Ryou undoubtedly chose the second option.
Anyone with a bit of ambition would do the same. The gap between the two choices was obvious: the first option might offer immense power instantly, but it would imprison him in the world of Kabaneri, limiting his growth. To advance further in the future, he didn't hesitate to choose the path full of thorns.
After all, one must look beyond the immediate.
[Ding!]
[The host has obtained the 'Source' of World No. 10086.]
Immediately, he felt a mysterious power slowly pouring into his body, beginning to transform him completely.
In an instant, it was as though he had returned to a fetal state. A warm sensation enveloped every corner of his being, making him involuntarily want to fall asleep.
As he gradually lost consciousness, his body began to emit a dazzling golden radiance. Mysterious energy gently infused every cell, slowly transforming him from the inside out into a higher life form beyond humanity.
Who knows how much time had passed, but he suddenly opened his eyes. He was awake.
Power surged through his body, overwhelming in its intensity. Without even looking at the attribute panel, he knew that his strength had skyrocketed.
After being transformed by the mysterious power, his current self could easily defeat a hundred of his old selves!
He opened the system panel, and sure enough:
First, all his basic attributes—including luck—had risen by one level.
Next, he had gained several powerful skills:
[Flight], [Harsh Environment Adaptability], [Language Comprehension], and [True God's Body].
[Flight] was self-explanatory—a higher-level version of the rune-based flight he had previously used. With his mastery of runes, his previous flight speed was comparable to a World War I propeller plane. Now, with the new [Flight] skill, he could break the sound barrier.
[Harsh Environment Adaptability] allowed him to survive in extreme conditions—space, lava, or even the freezing poles without any protection.
[Language Comprehension] was simple but useful. No more worries about failing foreign language exams!
However, the skill he valued the most was [True God's Body].
According to the description, Ryou had transcended the need for eating, drinking, and excretion. Additionally, he could significantly reduce damage taken—some low-level noble phantasms could no longer harm him.
The only weapons capable of fully damaging him were divine artifacts surpassing EX-level noble phantasms.
Combined with his noble phantasm [Reversal War God], his survivability was greatly enhanced.
It seemed he was sinking deeper into the role of a tank.
But unlike a typical tank, his offensive power was equally formidable.
Anyone mistaking him for an invincible meat shield would regret it.
What satisfied him most was that despite its grand name, [True God's Body] wasn't a useless skill like [Divinity], which could act as a debuff. Unless he was struck by a divine artifact, anti-god weapons wouldn't deal additional damage to him.
Ryou noticed several question marks at the bottom of the system panel.
When he asked about them, the system casually replied, [More abilities require absorbing more world 'Sources' to unlock.]
Fine. The second option was indeed powerful, but it required many resources to build up.
He had already spent nearly forty years in the Kabaneri world, exhausting himself to finally secure the [Source].
Looking at the difficulty of this instance, it was clear that obtaining a [Source] in future worlds would be no easy task. The challenges were unprecedented, and additional restriction conditions only made it harder.
But since he had chosen this thorny path, he would have no regrets. He was committed to seeing it through.
As for the previous reward, he had already made his decision.
Compared to random system rewards, he preferred control over his fate. The second option was much better.
You see, he was currently wielding a purple gauntlet, but it was no longer enough. He needed a new noble phantasm, preferably one in gauntlet form.
[Ding!]
[The host has chosen: A growth-type noble phantasm related to the Catholic Church. Reward is being drawn…]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Apocalypse.]
Suddenly, a sacred sound rang out above his head, and a portal emitting golden light slowly opened. Countless angels blew their horns, and pure white petals gently floated down.
Ryou's lips twitched as he watched the scene unfold.
After pretending to be a divine figure for so long, having someone pull the same act on him felt ironic.
Despite his thoughts, the heavenly display continued. A ball of golden light fell from the portal, and he instinctively reached out to catch it.
A flood of information surged into his mind.
He stared at the golden orb, deep in thought as he processed the data.
Gradually, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"Who would have thought there'd be such a noble phantasm? I've hit the jackpot…"
This noble phantasm, [Apocalypse], had only one function: it could change its form at will based on its owner's intent.
Whether swords, spears, halberds, firearms, rocket launchers or even future energy weapons, [Apocalypse] could transform into them.
However, its power was linked to the amount of magical energy he infused. The more magic, the stronger the weapon.
It seemed flashy, but essentially it was a versatile tool for both melee and ranged combat.
Being a growth-type noble phantasm, though, [Apocalypse] wouldn't stay at its current level. By feeding it rare materials or even other noble phantasms.
A true pay-to-win artifact.
It validated the saying: "Top-ups make you stronger."
Given to someone like Gilgamesh, the world's richest ancient king, [Apocalypse] could potentially evolve into a divine artifact surpassing [EA].
Perhaps robbing Gilgamesh would be a shortcut to strengthening this noble phantasm quickly.
Ryou glanced at the D-rank [Apocalypse] and fell into thought.
For now, he set aside thoughts about the [Apocalypse]. A more exciting moment was approaching.
It was time for a ten-pull!
...
Thunder and lightning flashed as ten radiant orbs circled a golden magic array, spinning continuously.
As expected from a super gacha ten-pull!
The special effects alone far surpassed a regular ten-pull by an unimaginable margin!
Rip!
A blinding bolt of lightning streaked across, and Ryou instinctively closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, a golden gem appeared before him.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Noble Phantasm Ascension Gem!]
Ryou's eyes widened. As expected from a super gacha draw, even this kind of item appeared!
