Every dolphin show at the aquarium randomly selected a lucky young audience member for interactive participation. They could feed the dolphins or other marine creatures and even touch them.
Killua was chosen yesterday, and today it was Alluka. The odds of this were clearly not normal!
As Alluka excitedly left their seats, I looked at Milluki, who anticipated my question. The moment our eyes met, he admitted with his lips that he had cheated using Nen abilities.
Good, Milluki! Using Nen for such a base and shameless act... it's just so incredibly cool.
The manipulation-type ability is so convenient. It's comparable to the efficacy of those scam ads in cheap magazines about "that water," "that pill," or "that cigarette" that make people obey unconditionally. If such an ability existed in the "Real World," one could navigate human society with such ease.
Ahem, I've digressed.
In the afternoon, we went to the cinema. The specific movie didn't matter; the main point was that the two little cats wanted to experience the difference between the Zoldyck family's home theater and an outside cinema, or perhaps it was "the young masters of a wealthy family wanting to visit commoner facilities."
We uncreatively chose a popular animated film. Milluki was in charge of buying tickets, while I took Killua and Alluka to buy popcorn and other snacks. Although I had popcorn in my game backpack, I wanted the full experience, and I didn't have the other cinema snacks in my backpack.
I briefly glanced at the menu on the counter. We were rich now and had to act the part. This meant saying goodbye to indecisiveness and, in other words...
"Hello, please give us one of everything!" Killua, whom I had lifted up to successfully clear the counter height, spoke for me.
"Excuse me, one of everything?" The server, unable to ascertain if the child's request was merely a whim, looked at me while asking.
I nodded.
"Alright, please wait a moment." The server turned to tally and package the order.
I put Killua back down, letting him continue to look at the food displayed in the glass counter with Alluka.
The freshly made large popcorn was rich with aroma. We got all three flavors: butter, caramel, and chocolate. I handed a tub to each of Killua and Alluka, just as Milluki returned with the tickets, ready to help carry one. The remaining snacks were small and separately packaged in plastic bags, making them easy for me to carry alone.
Perhaps because I bought so much, the server gave me a pack of tissues along with the receipt. He certainly couldn't have known I had 999 packs of tissues in my game backpack.
"I'll carry it for you, sis," Milluki said, hooking a popcorn tub onto his arm, thus freeing up one hand.
Slightly relieved by Milluki's attentiveness, I stepped back half a pace to allow him to take the other packaged snacks from the counter. However, his path wasn't as I'd hoped; his target was the receipt and tissues in my hand.
"..." Good heavens, Milluki, you're destined to be single.
No, I was wrong again. Milluki's target was only the receipt.
"Let me see how much we bought," Milluki said, pulling out the long receipt.
As the receipt was almost fully pulled out, another slip of paper fluttered from between the receipt and the tissues. This unexpected piece of paper immediately made me tense.
"!!!" Could it be an enemy attack!
The items were given to me by the server.
While observing the paper with "Ren," my peripheral vision caught the most suspicious server's unsettling expression. He clearly had something to hide.
Milluki had obviously noticed the paper at the same moment. Out of caution, he didn't reach for it immediately, waiting a few seconds after it fell to the ground before picking it up.
"This is something you dropped, isn't it?" Milluki placed the slip on the counter, sliding it towards the server whose face had gone stiff. "Take better care of your own things; they're hard to find once lost."
With that, Milluki picked up the other bag of snacks from the counter and told me, "It's nothing, just a small misunderstanding." He then reminded me not to take my eyes off Killua and Alluka no matter what happened, making me forget to ask him about the slip of paper.
Did that slip of paper have a string of numbers on it? Was it the lottery numbers the server intended to buy?
It didn't matter, as long as it wasn't an enemy attack.
The animation in this movie theater was ten years behind the "Real World" level, and the plot was also a trope that had been overused today. I couldn't ask for too much; children's family-friendly films needed simple plots for kids to understand.
Right, I still had three uses of the [Synthesize] function today. I might as well use this boring movie time to continue researching the synthesis rules.
As I mentioned before, I accidentally discovered the game backpack's [Enhance] function shortly after I withdrew money from my account to hide some fund flows, placing a large amount of cash into my game backpack. [Synthesize] was also discovered around the same time. The reason I'm only mentioning it now is that the effect of [Synthesize] was poor, making it an unusable skill for the time being.
Through my relentless exploration over many days, the currently known [Synthesize] rules are as follows:
1. [Synthesize] can only be used three times a day; the count resets at midnight.
