Chapter 1

A 10-Star Player Strengthened by Gacha

Prologue

There are truly countless games in the world.

From ancient games like Go to the pinnacle of modern science, virtual reality games, there are innumerable games.

However, no matter how many types of games there are, the value they pursue is the same.

Fun!

People play games because they are fun.

Of course, there are people who play games for other reasons, but fundamentally, the purpose is 'fun.'

And depending on how they experience that fun, gamers can be broadly divided into two categories.

-What the hell, some guy called a 'ranker' just messed up the order! We should have targeted the enemy dealer just now!

-Hey, can't you see that other team members are suffering because of you? Are you trolling? Do you think the game is a joke? If you're going to play so carelessly, just quit!

-I put a big card in this raid. Seriously, if we fail, we're done for.

-You have to win when you play a game!

These are the types who find their fun in 'victory.'

They see games as a means of competition and enjoy the moment of triumph over their opponents through the game.

They are willing to sacrifice anything for victory or a higher ranking.

They are known as 'hardcore gamers.'

On the other hand, the opposite type is the 'casual gamers.'

-Ah, the game crashed. As expected, the mage is just for show, right?

-Just because you use a shotgun as a weapon, does that mean you have to shoot bullets? Maybe swinging it around would be more effective?

-Ah, I lost again because I just did whatever I felt like. Should I make another alt?

Casual gamers enjoy various aspects of the game without being fixated on winning.

Of course, winning is nice, but losing doesn't bother them much.

Even if they think they might lose, if it's fun, they just play.

When these two types of people play together, it's bound to end in chaos. They pursue different values.

Of course, the solution is simple. Hardcore gamers should play with other hardcore gamers, and casual gamers should play with other casual gamers. Or they can play alone. No one is forcing them.

However, what if, by some chance,

What if a hardcore gamer and a casual gamer had to play together until death?

"What can you do? The disappointed person just backs down. Isn't that right?"

-...I don't know, bastard. Damn. What sin did I commit in my past life?

This is the story of a hardcore-casual gamer striving for the strongest.

A 10-Star Player Strengthened by Gacha

Chapter 1

The reason was simple.

"Is it really that fun?"

Jeong-hoon thought this while overhearing a conversation between two people passing by.

No, it wasn't just those two.

Now, no matter where or when he went, he could easily hear stories related to 'that game.'

"Wow, it's really amazing."

"It's not for nothing that other RPGs have all failed. It's truly moving, no matter how many times I see it."

Many people on the street were fixated on the giant billboard on the rooftop, where a screen advertisement was playing.

-Roar!

Although the screen advertisement couldn't produce sound, when the dragon in the screen roared, it felt as if the dragon was really roaring right in front of them.

It was an overwhelmingly vivid experience. The automatic playback of sound must be referring to something like this.

Then, a handsome knight charged at the dragon.

The knight's charge was unhesitant even in front of the massive dragon, and after closing some distance, he leaped powerfully, kicking off the ground.

Bang!

The knight's sword, which soared into the air, was dyed in a brilliant golden light, and the dragon, as if not to be outdone, spewed hot flames from its mouth.

At the moment the knight's sword and the dragon's breath were about to clash!

The words 'Last Savior' appeared in a stylish font, and the advertisement ended.

Only then did some people, who had been staring blankly at the advertisement, start to walk away.

Except for Jeong-hoon. He was still looking at the screen advertisement.

"...It's really impressive."

He had seen this advertisement at least ten times while walking, but today it felt strangely piercing his heart.

Jeong-hoon stood there blankly, watching the advertisement repeat, and then watch it again.

When the same advertisement had played exactly nine times, Jeong-hoon nodded.

'I'll give it a try.'

Jeong-hoon, who had been aimlessly strolling through the streets, started heading towards the giant building.

The second virtual reality game in the world.

It was a day six months after the release of 'Last Savior.'

* * *

"Good. The basic structure seems similar."

Jeong-hoon muttered this as he lay down on the sofa inside the large capsule.

Fortunately, the connection device for Last Savior was not much different from those of other virtual reality games.

