Dinner wrapped up quietly after that, the warm aroma of Knox's cooking lingering longer than anyone's pride. Once tea time ended—complete with Israfill giving his iced tea a betrayed look for the third time—both saintesses rose from their seats.
"We'll finish the last of our tasks," Israfill said, straightening her robe.
Dana gave a curt nod. "Don't wander too far."
Knox waved lazily. "I'll be good."
The two saintesses headed off, their figures disappearing down the corridor. Only when their footsteps faded did Knox stretch his arms overhead, let out a long exhale, and head toward his room.
The moment he closed the door behind him, silence settled—calm, steady, and strangely comforting.
"…Alright," he muttered, dropping onto the floor.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the dim room, back straight, hands resting atop his knees. His breathing slowed. His eyes drifted shut.
Time to check it.
The system… and the skill he had only brushed against before.
Shadow Monarch.
The words echoed in his mind like a door creaking open—familiar because of the reference, yet foreign because now it belonged to him.
A faint thrill ran down his spine.
"Let's see if you finally woke up," he whispered into the quiet, sinking deeper into focus…
He focused.
For a moment, nothing happened—just darkness behind his eyelids.
Then—
Ding!
Ding ding!
A bright, cheerful bell chime echoed in his head, completely ruining the dramatic atmosphere he'd been trying to build.
Knox's eyes snapped open.
A soft glow filled the room—followed by a woman's voice he instantly recognized.
Warm. Playful. A little too casual.
Before he could even gasp, light gathered in front of him, forming the figure of the Great Goddess herself—well, more like a hologram made of divine magic, shimmering like a pre-recorded message.
"Hellooo~! If you're seeing this, that means your system has finally unlocked! Yay!"
Knox froze.
The goddess beamed, waving at him like she was greeting an old friend.
"I know, I know—back in your old world, novels always give the reincarnated hero a fancy system with stats, status windows, HP, MP, STR, AGI, blah blah blah. But honestly? I find that boring. Mainstream. Predictable. And I don't like mainstream things, you know?"
She put a hand on her hip, smug and proud.
"So! We—meaning me and a bunch of other gods—held a vote. A very dramatic one, by the way. And we decided to give you something far more direct, far more convenient… and most importantly, far more friendly for your daily life!"
A screen popped into existence beside her.
Sleek. Colorful. Smooth animations. A style that was dangerously familiar.
Knox's jaw nearly dropped.
This was… a gacha-game UI.
No—worse. It had the exact vibes of Genshin, Honkai Impact 3rd, and Honkai Star Rail's menus.
Same clean layout. Same elegant transitions. Same "click me and suffer" aura.
The Great Goddess clasped her hands together proudly.
"Tadaaa! Isn't it pretty? I thought it suited you."
Knox could only stare, wondering whether he should thank her… or cry.
Knox stared at the floating UI, expression frozen somewhere between awe and emotional damage.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
It wasn't that he disliked the idea of a system.
He wanted one.
He had begged the universe for one.
But this?
This was dangerous.
Because he recognized this interface.
He recognized it too well.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
This looks exactly like a gacha menu… a dangerous gacha menu… an actually-ruin-your-savings gacha menu…
His eyes narrowed warily.
A sudden spike of phantom pain hit him so hard he almost clutched his chest.
The memory came rushing back like a war flashback.
Right… right. Before I died… I finished the Amphoreus arc in Honkai Star Rail. And I pulled for Cyrene.
His eyelid twitched.
And her Light Cone.
His soul twitched.
And the total was… what, almost two hundred pulls?
He felt his heart crack in slow motion.
I lost pity on Cyrene's banner… AND her Light Cone banner… both! BOTH OF THEM!
His shoulders slumped as the despair washed over him again.
Even Amphoreus' ending wasn't as painful as that… I swear I felt my soul ascend when I saw the off-banner five-stars—twice.
He lifted a trembling finger toward the divine UI.
But the menu's soft, elegant sparkles glowed back at him with suspicious enthusiasm.
And Knox felt a chill.
"…Gods above. I'm scared."
The hologram Goddess clapped her hands together, her smile bright enough to qualify as a safety hazard.
"Alright! Since you're finally seeing this message, that means your system is officially online! Yay!"
Knox blinked. Hard.
The Great Goddess leaned forward conspiratorially, hands behind her back like she was about to reveal state secrets.
"Now then, let's explain your shiny new system before you start poking random buttons and accidentally blowing up your house."
She cleared her throat—very dramatically.
1. UI Gacha Explanation
"First! Your interface. As you can see—"
A floating screen appeared beside her, clean, colorful, and dangerously familiar.
"—you have one main Gacha Menu. Super simple! One button for Single Pull, one for Ten Pulls. Just tap and enjoy that little dopamine hit!"
2. Pull Cost
She raised two fingers.
"A single pull costs 160 crystals.
Ten pulls cost 1600 crystals.
Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking—'Why no discount?' Because capitalism! …And also because the divine council voted against it. Democracy is pain."
Knox's soul physically flinched.
3. Crystal Sources
The hologram swiped her hand, and six icons rotated around her.
"Now, where do you get crystals? Easy! Here's the list:
Main Quests → 300–500 crystals
Minor Story Quests → 30–80 crystals
Event Lore Encounters → 20–200 crystals
Boss Dungeons / World Bosses → 150–400 crystals
World Achievements → 150–500 crystals
Goddess Gifts → Random, rare, very sparkly
"Don't worry, I'm generous. Sometimes."
Knox wasn't convinced.
4. Gacha Contents
She spun around, arms spread wide, as icons rained behind her like confetti.
"You can get anything inside this gacha!
★5 Summons—yes, from games, anime, other worlds, multiverse stuff, you know.
★5 Support Skills.
★4 Weapons or equipment.
★3 Blueprints and mid-tier materials.
★2 Currency items.
★1 Daily consumables—"your chicken meat, potatoes, onions, whatever."
She winked. "I added vegetables because you need to eat healthier."
Knox felt personally attacked.
5. Gacha Rates
Finally, she snapped her fingers, and a transparent text box appeared listing the rarity odds.
"And for the important part everyone cries about—rates!
★★★★★ (Character or Skill): 0.6%
★★★★ : 5.1%
★★★ : 20%
★★ : 30%
★ : 44.3%
"Ah—one more thing!"
She lifted a finger dramatically, as if about to announce the secret to eternal happiness.
"There's no 50/50 system in your gacha. None of that 'win or lose, cry yourself to sleep' nonsense."
She winked teasingly.
"Every 90 pulls, I guarantee you a ★5—whether it's a summon or a skill."
She leaned in, whispering as if sharing a conspiracy:
"I saw what happened to you in that other world. Losing pity on two banners back-to-back? Even the other gods cried."
Then she straightened, hands on her hips.
"Aren't I the best?"
The hologram Goddess gave him a thumbs-up, sparkling.