Non-Entity Isekai (Original/Slight Gacha Game Multicross)

[Ni Kato]

Spoiler: Introduction

So to those who read my story at SB and SV, remember my story about an MC who can become characters from his favorite Gacha Games (that doesn't really exist in our world)?

This is the original idea for it before I scrap it. The story is supposed to be a fanfiction before I decided to turn it into an original story because I won't be using the actual characters from those Gacha Games at all, only their bodies that the MC will be using to interact with the world.

Just like what I said from my profile post, I decide to return to my roots which is writing every dumb idea I have thought of, abandoned, or didn't publish out of embarrassment or thinking it's not qualified enough to be an official story. I now know that forcing myself to change isn't really improving my skill but ruining my own style. I am returning to my own style of simply writing what I want even if it sounds dumb.

This is one of them. The original setting too is not supposed to be a typical fantasy isekai but rather a dystopian world where might makes right.

So yeah... the Gacha Games that will be mentioned here are the actual crossover elements here. It is why this is a fanfiction. Though everything else is original.

I hope you have fun with this story. I really have fun writing this one!~

That is all. Have fun!~

When I came to, I found myself floating in eternal darkness. I don't know how I find myself here. My memories are so blurry that I don't even know what happens before waking up in this emptiness.

Am I alive? Dead? Maybe I am on the last vestiges of my consciousness before my brain shuts down?

I don't really know what is happening. I can't feel my body at all. I try to open my eyelids but sense the lack of it. I try to move my limbs only to feel nothing. Even as I try to speak, no noise is coming out, as I can't feel the movement of my throat or my mouth and lips. I can't smell. I can't even feel the beating of my heart.

There is nothing in here other than my own consciousness. I think I might actually be dead. How can I explain everything else other than this?

I can't even remember my own name, nor do I know who I am. I know I am a human at least and that I live in Japan. I don't know the specific year when I live, but I know it is modern due to my memories of skyscrapers, cars, and mobile phones from my blurry memories.

I can't remember who my parents are, and I don't know if I have any friends or not. What is my gender? Do I have any pets? What about the city that I live in? All I know is that I'm from Japan, but not the city that I actually live in!

I don't know the answer to those. Most of the things about me slip out of my mind, though there is one thing that I am clear about.

What I clearly remember is my love of Gacha Games. I still remember how I gush when I get Labrysta from Princess Connect. I still remember when I C6 Furina and Raiden Shogun, two of my favorite characters in Genshin Impact. I can clearly remember managing to pull the alternate version of Nearl from Arknights and building her up to be an absolute tank to finish harder stages. I can remember shredding Myouki Kurokage with Hanako's summer variant from Blue Archive. I remember finally finishing the slog of content that is the whole main story of Fate Grand Order. I remember jumping in joy when getting Don's Sancho ID.

I clearly recall all of the Gacha Games I have played. Blue Archive, Princess Connect - Reive, Limbus Company, Fate Grand Order, Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail, Arknights, Nikke: Goddess of Victory, Epic Seven, Guardian Tales, Girl's Frontline, Azur Lane, Battle Cats, Punishing: Gray Raven, and many, many more.

Even the obscure ones like Oh! My Office, Gacha Life, Girls X Battle, League of Angels: Paradise Land, Otogi: Spirit Agent, Immortal Taoist, and other unpopular games, to name a few, haven't been spared by my attention.

I also play gacha games that have been adapted by other franchises, like Konosuba: Fantastic Days, Overlord: Lord of Nazarick, Touhou Lost Word, you get the point.

I play every gacha game regardless of its quality. I just have a lot of fun playing games that let me pull for characters. I don't know about others, but I think I really love gacha games in general.

Why is it the only thing I can remember?

I don't know, but I think that is fine. Recalling what I love in my final moments is at least comforting enough to my non-existent heart.

[You can roll the Character Gacha for free!]

What is that!?

Even with the lack of head and eyes, I still try to look around. There is nothing around other than this thing floating in front of me. It's the only thing I can see from this nothingness.

Character Gacha? Is this my mind making things up?

Well, it is fitting, isn't it?

A gacha addict imagining themselves pulling on their gacha for one last time before they truly lost consciousness.

How do I do that though?