The soft cushion gently enveloped Jeong-hoon's body.

'Has it been almost a year since the last virtual reality game?'

23 years old.

Like most young men in their early twenties, Jeong-hoon enjoyed playing games.

However, he wasn't a hardcore gamer. Jeong-hoon preferred to dabble in various games rather than play one game to the bone.

There were just too many other interesting games in the world to stick to one.

If categorized, he was a casual gamer, not a hardcore gamer. Jeong-hoon was a casual gamer. He was a common gamer who would dive into a new game as soon as it was released and then switch to another game after enjoying it for a while.

Because of this, he naturally tried the world's first virtual reality game as soon as it was released.

'Real Fantasia. Did I play it for about half a year?'

About 1 year and 6 months ago.

The game company Nox released the world's first virtual reality game.

It took 11 years to develop and cost over 1 billion dollars, making it a massive VR MMORPG.

From six months before its release, advertisements for Real Fantasia (RF) were everywhere, and naturally, the eyes of many gamers were on RF. Jeong-hoon was one of them.

On the day of Real Fantasia's release,

The result of this massive blockbuster game was...

'It was pretty bad.'

Another reality. Another fantasy.

It was all just a waste of time. The graphics were worse than B-movie CGI, and the optimization was so poor that gameplay was difficult in crowded areas.

Moreover, the story was a mess, and the content was a mess.

It was a complete disaster.

-Nox has done it again.

-What are the people who bought Nox stocks going to do?

-I just checked the Han River water temperature. It's still a bit cold. It might be better in a month.

-Your incompetence or ours? The results speak for themselves. We've been fooled by Nox again, haven't we?

The game failed spectacularly, and Jeong-hoon also stopped playing after about half a year.

Despite being the world's first virtual reality game, it barely managed to survive due to a small demand for RPGs, but ultimately, it only reinforced the notion that 'virtual reality games are still not ready.'

However, exactly one year after the release of Real Fantasia,

A company no one had heard of released the second virtual reality game, 'Last Savior.'

And there was truly another reality in it.

"Are they really an alien collective?"

L.A.S.E, the developer of Last Savior, known as Lase.

Whether by coincidence or design, the name of the developer was the same as the abbreviation for 'Last Savior' in Korean.

"Let's see."

Jeong-hoon accessed the official website of Last Savior through the capsule, hoping to find out something.

However,

"It's just as rumored."

The website greeted him with a level of emptiness that could only be described as negligent.

The official website had only a few game screenshots, a free board, and a Q&A board. There was no basic game description, let alone any introduction to the game developer.

It was a setup for failure, but Last Savior was different.

The mysterious developer.

The game information that was deliberately not provided.

The abundance of hidden pieces and Easter eggs.

The overwhelming technology that made it hard to distinguish from reality.

And the fun.

All of these elements combined to create a strange synergy.

-There's really nothing on the website. It's insane. If another game did this, it would fail immediately.

-Yeah, but Lase can get away with it. Only bad games that lack confidence in themselves exaggerate their features. 'The real thing' doesn't need to speak. It just proves itself.

-Isn't it more intriguing? If you're curious about the game, find out for yourself.

-What's that? Some kind of Play One? I heard that if you achieve certain game achievements, you get company shares, like in those old virtual reality game movies.

The 'god game' created by a mysterious company, like something out of a novel or movie, was enough to stimulate the dreams of gamers.

'I wish I had started earlier. If I hadn't been busy six months ago, I would have started right away.'

Six months.

A short time, but not in the world of online games. In six months, the frontrunners could already establish their dominance.

Six months ago, Jeong-hoon was mentally and physically exhausted due to some incident and had no spirit to play Last Savior.

Three months later, when he had recovered his mental state and was about to start the game, another incident occurred. This time, it was a problem that arose within Last Savior itself.

A user died while playing the game.

-Breaking News: Virtual reality games bring death!

-Is the safety of virtual reality games really okay?

-Research on the effects of VR virtual reality games on the human body...

The first death in a virtual reality game in Korea caused a stir in society.

However, the commotion did not last long.

