The clock was a silent, relentless enemy. Riku knew the round trip, even moving with the desperate urgency Rio's memories demanded, would consume the better part of a day simply to acquire a suitable spirit-aligned device. Each wasted second felt like an eternity, gnawing at his resolve. The future Rio had known, the one shimmering with terrifying clarity in the back of Riku's mind, was a fragile thing. By gaining this knowledge, he had already introduced a monumental variable. The timeline could splinter, diverge, perhaps irrevocably. The image of Shuvi, a key figure in the future he'd glimpsed, flickered in his thoughts. Would this path prevent their meeting entirely? The possibility was a sharp pang amidst the fear and determination.
Yet, he couldn't afford to falter. Rio's knowledge also painted a grim picture of the escalating conflicts between races, the sheer disparity in power. This system, this 'gacha' of otherworldly abilities, might be his only chance to acquire the strength needed to protect his people against the coming storm. Every mission, every potential pull, was a lifeline he couldn't afford to ignore, no matter the cost.
The journey out of the familiar mountain paths quickly became a test of his newfound strategic depth. Rio's memories screamed warnings, highlighting unseen dangers that the 'old' Riku might have blundered into. He saw the tell-tale signs of demon patrols – scorched earth that hadn't been touched by fire, unsettling stillness in the air, shadows that felt wrong. These were not just monsters; these were the same race that had likely produced the demonia who took Ivan's life. Each encounter forced him onto difficult, time-consuming detours, pushing his body to its limits. The thought briefly surfaced of heading towards the location where Ivan fell, perhaps the abandoned dwarf projector was closer. But the fear, a cold, rational fear stemming from Rio's detailed knowledge of Demonia capabilities, shut that idea down instantly. Facing that kind of enemy, alone and unprepared, was suicide.
Five gruelling hours later, muscles aching, lungs burning, and his mind a chaotic mix of strategic planning and lingering existential weirdness, he reached the coordinates Rio's memory had pointed to. It was the skeletal remains of a dwarf forward base, long since ravaged and abandoned, nestled precariously in a narrow canyon. Rubble and twisted metal lay scattered like discarded toys of giants.
Scrabbling through the debris of what looked like a collapsed armory, guided by a persistent 'ping' in his peripheral vision courtesy of the system (or perhaps Rio's instinct?), his hand closed around cold, smooth metal. He pulled it free. It was a handgun, elegantly crafted, not for physical bullets but designed to channel and generate projectiles using concentrated spirit energy. A spirit device. Exactly what the mission demanded.
Clutching the handgun, he immediately turned back towards the village. The journey home was a mirror image of the outward trip, fraught with hidden pitfalls, difficult terrain made worse by exhaustion, and the constant, nerve-wracking awareness of potential threats. Obstacles that would have been challenging for a small group were magnified tenfold for a solo operative burdened by fatigue.
During one particularly precarious climb, dodging what Rio's memory identified as territorial markers of a dangerous beast, Riku couldn't help but think. It was good he was alone. Ivan and Aley, as capable as they were, would have either slowed him down or faced dangers he could only avoid or navigate quickly because he was solely responsible for himself, and because Rio's memories provided uncanny insight into potential threats. The risk to them would have been immense. The grim efficiency of solo action, though lonely, had been necessary.
Finally, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, weary shadows, the familiar outline of the village palisade came into view. Relief warred with apprehension. He approached cautiously, weapon ready. Silence. An unsettling, profound silence where there should have been the sounds of evening preparations, of laughter or conversation.
He slipped through the main gate. Empty. The houses were dark, the central square deserted. A wave of something akin to panic, quickly suppressed by the logical part of his brain (both Riku's leadership and Rio's strategic planning), washed over him. Then he remembered.
Before leaving, understanding the volatility of the region from Rio's memories, he had pulled Neo aside. The slow-reacting map expert was perfect for a task requiring meticulous planning and execution rather than split-second decisions. He had explained, vaguely but urgently, the potential for large-scale conflict between other races to spill over into their territory. He had given Neo the coordinates of emergency shelters, hidden caves and supply caches known only to a few. His instructions had been clear and drastic: gather everyone, secure vital resources, and evacuate to the designated safe zone within one day. Return only after two days had passed, when the immediate danger should have subsided.
Seeing the empty village confirmed Neo had succeeded. Relief, sharp and potent, flooded him. They were safe.
He stood in the deserted square, the eerie quiet amplifying the thumping of his own heart. The handgun felt heavy in his grasp. This was it. The S-Rank mission. The colossal gamble. He looked around the empty village – the place he had sworn to protect above all else.
He raised the spirit handgun, aiming it loosely at the empty space in front of him. "Alright, System," he muttered, a wry, almost defiant tone in his voice. "You said I had to do this inside the village. Well, I'm inside the village. The only difference is there isn't a single other soul here but me."
With a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger.
A faint, ethereal hum emanated from the handgun. A wisp of glowing, blue spirit energy condensed at the barrel, forming a fleeting, unstable projectile before dissipating into the air with a soft pop.
