Gacha System

by Java Springs

  "Cat?! Cat?! — Did you call me a cat! Are you blind? You dumb human, I am a Lunar Fox! Could you not see it? " The "cat" that spoke with the voice similar to Yue Ling, retorted.

  "Fox? No… seriously… You don't look like one, you're more of a Munchkin cat than a fox with that stubby snout of yours. Hmmm... If I am not mistaken, you're that annoying voice last night… good job running away when I was asking such important questions. But now that you have a physical form— "

  Swoop!

  Without hesitation, Jin Feng's arms swooped towards the cat… fox-shaped Yue Ling, trying to grab a hold of the "culprit" who arrogantly barged in his supposed peaceful dream last night.

  A smirk appeared on the feline face of Yue Ling as she thought, "Heh, a mere human trying to catch me in my fox form? Dream on mortal!"

  Jin Feng's finger slipped through the body of Yue Ling as if it passed through a mist instead of a solid object. In an instant, Yue Ling's form disappeared into thin smoke as it reappeared right beside Jin Feng, "Pft, what were you trying to do just now? Are you trying to catch me with your flimsy arms? Hah!"

  Swoop!

  Jin Feng tried once more. This time, it was way quicker. But it would seem that Yue Ling had anticipated Jin Feng's next move as the same thing happened— Jin Feng's hand phased through the fox's body once more.

  Yue Ling reappeared in front of Jin Feng, floating slightly above head level,

  "Hah! I gave you the System as a "favor" for accidentally killing— I mean… You're pathetically weak without my creations help!" Yue Ling mockingly laughed as she added, "You can't even catch me in my weakest form, How will you ever— "

  Tak!

  "...Got you" Jin Feng's lips slightly curved upward as his hand tightly gripped the tail of Yue Ling. Amazingly, her fox form wasn't able to phase through Jin Feng's grasp. "You could try and fool me once with a trick, but I am not that dumb to fall for it twice."

  Jin Feng wasn't entirely a smart kid back then, but he was extremely observant. It was something that gave him some sort of edge when he played casual games. Being someone with a pretty mediocre hand and eye coordination and an average reaction time, Jin Feng would least likely be good at games that needed either of it.

  But with his ability to observe things, he could analyze and interpret in a much faster way given the proper amount of repetition, which in this case— he only needed one.

  "You don't just let my hands phase through you, but instead disappear entirely after doing so. I assume it has something to do with how limited this ability of yours is… and how your tail is the last thing that would disappear." Jin Feng thoroughly explained while holding Yue Ling with her tail lifted up.

  "Even a monkey would be able to catch you after seeing it a few times. Too bad for you that I am not as slow as a monkey. Now… where were we last night— Ah! Right… the systems unresponsiveness…"

  …

  The unassuming ball of light that shone above the heavens of Nhervyne illuminated the morning. It was the time for the sole sun to shine above the only piece of land within this world. Having only one "supercontinent" would mean that every place within it was practically daytime, some only morning while others are afternoon. Even though the sun was a lot smaller compared to the sun back on Earth, the one on Nhervyne was a lot brighter.

  The An Forest, which is also known as the Darkness Woodlands, did not live up to its name during the daytime. It would look and feel like any other forest during the day. The trees, although odd looking, were unassuming. One would feel that this place is like any other places that are surrounded by rich plant life.

  Within the distance, a clumped group of insect-like figures could be seen approaching the deeper parts of the An Forest. They were moving in a jittery pace and were kicking clouds of dust with every step.

  They were an army, a literal army, of Locusts, more accurately— Locust-men. These creatures hailed from the Hai Empire, an empire established by the joint forces of different insects kingdoms that gathered so that they could maintain sovereignty over their own territory against the other eight continents.

  Upon reaching a certain spot within the forest, the group of armed Locust-man suddenly halted. In front of them were rotting carcasses of the Arachnoids Jin Feng indirectly killed last night.

  "Leader Yu, any guess on what happened here?" One of Locust-men inquired. Even though his voice sounded "human-like", the snapping beak of a mouth that he has would say otherwise.

  It would seem like he did not spoke by moving the lips but from the vibrations within its throat, as the mouth did not move but the voice still came out.

  "It is evident that they were trampled by Gaiwus… and it would seem that they did not encounter something ordinary as well." The leader of the group, Yu Kunchong, knelt in one "knee" as he reached towards the "U" shaped markings on the ground.

  "Some sort of a horse-type Gaiwu? A Dark Stallion could not leave such a big imprint, which could only mean that something a lot stronger is lurking in here." Yu Kunchong thought as he stood back up. "Our numbers might not be enough to deal with this problem right now…"

  After instructing the group to send back some of the other members to inform the Hai Empire about what they bumped into, Yu Kunchong fell into a deep thought,

  "If I am not mistaken, these people are from the Silkius Village… I could not believe that they still aren't accepting the Empire's offer of subservience." A grave expression was implanted within the shiny face of Yu Kunchong, as he pondered,

  "But the Arachnoid race is not an inferior race… How were they utterly defeated like this, unless the enemy they encountered, is a higher level enemy… Tier 2? Dare I say… Tier 3?" Yu Kunchong pursed his non-existent lips as he gasped cold air just by thinking about the happenings that occurred last night.

