I Became a 6★ Gacha Character

399 - Big Mama and the Soup Gang 4

TL/Editor: raei

Status: 5/Week Mon-fri

Illustrations: Posted in discord.

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Those people had slim chances of achieving their goals even with the best luck, and if luck turned against them, they'd likely all die. Except for Irene, Grace and Katie, along with our three temporary companions, chose this path themselves, so we didn't try to stop them. It seemed everyone shared similar thoughts.

A world where death was commonplace. Mercenaries, monsters, even herb gatherers, hunters, farmers, and fishermen - all risked their lives daily against monsters.

But Irene's reaction was noticeably different from usual.

"Goddess, protect us...!"

"Shhk- It feels reassuring to have her at our backs!"

Some viewers had nicknamed them the Soup Gang - a group of low to mid-tier adventurers we'd just sent off. After their departure, Irene began actively using holy magic in every battle.

Until now, she'd only used holy magic when facing ranged or area attacks. She'd cast protective spells to shield us from arrows, magic, or debris from rampaging ogres. But now she was casting protective magic before each fight, like building a fortress.

As a born 5★ Saint Candidate, her mana reserves were deep enough that using holy magic once per battle wouldn't deplete her divine energy. Still, this was a clear change in her behavior.

After such deep consideration leading to this sudden shift in combat style, everyone's eyes naturally drifted towards Irene.

"I mean, how do I even ask about it...?"

-Lol this antisocial idiot can't even talk to his party members

-Just say you're worried or ask if she's okay, it's not that hard

-It's not easy to start a conversation...

-LMAO you guys are basement dwellers while she's a streamer

-For real, it's not just answering, even starting a conversation is hard.

The party members also noticed something's different, but the viewers who make a fuss over everything would definitely pick up on it.

Some overly invested viewers wailed dramatically about saving "our Auntie," but they were a tiny minority. Most viewers assumed there must be some sad backstory and moved on, busy teasing Han Se-ah and worrying about Irene's change.

Some cracked self-deprecating jokes about how impossible it is to start conversations, while others drooled over how beautiful Irene looked even with a troubled expression. A short donation suddenly shifted the viewers' opinions:

[Han Se-ah The First Pathmaker donated 10s,000 won!]

Isn't this Irene's character quest? Feels like we should help

"Ah, going to the salon is pretty awkward. I mean... for guys it only takes an hour at most... Character quest? Why?"

She usually half-ignored the flood of donations, letting most slide by. I mean, with three or four donations popping up every minute, it'd be impossible to respond to them all and still stream.

But the username of this donor had cleverly walked the line between trolling and not, repeatedly needling Han Se-ah. So it caught her eye. Or maybe she just wanted to change the subject from her salon talk.

Either way, that casually dropped mention of a "character quest" made bigger waves than expected.

[Han Se-ah The First Pathmaker donated 10,000 won!]

That priest is from the temple orphanage, so she must know Irene-mama, you dimwit

"You're really rude with every breath... but come to think of it, you're not wrong."

-Oh right, wasn't Irene-mama born and raised as a temple local?

-If you consider the age difference, mama probably took care of the kid who became a priest

-I guess that's why her mental suddenly got shaken despite seeing plenty of death before

-There've been tons of victims - citizens killed by full moon wolves, adventurers wiped out by orc chieftain summons, giant worm casualties, swamp tentacle victims...

-I wondered why she was acting weird, but I guess she couldn't stop someone she knew from going to their death ㅠ

With everyone using polite speech and calling each other "brother" and "sister," we hadn't noticed. But as the viewer's donation pointed out, Louis and Irene must know each other.

Irene also grew up in the temple from childhood, so she's likely from the temple orphanage. Even as an adult, she became a nun and helped out at the temple orphanage. Louis and the priests were taken in by the temple after getting bread from Johanna in the back alleys, where they discovered their talent for holy magic.

If young-looking Louis is in his late teens, around high school age, then he'd be the right age for Irene to have cared for him at the orphanage before joining our party.

"You're right. If Irene is 25 now, and that priest Louis is about 17... that's exactly the age they'd have met at the orphanage. When she was 20, she'd have been taking care of 12-year-old little Louis, then he graduated from the orphanage at 17 after his coming-of-age ceremony and entered the tower as a priest."

I hadn't noticed this connection either. Thinking it might really be true, I slowed my pace to walk beside Irene.

