After their date, Bell and Hestia returned to their base.
Today's outing had left Hestia in a great mood—it was their very first date, after all, and that made it special. Even though it had been interrupted and a little chaotic, the day still held a unique significance.
Of course, Bell felt the same way.
"Mmm... After such a good meal, I can't help feeling sleepy."
Rubbing her eyes, Hestia struggled to fight off the drowsiness. Getting sleepy after eating... honestly, it was probably a sign of good health.
"Goddess-sama, if you're tired, you can go to bed early tonight."
"Mm."
Hestia had been thinking the same, though a small part of her couldn't help feeling a little excited inside.
"Bell-kun, today—"
"Ah, Goddess-sama, before I sleep, I want to get some training in."
"Eh?"
Seeing Bell suddenly turn serious, the words Hestia was about to say got stuck in her throat.
"After seeing the presence of Loki Familia today, it made me realize just how far I am from those top-level Adventurers."
For Bell, today had been a trial.
Confronted with a level of strength that felt completely out of reach, he wasn't discouraged. Instead, the encounter awakened a strong sense of inadequacy—one that only pushed him to improve.
Bell knew he still had the chance, and more importantly, the drive to keep going. That meant he couldn't afford to retreat now.
He didn't have the option to back down.
If he faltered here, how could he face Goddess-sama? How could he stay true to his goal of reaching Level 10?
So in this moment, Bell chose to step forward—to move beyond his limits, and fully embrace his hunger for strength.
"I know I can't get stronger overnight, but I still want to give myself as much training time as I can."
"...In that case, Bell-kun, promise me you won't go into the Dungeon tonight."
She wanted to object outright—nighttime was meant for rest, and he should be home recovering. But looking into Bell's clear, unwavering eyes, she found herself unable to say no. All she could do was steel herself and speak the words she didn't really believe.
"Don't worry, I know how dangerous the Dungeon is at night. I'll just stay up here and do some training."
After reporting his plan to Goddess-sama, Bell headed out to the open space outside the church.
Since the area was far from the main street, the surrounding sounds were faint, and Bell didn't sense anyone watching him.
'Let's begin the Gacha.'
Just like before, he committed a full 100,000 Valis upfront.
[Ding!
You have two special Gacha attempts remaining.]
Bell paused, then quickly understood why the Type-Moon System issued that reminder.
'Last time, I only managed to get five low-star Craft Essences at most—even the three-star ones.'
'Looks like the upper limit for low-star Craft Essences is five per pull.'
At least, that's how it seemed based on current results.
'Only two limited Gacha pulls left, and I've already locked in the final two low-star Craft Essences... Guess the system doesn't want me abusing its draw mechanics.'
Still, Bell knew he wasn't losing out here.
These limited-time Gacha draws had a guarantee system—each 10-pull guaranteed at least one three-star Craft Essence. That meant he couldn't pull the last two low-stars in a single roll; it had to be two pulls minimum.
In other words, with the five-card limit on low-stars, these last two 10-pulls would likely net him at least ten three-star Craft Essences. That was about equal to everything he'd pulled across ten previous 10-pulls.
'Gacha.'
The Type-Moon System kicked into action, but this time, instead of displaying results directly, a spirit summoning circle appeared.
"...?"
Bell instinctively reached out, but his hand passed right through it.
'Is it just a visual projection?'
'Maybe it's special because these are the last two discount Gacha draws.'
He continued watching the summoning circle spin rapidly, light orbs flying across it as Craft Essences began to appear before his eyes.
[Two-star Craft Essences: "Deception" ×5, "Conformity" ×4]
[Three-star Craft Essence: "From Uruk" ×1]
Bell wasn't all that surprised by the outcome.
The final two types of two-star Craft Essences had appeared. What caught his eye, though, was the unexpected three-star pull—"From Uruk."
Still, what truly drew Bell's attention was its description.
[From Uruk: Restores 1% of MP per minute.]
As a three-star effect in-game, this would be considered mediocre. After all, 1% was a painfully slow rate in a turn-based system.
But in real life, it made a world of difference. Even 1% regeneration per minute significantly improved magical endurance.
'That's just the base effect. Max Limit Break should raise it by another 1%.'
'2% MP recovery per minute definitely isn't bad.'
In FGO, activating a Noble Phantasm required NP, and characters started each battle with 0 NP unless supplemented by Craft Essences. Because of the turn-based system, 1% NP per turn felt almost useless.
But in the real world, that turned into passive MP recovery—no activation required, constantly regenerating.
'Continue.'
Bell took a deep breath and focused on the summoning circle before him. This next draw would be his last before reaching Lv.2. Whatever he pulled now would determine how much stronger he could become.
The ring of light around the circle began to spin...
Bell watched quietly as one Craft Essence after another emerged from the summoning circle.
'The first one's the final "Conformity," huh?'
'They're really making sure I pull all the low-stars before giving me the guaranteed three-stars.'
Three-star Craft Essences began appearing one after another.
Bell didn't pay much attention to which ones they were. At this point, any three-star Craft Essence was welcome—he'd go over the details later.
[DING!!!]
A sharp chime suddenly rang in his ears, snapping his eyes wide open as he looked at the summoning circle.
What he saw stunned him.
The orbs circling the platform had turned gold.
'No way... Is this actually happening?!'
Anyone who'd ever played FGO knew what golden orbs meant.
It signaled the summoning of a Heroic Spirit.
And the appearance of that golden glow meant one thing—he had pulled a rare four-star or even five-star Heroic Spirit.