He pulled the three Silver Tickets. Three capsules descended in a dazzling light show once more. They clicked open, exploding into an array of colors, but this time, there was a new one. One green, one grey, one blue.

  [Strong Legs]

  |Uncommon Trait|

  Your legs are stronger and tougher than average, slightly enhancing your speed and increasing the power behind your kicks substantially.

  -x-

  [Danger Rating]

  |Rare Ability|

  Allows you to view the danger a target can pose to you, ranging from Safe, Moderate, Dangerous, Lethal, and Certain Death.

  -x-

  [Expert Massage]

  |Elite Skill|

  You are an expert masseuse on the level of a grandpa who spent his life refining his craft. You can give massages that melt away exhaustion, help revitalize the body, give unmatched sexual pleasure, relieve tension, etc.

  Elite, my ass. I should've prayed to RNGesus again.

  It could've been worse, however, so Leon swallowed his bitterness as a familiar warmth spread through his lower body, but less intense. His legs tingled, muscles knitting tighter, bones feeling more solid. It was like someone had cranked up the stats of his quads and calves.

  He shifted on the bench, testing it out with a subtle flex and feeling how solid his legs were. Yeah, definitely stronger. Strong Legs would slot in nicely, stacking right on top of his Kure and Tune Up.

  Next came a subtle shift in his perception, like a new app installing in his brain, a faint buzz behind his eyes. He gnced around the park, which was empty for now, thank god, and focused on a squirrel scampering up a tree.

  Safe.

  He smirked. Useful.

  Danger Rating would give him that edge to size up threats without guessing.

  The massage skill settled in quieter, more like muscle memory downloading. His fingers twitched involuntarily, as if recalling techniques he'd never learned. He could almost feel the pressure points on an imaginary back, knowing exactly how to knead out knots or ramp up the intensity for... other, more pleasurable effects.

  He rubbed his temples.

  Great, now I'm a walking spa day. What, am I gonna massage Omni-Man and Conquest into submission? Hell no.

  Leon leaned back on the bench, exhaling slowly. Strong Legs was a solid add-on. Stacked with Kure and Tune Up, his lower body was turning into a weapon. Faster sprints, harder kicks, better mobility in a fight. Danger Rating? Goldmine in this world.

  No more walking into an ambush blind. He could scout threats from afar, pick his battles wisely. Plot meddling just got safer.

  The massage thing was... eh. Maybe it'd come in handy for recovery after training, or bartering with allies. Or hell, if he ever needed to blend in as a civilian. But Elite? Felt like the gacha trolling him. Still, better than Trash.

  He gnced up at the sky, where Nyx was circling zily.

  "Alright, not a total bust," he muttered. "Let's see what the Golds bring."

  The higher tiers had to step it up. With these, he was edging closer to being able to survive the early chaosw. But he needed more firepower. Way more.

  Time for the next set of tickets. Leon csped his hands together once more. RNGesus, I beg you. Bless this poor soul with some lucky pulls!

  He pulled the four Gold Tickets. Four capsules descended in a dazzling light show once again. They clicked open, exploding into an array of colors, and this time, there was another new color! One green, two blue, one purple.

  [Adept Fine Arts]

  |Rare Skill|

  You have the skills of an experienced Senior Artist, having a great deal of skill in most fine arts such as Drawing, Painting, Sketching, Sculpting, Engraving, etc. In general, the art of making things more aesthetically pleasing comes naturally to you. You could easily get a job in the arts. If these were the medieval times, most nobles would hire your services.

  -x-

  [Martial Foresight]

  |Elite Skill|

  Kengan Ashura - The Foresight is a technique developed by skilled fighters. It is a skill that allows one to predict a target's moves to dodge and counter them through quick analysis and instinct. Your Foresight is quite basic and will require actual fights to train and develop.

