The Gacha God’s Blessing

"..."

"..."

I was in the middle of a silent, pointless staring contest with Hwaryeon, who seemed to be looking at me as if I were some sort of eyesore, when...

Cheonma, who had been pulling the lever for single draws, had already hit the 55-pull mark, having added five more to her tally.

However, with nothing but lackluster results to show for those 55 tries, she started to whine.

"Damn it... why isn't it coming out..."

60 pulls.

"Dammit! I've already burned through half my coins! Why won't it drop!"

70 pulls.

Shake-shake-shake-shake-shake-shake-shake-shake-shake-shake-shake-shake!

"Aaaaaaaargh! Why... why won't it come out!!!"

After hitting 70 duds, Cheonma grabbed the machine’s joystick and shook it violently. Watching her from behind, I couldn't help but chuckle at how cute she was.

"Hehehehe!"

Hearing my laughter, Cheonma stopped mid-motion as she was feeding a coin into the slot and whipped her head around to glare at me. Her eyes were flashing with intensity.

"Are you laughing?"

"...U-Uhem..."

I cut my laughter short, cleared my throat, and closed my eyes while still tied up. Since I was bound, there was nothing else I could do... closing my eyes was my only defense. I just prayed that her rage wouldn't be directed at me.

80 pulls.

"Haa... haa... haa... Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

90 pulls.

"Hic... sob... sob...!!!! It won't come out!!!!!!!!!!"

Whoosh—

Cheonma, having screamed that nothing was coming out, turned her entire body away from the screen to glare at me.

"...You said the odds would go up... but it’s not coming out... Is this spell wrong or something!? *Sob*... Damn it..."

Look at our Cheonma, tearing up and complaining that the spell must be wrong... She’s a full-grown adult, but she’s seriously cute. I smiled at her and said,

"I clearly said it was a method to increase the odds by a fingernail's width~"

"Then why isn't it coming out!?"

"...Because your hands are cursed. And I never said it was a guaranteed drop..."

"W-What? My hands are cursed? I’ve never heard that before! Even if it’s not guaranteed... shouldn’t it have popped at least once by now!?"

"What? Hey. Do you think Gacha is a joke? If it were that easy, it wouldn't be Gacha. Let me show you, so untie me."

"..."

Does she think getting a high-tier pull is easy? You could beg the universe with all your heart and still come up empty... Just untie me already... What crime did I even commit?

Cheonma looked at me for a moment before opening her mouth.

"And if it doesn't drop?"

"If it doesn't... I’ll give you 500 more coins. It’s a win-win for you. You agree, right?"

"...Why... are you willing to take such a loss..."

As Cheonma crossed her arms, clearly confused, my gaze naturally drifted to her prominent, well-endowed chest. Cheonma followed my line of sight, realized I was staring at her breasts, and pointed a finger at me in shock.

".... H-Hey!!! Look at this guy! He’s staring right at my chest!"

"...U-Uhem!"

Embarrassed by her pointing, I cleared my throat.

"It’s... strange for a man to stare at a woman’s chest like that... What should I do...?"

"You should just let him enjoy it..."

"...What did you say?"

"No, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing at all."

Since I could only move my head, I shook it left and right, frantically repeating "nothing" over and over. Seriously, what is wrong with the instincts of men in this world? Are they all eunuchs? Do I need to get a genetic test to see if they actually share the same XY chromosomes as me?

Just then, Judang, who had been listening quietly, approached me with flashing eyes.

"Young master... how can you, as a man, act so shamelessly and lewdly without hesitation!? That is something only women do naturally..."

"..."

"By any chance... have you looked at my body like that too?"

"..."

Well... your body is top-tier too, Judang... But looking like that is just the law of nature for me! You erotic-delusional monk! Is it my imagination, or is she straightening her back and pushing her chest out while looking at me? Why do you keep inserting yourself into this? You’re supposed to be walking the path of the Buddha... why do you keep trying to walk the path of the secular world?

"Don't just stay silent, answer me! Seriously... how can a person be such a tease!"

