"I'm in trouble. The only staff I have are Yuzuru and the Nukkonyans. Sure, I can communicate with the Nukkonyans, but they can't speak. I need someone to work the reception at the infirmary and cat café..."
"Thanks to Sengetsu, we've saved a lot of DP on plants. Should we try another gacha pull?"
"That sounds like a good idea. You'll probably save quite a bit of DP."
"I agree too!" Yuzuru chimed in.
The chat buzzed:
"The sound's gone again."
"Did the sound cut off? Are they talking about the dungeon again?"
"Time for another rare gacha pull!"
With her usually sleepy eyes sharpened with determination, she hit the rare gacha option.
"A 10-pull?"
"Yes, a 10-pull."
"...Did you just... pray?"
"Does praying do something?"
"It increases your chances. You pulled me that way, and earlier today you got SSRs. There's no doubt you'll get at least an SSR."
"Damn it."
She realized she'd prayed without thinking, but it was too late now. With a resigned sigh, she pulled the gacha lever.
"And the result of the 10-pull is..."
Oboro glanced at the ten monsters lined up in front of her and then looked at Issa, who stared at them with distant eyes.
"N-rank: three monsters, R-rank: four, SR-rank: two, and an SSR. Your luck's incredible."
"Master, are you super lucky?"
"Normally, no. My gacha pulls are painfully skewed toward the weirdest, most random creatures."
The gacha results were:
N-rank: Red Slime / Black Slime / MinimanuccoR-rank: Nukkonyan ×2 / Houho Owl ×2SR: Cait Sith ×2SSR: Mountain Princess
"You pulled two of the same SR species," Sengetsu observed.
"Your gacha luck truly is something..."
Issa buried her face in her hands as Oboro patted her back, and Yuzuru patted her arm, trying to comfort her.
"They're the same species?"
"That's weird, huh?"
"Master, your gacha luck is impressive."
"Let me name the N- and R-ranks first, and then I'll appraise the SRs and SSR," she said with a defeated sigh.
After naming the lower-rank creatures, she introduced them to the group, where Hisui and Inaho would help them settle in with the others.
"Okay, sorry for the wait. Let's start by appraising the two SRs."
"That's fine~."
"Status checks are important, according to the gods."
Name: None
Species: Cait Sith (Female)
Skills: Negotiation / Fencing / Wind Magic
Description: A bipedal cat-like fairy.
Speaks both English and Japanese.
Has strong communication skills and is a bit of a slowpoke.
Good for frontline combat.
Name: None
Species: Cait Sith (Male)
Skills: Negotiation / Staff Combat / Wind Magic
Description: A bipedal cat-like fairy.
Good for business and negotiations.
Has strong communication skills and a calm demeanor.
Good for rear support.
"They're perfectly divided between physical and magical roles," Sengetsu commented as the two Cait Sith nodded in agreement.
Even though they were the same species, their skills differed.
The chat buzzed:
"Who had Cait Siths again?"
"Saito-chan, I think."
"Didn't Okita-kun have one too?"
"Kondo-san doesn't, though."
"Names, names... ow!"
"You let your thoughts wander again, didn't you?"
Issa had been thinking about names, distracted by the fact that these cats were wearing kimonos, and had gotten a playful chop on the head from Oboro for her troubles.
"Okay... how about 'Umi' for the girl and 'Sora' for the boy?"
"I'll be Umi!"
"I'll be Sora."
"Have you run out of ideas for names?"
"Not quite, but the fact they're cats threw me off."
"Hmm!"
Oboro and Sengetsu whispered, but they weren't being discreet. Issa, standing right next to them, could hear every word. She stomped on Oboro's foot to get their attention, making sure they knew she was listening.
"Okay, time to appraise the SSR now?"
"Go ahead."
The SSR, a beautiful, androgynous woman, smiled as Issa pointed her terminal at her.
Name: Yamanchu
Species: Mountain Princess
Skills: Word Magic (Sealed) / Earth Magic / Wood Magic
Description: A type of mountain spirit.
Related species include Mountain Men and Mountain Hags, but they are not the same.
If you call her a Mountain Hag, she will smile as she sucks all the blood from your body, so beware.
She is gentle in demeanor but has an extremely low anger threshold.
"My... name..."
"I'm sorry, but could you please give me a new one?" she asked politely.
"You really are collecting strange names, aren't you?"
"None of these names are normal."
"I think Sengetsu's is the least weird, at least?"
"Do I have a strange name?"
"All of us SSRs and above have odd names."
"Master, what's up with your gacha luck?"
