"Host, please calm yourself. Your face is quite scary and will probably frighten even the strongest warriors."
Confused, I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Without warning, a mirror shimmered into existence in front of me. As I leaned in to look, my breath caught. I was smiling—but not in a normal way. No, this was the kind of smile you'd see on a madman. Wide, twisted, unhinged. My eyes gleamed with something dark—something that made even me shiver. A chill crawled down my spine.
I didn't think I was capable of that, I thought, staring at my reflection. The expression didn't feel like mine, yet I knew it was. That smile… was real.
Then, as if to interrupt my spiraling thoughts, a familiar chime echoed in my head.
System NotificationYour Fire Dragon Slaying Magic has leveled up.You have acquired a derivative skill:Skill Acquired: Dragon Presence – Release an aura that forms a mirage of a dragon behind your form. Instills fear in lower beings and intimidation in peers.You have completed a Legendary Achievement: Kill: FenrirReward: 10 Tickets, 100,000 PointsTitle Acquired: Kingslayer (Passive)Effect: When fighting kings, rulers, or leaders, gain a 50% boost in all stats.Your Fire Dragon Slaying Magic has reached Level 20.A metamorphosis is required to proceed.Proceed with Metamorphosis? [Y/N]
"Yes," I stated immediately, without hesitation.
One day later
My eyes snapped open. The world around me felt… still. Like I was emerging from deep water.
"System, how long was I out?"
Host, your metamorphosis lasted 24 hours.
"I see," I muttered, rubbing my chin. My body felt different—denser, stronger. Like everything had been reforged in a hotter flame.
"Oh yeah, my stats. They should've improved."
"System, show me my status."
Status Window – OpenedStrength: 62Defense: 63Dexterity: 61Stamina: 62Intelligence: 34Magic: 67
A grin crept across my face again—but this time, it felt natural.
"Hell yes," I muttered. "All my stats except Intelligence have surpassed 60."
The boost was enormous. My whole body buzzed with energy, and I could feel my magic crackling under the surface like a barely contained inferno. I clenched my fists, feeling the weight behind every movement.
Then I remembered something else.
This system had a gacha function. One I hadn't touched in a while.
I opened the menu and smiled. I had completed thousands of quests and almost a hundred achievements across different rarities. That had to mean something.
"Hey, System. Do I still get ten tickets for every year I've been in this realm?"
Yes, Host. Even though you haven't aged in your original world, time still passes here. Every 365 days since your birth earns you 10 tickets.
The screen loaded—and when I saw the number, my eyes widened in shock.
[Tickets Available: 7,300]
"Holy shit."
System Notice: You have exceeded 1,000 tickets. A new feature has been unlocked: [Amount Selection]. You may now choose how many tickets to spend at once.
"That's not bad, I guess."
I started small.
"Let's go with 10 pulls."
[Gacha Pull x10 – Results] Items Acquired: 10x Skill Upgrade Cards
"…Where's the rest of my items?"
Host, those ten Skill Upgrade Cards are all you received.
My mouth twitched. "But why are they all Skill Upgrade Cards?"
Host, you have reached a level where common or low-tier items are no longer useful. The system now filters rewards based on compatibility with your current power. Only unique, high-tier, or scalable items are awarded. The odds of receiving such items have slightly improved—but they remain rare.
I narrowed my eyes. "So I'm too powerful for trash, but not lucky enough for the good stuff."
Essentially, yes.
"Fine. But how many tickets do I need to spend to get something decent?"
If you are lucky, you may obtain something unique in 100 draws. If not, it could take up to 1,000. There is a guaranteed unique reward every 1,000 pulls. This counter resets after each unique item is obtained.
"Alright then… let's test my luck."
I typed in 100 and clicked [Confirm].
[Gacha Pull x100 – Results] Items Acquired: 100x Skill Upgrade Cards
My eye twitched.
"I guess my luck really isn't that good."
New Feature Unlocked: Item Combination. You may now combine multiple identical items to create stronger versions. Note: To upgrade unique skills using Skill Upgrade Cards, you must use 1,000 cards per enhancement. Higher levels or divine-tier enhancements will cost significantly more.
