Chapter 11: A Strange Bias Against Mei?
Chapter 11: A Strange Bias Against Mei?
Although Hokuto really wanted to say, "You wouldn't want me to disassemble your wife's Stigmata, right?"—
He held back.
After all, he couldn't afford to expose his true identity.
Then—
[Ding! Congratulations, the host has received a ¥100,000 donation from "Your Great Inventor"!]
HOLY SH—
Hokuto's eyes widened.
No doubt about it—Otto was absolutely loaded.
"Hahaha! Alright, let's keep rolling! This Stigmata is AMAZING! So strong! I'll definitely treasure it forever!"
Otto's response came almost instantly—
"Indeed. Everything related to her should be treasured."
"Absolutely. Definitely."
Hokuto nodded along absentmindedly, barely listening as he tapped the summon button again.
And then—
Blue.
Another blue.
And another.
…Still blue.
Hokuto's hand froze mid-air.
…This is bad.
He could feel it—at this rate, he was about to completely wipe out without pulling anything.
Then—
"Big Brother Streamer, why did you stop again?
Is this 'Higanbana' Stigmata also really strong?"
Seele's innocent message floated across the screen.
At first, Hokuto didn't even register what she meant—
Until he looked at his screen.
There it was—Higanbana (Mid).
A fire-type Stigmata from the 3.3 rework.
A literal joke on a Herrscher of Reason team.
He laughed bitterly.
"Nope. Also useless."
"Oh… that's disappointing…"
Seele sounded genuinely sad.
Hokuto sighed.
He was in no mood for small talk right now—so instead, he mindlessly kept tapping the screen.
Then—
At the very last pull—
A flash of purple.
At first, Hokuto didn't even react.
"It's probably just a fragment or some enhancement material…"
But then—
A white heavy cannon appeared on the screen.
[Key of Truth]
Hokuto blinked.
Then—
"I PULLED IT! HOLY CRAP, DAWEI BRO IS ACTUALLY REAL!!!"
He slammed the screen, ecstatic.
Opening the weapon description, he read aloud:
[A cannon constructed by Bronya using the power of the Herrscher of Reason. It can be mounted on Heavy Bunny's shoulders as a primary weapon or float independently to support its user. The Herrscher's power should require years of experience to master, but Bronya was able to construct such a high-caliber weapon in such a short time—perhaps due to her unparalleled battlefield experience.]
The moment the purple glow appeared on-screen, the entire livestream chat exploded.
"You actually pulled it…"
Otto was speechless.
"Waaaah! Big Brother Streamer, is this the special weapon you mentioned? It looks so cool!"
Seele's excitement was off the charts.
"Hahaha, that's right! Look at the weapon stats—it's a perfect match for the character!"
Hokuto proudly boasted.
In gacha games, signature weapons weren't just strong—they were custom-built for specific characters.
The synergy between a character and their weapon always resulted in a power boost that was greater than the sum of its parts.
"Ooooh… I don't really understand."
"No worries! I'll show you a live demonstration later.
But first… Boss, are you still there?"
Hokuto grinned.
Now that he had successfully pulled the weapon, it was time for someone to pay up.
"…What do you want?"
"Who was it that made a bet with me just now?"
Otto fell silent for a few seconds before replying—
"Hmph. Seems like the Goddess of Fate smiled upon you this time…
But next time, you won't be so lucky."
Then—
A notification popped up.
[Ding! Congratulations, the host has received another ¥100,000 donation from "Your Great Inventor"!]
Hokuto burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! Boss, you're too generous!"
He couldn't stop grinning.
There was no doubt about it—Otto Apocalypse was absolutely loaded.
He was throwing around ¥100,000 donations like pocket change.
And at this rate…
Hokuto was pretty sure he could milk this cash cow for a long time.
Then—
"Hmph. This is merely a trivial amount.
Continue playing.
I'm very interested in this game's story."
Hokuto snapped back to reality.
Right—he had been so focused on gacha that he'd almost forgotten about game progression.
It was best to level up quickly while stamina was still plentiful—if he could reach the Abyss early, he could farm more Crystals.
"Alright, I'll upgrade my team first."
Team Selection: Someone Has to Go
Hokuto opened the character menu and began enhancing his lineup.
Since he hadn't pulled many characters yet, his options were limited to—
White Comet Kiana (Basic Valkyrie) Crimson Impulse Mei (Lightning DPS) Valkyrie Chariot Bronya (Support) Herrscher of Reason Bronya (Main DPS)
Four characters.
But he could only bring three into battle.
Which meant—someone had to go.
Hokuto fell into deep thought.
For a moment, the livestream went silent.
Then—
"Big Brother Streamer? Why did you stop talking again?"
Seele's curious voice floated across the chat.
"Ah, nothing. I'm just thinking about which character to bench."
"Eh?! 'Bench'? Does that mean… banishing them?
Nooo! That's so cruel!"
Seele immediately panicked.
Having grown up in an orphanage, she associated the word "benching" with getting abandoned.
So when she realized that Bronya-nee might get kicked out of the team, she felt sick.
"Ah—wait! No, no, no, it's not what you think!
This game doesn't let you actually get rid of characters.
'Benching' just means they'll sit in storage while I focus on other characters."
"Ooooh… I see.
Then… who are you going to bench?"
Seele sounded relieved but still nervous.
If Bronya-nee was the one getting benched, she was ready to argue.
But in the end—
"Who else? When in doubt, bench Mei."
Hokuto shrugged.
Then—he proceeded to level up Herrscher of Reason, White Comet, and Valkyrie Chariot.
His final team composition:
Herrscher of Reason (Leader, Main DPS) White Comet (Sub-DPS / Support) Valkyrie Chariot (Utility / Crowd Control)
Meanwhile—
Mei, sitting at level 1 with level 1 gear, was left behind in the storage room.
Alone.
Seele blinked.
"Big Brother Streamer…
Do you have something against this 'Mei' person?
Why did you leave her out?"
Hokuto paused.
Then, with a perfectly straight face, he replied—
"It's tradition."
End of Chapter 11