After this incident, no one died while playing Last Savior worldwide, and it was revealed that the deceased was in a state of extreme malnutrition.

In other words, the problem was not the game itself but the fact that the person had stopped eating and drinking due to the game.

This was the official announcement from the Korean medical community.

'I should have started without getting scared back then.'

But human psychology doesn't always follow hard facts.

Even though the medical community announced that the game was not the problem, many people still had doubts: "What if something happens?"

Jeong-hoon was one of them, and thus, another three months passed, making it a total of six months.

Of course, there were no more death reports during those three months.

"Well, there's no point in regretting it now..."

Jeong-hoon muttered this as he put on the VR goggles. Now, all he had to do was press one button to start.

"Phew."

Jeong-hoon took a deep breath and pressed the connection button.

Poof.

He began to connect to a new world.

* * *

"Wow. It's insane."

Jeong-hoon clenched and unclenched his fists in disbelief, then felt his body all over.

The sensation was exactly the same as in reality, and he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Compared to this, Real Fantasia was really a piece of crap."

The difference between contemporary virtual reality games could be this stark.

Is this even possible?

There was a joke that the development team of Last Savior was actually an alien collective, and it was understandable why such a joke would arise.

"Let's see... Ah, is that it?"

After a moment of amazement, Jeong-hoon looked around and soon spotted something.

In the all-white space, this object stood out as a distinct presence.

"I've heard about it, but... it's really a gacha game."

A vending machine.

In the sacred, pure white space, a large vending machine stood out as an alien presence.

Jeong-hoon walked up to the vending machine with a look of disbelief.

It was a bit different from a typical beverage vending machine.

First, it was a bit larger, and instead of beverages, the transparent glass on the top of the vending machine was filled with capsules marked with a '?'.

There were no buttons on the front, only a coin slot.

"You have to draw a 'backer' from this to start the game, right? Hmm..."

In 'Last Savior,' unlike typical MMORPGs, players had to draw a backer before starting the game.

A 'backer' is a kind of guardian deity that accompanies the player throughout the game.

The type of backer drawn significantly influenced the player's development direction and skill tree.

In other words, the initial backer draw was extremely important. This is why many players called Last Savior a 'luck-based game.'

'Feels a bit iffy.'

Jeong-hoon had played many games, including several gacha games.

He had played some games for years, but if asked if he liked gacha games, the answer would be a clear 'No.'

'How much did I spend? Sigh...'

In gacha games, players typically obtain items or heroes through gacha draws and develop their characters.

The problem was that the items obtained through gacha draws were much, much better than those obtained through normal gameplay.

This naturally led to a structure where players had to pour in money, and Jeong-hoon had also spent a considerable amount.

He had played gacha games for years not because they were fun, but because he felt the money was wasted. He couldn't help it because of the money he had already spent!

Insane诱导消费.

But the extremely low gacha drop rates.

These two factors combined to make many gamers foam at the mouth at the mention of gacha games.

However, Last Savior did not receive such criticism from players. The reason was simple.

Last Savior was very fair in its gacha system.

Whether you were a minimum wage worker or a wealthy oil magnate from the Middle East, the number of draws you could make was strictly limited.

10 consecutive draws, 10 times.

In total, 100 draws.

No matter how much money you had, you couldn't draw more than that. Since Last Savior was based on iris recognition, with one account and one character per person, you couldn't reset your account to get a better backer.

'You can delete and recreate a character, but the penalty is enormous, right?'

Was it that the character's stats would be reduced?

Anyway, there was a system that strongly discouraged account reset, as he vaguely remembered.

In other words.

Just play fair and square with luck!

That's what Last Savior was saying. While the wealthy might be dissatisfied, there were more poor people in the world. Many people liked the gacha system without real-money spending elements.

'Wow, giving 100 draws? You might think that...'

10 consecutive draws, 10 times.

At first glance, it seemed like a lot, but in reality, it wasn't. Jeong-hoon opened the system window and started browsing the internet.

-RaSe IpVen

The official website didn't provide information, but the users did.

The game had been out for half a year, and many users shared information.

