Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Waifu Summoner System!
’No freaking way...’
Panic started setting in as the reality of what this all meant crashed down on Nero like a sledgehammer.
All of his progress.
His levels.
His skills.
His unique abilities.
The Metalloid Transformation and Greater Instinct that had saved his ass multiple times.
His precious Valkyria Swordsmanship that Aurelia had spent weeks teaching him.
Hell, even his basic stats and active skills that he’d worked so hard to improve.
Were they all just... gone?
Just like that...? What the hell even happened?
No, more importantly,
’What the fuck am I supposed to do without any of that?!’
The thought made his stomach churn with dread.
How was he supposed to protect anyone without the system backing him up?
How could he help save Kaito and Haru when he was back to being a useless jobless degenerate with no powers and no stats?
"..."
His hands started trembling as the full scope of his helplessness sank in.
’This can’t be happening. Not now. Not when people are dying and there might be a chance that I might actually be able to—’
"Lord Nero?"
Aurelia’s concerned voice cut through his internal panic.
He must have gone pale as a sheet because her golden eyes immediately locked onto his face with worry.
"...Are you feeling unwell?"
"... Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit lightheaded, that’s all. Nothing major."
He replied with a wry smile, to which Aurelia responded with an unsure delayed nod, to which, clearly, she saw through his easy-to-find out lie as a worried frown was present on her face.
Sensing the ruckus and the noise, it seems they finally caught the attention of the parents who had been focused entirely on their children.
And noticing the arrival of their group, the parents gave their light acknowledgement, especially with Nero waking up.
"Oh... Nero..."
Yuki looked up from Kaito’s bedside with red, puffy eyes that spoke of hours of crying.
Her voice was barely a whisper, drained of all the magical girl energy that usually defined her.
"You’re awake..."
Genya gave a small nod of acknowledgment from his chair beside Haru, but his attention immediately returned to monitoring his son’s labored breathing.
The recognition was weak and distracted.
And it’s not that anyone could blame them for their lack of energy and response.
Their children were dying, and nothing else in the world mattered compared to that.
Any sensible parents would clearly not be in a mood for any sort of greetings.
"..."
Nero felt like the world’s biggest piece of shit now.
These parents were here, watching their kids slowly slip away, and all he could think about was his missing system powers?
What kind of selfish asshole was he?
Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus on what actually mattered.
The trio were lying in those beds... and one of them passed away just recently.
Besides the matter of his missing system and future problems it would cause, Nero felt shittier by the second when he remembered the decision to at least guide these trio of teenagers to look for their families.
Technically, they did meet... but at what cost? Their lives?
The reunion was a tragic one.
Before they could even meet and tell their parents they were fine and all, here they are lying on bed... and Yui is dead before she even gets to embrace and see her mother and father...
In the end, he failed to keep his words.
"..."
Nero could only grit his teeth as his gaze lingered on the floor.
’... No, not yet.’
Kaito and Haru.
He could still keep his words to the two of them... that’s the least he could do as the one who silently let them follow him and Aurelia.
Vincent’s poison is still coursing through their systems.
And there’s the fact that every second wasted brought them closer to following Yui’s fate.
’Think, you useless bastard... There has to be something you can do. System or no system, there has to be—’
And it was at that moment of time, that...
[Thank you for your patience~! The Waifu Summoner System is done rebooting and updating!]
"!!!"
A cheerful, distinctly feminine voice suddenly filled his head, accompanied by a text box that was nothing like the generic blue interfaces he was used to.
This one felt more vibrant and colorful.
Complete with RGB lighting effects that shifted and pulsed like some kind of premium gaming setup.
The contrast between the upbeat, almost bubbly tone and the somber atmosphere of watching children die was so jarring it made his brain short-circuit for a while.
’... What the fuck?’
[The Waifu Summoner System... aka. ’Waifu System’ has now been unrestrained and completely replaced your generic Earth Rebirth V.2.0 System, for your exclusive use!]
More cheerful prompts began flooding his vision, each one accompanied by flashy animations and sound effects that belonged in a gacha anime mobile game rather than a life-or-death situation.