My eyes widened.
"Wait… I can use these to strengthen my Unique Skills?"
Affirmative.
A grin crept back onto my face.
"Screw it. Let's go all in."
I typed in 1000 and hit [Confirm].
[Gacha Pull x1000 – Results] Items Acquired:
997x Skill Upgrade Cards
Acquired Unique Skill:…..
Acquired Unique Skill:…..
Acquired Divine Skill:…..
I stared at the screen. My heart skipped a beat.
"…Holy shit."
System Message: …
I laughed—loud, reckless, full of disbelief and exhilaration.
"Hahaha! I guess I'm just lucky after all!"
But just as the laughter echoed off the chamber walls, a voice cut through it—sharp, sudden, unfamiliar.
"Why are you laughing?"
"AAAHH!"
I leapt back, heart hammering.
But the space was empty. The voice had vanished as suddenly as it came.
I looked around. Nothing. Only silence, and the soft hum of power thrumming beneath my skin.
I exhaled slowly.
But the tension in my body didn't fade. My nerves were still on edge, every instinct on high alert.
Then a small voice called out from below.
"Down here."
I jumped again, heart skipping a beat. Reflexively, I dropped into a defensive stance, fists raised like a boxer ready to strike. My eyes snapped downward—and then widened in disbelief.
"A… a child?"
Standing there was a small girl. At first glance, she looked no older than five or six, her delicate frame wrapped in a loose white robe. Her silver hair shimmered in the light, and her golden eyes sparkled with a strange, ancient familiarity.
"Who are you?" I asked sharply. "And how did you get in here?"
The girl puffed out her cheeks and pouted.
Something about that face… It was so punchable. Not in a bad way—just in that annoying, irresistibly smug kind of way.
I felt a sudden urge to poke her cheeks, but I shook it off. What the hell was I thinking?
As I tried to pull my thoughts back together, the girl finally spoke.
"Did you forget me already? I'm Moon."
My mind stalled for a second.
"What… is she talking about?"
Then it hit me.
The silver hair.
The golden eyes.
The twin wolf tails swaying behind her.
And the ears—those soft, twitching wolf ears.
My jaw dropped.
"Holy shit… it's you."
She smirked.
"So you've realized who I am, human. A few days ago, I completed my next evolution and finally obtained the ability to transform."
I stared at her, slowly lowering my fists as the realization settled in. The aura was unmistakable—it was Moon.
But I still couldn't help asking, confused, "Why… this form? Why choose to look like this?"
Her smirk faded. Her golden eyes dimmed slightly as her expression turned solemn.
"…This is what my master looked like."
The room fell silent.
I didn't know what to say.
It's been a few days since I killed Fenrir. The world feels quieter now—emptier. I thought peace would follow, but instead, I got… her.
"Hey Erik! Erik! Eriiiik!!"
Her voice cut through the air like an annoying bird that forgot how to land.
"Would you shut up?! I'm trying to monologue!!"
She tilted her head, her ears twitching with curiosity. "What's a monologue?"
I swear, I felt a vein bulge on my temple.
Stay calm. Don't let her get under your skin, I reminded myself, pressing two fingers against my forehead.
Sigh.
"A monologue is… a long speech about a topic," I muttered, dragging the words out like I was teaching a particularly dense rock.
She gasped, eyes lighting up like stars. "Ooooh! What's a topic?"
My eye twitched. Another vein throbbed.
Breathe in… Breathe out…
"A topic," I said through gritted teeth, "is the subject or main idea. It can be anything—a person, a creature, a concept."
"Oh! What about—"
I shot up a hand like a traffic signal.
"Stop. Right there."
She froze mid-sentence, mouth still half-open.
I sighed again, longer this time, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
"Why have you been following me?" I asked, turning to face her.
She glanced away, ears drooping, fingers fidgeting at the hem of her sleeve.
"…I was lonely," she mumbled. "The others of my kind… they don't really like me. They think I'm weird."
I narrowed my eyes and took a step closer, letting my gaze pierce into her. "Why do you care what they think? When we first met, you radiated power. You moved like a force of nature. But now… you act like a lost child."
