Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: S-Grade Gacha
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“Ugh... ugh...”
The crashing waves pounded against his ears.
Cold seawater periodically slammed into his body before receding again.
“C-Cold...”
He forced his heavy body to move.
He barely managed to collapse onto the dry sand.
His drenched clothes, screaming muscles, gasping lungs.
He was exhausted to the point of death, but it seemed he wasn't dead yet.
‘Am I alive?’
Looking around, he found himself on an unfamiliar island.
Ahead lay rocks and a dense forest.
Behind stretched an endless expanse of ocean.
Any guy who'd grown up reading the Noobinson Crusoe series and survival guides would realize it instantly.
This was a deserted island, uninhabited by a single soul.
‘I wonder what happened to the team members.’
Finally, his last memory surfaced.
The moment he'd been falsely accused and nearly branded a sex offender.
Suddenly, the ship had tilted, and he'd been swept into the sea.
‘Ha! Not sure if this is fortunate or unfortunate.’
If he'd stayed put, he would've been labeled a criminal for sure.
Even if he'd somehow proven his innocence, the industry would've buried him by then.
Either way, it was a dead end for him.
‘That said, I'm not thrilled about being shipwrecked on a deserted island.’
He forced his trembling body to stand.
He stripped off his sopping wet clothes and wrung them out.
Seawater poured down in streams.
Not only were they heavy, but the waterlogged clothes were ice-cold.
In a situation like this, hypothermia would be game over.
“I'm no Leonardo Robinson Crusoe. Now what the hell do I do?”
He considered drawing a Mickey Mouse but gave up.
It'd just waste energy for nothing.
“Waiting around to be rescued sounds way too optimistic, right?”
The ship he'd been on was massive.
With passengers and crew, there had to be at least a few hundred people.
But in the ocean, a few hundred people were no different from grains of sand in a desert.
Waiting for rescue might just mean dying of thirst.
‘Securing water comes first, then.’
Back home, water gushed out at the twist of a faucet.
But that was thanks to Korea's solid infrastructure.
Finding drinkable water on an island like this was like reaching for the stars.
“Usually in games or comics, they just hand you basic drinking water. Nothing like that here?”
All he had in his pockets was a single lemon candy.
It was a snack he'd brought for Hye-jeong.
Looking back, it felt like such a stupid gesture.
“Even some luggage that washed up with me would be nice. I'm totally on my own here. What a pathetic mess.”
“...What the hell is this?”
Ignoring his bewilderment, the message window continued.
The scene was straight out of a game, leaving him speechless.
But oddly enough, his mind was accepting the situation with cold rationality.
Maybe it was the effect of the extreme deserted island environment.
▶ Survival
📍 Details: You have been shipwrecked on an island by chance. Survive to the end on this island.
🎁 Reward: S-Grade Skill, 1 Billion, 10,000P
“...What the hell is this?”
The floating message was less shocking and more absurd.
Survive to the end?
What kind of vague quest description was this?
He had no idea how to clear it.
‘Surviving is a given anyway, so whatever.’
And the rewards didn't make sense either.
1 billion the moment he escaped the island?
Were they some kind of insurance company?
‘A skill and 1 billion aside, what the hell are these points?’
1 billion was obvious, and an S-Grade skill sounded great.
Did that mean the points were worth about 1 billion too?
As if to answer his question, another message appeared.
“Gacha?”
Gacha.
Anyone who'd played games in the 21st century would know it well.
Gacha, random boxes, luck-based trash games.
Whatever you called it, the meaning was clear.
Spend resources to randomly obtain items.
‘So these points are for gacha pulls.’
300P for three pulls.
That meant 100P per pull.
No telling if it was generous or a rip-off until he saw what came out.
‘Still, in this situation, it's a win.’
This was a barren deserted island with nothing.
A single crumb of bread could save his life.
And who knew? Maybe a satellite phone would pop out.
‘Either way, my survival depends on this.’
He dove straight into the gacha menu.
There were surprisingly varied options.
