'Weird, was she this expressive when we first met?'
Whatever, I moved onto the next roll.
D20 Roll: 14 (Change Ticket Type).
'Whoo! Yeah baby! Let's keep the streak going!'
I chose Ability as fast as my mind would let me.
[Barrier of Light]
|Uncommon Ability|
Allows the user to create a barrier of light magic, while not as sturdy it is easy to deploy and is great for defending against curses, spirits and negative status effects.
I felt a warmth bloom in the center of my palms, like a pilot light igniting.
Even though curses weren't as prevalent in the Invincible universe as they were in other settings, they were still a sure thing with demons and supernatural entities running around.
Better to have it, especially with Damien Darkblood poking his infernal nose around.
D20 Roll: 10 (Nothing happens)
[Blood Fuel]
|Common Trait|
"Hell is not full." Your blood functions as fuel, high-quality fuel that can be substituted for basically any kind of fuel that any machine would otherwise take, such as gasoline, diesel, electricity, etc.
Suddenly my blood boiled for a terrifying second.
I bit my lip hard, holding back a groan before it finally cooled down, letting out a shaky breath as I felt the blood rushing through my veins with an entirely new and heavy vigor.
Well, as long as I got a blood-multiplying power eventually, I could be worry-free about running out of gas.
Alright, let's keep this streak going! MAXIMUM EFFORT!
D20 Roll: 5 (Ticket rank down: Silver → Bronze)
[Scenic Wind]
|Trash Trait|
The scenic wind favors you, making your clothes and hair flutter majestically, even in impossible weather conditions and indoors whenever it is opportune.
I knew the streak was too good to last.
My beautiful Silver ticket got violently downgraded into Bronze trash.
What the actual fuck would I do with this? Aura farm and mog people with my majestic hair? Wait, that's not bad…
Before I could even finish the thought, the next roll stopped.
D20 Roll: 6 (Ticket rank down: Silver → Bronze)
[Pepsi Man]
|Trash Familiar|
Pepsi - Pepsi Man, gives Pepsi whenever he can! When summoned Pepsi arrives at your location through any means before delivering everyone in the location a fresh can of Pepsi before disappearing. 8-hour cooldown. Note: This familiar is not sponsored by the Pespi Corporation.
… Okay what in the freaky friday fuck was this shit?
I stood up and started pacing around the room, completely ignoring the flare of pain in my side, causing Nakime to worry all over again.
"This shit was rigged I tell you!" I was gesturing wildly now, "That RNGesus bastard must have rigged it!"
I suddenly felt another mental connection forming, similar to Nakime's but …different. Weaker. Stupider.
I focused on my familiar space, and there he was a faceless humanoid covered half in silver and half in blue with the Pepsi logo plastered on his chest like a corporate wet dream.
It looked up, sensing my presence, and offered me a bottle of soda. "Pepsi?"
I wanted to scream. A corporate mascot? Really?
"Master, please lie down, you need to rest," Nakime glided over and firmly guiding me back onto the bed.
I just sighed heavily, rubbing my temples, and chanted 'All is well, all is well' while tapping my chest, a dumb technique I'd seen in that Bollywood movie, '3 Idiots' or something.
Now I finally moved to my Gold tickets. I closed my eyes and started praying to all the ROBs betting on my life.
'Please, please, please, ask that RNG bastard to stop rigging the tickets! I promise to give you guys the best entertainment.'
I finally tore all three of my Gold tickets at once.
D20 Roll: 15 (Change Ticket Type)
Yes, finally another type change! Thank the ROBs for this gift!
I changed it to an Ability Type ticket in a heartbeat.
[Wind Flight]
|Rare Ability|
Allows you to push off of the air around you, allowing you to fly with precision and power.
Something unlocked deep in the core of my body as the wind around me moved in a tight circle, almost as if it were greeting me.
I felt the refreshing coolness the breeze brought, despite us being in a closed off dimension.
A genuine smile breaking out on my face as I heard the system ding.
[15 Abilities Collected! 4th Ability Slot Added]
"Hell yeah!" I fist-pumped the air in sheer excitement.
Fucking finally!
Even though there was still a chance I could roll absolute trash familiars like Holy Cow (May her soul Rest in Peace), the upside was too massive not to be excited about.
I wanted to celebrate more, to ride that high, but another roll suddenly came to a halt.
D20 Roll: 10 (Nothing happens)
[Goblin Glider]
|Uncommon Item|
Spider-Man - A high-tech glider that can fly at great speeds and can be controlled by the user's mind, it also has bladed edges to be used as a weapon. It includes some storage space for your needs if needed. It gets refuelled every 8 hours, and as long as it is not completely damaged, it will slowly repair itself.
Well, I mean it was cool and all, but Wind Flight could already help me fly and carry others with me.