(Gacha)
Common Gacha [1 Spin (1 Silver Ticket)] [11 Spins (10 Silver Tickets)]
Premium Gacha [1 Spin (1 Golden Ticket)] [11 Spins (10 Golden Tickets)]
Supreme Gacha [1 Spin (1 Rainbow Ticket)] [11 Spins (10 Rainbow Tickets)]
Character Gacha [1 Spin (Free)] [11 Spins (100 Character Tokens)]

What?

(Status)
Silver Ticket: 0
Golden Ticket 0
Rainbow Ticket: 0
Character Token: 0

(Avatar Lists)
N/A

I recall a few gacha games that have the premise of reincarnating to another world, like 32 Heroes. I think I can use Konosuba as a good comparison for this. Based on the premise of typical Isekai, those who died would reincarnate into another world with their own cheat abilities.

Perhaps this might be my cheat ability, and I am actually going to be transported to another world?

If that is so, what does it mean from the Avatar Lists?

Don't tell me...!?

... Whatever, even if this is just a hallucination my dying mind is making up, I don't care. As a gacha player, there is only one thing I have to do.

I have to pull!

I pick the free spin on the Character Gacha by thinking about it. This mysterious floating panel that is stuck in my vision works just like I am hoping for, showing a new panel asking me for confirmation. Of course I pick "Yes" before the panel vanishes and a simplistic animation of a chest occurs.

The chest that appears in the panel shines in a brilliant white. Then it shakes around for a moment before opening up, showing the image of one of my favorite characters.

[Rikuhachima Aru - C Tier]

Rikuhachima Aru. One of the characters introduced in the first arc of Blue Archive. The leader of Problem Solver 68 and one of the infamous troublemakers on Gehenna Academy. Her base of operation is currently located in Abydos Region, or that is one of the popular theories about where she resides right now.

If I remember correctly, isn't Aru a three-star student? Why does this mysterious panel categorize her as a C-Tier?

I look at the Character Gacha, and then realize why it categorizes her as that when I see the lineup shown on the banner. No way Aru can contend against Kiana Kaslana or Gilgamesh. Even the Cat God, no matter how funny he looks, is a lot stronger than a student from Kivotos.

Does that mean this mysterious panel ranks each character based on their power levels?

That is a bit iffy. I don't think most of the characters from the SSS Tier can contend with the other ones there. Like, how come Aqua from Konosuba is an SSS-tier character comparable to characters like Yukari Yakumo?

Whatever. I don't care. I won't think about it too much.

Anyway, is that all?

There is nothing to do anymore. The panel in front of my eyes shows the Gacha section, and the Character Gacha there needs 10 Character Tokens if I want to pull again. How can I get a Character Token?

Is there any tutorial here?

And more than that, what should I do with Aru? If I can pull for a character, shouldn't I be able to use that character?

At least let me play a game, even if it's a figment of my imagination!

Not seeing anything wrong with it and feeling fed up with this emptiness, I look at my avatar list and then think of picking Aru's name from it.

Surprisingly, something happens.

[Searching for available avatars... found!]
[Creation of physical avatar... complete!]
[Locating primary spawn point... not found!]
[Creating primary spawn point... complete!]
[Summoning avatar to the primary spawn point... complete!]
[Establishing existential link... complete!]

There is something tugging within me. I subconsciously realize it is connecting in my existence. I don't know how I know that.

[Inputting additional points... complete!]
[Creation of soul container... complete!
Setting required parameters... complete!]

I can feel my consciousness being pulled somewhere. The direction feels like it is below, but it isn't at the same time. I don't know what's actually happening.

[Checking for other required processes.... all complete!]

And then, sensation floods me.

---

When I open my eyes, I find myself standing in a dark alleyway somewhere. The familiar weight of my rifle is held on my arms and hands as I look around before stopping as I realize something.

Wait... rifle?

I look below and see my breasts, fortunately covered by my buttoned-up white shirt. Just below my breasts is a large rifle that is painted in maroon colors. I raise it up, and it takes a short time before I recognize it.

Wine Red - Admire. The name of Aru's sniper rifle.

