Chapter 8 : Ten Cards Dealt, Game Begins
I sank back onto the bed, letting the soft hum of the hologram wash over me. Ten pulls. Ten bizarre, terrifying, occasionally useful gifts from the multiverse. My mind ran through them one by one:
Yuuki Rito — comedic human, paradoxical luck. Might save me from dying in some absurdly improbable way.
Advanced Computer Skills + Arasaka CyberDeck — hack anything, anywhere. Dig into secrets, manipulate systems, maybe even peek behind the curtain of this multiverse.
10,000 USD in cash — literal money in my inventory. Practical, painfully normal, and immediately useful.
Leech (Earth-58163) — power-nullifying mutant. Dangerous, strategic, and utterly badass if I play it right.
Photographic Memory — no flashy explosions, just efficiency. Perfect with my hacker skills.
Harem King — charisma overload. The system is officially testing me, and I'm… kind of impressed.
Seed of Potential — biologically boosting someone else. One-on-one, sex-based power-ups. A new, deeply personal kind of strategy.
Pleasure Lock — manipulate others' pleasure thresholds. Creepy, terrifying, and potentially game-changing.
Mind Whisper — subtle influence, nudging people without their knowledge. The final piece of the social control puzzle.
I rubbed my temples, trying to grasp the emerging pattern. Conquest. That word wasn't just a name. It wasn't cute. It was a blueprint. Influence, manipulation, strategy — social dominance. The system wasn't handing me random loot; it was giving me the tools to control, sway, and conquer.
Then reality hit me. I still had no idea how to earn Conquest Points, the currency for future pulls. But looking at these ten draws… the picture was starting to form. Hacking skills, mind control, charisma, biological boosts… The system wasn't just a slot machine. It was a game of leverage. Every pull hinted at how I might earn the next points: manipulate, influence, dominate… Yet there was no certainty, just opportunity.
I smirked, half amused, half horrified. "So… I have to play the game it's giving me the tools for. Not just survive, not just explore… conquer."
I leaned back, letting the ceiling blur into neon light and holographic glow. Conquer. Such a small word, but loaded with consequences. Not swinging swords or punching villains — subtler, more insidious. Influence, persuasion, control. Power that could make someone dance to your tune without them realizing they were moving.
A slow, uneasy laugh escaped me. "Well… that's one hell of an orientation program."
I ran through the list again, thinking about the implications for my new life:
Yuuki Rito's luck might save me from absurdly improbable deaths.
Advanced Computer Skills + CyberDeck meant I could infiltrate systems, dig secrets, and manipulate digital reality.
Leech gave me safety in a world where powered humans could be deadly.
Harem King, Seed of Potential, Pleasure Lock, Mind Whisper — the system wasn't just giving me advantages. It was giving me levers of control over people: friends, enemies, strangers… even people I cared about.
I shivered, but not entirely from fear. There was excitement too — the kind that bubbles up when you realize the game you've been thrown into is rigged in a way you might just beat.
"And somehow," I muttered to myself, "I've got to… navigate all of this. Relationships. Influence. Manipulation. It's like a strategy RPG crossed with a dating sim… and a twisted morality test."
The thought made my stomach twist. Not in a bad way — in a thrilling way. Chaotic. Morally questionable. But compared to a boring, predictable life? Infinitely better.
I shook my head, a grin tugging at my lips despite the weight of it all. "Guess my life just got… complicated. Exciting. Dangerous. Unpredictable. And honestly? I'd take this chaos over a safe, boring life any day."
I looked at the holographic interface, my mind already spinning with ideas, strategies, and possibilities. The Conquest Gacha had handed me a deck of cards I didn't ask for. Now, it was up to me to play them.
I exhaled slowly, letting the hum of the hologram settle into a steady rhythm. Ten pulls. Ten chances. Ten lessons in chaos, control, and cunning. The Conquest Gacha wasn't just a game—it was a challenge, a curriculum in manipulation, influence, and survival.
For a moment, I let myself imagine the possibilities: who I could protect, who I could sway, how I could turn the tide in a world that had no mercy for the unprepared. It was overwhelming… but not entirely unwelcome.
I sat up straighter, fingers brushing the holographic interface. "Alright," I muttered, voice firm, "time to stop staring at the cards and start learning to play them."
Somewhere deep down, a part of me thrilled at the thought. This wasn't just about surviving anymore. This was about mastering the rules of a game I hadn't even known I was in. And for the first time since the Gacha appeared, I felt… ready.