Gacha Is Always Welcome (3)
Gacha Is Always Welcome (3)
Number 777.
「The Mysterious Box」
As with any gacha mechanic, what mattered were the item's settings.
What kinds of rewards it could produce.
The odds of getting something good, and so on.
I recalled the item's details.
「 Number 777 has the following restrictions: (1) Cannot insert objects that exceed the box's dimensions. (2) The converted item also cannot exceed the box's dimensions. 」
I gave the box a quick scan.
Roughly 30 centimeters long, wide, and tall.
Armor or weapons were probably out of the question.
But since many of the game's special 'Numbers' items were accessories, this size wasn't bad at all.
「 (3) The item conversion is based on the grade of the inserted object. 」
This determined what I used to roll the gacha.
Almost everything in this game had a 'Grade' within its system.
That concept of 'Grade' didn't always perfectly match an item's actual value.
Lunar was a prime example of that.
Despite being a mid-grade mineral, it was expensive, and I'd been using it quite effectively.
In other words:
"I need to use things that are cheap but have a high grade."
That was why I'd gone to the market at the crack of dawn.
I hoisted the large bundle I'd prepared and set it beside the box.
With a heavy *thud*—
— *rustle*
Hundreds of random items resettled inside the bundle.
Junk from the [Daisseo 1000 Krone Shop] that I'd bought for a single Krone each.
The reason I'd bought them was simple.
「 (4) Probability factors are identical to the in-game currency probability system. 」
Obviously, probability was everything in gacha.
And Fanta X Aca's probability systems were...
"Notoriously stingy."
The textbook definition of a ripoff.
— Ugh, if I dump all this in and get nothing, I'm quitting for real.
Enough players had quit saying exactly that to fill a truck.
But I knew.
How Fanta X Aca's probability elements actually worked.
This game has a 【Probability Correction】 mechanic specifically for gachas.
For example, while a coin flip in reality is always 1/2,
in Fanta X Aca, if the previous flip was heads, the chance of getting tails next time increased.
That's where the term 'sacrifice' came from.
All the junk items I'd gathered here were sacrifices.
So if I burned through this junk to raise the probability, then inserted my genuinely valuable item...
"It's not just probability anymore. It's practically a guarantee."
*Heh heh heh.*
A sly grin crept across my face.
I'd also prepared the high-value item to use after the 'sacrifice' ritual.
"Alright then. Let's give it a spin."
I dropped a piece of junk into the open box.
*Click—*
[ ? / ? / ? ]
As I closed the lid, the letters etched on the box began to spin.
The rules were simple.
- All different numbers = bust.
- Two matching numbers = decent.
- Three matching numbers = jackpot, and the higher the number, the better the prize.
According to a review by a user who'd obtained this box, the jackpot probability was roughly one in a thousand.
They also said the chance for even a 'decent' pull was under 20%. Truly garbage odds, but.......
"Well, knowing the trick changes everything."
Honestly, I was praying a jackpot *wouldn't* pop up in the middle.
But my prayers were brutally ignored.
*Snap—!*
The lock on the lid released, and the numbers updated.
"Ack—!"
[ 1 / 1 / 1 ]
An unexpected jackpot.
"What the hell!"
Was this some kind of beginner's luck?
Even so, come on!
It was like buying a dollar-store item and hitting the lottery on the first try.
How good could a jackpot prize from that really be!
"Haah...."
I'd basically wasted my probability reset.
A vein throbbed on my forehead.
Pressing a hand to my temple, I opened the box.
A ring rested on the pitch-black velvet floor.
A thin silver band.
In the center, where a gemstone should have been, a faint, luminous glow shone like a jewel.
"...What's this."
Actually, this was pretty damn decent.
「 Lucky Light-Attribute Ring: Increases experience gained for Light-attribute elements by 5%. (Cannot be stacked) 」
That's definitely what it was.
Among basic items, this was a solid find.
The junk I'd put in was worth a single Krone.
In the game, the shop purchase price for this ring was 100,000 Krone.
Considering the junk item's game value was higher than its purchase price.
"That's almost a tenfold multiplier."
On top of that, it was a ring that passively increased elemental growth by 5%.
In practical terms, it was priceless.
The Mysterious Box.
This thing was pretty amazing.
For a [1, 1, 1] result, this outcome made no sense.
And now that I thought about it, resetting the probability right at the start actually felt like a good thing.
No point getting mad.
Anyway.
"What to do with this?"
I didn't need it as an Earth-attribute user.
Selling it felt like a waste, and if it ended up in the hands of a villain, it'd just cause headaches.
"I should give this to Sylvia."
The only Light-attribute mage I knew was Sylvia.
The question was whether she'd like it.
It didn't look particularly fancy.
"It's practically a Ring Pop."
I was exaggerating, but only slightly.
It didn't seem to suit Lady Sylvia, the budding fashionista.
But my partner's growth was my growth.
I'd force her to wear it if I had to.
With that stubborn resolve, I began feeding the junk items one by one.
"From here on out, only trash, please."
/ 1 / 5 / 3 /
/ 2 / 1 / 7 /
.......
The subsequent results diligently proved exactly why gambling is a terrible idea.
Then came the last 'sacrifice'.