Wait, if I am holding this then. I look at my own body and see the color of my hair from my periphery, the office skirt that accentuates the shape of my hips and waist. I look beside me and see a window there. In the reflection of that window, I can see a beautiful girl with sharp golden eyes and pinkish red hair along with that curved horn protruding from the rear end of her head looking back at me. I open my eyes and see the reflection following my movements.

... Right, of course... that is obvious. Right now, I'm in the body of one of my favorite characters in Blue Archive!

I'm now Rikuhachima Aru!?

This is surprising. I am not expecting to wake up in the body of my favorite character.

I have to touch myself and even pinch my cheeks. The pain tells me that all of this is real.

"Amazing..."

Even my voice is the same as hers. I truly became Aru, not just a copycat of some sort!

Then where am I?

I look up expecting to see a towering spire with rings around the sky, but I don't see anything like that. There is a tower piercing the skies, but instead of a pure white, just like the one I've seen on Blue Archive's 1st PV, this one looks sleek and metallic. It is also not straight and is irregularly built like metallic blocks stacked together by a child.

Now that I am more aware of my surroundings, I can't help but grimace at the smell of this place. It smells horrendous. It's like rotten tomatoes and rat corpses mixed together and clogged in a single space. I feel like throwing up and staying in this place.

I quickly leave this alleyway. After walking for a while, I reached an opening beyond my pathway. Light illuminates my eyes when I reach the end of the alleyway, and I have to cover my eyes for a moment. After that, my eyes got used to the light enough to look around.

The roads are well maintained, and it seems like I'm in a suburban part of a city. People taller than me walk around with wildly varying outfits ranging from common casual clothes for modern civilians up to those who look like they are cosplaying. Almost everyone I can see has inhuman features in them, like animal ears, tails, or even some who have wings. There are even those who have actual inhuman appearances, like that avian-looking man in a coat or that voluptuous woman in jeans and a casual shirt with a squid face.

This is definitely not Kivotos or any other worlds I am familiar with. It doesn't resemble any Gacha Game settings I know, and this is definitely not Earth.

Then what is this place?

"Sir, excuse me. Can I ask you something?"

I ask the nearest person to me, and looking up, I realize it is a man with the face of a crocodile. That is a bit surprising, but I stop myself from gawking and keep a straight face after getting his attention.

"Whatz iss itz, lass?"

"This will sound weird, but can you tell me what this place is? Just explain it to me like I'm a newborn."

I think it will be weird to ask where I am when I am in the middle of this city. I can only swallow my embarrassment and word it like that. Hopefully he doesn't become suspicious of me.

"Azh? Dish ssssomeone hitz your head or sssomething?"

It feels like he is always slurping whenever he speaks. Might be because his mouth functions just like that. I don't want to ask too much about it.

"Sorry..."

"Iz fine. We mutantz hazz to ssstick together."

The smile he directed at me after saying that looks honestly terrifying. It looks like a sneer of a predator, ready to pounce on its prey. Thankfully he has no plans to turn me into his next meal as he answers my question.

This is the city of Cradle, the one they call the Greatest Civilization of the Apocalyptic Era. This is the largest city in this world, covering multiple regions and housing billions of people from within. Most of the Strongest Rankers are living in this city.

Rankers are people who protect civilization from threats outside. They deal with the horrors that can end civilization instantly and other beings that normal citizens can't handle by themselves.

Now this specific district I find myself is what they call Zone 96. This is basically a place for humanity's reject, or mutants in other terms.

Mutants are those who acquire inhuman mutations on their body after long exposure to the eldritch energies that cover the entirety of the world. Outside Cradle is a wasteland where nothing but monsters exist. Civilization itself seems to have ended a long time ago, and the remnants who manage to survive build up communities that later turn into their own civilization, with Cradle being the largest one.

People acquire abilities after some time. They call themselves Ability Users, and 99% of people can have this. Though there is a 10% chance that people will greatly mutate and acquire inhuman changes on their bodies. People call them humanity's rejects because they look like monsters instead of humans.

Just hearing that makes me frown. What does physical mutation have to do with being monsters?

Mutants are discriminated against by many human civilizations. Though mutants can't really do anything about it because the abilities they awaken with are limited to their mutations. Like this gentle crocodile explaining this to me now. He says he has a strong bite strength that can grind bones quickly, and his body is a lot stronger than a regular human. He can't grow anymore from his strength, unlike humans, who can continuously grow from their initial strength.