Her lower lip trembled. "I-I'm not weak!"
"I know you're not," I said firmly. "But why the difference? Why hide behind this act?"
She hesitated, then looked up at me with a sheepish grin. "I was imitating my master's father. He used to appear and vanish in a swirl of wind and shadows, always saying weird cryptic things. I thought it was cool… so I copied him."
We stood there in silence.
Me: "...." Her: "...."
I sighed, turned my back to her, and started walking again.
As I was saying—before being interrupted for the hundredth time—it's been a few days since she started tailing me. And from the moment she showed up, the questions never stopped. She was a constant buzz in my ears, a persistent poke in my ribs. Like a younger sibling you never asked for but somehow ended up stuck with.
I held off on using my system tickets, thinking she'd eventually leave.
She didn't.
"When are you leaving?" I asked bluntly one night, while we sat under a half-broken canopy of stars.
She stiffened, her body visibly deflating as she hugged her knees. "…D-Do you not like me?" Her voice cracked as tears began to well up in her huge, glistening eyes.
Oh no.
"No! No, I like you!" I blurted out, waving my hands in front of me like I could push the tears back into her skull. "I like you a lot!"
She sniffed. "Really?"
"Yeah," I answered, smiling awkwardly.
Her eyes lit up, and she burst into laughter, spinning around like she'd just heard the greatest joke ever.
I slumped back and let out a shaky breath. That was close.
Last time she cried, it was like a floodgate broke open. She bawled for hours, following me the whole time with tears and sniffles. I tried threats, I tried running—nothing worked. Eventually, the system took pity on me and recommended I buy her some food from the shop.
It worked like magic.
But now, every time I eat, she expects to be fed too. And if I say no? Tears. Instantly. And not the soft kind—the earth-shaking, sky-cracking kind. The kind that makes monsters flee and birds drop dead from stress.
I always give in.
Still… as annoying as she is… it's not so bad.
I smiled faintly, watching her hum to herself, spinning in little circles.
"Erik, what's a main idea?"
I froze. My smile cracked.
Never mind. I want this brat gone, I screamed internally.
….
After reaching my base, I didn't waste a second. I headed straight for the river, stripped off my clothes, and dove into the cool water. The sensation hit me like a reset—clean, grounding.
A splash followed.
Moon had jumped in after me, laughing wildly as she hit the surface. Water flew everywhere, and her silver hair clung to her face in wet strands. I blinked, surprised—and then I laughed. A real laugh. Her joy was so pure, so ridiculous, I couldn't help it.
She splashed toward me, imitating my movements in the water with all the elegance of a flailing duck. I watched her struggle to copy how I scrubbed myself down, her hands slipping or missing spots entirely.
Sigh.
I waded over and began helping her, gently lathering soap into her hair and working through the knots in her tail. Her ears twitched as I cleaned them, and when I moved to her cheeks, I couldn't resist giving them a pinch.
She yelped and tried to swat me away, cheeks puffed out in a dramatic pout.
I laughed again—loud and unrestrained.
It wasn't forced this time. Not dry or hollow like before. After everything I'd been through in this place, after the battles and silence and solitude… it felt good to just laugh.
Once we were done, I purchased a set of clothes for each of us from the system shop. Nothing fancy—just something warm, soft, and dry. We dressed and made our way back to the main shelter.
Inside, I sank into my makeshift chair—roughly carved from stone and reinforced with branches and animal hide. It wasn't elegant, but it held my weight and gave me space to think.
Moon stood nearby, eyes locked onto me with a silent expectancy.
I didn't even need to ask.
With a flick of my fingers through the system window, I conjured up a familiar spread: a juicy burger, golden fries, a slice of pepperoni pizza, a can of soda, and a pile of chicken wings.
Her eyes lit up—no, glowed—with uncontainable joy.
I just watched, smiling, as she tore into the food with childish glee. Sauce smeared across her cheeks, and she made the happiest little sounds as she ate, completely immersed.
Looking at her, something stirred in me.
If I ever had a daughter… I think she'd be like this.
Just—less reckless.
And quieter.
But still… like this.