"That's what I'd like to know!"
Issa tuned out the banter as she considered a new name for the Mountain Princess. Compared to "Ponponpain," "Yamanchu" wasn't as bad, but still... it didn't suit her.
After contemplating for a bit, she sighed. There was no use wondering why she kept pulling these weird names. That was just how her luck worked, apparently.
"How about 'Sanshi,' 'Suimei,' 'Shisui,' or 'Shinzan'?"
"Ah, from the phrase 'Sanshi Suimei,' meaning beautiful mountain and water scenery, and 'Shinzan Yūkoku,' meaning deep mountain and valley?" Oboro immediately caught onto her reasoning.
"Yep. I couldn't decide, so I thought I'd let her choose."
Issa turned to the Mountain Princess.
"They're all nice... but I think I like 'Shinzan' best."
"Okay, from now on, you're Shinzan. Let's work together!"
"Likewise. I'll be counting on you."
The chat buzzed:
"Is Hijikata-san a cat collector?"
"More cats? Again?"
"Nice to meet you, Umi, Sora, and Shinzan!"
"Umi's a calico, and Sora's a tuxedo cat—perfect!"
"Shinzan's such a cool character! I hope she gets to wear a suit!"
"Oh? You'd like me to wear a suit? That would suit me better than this frilly outfit. That's a helpful suggestion."
"You're already reading the comments? Give me some time! I don't have enough DP for new clothes."
"Ah, what a shame. Well, when you've saved enough DP, I'll be waiting."
"Yeah, once I've saved up a lot, we'll get everyone new clothes. Right now, you're all in your default gacha outfits."
"I'm fine with mine."
"Why not dress up a bit? You've got such a handsome face."
"Everyone's got a pretty face in this group..."
Issa glanced at her three new humanoid companions, all of whom had sparkling, model-like faces. She gave a tired shrug.
The chat buzzed:
"All the humanoid monsters so far are way too attractive!"
"It's not just Hijikata-san's group. It's the same across the board."
"Even the older-looking characters are either hot dads or beautiful older women. The dwarves are ruggedly handsome too—no chubby ones!"
"What happened to the stubby dwarves we used to know?"
"Let's not forget, Hijikata-san's pretty good-looking too."
"So, here are your three options: work as dungeon staff, help me behind the scenes with dungeon creation, or take care of household chores. It's up to you."
"I'll work as staff inside the dungeon!" Yuzuru said excitedly.
"Oboro and I... this elf will help you behind the scenes," Sengetsu said.
"I can't handle dealing with a lot of people, so I'll support from the background."
"Of those options, I'll be dungeon staff," Umi said.
"Does being staff mean interacting with visitors? In that case, I'd like to be staff too," Sora added.
"Hmm, I suppose I'll join as staff as well. My skills are similar to this elf's, and I don't mind dealing with people. Just know, if someone angers me, I'll take their blood."
Yuzuru's perky ears and shining eyes were adorable, but Shinzan's casual mention of blood was... concerning.
Based on her description, she had a low anger threshold, so maybe her offer to help as staff was just a pretext to drain someone's blood. Issa's face twitched nervously at the thought.
"Alright, Umi and Sora, you'll work the guild. Yuzuru and Shinzan, you'll handle the reception at the cat café and infirmary. Hopefully, I'll get more humanoid monsters in the future, but for now... thanks for your help."
"I'll do my best!"
"Leave it to me!"
"I'll make sure to do a great job at reception!"
"Yuzuru, you'll be more helpful when you grow up. As for me, Master, I'll handle anyone who dares step out of line. I'll drain their blood if necessary."
"I didn't ask for that?! Blood?!"
"Oh, don't worry," Shinzan said with a dark chuckle.
Yuzuru and the two Cait Siths were as cute as could be, but Shinzan's fixation on blood sent a shiver down Issa's spine.
"Well, having at least one tough and dangerous staff member isn't a bad idea. Yuzuru's still a child, but she'll be strong once she grows up. The Cait Siths aren't really suited for combat."
"You can count on me. If anyone gets out of line, I'll drain them dry—well, I might accidentally kill them, but that's on them for making me mad. Totally legal."
"That's terrifying!"
"I'll keep trying my best with my baldness curse!" Yuzuru piped up.
"Only the baldness curse?"
"It seems more effective than the toe-stubbing curse!"
"Well... I guess that makes sense..."
Issa wondered why Yuzuru had such a fixation on baldness. Still, it wasn't worth thinking too deeply about. If people misbehaved, they deserved whatever Yuzuru chose to curse them with.