Celeste fondled the character card glowing with purple light, unable to put it down.
A strange duet resonated from her fingertips.
The surface of the card was warm; it was the thirst for power pulsing deep within her heart, tempting her to surrender.
The corners of the card were icy cold; it was the alarm of social death screaming in her mind, raising a patch of goosebumps.
The temptation to become stronger grew wildly like vines on the walls of her reason.
On the other hand, her instinctive resistance to making a fool of herself in public made her fingertips feel faintly cold.
"Forget it, I won't worry about that for now."
She shook her head, temporarily clearing those messy worries from her brain.
"Having another trump card is always a good thing."
"As for when to use it and how to use it... I'll worry about that when the time comes."
She turned her gaze to the remaining pull in the [Beginner Welfare Pool], and the bottomless [Ten Thousand Worlds Joy Permanent Pool] next to it.
At this moment, her need for "joy value" had never been so urgent.
"To earn joy value, I have to experience social death."
"To avoid social death, I have to become stronger."
"To become stronger, I have to pull from the gacha."
"To pull from the gacha, I have to go through social death to earn joy value..."
She murmured to herself, despairingly realizing that this was an unsolvable closed loop.
A perfect infinite loop from which she had no escape.
Just then, the system's mechanical voice rang out at the perfect moment, like a cold demon whispering fatal temptations in her ear.
[Ding! Host has been detected to have obtained their first permanent character card. Unlocking the Character Card Usage Module.]
[Usage Instructions: Silently say "Use [Character Card Name]" to activate the transformation. The duration of the transformation depends on the Host's own attributes, stamina, and character card compatibility. For the first use, it is recommended to do so in a safe and undisturbed environment. To cancel the transformation, silently say "Cancel Transformation."]
[Please note: During the transformation, your words and actions may be somewhat influenced by the character's personality.]
Celeste glanced at the closed door, confirming that the lock was in place.
She walked to the window again and pulled the heavy curtains tight, leaving no possibility for even a sliver of light to leak in.
Only after finishing all this did she tightly clutch the noelle character card in her palm.
A sense of solemnity, like heading to an execution ground, weighed heavily on her heart.
Her throat bobbed, and in a voice that was barely audible and slightly trembling, she spoke the name:
"Use... noelle character card!"
The moment the words fell, a soft purple light burst forth from the card, completely swallowing her!
A force entirely different from the Millelith's ferocity—heavier and more stable—exploded from her heart like warm lava, instantly washing through her entire body!
Celeste looked up blankly at the full-length mirror in front of her.
The Damselette in the mirror seemed to have grown a few inches taller.
Her original loungewear had vanished, replaced by a set of black and white Maid Knight skirt armor that was intricately detailed yet perfectly fitted.
That door-like favonius greatsword was now being held in one hand; the heavy tip of the blade rested on the carpet, yet she couldn't feel the slightest weight.
A sense of responsibility—the desire to protect something, to shoulder everything for someone—welled up from the depths of her heart without warning.
Her body uncontrollably straightened its back.
Her left hand brushed against the armor on her chest, and she gave a slight nod to the familiar yet strange self in the mirror.
Then, a gentle yet firm voice escaped from her own lips:
"Yes, as you wish."
Celeste: "!!!"
Shut up! Who told you to speak!
What is with this damn gentle and serious Maid Knight tone!
A overwhelming sense of shame turned into a tidal wave, instantly washing away the bit of novelty and joy from having just gained power.
She could already foresee that on the future Domain battlefields, in front of her teammates and enemies, she would suddenly blurt out something like this...
Just thinking about that scene was enough to make her die on the spot a hundred times.
She bit her lip hard, using almost all of her willpower to suppress the words "Cancel Transformation" that were about to slip out.
No!
Absolutely not!
I must first become familiar with this power!
She forced herself to shift her attention and tried to swing the favonius greatsword in her hand.
The massive blade sliced through the air, letting out a dull whistle, yet it felt as light as nothing in her hand.
With a thought.
Boundless geo element power within her body responded to the call, instantly converging!
A hexagonal shield flashing with heavy yellow light instantly appeared, firmly protecting her in the center.
"Heart Protection Armor... it feels so sturdy."
She could clearly sense the strength of this shield; it was much more reliable than any defensive measure she had mastered before.
What surprised her even more was that while the shield existed, every time she swung her sword, a faint warm current flowed back through her arm to her whole body, slowly restoring her consumed stamina.
"Passive healing! This is so practical!"
She grew bolder and even tried to channel a bit of the power from the element burst "Great Cleanup."
In an instant!
The geo elements throughout the room became manic and restless!
The light from the favonius greatsword in her hand surged, and a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of cleaving mountains condensed on the blade!
Her face turned pale, and she immediately cut off the flow of power, not daring to continue any further.
This transformation experience lasted for a full twelve minutes.
Not until a clear sense of fatigue surged up like a tide did she pant and actively deactivate the state.
"120 Constitution points for 12 minutes... it seems every 10 Constitution points can support one minute."
She leaned against the wall, silently calculating.
"Although the duration isn't long, it's perfectly sufficient as a trump card for a burst of power in critical moments!"
She remembered that the venti trial card didn't seem to have this restriction; it seemed this was the difference between permanent and trial cards.
After catching her breath, she shifted her attention to the other gains from this ten-pull.
Five portions of [Sweet Madame] could heal a quarter of her HP in one go at a critical moment and also accelerate stamina recovery; they were treasures for combat endurance.
Four portions of [Mondstadt Hash Brown] had a simple effect: restoring stamina and energy, suitable for long journeys.
Three [Teyvat Fried Egg] portions; this one surprised her the most, as it could actually remove random negative statuses! Poison, paralysis, weakness... in a treacherous Domain, this thing was practically a second life!
Next were two types of currency.
[Mora x 5000], [credit points x 10000].
The system noted that both currencies could be used in the as-yet-unlocked System Shop, and it "kindly" prompted that prices were on par with the Interstellar Peace Corporation's headquarters at Pier Point, where a bottle of purified water cost 1000 Mora or credit pointss.
"Black-hearted system!" Celeste couldn't help but grumble inwardly, but having them was better than nothing; it counted as an investment for the future.
Finally, there were two uniquely shaped bracers.
[hidden blade x 2]: From the "Assassin's Creed" series, assassinating non-boss creatures deals 500% DMG, ineffective against oversized creatures.
Celeste looked at this description, her gaze becoming somewhat subtle.
Assassination, huh...
There will always be a time when it comes in handy.