Chapter 2

Standing at the classroom door, I took a deep breath and firmly held the letter containing the secret that my mother had given me. My mind was worn down by a full course of irrationality and a combo of common sense destruction. It was as if I were trying to make shaved ice with a rock grinder; my meager spirit and mind were on the verge of their limits. I couldn't help but mutter, "What can I do?" A sigh escaped me as well. However, no matter how much I wracked my brain, there was only one thing to do.

That was, the gacha.

They called it a "gift," but it could be recognized as a "skill." I thought I could check my points, but it showed "Balance: 999,500P." It seemed to cost 500 points per draw, meaning I could use it 1,999 more times.

A social game addict who had spent all his savings on gacha was now able to draw in another world, and with someone else's money, no less. Moreover, it seemed that even a regular person could fight the Demon King with these so-called "gifts," which were incredibly powerful. I couldn't even imagine how much power a good draw would grant.

However, it was unclear what would come out. But since I had been summoned as a hero, it was almost guaranteed that something powerful would appear. This seemed to be a flag indicating that I would get a cheat item or something and change my job from a regular person to a hero or a champion.

The more positively I thought about it, the more it seemed possible. Just like in anime and manga, where a powerless protagonist gains power and races towards the ultimate happy ending, wouldn't such irrationality be a small price to pay?

Moreover, considering the potential for cheats and harems (wishful thinking), wouldn't the balance be comfortably in the plus? Alright, then I'll overlook this irrationality.

I accelerated my positive thinking. I wasn't afraid of anything anymore, and I could even go check the rice fields in the middle of a storm. Is the pineapple salad ready? Let's go! To the glorious draw!

I obtained a pair of white underwear.

Something felt off... I had a bad feeling. But I wasn't the type to be scared by such premonitions. After all, it was someone else's money. I hoped the flag for turning into a pervert would break early, and I was ready to continue enthusiastically!

"91st draw... another common..."

After that, I kept drawing and categorized the gacha results. I labeled copper as common, silver as uncommon, and gold as rare. If there was anything higher, it would be super rare or ultra rare. So far, I had 62 coppers, 27 silvers, and 2 golds. Here's a summary of my current harvest:

Gold: Dagger, Potion

Silver: Cards x18, Potions x4, Stones x5

Copper: Misses x36, Underwear x21, Potions x3, Cards x2

You get the idea, right?

I had no idea what the items were. Misses were exactly what they looked like, so I won't explain them. How do you explain items that you have no idea what they're for or bizarre objects that look like they came from a 100-yen shop? Even if a convenient kitchen item appeared, I wouldn't know how to use it. But I kept the pocket tissues.

There was no need to explain the underwear, but there were men's as well. What did the 19:2 ratio mean?

Next were the potions. Apart from the containers becoming slightly more luxurious as the rarity increased, I had no idea what they did. I didn't even know if they were potions. I assumed they were potions because it was a fantasy world, but they could be poison. I kept the gold and silver potions, but what to do with the copper ones... I decided to hold off on them for now.

Then there were the stones. They were about the size of a fist, just plain stones. They were slightly colored, so I guessed they were magical stones or some kind of powerful mineral. I hoped they had value.

Finally, the cards. The color of the back pattern changed with the rarity. Silver had a silver back, and copper had a brown back. The front had a large rectangular border with an illustration inside and text in Japanese. For example, a fireball illustration with "Fireball" written on it, or an ice arrow with "Ice Arrow." I assumed that using the card would grant the effect shown in the illustration.

I wanted to try them out, but I couldn't use them in a confined space, so I had to wait. They were the most useful items I had so far. Here's my current card collection:

Copper: Ignite, Water Stream

Silver: Fire Arrow, Ice Arrow x2, Wind Arrow x2, Fire Bolt, Thunder Bolt x2, Aqua Shot x2, Wind Shot, Earth Shot, Fireball x2, Aqua Ball, Earth Ball, Wind Shield, Antidote

The coppers were disappointing despite being rare. The silvers were mostly offensive. I thought there might be healing spells like "Heal," but I had no idea what the standard was. With so few draws, it was hard to judge.

Finally, the dagger... I had no idea of its value. It had beautiful decorations, so I assumed it was valuable, especially since it was rare. I hoped it had magical properties or special effects.

Since I could still draw, I decided to continue. I didn't expect to get anything rarer than gold in just under a hundred draws. I wasn't the type to give up after selling my soul to social games. The problem was that I didn't know if anything rarer than gold existed.

Anyway, I drew the 92nd time... and it was another copper. This was the eighth consecutive copper... but it couldn't be helped. It was common. I touched the gacha ball to check the contents, and it split open as usual, revealing the contents.

It was a black triangular object about the size of a fist. I took it, wrapped in plain black plastic, and carefully peeled it off.

"No way... Could it be..."

I brought the exposed black triangular object to my mouth in disbelief.

Crunch

The black sheet covering the surface was nori (seaweed), and the inside was, of course, rice. It was a convenience store onigiri (rice ball).

"Yessss!"

I made a victory pose with the onigiri in my hand. If anyone was outside, they would hear me, but I didn't care. I couldn't express my joy without shouting.

It was truly an onigiri. Japonica rice. I never thought I'd be able to eat rice so soon in another world... This emotion, who could I share it with!?

