Ch.12[Chapter 12] Gacha Land 2-3

[Congratulations. You have passed the 3rd stage as well.]

[You received a total of 787 points from 237 people, with an average of approximately 3.3 points.]

“Oh my goodness. It’s been a while since a male character received such a high score instead of a female character.”

The Baroness made a fuss.

“With this level of compatibility, you’ll easily pass the next Tier Evaluation.”

“Tier Evaluation?”

Sir Dominic was intrigued by this new knowledge.

If it was about tiers, it probably referred to the stars that appeared before his name.

“Your thinking is correct. Tiers aren’t just indicators of strength. They’re a measure of how unique your personality is.”

The Baroness smoothed her hair, which had become disheveled after hitting the ceiling in her excitement.

“The higher your value in Gachaland, the more stars you’ll have. And the Tier Evaluation is what assesses that value.”

The Baroness displayed stars above her head.

Three of them. To Sir Dominic, who was still at 1-star, that number seemed quite impressive.

“I earned one extra star just for this way of speaking. That’s how important personality is.”

Sir Dominic nodded.

He made a mental note that developing one’s unique personality was more important than merely pursuing strength.

“It’s a shame though. We’ve almost run out of time for the stage.”

The Baroness’s voice became gloomy, genuinely disappointed.

“Here’s a card with your information.”

The Baroness handed Sir Dominic an envelope containing a card.

Sir Dominic opened the envelope and took out the card right there.

And at that moment, he felt like his breath would stop.

[★☆☆☆☆ Sir Dominic][3 Cost]

Leather quilted armor and a shield.

Perhaps his appearance when he was first conscripted?

The front had an embellished drawing of himself, and the back was inscribed with [From Feralant], [Tank], [Knight].

The background of the image featured a symbol representing Feralant, which brought back memories.

“Oh my goodness!”

The Baroness had only handed over the card without looking at the picture, so this was her first time seeing it.

That’s why she couldn’t help but be surprised.

“I don’t know who drew this, but I must complain immediately! It’s worse than the cheap drawings sold on the streets!”

Though it seems she was surprised for different reasons than Sir Dominic.

“I like it.”

Sir Dominic genuinely liked the drawing and kept touching the card.

“Though I do have some regrets.”

Sir Dominic began to express his disappointments.

“First, I’m not this handsome, and if this picture is supposed to be from when I was conscripted, then for historical accuracy, I should be wearing rags patched up eighty times and carrying a shield rotting in some corner of a warehouse, not these fine clothes and equipment. Also, they drew a tricolor feather on my head, but that decoration is used among knights to identify each other, so it’s historically inaccurate for a serf like me to wear it. And—”

“Sir Dominic? I understand what you’re saying.”

The Baroness hastily interrupted Sir Dominic.

She knew it was impolite, but she feared his complaints would go on too long.

“But this is Gachaland. If you worry too much about historical accuracy, you might actually harm your character appeal. It’s better to be lenient about these kinds of errors.”

Sir Dominic looked at the card in his hand for a moment after hearing the Baroness’s words.

Well, this was Gachaland after all. He eventually came to accept this.

“You’re right. Gachaland must have its own rules.”

“That’s right. Besides, even if there’s some discrepancy between modeling and illustration, people will generally accept it if there’s personality.”

The Baroness, thinking Sir Dominic needed some explanation, began to talk about the card.

“This is a 1-star illustration. When you pass the Tier Evaluation and become 2-star or 3-star, you can receive illustrations that match those tiers. Most importantly, if sponsors wish, your card could become like this—”

The Baroness took out a sample card.

It was labeled [★ Rolling Ball][2 Cost], and the image on the card was moving.

The border was not black but silver and gold.

“It could be made with a technology called Live 2D.”

So that’s the magic called Live 2D?

Sir Dominic hadn’t lived that long, but he had never imagined that a printed image could move.

“Receiving a card means you’ve become a citizen of Gachaland. It’s proof that you’ve demonstrated your value through the stages you’ve completed and have finally become an official member of Gachaland.”

The Baroness continued with her nasal voice.

“Now this card identifies you. Keep it safe and don’t lose it. Things will get troublesome if you do.”

Troublesome, huh? Sir Dominic asked about the specific situation.

“What kind of trouble would that be?”

“You’d have to get it reissued.”

Sir Dominic had imagined something illegal or losing his citizenship, but the trouble was on a much smaller scale than he had anticipated.

“It takes three whole days to apply for and receive a reissue. Civil servants are slow everywhere.”

“What about… getting involved in illegal activities or having citizenship revoked…”

“Oh my, nothing like that!”

The Baroness jumped up and waved her hands.

“The world is so much better these days. If that happened, you’d be immediately criticized all over the internet.”

Gachaland seems to be a better place to live than I thought.

Sir Dominic strangely found himself thinking that.

The issue was so trivial that it caused cognitive dissonance, making his mind a mess.

“Anyway.”

The Baroness straightened her hair, which had been slightly bent after hitting the ceiling when she jumped.

“Area 2 is almost over now. Actually, the final stage isn’t much. If you’ve been diligent so far, you can pass it easily.”

Sir Dominic listened attentively to the Baroness’s advice.

“You’ve received your card, which is like citizenship, and you’ve also received traits and special abilities. You’re charming enough, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I see.”

“What’s actually difficult comes after that.”

“After?”

“Joining a clan.”

Joining a clan, huh.

Come to think of it, he had seen somewhere that clans would open up after clearing Stage 1 of Area 3.

“What exactly does a clan do?”

“I can’t define it precisely, but…”

The Baroness thought for a moment and then shared her definition of a clan.

“It’s like a trait. For example, there are additional rewards when you form a party with members of the same clan for cooperative missions.”

Ah, Sir Dominic understood in his own way.

It was like conscripted soldiers on the battlefield.

Even if they were strangers, soldiers from the same hometown tended to fight well together when placed in the same unit.

That’s roughly how Sir Dominic understood it.

“Plus, there are events, raids centered around clans, and shops that only trade with clan units, so joining one is beneficial.”

Sir Dominic nodded.

He understood that living alone would be disadvantageous, but he felt the potential disadvantages were greater than he had initially thought.

“Then why exactly is joining a clan difficult?”

Sir Dominic asked, determined to get all his questions answered.

“Not all clans are the same. They vary greatly depending on the clan leader’s abilities.”

The Baroness, feeling thirsty, quickly looked for water.

She took out a cup and a teapot from behind a purple curtain, drank elegantly, and continued.

“Clans for socializing or those that just fill numbers are easy to join. But for your own value, it’s better to avoid such places. For value, you should join a large clan, but these places have strict screening processes. They look at basic abilities, tier, and personality.”

“But the rewards are worth it if you get in,” the Baroness muttered.

“So I hope you join a large clan. It would be a waste to give up such opportunities, as you’re too charming a person.”

The Baroness laughed with a cheerful nasal sound.

“Actually, I have more questions—”

“Shh, Sir Dominic. Time’s already up. You need to make way for the next person. Is that against a knight’s honor?”

The Baroness quietly pointed to a spot.

There was a grandfather clock there, and too much time had already passed.

“Not at all. I was so enjoying our time together that I was being rude.”

“You’re such a smooth talker.”

The Baroness smiled pleasantly.

“Do visit again when you become 2-star. I can’t guarantee I’ll be here, but I’ll tell people I know about you.”

“It would be an honor, my lady.”

At that moment, the surroundings changed completely.

He had returned to the place where he could select Story Mode.

Sir Dominic clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“And I couldn’t even say a proper farewell.”

He was a knight, after all.