"YES~! NINA FINALLY GETS TO GIVE OUT PERKS~!"
Nina exclaimed and sliced through the surroundings, her wings shining in an array of bright radiant colors, giving her already dazzling and otherworldly appearance an ethereal charm.
Nina's exclamation was thunderous and joyous, and combined with her angelic appearance it painted a rather hilarious picture. Hunter couldn't help but chuckle at his boisterous and energetic companion.
"Why are you so excited?" Hunter continued to chuckle as Nina circled him, brushing against him as she zoomed. "It's your first time, I get it, but what's so fun about it?"
Nina stopped and smiled mysteriously, winking at Hunter adorably.
"Hehe~ Hunter will find out soon enough~!"
"Haa~ Alright, alright." Hunter raised his legs from the warm white surface and jumped up in one smooth motion, but fumbled the landing, almost tipped over, and fell face first, for he wasn't used to the new athletic body he had found himself in. "Embarrassing... Anyway, what do we do?"
"Just gimme a second! Nina will commence the procedure!"
"Mmhm..."
Hunter nodded and Nina closed her eyes. As Nina descended into a mysterious state, her beautiful transparent wings stopped vibrating, but she continued to hover in the air.
'Are they just for aesthetics?'
Hunter's suspicions were proven correct.
He didn't exactly have a bucket list of tasks, and looking at the endless whiteness disoriented him, so he decided to utilize this time to get acquainted with his new vessel.
'Just in case it requires some sort of physical effort.'
A minute or two later, Nina's almost indiscernible forehead scrunched into a frown that concerned Hunter. However, the frown eased quickly, and an excited smile graced her lips.
Hunter sighed and continued with his activities.
About ten more minutes slipped by before Nina opened her eyes.
"Got it!" Nina exclaimed, her sweet and soothing voice attracted Hunter's attention. He was running in circles with Nina at the center. He hurried over and allowed Nina to land on his shoulder. "We are ready to go!"
Nina didn't wait for Hunter to acknowledge. She snapped her fingers and resummoned the holographic screen.
[Congratulations on the successful body reconstruction process, Candidate.]
[It has been determined that candidate {Hunter Tamaniel} shall be granted nine perks.]
[May the blessings of Mother be with you.]
"Nine?"
Hunter's confused voice resounded in the space.
"Nina, you said weaker species get more perks... So how many are nine?" Hunter's voice fell and expression darkened as a revelation dawned upon him. "It's the highest, isn't it? I am one of the weakest in this war, aren't I?"
Hunter chuckled dryly as he looked over at Nina. One of her hands was placed on Hunter's head, which she used to support herself, so his sudden head turn made her lose her balance.
"Don't be such a pessimist, dummy~! Of course, Hunter is not the weakest~!"
Nina pinched Hunter's ear, but with her size and strength, Hunter didn't feel much pull.
"Nina can't tell Hunter the details, but..." Nina brought her hands together, leaned into Hunter's ear, and whispered. "There are twenty-six tiers!"
"Twenty-six? So the highest number of perks and liabilities is thirteen?"
"Yep~ That's right~" Nina happily responded in affirmation. However, her expression soon turned serious. "The number of perks or penalties also functions as your status symbol on the battlefield. In the initial stages of the war, many would associate your identity with that number."
Nina took her time explaining the entire situation. It was indispensable information for when Hunter would eventually come in contact with races that might not harbor the noblest of intentions.
Essentially, the assistants, overseers, and the participants themselves categorize the masses into these twenty-six tiers.
Those who are sanctioned with disadvantages, condemned for their overwhelming strength, and carry the mightiest bloodlines across all of reality were addressed with the prefix 'exalted' followed by the number of penalties, for example, an individual with ten penalties would be Exalted Ten.
Nina lamented at the fact that it was actually a very charming and dominating term that signified sovereignty and power over the weak. Translated for Hunter's convenience, it lost most of its domineeringness. Also, those pulled up with doping and preferential treatment in the name of perks were referred to as 'under.' Hunter would be Under Nine, again, a rather confusing title.
According to Nina, in the initial stages of the war, it was the norm that the exalted dominated the battlefield, for they would acclimate faster to their bindings and employ their power and influence. Once the lightweights were eliminated during the initial brutal conflict, the war entered a comfortable stage of tacit understanding, and those with perks caught up to the frontrunners... That was when this naming culture would see a drop in usage.
Nina had made it abundantly clear that individuals who received perks weren't regarded very highly by those who were either born strong or their genetic limits granted them the opportunity to pursue unimaginable powers.
"Since that's out of the way, we can begin~" Nina's smile returned as she took off from Hunter's shoulder and halted a few meters away from him. "Hunter asked why Nina was excited, right?"
"Yeah?"
"It was because of this~!"
Snap
As Nina snapped her fingers, the space a little further away from them distorted and warped. The scene was similar to when Hunter had been summoned. The space violently contorted and Hunter had no choice but to raise his arms and plant his feet on the surface to prevent being thrown away.
The distortion lasted a couple of seconds and the entity that appeared in its place, dumbfounded Hunter.
"A... lottery wheel?" Hunter bewilderedly gaped at a giant lottery wheel with a radius of ten meters. The wheel was hovering over the surface as if stuck in the air. "What does this mean?"
"Hehe~"
Nina snickered at Hunter's perplexion as if she had succeeded in a prank.