He quickly examined it.
[Special Item — Noble Phantasm Ascension Gem]
Grade: A
Description: Can designate a Noble Phantasm to raise its rank by one level (cannot exceed the gem's grade).
Ryou immediately thought of his Noble Phantasm, [Brahmastra].
This B-rank ranged Noble Phantasm had been useful in previous instances, but as the difficulty of the instances rose, [Brahmastra] had become increasingly weak—now reduced to little more than a tool for harassment or showing off.
With the [Noble Phantasm Ascension Gem], he could elevate [Brahmastra] to the level of the original!
Not bad! An auspicious start!
A rare smile appeared on his face.
However, as the super gacha ten-pull continued, that smile slowly faded.
It seemed that after obtaining the [Noble Phantasm Ascension Gem], his luck had drained.
From the second to the eighth item, all he received were energy points, potions, or other worthless items.
The only somewhat valuable item was a bottle of golden-glowing potion.
[Special Item — Light of Heaven]
Grade: B
Description: As long as the user still has a breath left, this item can instantly restore all health and magical power, as well as remove all negative statuses.
When used against dark-attribute creatures, it deals damage equivalent to a Noble Phantasm of the same rank with a special attack bonus (i.e., double damage from a B-rank Noble Phantasm).
Ryou hadn't forgotten that his greatest enemies were not the native inhabitants of the various instance worlds but mysterious demonic creatures.
Whether used as a life-saving tool or as a trump card against demonic creatures, this bottle of [Light of Heaven] was excellent.
But... this wasn't all he wanted!
After spending thirty gacha opportunities for a ten-pull, what he wanted were heroic spirits, Noble Phantasms, or divine artifacts that surpassed Noble Phantasms!
It seemed that some being in the void had heard his plea.
The ninth gacha magic circle began to glow, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
Something was coming!
Ryou forcefully suppressed the surge of excitement in his heart, locking his eyes on the center of the magic circle.
And then...
Three golden apples, gnawed down to their cores, fell out of the circle.
He suddenly felt utterly disheartened.
With a face full of despair, he cursed inwardly, "Who's so uncivilized as to throw trash everywhere?" as he casually picked up an apple core.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Noble Phantasm Fragment: Fruit of Eden]
[Currently holding Fruit of Eden fragments (2/12).]
Ryou quickly scooped up the apple cores from the ground at lightning speed.
His Fruit of Eden fragments increased to (4/12).
He had been wondering how to collect this special Noble Phantasm, and now one super draw had given him a quarter of the fragments.
He thought the surprises were over.
But unexpectedly, the goddess of fate smiled directly at him.
The final prize radiated an unprecedented brilliance!
When he regained consciousness, he found a blank card shimmering with rainbow light in his hand.
Apart from its rainbow hue, the card's design was identical to servant cards from a certain pay-to-win mobile game, with the same patterns and layout.
[Ding!]
[Host has obtained a Designated Summon Card!]
Special Item — Designated Summon Card
Grade: EX
Description: Allows the host to designate and summon a specific heroic spirit. The heroic spirit can be from history, mythology, or even fictional settings.
What's more enviable than being luckier than a whale?
Being a Devs, of course!
No matter how lucky a whale is, they're still bound by the game's framework. This [Designated Summon Card] breaks through those limitations!
Without hesitation, he waved his hand.
"Summon Solomon!"
And then the system deity gave him a resounding slap.
[Ding!]
[No such entity found. Please designate again.]
Ryou refused to give up.
"Summon Goetia!"
[Ding!]
"No such entity found. Please designate again."
"Summon Tiamat!"
[Ding!]
[Host's Designated Summon Card's grade is insufficient to summon the fully realized Tiamat.]
"..."
Ryou suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to flip a table.
After a series of experiments, he discovered some limitations to this seemingly omnipotent summon card.
The most important limitation was its grade. True deities from mythology could not be summoned in their full forms. At best, he could summon gods manifesting in human vessels, like Ishtar Rin.
As for servants like a certain doctor who had self-destructed and no longer existed in the Throne of Heroes, they also could not be summoned.
All in all, the card had significant power but also considerable restrictions.
Ryou decided to set it aside for now and use it after careful consideration.
With the spoils in hand and the gacha draws complete, he was ready to perform some upgrades.
After careful thought, he finally decided to enhance his only A++-rank skill to EX rank.
At the moment, his only A++-rank skill was [Leadership].
This skill was a versatile supportive ability.
After reaching A++ rank, it was no longer limited to obvious effects like boosting morale.
After conducting tests with the help of Ais and Jeanne, Ryou's [Leadership] could slightly enhance his allies' basic attributes (except for luck), increase their attack power, and even reduce their sense of pain!
At A++ rank, [Leadership] was practically a god-tier skill on the battlefield.
Other skills were still far from reaching this level, and he didn't think this would be his only chance to upgrade.
So, he chose to use the opportunity immediately.
On the system panel, the [Leadership] icon suddenly shone with a rainbow light, and a new name appeared on the system panel.
At the same time, Ryou felt the aura he had cultivated over thirty years of ruling in the world of Kabaneri, where he was worshipped as a god, suddenly come alive, almost becoming tangible.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the EX-rank skill — World Ruler!]
Description: This is a leadership skill granted only to those who have completed world conquest.
As long as you stand on the frontlines, your entire army will receive a fearsome boost, making them unstoppable!
And regardless of their status, any mortal will inevitably bow to your overwhelming presence!