Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World
Chapter 24: Helpless Challenge

Chapter 24: Helpless Challenge

He relinquished the invisibility seeing as the summoning process produced a show of lights at his position.

[Skill Temporarily Obtained: (N) "Flip"]

’Flip—?! Shit, another N-rarity summon?!’ He thought.

There was no time to lament his bad luck as Rurik was already dashing his way. He naturally leaned back as those needles pursued his flesh, though performed a movement entirely foreign to himself—

The ceiling came into view as well as the ground momentarily as his entire body spun. It was a backflip; purely automated by his infused body.

Continuing the same motion, he strung alone consecutive flips like an Olympic acrobat.

"LOOK AT THOSE MOVES! THE ROOKIE ISN’T GOING DOWN EASY!" The announcer observed.

Though it made the spectators cheer, he didn’t feel anything of the sort as he landed on his feet. The pale man remained watching him, keeping a purposeful distance.

’This skill was fairly useless, but at least it seems to be keeping him cautious. That’s fine,’ he thought.

[Temporary summoning over.]

Without wasting another moment, he immediately invoked another, "Temporary Summon; Familiar!"

[Familiar Summoning Initiated | (N): 70% | (R ): 20% | (SR): 7% | (SSR): 2% | (UR): 1%]

The influx of colorful lights at his position caused a stir from the audience, while Rurik seemed more perplexed.

"This odd magic again—?" The Veneator Reaper remarked before approaching yet again.

[Chance Summoning complete...You’ve obtained...!]

The clown-like man drew close just as the small pillar of light touched down between them—

[Familiar temporarily obtained: (N) "Bubble Devil"]

A rather short fiend of light-blue, almost transparent skin manifested, cackling as it immediately held its hands out—POP.

An onslaught of bubbles were released in the dozens, slowly floating through the air. It almost brought a sigh from Gael’s lips, hopelessly disappointed by the summon’s signature ability—bubbles.

"HOW RARE! WE HAVE A USER OF SUMMONING ARTS HERE?! BUT THE ONE HE’S SUMMONED SEEMS...LACKLUSTER?!" The announcer shouted.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

The bubbles filled the arena rather quickly, though failed to live very long as they popped within seconds.

Rurik stood there, poking at a few with his thin blades—pop, pop, pop. It was almost embarrassing, really; the strength of the familiar was nothing more than entertainment for a child.

"Well, I don’t see the point of this one in battle," Rurik claimed boredly.

[Temporary summoning over.]

"Summon: Skill!" He shouted.

[Skill Summoning Initiated | (N): 70% | (R ): 20% | (SR): 7% | (SSR): 2% | (UR): 1%]

As soon as the process began, he found himself on the receiving side of the killer’s malice. Rurik dashed right for him, forcing him to duck down as one of the needle blades passed by his cheek—

"Ghh!"

It cut across his cheek, drawing blood as he managed to push by, though not before receiving another strike. A quick stab to his right shoulder, piercing in before the blade was withdrawn.

"Do you plan on running around? Hoping I’ll tire out? Or bore me to death?" Rurik asked plainly.

[Chance Summoning complete...You’ve obtained...!]

[Skill Permanently Obtained: (SR) "Shockwave"]

He forced himself to turn around as his wounds bled, watching that pristine silver draw near his eyeball–

FWOOM.

–A stomp of his foot produced a powerful expanse of force, forcing the reaper back as the shockwave thundered through the arena. It had a recoil effect, rippling through his own leg that commanded the powerful force.

There was only a second that the pale man was kept off balance before immediately rushing in again, pointing those twin blades for him.

Each one looked to be aimed for his neck, forcing him to act:

In desperation, he slapped both of his palms together in a clap—THWOOM.

The air was forcibly shattered as a shockwave emitted from the unison of his hands. He watched the ripple through the wind cause Rurik’s cheeks to slap as his hair swayed, pushing the man back forcibly.

While it saved his neck, the recoil caused his united hands to sharply reject one another.

’Shit, that hurt—I can’t just use that skill without thinking!’ He realized, glancing at his bruised palms.

Still, the crowd seemed ever more to grow on his side with their cheers and chants: "ROOK! ROOK! ROOK!"

Despite the shift in the spectators, he saw nothing that indicated his opponent was hurt in the slightest yet. All he accomplished was disheveling the man’s long, black hair as it laid messily over his shoulders.

"That’s some impressive magic. It’s not going to do you much well here, though," Rurik calmly addressed.

It seemed unreasonable finding the shockwaves unable to so much as rattle the man. He already suspected the man was superhuman, though he still underestimated just how much.

"Temporary Summon: Weapon!" Gael hurriedly shouted.

[Weapon Summoning Initiated | (N): 70% | (R ): 20% | (SR): 7% | (SSR): 2% | (UR): 1%]

As the burst of light spawned into the arena, he immediately vanished into the unseen. At the same moment he went invisible, he slid across the ground, slipping under a dashing strike from the reaper.

It took every bit of himself to evade that blade, though having no breathing room as he glanced back.

"—!"

The reaper was already pursuing him from behind. For a moment, he was perplexed seeing as he was unseen, though the track he left in the ground was more than clear.

"I can smell you, like I said," Rurik claimed coldly, slamming both of his needle blades down.

They struck towards both of the young man’s legs, forcing him to scoot back and flip onto his feet. He relinquished his invisibility again, holding his hand out—

[Chance Summoning complete...You’ve obtained...!]

[Weapon temporarily obtained: (R) "Random Rapid Crossbow"]

There was no time to consider the effects of the rainbow-colored ranged weapon. With Rurik no more than a meter away, a single step from stabbing his neck, he pressed the trigger—

"Ah—"

A bolt fired with a small, electric burst, dodged swiftly by a tilt of the head from the reaper. The magical crossbow instantly replaced the fired bolt, reloading itself within a millisecond before another was released—

This time, it exploded with a bundle of fireworks right beside the swift man.

"What is this nonsense?" Rurik asked, sliding back and ducking as another bolt passed.

Each shot was completely random in its effect; exploding into fire, lightning, or even confetti. Despite his attempts to aim the chaotic shots, the Venator Reaper was swifter than he predicted.

"A WEAPON?! WHERE DID HE GET THAT FROM?!" The announcer questioned.