New York, Queens – Alex's POV
[Ninth draw in progress…]
The holographic lights dimmed slightly, casting a faint purple glow that felt… intimate. Almost invasive. The chime this time was slower, deliberate, like it was savoring the moment before revealing the result.
[Ability Acquired: Pleasure Lock]
I froze. "…Oh. Ohhh no."
A tooltip slid into view:
[Ability Description: Pleasure Lock — The user can set a maximum threshold for the physical pleasure others can feel. Any pleasure beyond that threshold is suppressed and stored, then can be released all at once if the user allows. Effective for influencing motivation, obedience, or emotional states in situations involving intimacy or desire.]
I stared at it, blinking, trying to process the implications. "…Wait. So, I can literally… control how much pleasure someone experiences… and even release it later?"
The realization hit me in waves. This wasn't just flirtation or charm anymore. This was manipulation at a deeply personal, even… intimate level. And yet, some part of me couldn't deny how dangerously… useful it sounded. Terrifying, sure — but useful.
A grin tugged at my lips despite myself. "Well, that escalated quickly." I leaned back, still staring at the floating text. "Harem King… Seed of Potential… and now… this." The pattern was undeniable. Every ability intertwined, building a toolkit to dominate, manipulate, or… conquer.
My stomach twisted in a strange mix of thrill and unease. "Okay… so the Gacha's name isn't just thematic. Conquest. Not just fighting or leveling up. Strategy. Social dominance."
I let out a short, almost mischievous laugh. "And here I thought this was just a fun multiversal loot machine. Apparently, it's a… comprehensive relationship simulator with potentially terrifying consequences."
[Ability stored.]
[Remaining pulls: 1]
I shook my head, letting the implications settle. My hand hovered over the interface, part of me hesitant, part of me… curious. The more I understood, the more this Gacha felt less like a game and more like a blueprint — a roadmap for chaos.
I smirked. "Alright, Conquest Gacha. You've officially piqued my interest. Let's see how far down this rabbit hole goes."
A long breath later, I braced myself. One final pull. One last chance to reveal the system's true intent.
[Tenth draw in progress…]
The lights swirled, now with a subtle violet shimmer, almost imperceptible but charged with intent. The chime that followed was low, deliberate, savoring the moment.
[Ability Acquired: Mind Whisper]
I froze, blinking at the floating text. "Mind… Whisper? Oh boy."
A tooltip slid into view:
[Ability Description: Mind Whisper — Allows the user to plant subtle suggestions into the minds of nearby individuals. Effects are non-obvious but can influence thoughts, decisions, or emotions over time. Requires careful calibration to avoid detection. Perfect for strategic social influence.]
I blinked again, processing the description. "…Wait… so I can basically… nudge people to do what I want without them realizing it?"
The realization hit me like a punch in the chest. Harem King, Seed of Potential, Pleasure Lock… and now this. The pieces fell into place.
"This isn't just a Gacha," I muttered, voice low, a mix of awe and disbelief. "It's… a Conquest Gacha. Every single thing it's handed me is about influence, persuasion, manipulation… social dominance."
I leaned back, letting the weight of it sink in. The system wasn't giving me random powers. It was building me into… something. Someone who could bend the multiverse socially, if not physically.
A grin slowly crept onto my face, equal parts excitement and nervousness. "Alright… Universe. You want me to be some sort of puppet-master of romance, biology, and psychology? Fine. Let's see how far this rabbit hole goes."
[Ability stored.]
[Remaining pulls: 0]
I stared at the hologram, the faint hum of the system filling the room. Ten pulls. Ten chances. And somehow, it had orchestrated the perfect combination of chaos and control.
Ten pulls. Ten perfectly calculated steps toward something I didn't ask for… but maybe, deep down, I wanted.
"Conquest, huh…" I muttered, smirking. "I get it now. This thing isn't just a slot machine — it's a social war simulator. And I'm apparently the general."
I sank back onto the bed, letting the soft hum of the hologram wash over me. Ten pulls. Ten bizarre, terrifying, occasionally useful gifts from the multiverse. My mind ran through them one by one:
Yuuki Rito — comedic human, paradoxical luck. Might save me from dying in some absurdly improbable way.
Advanced Computer Skills + Arasaka CyberDeck — hack anything, anywhere. Dig into secrets, manipulate systems, maybe even peek behind the curtain of this multiverse.
