Interest
Interest
First things first.
{User 'Dark Merchant' recognized. Vending machine products are now accessible}
Instant Food (Random) — 5 Coins.
Beverages (Random) — 1 Coin.
Alcohol (Random) — 2 Coins.
Bread x5 (Random) — 1 Coin.
Cigarettes (Random) — 2 Coins.
※ Morning-After Pill (No Side Effects, 48h) — 1 Coin.
※ Stamina Enhancer (Permanent) — 5 Coins.
Random again, huh.
More products than last time, sure, but nothing especially exciting.
A little disappointing that the Random Skill Bestowal Scroll was a no-show.
Yeah, obviously that one wasn't gonna pop up.
So what should I focus on? The Instant Food, maybe.
That was probably going to handle our meals for the foreseeable future.
Still, not bad.
What even counted as instant food, anyway?
Processed stuff you can prep fast — that's a pretty broad category.
Meant the odds of getting exactly what you wanted were low, but the upside was that most of it was guaranteed to taste at least decent.
If I got lucky... maybe chicken or pizza was on the table?
And then, the rest...
The second vending machine had the exact same products, unfortunately.
The third one, though — that was nothing like anything I'd seen before.
※ Ability 'Yin-Yang Unity (陰陽合一)' Enhancement — 1000 Coins.
- Unlocks Joint Attack.
※ Ability 'Attraction (引力)' Enhancement — 1000 Coins.
- Unlocks Axis. Targets designated as the axis pull in all lifeforms within a 5-meter radius.
Now this is new.
Up until now everything had been sold as physical items, but this time it was straight-up ability enhancement.
Pretty groundbreaking.
In both a good way and a bad way.
It's way too goddamn expensive.
Enhancing an existing ability was good. Obviously.
I'd been feeling like something was just slightly lacking lately anyway.
But was this cost-effective? If I really asked myself that, I couldn't just nod and go with it.
First off, what exactly a Joint Attack even is — that's pretty vague.
Attraction was at least clearly defined. Yin-Yang Unity gave me some roundabout bullshit.
Is it really worth dropping a thousand coins just to confirm what it does?
It wasn't completely worthless.
Provided, of course, that my wallet could handle it.
Current balance: around 2,401 coins.
Buying just one of these would blow through half my savings.
Well, coins are easy enough to fill back up if I hustle a bit...
But still, not something I needed to decide right this second.
In the end, I decided to hold off for now.
Probably better to talk it over with Angelica and the others before making a final call.
"Did anything interesting come up?"
Angelica. She'd been loitering nearby.
I gave a vague nod.
"Mm... something kind of ambiguous showed up."
"Ambiguous?"
"Yeah. This time it's not scrolls or items — it's ability enhancements."
And even those excluded the traits I'd awakened with.
Only covered abilities acquired through scrolls, which felt a little disappointing from where I stood.
"Doesn't sound so bad to me."
"It's not. But the price is steep. A thousand coins each."
"...That is quite burdensome. Still, even so, it's absolutely worth considering. Strengthening our combat power is something you've been wanting, is it not?"
"Turns out it only works on abilities pulled from scrolls. Doesn't seem to apply to existing traits like Lucky One or Dark Merchant."
Angelica stroked her chin at that.
After mulling it over for a solid two minutes, she spoke up.
"I see. Is it listed roughly how the abilities are enhanced?"
"Yin-Yang Unity just says something about unlocking a Joint Attack — that kind of vagueness. Attraction's a bit more straightforward. Says the target designated as the axis pulls in all lifeforms within a five-meter radius."
"Is that so? Then the answer practically decides itself. Enhancing your main move, Attraction, should come first."
I agreed with her. But was it really okay to spend coins this recklessly?
When I shot her a skeptical look, Angelica smirked.
"Is it because you're short on coins? If so, I'll contribute mine. No — I'll speak with the others and make arrangements so it can be a foundation for you."
"Nah. Even if I buy it, I'll still have over a thousand coins left. No need for that."
"Huh. You're better off than I thought."
Her tone was like, what are you even worrying about?
If she's going that far, I guess there really is no reason to overthink this.
Alright. I was being uncharacteristically hesitant.
So much for caution.
Time to act like a Lucky One and just go for it like I always do.
That way, heaven-sent luck will follow.
Without hesitating, I pressed the vending machine button firmly.
And then—
[Product purchased. Paying coins.]
[Coin Balance: 2401 > 1401]
[Ability 『Attraction (引力)』 is being enhanced.]
[Axis unlocked. However, cooldown duration is 300 seconds.]
Same as always, notification windows popped up one after another.
But I also confirmed that an unexpected side effect had tagged along.
The hell. There was no mention of a cooldown.
Did I get played?
Did I just fall for their shitty little marketing trick?
"Huh."
I let out a dumbfounded scoff. Angelica, finding this odd, tilted her head.
"What is it now?"
"Nothing. It's not just a simple enhancement. Can't take what it says at face value, I guess. Slapped a cooldown on it."
"Cooldown...?"
"Says there's a waiting time before reuse. Shouldn't they disclose this kind of thing upfront? Feels like I got scammed."
"Haha. That's quite an expensive lesson to pay. But you've learned one thing from this, haven't you? You can't accept things exactly as they're written."
Angelica burst out laughing, apparently finding my deep sigh highly amusing.
...A little annoying.
I made the call myself, so I can't exactly blame her, but since she'd sort of nudged me into it, I felt a bit miffed.
"So, how long is the waiting time?"
"About five minutes. Longer than I thought. Basically means don't use it unless it's a truly critical moment."
