"You're serious...?" Erina gulped. "You can really just hand those out?"
"In a way," I smiled at her. "Perhaps I should explain the details before you agree, no?"
She nodded quickly, her purple eyes eager.
"Firstly, I must warn you, this is a very bare bones system, but it still comes with its benefits," I told her. "Firstly, it comes with a Class System. When you obtain the System, you'll be able to choose a subclass from one of three classes- Warrior, Mage, and Rogue."
"I can learn magic??"
"Indeed," I smiled. "Along with the Class System is the Job System. These are non-combat based professions such as Chef... There is also an inventory, allowing to store and carry however much you need... Finally, it also has one very specific thing that I'm sure you'll find useful."
She leaned forward. "And that is?"
I smiled and looked to Hisako. "Miss Arato Hisako," I spoke, startling her as she turned to me and tried to act like she hadn't been eavesdropping. "Let me ask you something, what is the most frustrating thing about trying to learn or improve a new skill?"
She paused at my question. "I suppose... Progress," she answered. "It's frustrating when you work incredibly hard to improve your abilities, but you don't see any progress."
I grinned and turned back to Erina. "Indeed, and that is where this system shines. As you use your abilities, you can see the percentage of the skill itself increasing as it rises to the next rank- the next 'stage' of progression."
Erina's eyes lit up. "You can see the progress in your abilities as you learn them, no longer making the experience as frustrating..." She looked considerate. "No, it might even make it more exciting..." She gasped. "I understand now! This system allows you to learn skills like you are in a game, right? The more you use them, the more proficiency you obtain with them!"
I grinned. "And once you learn the skill, even if it's weak, you can always use it so long as you have the energy to do so."
"How much?" Erina asked.
"I hope you understand, this won't be cheap," I told her. "Normally, I'd sell something like this for 5 Million Yen due to its power... But, since you and Miss Hisako are my first customers, I'll cut you a deal. 5 Million Yen, and I'll give you both the system."
Hisako's eyes widened and her expression became eager. I knew exactly why.
If Hisako could improve her skill as a chef, then she would finally be able to make a dish that could fully satisfy Erina's God Tongue- thus saving her from the curse of the God's tongue. The System would make such a thing infinitely easier.
"Deal," Erina nodded swiftly. "Do you take card payments?"
I just smiled as I pulled out a black card reader and set it on the table. "Just swipe," I told her.
I used this opportunity to use Analyse on them both.
Name: Erina Nakiri
Age: 15
Race: Human
Job: Chef Level 35
Class: -Null-
Value: 35,000 Gold
I blinked in surprise... 35,000 Gold... That was around 35 Million Yen. Her Level was lower than I expected... But, given the airs she was putting on- and her surprisingly low Chef Level all things considered- this must be Erina either just after or slightly before the start of canon.
Name: Hisako Arato
Age: 15
Race: Human
Job: Chef Level 22, Pharmacist Level 10
Class: -Null-
Value: 10,000 Gold
Hm...? She had the Pharmacist Job?
That was right, Hisako was well versed in Medical Cuisine. I supposed her study into Medicinal Herbs also gave her the Pharmacist Job.
Her Value was low compared to Erina's, but given Erina had the God's tongue which let her create cooking beyond her level... It made sense.
You have obtained 6,170 Gold!
Your Dimensional Merchant Level has increased!
1 --- 10!
Haggling (E) has ranked up from (E) to (C)!
Holy shit!
A direct increase from Level 1 to 10 in my Job, plus a double rank up from Haggling to go straight to C Rank!?
Granted, I did just close a 6.17 Million Yen deal. That was around 60 Thousand USD- a little more than that, I believed…
Shit, I probably could have charged her even more.
Still, I was a man of my word.
"Right, I need you both to stand in front of me," I told them. "I'll warn you, it's my first time bestowing the System, so tell me if you feel anything weird."
They both nodded as they quickly stood in front of the counter.
I slowly lifted my left arm, my palm open facing them.
"Bestow."
Golden light erupted from my hand, becoming a stream of energy that surrounded them both.
That was when I saw the blue box appearing in front of them both, and Erina's eyes lit up.
"It really worked!" Erina said happily, her eyes moving over the screen as Hisako's did the same.
"I suggest you take your time and thoroughly read the tutorial," I told them. "I trust you're satisfied with your purchase?"
"Completely," she nodded quickly. "I'll definitely come back for Mana potions at a later date."
"I'll look forward to it," I smiled at them. "Well, my humble shop has taken up enough of your time- you should get going, right?"
"Yes," Erina nodded. "We'll definitely come back to visit," she gave me a pretty smile. "Let's go, Hisako."
"Yes, Erina-sama," she nodded and then bowed to me. "Thank you for this- truly," she lifted up the box and followed Erina out of the store.
Achievement Unlocked!
Make your first sale to a Heroine!
Reward: 2 Gacha Coins!
Achievement Unlocked!
Bestow your first minor system onto a major character!
Reward: 2 Gacha Coins!
Nice, that put me at four coins... I'd save those for now, feeling satisfaction running through me since I'd managed to close a pretty major deal for myself.
I didn't hesitate to open the Shop Store and return to the Dungeon Upgrade that I'd been wanting.
Honestly, I had not expected to get it so soon- but I'd gotten lucky with a big cash cow in Erina Nakiri. On top of that, I was able to sell a System to her and Hisako for a huge price.
I knew they would come back to use my shop again, once they realised that they needed actual combat experience in order to level up their classes. Once you had a taste of power, how could you ever let it go?
