Wow… It felt amazing to have my body back.
Wouldn't give it for literally anything else. I've had way too much shit happening to me recently.
The whole 'Gacha phone' thing still sitting in my pocket, superpowers, secret societies, demons…
If it wasn't for 'Insightful Savant' and 'Blood Nurturer', I'd have probably need a while to sleep.
You know… Get my head back together.
It was also great that my threshold for useless things like- Oh, I don't know… 'Guilt'. Went down.
Couldn't love myself anymore than I do now.
At least I hope not.
I'd followed Clarissa upstairs after listening to her about keeping 'Abigail Pine' a human at this point.
We didn't want any complications.
But what I noticed from her expression was that she seemed to be focusing on something crucial.
Even seeming a bit nervous.
Wow, I'm such a genius. To be able to figure that out from this frowning and lowered eyebrow look.
Thus, I just asked her: "What's wrong?"
"Her Gift is awakening." Clarissa made it clear.
Such a straightforward answer almost made me fall into a coughing fit. Wasn't this rare circumstance?
"Was it because of me…?" I twiddled my thumbs.
Although it was rare, some people awakened after having experienced trauma or surviving danger.
"Obviously." Clarissa didn't turn her head at all.
Maybe this is how I would've acted if things like this happened to my brother. For once, I felt a little pity.
Much more than secondhand sympathy from having dived deep into another's 'Perspective'.
It felt good having regained my senses.
"Ahem… So now we wait?"
"That's the only thing we can do." She bit her lips while looking even darker than a minute ago.
"You sound worried for her."
"She's my baby sister." Alright, Clarissa definitely wasn't on the same page when she said this.
"No, I mean… Isn't awakening a superpower something to be happy about?" I tried to hint.
I'm new to this 'Hidden World' and the things that happen here. She needed to give me more details.
"It depends on the type." Finally, she said something that let me understand her worries.
There were many types of superpowers in the world, and not all of them were useful to the user.
As Sidmund, I remembered some experiences of remembering people who had 'Spontaneous Combustion' as their superpower. They died by literally spontaneously combusting into flames.
Because not all fire users were fireproofed.
"…You're not telling me something." Still, I pride a little more since there was more to this than that.
"I've done my research. Bloodline, experiences, persona, and emotions affect the awakening." She said something that made sense to me, who knew how much effort she'd put into her own Gift.
The one bestowed to her by her family, at least
But that only made me realise exactly what Clarissa was worrying about... Things didn't look good.
This was my first time overseeing an 'awakening' myself, so it didn't register when I'd thought of it.
Anyway… wasn't Abigail in a really bad position?
Her experiences included waiting for her sister to come home, being seduced, putting her entire being in the hands of another, and then being destroyed by the very same person she loved.
In her own eyes…
Abigail's emotions included, but weren't at all limited to: Codependence, Love, Lust, and Fear.
She had a nice but pushover personality, which might've changed thanks to being traumatised.
And she had the bloodline of swordsmen.
I could guess the type of abilities she was going to be 'Pulling' from in the Gacha called 'Gift Pool'.
And well, it wouldn't do any good for her future.
Especially since I'd recently turned her into a Succubus and meddled with her genes a little.
"Do you regret anything?" Now that it all came to this, I asked. Wondering if she hated me for this.
"This is better than letting her live like a sex slave for the rest of her life." Clarissa shook her head.
It looked like she was much more hardcore as a great family member with ideals than I'd realised.
"Is there anything that can help her?"
After hearing my words, Clarissa hesitated for a moment before saying something on her mind.
"If we could only get our hands on a 'Magic Shard' or 'Elemental Crystal', then we could probably do something. If only we hadn't fallen so low, maybe I would've had something like that right for this moment." The woman looked at Abigail regretfully.
But those words suddenly activated my brain.
"You say what now…?" I fuddled over my words.
"If only we had money. You know… the currency used by the Hidden World. Or high level material."
When Clarissa said that again, I suddenly got to my feet to move away from her for a brief moment.
"Give me a minute." I spoke while going just outside my room, then looked at my Gacha phone intently.
This was a coincidence, right?
{Would you like to Pull from the Standard Banner?}
I looked through the menu and user interface on my phone. It looked like only the Gacha unlocked.
That was all I needed right now anyway.
There was an option to pull once for free, and an option to pull 10 times for a guaranteed 'Rare'.
There were currently two Advanced level banners available to me. Both of them being very vague.
'Weapon' and 'Material' Banners…
Both of them heightened the chance for specific pulls tremendously, but kept out other Pull types.
I spent my first 10 Pulls on the Material Banner.
My finger pressed on the button, and a bright light shone radiantly at me. Clarissa definitely noticed it.
