Free Web NovelChapter 9: Three Pulls
Tony’s index finger hovered towards the system’s screen as he was about to tap on the {Yes} option; however, the figure of whom he had least expected at that moment caused him to pause his hand midair.
Sandra walked into the room, a tray balanced carefully in her hands, as the sweet aroma of the meal she had prepared drifted into the room before she did.
’Oh. My. Goodness.’
Tony’s raised hand practically fell, landing in between his laps as he shifted his gaze from the screen, watching Sandra as she moved elegantly until she approached the stool table they had used to serve the supervisors and nudged it gently, closer to him with her left foot.
Pretending as though she hadn’t noticed her boyfriend’s stare, she let a soft smile play on her lips as she bent to drop the tray on the stool table.
"You thought I forgot about you, didn’t you?" she teased quietly, arranging the meals on the tray carefully.
"I..." Tony’s voice hitched.
A strand of Sandra’s purple hair had fallen across her face as she bent forward, yet it somehow made her look even more beautiful.
Something triggered in Tony’s heart.
His eyes followed her every motion, dazed for a while, almost thanking his luck for letting him inherit such a wonderful and beautiful girlfriend. Until her sweet voice called back his attention.
"This one is specially yours," Sandra said proudly, as though she had prepared the most unimaginable dish in their world. "No visitors, no sharing."
The warmth in her voice carried far more affection than the meal itself ever could. Tony imagined if she was really the girl he had been with for a couple of hours so far, if not a day.
Before he was caught off once more in his daze, he opened his mouth to ask, "What about yo—?"
However, before he could complete his words, Sandra interrupted.
"Oh, my, how can I forget the juice?" She clapped her mouth in a forgetful manner and scurried off back to the kitchen.
While she was gone, Tony’s eyes returned to the screen, which was still hovering in front of his eyes. He hadn’t want to keep it waiting for so long, and now it seemed like Sandra would even be a stumbling block to activating the draws.
Although he had been hungry, it seemed as if his stomach was immediately filled after he received the beginner’s gift pack. Now, he would have to find a way to keep Sandra at bay or wait for a while longer.
’Don’t you dare beep for any reason!’ he scolded and turned to his meal.
And his eyes widened.
On the tray sat a plate of fluffy pancakes with crispy bacon by the side and a folded omelette bursting with melted cheese and vegetables.
The sight was simply enticing to the eyes, and the aroma was making it an even more difficult task to prevent Tony from salivating.
"All these, especially for me?" he murmured. "No, I mean, I can now eat good foods henceforth?"
A trickle of tears dropped from his eyes without his control. He had lived a well-to-do life on Earth and only had to enjoy these kinds of food as a kid. However, all that ended when he lost his mother at a young age and his late father when he became a teenager enough to join his business.
All his grown life, due to his poor ability to cook, he had lived off the processed foods from stores and didn’t manage to enjoy a homemade food like this one.
To crown it all, he lived alone and wasn’t acquainted with any girl like the current Tony.
"Here," Tony was caught in his bliss as he didn’t notice when Sandra arrived, placing a chilled glass of pineapple juice lightly against the polished wood. "Enjoy the food before it gets cold. Or should I feed you?"
Tony shook his head practically like a kid and picked up the fork and knife placed by the side of the plates. He was about to dig into this sumptuous meal when the bed he sat on vibrated before a ting sounded twice.
Sandra, who was headed back to the kitchen, paused in her steps and turned to her boyfriend.
"Check my phone. Get it from the top left edge of the bed; there should be a message."
Tony was shocked.
Nevertheless, he switched the knife in his right hand to join the fork in his left and extended his free hand to collect the phone. Guided by his memories, he unlocked the phone.
"A message from the Guild. Read it yourself." Tony did his best to hide his surprised tone as he spoke and handed the phone to Sandra, who had come closer.
Then, he faced his breakfast.
"God, I almost forgot the appointment. I will have to rush out," she said and tossed her phone onto the bed.