[Congratulations! As a welcome gift, you have received:]
[★ Premium Waifu Tickets x30]
[★ Premium Relic Tickets x40]
[★ SSR Waifu Selector Gachapon x1 (Gift from: The Antagonist)]
’W-Wait a minute! What’s up with all—’
But before he could even process the starter pack properly, another wave of notifications bombarded him like there’s no tomorrow!
[You have overcome death! Through the help of the Antagonist and the absorption of the soul entity: Vex’ahlia, your Heart of the Beast (SR) has been upgraded to Dark Heart (SSR)!]
[Your Valkyria Swordsmanship (SR) has achieved a breakthrough! Basic → Advanced! Keep fighting, waifu summoner!]
[You have partially unlocked your latent potential: ??? (NULL)! You can check it in the latter part of the Waifu System!]
The overwhelming flood of information made his head spin.
It was like someone had taken his old, straightforward system and fed it through a kawaii anime girl filter mixed with the most addictive gacha mechanics imaginable.
It’s a complete overhaul of the old and generic system with a robotic voice.
But for now, curiosity overrode his confusion as he willed the new interface to open fully.
And what greeted him was...
"..."
’... Holy shit.’
This wasn’t a system anymore.
It was a legitimate gacha game interface that looked like it had been ripped straight from the most premium mobile games on the market.
===
WAIFU SUMMONER SYSTEM (SSR)
Name: Nero Walker (Waifu Summoner)
Race: Human
Premium Waifu Tickets: 42x
Premium Relic Tickets: 52x
[ Gacha Rate ]
- R: 97.949%
- SR: 2.000%
- SSR: 0.050%
- UR: 0.001%
– Waifu Banners –
<< Premium Waifu Banners >>
★ All Premium Series ★
<< NEW! Time-Limited Waifu Banners >>
★ "Eons of Holyfield" Series ★
– Relic Banners –
<< Premium Relic Banners >>
★ Premium Divine Relics ★
<< Time-Limited Relic Banners >>
★ "Holyfield of Dawn" Relics ★
[ Card Inventory ]
[ Exchange Shop ]
<<??? (NULL) – [Unawakened]>>
===
"..."
What could he even say?
It was a complete remake of everything he was used to seeing since the apocalypse.
Heck, this isn’t an overhaul anymore, it’s a completely different thing anymore.
There was no more of the sterile, blue-boxed generic isekai system that had guided him through his early survival.
This was a full premium gacha experience, complete with flashy graphics, sleek UI design, and dark mode aesthetics with neon accent lighting that made important text pop.
He could even see some preview 2D arts of different premium-tiers waifus on his screen!
And as a fellow hardcore gacha gamer from his previous lifestyle, the interface was immediately familiar to him. It could even be said to be nostalgic.
It was clean, simple and intuitive.
It doesn’t feel clunky and systemic unlike the old blue-box system he was used to seeing anymore.
The kind of design that was meant to be addictive for the user while hiding the complexity beneath user-friendly buttons and menus.
... Though he had to admit, despite its simplicity, there were still questions that needed answering.
Questions like... what the hell had happened to his old stats, skills, and abilities?
Does that mean that he’s now completely relying on the strength of his waifu...?
And what was that mysterious "??? (NULL)" entry in his inventory that looked a bit glitched and broken?
’Hmm, what should I do now then...?’
Well, clearly before attempting any kind of pulls he had to have some information and knowledge about the waifu’s he’s about to get.
But just as he was about to explore deeper into the menus,
[Heiya, Master! My name is Aria! Your personal assistant for the Waifu System!]
The cheerful and girlish anime voice returned, and this time with what sounded like a proper introduction.
Wait, a personal assistant?
"..."
There was a long moment of silence as Nero processed this latest development.
In the background, he could still hear Haori’s quiet sobs and the labored breathing of the two dying boys.
The contrast between his flashy new system and the grim reality surrounding them felt surreal.
Almost inappropriate.
But if this upgraded system could somehow help him save Kaito and Haru...
Then he would use it.
But first, he had to clarify something about this cheerful girl behind this new system, and so, he decided to ask.
’Are you like an AI voice assistant then?’
***
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