"..."

Feeling frustrated by my continued silence, Judang’s voice seemed to grow louder. Didn't you dedicate your body to the Buddha? And why are you the one getting teased?

"Hmph. Fine... Hey, Judang, move aside. Merlin?"

Cheonma, looking at me with squinted eyes as if doubting my intentions, glanced at Merlin and nodded. Merlin nodded back as if she understood. Judang leaned in close to my face, stared straight into my eyes for a moment, then backed off and turned away, muttering something no one else could hear.

"I must educate the child well so they don't act like that after seeing this..."

Twitch—

???????????

My body stiffened for a split second. What was that? I felt like I just heard something chilling... My body twitched on its own. I frantically scanned my surroundings, but I couldn't find anything amiss.

Merlin approached me, pulled out her staff embedded with an emerald orb, pointed it at my body, and chanted a spell.

"Release."

Swoosh—

Along with a tingling sensation of electricity flowing through my body, I felt the restraints holding me vanish. I moved my body left and right to loosen up, hearing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my joints pop. Once I was limbered up, I walked over to the machine and gripped the lever tightly. Then, I pulled it five times in a row.

Clunk—

...

...

95th pull...

Clunk—

And... on the 95th pull, a miracle happened for me after just five tries.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the girl's face followed by a pillar of rainbow light like before, but a blue dragon with a body covered in intricately detailed scales rose from the bottom of the screen. It broke through the top of the machine, and a turquoise pillar of light shot into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sky. Following the pillar, the dragon writhed, let out a thunderous roar, and ascended into the dark clouds before vanishing.

『!@(&#$%@$^@@$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!』

Because of the massive visual effects, it seemed like everyone else missed what the dragon said as it disappeared. Of course, I was flustered and didn't hear it perfectly either... but I caught the first few syllables clearly.

'Ryu-seung@@@@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

And... I could guess what the dragon said before it vanished. This was definitely it! "Seungryong-hyung!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I quickly regained my composure and turned to check the expressions of the heroes. Everyone’s jaws were dropped so wide that a bug could have flown in without them noticing. I tilted my head 30 degrees, gave a bright smile, and looked at Cheonma.

A moment later, Cheonma tore her eyes away from the sky and stared at me, her mouth still agape.

"..."

"..."

I briefly locked eyes with Cheonma, and suddenly I felt like pulling a prank—the wink trick from that classic comedy show "Our Mom" that used to be popular on TV. So, I blinked my eyes rapidly in a rhythmic, 20-blink sequence (five blinks, four times).

Cheonma stammered, flustered.

"...W-What? You... why... why are you blinking like that... A-Are you... t-trying to seduce me..!?"

Seduce her? If I tried to seduce her, I’d be squeezed to death, wouldn't I?

"It’s... easy, right? See? I did it in five tries."

I said it nonchalantly, but inside, I was drowning in relief. Wow... how did I pull that off in five tries? I guess I just got lucky...

"E-Easy? Isn't this a scam!?"

"A scam? Hey! Calling it a scam!"

How dare she! To think she’d call a divine Gacha a scam!

"You do the remaining five. I’ve clearly shown you how it’s done."

Phew... saved 500 coins. I quietly pulled Cheonma by the shoulder, guided her to the front of the machine, and stood side-by-side with her. Cheonma seemed to have malfunctioned; she was just stuttering.

"..Ha..ha...haha.. uh..uh.."

"Go ahead, pull the lever."

Under my urging, Cheonma pulled the lever four more times to reach the 99th pull, but nothing came out.

"I-It’s not coming out... *sniff*..."

"Hmm... that’s because you lack faith that it will."

"What? I want it to come out! I believe in myself!"

"See? You only believe in yourself, and that’s why it’s not coming out."

"Then? Then what should I do? Do I have to find a god?"

"No. You have to believe in the Gacha. You have to approach it with the mindset that it will drop eventually... You have to embrace the spirit of 'It'll-Drop-Eventually'! You can't just do it with a greedy heart! Come on, believe in the Gacha!!!!"