2. Items obtained through [Synthesize] cannot be used for further [Synthesize] attempts.
3. Items that have already been [Enhanced] cannot be used for [Synthesize].
4. Using [Synthesize] requires consuming Jenny from the game backpack. The specific amount consumed is entirely random, ranging from 100 Jenny to 1,000,000 Jenny.
5. The two items used in [Synthesize] will disappear, and the final product will be determined by the participating items, meaning "there are fixed [Synthesize] formulas."
To make the [Synthesize] function useful, researching the [Synthesize] formulas is crucial. Limited to three uses per day, I cherished each opportunity and meticulously wrote down all the formulas I had tried to avoid accidental repetitions. A good memory is no match for writing things down.
Perhaps due to my character level increasing, the notebook I kept in my game backpack gained the [Read] and [Use] functions in my second year after activating "Ren."
The [Read] function allows me to view the notebook's contents directly within the game backpack, without needing to [Retrieve] the notebook and flip through it.
The [Use] function allows me to write on the notebook within the game backpack using my mind, eliminating the need to [Retrieve] the notebook to write.
I've tested the writing done with my mind in the notebook on the butler and random passersby outside, and they could all see the words. Although I don't know the principle behind it, anything is possible with Nen abilities. I no longer have to sneak around under the covers to write a diary; I can write in the game backpack with my mind!
The [Read] and [Use] functions apply to all paper publications. The [Use] function is irreversible; words written cannot be erased, only modified mentally, such as by adding strikethroughs or blacking them out.
Opening the game backpack, I selected the "Frequently Read" category, chose the notebook marked "Synthesis Records," and selected [Read]. The notebook opened before me in a holographic display. I used my mind to flip to the latest page, confirmed the most recent record, then closed the display with my mind and began today's exploration of [Synthesize] formulas.
To ensure I didn't miss any [Synthesize] formulas, I employed a brute-force method. For the two items in a [Synthesize] formula, one would serve as a constant, and the other as a variable. I continuously swapped the variable until all possibilities were exhausted.
Regrettably, the limited quantity of most items prevented me from achieving a perfect brute-force approach. Therefore, I actually conducted selective experiments, relying entirely on sudden inspiration.
The glittering collectables in my game backpack, with the highest quantity being [Shiny Cabbage], led me to start my [Synthesize] experiments using [Shiny Cabbage] as the constant material, with other items as variables. I tried many possibilities, such as [Synthesize]ing [Shiny Cabbage] with [Shiny Cabbage] to obtain [Shiny Elite Cabbage]. Apart from the name change, no other differences were apparent. For example, [Synthesize]ing [Shiny Cabbage] with clothing resulted in [Green Dye]. [Synthesize]ing [Shiny Cabbage] with cutlery produced [Cabbage Sauce]. [Synthesize]ing [Shiny Cabbage] with firearms yielded [Green Clay]. And so on and so forth; the products were all related to the color green.
When glittering collectables were used with other items for [Synthesize], the results were similar to [Shiny Cabbage], producing rather nonsensical items that mostly reflected some property of the collectable.
If non-glittering collectables were used, the products of [Synthesize] were, without exception, the result of combining items. For instance, [Synthesize]ing cutlery with firearms resulted in firearms with bayonets attached. [Synthesize]ing cutlery with firearms also produced sliced food. [Synthesize]ing poison with food yielded poisoned food. [Synthesize]ing food with clothing resulted in clothes stained with food. Most were predictable outcomes, while others were almost entirely useless items.
No matter, I must bravely keep trying!
Let's begin today's three [Synthesize] attempts!
[Hollow French Fries] + [Chocolate Popcorn], [Synthesize], obtained [Chocolate Hollow French Fries].
Well, as expected.
[Hollow French Fries] + [M1917 Smith & Wesson], [Synthesize], obtained [Basic Ore].
That's alright. [Basic Ore] is at least a material for [Enhance].
[Hollow French Fries] + [Battery No. 7], [Synthesize], obtained [Carbon Powder].
A result without much significance.
Today's three [Synthesize] attempts are complete. I will [Use] the game backpack's notebook to record the experiments.
My attention shifted to the movie screen. The protagonist and their companions were embarking on a treacherous journey to find a legendary item to defeat the formidable boss. A boss defeatable by an item must have been quite easy. How nice it would be if I could [Synthesize] an incredibly powerful weapon or item.
Friendship, effort, victory. It's boring. I long passed the stage of believing I could change the world and become a great person. I'm now in the phase of realizing I'm an ordinary, insignificant individual.
The desire to do something remarkable is not false.
Although my character's background setting surpasses that of over ninety percent of the characters in this world, I am still too weak compared to true powerhouses, and crucially, I have no cheat.
