"In your hands are the tokens you'll need to use. Use these chances well, you can only choose your Gift from one that you draw at random. There will be no rerolls or exceptions to this rule, even if you dislike the results you've obtained." Ennieus explained.
I opened my right palm, and in it were three coins. Two blues and one yellow.
"Naturally, the coins are too, given at random."
"..." How unlucky was I to get none of the reds which gave offensive options. One yellow was fine because it meant that I had a chance to pull a Gift that provided utility. But blues were the worst for me.
...Because they were magic-focused.
"..."
No matter. I'll draw them.
I'll draw something good.
I walked up to the blue gachapon machine. It was extremely huge, like a five-storey building towering over my head. I could see a mountain of translucent ball capsules inside, the numerous possibilities that could be drawn.
Taking a careful breath, I inserted the blue token into the coin slot. I turned the knob a few times before I heard a click.
The mountain of capsules rumbled briefly, and a single ball was dispensed out.
I opened it, and the capsule disappeared from my hands. In its place, a notification came immediately.
Thank you for using the Gift System!
⑆ You have received「Gift of the Chantless」⑆
「Gift of the Chantless」- Your spells do not require an aria, but will become less effective.
...It would be good if I were a Mage.
I slotted in another blue token.
Thank you for using the Gift System!
⑆ You have received「Gift of the Swan」⑆
「Gift of the Swan」- Increased elegance when staying still.
(...What.)
My mind blanked out for a moment.
(E...Elegance?)
(What… what would I even use it for!? How was this even related to magic?)
...I knew. I knew useless Gifts like these would come out eventually. But I was hoping that I wouldn't be part of the unluckier ones.
I looked at the last remaining token in my hand and sighed.
"...Please, just one more."
The yellow gachapon had identical features to the blue one, but the sticker pasted on it had different descriptions and images on it. The word "Utility" was displayed in the middle in a clear, bold font.
I inserted the yellow token.
"?!" But something strange came out of it.
Thank you for using the Gift System!
⑆ You have received「」⑆
「̴̪̟̽͋̋̿」̵̮͌̀́「̷̣̙̭͈́̾͂̎——————̴̘͙͖͌̿̈́̒ͅ「̴̧̥̼͌」̴͉̟̃
The lines had turned blank, and some weird static was buzzing around the corners of the window.
"This is strange."
Ennieus' voice returned as if to address my confusion.
"A system error rarely happens in Altair's system..." There was a hint of indecisiveness behind the voice.
(So a bug, huh.)
"...No matter. You can overlook this, otherworlder."
"...But what about the token that I lost…"
"That is true. In this case, I will make an exception to the rule. You will have another try."
I felt an object in my hand at that moment. It was another yellow token, but it seemed a little cracked. Was it because it had been a spare? Well, it didn't matter as long as it was still usable. I inserted the token into the yellow gachapon machine again.
Click. The capsule fell to the bottom, and I picked it up.
Thank you for using the Gift System!
⑆ You have received「Gift of Spiritual Guidance」⑆
「Gift of Spiritual Guidance」- You can see spirits. Spirits will guide you to fragments, which you can collect to gain SP.
(This is…!)
"Congratulations. It seems that you have gotten luckier than most."
Ennieus' voice rang in my mind again.
Indeed, this was a very useful skill if it could give me SP, which are only awarded every level up! Except… I didn't exactly know what spirits are in this world. Also, the Gift only said that I could see them, not find them.
If Halvan did not have a single spirit, or if those fragments that gave me SP are not anywhere close by, then it could also mean that this was another useless Gift. Also, how much fragments were needed to acquire a single skill point? Ten? Hundred?
The more I ponder over it, the more I thought that this Gift might not be as good as I initially thought.
"...I must say, you really are cautious."
My thoughts were shared by Ennieus speaking in my mind again.
"A lack of confidence dwells within you, otherworlder. And that had affected your decision to take risks. Hmm. Does the time you spent in the forest when you first came here, still scar you?"
"..."
My hands fell down to the side.
"I say, you're overthinking it. This Gift is considerably rare, and honestly quite perfect for you now, no? If I were you, I would take this Gift over the other two without hesitation."
...Perhaps. Perhaps she was right. No, I knew she was right.
I had become too cautious, too overworked ever since I've made that resolution in the Rotting Forest. The time when I was almost killed by goblins. It had changed me.
But… I had no choice.
I was always alone.
