200 – Gacha serves a purpose!

Nilenna struck a pose, stretching her right arm diagonally upward to the side while extending her other arm forward, bent at the elbow in front of her chest.

Tylke completed his assembly sequence and stood between us, resembling a slender golem made of hundreds of tools and standing around three meters tall. He had no head; his torso ended at the shoulders.

“Kashaaaaan~!” the Halve chimed, adding a sound effect.

“Young Protector,” the God greeted in Celestial. His voice sounded like a bustling workshop: hammering metal, sawing wood, tinkering with tiny parts, and more. “Well met.”

I gave him a nod and offered my hand. “Hello. I'm Natasha Novak. Pleasure to meet you, Tylke. And thank you for coming.”

He shook my hand. “See, Nilenna?” He turned his torso to the silver Halve. “This is the normal way.”

She pouted briefly, then jumped on the God and hugged his shoulders from behind. “But that’s so boooring! We should be closer, like family, Tyl! If you had a face, you’d be frowning all the time! Haha!”

My eyebrows went up, recalling the other three Gods' words about Nilenna hugging everything and everyone, much to the displeasure of some.

That, however, was none of my business.

I chuckled at the sight and gestured toward the cave. “Let’s go inside. Tylke’s a bit too exposed out here.”

“No safer place on the planet, though!” Nilenna protested from atop the God, pointing out a very real fact. “Besides, Tyl needs space to work, you know? The cave is a bit small, and your Ratnak is in there!”

I looked at the God, waiting for his opinion.

“This is good enough,” he agreed with the silver Halve. “Nilenna only said you needed help with a weapon, right?”

I nodded, accepting his words. “Yeah, something about attunement. But... if you're up for it, maybe you could improve it as well? And my armor while you're at it?” I asked, seizing the chance to have the God of Craftsmen’s expertise at hand.

“Yeah!” Nilenna nodded enthusiastically. “Tyl here refined my bow the first time we met! I had to fetch a lot of materials, though! My combat gear took a while to refine since we had to gather moonlight! That took three hundred years!”

I bit my lower lip and ran a hand through my hair. “Three hundred years...” I muttered. “Why moonlight, though? How does that even work?”

Nilenna jumped down, landed right in front of me, and produced a bluish tight vest. It had a glow to it, like moonlight in the middle of the night. “It's Mythical quality now! Check it out!”

I took it and appraised the thing.

Intrepid Moonlight Light Vest (Mythical)

Durability: SSS

Form Fitting

No Peeking

Worthy Wearer

For Every 500 of a stat, gain 1% to the corresponding attribute.

Attuned

“Well?” Nilenna asked, smiling proudly.

I frowned a little. “No enhancement or ascension?” I asked, handing it back. Then, I replaced my leather vest with a shirt before examining the protective gear.

+100 Seventh Circle Heavy Vest (Legendary) [Ascension Lvl 10]

Durability: SSS++

Form Fitting

When wearing the whole set: +250 to all stats.

I offered it to my fellow Protector.

She took it, raising an eyebrow. “Mmm…” she turned to the God, showing him the vest. “You said you couldn’t enhance my vest! Look at this! Legendary quality but with better protection!”

“I’m still gathering moonlight, Nilenna…” the God replied in a patient tone. “Legendary equipment and above requires very specific materials for improvement, and you know this.”

“Moonlight...” I muttered and searched my storage while the two talked.

Although it seemed like an absurd coincidence, or perhaps something Galeia had orchestrated, I actually had a considerable stockpile of materials for upgrading equipment. The game my classes and items came from, Redeemer’s Bush, had a surprisingly complex system for upgrades, mostly involving gacha mechanics with painfully low success rates to keep players hooked. The cash shop offered materials to improve those odds, and I had absurd amounts of them.

Because of that system, and after spending a shameful number of hours and an obscene amount of money, I ended up with everything a player would need to upgrade even a starter weapon to mythical quality, making it viable for the game’s late stages. Of course, that didn’t mean it would perform well in the end-game.

