I Became a 6★ Gacha Character

Sometimes when faced with sudden, unthinkable accidents, people freeze up and can't react. You know, like in dramas when someone just stands there going "uh, uhhh" as a truck bears down on them?

I used to think that was just for dramatic effect, but it wasn't.

Before being transported into Heroes Chronicle, I once saw someone get hit by a van that shot out of an alley right in front of me. It took nearly 10 seconds just to register that someone had been hit - the brain needs time to process such things.

What I'm saying is that the Empress before us was no different from that truck bursting out of the alley.

'Why is the Imperial Empress in the Kingdom, in the tower, on floor 60, in front of a boss monster field...?'

She was the Imperial Empress. That meant she should be stabilizing Imperial territory and dealing with endless monster waves under the Goddess's orders.

No, even setting aside duties, she was the Empire's head. Sure, being born 6★ gave her confidence, but what would happen if the Empress got hurt or died in Kingdom territory? Heroes Chronicle wasn't a world where you respawned at temples after dying. At worst, the Empire could fall, monster waves could pour in, and Han Se-ah's gameplay would be completely ruined...

My thoughts were a mess as reality broke down. Like someone had thrown fireworks into an old warehouse, all sorts of random and improper thoughts exploded and settled repeatedly in my mind.

"Hmm... I said formalities weren't necessary, Sir. Please sit."

Lost in thought, I found myself the only one still standing while our party had all taken seats. The Empress had commented on this.

A tea party in front of a fortress containing a boss monster. Watching the black-armored Imperial Guard serving tea and macarons, I couldn't make sense of the situation and increasingly lost the desire to try.

Well, I mean, it was a game world after all...

In real-world terms, it would be like the US President personally fighting terrorists with a rifle in Afghanistan, but I suppose if that President had incredible superpowers that could stop bullets, they'd be safe enough.

"Though I have many questions, I'm most curious about the current situation. The collapsed walls from within, signs of combat beyond human capability, yet the fortress gates remain firmly shut."

"Ah, about that-"

Finally sitting at the table, an unlikely tea party truly began. Either there was an expert among the Imperial Guard's female knights, or befitting the continent's Empress they had magical devices, because the tea and macarons brought from the carriage were incredibly fragrant and sweet.

The most luxurious party I'd attended was at a count's estate, but this tasted better than that. Though I wasn't a tea connoisseur, the bitter yet smooth tea that wasn't sweet absolutely exuded class.

As I silently sipped my tea, Katie began the explanation.

Han Se-ah was busy managing broadcast settings as viewer numbers exploded at the appearance of a natural 6★ Imperial Empress, while Grace and Irene were frozen stiff before the Empress despite not being nobles.

"The story begins when we found no mid-boss on floor 55-"

"Oh? A mid-boss."

Unlike them, Katie had received elite education as a duke's daughter before running away, though viewers called her a kid. Combined with her interest in chivalry and epic poetry, she seemed naturally good at speaking.

Like how loving anime leads to learning Japanese, or how reading web novels improves language skills, hearing many stories had apparently improved her speaking ability.

The Empress listened with interest to Katie's story while the Imperial Guard began busily organizing the surroundings. The black-armored female knights used unfamiliar magical devices to clear away debris that might kick up dust. As they tidied the area, onlookers murmured but moved back and quietly began assembling tents.

The people who had rushed here after hearing Irene's speech at the gate base camp had apparently brought all their tents and supplies.

"You went to the Empire's north? Hmm, House Sibedev. I've heard that name before."

"What an hon-"

"Shut up, you idiot!"

Though not part of the hero party, Olek Sibedev had been hovering nearby as a relevant party to the story and reflexively tried to respond to the Empress's words before being dragged away by Alisa, but the narrative continued smoothly.

The missing mid-boss on floor 55, the suddenly closed gate, the journey north with the Ice Cross Knights, and discovering a Kingdom ducal house's crest there-

Thanks to Katie's unexpectedly good storytelling, not only the Empress but the standing Imperial Guard, the Ice Cross Knights involved in the story, and the viewers watching through the camera all listened intently.