The largest community for Last Savior, RaSe IpVen, was created for this purpose. Users typically sought information about RaSe here.

"Let's see... Ah, is this it?"

-Backer Board

One of the hottest boards on RaSe IpVen.

The board was updated with dozens of new posts every minute.

- Sob. I got a 5-star Gildre in the last 10 consecutive draws. Is this good? It looks terrible.

└ It's decent. It has merits whether you go for a mage or a knight. It's a decent 5-star backer.

- Damn!!!!!! I got it!!!!! Golden effect!!! 7-star!!!

└ What if there's no proof?

└└ I have a golden calf at home too^^. I'll verify if you do.

- Sigh. I started with a 4-star backer, but I did well in the skill draw, so it's a decent start.

└ Sometimes skill luck is better than a backer in the early stages. Try your best.

"Wow, it's chaotic."

Newbies who had just started the game were getting their backers evaluated.

Veterans were curious about what backers the newbies had drawn.

For these reasons, the backer board was always noisy.

Jeong-hoon clicked on the most recommended post at the top of the board, titled "Complete Backer Guide. This is all you need. by. LuckBasedGameSucks"

「Complete Backer Guide. This is all you need. by. LuckBasedGameSucks」

[Hello, I'm LuckBasedGame. Many people ask if this backer is good or bad, so I'll summarize what I know about backers.

I've just compiled information I've heard from various sources, but I'm confident it's reliable.

As you know, there are two main gacha systems in RaSe: backer draws and skill draws. Both are divided into 1 to 9-star ratings. Since they accompany you throughout the game, they are very important draws.

You might think, 'Does this crazy game really decide such important things by luck?' but surprisingly, the balance is good.

The sum of the backer rating and the skill rating is always 10.

In other words, if you draw a 1-star backer, you automatically get a 9-star skill, and if you draw a 2-star backer, you get an 8-star skill.

Phew... I know everyone knows I tried to get a 1-star backer to get a 9-star skill and ended up shitting my pants... Anyway, based on my experience and what I've heard, I can confidently say, always draw the best backer you can. Drawing a good backer is more efficient than drawing a good skill. Good skills are only good in the early stages... Damn. Oops. Anyway, newbies should always draw the best backer...]

"Hmm."

After that, a list of good backers was listed. The conclusion was that you need to draw a good backer...

"Well, I guess I have to draw."

Jeong-hoon touched the exclamation mark flashing in the corner of his vision.

Ding.

[System Notification: You can use the keyword 'Inventory.' Saying 'Inventory' will activate the inventory. You can change the keyword in the settings.]

"Inventory."

As Jeong-hoon muttered, the inventory appeared in front of him. It contained 10 coins.

Anyone who wasn't an idiot would know what to do with these.

Jeong-hoon took one coin from the inventory.

"Phew."

According to the guide, backer ratings ranged from 1 to 9 stars. Naturally, the higher the rating, the lower the drop rate. From 7 stars onwards, it was almost impossible to see.

Moreover, when drawing a high-rated backer, like in other gacha games, a flashy effect would appear.

There was no effect for 1 to 5-star backers.

6-star backers had a silver effect, 7-star backers had a golden effect, and 8-star backers had a dazzling rainbow effect.

9-star backers were only rumored about, as there were only a handful of people who had drawn them, and none had properly verified them.

"The game is well-made. I can even feel my heart racing."

Why is it so thrilling?

Jeong-hoon chuckled and inserted the coin into the vending machine.

Swish.

"Huh?"

The moment he inserted the coin, Jeong-hoon felt a tickling sensation in his chest, specifically in his heart area.

Jeong-hoon tried to look at his chest but couldn't move.

Whirr!

The capsules in the vending machine started to mix vigorously. Jeong-hoon's gaze was fixed on the vending machine.

Boom!

The vending machine's lid opened, and 10 capsules shot up, spinning in the air.

"..."

And Jeong-hoon couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief for the second time. This time, it wasn't because of the strange sensation in his chest.

Golden.

A brilliant golden light, hard to look at directly, was among the 10 capsules.

"Jackpot."

Not just one,