"It'll... drop... eventually... Tsk... easy for you to say... I can't control my excitement when I see the Gacha, and I only see myself, so what am I supposed to do..."

"Hehehe... Alright. I’ll show you. Put a coin in and place your hand on the lever."

If it drops... great. If not... I’ll just cough up the 500 coins. And even though I spouted a bunch of nonsense... it’s really just luck, Cheonma... Sorry... hehe... my bad...!!!

The moment Cheonma inserted the final coin and placed her hand on the lever, I grabbed her wrist.

"...Huh? Why...?"

Surprised, Cheonma looked at the lever, then quickly lifted her head to look at me. Without a word, I placed my hand over hers.

"Hick-!"

"..."

Cheonma flinched and kept staring at me with a shocked expression, so I gave her a bright smile and said,

"Alright, let’s chant the spell with me."

"..O-Okay!"

I quickly urged the dazed Cheonma to chant the spell.

"If I pull the Gacha, I shall draw the item I desire! Even if the odds are at rock bottom, I will break through them! If I draw the item I desire, it is my victory!"

"If I pull the Gacha, I shall draw the item I desire! Even if the odds are at rock bottom, I will break through them! If I draw the item I desire, it is my victory!"

Then, holding Cheonma’s hand, we pulled the lever together.

Clunk—

And then...

This time,

A white tiger with a body covered in intricately detailed white stripes rose from the bottom of the screen, broke through the top of the machine, and a white pillar of light shot into the sky. Following the pillar, the white tiger roared loudly just before running into the sky, let out a thunderous roar, and ascended into the dark clouds before vanishing.

Krrrroooooooaaaaaarrrr----------!

And this time, I was able to focus and hear it clearly.

『Hear my roar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!』

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Cheonma was so happy that she forgot her title as the greatest master in the martial arts world, jumping up and down like a little girl and screaming.

"Hey! Did you see that!? I pulled it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The Cheonma who had been whining to me just moments ago was gone... and only the majestic, triumphant Cheonma remained, puffing out her chest to show off to the other heroes. The heroes above were looking at her with envious eyes. I watched her with a satisfied smile.

Having enjoyed the true joy of Gacha, Cheonma finally regained her senses, turned back, and asked what those things had said before ascending.

"Oh, right! Hey, Eodum."

"Yeah?"

"...Do you happen to know what they said earlier... can you understand them?"

Yeah. I know. It’s just the sound Seungryong-hyung made because he was in a good mood. I couldn't exactly say that, though... What should I say? Still, I had to say something cool, right? I have to protect Seungryong-hyung’s dignity... And... the white tiger... that was seriously cool...

After a moment of contemplation, I told Cheonma the true meaning.

"It means... the first one, the Blue Dragon, said, 『Uphold the Sword of the Dragon!』 And the White Tiger said... 『Hear my roar!』 I think both of them are likely in your inventory in the form of swords..."

"Uphold the Sword of the Dragon... Wow... Wait! What did you just say!? A, a sword!?"

"Well, of course, I’m not 100% sure it’s a sword form... Aaaargh!"

At the mention of a sword, Cheonma’s eyes flashed, and she grabbed me by the collar.

"A, a sword! S-Show me! Quickly!!!!"

"Y-You got a sword!? Show us! Hurry up!!!!!!!!"

Not only was Cheonma grabbing my collar and going wild, but Hwaryeon joined in, jumping around on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠top of the machine, and I couldn't keep my head straight.

"W-Wait! Let me check! Goodness! I can't think straight!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"H-Hmph!"

"U-Umm!"

Startled by my scream, the two of them backed off about a meter.

"It’s a bit awkward to check here... let’s go down first."

I sent the heroes down from the machine first and climbed down last. The heroes were looking at me with excited faces.

"...Don't be too disappointed, everyone... Okay?"

""Of course.""

Listening to the heroes shout in unison, I called out my status window to check the items.

"Status Window!"

...

...

The familiar square status window unfolded before my eyes, displaying the information.