It means that people without mutations on their bodies can evolve beyond their capabilities, while mutants can't.

I see. So that is why they are discriminated against this much.

Wait, what will they think if they see me? Are they also going to see me in contempt?

Well, I don't actually mind if they insult me but this is not me in this body right now. This is Rikuhachima Aru. I will hate it if someone insults my favorite character!

"You lookz like you ssnot financially ssstruggling with howz you dressss up, but I am curiousssss... ssdyou have anywhere you can ssstay?"

I have to process what he is talking about before I manage to answer.

"... No. I'm actually lost right now."

"That'ssss fine. D'you want me ssto helpz? I knowz a placesss that will letz you ssstay."

"Right. I'll take your offer. Thank you..."

"Karkosss." He presents his scaly hand at me. "Whatsss about you?"

Introduction, I see?

Well, now that I am Aru, there is only one way I can introduce myself.

"Rikuhachima Aru, boss of the greatest fixer company in Kivotos, Problem Solver 68."

I think I confused him, but it doesn't matter. This is the proper way to introduce Aru to anyone.

I still don't know what's in store with me, but whatever it is, I'll have to try living in this new world with my new body.

Spoiler: Author's Note

So yeah, I think I will end it there. Once again, this story will now start with what I originally plan for it. Expect a lot of nonsense and things just happening out of nowhere. I just really want to write what I want without regards to proper pacing or the world itself right now.

Sorry.... I hope it doesn't ruin your reading experience.

Anyone, as the story continues, more characters will be available for him. Look forward to it.

Before I end this author's note, I have to say that I don't have an extensive knowledge of Gacha Games. I have played some, but not all of them that I can literally say anything about them. The only Gacha Games that I have a lot of knowledge of are Princess Connect, Blue Archive, and Azur Lane. Other than that, almost everything else is a blur for me.

Except Touhou because that's literally my childhood.

So expect some misinformation when it comes to other types of games. I will still try to include them in this story, even if they are not actually the character but simply the MC using their bodies.

That is all for now.

Thank you for reading everyone!~

P.S. If you feel like contributing to my life or my hobbies for writing, consider dropping by on my Ko-fi account and donating any amount you want. Thank you in advance and I appreciate it!~

 

[Ni Kato]

(Status)
Silver Ticket: 0
Golden Ticket 0
Rainbow Ticket: 0
Character Token: 0

(Avatar Lists)
[Blue Archive]
Rikuhachima Aru - C Tier

 

[Ni Kato]

Now that I think about it, following a stranger might be a bad idea. Karkos might be lying to me, and he might be planning to actually eat me.

Thankfully, my worries are unfounded as we arrive at a large building. Looking at the windows alone, I think it's a fifteen-story building.

Karkos steps forward before me, standing in front of the wooden door before he reaches out besides it and presses something. I peer at it and see that it looks like a doorbell.

"Lizsss, thisss Karkosss. Open up."

After saying that, it takes a few moments before I hear footsteps behind the door. It opens with a creak, and from beyond I see a tall woman with horns that I can only compare to a taurus. She wears a black jacket, and beneath is a red shit with the words "Love & Death" beneath it. She wears asymmetrical pants, and there are a lot of chains and spikes on her overall outfit that it honestly hurts to look at.

"Hoh? Karkos huh... and this one?"

"Her namez Arusshi."

"Right... what's with her?"

"Shez lost and have nothingz to ssstay at. I think ssshe'z a Drifter..."

"Alright. I'll take care of the lass then."

After speaking to each other, the tall demon woman's red reptilian eyes point at me.

"Are you fine staying here, girl?"

"Yes."

"... Come in then."

With her permission, I enter the entrance and look at the interiors. Just the initial room looks somewhat gaudy. It has this mix of simplicity and a business-like structure, just like a local hotel. A small flight of stairs leading to elevators and stairs that leads to the next floor and above. Below the slight incline before the small stairs is a floor with tables and chairs that looks wide enough for people to eat on, and on the side just near the entrance is a counter.

I look behind me and notice Karkos absence. Before I can think about that, I hear the tall woman speak.

"That guy already left. He asks me to give you this."

It surprises me noticing her beside me. How did she get near me so fast without me noticing?

