Zanac POV
ASSIMILATED:
[Jin]
[Kurogiri]
IN PROGRESS:
[Rudeus Greyrat — 56%]
[Beryl Gardenant — 72%]
Looking at the status screen, I frowned slightly.
Rudeus was taking more time than I had expected.
Then again… it wasn't surprising.
He was a reincarnator, and his first life wasn't excluded from the template.
Still, the results weren't disappointing.
Thanks to him, I had already reached an advanced level in Water Magic, an intermediate level in Earth Magic, and elementary proficiency in Fire Magic.
When I compared my magical growth to the assimilation percentage, one conclusion became clear.
This template was most likely from around the time of his first meeting with Eris.
…Which meant no Demon Eye.
A pity.
In contrast, Beryl Gardenant was progressing far faster than expected. Despite being older and the last one I slotted, his assimilation rate had already surpassed Rudeus's by a wide margin.
The reason was obvious.
Swordsmanship stacked.
Jin's foundation, combined with my regular practice. Unlike magic, which required environment and secrecy, physical combat could be trained anywhere, anytime.
Rudeus had also given me a solid grasp of Elementary North God Style, which further accelerated Beryl's progress.
Still the my main focus is on magic.
If I wanted to speed up Rudeus assimilation, the answer was simple.
More magic practice.
But that was where the problem began.
I don't have time and place.
In this world, I couldn't afford to use even basic magic. The moment word spread that the second prince was a magician, my position would change permanently.
Not because of ridicule.
I didn't care if nobles looked at me like some trained monkey.
The real issue was that one of my trump cards would be exposed far too early.
That left only one option.
That world.
But the time I spent there was far too limited.
Even when I crossed over, most of it was consumed by gathering information due to wandering through the village… and experimenting with slimes whenever I found them.
Looks like I'll have to cut down on experiments.
Training takes priority.
With that decision made, I checked my GACHA points.
[Points: 30]
"…Alright. RNG gods, don't fail me."
1. Cid Kagenou (The Eminence in Shadow)
"…Fuck."
There was no other word for it.
Was there a connection between world travel and gacha pulls? Because coincidences didn't usually stack this hard.
I'd need to start recording pull timing and conditions. If patterns existed, understanding them would be just as important as getting power.
After all, this system was my greatest cheat.
I shifted my gaze to the description.
"A reincarnater noble whose secret identity is Stylish bandit slayer"
Right. This was pre-Shadow Cid.
Adult Shadow would easily be Level 80+, with I Am Atomic rivaling Super-Tier magic.
Cid Kagenou was a genius.
Mana manipulation, weapon mastery, hand-to-hand combat, he excelled in all of it.
Even in this form, I was confident he could match Gazef Stronoff, if not outright defeat him, assuming Gazef wasn't fully equipped with magic artifact's.
I am so happy right now. Just this card alone made the entire wait worth it.
Still, I forced myself to calm down and continued checking the rest.
2. Ring of Mind Shielding (D&D)
"…Another ring?"
Was the system trying to propose me?
"..."
I ignored the thought.
Anyway, it was a good item. Now I wouldn't have to worry about someone reading my thoughts through magic.
It could also prevent others from detecting lies or even identifying my race. Does that mean that if I ever became a demon and maintained a human form, no one would be able to recognise me?
There had to be limits. Higher-tier artefacts or powerful magic should be able to overwhelm its effects. Nothing was absolute.
I didn't dwell on it further and continued reading the description.
"...If you die while wearing the ring, your soul enters it, unless it already houses a soul. You may remain in the ring or depart for the afterlife. As long as your soul resides within the ring, you can communicate telepathically with any creature wearing it. The wearer cannot block this communication."
So unless my soul was completely destroyed, there was at least a chance of coming back.
Let's just hope I won't have to test that function anytime soon.
I immediately took the ring out. It had a vibrant purple, oval-shaped centrepiece designed to resemble a human brain.
I slid it onto the middle finger of my left hand, right beside the Detection Blocking Ring on my index finger.
The moment I did, only one ring remained visible.
There was no sign of the new one I had just put on, another useful feature. As long as I wished, it would remain invisible.
Though when I die or take it out it will be back to visible.
3. Minor Healing Potion ×3 (Overlord)
Once again, something from the world I currently lived in.
It only raised my expectations further. At this rate, someday I might actually pull an Undead Daddy template.
And considering there must be many alternate verses existed especially those fanfictions I read before, my dream of pulling something from a fanon timeline didn't feel completely impossible anymore.
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Suggestions for rest of cards