For that reason- the Dungeon Upgrade had come at a perfect time.
Though I was reluctant to part with 5000 Gold... It was necessary.
"Buy Dungeon Upgrade."
I winced as I saw the money vanish from the System, before a new door appeared near the entrance of my shop.
I stored my jacket into my inventory and equipped it before I made my way over to the door and pushed it open.
Welcome to the Dungeon!
How the dungeon works is very simple! You and your party- if you have one- may enter a Dungeon Instance where you will fight off against a specific enemy type as decided by the instance. In order to unlock other enemy types, you must first clear the unlocked enemy types first.
Once you have defeated a Dungeon instance, you may increase the difficulty of that instance to become more difficult. The higher level the difficulty, the better the rewards and drops you will get.
Would you like to enter the Dungeon?
I refused for the moment, even though I was tempted.
Given I had no weapon, and my left arm wasn't exactly fully usable in a fight, I figured going into the dungeon wasn't the best idea for me at the moment.
Right, new priorities had emerged with the Dungeon.
First, finish maxing out my Off-Hand Proficiency as soon as possible to make my left hand completely usable.
Second, get some equipment in order to help in the dungeon. Ideally some light armour, but I'd also take some basic weapons failing that.
Third, use the Dungeon to increase my Level so that I could summon more Servants.
With new short term goals in mind, I decided that now wasn't the time to hoard Gacha tokens. I needed at least two weapons- one for me, and one for Unum.
"System, roll 4 Gacha Coins," I told it.
Beginning Gacha!
You have obtained the following:
Item: Bronze Sword (Common)
Item: Bronze Daggers (Common)
Item: Leather Armor (Common)
Book: Magic - How it Flows and How it Works by Merlin (Rare)
I hummed as I looked over what I'd received... Weapons, exactly what I needed. I thanked the Gacha for saving me from needing to spend gold- I needed that gold to restock my wares after all... Even if I'd made enough money to double my current inventory.
The magic book was also useful- it was a rare book worth 500 Gold Coins so I could definitely learn from it and then maybe sell it later on.
I looked at the Super Coin sitting in my inventory - part of my Super Starter Pack.
I hadn't used it yet simply because it had kept slipping my mind, but now? Now was a good opportunity to do so.
"System, roll the Super Coin," I spoke.
This was going to guarantee me at least something of Epic Rarity, so I held my breath.
Beginning Gacha!
My breath hitched as I read the words on the screen, and my eye slowly trailed down.
CRITICAL HIT!
My heart began to race in my chest. Critical Hit... Could it be-!
You have obtained:
Item: Photon Ray - Sword of the War God (God)
I stared in dumb shock, my mouth drying as I read that several more times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
Photon Ray. A Divine Construct, and the Noble Phantasm of Attila the Hun- or Altera. A sword that was believed to be capable of destroying all existence on Earth.
Originally belonging to the God Mars, who was killed by Velber 02, it was found alongside the child Attila by the Hun Elders and would become her main weapon. This sword was part of the reason why she would go on to be known as the 'Scourge of God' and the 'King of Combat.'
My arm trembled as I pulled the weapon out of my inventory and held it within my hand.
The tri-coloured blade gleamed in the light, its futuristic appearance matching perfectly with the Machine Gods of Olympus from Pan-Human History.
Just holding it, I could feel the raw power it wielded- power the blade was all too happy to allow me to use as its owner.
"System, if I ever said anything bad about you, I take it all back," I said as I stared at the sword in my hands- utterly and completely captivated.
The sword was more than just a powerful weapon for me, it also held strong sentimental value.
Despite missing many memories, I was able to recall a particular instance when I was younger.
It was around a year and a half after I'd built my first gaming PC- the same PC I would end up using for almost 10 years after- and I had just been scrolling through the Steam Store, looking for a new game to buy.
I had eventually come across a game I hadn't even known existed since my information of the Fate Series only came directly from the anime adaptations, and I had yet to explore many other branches of the series.
Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star.
Curious, I had decided to buy the game after doing a little research on it- though not too much since I hadn't wanted to spoil myself.
I had fallen in love with the game. With Nero's charm, Tamamo's flirtatious nature...
But more than both, I had been utterly captivated by Altera. Her beauty was otherworldly, her personality seemingly cold at first... But once you reached her story, she had one of the most touching and tragic story arcs I'd seen up until that point.
I had completely fallen for her.
Holding this sword now, I felt as though I now held some sort of connection to her. And that put a wide, dumb smile on my face.
I didn't even know how long I was sitting there before my stomach growled and I snapped out of it. Reluctantly, I put Photon Ray back into my inventory and headed into the back for a nice meal.
I had some training to do after this.
*************************
Photon Ray - Sword of the War God
Rank: God
Type: Weapon
The Sword of the War God Mars from the Fate Universe, later wielded by Atilla the Hun. It is said to be capable of destroying the world. The blade is incredibly flexible, capable of growing, shrinking, and stretching according to its user's will.
True Name Release: Photon Ray
By invoking the 'True Name' of the Weapon, the blade begins to spin and emit rainbow light. This light can be wrapped around the blade for an exceptionally powerful slash or thrust, or it can be unleashed in a beam attack that is capable of wiping out armies and even cutting through space.
True Name Release: Tear Drop Photon Ray
The true power of Photon Ray. By unleashing a beam of light from the pommel into the sky, the user is able to make a connection to Mars and call down a devastating beam of light that eradicates anything that has been designated as the target.