I try not to show my shock and offer my free hand before feeling something light yet blocky. When I look at it carefully, I find out that the one she gives me is a smartphone of some sort.

"This city is unlike the other communities who still barter to themselves. We use e-money for our transactions, so you need something like that." The tall woman shakes her head. "Really that guy... what a soft-hearted idiot."

I don't know how to react to this. Karkos is a lot better than what I think of him.

"Ah... thank you?"

"Don't thank me. Thank that crocodile. He's a busybody who does this occasionally."

After saying that, she walks around until she is behind the counter that is near the entrance to this building.

"Okay, so your name is Arusshi?"

"It's Rikuhachima Aru. Aru is my given name."

"Huh... so you might be from the Kuni Community."

I actually want to say I'm from Kivotos, but stop myself. I know I just introduced myself as someone from Kivotos awhile ago, but I really feel like it's a good way of introducing myself as Aru.

I shouldn't make things confusing to the one letting me stay.

"Age?"

Aru's age? If I recall correctly...

"I'm 17."

Yeah, I think that is what is written on her profile.

"Okay, now I just have to take a picture of you."

I just nodded and let her point her own phone at me. I stand properly, face straight, and try to look confident before the flash occurs.

"Alright, that's all. Welcome to Cradle, Aru. Now I'll be leading you to your room then."

"Right, thank you, Miss..."

"... Ah right. I almost forgot." She turns to me with a small smile on her face. "Name's Lizbeth."

Seeing her offering her hand, I accept it. Her hold is firm, so I try to match it and find out that Aru's not that physically strong.

Ouch... She really has a strong grip.

"R-right, it is nice to meet you too."

"Hoh, good grip. You look like you lack muscles there, but you can certainly hold your own. I like you already!" She grins at me.

Okay? I guess?

After that, she leads me to my own room. We take an elevator to get to the fifth floor and go to a room, which she says is empty and has not been in use for a long time, but she still maintains because it is her own business. She tells me to use it while I am still homeless.

Well then, I guess this is the start of my Isekai life.

---

[Avatar (Rikuhachima Aru) entering sleep mode!]

When I think of sleeping with my back lying on the bed and having a passing thought of disconnecting from my body, I suddenly find myself back in this world of eternal darkness.

... No, not really. I can still see Aru's beautiful figure sleeping peacefully in the comfortable hotel bed. It's like I am stuck in a third-person view of her figure as she sleeps, or more like I'm in an out-of-body experience commonly seen in those supernatural movies that involves astral projections and dreaming.

I can still feel my connection to Aru, but it is now distant. I have this instinctual knowledge within my mind that I can strengthen this connection once more and awaken Aru again.

I don't do that, as I want to look at something else. I think of opening my status window.

(Status)
Silver Ticket: 0
Golden Ticket 0
Rainbow Ticket: 0
Character Token: 0

(Avatar Lists)
[Blue Archive]
Rikuhachima Aru - C Tier

I see. So it is still there. I thought I would be stuck in Aru's body forever.

If that is the case, then I think I can use the Gacha and acquire new avatars for myself. I wonder how it will work. I only have a single consciousness. Will I have to abandon one of my avatars to control another?

Anyway, this is a good discovery. Learning that I am still technically awake even if my current body is sleeping is a nice thing to learn. I will immediately know if someone is sneaking up on me while I sleep and deal with them if the time comes.

Other than that, I can access my cheating ability from this emptiness. I think I have to think of a name for this kind of space soon. I don't want to keep calling it eternal darkness or emptiness.

Anyway, going back on topic, this ability let me use one of my favorite things in my life. The power to pull the gacha. There is one thing missing, though.

How can I get a ticket?

I can't do a spin. I need a ticket or at least ten tokens if I want to pull. What kind of gacha is it if I can't even pull anything?

It might as well be a decoration!

So that is the next thing I have to do is find a way to acquire a silver ticket, at least along with other real-life things. I still have to learn more about this world, and then find a way to live comfortably as Aru.

---

[Link to Avatar (Rikuhachima Aru) has been reestablished!]

When evening comes, I link my consciousness back to Aru. I feel rather well-rested even when Aru's body sleeps in the same position during the absence of my consciousness.