  -x-

  [Pyromaniac]

  |Elite Trait|

  Burn baby burn! You are a natural pyromantic. Fire abilities cost less energy and have increased potency. Your natural fire and heat resistances are heightened. You recover energy faster the hotter you are, but slower the colder you are.

  -x-

  [Energy Heart]

  |Epic Trait|

  Your heart is repced with a more metaphysical alternative that pumps raw energy through your veins instead. This massively increases your maximum energy reserves and adds your natural regeneration speed to your regur energy recovery.

  Okay… Not bad!

  A subtle warmth bloomed across his hands and arms first, then spread to his eyes and mind.

  His fingers tingled with new muscle memory. He could already picture the smooth sweep of a charcoal pencil, the exact pressure needed for shading, the way light pyed across a sculpted form. It felt effortless, like he'd spent decades in art studios to improve his craft. He flexed his fingers, half-expecting to see charcoal dust.

  Next came a strange crity in his mind and instincts. It was a sudden sharpening, like his brain had gone through a mental whetstone.

  Basic, yeah, but he could feel the potential. Train it in real fights, and it might save his life against vilins like the Mauler Twins.

  Then heat settled deep in his core. Pleasant, and almost comforting. His skin felt tougher against warmth, like he could stand next to a bonfire without flinching. A tiny spark of excitement lit in his chest.

  Fire powers? Even if he didn't have any yet, the trait was begging for them. He could already imagine pulling a fire-based ability ter and actually being good at it. The energy recovery tied to heat was weirdly addictive. He felt a little more alert just sitting in the te-afternoon sun.

  Finally, a powerful, steady thrum settled in his chest. A second heartbeat, but deeper, warmer, and far more vital. His breathing deepened for a moment as he sensed a rush of something deep inside him, but gentler and more soothing.

  Was this… his energy reserve?

  Leon pressed a hand to his sternum, eyes widening slightly. It wasn't painful at all. He just felt "full" in a way that was hard to put into words. At this point, he could probably channel whatever powers he pulled ter without burning out as fast, with his body's healing rate boosting the energy regen on top of the usual recovery.

  He exhaled slowly, feeling the steady pulse of raw energy coursing through his veins.

  Leon leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the holographic screen as it faded.

  "RNGesus, you beautiful bastard," he whispered. "You actually delivered."

  Adept Fine Arts? Niche, but he could probably sell sketches or portraits for quick cash once he figured out civilian life. Speaking of—did he still have his government records? Probably not.

  Martial Foresight? With it stacked on Removal and Fight Mode, it would make him a nightmare in close quarters. Pyromaniac? Huge. Even without fire powers yet, the resistances alone could let him tank the heat from explosions or heat-based powers better.

  And Energy Heart? That was game-changing. Massive energy reserves meant longer use of any energy-based abilities, with faster regen thanks to his natural healing speed feeding into it. Combined with Pyromaniac's heat-based boosts… he could potentially sustain powers longer the hotter things got.

  With the Energy Heart, having a Servant shouldn't be an issue unless they're Karna or Heracles, right?

  He looked up again. Nyx banked low, then nded on the bench armrest with a soft rustle.

  "Hey, girl," Leon said, reaching out to brush a finger along her wing. "We just leveled up."

  She tilted her head, seemingly confused.

  Strong Legs for mobility, Kure and Tune Up for raw power, Fight Mode for bursts, Foresight for prediction, Pyromaniac for future fire synergy, and Energy Heart to keep his energy pool topped off when everything else would have drained dry.

  He wasn't invincible yet. Not even close. But he was starting to feel like he could survive long enough to get there.

  One Ptinum left. One more shot at something game-changing.

  Leon cracked his knuckles, a feral little smile tugging at his lips.

  Let's see if the st one wants to keep the streak alive. RNGesus, this poor fellow begs for your blessing once more.

  The lone capsule dropped and Leon held his breath. Grey light shined.

  Grey? But that's… Shit!