Immediately, a crisp notification appeared in his vision.
[MISSION COMPLETED]
A surge of triumphant relief went through him. He'd done it. He'd taken the terrifying risk, completed the impossible first step. He waited for the reward notification, his mind buzzing with the possibilities of anime powers.
Then, a second notification layered over the first.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[System: Due to the complete absence of villagers within the village boundaries at the time of spirit device activation, the mission difficulty was drastically decreased. The intrinsic risk of detection and subsequent village destruction was nullified for this specific activation instance. Therefore, the reward has been adjusted.]
[REWARD RANK REDUCED TO B Rank]
Riku stared at the text, his initial triumph evaporating like the spirit energy from the handgun. B Rank? After the brutal journey, the constant threat, the sheer mental and emotional strain of accepting a mission that went against his very nature? He had risked everything, faced down demons and difficult terrain fueled by the hope of an S-Rank return, and now... B Rank?
An annoyed, almost petulant thought flashed through his mind – This is unfair! I still had to get the device! I still faced the danger on the road! But the rational side, the part that understood the system's logic, couldn't argue. He had exploited a loophole, albeit one created by his own foresight and Neo's prompt action. The system's S-Rank evaluation was based on the risk of village destruction during the act. By ensuring the village was empty, he had bypassed that core risk factor. He had, in essence, 'cheated' the S-Rank condition. He couldn't complain. Much.
Swallowing his disappointment, Riku focused on the next step. The Gacha. He navigated the floating interface, opening the dedicated window. It confirmed the B-Rank reward and displayed the options. As the previous notification hinted, it was a character summon gacha. He could spin three times, but could only claim one of the resulting rewards. Once a character was declined, they were gone forever from this pull attempt.
[SYSTEM: The first Gacha Pool contains characters from various anime worlds. Successfully unlocking a character allows you to summon them to this world, provided specific conditions are met (details available in the Summoning tab).]
"Alright," Riku said, a mixture of apprehension and reluctant excitement bubbling up. Anime characters? Real ones? The concept was mind-boggling, straight out of Rio's wildest fantasies. He steeled himself. He needed power, yes, but he needed power he could control, power that wouldn't turn on his people.
He tapped the [SPIN] button.
The interface transformed. A dazzling array of character images, vibrant and utterly alien compared to his world, blurred into a spinning wheel of light and color. It spun for what felt like an age, the images flashing faster and faster, building a strange, almost maddening anticipation.
Finally, it slowed. The chaotic blur resolved into a single, dominant image in the center of the screen. A figure with striking features and an intense gaze. Text appeared below it.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[You have pulled: Keyaruga from Redo of Healer]
Below the character portrait were two options: [TAKE PRIZE] and [SPIN AGAIN?].
Keyaruga. Rio's memories immediately supplied the context, the abilities, the sheer danger. He knew Keyaruga was incredibly powerful – a master healer capable of both restoring life and, chillingly, rewriting existence with his 'Heal' ability, even capable of killing beings like Jibril (a name Riku vaguely recognized from Rio's knowledge as monstrously powerful) with a twisted application of his magic. Beyond that, he possessed mind-altering abilities, able to brainwash individuals instantly, bending them completely to his will.
Riku's initial thought wasn't about the power he could gain, but the terrifying risk Keyaruga represented. Yes, the character's journey, born from unimaginable suffering and betrayal, was one Rio had felt pity for. But pity didn't change the fact that Keyaruga was utterly ruthless, driven by revenge, and fundamentally untrustworthy. He lied, he manipulated, he inflicted his will upon others without hesitation.
Bringing someone like that into his village? Among his people? It was unthinkable. Keyaruga, if summoned, could brainwash every single villager within minutes. He could turn them into his pawns, twist their minds, destroy everything Riku had fought and suffered to protect. He could likely kill Riku himself the moment he appeared, simply because he felt like it.
The power was immense, yes. The potential for twisted healing and control was undeniable. But the cost, the inherent danger to his people, was a line Riku, even with Rio's strategic foresight, could not cross. Not for the first pull. Not for any pull.
No, he decided instantly, the word firm and absolute in his mind. I can't risk it. Not him.
He tapped [SPIN AGAIN?].
The gacha wheel blurred once more, spinning just as before, the vibrant images a dizzying mix of potential allies and unknown threats. The tension ratcheted up again. What would it be this time? Another figure of terrifying power? Someone benign? Someone useless?
It spun, and spun, and finally began to slow, resolving onto another character portrait. This one looked... less imposing. A person in what seemed like intricate, slightly futuristic medical gear, standing before a complex, almost industrial backdrop. The text appeared.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[You have pulled: Pre-Amnesia Dokutah from Arknights]
[TAKE PRIZE]
[SPIN AGAIN?]
Pre-Amnesia Dokutah. Rio's memories immediately supplied information, albeit fragmented and often contradictory...