Gacha Is a Good Civilization (2)
As soon as I got back to the room, I locked the door behind me. Sure, I’d told Elly something like, “Hmph, Yona’s pissed off,” but that wasn’t the real reason. I needed to spin the gacha in peace. Last time hadn’t been bad, to be honest. I got some mana out of it, and even learned a spell that basically worked as a lighter. But if you asked me whether that was thanks to my all-out gacha dance, I’d have to say no. Pulling a skill was definitely a good thing, but it was only a 1-star trash pull. It probably just happened to be its time to drop.
“I’ve been thinking about this all wrong.”
When I really thought about it, it made sense. The gacha dance from before was basically a ritual from the Holy Grail War of my previous life. It had zero connection to the laws of Pan Continent. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So I needed to follow this world’s rules.
That’s why I’d picked up the Lucky Strike, a magic tool that boosted luck, even if it meant giving up several years’ worth of income. And I wasn’t stopping there. I pulled out a single branch I’d swiped from the labyrinth. It was about as thick as a child’s wrist, not particularly dense, and something I could carve through with my own strength.
“I shall sculpt the Goddess of Love…!”
Buying a statue was an option, but those things were surprisingly expensive. It was the Goddess of Love, after all. Even a cheap carving had to capture at least some beauty to be recognized as a proper divine statue. Maybe that was why demand was so high; they felt less like religious symbols and more like goddess merch.
…And degenerates pay good money!
Some people were devout believers, but plenty just collected statues because they liked the Goddess of Love. The makers knew this, so even when they used cheap materials for goddess statues, they poured their heart and soul into every one. And they charged a disgusting amount for them. “This beauty itself is proof of faith,” they’d say. They did sell cheap woodblock prints of the goddess or simple heart-shaped symbols for the poor… but according to Pan Continent common sense, those lacked sincerity.
It was infuriating how they priced sincerity and judged quality, but… well, it meant that objects made with care, or in other words, with genuine faith, were what mattered. Even if the quality was a bit off, as long as I gave it my all, my sincerity would shine through. If the people of this world, especially the priests, heard me say that, they might foam at the mouth… but I was the one who created the Goddess of Love in the first place! I knew better than anyone that she wasn’t the type to play favorites just because someone carved her like shit…!
“You know how much I like you, right??”
I muttered this while looking up at the ceiling, then picked up the piece of wood in one hand and a dagger in the other.
Fucked. I examined the finished statue from every angle—east, west, north, south, even flipping it upside down—and there wasn’t a single pretty part to it. Only after confirming that did I reverse the conclusion I’d briefly reached earlier.
I was completely, utterly fucked! It wasn’t just fucked—it was a total disaster!
“What the hell did I just do…”
After about thirty minutes of effort, what I’d created was a monstrosity. A long torso sprouting four tentacles. The face proudly displayed a sloppy clump of human malice. And what was with that awkward pose? I’d clearly tried to go for the standard gentle stance with arms lightly spread and a benevolent expression… but what stood before me was nothing but a monster spreading its tentacles in every direction to restrain its prey.
Thanks to the pickpocketing skill, my dexterity had improved, but apparently that didn’t come with an artistic sense. My conscience whispered that no matter what, this was going too far. After thinking it over for a moment, I quietly answered.
“Eh, it’s fine.”
If this was my best effort, then there was nothing I could do about it. Just because the result looked like this didn’t mean I’d half-assed it. I placed the goddess statue on the desk and knelt before it. Then, as if offering tribute, I carefully set down a pouch containing every coin I’d earned today.
The money came from selling magic stones and monster byproducts—about 2 silver. Another 50 silver from selling Gail’s belongings. 30 silver from selling Gail himself. And the 2 gold I’d received from Eve. With that kind of money, I could fully equip myself with second-floor-grade gear, stock up on high-grade potions that were basically extra lives, or buy various magic tools to make combat easier. It would take some time, but I could even take a basic magic attribute course at the Magic Tower. My mana pool was still tiny, but it would definitely help.
But I set aside all those growth opportunities and chose this instead.
[Normal Draw]
- Consume cash or equivalent magic stones to randomly obtain items and skills between 1-star and 5-star rarity.
