As soon as I returned to the room, I locked the door.
I did say something like “Hey Jonah, Ellie is mad at you,” but that’s really not the reason.
It’s about time to roll the gacha.
To be honest, the last gacha was not bad. After all, I gained mana and now have some magic, even if it’s just as a lighter substitute.
But if you ask me if it was thanks to my ultimate gacha dance, well, that’s a no.
The fact that I got skills is certainly good news, but it was at best a 1-star thing. More like I was due for a pick, and it happened.
“I must have been mistaken.”
Thinking it over, it’s only natural. The last gacha dance was ultimately based on the ritual from the previous life’s Holy Grail War.
It has nothing to do with the Pan Continent at all. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; I need to follow the laws of this world.
So I’ve chosen to give up the money I would earn over the next few years and go for the magical device, Lucky Strike, to increase my fortune.
And it doesn’t stop there. I pulled out a stick, slyly gathered from the Labyrinth.
It was a decent thickness, roughly the size of a child’s wrist. It wasn’t too solid, so I could easily carve it with my strength.
“I’m going to carve the Goddess of Love…!”
Sure, I could just buy a statue, but that gets pretty expensive.
After all, it’s the Goddess of Love. Even a cheap statue should at least capture the essence of beauty to be recognized as a goddess statue.
Maybe that’s why there’s high demand for it, as it’s more of a goddess merchandise than a religious symbol.
…And we all know that weebs bring in the bucks!
There are devout believers, but there are also quite a few who simply collect the statue because they like the Goddess of Love.
It’s common knowledge among the makers that even if they use cheap materials for goddess statues, they pour their heart and soul into them. And they charge ludicrous prices for it, claiming that this beauty is proof of faith.
Yes, poor folks can buy prints of the goddess’s picture or cheap heart-shaped symbols, but it’s understood on the Pan Continent that such things lack sincere effort.
It’s truly disgusting how they assign value based on effort and quality…
But anyway, it just means that items imbued with sincerity—another way of saying faith—are important.
Even if the quality isn’t high, if I made it to the best of my ability, that proves my sincerity.
The people of this world, especially the priests, might foam at the mouth if they heard this, but… I’m the one who created the Goddess of Love!
I know best that she’s not the kind of goddess who would play favorites just because I butchered the carving…!
“You know I really like her, right??”
I muttered while looking up at the ceiling, one hand holding the wooden stick and the other lifting a dagger.
*
Crap.
After inspecting the completed statue from all angles, I flipped it upside down and saw that there was not a pretty angle in sight.
Only after confirming this did I reverse the conclusion I reached earlier.
It’s seriously messed up!
Not just messed up!
“What the hell did I do…”
After about 30 minutes of effort, what was completed was a hideous monster.
A long body sprouting four tentacles. The face resembled a twisted amalgamation of human malice.
And what about that awkward pose? I was definitely trying to adopt a standard pose of gently spreading my arms and showing a benevolent expression…
What stared back at me was a monster securing its prey with tentacles all around.
I may have gained some dexterity with the pickpocket skill, but that doesn’t mean I’ve developed any artistic sense.
My inner conscience whispered. No matter how I look at it, this is not right. After a moment of thought, I quietly replied.
“Well, it’s done.”
If this is my best, there’s nothing I can do. Just because the result turned out this way doesn’t mean I was careless in making it.
I placed the goddess statue on the desk and knelt in front of it.
Then I carefully put a pouch containing all the money I earned today before the statue, treating it like an offering.
About 2 silver from selling gems and monster byproducts. Around 50 silver from selling Gale’s possessions. 30 silver from selling Gale. And 2 gold from Eve.
With this money, I could fully equip myself with 2nd tier gear, stock up on high-grade potions as spare lives, or buy various magical devices to enhance convenience in battle.
It would take some time, but I could enroll in a low-level magic training course at the mage tower. My mana might be as small as a platypus’s eyelash, but it would certainly be helpful.
But I set aside all that potential for growth and chose to.
Ding!
[Standard draw]
-Consume cash or an equivalent gem to randomly obtain items or skills ranging from 1 to 5 stars.
[1 draw] [10+1 draw]
If I get even one proper pull, I’ll be ahead of the game, right? It’s a whopping 280 rolls, something good has to come out!