I… I just wanted to be stronger, so I wouldn't need to rely on anyone again.
I don't want to die again because of the fact that I wasn't strong enough. That's why I learnt from Shinri. Why I sought for custom-made weapons, why I fought hard, worked hard to gather money.
All for an easier life. All for an exciting adventure that I've always wanted deep inside.
"...I understand. For the troubles and the unjust for being transmigrated by mistake, I can do at least something to help you out, otherworlder."
I didn't understand what she meant at first, but a few clauses were added below the Gift description all of a sudden. They had become far clearer than before, and I realized that they were the results of Ennieus doing something to allow me to understand the Gift I was getting a little better.
...Indeed, this was technically within the rules. Was this her way of helping me out…?
"...T-Thank you.... Goddess-sama…"
I didn't hear a reply so I gave my gratitude in my mind again, hoping that she would understand me there. Still, hopefully this is the last time that I receive help from someone else ever again. I would stand with my own efforts this time.
I unhurriedly took another look at the window after that. It seems that the information on the spirits in question have become more defined now , along with the mechanics of using fragments to obtain skill points.
「Gift of Spiritual Guidance」- You can see spirits. Spirits will guide you to fragments, which you can collect to gain SP.
[Spirits wander near dead bodies, and cannot be destroyed nor physically interacted with. Only one spirit can be used as a guide at any given time.]
[10 fragments can be collected to combine into 1 SP. Fragments can be found in mana-rich environments.]
The direction I needed to take in order to fully make use of this Gift had been described in detail. Spirits can be found in cemeteries, and I recalled that there was one in Halvan so that condition was essentially cleared. Fragments were in dungeons or monster habitats where mana flow is naturally thick, so all I had to do was to participate in an expedition of sorts. There were plenty of those once I've become a Gold Ranked adventurer.
In the end, I surmised that the conditions weren't too difficult to fulfil, so I decided to take it. There were a few risks to this slow-acting Gift, but ultimately it would give me an undeniable advantage because SP was a very valuable resource in both this world and the game. The more SP you acquire, the more skills you could learn and the more effective your skills would be when you leveled them up. There was no such thing as an excess of SP.
"It looks like you are finally satisfied?"
I nodded, and bowed again to show my thanks. The goddesses weren't as cold as I'd thought.
"Then, this will signal the end of your Class Selection."
The space started to distort again. My mind grew weary by the second, and my heavy eyelids forced my vision to fade to black.
"Grow stronger with your Gift and your new class, and achieve greater heights."
"I will." I spoke resolutely while looking up at the sky.
I thought I could feel a smile being cast upon me, but perhaps it was just a hallucination.
"Come see me again when you've reached a sufficient level to advance your class. I will be waiting, otherworlder. Good luck."
Gradually, I had the sinking feeling that I was departing from the dimension of the Goddesses.
With everything that I obtained here, I thought to myself how this Class Selection might have turned out a little better than I had initially expected. My Gift wasn't a very flashy one by any means, however it did have the potential to make me far stronger in the near future. In a way, it had changed my life.
But from now on, if I wanted to maximize the advantages of「Gift of Spiritual Guidance」effectively, I would need to venture to places filled with monsters. But I knew that was only half the reason why I was so ecstatic. The truth was, I had been expecting this kind of adventure for a long time.
And now, I had the perfect excuse to take it.
With this Gift, I will become stronger, and experience the adventures that I crave!
Uoohhh... I'm already looking forward to my life from here on! After this, I'll learn my skills with the SP, then head straight to the guild so I can get some monster subjugation quests going!
In the space that the human had just left, numerous warning windows appeared and filled the skies. No, the skies themselves were beginning to fall apart, shattering into glass pieces as if it had been an illusionary image the entire time. And from within the cracks, the dimension was corrupted with dark reddish roots.
The space had reverted to the white space it initially had been.
And then, the space became pitch black. From within the emptiness, came the outline of a single arm. It opened its palm, and closed its fingers one by one, just like how he'd do it. Feeling the sensation of a physical form, the rest of the body was created. A lifeless, mannequin-like body. Its eyes, nose and mouth was quickly formed like a malleable dough—Soon, 'it' had successfully taken on the appearance of a human completely. However its features were hidden behind a pitch black robe. From beneath its curly white fringe, a crescent-wide smile grew ominously. "The world is yours, as it is mine." It said. A sinister red glow flickered where its eyes were.
And now finally, it was time to guide him, again.
To the ideal world that he wishes for.