That was where the mythical weapon drops came in, like the one that gave me my Alma Pike, with its unique bonuses and effects.

I produced a glass orb containing a bluish light. This is too convenient, I thought, looking at the orb. So now, thanks to me, every Halve can improve their equipment? Just like that? This is beyond cheating…

[Thousand Midnights Moonlight Orb]

The item in my hand was sold in the cash shop for five euros each—or twenty euros for a box of ten. It allowed players to enhance weapons and armor from +0 to +100 with a 100% success rate, regardless of quality or ascension level.

A true cash-shop item.

To increase an item’s ascension level, it had to reach +100, resetting back to +0 upon successful ascension.

Quite the clever micro-transaction.

Did I spend too much money? No way! I actually won a two-hundred-box bundle from the blacksmith gacha after spending only forty euros, giving me a total of one thousand Thousand Midnights Moonlight Orbs. It was a 0.35% chance! My gacha addiction was finally paying off.

Tylke stood silent, perhaps overhearing my thoughts. Nilenna, on the other hand, was staring intently at the orb.

With a deft flick, I spun the orb on my fingertip. “Galeia truly provides,” I muttered with a grin, then held out the orb to her. “Here. For your gear.”

The Halve firmly shook her head. “No, little sister. You should use—”

I turned my palm down and dropped orb after orb.

Nilenna’s eyes widened, her eyebrows nearly merging with her hairline, and her mouth fell open. Her glow radiated pure shock.

“Haha!” I laughed at her expression. “And!” I added, producing yet another cash item.

[Thousand Noons Sunlight Orb]

As the name suggested, this glass sphere held a yellow light, not too different from the suns themselves. The item increased the ascension level of gear with a 100% success rate. It sold for ten euros each or in a box of ten for fifty euros.

Did I win a 0.06% chance blacksmith gacha for a bundle of two hundred boxes?

Why, yes.

And how much did I spend? …Not the matter at hand.

I lifted my chin and laughed. “What’s the matter, Nilenna? Shocked into silence? That’s hilarious!” I echoed her own words back to her.

She didn’t reply right away, instead squinting at the array of orbs littering the ground around me. Her expression turned thoughtful, and her glow shifted to a caution that demanded attention.

“That isn’t the case, Nilenna,” Tylke interjected calmly, responding to her thoughts. “It’s a common phenomenon among Halve Classes. Just as Halve Clerics with elixirs, Halve Wizards with scrolls, Halve Scouts with poisons, and Halve Archers with projectiles—Halve Warriors with equipment enhancements.”

My brows knitted in concern. “What’s going on?”

Nilenna exhaled, her gaze lingering on the orbs. “For a moment, I wondered if Galeia granted you these items because an unfathomable threat lies ahead, something so dire that we’d need to refine gear this quickly. It normally takes about three hundred years to upgrade something from Legendary to Mythical.” Her cheerfulness dimmed briefly, then resurfaced with a grin. “But if not, that’s fantastic, right? And if I’m right, at least we’ll be prepared!”

I nodded. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“We’ll know in due time,” she said, picking up a few orbs and stowing them away. “With these, Tyl here could refine a full set of equipment to Mythical quality!”

I glanced at the God in question, looking up at him.

“Young Halve,” he called, “how many of these orbs do you possess?”

Nilenna gave Tylke an intrigued look.

“Plenty,” I replied confidently. “More than enough. Why?”

He extended a limb made of countless tools, causing two orbs—one of each type—to hover into his hands. “To upgrade an item to Divine quality, I would need one hundred of each orb.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Divine quality?”

“Are you serious, Tyl?!” Nilenna exclaimed, latching onto his shoulders with excitement. She turned to me, her eyes shining. “How many of these do you have, little sister?”

I grinned, then produced yet another item.

Because I was a whale.

[Myriad Eclipse Orb]

This orb contained both sunlight and moonlight, each brighter and sharper than in the previous orbs. With a 100% success rate, it could upgrade an item’s quality. I refused to discuss its cost or the abysmal chance of obtaining it.