Minutes later, she was no longer the Sandra dressed in a nightgown. She had freshened up and is now dressed in a fitted black turtleneck tucked neatly into dark leather trousers, paired with a long ash-gray coat that flowed lightly behind her with every step.
Well, that last detail didn’t matter much as she grabbed her phone and rushed for the door.
"Why don’t you take some food with you?" Tony’s calm voice caused her to pause. "You haven’t eaten, have you?"
"That’s right."
Sandra replied and dashed into the kitchen. In not more than ten seconds, she was already out with a flask in her hand.
"I served it before now," she said after catching the stare from Tony and left the room.
"I guess she prepared already, having served the dish into the flask. I’m just wondering if my tone sounded concerning enough just now," he muttered to himself and suddenly jolted.
Now was the time.
He covered the remaining food that was on the table and took a sip from the pineapple juice before he pushed the table to the side.
He looked up, and luckily, the system was still there.
"Very well then."
{Yes}.
The instant his finger made contact, the purple interface shattered into countless streaks of light before reforming into something else entirely.
A deep hum echoed through the air as a purple, translucent slot machine that looked like the shape of a secular heart materialized before him. The machine floated several inches above the ground, rotating slowly while streams of violet particles leaked from its edges.
At the center of the machine was a crystal lever that looked like condensed starlight. And around it were five reels bearing rows of spinning symbols that continued to change and flicker rapidly across.
The reels spun until, a few seconds later, they began to slow one after the other.
The first reel stopped as its spinning symbol turned blank, suddenly creating a visible ray of purple light that connected the second reel. This process continued until the five reels were now circularly connected by purple beams, and it finally stopped with a [ding] sound.
Unlike the other reels, the fifth reel stopped with crossed swords symbol that was reflected onto the starlight crystal lever.
Upon the reflection, a screen diverged out of the lever.
[Congratulations! First Free Legendary Pull Complete.]
[You have extracted the Unique Skill: Blade Awakening.]
[Skill]: Blade Awakening
[Blade Awakening]: Permanently boosts speed, strength, and swordsmanship during battle.
That was definitely a nice pull, but it wasn’t what Tony had expected. He thought a mythical beast, or better still, a being, was going to get summoned from outer space or wherever they were summoned from.
But the skill was definitely a nice one. It meant he didn’t need to learn the way of the sword as a beginner. And his strength and, basically, agility were going to receive significant boosts when he clashed with an opponent.
It also meant that with each battle he fought with the sword, his expertise grew stronger in that aspect. And his agility and strength were also going to have a permanent increment after the battle.
The only downside was that it was going to gnaw on his mana power, and he almost didn’t have any to begin with.
His thoughts were soon distracted, and he was drawn to the next throb of the device as it began its spin once again.
It completed the process, and...
[Congratulations! Second Free Legendary Pull Complete.]
[You have extracted the Unique Trait: Summoner’s Link.]
[Summoner’s Link (unique)]: Cannot permanently die while a living summon is alive.
Although Tony was once again disappointed in the result of the second pull, he was still grateful for such a thrill to know he won’t be able to die easily as long as his summons still lived.
Tony didn’t get the chance to think things through, and the third spin began, and after another few seconds of completing the usual process, it stopped.
However, this time, instead of bringing its outcome in the form of a screen diverging outward, purple beams poured out from the crystal lever, shooting at the air in front of him, and suddenly stopped as if a barrier was obstructing their passage.
The beams continued to pour, gradually taking the shape of a swirling, circular rift.
Once the rift was set, it changed color as it began to continuously pulsate with a rainbow glow, the beams of purple light finally fading out.
And from within the pulsating rift, Tony saw a figure step out of it.
As the figure came into clear view, the latter’s eyes widened.
At the same time, the screen materialized before his eyes with a sharp—
Ding!
[Congratulations! Third Free Legendary Pull Complete.]
[You have summoned a Legendary Presence.]
[ ... ]
The figure completely stepped out, and the rift vanished behind.
The screen notifications continued to array themselves in front of Tony as his last, free gacha pull walked in deliberate, majestic steps towards him.
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