I'm Turning Into Gacha Characters?!

Chapter 492: Turned Into Gacha?! - 492

What does it feel like to suddenly have an S-Class hero in your ranks?

The Blizzard Group could give you a definitive answer: they were definitely feeling the aftershocks.

Normally, paparazzi wouldn't dare loiter anywhere near the Blizzard Group out of sheer respect for their authority. Now, their numbers had doubled.

Dozens of eyes were glued to the main entrance of the building where the Blizzard Group rented their offices, keeping a round-the-clock vigil just to dig up any scrap of information on this new S-Class hero.

As for Alice becoming an S-Class, Fubuki harbored mixed feelings.

On the bright side, the girl was incredibly powerful, meaning Fubuki didn't have to worry too much about her safety.

The downside, however... was that ever since she became an official hero, the girl stopped spending all her time cooped up playing video games.

Before this, Alice's favorite pastime was gaming within the agency alongside Piko (Rank 65, B-Class). As a hardcore gaming enthusiast and former professional fighting game player, Piko had been more than welcoming to the idea of playing games with a beautiful girl.

Alice, too, thoroughly enjoyed gaming with someone of such high caliber.

Yet lately, Alice had politely declined Piko's invitations three consecutive times, claiming, "The Alice in the game has already reached the level cap. So, until the new level cap opens up, Alice is going to level up in reality!"

Consequently, until the game released its new expansion and raised the level cap, Alice's account had been handed over to Piko, who had eagerly volunteered to manage it for her.

Meanwhile, Alice began frequently popping up in the city's streets and alleyways, showing an immense passion for performing good deeds. The paparazzi caught wind of this, snapping photos and publishing her words directly in their articles.

"Even if there are no monsters, a hero must go around helping everyone! Not only does this grant experience points, but it also makes everyone happier!"

Within a few short days, numerous positive reports spread like wildfire across the internet.

This wasn't just due to the natural hype surrounding a new S-Class hero; more importantly, the higher-ups of the Hero Association were intentionally pulling strings behind the scenes to push the narrative.

Sweet Mask's presence had brought the Hero Association massive amounts of positive publicity and donations—profits that eclipsed what more than half of the S-Class heroes combined could bring in.

Having tasted the fruits of the idol effect, they were naturally scouting for other heroes with similar potential.

However, either the candidates they fancied refused to cooperate, or the ones willing to cooperate lacked the star quality the executives desired.

In short, they simply couldn't find a Sweet Mask 2.0.

But Alice's arrival completely turned the tide.

She had a great image and immense power. Crucially, they didn't need to spend any effort marketing or putting her through specialized training.

All they had to do was remarkably simple: report the absolute truth.

Just putting unedited, factual footage out there for everyone to see was more than enough.

As for the murmurs from certain factions within the Association—complaining that "a robot is not human after all, and her creator might have ulterior motives"—the executives couldn't care less.

So what if she's a robot? Isn't a programmed personality far more trustworthy than a human one?

Safety? Unsafe parameters are for you technical departments to worry about; don't get in the way of the higher-ups making money!

In a matter of days, Alice's name became a household staple. She even rapidly amassed a massive following of "surrogate parents" online.

Though most of these fans were just attracted to her cute looks, there were genuinely those who felt deeply touched by Alice's wholesome deeds and conduct.

Even so, the Hero Association's executives weren't in a rush to monetize her just yet. It wasn't because they possessed incredible restraint, but rather because, much like Sweet Mask, people were already throwing money at the Association without Alice having to do anything extra.

Before Alice officially took the grand stage, they wanted to maintain a sense of mystery a little longer. It was a strategy of gathering strength for a grand reveal. With plenty of light snacks to whet the public's appetite for now, the executives were in no hurry to serve the main course.

For the time being, they figured they should find her some work to bolster her track record.

Hmm, a mosquito plague? That sounded decent. For a robot, such a thing shouldn't pose any real danger.

Low risk, but with a massive disaster area—it was quite literally the perfect quest for farming reputation. That settled it!

If there were a genuinely dangerous mission or a truly horrific monster, they certainly wouldn't send Alice.

"Ta-da! Alice has received a 'Pest Control' quest! I am now setting off for Z-City!" Back at the Blizzard Group's headquarters, Alice, remembering she needed to check in with her temporary guardian before heading out, came running back immediately after receiving the notification.

"Pest Control? For an S-Class?"

Mountain Ape looked completely bewildered as he turned to Eyelashes beside him. Eyelashes could guess what was happening, but his face remained a mask of stoic indifference.

Fubuki, naturally, saw right through the Hero Association's intentions.

Setting aside the calculated schemes of those executives, the fact that they were keeping Alice out of harm's way aligned perfectly with her own wishes.

What could a swarm of mosquitoes possibly do? Although the disaster broadcast had already labeled the swarm gathering in Z-City as a Demon-level threat, taking down a Demon-level threat should be a walk in the park for Alice.

Even if she couldn't handle them due to sheer numbers, nothing truly terrible could happen to her.

Thus, Fubuki gave her approval without much hesitation, adding, "We aren't too far from Z-City. If you drive, you can get there in less than two hours."

Even though she had to head out herself shortly, she figured Alice was, after all, the only S-Class member in their group. Plus, since this was Alice's first time traveling far by car, Fubuki authorized the use of her newly purchased luxury sedan for Alice.

They had bought two cars anyway. While the other one wasn't as prestigious, it wouldn't bring them shame either.

"Alice can just run there! Training one's attributes in daily life is also a vital source of experience points!"

The girl thought about it and decided it was best not to trouble everyone over her own quest. After all, she couldn't drive the car herself, which meant they would have to assign a dedicated driver just for her.

Though her gesture of goodwill was turned down, Fubuki understood the girl's temperament. Since she put it that way, there was no need to force the issue.

"Very well." Fubuki nodded. "Just remember not to push yourself too hard. Come back early."

"Understood!"

Having informed Fubuki, Alice headed straight for the balcony and leapt, landing smoothly on a distant rooftop.

This method of transportation was fairly common among heroes. Since not all heroes could fly, traveling in a straight line across rooftops was the preferred choice for most.

L-City was very close to Z-City. A journey that would take over an hour by car could be cut clean in half when traveling in a straight line.

Coupled with the fact that Alice was vastly faster than any sedan, she reached the outskirts of Z-City in less than twenty minutes.

For some reason, despite the two cities being so close, the sky over Z-City looked exceptionally grim.

The dense, swirling swarms of mosquitoes in the sky triggered a wave of psychological discomfort in Alice, courtesy of her overly sharp vision. She didn't suffer from trypophobia, but the appearance of these creatures was indeed a bit difficult for her to stomach.

Watching the mosquitoes converge toward the city center from all directions, Alice didn't hesitate. She prepared to draw the Sword of Light and leap toward the heart of the city.

But just before she made her move, she spotted another figure leaping across the city skyline.

And that person noticed her, too.

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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL