The Miracle of the Gacha Machine

At first, people didn't pay much attention to this powerful and great mechanical device. This was because there were far more interesting things to focus on in the Valley of Despair and Sorrow.

Usually, people who came to the Valley knew exactly what kind of place it was, and naturally, they knew what they could do there. What if they had a combat class? They could eat the free food, receive a bunch of blessings that were practically free, and then head out to hunt nearby. Monsters were still teeming behind the Valley of Despair and Sorrow. As the number of combat class players in the territory grew, several standard hunting guides were now openly circulating on community sites.

If they had a farmer class, there was empty land overflowing all around the territory. If they had a chef class, ingredients were still being handed out generously, so they could join in anywhere and raise their cooking skills for free. Architects were so busy with the endless construction in the territory that they had no time to rest, and the same went for painters and sculptors. What about blacksmiths? In the newly established Blacksmith Alley near the square, they could practice various enhancement skills (which were Unstable but far more powerful) with other blacksmith players.

...In any case, while the Valley of Despair and Sorrow lacked many things, what it did have was more than enough to satisfy the players. That was why, when the Goblin Universal Maker first appeared, people simply passed by, wondering, "What's that?"

Clack, clack—

"What are you doing?"

"Huh? This is pretty fun. I put a stone in, and a Silver came out."

"What?! Seriously?!"

Since both of them were novices, there was nothing better than being able to turn a worthless stone into Silver. As his friend's eyes widened in disbelief, the man waved his hands in embarrassment.

"Ah, no. It doesn't happen every time. It's random. Look."

"...A rotten apple slice?"

"I kept putting stones in and spinning it, and this is what I got. Still, isn't it fun?"

"...It actually is!!"

Since it didn't cost any money to spin, the two of them became completely hooked on the Goblin Universal Maker. This was far more entertaining than going outside to gather resources or train skills. A world of infinite fun where you could spin the wheel just by picking up a single pebble from the side of the road! How long had they been spinning it? It felt like they had been at it all day.

"!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A miracle where a pebble rolling on the roadside turned into a Heroic-grade blacksmith equipment with a level limit of 120!

"A-A-A miracle...!"

"This... this is god-tier!"

If the two of them had been a bit smarter, they would have shut their mouths and made better use of this maker. They would have minimized their usage time and spread bad rumors to keep others away... Of course, they did no such thing.

The thing novices who find hidden information in Pan-On do most is make it public! While high-level experts would hide it to monopolize it and avoid competition, novices had no such reservations.

Not even thirty minutes after the post went up, people began to swarm the Goblin Universal Maker like crazy. Only then did the two novices realize what a massive mistake they had made.

"W-Wait! We're the ones who made it public!"

"Good job. Clap, clap, clap."

"Thanks to you, we get to use it too!"

"...!"

No one was kind enough to say, "Since we all owe these two for sharing the info, let's give them priority!" In the first place, the one who left the machine there was Tae-hyun, not those two!

"Get in line! Line up! Can't you see people are waiting here?"

"Hmph. My friend saved this spot for me."

The typical logic of a line-cutter! Naturally, it wouldn't fly, but he had something to rely on.

"What kind of nonsense is that? If we go by that logic, who would ever line up?"

"If you've got a problem with it, PK me."

The opponent was clearly a crafting class. In contrast, he was a combat class. When threatened like this, most crafters would tuck their tails and back down. After all, the security here wouldn't be as tight as in other kingdom cities...

"What? PK? You must be new here, aren't you?"

"...?"

However, the response he received was completely unexpected.

"PK? Sure, let's go. Hey, plant your flag."

"Are... are you insane?"

"Why? Suddenly getting cold feet?"

"This guy is out of his mind. Fine. Let's see... W-Wait, what is that?"

The warrior realized the opponent was holding something large and black in his hand. If he was seeing correctly, that was a bomb...!

Shuffle, shuffle—

Looking around, he saw that the other players had already backed away to a safe distance. Those who had been in the territory for a while immediately recognized that the blacksmith they were arguing with was an Engineering blacksmith player working in the Demon's Forge.

"A-A bomb is cheating!"

"What kind of bullshit is that? Just like a warrior uses a sword, I'm a blacksmith, so I use bombs. Come on. Bring it. Bring it!"

"I-If you use that, you'll die too! The distance here is...!"

"Ah, I don't care. Bring it. Not coming? Then I'm coming to you!"

"Ugh!"

As the blacksmith approached, the warrior backed away in terror. He had no desire to die over a simple attempt at line-cutting.

"You there! What is going on?!"

"Stop fighting!"

The merchants' mercenaries and the Archisus Crusaders rushed over. The warrior let out a sigh of relief. I'm saved!

"You! You are banished!"