  "...Isn't this too untimely for the Emperor to send a hunting unit for the kingdom's forces? I for one do not believe that using Gaiwus for military purposes is a smart move but…" Yu Kunchong could not help but just inwardly retort.

  He was obviously not in the position to question the Emperor's decision.

  He let out a long sigh as he guided the group, those that were left with him, deeper into the An Forest.

  CHAPTER 17

  PRETENTIOUS GENIUS

  The Imperial City of the Hai Empire.

  Screeching and squealing noises echoed throughout the surroundings within the courtyard of the imperial palace. At the center of the empty courtyard stood dozens of chained horses with pitch-black furs— they were Dark Stallions.

  Around 30 of them were present within the courtyard, as they were extensively surrounded by hundreds of Locust-men. Most of these locust-men were brandishing shiny armors that complimented their lustrous exoskeleton, while the others are wearing long robes that indicated their jobs— mages.

  The irritating noises were obviously coming from the Dark Stallions as they were languishing. Above their heads were ominous looking magic circles that were dark in color. It was apparent that these things were the ones responsible for causing the hoard of beasts in immense pain.

  Chanting at the distance were the robed locust-men. They were maintaining the array for the longest time possible, and would then switch out if they ran out of mana. The locust-men warriors that were standing on guard would be the ones responsible if anything goes wrong. They serve as the safety net.

  The sound bellowing horses grew louder by the second. The heart-wrenching cries would definitely move those that could hear it. But indifference was still apparent within the gazes of the mages and the warriors of the Locust-men. They were doing this as the emperor desires, and it is for the improvement of the kingdom, and ultimately for their race.

  There is no room left to pity the others that were insignificant to them... especially Gaiwus.

  One after the other, the screaming Dark Stallions were slowly being "pacified" by the magic as they simultaneously knelt with their front knees in surrender. Their eyes did not shine the u
sual vitality but were now replaced with an empty void.

  "Hurry! Unchain those that are now under control and guide towards the stables. Immediately input to them their "new memories". Do it quickly or the effect of the magic would just wear down!" One of the mages that succeeded yelled at the other mages behind him that were currently resting.

  Guided by the locust-men warriors, The Dark Stallions that broke down under the ambiguous spell, were being guided individually towards the stables…

  Supervising the whole operation, three figures were indifferently gazing down towards the courtyard. Their view from the balcony provided them with the perfect perspective to oversee everything that was going on with the experimentation.

  "How is the third batch doing? Is the spell working properly with this type of Gaiwu— the Dark Stallion?" The locust-man wearing a luxurious robe inquired, turning his gaze towards the locust-woman holding an inconspicuous metal board. The locust-man tried his best to peek through what was writing within the metal board, but could not do so as the locust-woman moved away from her initial spot, indifferently gazing towards the peeving locust-man.

  The rich-looking locust-man was none other than the imperial monarch of the Hai Empire, Jing Manchu. At a young age, the fledgling Jin Manchu won the hearts of the imperial city's "swarm" by being an exceptional prodigy, and thus, was the favored nymph of the previous majesty.

  Even before reaching adulthood, he was able to gain supporters by solving perilous problems that were apparent within the empire, including the food shortage due to their population. During the crisis of drought, he was able to quench the hunger of the Lotus-men by proposing the change of irrigation.

  For the Locust-men, it was something that was highly innovative. But in truth, Jin Manchu only mimicked something that he had read before, it was within the imperial library, within some forgotten records. It was about the way how humans increased their crop growth by creating a layered irrigation, with slopes that would use up all nutrients for all the crops without putting anything to waste— It was something that both saved them precious water during drought and gave them an increase in production.

  Jing Manchu immediately inherited the throne right after. It was not even a contest against the other candidate for the crown. But the dark truth of him being a pretentious genius is only being revealed every month, every day, every hour that would pass by.

  "The process is taking longer, but it is within the range that we have anticipated. Considering that these Dark Stallions are stronger than the previous ones that were all Base Stage and Tier 1's, this Tier 2 sample would be definitely hard to gain control of." The locust-woman replied indifferently.

  Unlike Jing Manchu, this woman— Yu Ming, is an actual genius. She is still young yet she has shown a degree of intelligence insurmountable by any of the other fledgling of her generation. Currently, she is acting as the supervisor of the current "glorious" project of the imperial highness.

  Mind Alteration Magic— a forbidden art of magic that could manipulate and control one's thinking. Even though the level that Jing Manchu was able "research" was quite of the low level, and could not affect a much more intelligent life form, such as other races, he "discovered" that it was somehow effective when used on the Gaiwus.

