chapter 3: System Mall

Feeling exhausted, I lay on my spacious bed. My entire body aches so badly that I wish I had those pain-relief patches from my past life—like Salonpas or something—to ease the pain.

I sighed, realizing that my previous life wasn't so hard after all. College was stressful, sure, but I still had fun with my friends and family. Thinking about them now only made me miss my past life even more.

"Lily..."

[Yes, Host? (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)?]

"Will I be able to go back once I'm done with everything I need to do here?"

I knew that many people would probably love to be in my situation, but for me? Not really. I loved my old life. I was just starting to achieve my goals, and now… all of that is gone.

Lily didn't respond right away.

[Sorry, Host. I can't give you a definite answer right now. We are restricted from knowing what happens after the mission. I hope you'll forgive me. (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)]

So… it's uncertain, huh?

I sighed, my chest tightening as I fought the urge to cry. I miss my family. My friends. Why me, of all people? Do I really deserve to bear this responsibility?

I stayed in place for a while, trying to calm myself down. Even though the chances of my return were uncertain, I still wanted to hold on to the hope that I would one day go back.

I stood up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. The showers in this world were similar to those on Earth, except the water source came from a magic stone connected to the shower knob. It even had a heating function, so I indulged in a relaxing hot shower.

After drying myself off and changing into a fresh set of clothes, I sat down on the bed and called out to Lily.

"Lily, can I use my points now?"

[Yes, Host! (⁠・⁠∀⁠・⁠) Please pick one from the selection.]

A system window appeared before me.

[System Mall]

Current Points: 30

(A+) Mana Understanding – Helps you comprehend mana and magic in this world. (30 pts)

(B+) Iron Body – Strengthens your body slightly and adds points to Defense. The effect increases as your level rises by 10. (15 pts)

(D+) Refinement – Purges negative energy from your body and replaces it with pure energy. (10 pts)

(D+) Vault – Allows you to store pure energy in your body. The price is halved if Refinement is purchased first. (10 pts)

(E-) Grass Ability – Helps you stay grounded in reality and prevents you from getting lost in delusions. (4 pts)

(E-) Freeze – Allows you to stay completely still for one minute. Useful for games like stop dance. (5-second cooldown). (4 pts)

(F+) Smooth Sailing – Ensures a smooth and effortless bowel movement when constipated. (2 pts)

I scanned through the list. Some of these seemed useful… but the others?

What the heck is this nonsense?!

I thought hard about my decision. Initially, I considered buying Mana Understanding, but for now, I felt there was a better choice. I could always earn more points and buy it later.

"Alright, I've decided."

I selected all my chosen options.

[Are you sure about your purchase?]

[Yes] [No]

I tapped [Yes] and smiled.

[Congratulations on your first purchase, Host! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)] Lily said enthusiastically. [To celebrate your first-ever purchase from the System Mall, you've been awarded 3 free pulls in our gacha system!]

"Thank you! But… what do you mean by the gacha system?" I asked curiously. In my past life, I had been a gacha addict, so I couldn't help but feel a little excited.

[As the name suggests, you get 3 free pulls in our system gacha! You have a chance to obtain trial skills, items, or even permanent skills. Rewards range from (F-) to (SSS+).]

I had terrible luck with gacha in my past life, so I could only hope that, for once, I'd pull something good.

[Would you like to pull now?]

[Yes] [No]

I selected [Yes].

Words spun across the system window in a blur. After about five seconds, the spinning stopped, and a flash of rainbow colors filled the screen.

[Congratulations, Host! You've obtained a very special item!]

[PREMIUM LAXATIVE (C+) – Immediate and 100% effective.]

"What the—" I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "Haha… my luck is shit… literal shit."

[H-Host?... Are you okay? Please cheer up! (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)]

I could sense Lily's concern, but what the heck? I felt so conflicted.

After about a minute of Lily's attempts to comfort me, I gathered the courage to pull again.

[Congratulations, Host! You've obtained another special item!]

[SPECIAL GRASS (B+) – Consuming this grass grants permanent immunity to all mind-control effects and mental attacks.]

"What the he—wait… This is weird but actually decent!"

A burst of laughter escaped me. "HAHAHAHA! I FINALLY GOT A GOOD ONE!"

Feeling like I had completely lost my mind, I broke into a celebratory dance—a mix of frantic movements that could only be described as an octopus squiggling on land.

"Hehehe, I finally got a decent one~" I giggled, munching on the grass like a goat as I continued my bizarre dance.

Unbeknownst to me, a maid had accidentally walked in and caught sight of my…performance. Eyes wide with horror, she immediately freaked out.

After finishing off the Special Grass, I took a deep breath and used my last pull in the system gacha.

[HOST! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE OBTAINED AN S+ ITEM!!]

I was so shocked that I almost felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

[LEPRECHAUN'S RING – An extremely rare item that increases Luck by 100 when worn. This ring registers a single user upon first contact, and only that user can activate its effects.]

I received the item, and to my surprise, it looked just like a simple black ring. There were no intricate engravings or flashy gems—just a plain, unassuming band.

I actually liked that. Simple, yet powerful.

"Status"

[ Name: Aster Alastair

Level: 1

Age: 15

Titles:

Reincarnator

Future Duke of the North

Stats:

Magic: 5

Strength: 6

Defense: 9

Luck: 7 + 100

Special Skills:

(SS+) Endless Possibilities: You can gain endless possibilities depending on your efforts and choices.

(A+) Fast Learner: Learning is easier and faster than normal.

(B+) Iron Body – Strengthens your body slightly and adds points to Defense. The effect increases as your level rises by 10.

(B-) Strong Impression: People will form a strong impression of you. (Only applies if they are unaware of your pathetic state.)

(C+) Choking Immunity: Immune to choking from any food or drink.

(D+) Refinement – Purges negative energy from your body and replaces it with pure energy.

(D+) Vault – Allows you to store pure energy in your body. The price is halved if Refinement is purchased first. ]

Looking at my stats and skills, I felt quite satisfied for now. With a deep sigh, I lay down on my bed, letting exhaustion take over. With that final thought, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, ending the day.