10,000 USD in cash — literal money in my inventory. Practical, painfully normal, and immediately useful.
Leech (Earth-58163) — power-nullifying mutant. Dangerous, strategic, and utterly badass if I play it right.
Photographic Memory — no flashy explosions, just efficiency. Perfect with my hacker skills.
Harem King — charisma overload. The system is officially testing me, and I'm… kind of impressed.
Seed of Potential — biologically boosting someone else. One-on-one, sex-based power-ups. A new, deeply personal kind of strategy.
Pleasure Lock — manipulate others' pleasure thresholds. Creepy, terrifying, and potentially game-changing.
Mind Whisper — subtle influence, nudging people without their knowledge. The final piece of the social control puzzle.
I rubbed my temples, trying to grasp the emerging pattern. Conquest. That word wasn't just a name. It wasn't cute. It was a blueprint. Influence, manipulation, strategy — social dominance. The system wasn't handing me random loot; it was giving me the tools to control, sway, and conquer.
Then reality hit me. I still had no idea how to earn Conquest Points, the currency for future pulls. But looking at these ten draws… the picture was starting to form. Hacking skills, mind control, charisma, biological boosts… The system wasn't just a slot machine. It was a game of leverage. Every pull hinted at how I might earn the next points: manipulate, influence, dominate… Yet there was no certainty, just opportunity.
I smirked, half amused, half horrified. "So… I have to play the game it's giving me the tools for. Not just survive, not just explore… conquer."
I leaned back, letting the ceiling blur into neon light and holographic glow. Conquer. Such a small word, but loaded with consequences. Not swinging swords or punching villains — subtler, more insidious. Influence, persuasion, control. Power that could make someone dance to your tune without them realizing they were moving.
A slow, uneasy laugh escaped me. "Well… that's one hell of an orientation program."
I ran through the list again, thinking about the implications for my new life:
Yuuki Rito's luck might save me from absurdly improbable deaths.
Advanced Computer Skills + CyberDeck meant I could infiltrate systems, dig secrets, and manipulate digital reality.
Leech gave me safety in a world where powered humans could be deadly.
Harem King, Seed of Potential, Pleasure Lock, Mind Whisper — the system wasn't just giving me advantages. It was giving me levers of control over people: friends, enemies, strangers… even people I cared about.
I shivered, but not entirely from fear. There was excitement too — the kind that bubbles up when you realize the game you've been thrown into is rigged in a way you might just beat.
"And somehow," I muttered to myself, "I've got to… navigate all of this. Relationships. Influence. Manipulation. It's like a strategy RPG crossed with a dating sim… and a twisted morality test."
The thought made my stomach twist. Not in a bad way — in a thrilling way. Chaotic. Morally questionable. But compared to a boring, predictable life? Infinitely better.
I shook my head, a grin tugging at my lips despite the weight of it all. "Guess my life just got… complicated. Exciting. Dangerous. Unpredictable. And honestly? I'd take this chaos over a safe, boring life any day."
I looked at the holographic interface, my mind already spinning with ideas, strategies, and possibilities. The Conquest Gacha had handed me a deck of cards I didn't ask for. Now, it was up to me to play them.
I exhaled slowly, letting the hum of the hologram settle into a steady rhythm. Ten pulls. Ten chances. Ten lessons in chaos, control, and cunning. The Conquest Gacha wasn't just a game—it was a challenge, a curriculum in manipulation, influence, and survival.
For a moment, I let myself imagine the possibilities: who I could protect, who I could sway, how I could turn the tide in a world that had no mercy for the unprepared. It was overwhelming… but not entirely unwelcome.
I sat up straighter, fingers brushing the holographic interface. "Alright," I muttered, voice firm, "time to stop staring at the cards and start learning to play them."
Somewhere deep down, a part of me thrilled at the thought. This wasn't just about surviving anymore. This was about mastering the rules of a game I hadn't even known I was in. And for the first time since the Gacha appeared, I felt… ready.
The soft hum of the hologram pulsed in the background as I sat cross-legged on the bed.
Ten pulls. Ten powers. Ten questions waiting for answers.
Now came the real test — assimilation.
If the Conquest Gacha wanted me to play, then I needed to know exactly what I was working with.
I opened the inventory interface, and a cascade of icons filled the air — Abilities, Items, Templates — neatly organized, glowing faintly like they were waiting for my command.