But I only had five.

How very convenient.

But there was no dilemma—five orbs, five Halves. Five orbs, four girlfriends. And beyond these guaranteed-success items, I still had other materials.

Tylke himself, an actual Divine being and a master of crafting, could enhance items with the regular materials alone.

“How many orbs do you need to upgrade an item from Legendary to Mythical?” I asked, studying the Eclipse Orb.

“One,” Tylke replied. “The moonlight orb should do.”

Nilenna’s face lit up with excitement as she grabbed my shoulders. “Little sister! Name your price! What do you want in return?”

I thought for a moment, quickly arriving at an answer. “This is going to sound a bit… unconventional, Nilenna.”

Her eyebrows arched in curiosity, and her glow radiated boundless interest. “Oh?”

I took a breath to find the right words, then requested, “Not in a sexual way, but I’d like to… explore your body.”

Her expression softened into a warm smile. “Conspecific exploration?” she asked, hitting the nail on the head.

“Exactly,” I chuckled. “You’re the first Halve I’ve met, so it would mean a lot if you’re willing.”

The God gathered the orbs strewn around us, not saying anything.

I had the feeling he was thinking about the beauty of needing such a process, or finding the process itself beautiful.

Nilenna nodded, her smile wide, showing off her golden teeth. “Of course! I’d be happy to, little sister! But!” she squeezed my cheeks with a playful grin. “You don’t have to request that in exchange for materials, you know? That doesn’t count! It’s my duty as your big sister to show you how and where we’re alike!”

“Protectors,” Tylke called, breaking his silence. “Leave your combat gear with me, and I'll improve it while you touch each other.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Really?”

Nilenna ignored the remark and produced a set of undergarments, robes similar to the ones she was wearing, and a three-meter-long, thick bow made of a transparent material. She placed them in the God’s hands.

I swapped my leather pants for a skirt, stored the rest, retrieved the ensemble, and placed it on his hand, followed by the Starforged Eternium plate armor, and finally the Alma Pike.

“Young Halve,” Tylke called to me. “I see great anger within you, but also patience. Which should I use when improving your weapon?”

I gave it some thought.

Nilenna inspected my face for a few seconds. “Anger? Are you angry, little sister?”

I shook my head and replied, “Not really. Just anger issues. I’m pretty good at keeping my shit together, though.”

The Halve squinted her eyes at me, her smile turning mischievous.

I gave the Divine a shrug. “Anger is more useful in combat. Shorvanna called it good fuel, and I have a skill that uses it, too.”

“Very well,” Tylke concluded and stored both equipment sets. “The orbs, please.”

I extended an open palm toward him, producing three hundred orbs of each type since I had already dropped two hundred earlier, along with the five Eclipse orbs. “Can I ask you to improve a set of gauntlets for a tank? Her classes are Monk, Paladin, and Asura.”

The orbs floated into the Divine's hands, disappearing upon contact.

“Only Mythical for mortals,” the God replied with finality.

I frowned a little. “Fine,” I grumbled and produced an identical set of gauntlets to the ones I’d given Yolin, placing them in the God’s free hands and adding the necessary orbs to upgrade them to Mythical quality.

“Ah!” Nilenna gasped. “There it is! You got angry, little sister!”

“I know,” I muttered, then sighed.

“Ohhhh!” she sighed in surprise. “And you're not angry anymore! Wow! That's incredible!”

I gave her a look, then raised a finger. "Marcus Aurelius once said: If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment," I shared with a wise nod.

Nilenna’s eyebrows rose. “Did you find big bro Perculis’ texts on self-control?”

I tilted my head, confused. “No, why?”

She shrugged. “Big bro Perculis said he knew of a very wise emperor by that name before he died in some germanicum-something War, serving as a cohortes-something. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the name, I think. Big bro Perculis had a great opinion of that man,” she shared, nodding a few times, nostalgia in her glow.

My jaw fell a little in shock.