  Jing Manchu's true color— A bloodthirsty war maniac— immediately surfaced as soon as he discovered the incredible phenomena. Without hesitation, he drew out a plan that would involve capturing and controlling myriads of Gaiwus that would serve under his command. The image of conquering lands with an army of Gaiwus ran within his dreams and daydreams as he crept within the plan every day.

  "... What is with the tone, young woman? Do you not know you are talking to?! Is that the way a commoner like you should be speaking to the Imperial Highness?!" The third figure within the balcony, after hearing Yu Ming's cold reply, retorted. The large hoof on her hind leg stomped the ground as her shiny dark eyes angrily glared towards Yu Ming.

  "It is fine, sister. Yu Ming does not mean any harm. But... " Turning his gaze towards Yu Ming, Jing Manchu added,

  " You have to properly address me next time. I could just let this one come to pass as you are currently doing a great job— But remember young lady, your father is still working under me and has not yet returned. Do you want me to keep sending him back to these capturing missions?" A smirk appeared on the insect "lips' of Jing Manchu as Yu Ming could not anything but keep silent. Tears that were about to drop within the glossy dark eyes of her was apparent as her gaze went towards the general direction of the An Forest, the natural habitat for Gaiwus.

  "Father… please be safe." Yu Ming inwardly muttered. All she could do is hope and pray that nothing tragic would befall towards his father in the upcoming expeditions.

  As if they were coincidental with her cries. footsteps resounded within the palace as a number of figures hurriedly approached the balcony. They were the people that are under his father's command! They've returned? But something was definitely amiss as Yu Ming scanned the people that were approaching. She could not see her father in the group!

  CHAPTER 18

  PLANS

  "Let go of me, you creep!" The Lunar Fox, which somehow looked like a cat— Yue Ling, angrily squeaked at Jin Feng's face while hanging upside down. The irritating sound of her high pitched voice resounded within Jin Feng's ear. Jin Feng scrunched his forehead as he thought "This fox… is extremely annoying."

  Letting out a long sigh, Jin Feng nonchalantly placed Yue Ling back on the ground. The annoying little fox wasn't easy to catch, but Jin Feng still managed to do it anyway due to his observant behavior. But it also wasn't any easier to have a talking animal cuss and insult you right in the face, literally.

  "Enough with all the nonsense. What's up?" It was still early in the morning, but Jin Feng's patience is already reaching its brim. It was amazing how this annoying little fox of a program developer could manage to irritate him in mere moments. Jin Feng straightforwardly asked. He did not mind the squeaky babbling of Yue Ling and say cross-legged on the ground, waiting for her to shut up.

  Ten minutes…

  It took ten minutes of rant before Yue Ling "calmed" down. The entire time, Jin Feng wasn't paying an ounce of attention to her and was instead pondering about how he would go with the leveling of the Gaiwus. "...And that is why should always act with reverence when I am around, you mortal! Do you hear me?"

  "Eh… sure." Jin Feng waved his hand, gesturing that he understood what she was saying. "Heh, isn't this like some kind of "Terms & Agreement" crap back on Earth? Never have I seen one in actual games, not that I am aware of I guess." Jin Feng randomly thought. At this point, he was more interested in pointless stuff like Terms and Agreement rather than listening to what Yue Ling was saying.

  "It's not as if she is answering any of the questions that I had previously…" From time to time throughout Yue Ling's extensive speech, he could pick up a few things. Nothing was related to the problems he had with the system, so Jin Feng did not bother. Besides, he would not let this Yue Ling rest until he could resolve a few more things.

  "If you're done talking, then it would be my turn. Answer me, is the System preprogrammed or not?" Jin Feng earnestly asked. It was the same question he had back then when this Yue Ling disappeared.

  "...Did you not listen to what I was saying? I told you, I am a busy goddess, and I have no time to create special things for a mortal like you. All I could do is lend you some of the few things that are already on hand."

  "Ah, she actually spoke some important things during that whole babbling, my bad." Even though Yue Ling this time answered. It did not explain as to why she hurriedly went out of the dream last night and instead answered everything here. Not that it matters, but Jin Feng was still curious.

  Cupping his chin, Jin Feng pondered, "On hand… so it's just a mumbo-jumbo of premade things made into one program. *Sigh* Is this "goddess" a typical big developer who keeps recycling things and naming it something new?" It
was a familiar scheme that kept running within the gaming industry, "Heh… That is why I don't really patronize things on PC games."

  Although Jin Feng wasn't a fan of such game companies, and often times the game itself— Console and Mobile games were no different.

  Console games were basically the same as those that run on PC, only that it is in a different device. Jin Feng casually plays things that are within his capacity back then. Reason being he could think better with a console controller than using a mouse-and-keyboard combo.

  Mobile games were much more casual. Things could go "competitive", but more or less that are limited within the grasp of one's two fingers. It might not be entirely "easy", but it was convenient for people like Jin Feng. After all, is said and done, these three seemingly different things are more or less the same in one aspect.