[Single Draw]
[10+1 Draw]
Even one good pull would more than pay for itself, right? This was a whopping 280-draw streak—what could possibly go wrong?!
“Please give me 5-star! Please 5-star! Please 5-star!!!”
I clasped my hands together, gripping the jewel part of the Lucky Strike tightly, and prayed with all my heart. Maybe this world just coincidentally matched the setting I’d written, I coincidentally died in my previous life, and I coincidentally possessed this body… but if all of this was orchestrated by someone, the chances it was the Goddess of Love were extremely high. After all, every other god was dead.
If that was the case, then she was probably the one who gave me this system too. And the Goddess of Love was a character I’d personally designed like my own child. If she just gave me one 5-star pull, I could forgive everything that had happened so far…!
Hoping this desperate wish would reach the goddess who was probably rolling around in the deepest part of the labyrinth, I pressed the 10+1 button.
“Spin, gacha stars!”
10+1 Draw Commencing
Ding!
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
“……?”
What the hell is this? I already knew the rates were dogshit and over 90% of pulls were 1-stars. I also knew that magic herbs were the most common drop among them. But this was the first time I’d gotten nothing but magic herbs, so I was momentarily stunned.
“…This has to be because of that eldritch abomination!”
I burned the horrific carving that tried to imitate a human using Weak Flame. Standing proudly before the blazing heretical idol, I shouted.
“O Goddess! Accept this offering made in your name!”
My spine tingled for some reason, but I ignored the unease and glared at the gacha button. I’d even offered a sacrifice, so the next one had to be different!
“Hmph!”
I closed my eyes and spun the gacha again.
Ding!
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Large Pouch]
[1-Star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1-Star: Shoddy Wooden Shield]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1-Star: Sturdy Rope]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Refined Iron Ingot]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
“Oh…”
I stuffed the magic herbs into the pouch that had dropped with them, shoved the shield and iron ingot under the bed, and only then could I smile comfortably. So the problem really had been that monstrosity. I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but even among 1-stars, it felt like more useful items had come out than usual. My senses were tingling.
“The southeast wind is blowing.”
It was a completely windless room, so that sounded like nonsense, but I felt that way regardless. To keep this momentum going, I hammered the gacha button in rapid succession. My wallet’s contents shrank quickly, and the notification windows stretched out in proportion.
Ding!
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Wooden Arrow]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[2-Star: Multi-Purpose Belt]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
.
.
.
2-Star Skill - Unhesitating Pathfinding
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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3-Star Authority - Gluttonous Stomach
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.
.
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-Star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
“Huh?”
By the time all that money had vanished in the blink of an eye and the pile of magic herbs had grown tall enough to use as a bed, I spotted an alert I couldn’t ignore.
“Two 3-stars…? And even a 2-star skill on top of that?”
Still dazed, I was about to reread the notifications when—
“Ugh!”
A headache squeezed my skull like a vice. At the same time, I felt something deep inside my body twisting and changing, and cold sweat broke out. The headache was probably from the skill… but this bizarre sensation inside me must be the process of the authority being implanted. I curled up, groaning, but before long all the pain vanished as if it had never existed.
Then unfamiliar memories that were somehow mine rose to the surface. First, Unhesitating Pathfinding was literally the ability to find paths. But as expected of a 2-star skill, it wasn’t ordinary. It started with simple ways to avoid getting lost, included tips for finding secret passages, methods to gather clues to determine if a path was dangerous, and even spatial awareness to support it all. It was a shame it didn’t directly boost combat power again, but it was definitely a useful skill for labyrinth exploration in general.
Next was Gluttonous Stomach. I never expected an authority to come from a gacha pull, but if you thought about it that way, getting skills in the first place was already strange. The effect of Gluttonous Stomach, which I instinctively understood, was simple.
‘Anything that can be eaten can be perfectly digested.’
I’d have to test the details later, but since it was 3-star, it definitely wasn’t a useless power. I was already making great use of a mere pickpocketing skill—what more could I do with an authority? Last was the unicorn horn. I could tell it was high-grade material, but…
“So what do I use it for?”
I stared at the pure white horn that glowed brightly the moment my hand touched it. Was it some kind of auto-appraisal device…?