"Alright," I muttered, rolling my shoulders. "Let's start with something simple."
I focused on the first entry: Yuuki Rito — Template available for assimilation.
That paradoxical, walking disaster of luck. If anyone could keep me alive by sheer absurdity, it'd be him.
[Assimilate Template: Yuuki Rito?]
[Confirm?]
"Yeah, go for it."
Nothing happened.
No flash, no warmth, not even a sound. Just… silence.
I blinked at the hologram, waiting, half-expecting some dramatic transformation or at least a faint glow. Nothing.
No surge of energy, no dizziness — absolutely no change.
I sighed, slumping back slightly. "Well, that's underwhelming."
Even though I hadn't expected much, the total lack of sensation felt… disappointing.
I stared at my hands for a moment, half-hoping for some hidden spark of luck to reveal itself. Still nothing.
When I glanced back at the display, the Yuuki Rito icon had dimmed slightly, the tag shifting to [In Progress].
"…Figures," I muttered. "Guess it's a slow download. Seventy percent, and still nothing. Guess luck takes its sweet time showing up."
Still, it was progress. Even if I didn't feel different, something was happening beneath the surface.
"If I couldn't feel Rito's luck yet," I murmured, smirking faintly, "maybe I'd feel Leech's silence."
My eyes drifted to the next template: Leech (Earth-58163) — the mutant who could nullify powers.
If I could make that one work, it'd be a game-changer in a world full of superhumans.
[Assimilate Template: Leech (Earth-58163)?]
[Confirm?]
"Yeah. Do it."
The moment I tapped confirm, a faint vibration ran through the air — soft, almost imperceptible, like static brushing my skin.
It wasn't painful, but it carried weight, a subtle pressure pressing down on everything around me.
Then it was gone.
No flash. No aura. Just quiet.
I exhaled slowly, feeling oddly grounded.
If Yuuki's template felt like nothing, this one felt like… silence.
Not peaceful silence — emptiness, like the world had just stopped breathing for a second.
Curious, I reopened the Status Tab.
[Name: Alexander Orzat]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 18]
[Abilities: — None —]
[Template (In Progress): — Yuuki Rito (70%) / Leech (Earth-58163) (10%) —]
[Template (Assimilated): —]
I stared at the panel for a long moment.
Two templates running at once — but not progressing at the same pace.
Yuuki Rito's assimilation had already climbed fast; he was just a normal human, after all.
Leech, on the other hand… a powerful mutant with a reality-affecting ability. No wonder his template crawled forward like molasses.
"Alright," I murmured, "so the stronger the template, the slower the integration. Makes sense."
Just as I was about to close the display, something shifted — a faint, almost intangible sensation spreading from my chest outward.
It wasn't light or sound, not even temperature. More like… a pressure at the edge of awareness, a subtle distortion in the air.
The space around me didn't change — it just went quiet.
Not the room, not the world — me.
I frowned, focusing on the feeling.
A field, invisible and weightless, expanding and contracting with my intent.
Then I realized: this was the beginning of Leech's mutation.
It didn't affect the physical world — no flickering lights, no rippling air — but within that one-meter sphere, I could sense the absence.
Like a vacuum where power couldn't exist. A void where energy and ability simply stopped being.
I concentrated, and the sensation faded. Focused again, and it returned.
Activation. Deactivation. Primitive, but real.
"So that's how it starts," I whispered. "A null zone… just small enough to matter."
I closed my eyes, recalling what the real Leech could do — suppress powers across kilometers, mask his X-gene from detection, and even fine-tune who his field affected.
Compared to that, my version was a spark next to a storm.
But even a spark could save your life in the right moment.
I focused on the field again, this time keeping it active. The quiet hum at the edge of my perception returned — not sound, not pressure, just a subtle awareness that something within a one-meter radius was muted.
No spark, no flow of power — only stillness.
I decided to keep it running. If I was going to rely on this ability, I needed to know what it cost.
I sat still, concentrating, feeling the edges of that invisible dome. One meter in every direction — stable, steady, constant.
"Alright," I muttered, a small smile tugging at my lips. "No drain, no side effects. Guess that's a good start."
If this was what one-tenth of Leech's power felt like, then the full version must've been terrifying.
Still, for now, I could handle this much — a small, silent shield against a world that played by no rules but its own.
A grin crept onto my lips.
"Alright, Leech… one percent at a time. Every percent closer to control."