Not to mention this thing didn't even come with those incinerating grenades from the movies,
They would've been an absolute game changer for taking down the tougher freaks in this universe.
Still, free storage space. I'd take it.
Moving on, I watched the third Gold roll slowly grind to a stop.
D20 Roll- 8 (Nothing happens)
[Tickets Please]
|Rare Trait|
Allows you to withdraw your tickets as physical, tangible tickets that you can hand over to other people. If someone else rips the ticket, they will get the result of the roll instead, subject to the same rules as the user.
'Huh?'
I stopped to carefully read the description.
Why the hell would I ever use this?
My tickets, my gacha were my secret I have on everyone else.
What a waste of Gold ticket.
I finally watched the final Gold roll to come to a halt.
D20 Roll- 19 (Advantage)
[Iron Nerves]
|Uncommon Trait|
Your nerves are made of iron, you don't flinch or get startled, and this does not affect your reflexes.
OR
[Bajiquan]
|Rare Skill|
You are an apprentice in Bajiquan, a Chinese martial art specializing in explosive short-range attacks and aggressive forward momentum to break through enemy defences. With sufficient mastery over Bajiquan, you can enhance your strikes with your internal energy
Fuck yeah, another Advantage! Thank the ROBs!
I quickly scanned through the options and chose Iron Nerves without a second of hesitation.
I know, I know, I was just yapping about not having enough skills in my arsenal. I didn't think myself some tough badass or anything.
No, I just figured that I was a dumbass who panicked under pressure.
I couldn't afford to always be nervous, making stupid, jittery mistakes while trying to scrape by on luck alone.
The trait finally settled into my system, and I suddenly became much more rigid in my posture as my breathing evened out.
Though, I wouldn't know how well it actually worked until I was neck-deep in some shitshow again.
Now I moved to my most precious tickets.
I took my time, soaking in all the details of the glowing Platinum tickets before tearing them both.
Two twenty-sided dice tumbled through the air, filling my stomach with this intensely vibrating nervous energy.
Man, the thrill of this was so incredibly addictive.
God, I wished I could live in this specific moment forever.
But alas all things come to an end.
D20 Roll: 11 (Nothing happens)
[Insurance Policy]
|Elite Trait|
It's quite a shame when your beloved Familiars die, that's why you should always get them insured. Whenever a familiar of yours dies, they will get revived in your familiar space, but in the process of reviving they will be using your energy reserves to heal themselves and be left in a temporary weakened state for several days afterwards. If you have a familiar that automatically revives, they revive 50% faster and need 50% less energy to revive.
Nakime and I both physically felt our connection thrum, growing undeniably stronger as another thick layer was added to it.
Oh right, there was that Pepsi Man too, but I tried my hardest not to think about him right now.
All my chaotic, racing energy just... stopped as I processed the result.
This was such a perfect pull, especially given my heavy, borderline-desperate dependence on Nakime and the Infinity Castle.
At the very least, I could finally have some solid insurance that I wouldn't lose my only safe haven if something went horribly wrong out there.
Now I had insurance. Literally.
'All hail RNGesus! I knew you always believed in me! Thank you for this!'
The final roll stopped.
D20 Roll: 12 (Nothing happens)
[True Hero]
|Epic Trait|
You are the True Hero blessed by the divines themselves. All Light and Holy-based abilities are greatly enhanced alongside your physical abilities. Beings aligned with the Divine/Clergy are more favorable toward you and are more likely to view you with reverence and affection, and to reward you for your merits and service to them. In addition, all blessings are stronger and last longer on you. Whenever you are combating a creature in order to save someone you gain a temporary enhancement to all of your stats depending on your willpower and the stakes.
… I just stared at the holographic text.
What's this shit?
Me? A True Hero?
The guy who just slaughtered thousands of Flaxans a few hours ago?
I wasn't a saint. I wasn't some goody-two-shoes, and who the hell would I actually be willing to sacrifice myself for besides maybe Nakime at this point?
What a monumental waste of a Platinum ticket.
Though... the physical stat boost and Holy ability enhancement could be useful.
Okay, maybe not completely useless. Just hilariously ironic.
It was my final, cynical thought as sleep finally rose up to take me.
The endorphins from the gacha rush completely flatlined, leaving heavy exhaustion.
to crash over my battered body.
Heavy, crushing exhaustion that my addiction had been holding at bay.
My cracked rib throbbed, the dried Flaxan blood on my skin itched and every muscle ached.
As the endless chase of the rolls finally stopped, I let myself drift off into unconsciousness, as the soft strumming of Nakime's biwa played in the background, acting as a lullaby.
'I really am addicted to this shit. Couldn't even wait until I wasn't half-dead to roll them all.'
'Mama would be so disappointed.'
'Good thing she's not here to see it.'
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