At night, all is silent.
Celeste sat cross-legged on the bed, her posture as straight as a pine tree—an imprint of Millelith training carved into her very bones.
There was nothing before her eyes, yet her consciousness had completely sunk into a starry sky that belonged solely to her.
On the system interface, the shimmering [Beginner Benefit Pool (Limited)] icon was radiating a lethal temptation.
"1462 points..."
She whispered the number, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on her knees as her heartbeat quickened bit by bit.
Painful memories of countless sinking ships and skyrocketing blood pressure from gacha pulls in her past life surged up, mixing with her current thirst for the unknown to ferment into a tremor that made her palms sweat.
There was also a deep-seated unease originating from her bloodline, belonging to an African Chieftain.
She thought again of those tricky Overtones and that temporarily sealed venti trial card she didn't dare use lightly.
"Whether I'm lucky or not, it all comes down to this! System bless me, at least give me a usable character card!"
She muttered under her breath, her tone almost prayer-like.
Her gaze swept over the black tassel spear (Pink Skin Version) in the system space that had accompanied her for many days and achieved great things, silently chanting: "Old partner, lend me some Euro-energy!"
She concentrated her mind and solemnly clicked the [Ten-pull] button with her will!
"Buzz—"
There was no world-shaking roar, only a very light hum echoing deep within her mind.
In the next moment, light erupted from the center of the system interface!
Ten meteors whistled out, trailing long tails of flame as they drew ten brilliant trajectories before her eyes!
White, white, green, white...
A series of dim lights flashed by, causing the color in her pupils to rapidly fade.
[Ding! Obtained: Mora x 5000! (White)]
[Ding! Obtained: Teyvat Fried Egg x 3! (White)]
[Ding! Obtained: Sweet Madame x 5! (Green)]
[Ding! Obtained: credit points x 10000! (White)]
[Ding! Obtained: Mondstadt Hash Brown x 2! (Blue)]
[Ding! Obtained: hidden blade x 1! (Blue)]
[Ding! Obtained: hidden blade x 1! (Blue)]
Seven lights dissipated.
A total mess.
They were all familiar materials, food, and weapons she couldn't use for the time being.
Celeste's heart sank bit by bit, and that familiar twisting pain in her stomach returned.
This scene, this damned "blue sky and white clouds," made her dream back to the horror of being dominated by games in her past life.
"Fine, a purple weapon for the pity is okay too, better than nothing..."
She began to build up her psychological defenses, forcibly suppressing her unrealistic expectations.
Just as she was preparing to accept her fate and start calculating what these materials could be used for—
The eighth light exploded!
It was a deep and bright purple!
Amidst the light, the outline of an ancient and atmospheric Claymore slowly emerged!
[Ding! Obtained: favonius greatsword x 1! (Purple)]
"A weapon! A purple weapon!"
Celeste's breath hitched, and her dimmed eyes were instantly reignited!
It wasn't the character card she desired most, but a solid purple-quality weapon was worth a fortune!
She forcibly suppressed the urge to take it out immediately because the gacha animation was still continuing.
"Good, there really is a pity!"
The ninth light was still the familiar blue, another two hash browns.
The last pull.
The pity had already been triggered, so this one was likely fodder.
Celeste relaxed completely; being able to get the favonius greatsword made this Ten-pull a huge profit. That public execution during the arena match finally wasn't in vain.
However.
At the very moment the tenth meteor leaped out of the pool—
A pillar of light, deeper and more dazzling than the previous purple, as if it had condensed the entire starry sea, erupted violently!
Her entire field of vision was completely swallowed by this brilliant purple light!
[Ding! Congratulations Host: Permanent Character Card - Noelle x 1! (Purple)]
A pur... purple character card?!
Celeste's brain stopped for half a second.
Immediately after, a mountain-shaking wave of wild joy instantly drowned her rationality!
It wasn't a golden legend, but this was a permanent, real character card!
This had already far exceeded her boldest expectations!
"Noelle! It's Noelle!"
She almost cried out, only able to clench her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms to use the pain to confirm she wasn't dreaming.
Within the light, the card rotated slowly.
That Damselette dressed in silver-white and dark gray maid armor stood there quietly.
His ash-gold short hair fell softly on his shoulders, his emerald eyes were clear and firm, and his face carried a gentle yet incredibly reliable smile.
[Noelle (Permanent)]
[Type: Character Card (4-star)]
[Description: After use, you can transform into the Apprentice Knight Noelle from the Knights of Favonius, gaining all combat skills and Talents. During the transformation, the corresponding outfit is automatically equipped (System Adaptive Version).]
[Attached Life Skill: All-around Housekeeping (Mastery)]
[Note: Leave it to me! You can leave anything to me! Whether it's cleaning the battlefield or cleaning a room.]
[favonius greatsword]
[Type: Claymore]
[Description: A standard-issue greatsword of the Knights of Favonius; wielding it requires considerable arm strength. Only the truly strong can make it exert its proper power.]
[Note: Light... light as a feather? (Experience of a certain Maid Knight who wishes to remain anonymous)]
The purple light faded, and the interface returned to calm.
Celeste still maintained her cross-legged sitting posture, but the heart in her chest was pounding like a drum.
She pulled it!
She actually pulled a character card!
That six-sided all-around warrior who was jokingly called a "Humanoid Gundam" and the "Geo Archon Princess" in the game!
Can fight! Can tank! Can heal!
Activating the ultimate makes him a battlefield meat grinder!
With this card, her shortcomings of insufficient siege capability and weakness against enemies skilled in defense would be completely filled!
She even began to imagine herself descending from the sky in a Domain match when her younger sister Selene was Overstretched...
However, just as the tide of wild joy rose, her streamer memories from her past life and her high schooler's sense of shame in this life joined forces to sound the highest level of alarm.
Wait!
Transform into Noelle?
Doesn't that mean she would have to wear that iconic Maid Knight armor with the flying skirt?
And wield that door-sized favonius greatsword?
That image...
The scene of transforming into Pela during the arena match, pushing non-existent glasses while reciting lines, was still at a level that could make her cringe hard enough to dig out a fantasy castle with her toes in the middle of the night.
And that was just the short-lived effect of Overtones.
But using a character card, according to the experience with the venti trial card, could even affect one's speaking tone and behavior patterns!
Would she have to shout "Leave it to me!" and "I will keep a maid's etiquette in mind!" in public while carrying a greatsword and hacking enemies into eighteen pieces?
"No—!"
Celeste let out a silent wail in her heart.
The color instantly drained from her cheeks, which had just been flushed with joy, leaving her somewhat pale.
The taste of power was so sweet.
But the price of Social Death was also becoming heavier every time.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"Calm down, Celeste, rational analysis."
"Noelle's outfit... at least it's proper knight's armor."
"Even if it's a maid style... it's armor first and foremost!"
Thinking of this, the circuits of her mind suddenly connected.
Right!
Knight's armor appearing on a battlefield is surely more normal than a Bard's white tights and green hat, right?
And it's more suitable for combat than Pela's clerical uniform, right?!
The more she thought about it, the more sense it made, and she even began to feel a hint of relief.
"If I had pulled some island swimsuit limited character, that would be true Social Death!"
"In comparison, what does a Maid Knight matter?"
"It has high defense and high HP! It cuts through iron like butter!"
"On the battlefield, who cares if there's lace on your armor? Good armor is armor that can blow up a monster with one sword swing!"
Thinking this way, Celeste suddenly felt that the purple-shining character card looked much more pleasing to the eye.