He hurriedly opened the Scenario page. Sure enough, below the original Scenario, a new one had appeared. The first Scenario he had cleared was now grayed out and unselectable.
The new Scenario had a rather impressive name: Endless War.
[Endless War]: Transmigration Cost - 5 Transmigration Coins.
The transmigration price had quintupled! Julian, who had thought he was rich with his 12 Transmigration Coins, felt his face turn green.
What a rip-off! Was this inflation rate even remotely reasonable?
As for this Scenario, Julian remembered playing a small tower defense game with the same name.
So, his first impression was that it was probably a fantasy-type Scenario. But this simulator was known for being unpredictable. It could just as easily be a modern warfare setting. Julian had absolutely no clue about its patterns.
He then clicked on the newly available feature: the lottery page. The rules were simple: 1 Transmigration Coin per draw, or 9 for a 10-draw. The current prize pool consisted of items from the cleared JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Scenario.
Free Draws: 3
Julian: ...
Wasn't this just the monetization model of gacha games?
As someone who had always had terrible luck, never even winning a free bottle in a "buy one, get one free" promotion, Julian had never been interested in lotteries.
Except, of course, when it was free.
Without hesitation, he clicked on the lottery. Maybe he could get lucky with a single draw!
[You have obtained the rare item: Browning M1906 Pocket Pistol, with several .25 ACP rounds.]
Try again!
[You have obtained the rare item: Colt M1908 Vest Pocket, with several .25 ACP rounds.]
Wait a minute. Julian, his face darkening, went to the bathroom to wash his face.
One more time!
[You have obtained the legendary item: Webley & Scott Bulldog Revolver, with several .45 ACP rounds.]
Julian: ...
He was indeed incredibly unlucky. Counting the two guns already in his inventory, he now had five! Who could possibly use that many guns at once? Was he supposed to be Doctor Octopus?
To hell with this lottery! If he did it again, he'd chop his hand off!
He took out his pocket watch. It was only a little after two. The night was still young. Having just learned the Ripple power and gotten a taste of its benefits, Julian wasn't sleepy at all. He found some pieces of black bread in the room, ate them, and then lay in bed, staring at the new Scenario he hadn't entered yet, feeling an itch.
Should he... give it a try?
In the end, his gaming addiction won. He selected the new Scenario, Endless War, and chose to enter.
[Preparing for transmigration... Transmigration Coins -5]
[Please select a transmigration mode...]
[1. Direct Transmigration.]
[2. Transmigrate using a Parallel World Template.]
Huh, even the transmigration modes had changed?
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Curious, Julian chose option 2 to take a look. Three cards appeared before him.
The first card depicted him wearing a black suit and sunglasses, with a cold, ruthless expression. His personality was cold and cruel. His talents were [Precision Shooting] (Blue), [Bullet Time] (Orange). His skills were [Expert Marksmanship] and [Expert Hand-to-Hand Combat].
The title was Ruthless Mobster - Julian Thorne, and the transmigration cost was 15 Transmigration Coins.
The second card showed him in a purple suit and clown makeup, with a capricious and unpredictable personality. His talents were [Criminal Genius] (Purple), [Explosives Genius] (Purple), [Master Marksman] (Purple), and [Obstacles] (Gray, Negative Talent). His skills were [Master Intimidation], [Expert Bomb Making], and [Expert Negotiation].
The title was The Maniacal Jester - Julian Thorne, and the transmigration cost was a whopping 25 Transmigration Coins.
The third card showed him also in a black suit, sitting confidently at a gambling table, holding a piece of chocolate. His personality was proud, confident, and composed. His talents were [Gambling God] (Red) and [Winning Strike] (Purple). His skills were [Godlike Gambling] and [Basic Marksmanship].
The title was Supreme Gambling God - Julian Thorne, and the transmigration cost was an outrageous 100 Transmigration Coins!
Julian read the description and immediately understood why the transmigration costs were so high. Aside from helping him clear the Scenario faster, another reason was that after using a template character to clear the Scenario, there was a chance to obtain that template's skills and talents.