Then I heard a thud on the floor under my phone.
Jewels had dropped from thin air onto the ground in front of me, and I picked them up one by one.
Looking at the list that appeared on my phone.
{1. Fire Crystal (Common)
2. Magicore Cluster (Rare)
3. Wind Crystal (Common)
4. Water Crystal (Common)
5. Water Crystal (Common)
6. Fire Crystal (Common)
7. Magicore Ore (Common)
8. Magicore Ore (Common)
9. Earth Crystal (Common)
10. Wind Crystal (Common)}
My eyes widened when I picked them up, but it was hard to tell their value without Clarissa's reaction.
Which was why I slightly opened the door while showing the first object I'd picked from the floor.
"Is this good enough?" I asked, and the expression on Clarissa's original 'handsome' face was great.
She reddened with excitement.
"H-how did you get that…! Pass it over quickly! I don't know what you did to get such a rare material out of thin air, but I won't ask." Clarissa ended her words by trying to keep an air of professionalism.
Her reaction made me wipe my brow. I looked at the 'Magicore Cluster' the size of a human head.
The big and shiny ore holding 'Magical Power'.
"Umm… Can I ask something?" I spoke while she seemed to be preparing a specialised magic circle.
Different from the 'Sword Circles' and other magical seals used for fighting, it was real complex.
The large and complicated 'Magic Circle' seemed like a Taiji Diagram originating from eastern arts.
Even having elements like Metal and Wood in the mix. A difference that was hard not to see.
"If it's about what I'm trying to do… Well, because you've been so helpful. I'll tell you this secret. All families of noble lineage have their ways of interfering with Awakenings. Making them much more powerful and flexible." Clarissa chatted.
"Isn't this eastern magic?" (Adam)
"Samurais married had over time… since they were technically on the level of knights." (Clarissa)
"Is this much enough?" (Adam)
"I'd love to use more, but we don't have that luxury on us. Even if we did, this Magic Circle has never been completed. It takes a wasteful amount of resources to activate even the first level." (Clarissa)
To think she'd readily spill her secrets to me.
Money seemed to open mouths much better than anything else. Finally, a commonality between us~!
Let's go!!!
"Then what about these too?" I fully opened the door to show the glittering jewels of Magicores.
Especially the heavy gem cluster woven together.
"Hmmm?" A confused noise came out of Clarissa's mouth while watching me 'gracefully' whip out my phone. After a few useless motions of my arms, a finger tapped on the 10 Pull option once again.
A bright light suddenly engulfed the two of us.
Sound effects of winning a lottery followed, and what was presented with a golden glowing light.
{1. Inferno Crystal (Rare)
2. Magicore Ore (Common)
3. Ocean Crystal (Rare)
4. Magicore Ore (Common)
5. Magicore Heart (Ultra Rare)
6. Magicore Ore (Common)
7. Volcanic Star (Ultra Rare)
8. Magicore Ore (Common)
9. Magicore Ore (Common)
10. Magisteel Ore (Common)}
There were a few different things that popped out this time, but two treasures took my attraction.
A red gem with a star engraved on the insides of the transparent red stone, and a glowing yet smaller gem that was the size of a thumb. One could immediately tell their worth at a glance.
Clarissa, meanwhile, looked so befuddled that it took a long moment relearning how to breathe.
"T-those… are National Treasures of the White Family and the Transcendent Clans. How…? What is that thing?" She eyed the phone, which made me a little worried she might try to steal it from me.
"…It's my hidden card." I didn't exactly lie. She was the one who judged it as another Gift of mine.
I'm innocent.
The look in her eyes changed when she saw such treasures laid out before her. Despite having been cold to me all this time, her attitude took a complete turn when she realised I had money.
She… smiled?
Clarissa was making an unnerving smile at me.
I wasn't sure what she was thinking, but it couldn't have been anything good. Not by a long shot.
"Marry into our family." (Clarissa)
"…I'll pass." Her greed was too evident.
"It doesn't have to be me specifically. Didn't I say I'd give you my baby sister's hand? You two would look good-" Before she could finish, I raised my hand up and stopped this nonsensical situation.
"Shouldn't you get her permission?"
"Who? Abigail's?" Clarissa made a thin smile: "The last time I left a decision to her, she became the toy of a lesser man born into servitude. I have better eyesight, so she should leave the thinking to me."
"Sounds hardcore." I moved back a little.
Only to find that Clarissa didn't push the issue too hard. Likely because there would be more chances.
Since we had wealth, wisdom, and power at our disposal… All we needed now was some influence.
I wasn't sure when to use my last privilege, but I guess it would be better to talk it out with her.
For now, Abigail was our main priority.