The room Bronya had departed from still held a faint trace of her scent.
After turning off the lights, Otto lay down on the bed Bronya had occupied, but his brows were furrowed.
"Raiden Mei."
Otto whispered Mei's name. Although it was already past three in the morning, he felt no sleepiness at all.
He was like a mischievous child the night before a field trip.
He glanced at the system panel. He had completed last night's mission just in the nick of time, so the daily mission should have refreshed by now.
[Daily Mission]
[Make any Valkyrie call you "Daddy" in front of someone else. Mission Reward: 100 Crystals. Mission Status: Incomplete.]
Otto: ...
He was starting to get used to it. Otto wasn't particularly surprised, only that this time it had to be done in front of others.
The only person currently available as a mission-completion tool was Kiana. But to make Kiana call him Daddy, and in front of someone else at that...
Swallowing hard, Otto chose to close his eyes and go to sleep. You can have anything you want in your dreams.
But it wasn't long before he opened his eyes again.
It wasn't because he had figured out how to make Kiana gasp and call him Daddy outside. His emerald eyes were fixed on the 300 Crystals and 450 Friendship Points on the system panel.
280 crystals for one Standard Supply pull, and 280 friendship points for one Friendship Supply pull.
Right now, he could do one of each.
If he could pull a Herrscher Core, he would take off right here and now.
Otto's eyes narrowed. He was not a man prone to indecision.
If not now, when!
Pull!
[Congratulations! You have received: USP45!]
?
Otto stared at the small handgun that had appeared in his inventory. If he remembered correctly, wasn't this thing a garbage-tier one-star initial weapon?
He had pulled from the Friendship Supply. The method of acquiring friendship points was so mysterious; Otto had thought the Friendship Supply would at least give him a little surprise.
Well, he got the "sur" part, but he saw none of the "prise."
Does this Overseer look like he needs a USP45 from you? With a single word, I can have Schicksal deliver tens of thousands of them. Do I really need to pull one from your system?
Friendship Supply is trash.
Otto's verdict was delivered.
His gaze shifted to the Standard Supply, and suddenly, his heart tightened. He realized something was wrong.
The banner didn't say "A-Rank Valkyrie or 4-star Stigma/Weapon guaranteed within 10 pulls"!
"System, does this Standard Supply banner have a pity system?"
[Host, since you can get a lucky drop on your first pull, why would you ever need to hit the pity?]
Heh, now that's what this Overseer likes to hear.
Not dwelling on it, Otto felt the dream in his grasp. He was going to use these 280 crystals to create a miracle.
Without hesitation, Otto pressed the "Supply x1" button.
The system panel's display changed abruptly. A Homu box, an image etched into his DNA, fell from the sky. Then, under Otto's watchful gaze, the Homu box exploded.
A flash of purple light!
OH OH OH OH OH!!!!
Otto leaned back in excitement, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air!
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the Stigmata "Cecilia Schariac (M)".]
It's a Stigmata.
Otto's excitement was slightly dampened. He didn't know if there was a catch hidden within this Stigmata.
"System, what's the retrieval method for this Stigmata?"
"Don't tell me I have to go turn Cecilia into a Stigmata, right?"
Cecilia was dead.
And most likely, not even her bones remained.
[This System is equipped with a complete Stigmata Terminal. Please rest assured, Host, you will not be required to do anything in the real world.]
[Would you like to equip the Stigmata now?]
"What kind of effects will equipping this Stigmata have?"
Otto asked, still wary. After all, he had been tricked before.
[At a basic level, it will enhance the Host's combat parameters. The extent to which you can draw out the Stigmata's power depends on your compatibility with it.]
"This Soul Steel body of mine can use a Stigmata?"
[This System will directly inscribe the Stigmata onto your soul, so there are no physical limitations. If you feel any discomfort after equipping it, you may remove it at any time.]
"Alright then, equip it."
Having asked all the necessary questions, Otto lay back on the bed. With a portion of Cecilia's power, his ability to protect himself would be greatly enhanced.
He had really hit the jackpot.
But...
[This System will now begin inscribing the Stigmata for you. If anything happens next, please do not panic. Panicking is useless anyway.]
Otto felt that something was wrong.
[Stigmata inscription beginning.]
"Wait, I don't want to equip it anymore!"
Otto sensed the impending disaster, but it was too late.
A sharp pain pierced his mind, and his consciousness became muddled. Otto struggled to lift his hand, but his body felt like it wasn't his own. His head was spinning, and the hand he had just raised fell limply back onto the bed.
---o---
"Are you prepared?"
A man's voice echoed beside his ear.
That voice sounds a little familiar.
Otto opened his eyes. The blinding lights above made it almost impossible to see. He struggled to look to his left and right and found himself lying on what appeared to be an operating table.
Then, he saw...
..."I" was standing next to the operating table.
Wait, why am I standing next to myself?
Otto couldn't process it. He was clearly lying on the operating table, so how could another "Otto" in a white lab coat be standing beside it?
A terrible thought rose in his mind.
Could it be... this is the "real Otto"!?
The ruthless, genuine "Overseer Otto"!?
Has my cover been blown? Am I about to be dissected and studied by the real Otto!?
"Have you thought of a name for the child?"
But in the next moment, the "Otto" in the white coat spoke in a very calm tone.
Child?
Overseer Otto, are you going to stuff me into a female body to bear your child?
I can't do that!
But then, Otto felt his own mouth move.
"Not yet, Lord Overseer."
A gentle female voice came from what was now Otto's mouth.
Eh? Why has my voice changed? It's surprisingly pleasant to listen to.
"Is that so?" the white-coated Otto said. "It will surely be a good child, just like you."
The next moment, Otto suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, as if someone was playfully kicking from the inside.
What is happening?
"Lord Overseer, it seems the child is kicking me. She must be eager to come out."
The gentle voice trembled slightly, yet it was filled with a deep, profound love.
"It is almost time. Cecilia, prepare yourself."
"Thank you, Lord Overseer."
The white-haired Valkyrie on the operating table revealed a poignant, beautiful smile. The radiance of motherhood made her stunningly beautiful.
[Image available here, viewable after update]
At this point, Otto understood that he was watching Cecilia's memories.
Could this be the so-called Stigmata memory?
Damn it, why didn't the System say I would have to experience this? It said the host wouldn't need to do anything in the real world!
So this was the catch!
But there was nothing Otto could do. Although he was experiencing all of this as if it were truly happening to him, he could only watch from Cecilia's perspective, like viewing a first-person film.
[My wife.jpg]
But seriously, this feeling is too real. This pain...
Wait a second...
This scene...
Otto suddenly realized exactly which memory this was.
It can't be...
Unbearable pain stimulated Otto's very soul, as if he were being torn apart. If he could move, he would have been screaming uncontrollably.
What is a child's debt? What is a mother's love?
Accompanied by Cecilia's screams, by a pain that no ordinary person could endure, and by the birth and first cries of a new life.
Otto felt the greatness of a mother's love and the weight of a new life.