"Huh? What? No, aren't you going to hear my side of the story, deduct my contribution points, fine me, or lock me up for a bit?"

"We don't do that here. You are banished!"

"...?!"

The Valley of Despair and Sorrow was distinctly different from typical kingdom cities! The warrior heard other players clicking their tongues as he was dragged away.

"Tsk tsk. He must be new."

"Causing a scene in the territory is an automatic banishment."

"Guess he didn't even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bother to search it up."

As he was dragged away, the warrior screamed in injustice.

"What about him?! That guy caused a scene too!"

"If you've got a problem with it, come to the Demon's Forge."

As too many people swarmed the Goblin Universal Maker and fights broke out constantly, the cult NPCs naturally took action.

- Only one attempt per turn! Once you spin, you must step away!

- Line-cutting and saving spots are strictly prohibited!

And so on.

The Goblin Universal Maker was a machine where you might see results only after spinning it dozens or hundreds of times. But to be told they could only spin it once before stepping away... Given the length of the line, spinning it once meant they would have to stand in line for an entire day to get another turn. Even so, people swarmed like mad. Up until now, crafting, enhancing, and opening boxes using the Power of Luck were mere appetizers. This was the true path to instant riches!

Pitter-patter—

"Huh? What? Why is he cutting in line?!"

"Sir Paladin! Someone's cutting the line over there!"

When an unfamiliar face pushed past the crowd and approached the Goblin Universal Maker, the players protested. However, the Paladins did not budge.

"Sir Paladin! I said someone cut the line!"

"That is the Lord."

"Even if he's the Lord, cutting the line is... wait... the Lord?"

"It's K-Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"

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

Cheers erupted as if a superstar had arrived! The queue in front of the Goblin Universal Maker instantly transformed into something resembling a fan signing event. Tae-hyun stood before the maker. He let out a deep sigh. How on earth should I put these people to work? He had already made his decision before coming here.

"...So that's what happened?"

"Thanks to that, everyone is currently gathered in front of..."

Hearing the explanation of the situation, Tae-hyun felt a headache coming on. This damn territory never runs smoothly! Even after dragging Pelmas and Galakpad along, things still ended up like this. There really had to be some cursed energy in this land... Could it really be Sadiq's curse?

"You fools!!"

"...?"

Beside him, Pelmas shouted in a rare display of fury. Tae-hyun was slightly touched by this. The guy actually cares about how the territory is running, as expected of the High Priest of the cult...

"To give them a chance without charging them! You should be charging them for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every single spin!!"

"...Galakpad. Shut him up."

"Mmph, mmph!"

"Phew... anyway... I have to make use of this."

"How, my Lord?"

"Just watch."

"I trust you've all been having fun with this so far!"

"Yes!!!!"

"It was so much fun!"

"Thank you for letting us spin it!!!"

Answers poured out like thunder! In the middle, there were some who muttered, "No, just move so we can spin it one more time! Brag about it later!" but they were quickly suppressed.

"Yes. The reason I made this public for free is..."

Because I thought it was trash!

"...because I wanted you all to realize how amazing this Goblin Universal Maker is. Look. To show you just how incredible this Goblin Universal Maker is..."

Tae-hyun placed a stone into the Goblin Universal Maker. At the same time, he palmed a Gold coin in his other hand. His intention to scam them was at 100%! Unlike the players who had lost their minds, Tae-hyun was perfectly sane. To get something good by putting a stone in, one would have to spin it thousands of times. If he put a stone in now and got something like rotten bread, he would lose face! It was much better to hold a Gold coin and swap it out.

"Huh? Lord Tae-hyun is holding a Gold coin in his left hand."

"No way he's trying to swap it, right?"

"Hahaha. What kind of joke is that?"

"Hahahahaha. Right? Just making a joke."

"...!"

Tae-hyun was flustered. Why do these bastards have such good eyesight? However, he couldn't stop now. Tae-hyun quickly thought of his next trick...

"Gasp."

"Huh? Did he just gasp?"

"I think he gasped."

"No way. Lord Tae-hyun wouldn't make a sound like that. He never gets surprised."

"More importantly, what did he pull from a stone?"

Recovering from his shock, Tae-hyun quickly lifted the statue. Flash! The dazzling light of pure gold left a powerful impression on the eyes of the players present.

"...!!!!!!!"

"T-That is..."

"Behold! This is the power of the maker."

"...Waaaaaaah!"

A cheer several times louder than before shook the square.

"Do you want to use this?!"

"Yes!!"

"If you want to use it, I can let you!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

"Follow me! Join the battle to defend the territory!"

"Waaaaa... wait, what?"

For a moment, the players hesitated, processing what they had just heard.

"Depending on your contribution points, I will give you tickets to spin this maker!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"We'll fight! We'll fight!"