They would think I was crazy. They would only lower their opinion of me. So, this joy would be mine alone... What a sin. But if onigiri could come out, maybe instant ramen, tea, or juice could too?

Or perhaps all kinds of food?

With so few draws, there was still much to discover. I drank the lukewarm water from a bottle in the room and quietly finished the onigiri. It had umeboshi (pickled plum), so next time I wanted salmon or tuna mayo. It was a bit inconsiderate that the contents weren't labeled, but I wasn't going to complain.

Anyway, it seemed that even within the same rarity, some items were more common than others. Assuming I got one onigiri per hundred draws, how many times would I need to draw to complete the onigiri collection? Thinking about it, 2,000 didn't seem so much.

Well, I still had over 1,900 draws left, so I would probably get more gold coins if I got something good. Depending on the value of the dagger, I might even need to pay more. For now, the most important thing was to keep drawing and get a good prize.

The 93rd draw was also copper... a toothbrush? I didn't expect to get daily necessities. It made me feel like I could live a fairly normal life if I had enough money. Ah, if I had money, I could do anything, right?

94th draw... copper, a Rubik's Cube... a miss. How would such toys be perceived here? Maybe they could be sold for a high price.

95th draw... black... black!?

I did a double take. Was black the highest rarity, like a black credit card? I thought as I looked at the black ball in front of me.

"...I hope a car doesn't come out."

Since the contents could be larger than the ball, I had to consider the possibility of something bigger than the room coming out. I was a bit wary since modern items were starting to appear. I didn't want to be crushed.

I thought carefully about whether to open it. Normally, I would have opened it with a "Yay, got a rare!" attitude. But it was better to be cautious since I had no idea what would come out.

"Alright, let's open it."

I couldn't resist the temptation of a rare item, and I needed something useful. I touched the black ball, and it split open, revealing a light and smoke. I didn't expect such an elaborate effect.

After the seven-color light and white smoke disappeared, a sparkling ball was there. A ball from a ball... no, let's not go there.

I touched the ball with the intention to "use" it. The moment I did, something flowed into me.

"Wha!"

I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. I thought it was another gacha ball, but it was something completely different.

"...Haha, hahaha, hahaha!"

I couldn't help but laugh. It was a fantasy world, after all, where anything was possible. What flowed into me was "knowledge" and "power."

What was "it"?

How to use it?

What effects did it have?

Everything was clear. I didn't need to investigate; I could state it with certainty. I had gained a new skill. They called it a "gift" here, but I preferred to call it a skill.

The skill I gained... in a nutshell, it was the ability to enter and exit shadows. I could move through shadows faster than walking, and my presence wouldn't be detected. It seemed I could perform complete stealth actions even against wild beasts, though I would be detected by detection magic. I couldn't attack from the shadows or extend just a part of my body to attack, as it would be detected immediately. If the shadow disappeared, I would be forced out.

Light being the enemy didn't seem very heroic.

However, I wouldn't know I had gained a skill unless there was a narration like "You learned the [Skill]!" I also didn't know its name. I could ask someone, but revealing my abilities to others was dangerous. Without a way to investigate, I would have to name it myself. I lacked naming skills, so I decided to call it "Shadow Crossing" for now.

I wanted to try out the new skill, but I still had 1,905 draws left, so I decided to keep drawing.

96th draw, copper for underwear... I don't need briefs. And red? Who would wear this?

97th draw, gold for a card. I was surprised that a card could be gold. It said "Thunderstorm." You're my provisional trump card.

98th draw, silver... no, this isn't silver. Maybe platinum?

It wasn't silver. The whiteness suggested platinum. I was surprised by the whiteness. I opened it cautiously, and after the light show, out came a bag. It was a shoulder bag, slightly wider than a laptop bag. When I opened it, it was pitch black inside.

"...A fourth-dimensional bag... no, a magic bag!?"

I tried putting the misses scattered around into it, and they all fit.

"Wow, they all fit!"

This was a good find. A magic bag was essential for adventures. Fantasy worlds really knew what they were doing. With black, gold, and platinum rarities appearing in quick succession, the flow was definitely in my favor. Let's keep going.

99th draw, copper for a CD case. Of course, it was empty. I had no idea what to do with this kind of miss.

And the 100th draw... copper? And purple underwear? Disappointing. By the way, the current types of underwear I had were white, black, pink, green, and the recent purple. I also had striped white and blue, white and black, red and white, white low-rise, and black lace, making a total of 10 types. I omitted the men's.

I tried to draw the 101st time, but something was wrong.

No matter how much I tried to imagine drawing, there was no response. Could the purple underwear be the cause?

Did the gacha get upset because the purple underwear was unpopular?

That was ridiculous. I apologized to the gacha. "I actually love purple underwear. Please forgive me." But that couldn't be it. So, was there a draw limit?

I wasn't a child; I was a responsible adult. I wouldn't make unreasonable payments. But if it wasn't a draw limit, I couldn't think of anything else. Having money but not being able to draw was frustrating.

"Hey, credit card. Let me draw," I said, but nothing changed. I needed something convincing to make the gacha work. In the worst case, I might have to offer the dagger and the magic bag.

What happened to the good flow I had earlier?

I'll start writing activity reports soon.

There will be character introductions and settings, so feel free to check them out if you have time. I plan to post them here once they are organized.