"That is certainly long. But the ability to designate an axis is quite useful. You don't necessarily have to target yourself, which means it can be applied in a much wider variety of situations."
"For example?"
"Well, like this. What would happen if you made this can the axis and threw it into the middle of the enemy lines?"
"They'd get sucked in...?"
"Exactly. They wouldn't just sit still and take it, but if luck is on your side, it could become a hidden card to wipe out the enemies all at once. You've been lacking in area-of-effect moves, so this is quite fortuitous."
...Hearing it laid out like that, maybe it was a worthwhile investment after all.
Just like she said, my abilities hadn't exactly been suited for chaotic fights against multiple opponents up until now.
"Just in case, I should probably still get some practice in."
"Mm. Wise. I will dutifully assist you from your side."
With that, Angelica patted me on the shoulder.
Like an officer encouraging a soldier.
...Guess her old habits still bleed into everything she does, given her background.
That was when—
"Phew... that feels refreshing~! Hey, Jjintta. Did anything good pop up?"
Ha Hui-ryeong and Kim Ha-yoon, fresh out of the shower, walked up wrapped in towels.
"Well, somewhat. But nothing good for you."
"Oh, fuck off. Did I ask you to give me something? I was just asking."
"You've always been like that, so I figured it was the same this time."
"Ugh, this bastard!"
She put me in a headlock.
She wasn't actually putting force into it, so it was only mildly uncomfortable.
"Is there... no coffee?"
Kim Ha-yoon asked, gently tugging at the edge of my clothes.
Her eyes were glistening more than usual — like she was genuinely hopeful.
"Sadly, no. Or rather, I should say I don't know."
Since coffee technically fell under beverages, it was possible to get it randomly.
But out of all those product types, could I just pull out coffee specifically?
Possible, but the odds were low.
That's how no-ceiling gacha works.
Picking out exactly what you want is incredibly difficult.
"What... does that mean?"
"It's random. I don't know which beverage is gonna come out, so it's tricky."
"...That's a shame."
"You like coffee that much?"
"I like it... somewhat."
Really...?
Well, she did always have a can of coffee in her hand every single day.
And at the department store, she'd grabbed coffee before anything else.
Huh... come to think of it, have I really not paid much attention to what these girls actually like?
It suddenly hit me that I'd only ever mated with them like animals, never once sharing personal interests.
"If any shows up, I'll make sure to save it for you."
"Please do. What I have right now is almost all gone."
So her stock was running dangerously low.
Got it. I'll make sure to remember that.
As I was mentally filing that away, the pressure around my neck tightened considerably.
"Hey. What about me?"
"You said you didn't need anything."
"No, I'm saying this because I'm hurt. Hurt. You're always just looking out for her, and I'm always an afterthought."
She was angling for a little special treatment here.
When I responded with indifference, Ha Hui-ryeong rapped me on the head with her knuckles and released the headlock.
"Ow! Why'd you hit me, damn it!"
"Hmph. Forget it. I'm going to sleep."
"No more for tonight?"
"Can't you see my legs are shaking? I'll die if we do any more, alright?"
She's sulking. That one's seriously sulking.
Should I go after her and cheer her up?
Nah.
That girl forgets everything after a day anyway, so it's fine to leave her alone for a bit.
I watched Ha Hui-ryeong stalk off into the distance — and then she suddenly spun on her heel and marched right back toward me.
She strode over with angry steps and glared at me with a sullen look for a moment.
"Hey, Kim Ha-yoon! Let's go!"
"...Why me?"
She'd abruptly singled out Kim Ha-yoon.
Kim Ha-yoon, seemingly used to this routine, replied flatly.
"Ugh, just follow me without the backtalk! You did it a lot today too!"
"Wasn't it... less than usual...?"
"Fuck! Can't you just shut up and come with me?"
"Sigh.... Just this once."
In the end, Kim Ha-yoon followed Ha Hui-ryeong and disappeared into the room.
They snarled at each other like they were about to rip each other's throats out, but the two of them oddly fit well together.
"They get along surprisingly well. Almost enviably so."
"Right? Even during sex, those two are stuck together a lot of the time. Told you — they get along well."
Whether it's hateful affection or endearing affection, affection's affection.
Once it sticks it's hard to separate — maybe that's just a natural law.
"Anyway, what will you do now? It's still early, but if you're tired, it might be best to get some shut-eye now."
"I'm not sleepy. Well... a little tired, but not enough to knock out."
"I see."
We were having a calm conversation.
Then the door to the room where the First Generation members were staying burst open, and Jeong Ji-min called out to me, face bright red.
"Oppaaaaa! If you're free — a drink? Shall we have a drink together?!"
"...What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you got wasted in that short time?"
"Wasted, who...! That stuff is super strong, you know! Heeheehee..."
The way she was laughing, it definitely seemed like she was.
"Mirkella. Didn't expect you to hang out with her."
I looked at Mirkella, who was walking up from behind Jeong Ji-min.
Her cheeks were flushed too, but she hadn't lost her grip on reality quite as badly as Jeong Ji-min had.
"...If I can soothe my weary mind and body, is there anything I wouldn't do?"
Hiccup.
No, this one might be a little drunk too.
"Oppaaa~. Come play with us. Just for tonight, ne~?"
"Haaah...."
I let out a small sigh.
A sigh of resignation.
Fine. Having a heart-to-heart this time around isn't such a bad idea.
I still have unfinished conversations with the numbered bitches anyway.
"Alright, let's go. Let's get completely shitfaced tonight!"
"That's the spirit! Yep, let's get drunk and wasted and burn it all up tonight~! Let's gooo!"