Capítulo 14: Fortune Favors the Bold
Though his Mana pool was almost comically low, Paul spent the months following his 'awakening' focused on three things. First and foremost, he would look for opportunities throughout the day to expend most, not all of his Mana. He didn't want to lose consciousness in the middle of class, so he always stopped just as the edges of his vision began to darken.
When he wasn't focused on increasing his Mana capacity, Paul was wholly dedicated to the pursuit of simply swinging his sword. His instructor in the Water God Style, Miss Rena Greenbull, had explained to the class that the secret to stimulating Touki was simply using your sword so frequently that it felt like an extension of yourself, not just your arm. It was for this reason that swordsmen who had roused their Touki could fight ambidextrously or even with their swords in their mouths. Using a sword effectively became a part of their autonomic processes, much like breathing or the beating of their heart.
Though Paul didn't truly understand his instructor's words, he wasn't even remotely deterred. He was still only five years old, and, more importantly, her lessons gave him a few ideas on how he might be able to stimulate his Touki much sooner than expected. Ideas that greatly benefitted his third, arguably most crucial focus.
Paul's eyes had become remarkably photosensitive ever since his abrupt awakening of the Demon Eyes of X-Ray Vision. In the days that followed, his eyes were so sensitive that a dark room glowed like midday. When he was exposed to natural sunlight, it was so blindingly bright that he had no choice but to close his eyes or cover them with a dark cloth.
Back in his previous world, one of the few animes Paul had watched, even if it was only a few episodes, was Jujutsu Kaisen. He thought some of the fight choreography was badass, so after seeing a few youtube videos, he eventually gave in and checked out the first 5-6 episodes.
Among the varied cast of Jujutsu Kaisen characters, Paul's favorite was, inarguably, Satoru Gojo. The man wasn't simply a beast in terms of raw speed and power, but his classic ensemble of dark clothing and a dark black cloth covering his eyes had made him an icon among even casual anime viewers.
Unfortunately, while Paul was able to emulate Gojo's classic look and peer through a blindfold, it looked tacky and was remarkably uncomfortable. It didn't help that he had to keep his eyes open as one of the restrictions of the Demon Eyes of X-Ray Vision was their inability to see through people and high-density mana. In other words, much like a normal person, Paul could not see with his eyes closed.
While the prolonged wearing of a blindfold proved impossible, it helped Paul control his Demon Eyes and practice his swordsmanship. So long as he restricted the amount of Mana flowing to his eyes, his photosensitivity would be weakened to a tolerable level. The blindfold also narrowed his vision during training, forcing him to remain calm and focused, a state of mind that gradually improved his sense of balance and spatial awareness.
Though he still couldn't keep up with Xiangling in terms of speed, skill, and fluidity of motion, Paul quickly leaped to the head of the pack once he returned to class and started attending swordsmanship training. The Water God Style focused on fluidity and reactionary strikes, so the rather sudden and drastic increase in his patience gave Paul an edge over other, unrepentantly rambunctious Nobles. Miss Rena had even commented that it was like his entire disposition changed, going from someone who was a sure fit for the Sword God Style to someone who could master any Style to a reasonable degree...
...
..
.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, ten months had passed since Paul's stay in the Milbots Academy. His father had asked him to come home for a few months to celebrate his birthday, so, in preparation for their coming departure, Paul had gathered Zhongli and Xiangling to both inform them and ask, "Now that I've saved a hundred Asura Gold Coins, what do the two of you think about trying to expand our ranks?"
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Zhongli answered, "That sounds like a marvelous idea, Master Paul. Even if the likelihood of summoning them is remarkably slim, we should be seeking to assemble my fellow Archons as quickly as possible. Both Xiangling and myself would also benefit from the addition of a Constellation, so I can see no major downsides to accessing the Intersection of Fate at this time."
Though he nodded his head in response to Zhongli's words, Paul turned his attention to Xiangling to hear what she had to say. When he did, she offered a pleasant yet wry smile as she answered, "So long as you don't summon someone like Xinyan, Xingqiu, or Hu Tao, I think it should be fine."
"..."
Suppressing his urge to say, "Bruh." Paul adopted a wry smile of his own as he said, "You really shouldn't say things like that. It's like asking fate to mess with us..."
Tilting her head to the side, Xiangling asked, "Should I have said it would be bad to summon Ningguang or Keqing then...?"
Exhaling a sigh, Paul shook his head and explained, "Unfortunately, the RNG Gods are not so easily fooled. The more you want something, the less like you are to obtain it, and any attempts to 'game' the system will just result in...."
Recalling a certain purple-haired zombie, a cold shiver ran through Paul's body. It didn't help that said zombie was among the very last things Paul witnessed before his death...