One side was busy building a base camp while the other enjoyed tea, macarons and madeleines at the table - quite a bizarre situation. What interrupted this strange tea time was a herd of centaurs raising dust clouds as they charged across the distant plains.

"Hmm. Bring my greatsword. Hearing this story makes me want to face tower monsters myself."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

※

We couldn't tell if they were scouts from inside the fortress who'd gone the opposite direction from us, or if they'd spawned in the area after the mid-boss died and the barracks were destroyed.

What we did know was that natural 6★ 'Great Empress' Charlotte was about to personally handle some mob clearing. Unlike the onlookers worrying about such an important person getting hurt, the Imperial Guard seemed completely unfazed.

Being constantly at her side, they must know the Empress's combat ability well. As I thought this, four female knights emerged from behind the carriage carrying a huge safe.

These tall, well-built knights who must have been 170-180cm tall carried a massive metal box like a coffin, and it took four of them rather than two.

As if obsessed with the black and gold color scheme, the box was made of matte black metal with wave or cloud patterns in gold relief around the edges and locks. When the Empress reached toward it, it seemed to recognize her mana and opened automatically to reveal its contents-

"...What is that, a sword?"

"My god, with one hand?"

A massive black greatsword at least 3 meters long flew up and settled firmly in her small hand.

Unlike her other possessions, the sword had no gold, being pure black from blade to handle. When this blade, larger than the Heavenly King's sword from earlier, settled in the hands of a girl barely 160cm tall, it created a truly unbalanced image.

Even if she could handle the weight, the blade dragged along the ground due to her height, plowing the plains like a hoe. The chat instantly exploded at this sight.

"So the Empress has like, a girl-with-heavy-weapons concept? But that greatsword looks twice as heavy as Roland's hammer and she's using one hand. This gives a good idea of what natural 6★ characters are like."

[Manly Romance Is Big Sword donated 10,000 won!]

This is it! This is it! This is it! This is it! This is it! This is it! This is it!

[Staff Stand Hater donated 50,000 won!]

Cut all the staff and jar openers! All natural 6★s are melee weapon users you noobs!

"...Roland has the holy sword and is a tank with semi-invincible HP who can deal conditional damage. The princess's title has 'shield' so she's probably a balanced sword-and-board character. And the Empress seems like a pure DPS dealer with a giant sword focusing entirely on attack power?"

-Why no natural 6★ mages? Is BB Games discriminating against magic users?

-Or maybe they want players to be mages while natural 6★s take the front line? The orthodox approach could be playing mages

-BB Games understands the romance of small blonde girls with huge swords, my lower body highly approves

-She's not that small, more like teen-sized, what loli? Typical otaku nerds lol

-But is it right for the Imperial Empress to come to the Kingdom for monster hunting experience? This is beyond fantasy into just astral territory, my head hurts lololol

The trainee commanders didn't dare raise their heads while adventurers and mercenaries whispered rudely. The Imperial Guard maintained silent respect while the hero party sat wondering if they should stand, along with one streamer and over a million viewers.

Calmly accepting all these gazes, the Empress smiled playfully before leaping forward, devastating the plains.

The tiny figure soared high toward the ever-bright sun. As she raised the massive greatsword vertically with impressive skill, it let out an eerie scream and the world grew brighter. Golden aura gathered wildly as if to eclipse the sun itself and become its replacement.

'So that's what the "Sun of the Empire" title meant...?'

When she swung the pillar of golden light that had completely obscured the black greatsword, the world flashed as if a high-rank magic had exploded.

"Hmm, weaker than expected? Though tougher than the rabble coming down from the north."

All that remained on the plains was not centaurs but a huge crater and rising clouds of dust. Was her normal attack close to high-rank magic in power?

This was the moment the natural 6★ Imperial Empress proved her ability.