PROLUGE
MC POV
Hello, I'm Alexandre Monroe. This is my second life, and it is going great! Having experienced life once before gave me a huge edge. I was reborn with an adult's intellect, and I've used every bit of that knowledge to my advantage. Using that, I managed to get into a good school. After I finished school, I got a good job, married a good woman, and we had a baby girl.
But now things are going badly. The apartment we lived in collapsed after an earthquake. We didn't get out of the building in time, so it collapsed on us. Right now, I'm stuck under the rubble, holding it up to protect my baby girl but… that's not the worst of it. The worst part is that I've been stabbed in the chest with a rebar…
It's been hours. I'm slowly losing strength. I don't think I can do this anymore. Suddenly, I hear a cry. I look down and see that it's my baby girl. Gathering my strength, I keep the rubble up. I can do this. I just need to wait for rescuers. I can already feel Lady Death coming for me…
Rumble rumble rumble.
Rescuers! Gathering my strength, I shout, "HEY! HEY! WE'RE DOWN HERE!"
I kept shouting until my throat was sore. Suddenly, the rubble in front of me shifted aside. A blinding beam of light cut through the dust, burning my eyes. I squinted, desperate to see the source.
"I see a hand! We've got survivors!" a voice bellowed, sounding like an angel.
"Here!" I croaked, the taste of copper and dust filling my mouth. "My... my daughter..."
A face appeared in the gap—a helmet, a flashlight, grim eyes widening as they took in the situation. They saw the concrete slab on my back. They saw the metal bar protruding from my chest. But most importantly, they saw the bundle in my arms.
"Jesus," the rescuer hissed. He reached down. "Can you pass her to me? Easy now."
"Take her," I wheezed. Every inch of movement sent a bolt of white-hot agony through my torso, tearing at the wound the rebar had made. I gritted my teeth so hard I thought they would crack. "Please... just take her."
I extended my arms as far as the debris would allow. The rescuer leaned in, his gloved hands gentle as he took the weight of my baby girl. She cried out as she was moved, a loud, healthy wail that sounded like the most beautiful music in the world.
"I've got her! She's safe!" the man shouted back to his team. He looked back at me, his expression shifting from professional focus to heartbreaking pity. "Alright, sir, we're coming for you next. Just hold on. Don't move that debris."
I tried to nod, but my neck wouldn't obey. I watched as he passed my daughter up to another set of hands. I saw her tiny foot one last time before she disappeared into the light of the world above.
She was safe.
The moment that realization hit me, the adrenaline that had been holding my body together evaporated. The slab on my back felt a thousand times heavier. The cold steel in my chest seemed to twist. My vision began to tunnel, the edges turning dark and fuzzy.
"Sir? Stay with me!" the rescuer shouted, reaching for my hand. "We need to get a jack down here! Hurry!"
"It's... okay..." I whispered, though I doubt he heard me over the commotion. I had used my second chance well. Good grades. A good job. A good wife. And the cutest daughter. I had traded it all for her future. The darkness rushed in, faster than the light had. The pain faded into a cold numbness. As the noise of the rescuers turned into a distant hum, my last thought wasn't of regret.
I saved her.
Then, there was nothing.
—--------------------------------------
3RD POV
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZING.... ]
[ ….. ]
[ SUITABLE HOST FOUND.... ]
[ INTEGRATING.... ]
[ COMPLETE.... ]
[ WELCOME TO CHAOS GACHA, HOST. ]
Alex stared at the floating screen in front of him and looked around his surroundings. He was in an endless void, existing as a white, transparent, glowing ball. "Chaos Gacha?"
[ YES HOST. YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS A HOST OF THE CHAOS GACHA. ] [ AND ALSO, FOR DENYING LADY DEATH YOUR SOUL FOR HOURS, YOUR STANDARD GOLD TICKETS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED INTO PLATINUM TICKETS. ]
Alex stared at the screen. Even though he was just a white, transparent ball, his expression was unreadable. Even without a mouth, he spoke. "What even is Chaos Gacha?" he asked the screen.
