Back home, Fujino immediately deposited the 540,000 yen from Ikegami Yuko into his system account.
He pulled up the interface, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he looked at his new balance: 2,252,000 yen.
"Money sure comes fast this way!"
With a giddy chuckle, he navigated to the Profession Orb shop and slammed the button for a ten-pull.
[Congratulations Host! Rewards Acquired:
Teapot That Pours Endless Black Tea (Blue Rarity) x1,
100,000 Yen Cash x1,
Infinitely Usable Red Rope (Blue Rarity) x1,
Instant Ramen (Fills You Up Instantly) x3,
Temporary Stat Boost Card (Effect: Strength +100%; Duration: 1 min) x3,
Temporary Stat Boost Card (Effect: Reaction Speed +100%; Duration: 1 min) x2]
"Damn it!" Fujino stared at the results, his eye twitching violently.
Nine hundred fifty thousand yen... for an endless teapot and an infinite rope?! What the hell am I supposed to do with these?!
This stupid pay-to-win system! Is it trying to bankrupt me?! Might as well just rob him outright!
The gacha rates felt suspiciously like a certain infamous mobile game company[1]...
Fujino took a long, calming breath, splashed cold water on his face again, then walked back to the balcony.
He initially thought about lighting some incense for good luck, but finding none, he improvised.
He pulled out the pack of cigarettes he kept for clients, lit three, and solemnly pointed them towards the vague direction of China, mimicking a traditional offering.
Then, he opened the system interface again.
Luck won't save the unlucky, money won't change fate... might as well keep pulling!
Another ten-pull!
[Congratulations Host! Rewards Acquired:
Temporary Stat Boost Card (Effect: Strength +100%; Duration: 1 min) x2,
Temporary Stat Boost Card (Effect: Reaction Speed +100%; Duration: 1 min) x2,
Delicious Coffee Cake x1,
Complete Guide to Rope Bondage Techniques x1,
Compendium of Sword Techniques (Blue Rarity) x1,
Purple Profession Card (Swordsman) x1]
"Swordsman?" Fujino stared at the new profession card, blinking. He muttered aloud, "Wait, did the ritual actually work?"
Whether it was the impromptu cigarette offering or just a sudden surge of gacha luck, the second 950k yen pull had yielded something potentially awesome: the Swordsman class.
He quickly navigated to his Profession screen:
[New Sub-Class Added:]
Swordsman (Rank: Basic)
(100 Proficiency needed for next Rank Up)
[New Class Skills:]
Blade Affinity: Gain exceptional, natural skill when wielding any type of sword or bladed weapon.
Hmm, not overwhelmingly powerful, but not bad either.
Especially since he now possessed a certain transforming wooden sword.
His base physique, even with Detective Enhancement, was only slightly better than average.
But if he could wield the Okamoto Momoka 0.01 with true skill... that could be a game-changer.
Plus, the system had given him a Compendium of Sword Techniques.
Eagerly, Fujino materialized the book from his inventory and started flipping through it.
The first page was a massive table of contents, listing hundreds upon hundreds of chapters... written in some archaic, complex script.
Yet, somehow, Fujino could read it perfectly.
Even more strangely, each short passage conveyed an immense amount of information, like hundreds of words condensed into a few lines.
This "book" was practically an encyclopedia.
The System really is terrifyingly convenient.
Always pulling these non-scientific, non-Conan-logical surprises out of nowhere.
Deep into the night, Fujino's bedroom.
Fueled by the Natural Born Scholar skill's enhanced learning ability, Fujino devoured the Compendium.
By one or two in the morning, he'd already learned and practiced nearly half the techniques described within.
He stood in the center of his spacious bedroom, the Okamoto Momoka 0.01 a blur in his hands as he moved through various stances and strikes.
"Iai Draw!"
"Cross Slash!"
"Mountain Crusher!" (Wait, wrong anime...)
"Twin Dragon Flash!"
His movements were still a bit awkward, lacking true mastery, but the potential was undeniable.
And thanks to the Blade Affinity passive, he wasn't accidentally smashing TVs or launching his sword out the window this time.
Panting heavily, Fujino finally lowered the wooden sword, sweat dripping from his brow.
Despite the physical exhaustion, a thrill coursed through him.
If I'm right, this Compendium isn't just a book on swordsmanship... it's thebook!
It contained techniques from countless schools and styles! Everything known, everything lost – it was all here.
Some techniques seemed like forgotten legacies, somehow recovered by the system. It was like a legendary martial arts manual, encompassing the entire world of the blade!
How is this only Blue rarity? Fujino wondered incredulously.
But rarity didn't matter.
What mattered was the potential.
He was certain that if he mastered everything in this book, given time, he could truly become a master swordsman.
"BRRRING! BRRRING!"
The shrill ringing of his phone jolted Fujino awake early the next morning.
"Ugh, who is it?" he groaned, fumbling for the phone on his nightstand and answering groggily.
"There's a letter for you at your door. Go look." The voice on the other end was distorted, impossible to identify as male or female. Then, click. They hung up.
Fujino sat up, annoyed by the cryptic call. He stumbled out of bed, threw on some clothes, and went to the front door.
Opening it, he found the hallway empty.
Except for a single, plain envelope lying innocently on the floor right in front of his door.
"A letter?" Fujino frowned, glancing left and right. No one in sight. He picked up the envelope cautiously. Standard paper, nothing unusual... except for a small, hand-drawn heart in the upper right corner.
Fujino's eyebrow twitched. Who would send me a letter? Don't tell me it's a... love letter?!
That didn't make sense. He didn't have any childhood friends pining after him here.
Confused, he took the letter back inside and tore it open.
Inside were words cut and pasted from newspapers, forming a message: Moonlight Island.
Fujino's eyes widened. Moonlight Island?!
"New Detective Profession Task detected. Please check for details!"
The system alert broke through his surprise. He pulled up the interface:
[Detective Profession Task: Moonlight Island Sonata]
Objective: Uncover the truth behind the death of Aso Keiji years ago.
Time Limit:3 Days
Reward:1,000,000 Yen Bounty
Special Objective: Bring the Moonlight Island drug smuggling ring to justice.
Bonus Reward:Random Profession Orb
Note: The Special Objective carries significant risk. Host should carefully consider whether to pursue it.
"Figures. The Moonlight Island Piano Sonata Case." Fujino frowned, staring at the task details.
But... if he remembered correctly, this case wasn't supposed to happen for a while yet. Exactly how long, I don't recall, but definitely not now. And wasn't the original commission sent to Mouri Kogoro?
Well, the system had issued the task, so refusing wasn't really an option. Besides the unique nature of the case itself...
The rewards were insane!
One million yen bounty, plus a Random Profession Orb for the special objective? Even if it was just "random," a Profession Orb was potentially worth way more than the million yen needed for ten pulls!
If he completed both objectives, he stood to gain the equivalent of at least two million yen from the system! This was huge!
[1] Go wild with your guesses, lol.