Beware of Using Lifespan to Pull Gacha

There might be some timeline inconsistencies, so please bear with me.

I've only played Soul Knight as a game, and not very deeply.

There are some combinations I don't know about. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments.

I'll see if I can work them into the story.

For a pleasant reading experience, please leave your brains here.

[Brain Storage]

Those who have deposited theirs may begin reading.

Late at night, in a WeChat group.

Fourth: "Fuck! It's that bastard Uluru again! I'm done playing! Guys, get online—we're playing Soul Knight!"

Oldest: "Why are you going crazy this late at night?"

Fourth: "Got bridge-camped. (Sad)"

Fourth: "Come on, come on, four-player Soul Knight co-op!"

Second: "How many are you short? If it's only one, I'm not joining."

Fourth: "Three! (Completely justified)"

Third: "Nice."

Second: "So you haven't gathered a single person, have you?"

Oldest: "Not playing. Last time, you died before your Interdimensional Traveler even got going. We had to use our skills to save you every time."

Fourth: "I just feel so safe with Oldest tanking up front. This time I'll play Vampire—I won't slack off!"

Fourth: "Second can revive minions, Third can summon the bear, and I'll deal damage elegantly from the back. Totally foolproof!"

Third: "...Why does a third-skill Vampire need to deal damage from the back?"

Second: "Then I'll craft a red weapon."

Amid laughter and insults, four game icons lit up on their respective screens.

In the pixel-art dungeon, the Paladin stood at the front with his shield raised, his body covered in lava-like skin.

The Necromancer had a dark crimson magic eye floating beside her. The Druid transformed into a horn to summon a giant beast, while the Vampire wielded an enormous scythe.

They worked in perfect harmony, charging and slaughtering their way forward.

At last, they defeated the boss and stood before the Magic Stone.

Fourth: "Perfect! I'm on fire right now! I'm logging into Arknights for a ten-pull!"

Oldest: "Here we go again..."

Third: "You need to stay calm when pulling..."

Second: "Can you hear the wailing that's about to begin?"

Fourth: "Relax, relax! Watch me perform! I'll definitely come home loaded from the new banner!"

Off-banner—54.

Off-banner—67.

Off-banner—72.

Fourth: "..."

Second: "Do you still have enough money for living expenses?"

"Sea Cat above!!! I'm willing to sacrifice the entire lifespan of several sons! In exchange, let this ten-pull max out their potentials!"

Oldest: "...You dog."

Third: "...That's too much..."

Second: "...Even all their lifespans combined probably wouldn't be enough. Add your own if you want to get anything."

Fourth: "Second, you're even crueler than I am! Fine, fine, I'll add mine too... Holy shit?!"

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change erupted on the screen.

Instead of the usual white and purple lights, ten rainbow-gold beams instantly filled the entire display.

A single ten-pull. A genuine full-potential haul!

"It... it really happened?!"

Fourth's voice warped from sheer shock.

However, before he could erupt in joy, the light on the screen suddenly spread, swallowing his entire field of vision.

At the same moment, the other three were completely enveloped by light as well.

In the voice channel, only Fourth's abruptly cut-off cry remained before everything fell into dead silence.

Bang—!

"You little brat, what are you screaming for? Just wait until I... Where is he?"

Terra, Year 1090, Rem Billiton.

A wise man saved a Cautus girl and set out with her on a journey to Kazdel.

At the same time, four crimson meteors tore through Terra's night sky and crashed toward the four corners of the continent.

Columbia, Rhine Lab.

"How is the test subject?"

"His condition is stable for now. He has a chance of surviving."

"Is that so... Then increase the dosage. They're all expendable materials anyway. This is a perfect opportunity to test drug resistance across different races."

The man referred to as the test subject stared blankly at the ceiling as the conversation between the two researchers reached his ears with perfect clarity.

It hurts...

Anyone... kill me...

Boom—!!!

A thunderous explosion shattered the silence of the night. A meteor fell from the sky, tearing through the high-rise building and destroying evil along with it.

"Cough, cough... cough..."

Oldest barely regained consciousness from the dizziness of the impact. He shook his muddled head and struggled to sit up from the bottom of the crater.

What happened? That blinding light just now...

