Chapter 4

First off, it’s only natural to recruit a 5-star character first.

…Of course, just like how the protagonist ran away.

Yo-Hena was low priority in the rerolling process.

Appearance? Pretty. Sure, her chest is a bit small, though.

Personality? …She was gentle. Had a bit of a twist in her charm.

Performance? A top-tier pure healer. She even has buff skills.

Popularity? The number of fan art pieces proves it.

Yet, the reason she wasn’t picked in rerolling was clear.

Because once you clear the 10th floor of the Tower, you can definitely get her in the main story.

The inevitable fate of a giveaway character.

…I too got excited over 5-star effects in the past.

I almost threw my phone when I saw Yo-Hena.

Feeling a bit guilty.

I headed to the Sanctuary of Revelation.

“Yo-Hena?”

Not here?

She has to be here.

In this game, getting a contract from the gacha isn’t the end; you have to find the character you want to recruit in the field.

In really unlucky cases.

Even after getting a 5-star contract.

You might have to wander around the field all day looking for the character.

Why was the system made like this?

I don’t know. Must be the developer’s philosophy.

“Here she is.”

Luckily.

Yo-Hena was in her room inside the sanctuary, deeply engrossed in reading.

“Yo-Hena?”

“Kyaah…?!”

Yo-Hena jumped up, still holding the book.

Great reaction. She has the makings of a live audience member.

Suddenly, my eyes caught the book Yo-Hena was clutching.

[TUTORIAL GUIDE BOOK]

…

Right.

Most of the game’s features were explained by Yo-Hena during the tutorial.

So she was studying hard behind the scenes.

“Arc…? Right! Perfect timing. I was just reading in this ‘Goddess’s Revelation’ that there are other dimensional heralds? The herald from earlier must have been from another dimension by mistake. That’s why the Plate of Purification suddenly disappeared.”

Calming her startled heart.

Yo-Hena started rapid-firing words again.

She was forcing a smile, but her trembling voice betrayed her unease.

Without a word, I pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her.

Yo-Hena’s eyes widened.

“This is…? My hero contract…? How do you have it, Arc? It’s definitely in the Revelation…”

A surprised Yo-Hena unconsciously accepted the contract.

At that moment.

The contract emitted a bright light──

And transformed into two bracelets.

Soon, one was on my wrist.

And one on Yo-Hena’s wrist.

Then they disappeared in a halo of light.

[NEW!]

[(★★★★★) Herald Saint Yo-Hena]

[Character Information]

– Name: ‘Herald Saint’ Yo-Hena (★★★★★)

– Holy Attribute / Healer / Back Row

– Level: 1 / 20 (RANK 1)

– Basic Skill: Light of Healing (LV.1)

– Enhancement Skill: Blessing of the Stars (LV.1)

– Ultimate Skill: [Locked]

…

– Affection: [Insufficient permissions. Cannot view.]

– Exclusive Equipment: [Insufficient permissions. Cannot view.]

And the information that popped up on the smartphone.

…There’s a lot I can’t see due to insufficient permissions.

It’ll unlock gradually, right?

“Huh? Huh? Huh?”

Yo-Hena short-circuited, unable to process the sudden change.

But since she’s a key character in the story.

It’s better to share with her.

I explained my situation, omitting the fact that this world is inside a game.

Yo-Hena tilted her head, half in doubt.

But showing her how to pull items out of the smartphone seemed to convince her somewhat.

Then she flipped through the book for a while.

“…That’s not in the Revelation…”

She said something only someone who studies by rote would say.

Life is about real experience.

“Anyway, let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“The Tower. We should go. We need to check if the purification really works.”

As I was about to take Yo-Hena with me.

“Wait!”

“?”

“The hood… Please wear it outside.”

“…? Okay.”

Why?

It’s uncomfortable covering half my face.

Well, there must be a reason.

* * *

It’s an obvious story, but.

In this game, you can easily reach a certain floor even with 3-star characters.

Occasionally, there are events hosted by users in the gallery.

The ‘3-star Challenge’ where I was the fastest and most efficient in clearing.

Actually, even Yo-Hena wasn’t necessary at this point.

One damage dealer is enough.

Of course, there’s no reason not to use her, and having buffs lowers the spec requirement, so it doesn’t matter.

Thus, the destination.

The Meeting Tavern.

While 5-star characters like Yo-Hena have somewhat fixed locations.

3-star and 4-star characters gather randomly at places like taverns, inns, or adventurer guilds.

But the character I’m about to meet is probably at the tavern.

With that confidence, I moved my steps.

Creaking open the tavern door and stepping in.

The smell of alcohol and the clamor of voices filled the late evening.

Well.

Everyone’s unemployed now.

Originally, as the Tower was being conquered, heroes not affiliated with the herald’s party were supposed to be doing something inside or outside the Tower.