“Please, 5 stars! Please, 5 stars! Please, 5 stars!!!”
I clasped the gem part of the Lucky Strike with both hands, praying desperately.
Maybe it just so happens that the world I’ve set up exists, and that my reincarnated self exploded by accident, and that I happened to be incarnated in this world…
But if all of this was orchestrated by someone, there’s a high chance that someone is the Goddess of Love. All other gods are dead, after all.
If that’s the case, the one who gave me this system must also be the Goddess of Love. And she’s a character I’ve personally created.
If she grants me just a single 5-star pull, then I could forgive everything that has happened until now…!
With a fervent heart, hoping it reaches the goddess rolling around in the depths of the Labyrinth, I pressed the gacha button.
“Spin, Star of Gacha!”
Ding!
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
…
“What the…?”
I knew the odds were terrible with over 90% being 1-star, and that Mana Herb pops up the most.
But I’ve never gotten nothing but Mana Herbs before, so I was momentarily flustered.
“…This must be because of that ugly statue!”
I burned the hideous statue of something that poorly mimics a human with a feeble flame. Standing proudly before the blazing statue of the goddess, I exclaimed.
“Goddess! Please accept this offering!”
For some reason, I felt chills down my spine, but I tried to shake off the unease and glared at the gacha button. Since I made a sacrifice, surely the next result will be different!
“Ugh!”
I closed my eyes tight and spun the gacha again.
Ding!
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Large Pouch]
[1 star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1 star: Shoddy Wooden Shield]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1 star: Sturdy Rope]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Refined Iron Bar]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
…
“Oh…”
I shoved the Mana Herbs into the newly obtained pouch, pushed the shield and iron bar under the bed, and finally allowed myself to smile comfortably.
That hideous carving must have been the problem. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but it seems I got more usable items this time, despite them all being 1-star.
I felt a hunch coming on.
“The southeast wind is blowing.”
Even in a completely still room, I wondered what nonsense that was, but anyway, what can I do about that feeling?
To keep this momentum going, I kept pressing the gacha button.
The contents of my wallet dwindled rapidly, and the notification window followed suit.
Ding!
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Wooden Arrow]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[2 star: Multi-purpose Belt]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Processed Recovery Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
…
[2 star: Skill – Unhesitating Pathfinding]
…
[2 star: Masterpiece – For Sale. The Fall of the Royal Family. Never used.]
…
[3 star: Unicorn Horn]
…
[2 star: Low-grade Mana Recovery Potion]
…
[3 star: Ability – Gluttonous Stomach]
…
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
[1 star: Well-dried Mana Herb]
…
“Huh?”
As my money disappeared in an instant, piles of Mana Herbs stacked up enough to serve as bedding, I noticed an alert that I couldn’t ignore.
“Two 3-stars? Plus a 2-star skill?”
As I was about to reread the notification, a sudden sharp pain shot through my head. At the same time, I felt something deep inside shift uncomfortably, causing cold sweat to flow down my face.
The headache must have been that skill’s doing, but… the strange sensation in my body must be due to the transfer of the ability.
As I hunched over, groaning, a moment later, all pain vanished as if it had never existed.
And unfamiliar memories, yet mine, floated to the surface.
First, the Unhesitating Pathfinding skill is precisely what it sounds like—it’s the ability to find paths. But, as a 2-star skill, it’s far from ordinary.
It’s not just about not getting lost; it also helps discover secret passages, gather clues about whether a path is dangerous, and supports spatial awareness.
Once again, it’s not a skill that directly enhances combat power, but it’s definitely handy for exploring the Labyrinth.
Next up is the Gluttonous Stomach ability. I never expected to get an ability from a gacha draw, but then again, if skills popping up is strange, it seems odd to be shocked about this too.
The effect of the Gluttonous Stomach that I instinctively grasped was simple.
“I can perfectly digest anything edible.”
I’ll have to test it out for specifics, but being a 3-star ability, it surely won’t be useless.
I’m already making good use of my pickpocket skill; after all, this is an ability!
Lastly, the Unicorn Horn. I know it’s a high-grade material, but…
“So what do I do with it?”
I gazed at the sparkling, pure white horn as it shone when I touched it.
Is it an artifact detector…?
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