He instinctively raised a hand to rub his throbbing forehead, but his fingertips touched something hard, warm, and curved in a bizarre way.

He froze.

In disbelief, he raised both hands and felt upward along his forehead—

Two savage horns, as though formed from solidified lava, were unmistakably real atop his head. Their texture was clear beneath his fingers, and he could even feel scorching power flowing within them.

An absurd, terrifying thought exploded in his mind.

"Holy fuck!" he blurted out, his voice distorted by shock. "I turned into a monster?!"

Almost at the same time, three equally terrified and disbelieving voices exploded directly in his mind.

Second: "Holy fuck! I turned into a woman?! This body... these huge tits... what the hell is going on?!"

Third: "Holy fuck! M-my head... why did it turn into a deer head?! And these claws...?!"

Fourth: "I... Wait, I still seem just as handsome—huh? These pointy ears... this cape... Holy shit! I'm even more handsome now! Wait... this scythe—Breath of Death!!?"

Their chaotic thoughts collided and tangled within an invisible connection. Oldest lowered his gaze to his hands, which no longer belonged to a human.

His body was now covered in dark lava armor, brimming with explosive power.

He clenched his fists and felt the scorching force surging through him—foreign, yet somehow innate.

On the ground lay a familiar yet unfamiliar cruciform shield.

"Guys..." Oldest called out in his mind, his voice heavy. "Are you all alive?"

Second's tearful voice echoed through their minds. "It's gone... My dick is gone..."

Third's voice was full of panic, on the verge of tears. "Where are we?! How did I become like this?! Oldest... Oldest, where are you?!"

Fourth's voice, however, carried an unusual calmness as it cut through everyone's confusion. "Guys... look up at the moon."

The moon?

The abrupt instruction made them instinctively obey, despite being consumed by fear over their drastic transformations.

Oldest lifted his head, now that of a Flame Demon, toward the sky. Third raised his enormous deer head, while Second forced herself to tilt her face upward despite her overwhelming discomfort with her unfamiliar body.

Then, everyone fell silent.

Two moons hung in the night sky.

The twin moons shared the heavens, their light intertwining as it spilled over this unfamiliar land.

That was a sight no one could ever see on Earth.

Their minds sank into a long silence, silent oppression passing between them.

After a long, long while.

Fourth's voice rang out again. The forced composure and smugness had vanished from it.

"Guys... I think we got isekai'd."

The words landed like a heavy hammer, crushing their final shred of hope.

"Isekai'd..."

Oldest repeated the word as he looked around at the drifting dust, molten lava, and ruins.

He felt the searing power rushing through his body and looked down at his towering, twisted form. Everything confirmed Fourth's conclusion.

"Not just isekai'd."

Oldest's voice sank lower as he forced himself to calm down.

"We... turned into characters from Soul Knight, complete with skins and weapons."

"I became the Paladin, and it seems I can control fire."

"I'm the Necromancer..."

Second's voice trembled slightly.

"My weapon is beside me too, and there are corpses everywhere around me!"

Third's voice was tearful. "Were we... were we sacrificed by that ten-pull...?"

"Fuck..." Fourth cursed, though it was unclear whether he was cursing his own jinx or this shitty fate.

"So... are we in the world of Soul Knight now? Do you have any recognizable landmarks around you?"

Second: "No! I already said there are nothing but corpses here!"

"Wait... These corpses have horns on their heads? And tails too!"

Third: "I'm on a snowfield! An endless snowfield!"

Oldest looked around, but the dust obscured his vision.

He looked down at his twisted palm and willed it to move.

Scorching flames burst from the cracks in his lava armor. The blast scattered all the dust, revealing a surviving emblem amid the ruins.

Oldest: "There's a symbol here. An ♾ symbol, with plus and minus signs inside the two loops."

Fourth: "Holy fuck! Oldest, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

Oldest: "I'm sure... You recognize it?"

Fourth: "I do! Of course I do! This isn't the world of Soul Knight—this is Terra! Terra from Arknights!"

The light of the twin moons shone coldly upon four strangers scattered across different corners of Terra.

After the shock came a frigid reality, piercing every one of their hearts like an icy wind.

They were no longer players controlling characters from behind a screen.

They were the characters.

And this world was fraught with danger.