This was the most nerve-wracking moment.
/ 7 / ? / ? /
"Ah, don't do this to me."
/ 7 / ? / 7 /
The numbers had matched with just one slot left.
If it hit here, it was all over.
Even though it was the last sacrifice and I'd used something slightly more valuable... absolutely not!
For the first time since possessing this body, I clasped my hands together.
And prayed.
"Please, please."
Did my first prayer since possession actually work?
/7 / 1 / 7 /
"Phew...."
Luckily, a medium hit.
Whoa. My heart was pounding.
Nearly 900 sacrifices, right down the drain.
If it had reset, I was planning to start over from 1, but this grinding was seriously exhausting.
"And now. The finale."
At the edge of the table.
I picked up the item wrapped gently in cloth.
Hm... could I even call this an 'item'?
A bizarre construct: a 'Gray Wolf' magic stone shard wrapped in pure gold thread, with various things dangling from it, all connected to a high-grade cloth.
It was a product of exploiting Fanta X Aca's grade system, where using more diverse materials raised the value grade.
The magic stone shard was worth roughly 10 Gold.
The gold thread, high-grade cloth, and additional materials totaled another 10 Gold.
20 Gold, or roughly 200 million Krone worth of materials—but system-wise, it should hold a value of around five times that, 1 billion.
"Alright. Here goes."
With trembling hands, I lowered it into the box.
As gently as possible.
And respectfully.
Gacha is a ritual, after all.
Then I carefully closed the lid.
— *Ch-ch-ching!*
[ ? / ? / ? ]
The letters on the box began to spin.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
The world went black.
Only sound filled my head.
— *Snick!*
I heard one number lock into place.
My heartbeat grew ragged.
— *Snick!*
"Please. Please......"
A thousand idle thoughts raced through my mind.
What if the numbers were different from the very start?
Should I just open my eyes and check?
Ah, should I have just sold it and bought normal gear?
And then, once again.
— *Snick!*
By now, I wasn't thinking at all.
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*
All I could hear was my own heart pounding.
"...PLEASE!!!"
I yelled and wrenched my eyes open.
【 4 / 4 / 4 】
Oh. Jackpot.
Since 1, 1, 1 was a tenfold increase... this had to be at least twenty times, right?
I flung the box open without hesitation.
There was no brilliant light, no glittering gold inside.
Just deep red.
A menacing crimson, like a bloodstained gauntlet.
A rusted shield in that very color lay within.
The moment I identified the item, I clutched my forehead.
"...Seriously?"
◆
High risk, high return.
Recalling that eternal truth, I picked up the small shield.
Wait. Could something barely 20 centimeters across even be called a shield?
【 (No. 444) Berserker's Guardian Shield: It looks small, but it's a shield all the same. Quite sturdy. Getting hit with this thing would probably hurt a lot. 】
Right.
It was definitely a shield.
"...Was this meant to be worn on the forearm?"
That's exactly how it was used—strapped to the forearm and raised like a guard.
Even so, it only covered about the face.
But this item had two defining features.
One was its nature as a shield.
"...It has the mid-grade 'Indestructible' attribute."
That was why this pancake-sized shield could still be called a shield. It couldn't be destroyed. More accurately, it couldn't be broken by any conventional, logical attack.
The trade-off for its sturdiness was its tiny blocking area.
High risk, high return.
And the second feature.
Its special ability.
「 When HP falls below 10%, damage increases by 1,000% for 10 minutes. Activates after absorbing sufficient impact. 」
It lived up to its name with a true Berserker trait.
An insane stat boost.
But only when I was on the brink of death.
So it was practically a special ability I couldn't even test in reality.
As far as I knew, few items in the game symbolized 'high risk, high return' quite like this one.
"Whoa...."
Was I spacing out?
No, snap out of it.
Actually, thinking about it, this wasn't a bad item at all.
On the contrary, for something pulled with 200 million Krone, it was a tremendous win.
A Number in the 400s.
I was just instinctively thinking about using its special ability, but even ignoring that and just using it as a shield was worth the price.
A pancake-sized man's shield.
One that would almost never break.
"Ah, wait."
I tried to 'extract' it... Nope, as expected.
Probably because of the Indestructible attribute.
By now, I had a hunch.
The world was forcibly shoving me down the path of magic (physical).
Fine.
Whatever. I'll give it a shot.
The very moment I made up my mind.
— *Knock, knock, knock.*
I checked the time at the sound of the knocking.
A little past noon.
Right, Elena was supposed to make Snow Blossom Tomatoes today.
"Elena, just a moment. I lost track of time doing something else......"
*Clunk.*
The moment I grabbed the doorknob, I sensed something wrong.
The handle was impossibly cold.
A thin layer of frost had formed.
I turned the frozen handle.
— *Creeeak.*
The old hinges screamed as the door swung open.
Through the widening gap, I saw long, flowing hair.
A pale blue, perfectly neat, stretching down to her waist, exuding an endless chill.
When the door fully opened, the woman who had been standing with her head bowed lifted her gaze to meet mine.
Eyes cold and deep, as if holding the Arctic Ocean.
A face taut with uncharacteristic tension.
"...Sharon Pierce?"