Earlier.

The characters who came to buy or sell items when I was running the shop were examples.

The Saint probably isn’t used to places like this.

“I’ll wait outside…”

She didn’t follow me in.

Well, it didn’t matter.

Luckily, the person I was looking for soon came into view.

“Kyahaha! Boss! Here’s another mug!”

“One more drink!”

3-star. Archer Ari.

While some had grand titles like the Saintess of Revelation, fitting for a 5-star SSR, most 3-stars were pretty simple.

Taking in her signature tied-back red hair.

“Hey, can we talk for a sec?”

I approached Ari, who was busy chugging beer.

True to her drinker persona, she already had over ten beer mugs stacked in front of her, yet she looked perfectly fine, flashing her fangs with a refreshing smile.

If only she didn’t smell like alcohol, she’d be quite charming.

“Arc? What’s up? Wanna join me for a beer?”

“…Let’s talk outside.”

I sighed and led her outside.

“What’s going on? What’s the deal between you two?”

“Looks like spring has come for Ari~ So jealous~”

Ignoring the chatter from the other 3-stars, I grabbed Ari’s wrist and pulled her outside.

“Oh, Yo-Hena’s here too?”

“…Alcohol isn’t good for you, Ari.”

“Hehe.”

So they know each other.

Well, that’s possible.

My golden rule: when you have something important to say, look them in the eye.

I took off my hood and stared straight into Ari’s eyes.

“Uh, uh, uh…?”

Why so flustered?

Then I pulled out the 3-star contract I had prepared.

All I needed was Ari. The others could wait.

I’d need materials for 4-star promotions later, so I’d gather them bit by bit.

Noticing Yo-Hena frowning uncomfortably, I briefly glanced at her.

Then, as I had agreed with Yo-Hena earlier, I explained.

“The Seer had a bit of a problem, so they asked me to take over temporarily. Just for a while.”

I didn’t like lying, but according to Yo-Hena, heroes instinctively recognize the Seer’s presence.

Meaning, even if I waved this smartphone around and claimed to be the Seer, no hero would believe me.

A half-baked protagonist’s life.

It felt a bit pitiful, but as long as I could clear the game, it was fine.

The cold wind must’ve started making the alcohol hit, as Ari’s cheeks turned red. She took the contract from my hand.

Just like with Yo-Hena earlier—the bracelet clicked like handcuffs.

[NEW!]

[(★★★) Archer Ari]

“Let’s work well together, Ari.”

“Y-yeah! Let’s do our best…!”

Must be the power of the contract. Her tone seemed a bit more obedient than before.

Now, time to grow.

I started pulling out Potions of Growth from my inventory.

“Drink up.”

“Whoa…! This is the Potion of Growth!”

She practically snatched it from my hand and gulped it down. I smiled warmly.

She’s really into it.

Drinking it like it’s a hangover cure.

I hope she doesn’t get diarrhea like I did.

“Here, there’s more. Take your time.”

“—Thanks!”

“Don’t talk, just keep drinking.”

“…?”

First rank-up.

It took 30 low-grade Potions of Growth to reach level 20.

Drink.

Drink and grow stronger.

“Here, more. Drink up.”

“Gulp, gulp, wait a sec…!”

“It’s precious. Don’t spill it.”

As I kept forcing the potions down Ari’s throat, I glanced over and—

“…”

I caught Yo-Hena’s slightly horrified expression.

She shook her head.

I felt a little bad.

I should’ve saved some for Yo-Hena.

But there was no need to level up the healer right now.

Still, it’d be good to give her something.

I snatched the empty bottle from Ari’s hand and gave her a new one, then rummaged through my inventory.

[Fragment of the Goddess’s Power x5]

Hmm.

Let’s take out one for now.

“Here. Don’t feel left out. I’ll take care of you soon, Yo-Hena. Take this for now.”

I handed her a common affinity item for holy-type characters.

Yo-Hena’s eyes widened.

She seemed pretty pleased.

I’ll have to toss her a few more later when she starts complaining.

“Gasp, cough, cough…! I drank it all…! I feel so powerful! Thank you so mu—”

“Alright. Let’s break through now.”

“—?”

After confirming she hit level 20, I handed her the materials needed for rank-up: low-grade Wind Emblems and Growth Medals.

Ari’s expression grew even more confused.

—

[Character Info]

– Name: ‘Archer’ Ari (★★★)

– Wind Attribute / Ranged / Backline

– Level: 26 / 30 (RANK 2)

I couldn’t level her up further due to a lack of potions, but the preparations were complete.

“Cough, cough, hack…”

Yo-Hena patted Ari’s back as she struggled from potion overdose.

They looked close.

But hey, what’s good for you usually tastes bitter.

Anyway, the preparations were done.

So now, it’s time to seriously climb the Tower.