"Well, usually, the whole perk-granting ceremony is supposed to happen on the screen, but it is small and boring~!" Nina shook her head rapidly like a drum. "It is Nina's first time and she likes Hunter, so Nina prepared this for Hunter~!"
Nina flew over to the ginormous lottery wheel and pointed at it with both arms. She resembled a child unveiling a huge surprise. She looked exceedingly endearing, but Hunter had concerns that he needed to clear first.
"No, what I meant was what is the lottery wheel for?" Hunter skeptically ran his gaze over the colossal contraption. It was a well-crafted lottery wheel with a golden outer ring. There were over a thousand compartments and each section flashed in changing colors. "Are we choosing my perks through this?"
Hunter had assumed that he would be provided with a list, or something to a similar effect, to shortlist his favorites, or maybe granted the perks based on some abstract factor like potential or essence that he still didn't completely understand.
Nina looked at Hunter in confusion, which then turned into embarrassment. Nina floated over with her face down as she scratched her hair.
"Hehe~ Nina was so focused on the surprise that Nina forgot to tell Hunter how perks are allocated~"
Nina tilted her head and stuck out her tongue with an 'oops.' Hunter could only sigh and shake his head while rubbing his forehead.
"Ehehe~ Hunter doesn't have to be mad~ Nina will explain now!" Nina tightened her party dress and fixed her hair. "All perks and penalties are bestowed through a system built upon probabilities that nobody can tamper with. Of course, the specificities vary depending on each species and their culture, but overall it is based on what Hunter understands as luck."
Hunter's eyebrow twitched as he heard the word luck.
"Mother believes and respects very little, and fate is something that Mother holds in high regard." Nina mentioned solemnly. "All the perks and penalties, the abundance and severity of those, are determined by fate."
"Severities?"
"Hmph~ As Nina said, Hunter will understand everything when he receives his first perk!" Nina pouted and turned her face away from Hunter. "Nina wants what is best for Hunter!"
"Okay, okay... We can continue."
Hunter sighed and raised his arms in defeat. Hunter followed Nina as they made their way towards the floating lottery wheel.
"Ehehe~ It's cool, right? Nina made this when Hunter was going through body reconstruction~!"
"Yes, yes..."
'She was doing this while I was drowning in pain?'
Hunter had a belly full of complaints, but he decided against voicing them.
Hunter approached the vicinity of the wheel. He stood far enough that he could perceive the entirety of it without straining his neck. Nina floated up and positioned herself next to the wheel. With her foot-and-a-half height and slim frame, it seemed as if a mouse was standing next to an elephant.
Nina gazed down at Hunter, smiled, and snapped her fingers. As soon as she did, the compartments on the wheel that were flashing with random bright colors all turned white, and black text manifested on them. Before Hunter could read the text on a particular compartment, the writings changed, and he only managed to catch the first word of the new text before it changed again.
The same happened on every pocket. A line of text would reveal itself, and transform in the blink of an eye. Hunter's vision was filled with black and white flashing lights.
"This lottery wheel can't accommodate the immeasurable number of perks!" Nina sensed Hunter's confusion and explained. "When the timer stops, the compartment under my hand will hold your first perk!"
Nina exclaimed and stretched out her arm. The palm of her left hand was hovering over a certain compartment with rapidly changing text.
"I understand." He still had countless questions and doubts, but it was clear from Nina's gleaming eyes and dazzling smile that he would upset Nina if he voiced any of them. "Haa~ Go for it, spin it."
"OKAY~!"
Nina's giddy scream reverberated in the surroundings.
She raised her right hand.
Snap!
[Commencing the acquisition of perk for candidate {Hunter Tamaniel.}]
[May fortune be with you.]
'I doubt it. Unless...'
Hunter recalled his talent and it's profoundly confusing description. He soon shook his head.
'Nah, can't be... I am not lucky enough for that...'
Hunter glanced at the lottery wheel.
'I guess we'll find out if this talent works or not.'
Nina, who was completely ignorant of Hunter's internal dilemma, snapped again, making the lottery wheel spin.
'I thought she was going to rotate it herself...'
Hunter snickered to herself as he imagined the minuscule Nina trying to move such a heavy-looking device.
The start was slow, but in a few seconds, the wheel picked up quite the velocity. Hunter watched as the white compartments vanished, spinning at such high velocity that all of them merged. All he saw was a huge white circle with occasional flashes of black.
'What will Hunter get?'
Nina had her eyes glued to the wheel in anticipation. Despite all the miraculous abilities she wielded, she had no sway over anything related to the bestowal of perks. Even if she wished to do something, it was impossible with her current authority, for everything was happening under her Mother's domain, and any disrespect to Mother's authority was considered blasphemy.
As such, all she could do was hope and pray.
The wheel slowed, and Hunter's heart involuntarily accelerated in nervousness. A layer of sweat accumulated on his forehead and a sudden dryness assaulted his throat. Ever since the body reconstruction, he hadn't felt any bouts of hunger or thirst, but now his tummy felt funny and his throat was parched.
'Gambling is not for me...'
As those thoughts passed Hunter's mind, the wheel slowed down. Hunter glanced over to Nina and noticed her palm was quivering. He felt a little better knowing that at the very least he had a companion who was worried for him.
The wheel's rotating speed came to a crawl, moving a centimeter or two every second, and then it finally happened.
Hunter's heart jumped to his throat as the wheel finally halted. The content on all the compartments vanished, except for the text on the compartment under Nina's hand.