Gacha System in a Game-Like World

Tony slowly opened his eyes.

At first, everything was blurry. The world seemed drowned beneath a layer of white haze, and only after a few slow blinks did his vision gradually clear.

What he saw made him pause.

Far ahead, amidst the forest that had been reduced to shattered trunks and torn webs, a white streak danced through the air. It flashed between the fallen bodies of the arachnids like a snake made from tendrils of light, appearing and disappearing faster than his eyes could follow.

Tony instinctively tried to sit up.

"Ugh—"

A sharp pain immediately stabbed through his chest, forcing him back down against the ground. The moment his back collided softly with the tree trunk, the memory of what had happened returned at once.

His hand slowly touches the bandages wrapped around his chest as cold sweat formed on his forehead.

’I could have died,’ he mused.

Thanks to the massive health points he had accumulated as a result of bonding with Kratos, he still smelled this day. If not, that attack that pierced through his heart could have killed him instantly.

Well... there was still his passive trait [Summoner’s Link] that could have resurrected him as far as Kratos still lived. But that did not mean he wanted to test what death felt like again.

Tony exhaled slowly and called up his status.

[HP]: 9,500/18,650

His eyes widened. That single attack had cost him more than seven thousand [HP]?

Oh. He remembered he had suffered another devastating attack, but it was still too much considering that this was a newbie dungeon. It was as if these opponents had been specially prepared for him.

Just what kind of enhancement had those eight-legged creatures received? They were supposed to be tutorial monsters, yet the strength they displayed belonged to something far beyond that rank.

As he was still trying to make sense of it, a familiar chime rang in his ears as screens of notifications followed.

Ding!

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

One notification displaying the same information displayed after another, flooding his vision.

Tony stared in disbelief as the messages continued, until—

[You have leveled up.]

[Level]: 14

[EXP]: 1,250/1,400

He didn’t get a moment of respite to either celebrate this development or get perplexed before—

FWOOM!

A brilliant golden light erupted around his body. Warmth spread through every muscle and bone. Tiny changes began to appear across his physique as if his body was being refined from the inside.

Tony remained still as the glow intensified, then began to lift him slowly from the ground until he floated several meters in the air.

...

Far away, Kratos stood amidst the ruins of the forest.

The last surviving arachnid towered above him, larger than the others and covered in jagged crimson markings. Its eight emerald eyes burned with fear and fury as its crystalline horn gathered azure poison.

BOOM!

A sphere of poison traveled toward him. Instead of dodging it, Kratos’ figure vanished from that spot he had been standing.

[Saint’s Step.]

The explosion struck empty air as a result. Before the arachnid could react, Kratos appeared directly above its head.

SHIING!

One sword descended, a silver line crossing the monster’s body.

Then the colossal arachnid split perfectly in half from head to abdomen, black blood spraying across the ruined ground as the two halves collapsed in opposite directions.

Kratos landed lightly later on without a single scratch and flicked his blade once. The black blood on it slid from the steel and disappeared into the grass.

Only then did he notice the golden light rising above the forest. He turned his gaze to the specific direction it was coming from and saw Tony floating in midair.

...

Back within the golden radiance, a new notification played before Tony’s eyes.

[You have leveled up again.]

[Level]: 15

[EXP]: 0/1,500

Instantly, the light intensifies further. Tony gritted his teeth as waves of heat coursed through his body. The changes were becoming more violent now. Mana surged through his veins in powerful currents.

The only difference now was that it was not as agonizing as the first time he summoned Kratos. But it was enough to make him lose his concentration... and eventually, his consciousness.

Tony’s vision swayed, and his eyelids closed into darkness.

[Congrats! You have awakened the title:...]

As a result, he wasn’t able to see the final notification that appeared before him. His body began to fall.

Seeing this, Kratos’ eyes sharpened, and his feet burst from the soil beneath them. In a blink, he vanished and reappeared beneath the falling young man, catching him gently in both arms before he touched the ground... again.

Lowering him carefully onto the grass, he checked the wound in Tony’s chest to see it was gone.

A genuine smile appeared on his face once again.

"Good..." he murmured. "It worked. You’re fine."

Sometime later, Tony woke up again.

The day was still as bright as it had been before, not even showing a hint that night or evening would be approaching. It just remained stagnant for a reason.

Hence, Tony understood that this was how the forest was made to appear.

He sat up slowly and looked around him. To his right, a small bonfire crackled. Beside it, Kratos sat calmly, running strips of meat over the flames.

When he noticed Tony awake, he smiled.

"Luckily, the last arachnid I killed didn’t vanish like the others."

Tony looked around once more.

Indeed, just like the goblins and the monster rabbits, the arachnids seemed to have dissolved into motes of light after death. Only a single carcass remained near the fire.

But this was no good news. A frown formed on Tony’s face.

He rose quickly and reached for his sword resting against the log beside Kratos. But Kratos caught his wrist and shook his head speculatively.

"Isn’t this absurd?" Tony argued. "It started in the cave, and now even the monsters outside are stronger than they should be. We need to follow those notes of light and find whoever is behind this. Just like you said, there’s no doubt anymore... there’s a mastermind."

Kratos nodded his head, then shook it, a smile plastered on his face the whole while.

"Rest, little brother. It will be fine."

He handed over a skewer of roasted meat.

"Here, have a taste of my old man skill," he said it in such a way it sounded awkward for Tony looking at his young body. "I prepared this especially for you. Eat first and recover your strength. Even if there’s a mastermind, it will be fine."

Then he lowered his head for a while before raising it again and showing a thumbs up with the same smile.

"Trust me. A godslayer is back."

The warmth in Kratos’ voice finally convinced him. A flash of the moment when Kratos was silently crying came to his mind, but he kept mute.

Instead, he accepted the skewer of meat and sat beside Kratos on the log.

It was only then that he noticed the translucent screen hovering slightly above his forehead.

His eyes widened, then a grin slowly spread across his face.

[Congratulations, Host. You have awakened the title: Battleborn Prodigy.]

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