as obsessed with me as Benny was. A non-issue immortality would have been too hard for her to resist.
Next is absolute resistance to mental interference.
This is obviously helpful. All monsters are afflicted by the curse of madness, and madness itself is typically contagious.
Right now, they were all powerful monsters that had gone berserk, but…
What if a race with mental abilities turned into monsters from the start?
We’re in for a disaster where they spread madness indiscriminately.
The slow progress on the 7th floor is also due to the increasing number of these mental monsters, so that says it all.
This is a given. It won’t help me in the short term, but it will surely be a massive asset in the future.
“…The problem comes next.”
The strengthening of the existing abilities granted by the Goddess of Love? It means my skin is even more moist, with an alluring scent wafting off me.
Where am I supposed to use this besides teasing Ellie…?
Then there’s increased stamina and size in the lower department? Naturally, that’s great. I’m a guy, how could I dislike that?
But this also won’t help in battle either.
“Hmm…”
Still, maybe there’s something good about the increase in size, so let’s check it out.
I pulled down my pants and looked down below.
“…What the hell.”
Forget what I just said.
At this level, it’s undoubtedly fitting for a 5-star.
Feeling a bit more generous, I spun my thoughts towards finding good aspects instead of focusing on my complaints.
“Hmm. Uhmm. Uhmm…”
I tilted my head repeatedly, racking my brain…
Except for the increased divine power boosted by the strengthening of the Goddess’s authority and the purity, there didn’t seem to be anything else.
“…But it’s still a 5-star.”
Now it was a handy pickpocket skill, but when I first drew it, I was incredibly disappointed.
At that time, I didn’t even know the level of the 3 stars, and I thought, what’s pickpocketing even for?
But actually using it, I found it was far more excellent than I had imagined.
“So I’m sure there might be something useful about this too, even if it seems sketchy now…”
With my happiness circuitry spinning in overdrive, I turned my gaze to the pile of Mana Herbs stacked on the bed.
It was time to check out those 3-star items.