Shaking his head, Paul reminded himself that the people he summoned through the Intersection of Fate weren't characters. Even Xiangling had incredible potential, and, were it not for her, he probably would have been the one preparing all of their meals the past few months.
"Well, let's get on with it. There's only a week or so before the convoy arrives to pick us up, so I'll be relying on the two of you to help catch any new allies up to speed. Who knows, with my luck, I may only summon a bunch of weapons?"
After experiencing how powerful the weapons summoned through the Intersection of Fate were, Paul had convinced himself there was no such thing as a 'bad pull' from his personalized Gacha System. After all, even if he did end up summoning the Harbinger of Unmet Expectations, he would have an immortal herb collector who could potentially heal her allies once her Vision was active.
Confident of his assessment, Paul opened the Intersection of Fate for the first time in nearly ten months. The interior hadn't changed at all since his previous visit, but that wasn't too surprising since time ostensibly stopped while he was away.
"Now, how do I turn gold into Fates...?"
Anticipating Paul's question, Zhongli pointed to the groove located near where he was meant to place his hands, explaining, "Insert the coins into the groove. Once the value reaches a certain point, an Acquaint Fate will manifest in the closest slot."
Nodding his head in understanding, Paul knelt down on the hard stone floor, remarking, "Remind me to bring a pillow or something the next time we enter..."
Though his comment had been more of a joke than anything else, Zhongli unhesitantly replied, "Very well, Master Paul." before offering a faint smile when Paul looked back at her with a deadpan expression on his face.
Just as Zhongli had explained, inserting ten Asuran Gold Coins into the conveniently coin-sized groove caused a flash of rainbow light to appear in the slot nearest to Paul. Ninety gold coins later, he had a configuration of ten Acquaint Fates. All he needed to do was place his palm on the dais and shout 'confirm.'
After a very brief moment of hesitation, Paul placed his hands into the oversized grooves and shouted, "Confirm!" with as much conviction as he could manage. Then, despite convincing himself there was no such thing as a bad pull, his heart started racing when the meteor in the sky shifted from a vibrant shade of blue to a glorious shade of gold.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Hahahahahaha-!"
Though there was still a chance he had pulled the Fallen God, Paul could not contain himself. The odds of summoning a 5-Star were less than 1%, so each one he drew was a Blessing from the Heavens.
Seeing Paul laughing like a madman, Xiangling leaned closer to Zhongli and asked, "Did he act like this when he summoned me?"
Returning a faint smile, Zhongli replied, "No. However, he has since come to regret his behavior at that time. You might not be the most powerful, but you are certainly his most precious ally..."
Feeling a little better after hearing Zhongli's words, Xiangling shifted her attention to the center of the platform just in time to witness the golden light crashing into it. When she saw who emerged, even she couldn't help smiling.
Though she was currently in the form of a little girl with gold-blonde hair, everyone present could immediately deduce the identity of the petite, blue-eyed, remarkably adorable girl. However, Paul was the first to utter her name, whispering, "Jean Gunnhildr..." in an audibly shaky tone.
Raising her head, Jean briefly locked eyes with Paul before looking past him at the two people standing a few meters away. It took her a moment, but she quickly realized the doll-like girl with brown hair was the former Geo Archon, while the little girl with looping braids was Xiangling.
Suppressing her urge to greet the two people she was familiar with; Jean adopted a severe expression that didn't suit her adorable appearance as she met Paul's gaze and stated, "You must be the Champion...Paul Notos Greyrat, my new Master..."
Similar to when Zhongli and Xiangling had first appeared, Jean was wearing a Maid outfit that closely resembled her sister Barbara's clothing from the game. The base was an unsullied shade of white with dark-blue trim that perfectly accentuated the ribbon tying up her ponytail. As for the rest of her outfit, it consisted of pure white hose and glossy, single-strap black pumps.
Placing his hand over his heart, Paul nearly performed a Noble's greeting before awkwardly dropping it and answering, "Yes, though you only need to refer to me as such in public. In private or in situations where my status is of no consequence, I would prefer it if you called me Paul."
Demonstrating the seriousness she was known for in the game, Jean's expression formed into a slight pout as she muttered, "I see...I will do my best to remember that. However, given the significance of your status, it would be easier for me to address you as Master. Fraternization may lead to familiarity, but it also causes complacency and obfuscation within the chain of command. As the core and leader of our group, it is only natural that you bear a title befitting your status, Master."
"..."
Unable to refute Jean's words, Paul paused for a moment before nodding his head and saying, "Very well. If you believe it will be easier, feel free to address me as Master."
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