Chapter 1

"Haa, the new girls in this update are so cute."

I sighed while looking at the smartphone in my hand. The screen displayed the popular otome-style social game app 'Girls Corps' that was currently the talk of the otaku community. The game, often abbreviated as GC, started half a year ago and has now surpassed 500,000 downloads, gaining a decent following. The game's premise is simple: gather beautiful girls to form a corps.

The corps you create can battle against monster armies in events or engage in battles with other users' corps. There are also storylines, and the setting is medieval Europe. The characters, of course, are almost all girls, and not just any girls—knights, cavalry, and other fighting girls.

"Muu, but things are tough this month..."

I was deeply troubled by this game. What was troubling me was the gacha system. In this game, there are two main ways to obtain characters: through event distributions or by spending money to pull the gacha.

Each pull costs 500 yen, and 11 pulls cost 5,000 yen. Honestly, I think it's an absurd price. Moreover, the gacha includes not just characters but also weapons and items, which is quite rare. Despite this, people keep pulling the gacha. The game's appeal, combining popular illustrators and voice actors, is immense. I've already spent a few hundred thousand yen on this game.

So, the new character added to the gacha this time is UR Luna Varado. She has long hair, a loli appearance, and is a vampire. The moment I saw her, I knew I was in for a rough time. Indeed, a certain bulletin board is filled with the cries of those who have "exploded" (spent a lot of money without getting the desired character). Some lament their failure, others rage at the low drop rates, and some taunt others, asking if anyone doesn't have Luna yet.

"How much money will it take to get this girl..."

It was 11:58 PM. I, a believer in the 0:00 Cult, who believes the drop rate increases at midnight, was waiting for that moment. I have a 0% success rate with this 0:00 Cult theory, having tried it 10 times. It's just a superstition.

But with things being tough this month, I couldn't help but rely on this superstition. I couldn't help but pull the gacha. I had already restarted the app and placed my smartphone on the desk next to my PC, ready to pray and prepare.

"Ugh, the drop rates are brutal..."

While waiting, I browsed the bulletin board on my PC, reading the increasing number of posts. Reports of people spending 100,000 yen, 1,100 pulls, and feeling like they want to die kept piling up. Despite seeing this, I realized I was deeply addicted and couldn't resist pulling the gacha.

"Whoa, be careful, be careful..."

While reading these cries, the time had reached 11:59:50 PM. I hurriedly touched my smartphone and switched the screen to the gacha page. Ready, Daikura Heihachi, let's go!

"3, 2, 1! Let's go! Send my feelings to Luna!"

The clock struck midnight. Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, I raised my voice and tapped the smartphone. The screen displayed a glowing treasure chest. Of course, I chose the 11-pull option. The thought of 5,000 yen flying away made me shiver. The treasure chest changed from silver to gold, white, and finally to rainbow.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Got a guaranteed UR! This is a win!"

The rainbow treasure chest was proof of a UR. And my target, the highest rarity, was Luna. The UR drop rate is about 1%, so this was very lucky. This must be my lucky day; even if it wasn't Luna, I'd have to double my efforts. As I thought this, the treasure chest opened, and items were released.

[R Iron Sword, R Iron Dagger, Healing Potion, R Iron Armor, SR Excalibur, R Copper Hoof, R Knuckle, SR Pot Lid, R Boots, Food, UR Invitation to Another World]

As you can see, the character drop rate in this game is heavily skewed. Food is an item to recover unit fatigue. ...This is terrible, too terrible. There's a UR, but the rest are mostly R! This game has rarity levels: R, SR, SSR, and UR. So, this time, the result is the worst: everything is SR or lower... Well, it's better than all R.

"Haha, that's what gacha is like... Well, one more time... Oh, I only put in enough for one 11-pull."

I was so focused on Luna that I accidentally only put in enough money for one 11-pull. I'm such a klutz. I was about to take out my magic card to pay more but then noticed something.

"Um, the item list? ...Oh, there it is."

---

[UR Invitation to Another World]

Proof of an invitation to another world. Using it allows you to travel to another world.

---

...What is this? What does this "invitation to another world" mean? The details don't provide any more information.

Maybe I'm the only one who got this? My deflated mood slightly improved. I searched the internet, but there was no information about this item. This means I might be the only one in the world who has it! Gufu, this feels great.

I was about to tap the item to use it but stopped to take a screenshot as evidence. I wanted to keep proof to show others who don't have it. After all, I wanted to brag.

After saving the screenshot, I forgot about the gacha and tapped the invitation. A confirmation appeared: "Are you sure you want to use this? Yes, No." The excitement reminded me of my childhood. Without hesitation, I tapped Yes, and the screen began to glow white.

"Whoa, what's this effect? It's amazing... Huh?"

I was admiring the light, but it gradually became so intense that my smartphone started to vibrate and shine so brightly I couldn't look at it. I tried to let go of the smartphone, but before I could, my vision turned completely white.