The discovery that the system I mysteriously received is interconnected with the Disney universe didn't shake me.
And why would it?
No matter how I look at it, in Disney, there are powerful items and characters. A good example is the things I got from the gacha; especially Hercules.
And, considering that even Hercules is worth 5 stars (possibly before he becomes a God again), it makes me fantasize about a possible 6-star...
Maybe someone like Chernabog or even Hades?
Whoever it is, it must be powerful to be worth 6 stars.
But I don't want to think about that right now.
Looking at the cards in my hand, I'm not trying to assimilate with any of them yet; I don't even intend to summon any of them.
Although Remy's culinary talent is tempting and, being two and a half stars, he shouldn't be hard for me to assimilate. Even Sebastian is a good assimilation option... The issue is, there's a limitation on how many I can assimilate.
'Maybe that changes when I level up?'
I still don't know how to level up. But I believe it must happen naturally over time.
'But it would be interesting to summon Remy after Arlong is gone.'
Putting that card in my pocket, I look at another card.
On the Compass card, I click to transform it into an item.
Soon, the card turned into a small black box with silver details.
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[Jack Sparrow's Compass (Pirates of the Caribbean) - ★★☆]
[Description: A broken compass that doesn't point north, but guides the user toward what they need most at the moment. Useful for navigation during missions or escaping danger, but its erratic functionality limits its impact.]
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It was an interesting item, to say the least, especially in the world I'm in.
As it could be useful, I placed the Compass's cord around my neck.
The next card that caught my attention was the Magic Carpet from Aladdin.
And how could one not be curious about such an item?
In this world, flying was an incredible advantage.
If the carpet works like it did in Aladdin, it would be an item of immeasurable value.
Now, Jasmine is a character from Aladdin.
Assimilating didn't seem like a good option, but summoning her right now wasn't either. For now, I'll keep that card.
--
The next morning, 7:15 AM.
"Good morning, Noah. Sit down, I'll serve breakfast now."
In the living room, Nojiko was wearing a dark blue apron as she greeted me with a smile.
Just seeing her smile already made my day.
"Huh?" Before she returned to the kitchen, she stopped and looked at me with curious eyes.
"Do you need something, Nojiko-nee?" I asked, scratching my face.
She furrowed her brow and asked strangely, "That's odd... I feel like something about you has changed, but I can't quite tell what it is..."
She circled around me while looking me up and down.
Unable to figure out what made her act that way, Nojiko shrugged and said, "I guess it's just my imagination. Anyway, just wait a little longer."
"Yes," I replied.
When she left, I sighed.
I knew what had changed, though it wasn't anything too significant, my body had become more toned.
Even my face had become a little more symmetrical.
My eyes are still almost the same color — a shade of yellow — but now have a more intense hue, almost golden. And my height increased by just 2 cm; I'm now 182 cm tall.
While thinking about this, I also opened my status and looked at the assimilation area.
Assimilation in Progress [1/2]: [Hercules (Hercules) - ★★★★★ (1.2%)]
Last night, still in my room, I tried doing a bit of exercise and that made the assimilation increase a little. I stopped at 1.1%, but during a night's sleep, it increased 0.1.
In other words, even if I do nothing, in 2 years and a few months, I'll assimilate Hercules?
Of course, even though I couldn't train under the supervision of Arlong's fish-man pirates, I still intended to do some exercises in my room and help carry the heavy boxes of tangerines for Nojiko.
Of course, if the plan I have in mind works, I'll be able to speed up this process even more...
Maybe in less than a year I can fully assimilate Hercules.
However, I don't need to wait until full assimilation to defeat someone like Arlong.
Although he is too strong for my current self, maybe in a few months that will change?
--
A week later...
"Noah, Noah, are you there!!"
While I was doing some sit-ups in my room, I heard Nami's voice.
Standing up and wiping my sweat, I opened the door and stepped out of the room.
"I'm here." I announced and saw her running from the living room toward me.
"Hehe, I've got good news for you~" She sang with both hands on my shoulders: "I managed to convince that idiot... Captain Arlong to let you come with me!"
"Oh?" My interest was piqued: "I'm really happy, thank you, Nami-nee!"
With a big smile, Nami said: "Come on, get ready, we're leaving as soon as we tell Nojiko."
"Okay." Smiling back, I returned to my room.
...
It didn't take me long to pack up and get changed.
With everything ready, I went to the living room and saw Nojiko and Nami arguing, but they stopped when they saw me.
"Sigh, Noah, are you sure you want to do this?" Nojiko asked me, clearly worried.
Giving a reassuring smile, I said: "Yes, I am. Don't worry, Nojiko-nee, I'll be fine. After all, Nami-nee will take care of me, right?"
