The Fall That Turned Trash into Power

My introduction to life wasn't all that bad.

Even though I was a street orphan, I awakened at the tender age of ten.

Those endless days I lived on the knife's edge back then, the ones I keep locked in some hidden corner of memory like a hardcore porn video, they're still there somewhere in the depths of my mind.

But that very day I awakened? It burned itself into my brain forever, crystal clear.

The power that burst out of me like a dam about to explode, no matter how hard I fought it. My hard-earned scraps of cash squeezed me so tight it hurt to breathe.

I honestly felt like I had a hard-on in the morning for the first time!

Of course, at the time I was just a scrawny orphan with a slightly healthier body. Skill "activation" was locked down until seventeen, all under academy control.

Still, my life, on par with anyone else's, suddenly carried real meaning from that day forward.

That was when I was born into the world!

...At least, that's what I thought back then.

"Ahh~ Fuck me~!!"

I slammed my keyboard down so hard the keys shot off like shrapnel and the monitor blinked out. My flushed, tear-streaked face stared back from the black screen, looking exactly like those rape-concept videos I'd watched.

The only problem? It wasn't even a little arousing.

Twenty-three years old. Name's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Nagaja. Academy graduate with zero skills to his name. A useless bug scraping by on government subsidies and handouts like a fucking leech.

Unique skill: Gacha.

Just the name, nothing else. Six years at the academy and not a single ability in sight.

Awakeneds who can't use their skills—

"Fuckin' hell, seriously..."

This prick's burden of failure. How the hell does it get worse every single day...!

Ding dong.

"Ah."

I snapped out of it when the doorbell rang. Broken keyboard, dead monitor, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tissues soaked with whatever the hell that was rolling around everywhere.

"......"

I hauled my ass off the floor and stomped straight to the door.

Kiiick.

The door opened and a clear blue sky greeted me. The balcony door on the opposite side had been left wide open. No hope in sight, though.

The gloomy hallway and the woman standing there only made everything look even more sinister.

"Nagaja-ssi."

A beautiful woman beaming with that wide, fake smile.

Enough curves to make her face look soft and mature. Long limbs, but her chest and hips were full enough to make a man suffer. That sway in her hips could drive a guy crazy.

Her name was Bronze Bulleteana. Not sure if she was actually Western or what, but married as fuck and lived next door. Her husband was probably a hunter.

"Ah, yes."

She tried to answer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something and flinched, immediately covering her nose.

"The smell... it's really disgusting..."

That flash of disgust and revulsion for half a second, then it was right back to that polite, perfect smile.

"...Nagaja-ssi? Your room is fine, right? But you can't make trouble for other people, okay?"

Like I was some kid.

"......"

"If I shout and raise my voice, I'm sure someone will hear. Think about it. Nagaja-ssi, you graduated from the academy, didn't you? You know what that means."

".............."

She kept smiling, but it wasn't for my benefit at all.

She was probably jerking off to the thought that even trash like me got treated with fake courtesy.

"You should wash up before you meet anyone. Before the academy stuff, you know, humans are humans. Humans, at least..."

BANG!!!

She jumped back at the loud noise.

My fist had smashed into the door. Blood was already trickling down.

Bulleteana looked panicked. But I struck first.

"Sorry Iyyyeaaahhh!!!!!"

Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbutt! Headbuttbutt!

I lunged forward, both arms wrapped tight around her. My forehead slammed into the floor and the world flashed white, but I kept my eyes open. That was the trick.

I locked my waist and arched my back like the real combat drills from the academy.

"I won't bother you ever again...!!!"

"......Hah."

The problem was me. I was the one yelling, I was the one pissed off!!!

"I'll keep doing this until you accept it!!!"

People get punished when they do wrong. Even if I ended up like this, I remembered that truth!!!

"...Really? Then, can I ask for one more favor?"

"W-what is it?!"

"I'm growing plants in the flower pots on the roof and there's a bug problem. Could you help me get rid of it?"

"Yes! Of course!!!!"

Married woman through and through. Pretty face but still nice and easy. I didn't even bother putting on my slippers and ran to the roof in nothing but wet panties.

"Hah... hah...!"

Long time since I'd done real exercise. Or maybe it was just after a brutal headbutt? I was out of breath way faster than I expected.

Under the endless blue sky, the world stretched out forever. To me right now, it felt just like those porn star actresses.

".....No. I have work to do!"

She said she'd forgive me, so I should get it over with!

"You're in a hurry. Thank you very much."

Bulleteana-ssi showed up a little while later, coming down the back stairs.

"It's over there. At the end of that balcony."

"Ah, I see!"

I sprinted and reached the roof's edge.

"?"

Nothing there...

Chwaak—

Multiple simultaneous sounds. Like thick lube for a fleshlight...

Drip.

"Eh?"

My body was pushed. I tried to grab the railing with both arms.

Slippery.

"Ah."

