Gacha Harem System

A/N: Special thanks to Willbc for the bonus Chapters. Cheers, mate!

***

Lukas brought up his status screen mentally and found the toggles. He quickly made a few changes.

[Stats:]

[Strength: 400 (Locked: 4553)]

[Agility: 400 (Locked: 3885)]

[Constitution: 4739]

[Mana: 5994]

He could feel the changes sweep through his body the moment the limiters were dropped.

All his wounds that had been bleeding stopped immediately. The blood began to clot, sealing the surfaces of the wound as his constitution reasserted itself to its real value.

The pain didn’t disappear, but it receded to the back of his mind and his broken bones firmed in place rather than grinding against each other with every move he made.

Nothing in his body has healed, or at least not that fast. The fractures were still there, but constitution wasn’t about healing.

It was simply the body’s ability to keep functioning through damage that would kill a lesser warrior. It was what allowed some to keep fighting even with a grievous injury that should have ended their lives.

His mana, however, brought about a different type of change. It felt as if he’d been inside a stuffy room, and someone had opened the window.

He didn’t know when but he’d somehow already become used to his restricted mana pool, and now that his stat had been unlocked he could feel the equivalent of a large lake rushing into him.

It filled his body like a balloon, moving through every bone and muscle.

He exhaled, slowly climbing to his feet.

Rashka was watching him from across the arena, her shield back in position as she wondered what the hell was going on.

Just a moment ago, Lukas had been struggling on the floor, looking like he was on the verge of death. But here he was now, standing as if he didn’t even have a single wound on his body.

Had it really been a ruse all along?

She froze as Lukas slightly raised his gauntlet and began pouring mana into it.

This time, he didn’t bother trying to ration his output. He simply poured as much as he could into the gauntlet, charging a beam more powerful than anything he’d ever shot before.

He could feel the gauntlet heating rapidly, the glow in his palm steadily growing brighter and brighter.

The heat coming off it was visible, the air above the weapon distorting slightly.

Rashka’s eyes widened as she realized what was happening, and all she needed was just one second to decide that standing there was the worst decision she could make.

So she dashed towards Lukas in hopes of stopping the attack.

She moved faster than before, desperation fueling her speed. Her [Iron Wall] was active as her instincts screamed at her to do all she could to make sure he never fired that attack.

She was not fast enough.

Lukas exhaled, feeling the tension leave his shoulders as he released it.

The beam that left the gauntlet was a fiery white, a crackling sound filling the air as it tore through it.

The ground shattered as it passed above it, sending shards of stone flying to the side.

Rashka’s eyes widened and slid to a stop, setting her feet as she braced against the attack.

The beam slammed into her shield, and the [Iron Wall] held for a fraction of a second before being blown apart.

The force of the attack overwhelmed the skill entirely and punched through the shield’s own force absorption, the full weight slamming into Rashka.

The shield was wrenched out of her arm and she was sent flying.

She heard something break before she bounced once against the floor, then a second time.

On the third arc, a hand closed around her throat.

In that split second, her eyes caught just who had gripped her, and her heart stuttered as she realized it was Lukas.

His fingers had somehow found the gap between her helmet and gorget, and she only had time for her eyes to widen before he slammed her into the ground.

Crack!

The stone beneath her shattered in a wide crater, and the air was driven from her lungs. She knew the only reason her spine itself hadn’t broken was because of the armor she was wearing.

Before she could draw breath, his hand closed on her helmet and pulled it free with a single twist.

Her face was exposed to the open air of the stadium, but before she could do more than open her mouth, Lukas raised the helmet and brought it down on her face.

Bam!

The impact drove her head into the stone. Pain detonated through her skull, a deep cut opening on her cheek.

She closed her eyes from the pain, her hands coming up reflexively.

He raised the helmet and brought it down again.

She cried out, the throbbing pain spreading from her cheek through her jaw and temples, her vision whitening.

She waited, trying to shield her face with her arms but the third blow didn’t come.

She slowly opened her eyes to see Lukas looking down at her, the helmet still raised, and his expression completely calm.

She’d faced dangerous people before, and she recognized what she was seeing in his eyes.

And in that instant, she knew. She was in great danger.

"Do you concede?" he asked, voice cold.

She nodded.

He immediately glanced at Rollo, who raised his hand. "Winner, Lukas Valentine!"

The crowd exploded into cheers, but she didn’t hear any of it. She could only watch as Lukas rose to his feet, tossed the helmet aside, and began walking back to his chair.

Even with the sun shining down on her, she shivered. Everyone seemed to be laughing and cheering, but only she knew how close she’d come to death today.

As usual, healers rushed towards them both. They began working on Rashka immediately.

As for Lukas, he made his way to his seat and plopped down, before letting the healers do their work without a word.

In the center of the arena, Rollo spoke. "As usual, a brilliant performance from two of Havenhart’s best and brightest!"

"Rashka Lightfoot for her defense and strategic thinking, and Lukas Valentine for his grit and overwhelming power!"

The crowd cheered, some whistling along.

Rollo raised a hand, bringing quiet once more.

"It is now time for the second battle of the day." He announced. "Our next combatant is a woman known as the Feral Queen! A woman who has stolen the hearts of every spectator here today."

"Her name? Belle Aurielle!"

Cheers filled the air as a woman sauntered onto the arena floor.

She was human and blonde, with a relaxed smile that told everyone she wasn’t particularly concerned about the fight.

She wore a knee length sundress that swayed with every step she took.

Belle stopped at the center line, clasped her hands behind her back, and stood there, waiting.

Rollo let the cheering run its course before speaking again.

"And our next fighter is someone that needs no introduction. The most standout performer in the tournament, and a name you’ve all been waiting for... Liam Walker!"

Liam stood slowly from his seat.

He rolled his shoulder once, adjusted his collar, and began walking towards the centre of the arena.

This was another fight he’d have to go through. One more to getting his prize.