[Items, skills, traits all in one! General Gacha] - 100P
[First-time 90% discount! Equipment Gacha] - 100P (1-time only)
[Guaranteed essential resources! Resource Gacha] - 100P
He hadn't expected such a user-friendly list.
‘First-time limited’ and ‘guaranteed’ no less.
This kind of generosity was rare in Korea's ruthless gaming industry.
He nearly teared up from the emotion.
Spending more points raised your rank and unlocked more, apparently.
Best to go all-in without holding back for now.
‘Perfect. I've got 300P and three gachas. One of each it is.’
Patience wins in the end, but holding back now was a surefire way to miss the One Piece.
Gacha was all about luck anyway—no need to hesitate.
He boldly selected ‘Resource Gacha’.
A 1L bottle of spring water popped into existence before his eyes.
▶ Clear Spring Water (1L)Grade: F
Description: Crystal-clear water in a plastic bottle. It just feels refreshing when you drink it, but to someone in the desert, it might as well be worth a diamond.
“J-Jackpot!”
His hands shook with emotion.
Just a bottle of water.
But on a deserted island, its value went without saying.
And it even came with the bottle—handy for storing more water if he found a source.
To him right now, it was a priceless treasure.
“Whew~ I might actually live!”
He uncapped it and chugged the water down in one go.
Was it dehydration, or was the water just that good, as described?
It felt hundreds of times more refreshing than his usual tap water.
“Alright, let's keep this momentum going!”
With water in his system, vitality surged through him.
Riding the high, he hit ‘Equipment Gacha’.
90% first-time discount for 100P.
In other words, normally 1,000P.
Enough for ten resource pulls.
Something of equal value should come out.
‘A gun would be ideal, but on an island, a sword or spear ain't bad. Please no bows!’
Soon, light flashed, and an item dropped into his hand.
▶ Returning KnifeGrade: C
Description: A failed attempt by a craftsman to create a sword that fights on its own. The knife recognizes its owner, returns when thrown, and comes back even from afar. Though a failure, the craftsman's touch makes it sharper and sturdier than an ordinary knife.
Effect: Agility +2
‘Oho, like Thor's hammer, huh.’
He tested it by throwing the knife, and it flew right back to his hand.
On a deserted island, a knife had endless uses.
And it returned on its own when thrown.
Depending on the situation, it might outshine a plain sword or bow.
‘For hunting, this'll be a big help.’
This was C-Grade.
What would S-Grade gear look like?
Maybe actual mythical weapons.
He was getting curious.
And a bonus on top of that.
Inventory—the classic game feature for storing items.
Basically a four-dimensional pocket like Doraemon's.
‘I was wondering how to store these gacha items. So thoughtful.’
Plus, items in inventory weighed nothing, making travel a breeze.
What better item for a deserted island?
Satisfied, he stowed the water and knife in his inventory.
“So far, this feels amazing.”
Maybe because it was his first time, but everything he'd pulled was a winner.
Only General Gacha left.
Honestly, he had the highest hopes for this one.
‘Seems like this isn't just items—skills come out too.’
Skills had puzzled him at first, but Equipment Gacha confirmed it.
This gacha included those classic fantasy game elements.
Depending on luck, he might spit fire from his hands or fly through the sky.
‘Not that something that OP is likely.’
But the thrill of gacha was in the hope, no matter the odds.
I'm the chosen one—that's the spirit of gacha!
He swallowed hard and hit the final pull.
Unlike before, cheerful music played, and rainbow light burst forth.
The kind of fanfare you only saw for SSRs or 5-stars in games!
Just from that, he knew it was huge.
‘What came out? A real skill? Magic? Or maybe a boat?’
He cheered inwardly while watching the spectacle.
As the light faded, the prize revealed itself.
▶ Hilde Elizabeth GardnerGrade: S
Description: A silver-haired woman exuding a mysterious aura. Possessing both grace and propriety, she will devote herself to you, her master.
“......Huh?”
A stunning silver-haired beauty suddenly materialized in midair, smiling sweetly.
“Pleased to serve you, Master.”
The S-Grade prize from his final gacha pull.
It wasn't a weapon from myth or legendary magic.
It was a beauty.
An absolute top-tier one at that.