'I still have 35 GP left.' Caleb thought before mentally commanding: 'Roll 10 times.'
[-30 GP]
1: [Water Walking Technique (Naruto)]
2: [Pandora (Devil May Cry)]
3: [Mystique (Marvel)]
4: [Daisy (John Wick)]
5: [Birthday Cake (Inside Out)]
6: [Alice Nakiri (Shokugeki no Soma)]
7: [100g Spinach (Popeye)]
8: [Modeling (In Another World With My Smartphone)]
9: [999x Honey (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)]
10: [Ginny (One Piece)]
Looking at one of the ten cards, Caleb didn't know what to say upon seeing the card of John Wick's dog.
'John Wick isn't coming after me, right?' He laughed at his own ridiculous thoughts.
There were many cards that caught his attention, one of them being Ginny's: 'This is the first card I've gotten related to One Piece…'
[Ginny (One Piece)]
While she and Bonney were returning to Sorbet, Ginny called the Revolutionary Army headquarters and spoke with Kuma, Ivankov, and Dragon one last time. She explained that she didn't have much time left due to her illness and asked Dragon and Ivankov to take care of Kuma.
She also tried to tell Kuma that she loved him, but this message was never received, as Kuma had already left in a desperate attempt to reach her. Kuma couldn't make it in time and was informed by the grieving elder that Ginny had died after being exposed to natural light, a symptom of her disease.
Abilities:
-[Signal Analyst]
-[Thief]
-[Sharpshooter]
[Summon] – [Assimilate] – [Recycle]
'Huh? I'm surprised I'm able to summon her…'
However, even though she was a good option, he didn't want to have her as part of his crew.
You could call him soft-hearted—he still preferred to summon her and let her return to Jewelry Bonney and Kuma.
'If I do that, I have two options. One of them is to let her know I was the one who saved her and let her go. That way, I would gain the gratitude not only of Bonney and Kuma, but also of the Revolutionaries like Dragon… But that doesn't come without risks. Since the fact that I'm able to bring someone back from the dead might be revealed.'
He couldn't be 100% certain that this secret would never be revealed someday, but the risk of that happening would be higher if he let her go knowing he was the one who saved her.
'The second option is to disguise myself when I summon her, making her feel indebted to a persona I created.'
As for the disease she might still retain even after being summoned, coincidence or not, he had obtained a very useful item that could deal with that.
[999x Bottle with Special Kind of Honey (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)]
Description:
A special type of honey, produced from nectar extracted and refined by Apito, in such a way that its components are capable of curing any abnormal condition or disease. Besides being very sweet, it has extremely high nutritional value.
[Use] – [Recycle]
'Come to think of it, the second option is the best for me.' Caleb decided: 'I'll wait until I've fully assimilated one of the three characters, then I'll assimilate Mystique.'
If he assimilates 'Mystique', not only would it be possible to change his appearance, but it would also be possible to alter his physical structure, making it practically impossible to recognize him.
Putting his thoughts in order, he clicked on another card.
[Alice Nakiri (Shokugeki no Soma)]
Distracted while talking to Erina Nakiri, Alice crossed at a red light and was run over by a truck.
Abilities:
-[Master in Molecular Gastronomy]
-[Technological Innovator]
-[Elite Chef]
[Summon] – [Assimilate] – [Recycle]
'Although she has no power to defend herself in this world, that's the least of my problems.' He thought: 'I need a cook for my crew. Although I can make some things, I can't call myself a Chef…'
He had some character cards he didn't intend to summon or assimilate, such as the card of Kang Taeshik.
Although he is ranked B in Solo Leveling; Taeshik was so fast that he managed to escape a point-blank fire attack from Song. He was also strong enough to fight Jin-Woo on equal footing and resist the Paralysis and Bleeding effects of Kasaka's Venomous Fang.
Not to mention he possessed the ability: [Stealth].
'Seems like a good plan.' Caleb thought: 'If necessary, after she fully assimilates that card... But before thinking that far ahead, I need to summon her first and meet her in person.'