  [Headpat]

  |Uncommon Trait|

  You were born with hands made for patting the heads of all that is cute. Targets feel much more pleasure and comfort from you petting their heads. This also helps dispel negative mental effects and build affection.

  Leon stared at the words. Blinked. Stared again.

  "…You've got to be kidding me."

  A faint, almost teasing warmth brushed across his palms, as if someone had gently warmed them over a candle. His fingers tingled for a second, then settled. Nothing dramatic. No muscle rewiring, new instincts, or buzzing perception upgrade. His hands just apparently knew how to pat heads really, really well.

  He flexed his fingers experimentally. They looked the same. Felt the same. But deep down, he could sense a subtle, instinctive understanding of pressure, rhythm, the exact spot on a scalp that would make someone melt. The gacha had downloaded a very specific, very wholesome skill tree.

  Leon dropped his head into his hands and groaned.

  "Ptinum. I spent five hundred points on this. Five. Hundred."

  He gnced up at Nyx, who cawed once, soft and almost… sympathetic?

  "Don't look at me like that," he muttered. "You're cute, but I'm not testing this on you right now. I have dignity. Somewhere."

  Nyx ruffled her feathers and hopped closer anyway, clearly unbothered.

  Leon sighed, long and dramatic, then leaned back until his head thumped against the bench sts.

  Okay. Deep breath. How can I put it to use?

  Headpat wasn't combat-useful. Not directly. It wouldn't let him punch through walls, predict attacks, or set things on fire. But… dispel negative mental effects? Build affection? In a world full of traumatized superheroes, mind-controlled victims, and people who could watch their city get fttened by aliens or Viltrumites…

  Maybe it wasn't useless.

  He could calm someone down after a fight. Ease panic. Build trust with potential allies. Hell, if he ever met someone like Atom Eve or Mark Grayson in a bad headspace, a well-timed headpat might actually do something. And if he pulled a cute familiar ter—something fluffy, something that could enjoy it—then yeah, affection-building could turn into loyalty or morale boosts.

  It was niche. Extremely niche. But in a gacha system that could spit out anything from across realities, niche sometimes turned into broken.

  Or maybe that was just him being delusional.

  Five hundred points…

  "Ptinum for headpats," he said aloud, voice ft. "I asked for a blessing and got the ultimate support skill for slice-of-life anime."

  He rubbed his face, half-ughing, half-dying inside.

  Praise be RNGesus… I guess? You absolute troll. Bet you're ughing and pointing at me from gacha heaven right now.

  Nyx hopped onto his shoulder, nuzzling against his neck with a soft croak. Leon instinctively reached up, then paused.

  "…Don't tempt me, bird."

  He lowered his hand instead and scratched under her beak. She leaned into it, eyes half-closing in clear contentment.

  Okay. Fine. It worked on crows too, apparently.

  Leon exhaled, the bitterness fading into reluctant amusement.

  He wasn't OP like he had hoped. Far from it. But between Kure, Tune Up, Strong Legs, Martial Foresight, Pyromaniac, Danger Rating, familiar insurance, and now… headpat therapy…

  He had options.

  Weird, unbanced, meme-worthy options.

  But options.

  He looked at the empty holographic screen, then at the darkening park around him. Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance. Probably nothing major, but in this world, "nothing major" could still end with a building colpsing.

  Time for him to move, find a safer spot, and test what he had. Maybe start farming points or maybe pull more tickets once he had GP again.

  And if he ever met someone or something cute and traumatized?

  Well.

  He'd cross that bridge when he got there.

  Leon stood up, stretched, and gave Nyx a small nod.

  "Come on, girl. Let's go figure out where we are and at what point in the timeline we're at. But most importantly, we need to figure out how to not die."

  They still had the necessities food, water, and shelter to worry about, after all.

  Nyx spread her wings and took off, circling once overhead. Leon cracked a grin despite the horrible pull.

  Headpats and all… he was still in the game.