I look outside and see that it's already dark. That is natural. I did go to sleep when the day was still out awhile ago. I look to the side and see my gun standing with it's barrel and leaning on the side of the drawer. I have this urge to check it, so I just let my body do it's work while thinking about what else I have to do.

So other than trying to find ways to get tickets for my pulls, I need to learn more about this world. After that is to find a stable income, and then finding a permanent residence other than this. I can't just become a freeloader in this place. I will be disrespecting Aru if I force myself to stay here out of the goodwill of this building's owner.

With that all planned, I return my attention back to reality and realize that I am done with the basic checks on my rifle. I still recall what I am doing there while I am making a brief to-do list in my mind. Even though I don't have Aru's actual memories with her body, her body seems to instinctively know what she usually does on a daily basis.

There are some urges within my mind like checking my appearance and maintaining a villainess persona, checking my rifle, building up infamy in this new world, and more than anything else, finding Aru's friends. I hope it won't take long because I plan to use the Gacha more and acquire avatars.

Anyway, after the simple check on my rifle, I am finally prepared for the day... err, I mean night.

I leave the room and use the elevator to go back to the first floor. When I got there, I saw some people with some inhuman features sitting on chairs and eating something. A delightful aroma hits my nose, and with that as the spark, my stomach grumbles.

"You're finally awake, girl."

I look at the counter and see Lizbeth leaning on her hand, her arm on the counter, as she looks at me with a smile on her face.

"Right... good evening."

"Haha... are you nocturnal? Not like it's surprising for a mutant to have that kind of condition."

"No. Just felt tired this morning."

Actually, I just mess up with my ability and force Aru's body into sleep mode, but I can't really say that without causing more confusion.

"I see. That is normal if you got Drifted."

That term again. What does it mean?

"What do you mean by that? I don't really understand what you mean by Drifter."

"It's fine. That's natural for those who got Drifted. While I explain it to you, would you like something to eat? You got straight to bed without eating, so I think you might be hungry right now."

"Yes. If that will be alright..."

"Of course it's fine. There is no need to be shy here, girl!"

With that, she leads me to a free small table before going behind the counter and calling out to someone. After that, she goes back to my table while I make myself comfortable on my seat and lean my rifle on the wall just beside my seat.

With that, she explains to me about the Drifter and other things that I didn't even ask her. First is about the Drifters.

This is common knowledge in this world. Outside the city is an unstable force that messed up the entire laws of the world. They simply call these eldritch energies, the same energy that caused the collapse of the old civilization they simply called The Fall.

Due to the unstable laws outside this city, there are times when things just happen and cause supernatural effects on certain areas at random. One of the things it does is drag people out of reality and throw them to a weird dimension they simply termed the Otherworld. Those who got dragged to the Otherworld were called Drifters.

From an outside perspective, they look like they got sucked by something in reality. Those who got caught up by this event were termed Drifted, as they have been thrown out of reality with a low chance of getting back. Even if they get back in this reality, most of the time they will go mad or simply lose their memories. Of course, there are also irreparable changes within them, like loss of limbs, permanent paralysis, blindness, and many more.

It is why people adapt to this and even make their own countermeasures so they don't get dragged to the Otherworld. Cradle have many of these countermeasures up their sleeves. A few of them are even publicly available. Newbie rankers can even rent one if they want to start hunting monsters outside the city.

The food has come when she is done explaining about Drifters and is transitioning to other knowledge that should be relevant to me. The one who serves the meal is a cute girl who also has horns and, unlike Lizbeth, is just a few inches taller and has a skin as red as tomato. The sclera of her eyes are yellow, and her eyes look like those of a cat, and her hair is a bob cut with the same kind of horn as Lizbeth's one.

I thank the girl before briefly looking at the array of meals she prepares for me. It's a soup that is slightly viscous and milky, and it has the scent of corn in it. Along with it are slices of bread, three slices of bacon, and a sunny side up egg on one plate.

It's a bit weird eating something like this at dinner. I vaguely recall usually eating rice at lunch and dinner.

Well, whatever. I can't complain about free food. So I start eating while listening to other stuff Lizbeth wants to share with me.

"By the way, guns are pretty expensive in this city."

"... What?"