Even after the battle ended and we gathered mana stones, heading towards the safe zone on the 54th floor, she still seemed lost in thought. Her brow was slightly furrowed, her face clouded with worry. When I approached, she smiled brightly as if not wanting to worry the others, but we'd already seen plenty of her troubled expression through the camera.

"What is it, Roland?"

"...Are you acquainted with those priests from earlier?"

-He finally speaks up!

-Saying Roland Cola makes me feel like I should be entering the Rift, is that normal?

-Lol who plays virtual reality games these days instead of clicking away with a keyboard

-Sick mechanics bro (click click) vs Sick mechanics bro (deflecting arrows with a longsword)

-This streamer dude was too scared to even talk to her teammate, but the GOAT steps up and does it for her

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Raei Translations

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While the sharp-tongued Pathmaker who pointed it out in the donation and I who scratched that itchy spot were being praised, Irene slowly opened her mouth as we walked across the plains.

"You're right, I do know Priest Louis. We weren't close, but he was one of the children I took care of."

So they did know each other from the same temple background. Everyone's attention focused on the soft voice flowing from Irene's lips, which had finally opened after much difficulty.

Grace's steps ahead of us noticeably slowed, and Katie stopped mid-sentence about swords to subtly change formation. Han Se-ah moved the camera to film Irene and me, while our three temporary companions gradually fell silent from their chatty conversation.

As silence fell, with only the rustling of grass in the wind reaching our ears, Irene's gentle voice became clearly audible.

"The orphanage takes in quite a few children, so I can't remember every single one. But I can usually recall faces and names... Louis stood out in my memory because we shared the common background of becoming priests after growing up in the orphanage."

"..."

Given the heavy subject and story, the chat filled with meaningless "ㅠㅠ" characters and crying emojis from around the world. I just nodded slightly, also at a loss for words.

That seemed to be enough, or perhaps she wanted to unburden her troubled mind. Irene continued speaking, unconcerned. We walked across the quiet plains, silently agreeing to listen intently to her words.

"As I mentioned before, he was lucky enough to make it from the back alleys to the temple. He has a strong will and takes action."

Her story sounded almost like a lament, or perhaps a way to soothe her anxious heart. Louis's ability to lead his peers despite his shortcomings, his willingness to risk his life for his beliefs, and her own position of having to watch this dangerous journey under the name of a pilgrimage.

In essence, it seemed the Saint Candidate who had spent her entire life within the temple's embrace was now questioning her beliefs after witnessing the potential sacrifice of an acquaintance rather than a stranger.

Interpreting this as a game quest after hearing the term "character quest" feels too callous, but summarizing Irene's slightly rambling story, there's no better description.

Given her sensitive nature and devout faith, questioning the Goddess's teachings felt sacrilegious, but letting things unfold according to doctrine meant the death of a young boy she'd known for years. This hit especially hard for Irene, who until now had experienced comfortable adventures without a single death, let alone injuries.

As Irene poured out her troubled thoughts with a pained expression, Manaashi unexpectedly spoke up.

"Sssk- You seem deeply troubled, young nun."

"Ah, brother. You heard."

Her cheeks flushed bright red, apparently having whispered quietly to just me beside her, thinking the others wouldn't hear. Han Se-ah would hear through the camera, but the rest of our companions were all high-ranking warriors who could manipulate mana. Of course they'd hear.

I guess she's not used to that sort of thing, given her non-physical profession. Grace especially is specialized in detection, able to hear sounds from 300-400 meters away, let alone a few meters.

"Sss sss sss, though young, that priest is a fine warrior. We can't stop those who've set their minds on marching to the battlefield."

"A warrior, is it?"

"So don't overthink it or let it pain your heart too much. Sssk- There's a saved warrior standing right before you, isn't there?"

Irene finally smiled faintly as Manaashi joked, puffing out his chest and thumping his scale-covered torso. Though her smile still looked a bit weak, suggesting her worries weren't entirely gone, she seemed to have accepted Manaashi's logic to some extent.

Well, Manaashi's entire race was wiped out by the Demon King, and he only received salvation after the world had ended. He died upholding his beliefs, yet in the end received the miracle of salvation. Having such living proof right before her eyes must have eased Irene's heart a little.

...Of course, that didn't stop her from using holy magic.

If anything, she began constantly chanting prayers and using holy magic, endlessly wielding divine energy as if trying to confirm something.