Chapter 765: It's You! Little Brother Ian!
Hearing the system prompt, Ian couldn't help but feel a bit dazed: How did it suddenly all come together?
In truth, Ian had long since come to terms with his terrible luck. Otherwise, how could he have spent so much money just to reach his current level?
Wasn't there a saying: Those who spend to become big shots are actually unlucky ones, while those who become big shots without spending are the true lucky ones!
He couldn't even remember how much money he had spent on card draws over time. With luck this bad, what else could he be but an unlucky one?
Fortunately, even the unlucky had rights. The system hadn't completely cut off his path to survival. With all that money poured in, it still let him become a big shot. That was the only thing Ian felt grateful for. If it had been one of those systems that said "even if you spend, I'm still your daddy," Ian would have been truly devastated...
Regardless, collecting them all was a good thing. Since the sacrifice system had been unlocked, this was the first time Ian had completed a full series of cards, so he was also curious about how the sacrifice system worked. He switched to the sacrifice interface.
The sacrifice interface had a background image resembling a six-pointed star magic circle. After Ian selected his main card to sacrifice, Misaka Mikoto, from within the magic circle, a dense, long list of 1 to 4-star cards from that series suddenly appeared below!
And when he saw it, he was shocked. Ian realized that the card pool for 1 to 4-star cards in the "A Certain Magical Index" series numbered as many as 96!
Basically, any character with a name was listed, just assigned different star ratings based on their role prominence.
These cards were all accumulated and completed by Ian through countless ten-draw pulls. The 1 to 3-star cards went without saying—they had little practical value. As for the 4-star protagonist-type cards, like Kamijou Touma and Index, Ian had actually drawn them too, but he was used to using Misaka Mikoto's card. Her Railgun had become one of his signature skills, so he hadn't switched to them.
Now, all these cards were going to be sacrificed for this ritual...
"Confirm sacrifice?"
With the system prompt, Ian took a deep breath and confirmed the option.
The next moment, the numerous cards below all turned into specks of light and began to dissipate. These light particles were finally injected into the magic circle, where the Misaka Mikoto card had already been upgraded to a five-star red. Then, with a flash of light, the familiar Misaka Mikoto card completely transformed!
Originally, this card only had a portrait of the "Onee-sama" alone. But after the sacrifice was complete, the card's background image was filled with densely packed figures identical to Misaka Mikoto, except these identical Misakas all wore military night-vision goggles on their heads.
Ian immediately understood: these identical Misaka Mikotos were the Misaka Sisters!
At the same time, the system prompt came through, informing Ian that the inner state of the Misaka Mikoto card had been unlocked.
Ian checked the card and found that all attributes had been slightly improved, and a special skill had been added to the card:
[Misaka Sister: Can consume a certain amount of Psychic Power to create a clone as a doppelganger. This clone can use all the skills you currently possess. The clone will persist until you actively dismiss it or use a skill once. After the clone disappears, there is a 30-minute cooldown before it can be created again.]
Huh? What does this mean? At first glance at the skill description, Ian didn't quite understand. It disappears after using a skill? Creating a clone also requires consuming my own Psychic Power? That doesn't seem very useful. Doesn't using a skill myself also consume Psychic Power?
However, his confusion didn't last long. He soon realized and couldn't help but slap his palm in sudden understanding. He grasped the true significance of this skill!
Creating this clone only consumes a fixed amount of Psychic Power, but the skill description doesn't explicitly state that the skills used by the clone will deduct from the main body! In other words, he could completely delegate high-power, high-consumption skills to the clone to execute!
For example, the Great Serpent's Amaterasu. If Ian used it himself, it would almost instantly drain his Psychic Power. But if he let the clone release it, wouldn't that be like having an extra mana pool out of nowhere?
Or if he and the clone released the same skill together, it would become Amaterasu X2! Railgun X2! Black Dragon Wave X2! Damn, just thinking about it felt awesome!
Extremely useful!
Ian quickly equipped the inner-state Misaka Mikoto card. He couldn't wait to try it out.
Just then, Auntie Xia, who had been chatting with him, noticed he was a bit distracted and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ian smiled at Auntie Xia and said, "Nothing, I just realized my Devil Fruit ability suddenly evolved..."
"..." Auntie Xia was also a bit stunned as she looked at Ian. Ability evolved? While chatting? Do you have to be so discouraging!?
Auntie Xia didn't know what to say. Other people had to train their Devil Fruit abilities hard, but how did Ian get stronger as if it were a game?
Still, she was curious and asked Ian, "Oh? What kind of ability evolved? Did you awaken too?"
"I'm not sure!" Ian scratched his head and said, "Probably, maybe, it counts as an awakening?"
Wasn't it? Card sacrifice essentially enhanced the card's original ability, so this could be considered a kind of awakening...
"Can I see it?" Auntie Xia said with a smile.
"Sure!" Ian nodded and, without further ado, tried to activate the Misaka Sister skill.
Then, the next second, a blurry mass of light appeared beside Ian. Before Auntie Xia could see clearly, the light solidified into a physical entity, and a figure identical to Ian appeared!
Auntie Xia stared in surprise at Ian's clone. Ian also curiously turned his head to look, but when he did, he was stunned!
The clone was identical to him, no mistake—same clothes, same two swords at the waist—but... why did it look so much smaller!?
Not only was it shorter, but the clone's face also looked very childish. If he had to describe it, this clone probably looked like Ian when he was about ten years old.
And most importantly, this smaller Ian actually had a single strand of antenna hair on his head!!!
A strand of antenna hair...
Strand of antenna hair...
Antenna hair...
Hair...
Seeing that strand of antenna hair, Ian felt as if struck by lightning. He finally realized that the clone's appearance was modeled after the "Last Order" card he had drawn earlier, Misaka 20001! Otherwise, there was no way to explain the existence of that strand of antenna hair!
However, before Ian could examine the clone's condition, someone moved faster than him. Auntie Xia immediately came out from behind the bar, her eyes sparkling as she scooped up Ian's clone and rubbed her face against it!
"So adorable! I didn't expect such a cute little Ian!" Auntie Xia's maternal instincts overflowed as she hugged the clone and kissed it repeatedly. "Mmm, the cheeks are so soft..."
Meanwhile, Ian's clone had a dazed, adorable expression, sucking its finger while letting Auntie Xia hold it.
As for Ian, he stood there with his mouth wide open, not knowing how to describe the situation.
He felt like he had a mouthful of complaints stuck in his throat, unable to spit it out.
This... how did this clone turn out like this!? What should he even call it?
So it's you! Little Brother Ian!?
At this moment, Auntie Xia was already lifting Little Brother Ian up high...
"Oh my, Ian-kun, this awakening ability of yours is so much fun!" Auntie Xia said contentedly, holding Little Brother Ian, and said to Ian himself, "Being able to create such an adorable clone—it won't disappear, will it?"
"Probably... not... for now?" Ian said weakly.
Auntie Xia was even more satisfied and said, "Great, lend him to me for a while. Auntie Xia has always wanted a child, you know..."
With that, she couldn't help but give Little Brother Ian another kiss...
"Feel free..." Ian continued weakly.
After Auntie Xia left the bar with Little Brother Ian, planning to take him out for a stroll, Ian finally slumped onto the table and grabbed his hair in frustration.
"I'm doomed! How did this skill turn out like this!? When I go back and everyone asks when I had such a big son, how am I supposed to answer that!"