I felt as if lightning struck me at that revelation. Without stopping, Lizbeth continued as if she hadn't said something that shocked me.

Guns are not necessarily expensive on their own. It's their maintenance that is very expensive. Just the bullets alone will cost a hefty price if I want a constant supply of them, and a custom order will further add to that cost. Gun repair is also costly because the technical job isn't really that popular with the people living in Cradle.

Almost everyone wants to be a Ranker. A Ranker gains a lot of salary and benefits for the city. Those at the top can even rule a district of their own or a city outside Cradle if they can afford and maintain it. So everyone risks their life to become a Ranker.

More than that, those in the Top 100 will get the right to live at the top of the World Tower. It's the irregularly stacked metallic spire that I can see even at this part of the city. She says that the tower is a utopia compared to everything in this world. Anything a person wants is possible so long as they can live inside there.

I wonder just why people don't enter there if the world outside this city is so crappy and inside is supposedly a utopia compared to everything. Something is fishy there.

Not like I am interested. She says competition to enter the tower is fierce. Much fiercer than dealing with the actual threat outside this city. I don't want to join that competition. That is counter to my desire to simply have a stable life and take care of my favorite characters' bodies.

"Anyway, if you want to continue using that fancy toy, you will need a higher income than just staying in this junk."

I felt offended she called Aru's gun a toy, but I held myself back. It is kind of true. She told me about Ability Users and how, most of the time, people have superhuman capabilities that they can dodge gunshots easily. If that is the general power level of the citizens here and they are still considered weak to this city's standard, then I wonder how strong those Rankers are.

"I suggest you become a Ranker. I think you will fit right in."

"A Ranker?"

That is one way, but I want to explore my options first before committing to it. So I ask her about what it means to be a Ranker.

"For one, you have a duty to protect people at times of crisis, but more than that, you will be eligible to compete for a chance to enter the Tower."

"... Sorry, I am not interested in that."

"Well, even if we exclude the Tower, there are many benefits to becoming a Ranker. For one, your standing in the city will rise up. You will have access to facilities only available to them, and then you can join an Association for another."

"Association?"

"Yeah... see this?"

She takes something from the waist pocket on her jacket and then shows it to me. It's a badge that has a cool symbol of a demon's face in fire.

"This is an Association Badge that indicates I'm part of an association."

I see. So that is why she is urging me to become a Ranker.

"Are you trying to recruit me?"

"Oh, I like your gaze." She grins at me.

My gaze?

Ah right... Aru naturally has a scary gaze when she becomes serious. I think I unintentionally did it.

Whatever, it's not something to worry about. It's just one of Aru's quirks that I like, so I will accept it and just move on.

"Anyway, lass, this might look like I am trying to coerce you to join me, but there is no need to be wary. I am simply here to help you. You might not remember, but a support network is rather important in this time and age. Being alone won't cut it."

"... I want to check my options first before making a decision."

"Okay, just take all the time you want. Do you still want to hear your other options?"

With my nod, she continues as if the tension awhile ago is nothing.

Other options she presents to me are becoming a factory worker, a grunt, or someone working in the entertainment district. I ask her to elaborate what she means from the latter part, and when she explains to me in detail what it means, I immediately cross it inside my mind.

No way am I going to sell Aru's body to strangers! Ew! That's disgusting!

She laughs at my reaction much to my annoyance before she continues telling me other minor facts about the city. The currency, common expenses for an average person in this city, exclusion zones, and many more. Even when I am done eating, she talks to me a lot like a friend. Just babbling about whatever as she talks to me.

Hmm... it looks like she genuinely wants to help me. Though I can't really decide right now. I need to think about this through and actually look at the things she tells me I can do to start earning my own keep.

There are a lot of things to think about, but it is an informative time for me. I thanked her after noticing that only we remain in this room.

Tomorrow, I have to check my other options first. Verify first before committing to something. That is a good principle to follow to be safe in a new, unknown world, I think?

Spoiler: Author's Note

Just a chapter that details more about the world. I know, the story is a bit slow. I promise it will progress somewhat in the future chapters.

Thank you for reading everyone!~

P.S. If you feel like contributing to my life or my hobbies for writing, consider dropping by on my Ko-fi account and donating any amount you want. Thank you in advance and I appreciate it!~