The blue sky was still right there. But to me, it now carried a completely different meaning.

"A~jwoo...!!"

I fell twenty stories from the apartment.

"......This is what I get."

Two hours after the accident and I was already in the hospital.

"Hahaha. As expected, young blood is the best. Even an awakened guy like you falls like that."

An old doctor with a beard laughed boisterously and patted my back.

"Ugh, ow!"

".......Why?"

"...No. It's national tradition. When you get treated and the doctor hits you, you yell."

"If the doctor does that to the patient, they cut his head off~."

"Haha. Yeah, you're right."

Yeah. Only two hours after the crash and I felt zero pain. Awakened skills were way beyond modern medicine.

"Ah, but don't think of it as a lucky charm. It's science to make skill after-effects disappear."

"Ah, I get it."

"And skills aren't perfect."

"........"

"Is it my turn now?"

The old doctor cleared his throat and started making a fake cry face.

"But patient... your arm... your arm...!!!"

I turned my head and looked at the mirror. My right arm was completely gone.

".....Not even a little funny."

"Hahahaha! Good trade, right? You should've been dead right away, but you got a whole arm for free."

He tapped the computer and spun the right screen toward me.

"You said you graduated from the academy? Impressive reflexes. You hung onto a tree branch while it broke, then when your body started spinning you used the arm like a cushion before the impact."

".....What the hell is this white thing?"

"That's your right arm."

"There's zero trace of an arm. Is it slime?"

"Then we'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠call it your right arm."

"............."

The old doctor burst out laughing, then suddenly got serious.

"So. Why'd you fall?"

"Ah. It was an accident. I was helping the neighbor auntie next door."

"Really? Did you tell the police the same thing?"

"Yes."

"No ill will?"

"Of course not. It was an accident."

"...........You're a rare young man. Full of madness. If you were a hunter, that'd be great."

"................Do you know everything?"

The old man chuckled and waved his hand.

"Why would I investigate. Whether it's help or not, this is the reason."

He handed me a paper. The cost to restore the missing arm. Skill issue, I guess. Wounds heal easy, but regrowing lost body parts? Insanely expensive.

"Your income's zero right now? No insurance?"

"...I do get the pension though..."

Every awakened person got a pension. The amount wasn't small; it easily topped the average civilian salary.

Lump sum was impossible, but if I got it in installments...

"Pension for awakeneds? But that's tricky. You'll learn why it's there."

"Yes. To stop awakeneds from going bad and give them at least some breathing room..."

"Exactly. That's why we break it up in installments. Simply put, your pension won't cover living expenses. And the house you live in? It's in the awakened exclusive housing complex? That's not even a good collateral."

"T-that...!"

I could slap my own left hand, but... I can't while playing hentai!!!

"Is there... is there any way?"

"Actually... the neighbor auntie next door to you came by earlier."

"Eh?"

"She offered to rent your house. She'd pay the rent herself. There's a contract right here."

"T-thank you so much...! Of course!"

I signed the contract on the spot.

The monthly rent wasn't enough to cover even a few months of my life. And the no-neighbor noise was another huge plus. I was genuinely grateful.

"...Even if you're a busybody, you don't read things?"

"When you start a game, do you read the terms?"

"...I'll try reading from now on."

"?"

Anyway. I'll take it as a yes. You'll be staying in the hospital room today."

"Got it!"

Night. Hospital. Single room.

For some reason I couldn't sleep. If it was just one dick, it'd be fine, but two? I wasn't used to it.

Since I couldn't jerk off, there was no way to shut out the dirty thoughts. No booze, no cigarettes.

".....Can't even live in that house anymore."

Shit situation. I figured I was already at the bottom of the sewer, but the world seemed to be telling me there was even lower.

I could maybe forget it. Fuck this guy.

"H. Gacha. Gacha. Gacha."

My power. My hope. My dream.

That too, now...

"?!?!?!?!???????????"

The status window suddenly popped up right in front of my eyes. It was that thing! The status window! It was real!!!!

"Shiiiiit!"

I bounced off the bed like a salmon fighting upstream, rolled on the floor but felt nothing.

I crawled toward the status window. But the farther I went, the farther it stayed.

I slammed my forehead into the wall and realized why.

"....gulp."

I reached out. Why did this window even appear? What did the skill do?

Didn’t matter.

10+1 times. Pressed. Pressed again!

Light exploded. Ten glowing spheres fell into the dark space.

They were...!

Eraser. Pencil. Tissue. Mouse (rare). Sharpener. Sock. Headband. Syringe. Chocolate. Tissue.

"........You fucking bastard...!!"

I pressed it one more time. The single room was filled with junk.

"No way, there has to be more! You goddamn bastard!!!!"

I yelled in frustration.

That's when—

Ker-chunk—

The door opened and she walked in.

"Oh my. Hello. I'm Bronze Bulleteana. Nice to meet you~."

She wore a thin nightgown, beautiful and mysterious.