[ I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED, HOST! THE CHAOS GACHA IS THE INFINITE CHAOS OF THE ENDLESS AND INFINITE MULTIVERSE, CONDENSED AND REFINED INTO THE FORM OF A GACHA AVAILABLE AT YOUR VERY FINGERTIPS! MAYBE YOU WILL BECOME A SHAPESHIFTING FIRE MONARCH, OR MAYBE YOU WILL BE A SUPREME TINKERER... OR A SUPREME LADY KILLER.
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE FUNCTIONALLY ENDLESS! SO GO AHEAD AND GAMBLE TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! THE ENDLESS, EVER-CHANGING MULTIVERSE AWAITS, SO GAMBLE WITH THE NUCLEAR CHAOS AND SEE WHAT FATE HAS IN STORE FOR YOU! ]
"Huh. So basically gambling my way to power?" Alex said with a casual tone.
[ YUP! AND THE TIERS OF TICKETS ARE: ] [ BRONZE ] [ SILVER ] [ GOLD ] [ PLATINUM ] [ LEGENDARY ] [ MYTHICAL ] [ DIVINE ]
[ AND THERE ARE ALSO TYPES: ] [ ABILITIES ] [ ITEMS ] [ TRAITS ] [ SKILLS ] [ FAMILIARS ] [ RANDOM ]
[ AND HOW YOU GET THEM IS IF YOU DO A SIGNIFICANT ACTION OR MEET SOMEONE REALLY IMPORTANT. THE TIERS ALSO DEPEND ON THAT. ALSO, YOU CAN TAKE ON CURSES FOR ADDITIONAL TICKETS. YOUR STANDARD 3 GOLD TICKETS WERE UPGRADED INTO PLATINUM BECAUSE YOU DENIED LADY DEATH'S EMBRACE FOR A LONG TIME. ]
Alex stared in amazement at the screen. "Alright, let's roll those tickets!" he said in excitement.
[ ALRIGHT HOST, ROLLING THEM NOW! ]
[ PLATINUM RANDOM x3 ]
[ ROLLING.... ]
[ [Pugilist] ] [ |Elite Trait| ] [ You are a natural in martial arts. Knowing how to move your body efficiently and powerfully comes as second nature to you. You learn and develop martial arts far faster and have a unique intuition when it comes to combat. ]
[ [Skill Ticket] ] [ |Epic Item| ] [ A ticket that acts as a 6x Advantage Platinum Skill Gacha Ticket ]
[ [Expert Chemistry] ] [ |Elite Skill| ] [ You are an expert in the field of Chemistry, the study of matter. You are intimately familiar with how most chemical compounds and materials are formed as well as how they react to each other and stimuli. If you were to be given magic, you could probably become an alchemist rather quickly. ]
Alex thought, 'Huh, these are good rolls. Though the skill ticket... I'm gonna use it now.' "Gacha, use the skill ticket."
[ SURE THING HOST! ROLLING NOW! ]
[ ROLLING….. ]
[ [Master Discipline] ] [ |Legendary Skill| ] [ You are the master of your own mind, the god of your own ship. Pain has no effect on your abilities; you can endure the toughest of punishments even if you think you can't. Your focus cannot be shaken, your discipline is unmatched. Your mind cannot be shaken by those weaker than yourself, and even then, they will not have a good time. You are as disciplined as Batman himself. ]
Alex stared at the screen in disbelief, not believing his luck in getting a legendary skill as a roll. Quickly regaining his composure, he asked, "Okay, that's all for the rolls. I'm not gonna risk it and roll a curse. So, Gacha, where will I be going?"
[ WELL, YOU ARE GOING INTO ARKNIGHTS! ]
Alex looked at the screen with mild horror. Arknights was a really dangerous world, and its environment, too. The Originium was a death sentence to anyone contracting it but... He'll manage like before. "Alright, beam me down, Scotty!"
[ AYE AYE CAPTAIN! ]
The screen said, and a wormhole appeared below him and sucked him out.
SCENE END.