Gacha Harem System

A/N: Bonus Chapter for hitting 200 power stones.

***

The moment Rollo called the fight, the stadium erupted into cheers.

While the fight hadn’t been as long as most, it had been thrilling to see the underdog fight against the apex Awakener of the tournament.

Morgana lifted her sword and stepped back, sheathing it back into its scabbard.

After exchanging a nod with Ajax, she turned and began walking away.

Ajax watched her go for a few seconds before walking a few meters away and bending, retrieving his bow from where it had landed.

He checked the [Item] out of habit, making sure it was still intact before straightening. He tucked it under his arm and began walking off the arena floor.

Then he allowed himself to listen to the cheers of the crowd, and what he heard made him stop in surprise.

They weren’t just cheering for Morgana. They were cheering for him too!

Somewhere in between the beginning of the fight and the end, they’d fallen in love with his determination, seeing something of themselves in the D-rank Awakener willing to fight against impossible odds even when he knew he wouldn’t win.

His name filled the air, chanted without any rhythm, but chanted all the same.

"Ajax! Ajax! Ajax!"

Then the encouragement reached his ears.

"You made it further than anyone thought you would! Keep it up, Kiddo!"

"D-rank in the top sixty four! Incredible! You’re my inspiration now!"

"Hold your head up, Ajax! You earned your place here!"

He stood in the arena for a moment, looking up at the stands, the bow still under his arm.

A wide smile broke across his face. Even he was surprised at how much genuine joy was in his expression. He truly hadn’t expected this, and didn’t know what to do with it except feel it.

He raised his free hand and waved.

Applause immediately filled the air as thousands of people showed their support.

Lukas watched from the competitor seating and felt something warm within his chest despite himself. This wasn’t the kind of wholesome interaction he’d expected to see in a place like this.

He found himself smiling at it all.

One thing he’d actually found interesting about this whole thing was the fact that Morgana’s fight had been the only match all day that ended without either participant sustaining a single injury.

Every other match had ended with blood, bruising, or broken bones. And he knew that if she wanted to, she could have ended it the same way.

’What does that say about her, I wonder?’

He’d also clocked her speed at the end of the fight. It had been faster than his own capped four hundred stats could produce.

So the question was... is she A-rank?

He had no idea, but he was sure they’d all find out by the end of the tournament.

Rollo’s hand went up, and as usual, the stadium slowly grew quiet.

"Thirty-two," Rollo said, his voice calm.

"We’ve come to the end of the second day of the Prodigy Tournament, and only thirty-two remain from the hundreds who registered."

"You have gone above what was expected of you both yesterday and today." He looked across the competitor seating. "Now it is time to go beyond."

He raised his hand and swept it towards the screen above him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the tournament bracket."

The screen flickered then lit up as the rankings and match records were immediately replaced by a tournament tree.

Names were arranged in opposing pairs, lines connecting them towards a single point at the middle.

Noise exploded through the stadium as everyone began reading, noticing the matchups.

Lukas found his name immediately and followed the bracket line to see who was waiting.

His opponent for tomorrow would be a C-rank Awakener he’d actually observed earlier in the day. The man’s skill was [Berserker] and it showed in the way he fought.

The man had an aggressive style, which favored his skills which seemed to be made for one purpose only, which was dealing damage.

He seemed to put his all into every attack he made, as if he was trusting his offense to be the best defense possible.

Reckless was the word that came to mind when he thought about him. His skills would be effective against opponents who couldn’t absorb pressure. And it would become a problem that solved itself against someone who could.

Someone like Lukas.

He moved on, scanning the rest of his side of the bracket.

Liam Walker’s name appeared near the bottom, and he followed the connecting lines carefully.

He sighed in disappointment as he realized their names were far enough from each other that if they met in the tournament, it would have to be the match before the finals.

It was a fight worth thinking about, but not yet. He still hadn’t found the name he was looking for.

He shifted to the other side of the bracket, and two names caught his eye immediately.

Kaida Steele. And below her, separated by several rounds of her own, was Morgana Le Fay.

He traced the lines on the bracket. If all four of them kept winning, then they’d meet eventually.

He’d face Liam, and Kaida would face Morgana. Whoever wins would face the other in the finals.

He leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face.

Things were definitely getting interesting.

***

An hour later, Lukas was back at the round table with Melody and Akira in the hotel.

They had worked through his upcoming fight, analyzing his opponent’s tendencies, the likely approach, and how to handle the recklessness without exposing anything unnecessary.

Not before Akira had thoroughly enjoyed recounting every stumble and missed punch from the Ansel fight, of course.

She had done this with great energy and no sympathy whatsoever, laughing loudly at his actions.

He deserved some of it, after all, he should have been more careful. He knew that. But at least he’d learnt from the encounter.

"So," Melody finally spoke, "like yesterday, we spent time gathering information on your competitors, and... I think we’ve found something concrete on Morgana."

Lukas was instantly interested. He leaned forward in curiosity. "What is it?"

Akira set down her cup. It was her that answered his question.

"Morgana Le Fay," she said, "is definitely S-rank."