Gacha Harem System

Lukas read through the packet in silence, his eyes moving from each word to the other.

When he reached the last page, he set it down on the table and leaned back in his chair.

This wasn’t his first time reading it. He was just going through it one more time to make sure he wasn’t missing anything.

Melody, Akira, and Karrakas were all watching him, waiting for his verdict.

He exhaled slowly.

"Alright," he said. "I’ve isolated the key points."

He turned the pages face up, spreading them slightly so he could reference them as he spoke.

"The Crystal Caves only have one spatial gate, which means there’s only one way in and one way out. The gate leads directly into the main city, which is also the tourist destination. It’s called Azure Town."

He tapped the relevant section. "Azure Town is where most people who aren’t serious Climbers spend their time. It’s mapped thoroughly, maintained well, and relatively safe."

"That sounds comfortable," Melody said.

"It is, from what this says, but it’s not where we’ll be spending most of our time."

He moved to the next section. "The Crystal Caves have two additional underground cities beyond Azure Town. Fort One and Fort Two. Both are built for Climbers, and cater to people who are there to hunt beasts, gain EXP, and push their ranks."

"So Azure Town is the front door," Akira said. "And the Forts are where the actual work happens."

"Exactly. The routes between all three cities are carefully maintained and mapped. They’re also safe enough to travel if you stay on them." Lukas paused. "But the branching paths off those routes, the unmapped ones, that’s where the beasts are. There’s less traffic, less maintenance, and no guarantees."

"Which is where we’ll be going," Akira said.

"Exactly," Lukas confirmed.

He set the page down and looked up at them all.

"Now, there are two things the information packet flags as most critical. The first is light."

"The Crystal Caves are deep underground, which means there’s no natural source of illumination down there. None. Not even sources from the dungeon itself."

"Whatever light exists has been put there by people in one way or the other, whether intentionally or not. Which means it can be knocked out, extinguished, or simply absent in areas that haven’t been developed yet."

He looked around the table.

"In total darkness, it doesn’t matter how strong you are or how many skills you have. You can’t fight what you can’t see. So we need reliable, portable light sources that we control ourselves and can’t easily lose."

Karrakas nodded but said nothing, letting Lukas continue. He was here to make sure they could do these things on their own, not coddle them.

"The second thing is weapons." Lukas moved to the next page. "The beasts in the Crystal Caves are made of the same crystal that forms the caves themselves."

"The crystals are dense, hard, and not something a sword is going to cut through easily." He glanced at Akira. "You already raised this when we were deciding."

"I did," Akira said. "Swords won’t do much. We need bludgeoning weapons. Hammers or maces. Basically, something that allows us to put our weight behind each attack."

"Right." Lukas closed the packet. "Those are the two things we can’t go in without."

Karrakas straightened slightly, a pleased expression appearing on his face. "Good. You’ve identified exactly what matters most at this stage."

He looked around the table. "So. What’s the plan going forward?"

Lukas folded his hands on the table. "Today, we’ll shop. The pavilion should have weapons we can buy here before we leave, and then we’ll head to the Golden Emporium after for light sources."

"We need portable and reliable ones, which Akira should be able to help with."

She was the one with the [Tinker] class, which should be able to help in this situation. Hopefully.

Then he glanced round the table again. "Then tomorrow, we’ll head to the Crystal Caves."

"I can confirm that the pavilion sells bludgeoning weapons," Karrakas confirmed. "Good quality ones too, since Climbers pass through here regularly."

Melody nodded. "Then we shouldn’t have any trouble finding what we need today."

"None," Akira agreed.

Karrakas rose from his chair, gesturing to the door. "Then let’s not sit here any longer than necessary."

They gathered the papers back into the packet and filed out of the room, making their way back into the quieter lobby.

Karrakas checked his pocket watch, then looked up at the three of them.

"This is where I leave you for today," he said. "I have my own equipment already sorted, so there’s nothing for me to pick up here."

He glanced at Lukas. "You know what you need. Get it, rest tonight, and we’ll head out tomorrow."

"We’ll be ready," Lukas said.

Karrakas gave them a short nod, then turned towards the lift and stepped in when the doors opened. They watched it close behind him.

Lukas turned to the wall, scanning the signs mounted above the various lift banks.

Each one pointed to a different floor, the text beneath each arrow listing what was available there.

His eyes moved across them until he found what he was looking for.

"Up," he said, nodding towards the other lift.

They walked across the lobby and stepped in, with Lukas pressing the button for the equipment floor.

The lift rose smoothly, opening onto a space that was noticeably different from the information section below.

The hall was wide and well lit, designed with display cases and open shelves carrying weapons, armor pieces, and various [Items] organized by category.

Several other Climbers were already moving through the space, pausing at displays or speaking with the staff on duty.

An attendant broke away from the nearest counter the moment they stepped off the lift, moving towards them at a brisk walk.

"Welcome to the Le Fay Pavilion equipment floor," she said the moment she was close enough. "Are you here to buy or sell today?"

Melody’s face split into a wide grin before the woman had even finished the sentence.

"Buy," she said.

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