This was very tempting. Any of these three character cards would be a huge boost for him.
Below, there was a refresh timer: 23:59:59. Clearly, after the timer ran out, these three cards would be refreshed.
Even though he really wanted them, looking at his balance of 7 Transmigration Coins, he instantly lost all enthusiasm. He couldn't afford a single one!
[You have selected Transmigration Mode 1]
[Please select three of the following ten talents as matching conditions]
[1. Enigma (Blue): No one knows who you are. Your name and your origins are a mystery.]
[2. Vampire Constitution (Purple): Your physical abilities far exceed those of humans. You are immortal and undying, but you will be destroyed by sunlight.]
[3. Underdog (Green): This is my legendary life. Don't look down on a youth in poverty, don't look down on a middle-aged man in poverty, don't look down on an old man in poverty.]
[4. Cross-Species Love (White): You are not a furry, but furries love you. You are naturally loved by furry creatures.]
[5. Faceless (Green): You were born without a face, but you are immune to all mind and psychic control magic.]
[6. Super Gambler (Purple): You have an exceptional talent and intuition for gambling. When you go all-in, your luck will be greatly enhanced.]
[7. Sweet Tooth (White): You have a strong preference for sweets, to the point of being unable to live without sugar.]
[8. Social Butterfly (Blue): Your social skills are maxed out. You can quickly become friends with anyone.]
[9. Business Genius (Blue): You have a great talent for business, which is enough to complete your capital accumulation.]
[10. Soul Transmigration (Blue): You choose to transmigrate your soul, thus having countless possibilities.]
[Please choose!]
Compared to the last transmigration, the options this time were much worse, and many were simply nonsensical.
Option 2, Vampire Constitution, should have been added to the pool after the last cleared Scenario. It looked great but had the drawback of being vulnerable to sunlight. Without knowing the plot, he could easily die instantly, wasting 5 Transmigration Coins.
Choosing 10 was also risky. The potential gains were too unstable. It was better to choose 6 and 8, which were at least positive talents.
After hesitating for a moment, he chose 6, 8, and 9.
[You have selected Talent 6, Talent 8, and Talent 9.]
[Your current talents are: Gambler, Social Butterfly, Business Genius, and the permanent talent Tony Stark.]
[Matching successful. Your parallel world self is a playboy, a social expert, a genius in both research and business, and also a die-hard gambler.]
[When you die in the simulation, the game ends.]
[Boarding the Time Machine... 1%... 33%... 65%... 95%... Whoosh... Transmigration complete.]
[You have transmigrated to New York in 2006. From this moment on, the wheels of history begin to turn.]
New York in 2006? What Scenario was this again? Call of Duty?
[July 1, 2006. You appear alone on the streets of New York. After some conversations, you learn that you are in Flushing, an area where most of the residents are Asian immigrants from mainland China and Taiwan. With your outstanding appearance and social skills, you earn a small sum of money through a few simple dice cup tricks.]
[July 2, 2006. You are robbed at gunpoint by several thugs, but how could these small-timers possibly threaten you? You turn the tables and rob them instead, obtaining $900 in cash.]
[July 3-12, 2006. You place small bets at more than a dozen small casinos, earning a large sum of money. You then quit while you're ahead and lay low for a while. As a gambler, you know that greed is a gambler's greatest enemy. It whispers promises of riches but delivers only ruin. First comes the greed, then the need, then the deed that lands you in the gutter, or worse. If you don't know when to stop, that will be the end of any gambler. (Family Background +2)]
[July 13, 2006. You rent an apartment in Flushing and settle down. You begin to learn about this world and are shocked by what you find. In this world, there is a Stark Industries—in Manhattan, for example, the landmark is not the Empire State Building of your previous life, but the 1,138-foot (347 meters) tall Stark Tower.]
Julian was also a little stunned. The answer was obvious. This second Scenario was likely the Marvel Universe.