'Next is…'
[Modeling (In Another World With My Smartphone)]
Description:
Modeling allows the user to reshape any material made of minerals or wood. This includes metal, rubber, and even Dragon Fangs. Furthermore, an object shaped by Modeling can be reshaped according to the user's whim.
[Learn] – [Recycle]
'Simply an incredibly useful ability.' Caleb didn't hesitate to click "Learn".
[Water Walking Technique (Naruto)]
Details (Adapted Version):
The Water Walking Technique is an ability that allows walking on water. To do this, the user must emit a constant flow of Haki from the soles of their feet and use the repelling force to walk on the water's surface.
[Learn] – [Recycle]
'Why do I feel like this will be incredibly useless?' The amount of Haki it seemed to require probably wasn't worth the effort.
Learning something like 'Geppo' seemed better than this.
Even thinking that way, he still clicked "Learn".
'Huh? Looks like I owe an apology—this ability can be useful.' Caleb thought with a small smile.
Then, he clicked on the next card.
[Pandora (Devil May Cry)]
Description:
Pandora is a demonic briefcase capable of transforming into 666 different and devastating forms, some of which are powered by the weapon's Disaster Gauge, which was built as one of its functions.
[Equip] – [Use] – [Recycle]
'...Okay, I admit I had no idea what item this was.' Caleb took a deep breath, seeing in the card's image demonstrations of the transformations, some of which made him gasp in awe: 'Maybe this could even be compared to one of the ancient weapons…'
Maybe not at the same level of destruction itself, but yes, in its versatility.
Regardless, it was an incredible item.
Although he wanted to equip it, it wasn't like the other items. Since its main form was a briefcase, it was better to leave it in card form for now.
"Time's up." Chun-Li said suddenly, to his dismay.
"Already?" Caleb sighed, but still got up.
Getting up from the living room sofa, she said: "I feel like eating something sweet."
Thinking of one of the cards he had, Caleb asked: "Do you like birthday cake?"
"Of course I do." She nodded, adding: "Tell me more about this cake. How many layers will it have, and what flavor?"
...
Caleb went to the kitchen and, taking the card '[Birthday Cake (Inside Out)]', he clicked on "Use," and soon a cake with layers of pink frosting and a candle indicating 13 years appeared in his hand.
Using the ability 'Modeling' for the first time, he changed the age on the candles to 18 years.
When he arrived in the living room, the girls were already waiting. Chun-Li must have told them about the cake.
"Caleb, how did you know today would be my 18th birthday?" Chun-Li asked.
"18 years?" Saeko asked.
"Yes, 18 years and 72 months to be more precise." She replied.
"Ohh..." Saeko just smiled after hearing that.
Caleb blinked and, placing the cake on the table, started doing calculations on his fingers.
"Hey, you!" Chun-Li exclaimed: "Don't even think about it!"
"Or else?" Caleb raised an eyebrow with interest in her response.
"Under no circumstances will I let you rest on my lap again." She replied with a thin smile.
"..."
"Actually, I was just calculating something that has nothing to do with your age." Caleb said: "You know what? It wasn't even that important... Go ahead, do the honors, you can cut the cake."
"Hmph!"
Snorting with amusement, she smiled beautifully afterward, picking up the large knife to cut the cake.
"Before that, blow out the candles and make a wish." Saeko said suddenly.
Going to the kitchen, Caleb brought a lighter and lit the candles.
Then, they started singing happy birthday.
"Now blow out the candles." Saeko said: "And make a wish."
She was more serious than usual as she closed her eyes, then opened them and blew out the candles.
With that done, she cut the first slice and offered it to Harribel.
"Thank you." Thanking her, Harribel took it and sat down.
The second was Saeko, and lastly, Caleb.
'Looks like she's still holding a grudge from earlier.' He thought, picking up the slice of cake that was obviously smaller compared to Saeko's and Harribel's.
Shaking his head while smiling, he sat next to Saeko.