"Yes, you can count on me!" Nami said confidently.
Although on the outside it looked like Nami and Nojiko didn't get along while Nami pretended to be one of Arlong's pirates, the truth was the opposite. There was tactical cooperation between the two sisters.
Though they disagreed now—with Nami wanting me to go with her, and Nojiko preferring I stay safe on the island.
Does that mean she's not worried about Nami going out?
Of course she is. Every time Nami leaves, I've seen her cry many times.
She was the older sister after all, how could she not worry?
However, she knew how stubborn Nami was. There were things simply out of reach and couldn't be changed.
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After Nami and I boarded a small sailboat, Nojiko said goodbye to us with visible reluctance.
Nami seemed used to this—once we got some distance, she had already taken control of everything and was holding the helm of the boat as she turned to me.
"Scared?" she asked.
"Maybe... a little." I admitted. "But I'm more excited than afraid."
"Then you've started better than I did." Nami said, looking at the horizon, seeming to recall something very distant: "On my first time out at sea, all I felt was fear. But..."
She didn't continue, but I more or less understood what she meant next.
She was probably saying that she had to do it for us. Only by saving up the money from the deal she made with Arlong did she believe everyone would finally be free.
'I'll try to make sure we stay away for at least a month.'
I looked away and opened my status screen.
Assimilation in Progress [1/2]: [Hercules (Hercules) - ★★★★★ (5.4%)]
'I can't believe it changed so much in just one week.'
It might seem like a small amount, but we're talking about Hercules' strength.
Right now, I'm at least as strong as a fish-man—maybe even stronger than most of them.
Though it's still not enough to defeat Arlong...
How do I know?
I really don't know. However, without at least assimilating 20%, I won't dare risk everything.
Only when I'm 100% confident in winning will I take action.
And, going out with Nami this time, I'll be able to act more freely and grow even stronger.
Of course, I also want to test how strong I am by going up against some low-level pirates.
[Hidden Mission "Setting Out on an Adventure" completed! 10 GP have been credited to your account!]
[A new mission has been activated: "Win Against a Pirate!"]
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[Win Against a Pirate: Fight against a pirate and come out victorious.]
[Reward: 2 Silver Scrolls and 5 GP]
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I didn't even have enough time to be happy about earning 10 GP for free before I immediately received my first official mission.
'Defeat a pirate.' I touched my chin while thinking about how easy that mission sounded.
The fact that it didn't specify what kind of pirate and left it open-ended made me think that as long as it's a pirate, it counts.
No matter how I look at it, this was a very easy mission for me to complete. After all, with my current strength, beating one or two pirates would be easy.
In front of Nami, I spent the GP and bought a silver scroll.
I had already tested this before and I know that even now she couldn't see the scroll.
Without hesitation, I broke the seal. Soon, the scroll began to glow.
When it stopped glowing, a card appeared, and I took it.
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[Li Shang (Mulan) - ★★★★]
Description: Li Shang, the indomitable captain, leads with military precision and dominates the field with sword and strategy. His disciplined strength and inspiring command turn allies into warriors, facing any threat with unwavering courage.
[Assimilate] – [Summon]
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'Oh? I like it!'
What I wanted most at the moment was his command over swordplay and strategy.
Clicking on "Assimilate," I saw the card in my hand break apart and bind to me.
In an instant, I felt a change throughout my entire being.
Though it may be imperceptible to the naked eye, I could feel the changes happening even in my posture.
Assimilation in Progress [2/2]: [Hercules (Hercules) - ★★★★★ (5.5%)] - [Li Shang (Mulan) - ★★★★ (31.1%)]
When I opened my status window and saw it had already reached 31.1%, I could hardly believe it.
But something told me it wasn't that simple.
When I clenched and relaxed my hand, I realized something discouraging.
'1+1 isn't 2 in this situation...'
To simplify: if Hercules gives me 30 strength, Li Shang won't give me another 30 strength upon assimilation. In other words, only different powers would be useful; if the strength doesn't surpass Hercules', no difference will be made.
'So summoning characters with similar traits to those I've already assimilated isn't a good idea...'
I could be wrong, but everything indicates that it's not enough to just keep assimilating characters. I need to consider their abilities and whether they overlap.
'Thankfully, Li Shang doesn't stand out in strength, but in other areas where Hercules doesn't.'
What I wanted most right now was to learn some art in melee weapon use. And that's what Li Shang provides me.
'I need to get a sword,' I thought.
Even though I can't bring a sword back, since the fish-men wouldn't allow it, while I'm outside, I'll be able to use it freely—after all, Nami won't rat me out to Arlong.