Mourls, useless guy. Stupid and useless. Nen abilities are garbage. Seventeen years, and I still can't even defeat the boss in the initial dungeon. I might as well die.
"...Sister?" A small hand waved in front of my eyes.
"..." I snapped back to reality and looked at Killua, the owner of the hand.
"The movie is over," Killua said.
The lights in the cinema came up, and the audience began to rise and leave, casting personal shadows on the cast and crew list displayed on the screen.
I nodded and stood up from my seat.
"Onee-chan, was the movie boring?" Alluka asked, tilting their head up.
"Hmm." I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I accidentally fell asleep and didn't watch it."
"But you were clearly with your eyes open," Killua said. Sitting next to me in the cinema, he could easily observe my state.
"Some people can sleep with their eyes open," I said dismissively, waving my hand. "Where do you want to go next?"
Killua fell into thought, and Alluka said they were hungry. Since rich people do as they please, we decided to eat first.
I suggested a lively family restaurant, while Milluki preferred a quiet restaurant with fewer people.
We voted. Three to one, the majority favored liveliness. We were already tired of the quiet of Mount Kukuroo.
I patted Milluki on the shoulder, advising him not to be too reclusive. Although the family didn't mind him being a shut-in, it wouldn't hurt to get out and about occasionally.
"..." Milluki, defeated in the vote once again, transferred his dissatisfaction to the boisterous, screaming children in the family restaurant.
Even Milluki could silence crying children with his killing intent. Truly a Zoldyck.
After dinner, we casually strolled around the vicinity and then decided to head to the beach. It was getting late, so there was no need to rush. We decided to return to the hotel to rest and set off tomorrow.
It felt so good to see two cute little cats (ignoring Milluki) waiting for you on the bed after taking a bath.
"Ah." Alluka, the black kitten, slid off the bed. "I want to help Onee-chan comb her hair too!"
Alluka's preferences always leaned towards the feminine side. Killua, on the other hand, had little interest in hair and chose to continue watching the anime on television.
I originally hoped Killua would like me more, but inexplicably, I've entered Alluka's route?
This is not something to be happy about. Killua must be number one in Alluka's heart. This is crucial for the smooth progression of the original plot.
No, don't get too big for your britches. Alluka isn't that easy to win over. For now, they just see me as a playmate they like, much like a beautiful doll they enjoy playing with.
To win Alluka over, I believe the period when the Zoldyck family tested Alluka's abilities in the original work was the most critical point. However, do I have the ability to contend with the entire Zoldyck family and prevent Alluka's imprisonment? The answer is no.
I sat down on the carpet. Alluka took the comb handed over by the butler and, imitating the butler, cupped a lock of my long hair in one hand and began combing it with the comb in the other.
After a while, Alluka said, "Onee-chan, can I braid your hair?"
See, braiding hair—a classic move for little girls playing with dolls.
When it comes to being a doll, I'm super confident. I'm the highly experienced dress-up doll that Mrs. Kikyo favors.
I [Retrieved] hair ties from my game backpack and handed them to Alluka.
"Wow, thank you, Onee-chan!" Alluka happily accepted them.
Wait, when the Nanika power within Alluka awakens, and I, unable to stop the original plot, can fulfill Nanika's three "demands," can't I use Nanika as a cheat to "make a wish"?
What wish should I make?
Should I wish to become the strongest Nen user in the world? I recall the butler in the original work who wished to be a billionaire. Nanika's way of fulfilling wishes wasn't by altering character settings, but by teleporting the armored truck that was transporting the money. Making someone a billionaire through robbery is unjust and not exactly safe. Thus, it appears Nanika's method of fulfilling wishes might not be as the person desires.
If I want my wishes to be precisely fulfilled, ensuring the method of fulfillment is essential. For instance, if Nanika's way of fulfilling my wish is to swap my body with the strongest Nen user, Netero... As a devoted fan of good looks, I don't quite desire Netero's character skin.
So, I need to describe my wish in a different way.
"I'm done braiding!" Alluka came around in front of me, taking my hand and urging me to look in the mirror.
Alluka braided my hair into a single pigtail, its shape resembling a human twisted into a rope by Nanika's ability in the original work.
I wish for all humans stronger than me in the world to die.
Nanika, one of the five calamities from the Dark Continent, adept at destruction, should be able to fulfill such a simple wish, right?
"Does it look good?" Alluka asked me.
I patted their head and smiled, nodding.
Once all humans stronger than me in the world are dead, the Zoldyck family, and everything else, will be under my command.
Hmph, hahahaha, hahahahaha.