Episode 26

I locked the door as soon as I returned to my room. I had told Ellie I was mad at her, but that wasn’t the real reason. The truth was, I needed to spin the gacha now.

To be honest, the last gacha wasn’t half bad. After all, I gained some mana, and although it was barely more useful than a lighter, I could use magic, couldn’t I? But if you were to ask me if that was thanks to my wholehearted gacha dance, the answer would be no.

The fact that I pulled a skill was certainly positive, but it was only a 1-star. It felt more like it had been pulled because it was simply time for it to be pulled.

“I was thinking about it all wrong.”

This realization was obvious. The gacha dance was, after all, a ritual from the Holy Grail War of my previous life. It’s a ritual that has nothing to do with the Pan Continent. Like the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” one must adhere to the laws of this world.

Therefore, I was willing to forego the money I could receive for the next few years in exchange for the magic tool Lucky Strike, which enhanced my luck. And it doesn’t end there; I also pulled out a branch I had sneaked from the labyrinth.

It was about as thick as a child’s wrist. It wasn’t too hard inside, so I could easily carve it with my strength.

“I’ll make a carving of the Goddess of Love…!”

Sure, buying a statue was an option, but that was surprisingly expensive. After all, it was the Goddess of Love. Even the cheapest sculpture had to embody a minimum level of beauty to be recognized as a statue of the goddess.

Perhaps that’s why, rather than serving as a religious symbol, there’s a high demand for merchandise related to the goddess.

…And otaku culture makes money!

Some were devout believers, but there were also quite a few who simply adored the Goddess of Love and collected her statues.

Naturally, those who crafted them were well aware of this. So, when it came to the goddess’s statues, they exerted their utmost effort, even when using inexpensive materials. Subsequently, they would charge an exorbitant amount of money for them, claiming that the beauty was indeed a testament to their faith.

For the less affluent, prints of the goddess or merely the symbol of a heart were sold at a more affordable price… but the prevailing wisdom across the continent was that these lacked any real sincerity.

It’s utterly reprehensible that they commodified devotion and judged its quality… But, that means what truly mattered was whether the object embodied devotion, or in other words, faith, right?

Even if the quality was subpar, if it was crafted to the best of my ability, then that alone should attest to my sincerity. The people of this world, especially the priests, might have been apoplectic if they heard this… but, in the first place, I was the one who created the Goddess of Love!

I know better than anyone that she wasn’t a goddess who favored her believers based on the quality of their sculptures…!

“You know how much I love you, right??”

Looking up at the ceiling, I whispered to her, then hoisted a wooden block in one hand and a dagger in the other.

I’m so screwed.

Even after inspecting the completed statue from every angle—north, south, east, west, and even flipping it upside down—there wasn’t a single attractive feature to it. Only after this thorough examination did I revise my previously drawn conclusion.

I’m fucking screwed! This is beyond screwed!

“What on earth have I created….”

After about 30 minutes of intense effort, what I had fashioned was a monstrosity. It featured a slender torso with four tentacles sprouting from it. The face, a haphazard amalgamation, bore the semblance of a human’s malice.

And what was with that awkward pose? I had definitely intended to create a standard pose of her spreading her arms lightly to the side with a benevolent expression… But what stood before me was a monster, its tentacles reaching out in every direction to capture its prey.

Though acquiring pickpocketing skills had improved my dexterity, it seems they hadn’t brought along any artistic sense, my inner conscience whispered to me. This seriously isn’t right. After a moment of contemplation, I quietly answered it.

“Well, whatever.”

If this was my best, then so be it. Just because the result turned out this way didn’t mean I had been careless.

I placed the statue of the goddess on the desk and knelt in front of it. Then, I carefully placed the pouch containing all the money I had earned today in front of the statue, as if offering a tribute.

Approximately 2 silver from selling the magic stones and monster loot. About 50 silver from selling Gale’s belongings. 30 silver from selling Gale. And 2 gold from Eve.

With this money, one could fully equip themselves with gear suitable for Floor 2, stock up on high-grade potions considered as extra lives, and purchase various magic tools to enhance convenience in battle.

And it might take some time, but one could also enroll in a basic magic attribute course at the Mage Tower. Though my mana was about as significant as a platypus’s eye booger, it would surely be of help.

But, disregarding all these possibilities for growth, what I chose was…

Ding!

If even one of them were a hit, it was more than worth the investment. It’s a whopping 280 draws. Something’s bound to come out!!

“Please, a 5-star! Please, a 5-star! Please, a 5-star!!!”

Clasping the jewel part of the Lucky Strike with both hands interlocked, I prayed fervently.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that a world identical to the one I’ve created exists, that my past life ended in an explosion by mere chance, and that I’ve possessed a boy in this world by another stroke of luck…

But if all this happened under someone’s guidance, that someone is likely the Goddess of Love. After all, all other gods are dead.

If that’s the case, then it was also the Goddess of Love who gave me this system. And the Goddess of Love is a character I created myself, one I consider like my own child.

If only she granted me a 5-star now, I could forgive everything that has happened to me so far…!

Hoping this earnest wish reached the goddess, who might be rolling around in the deepest part of the labyrinth right now, I pressed the gacha button.

“Spin, dear star of gacha!”

Ding!

“……?”

What is this?

I was well aware that the probability on this gacha was terrible, with more than 90% of the items being 1-star. I also knew that magic herbs were the most common among them.

But it was the first time I’d pulled only magic herbs, which momentarily flustered me.

“…It must be because of this monstrosity!”

I burned the grotesque statue mimicking a human with Weak Flame. Standing boldly in front of the blazing effigy of the heretical god, I exclaimed.

“Goddess! Please accept this offering made for you!”

A chill ran down my spine for some reason, but I forced myself to ignore the unease and glared at the gacha button. I’ve made my offering, so the next one has to be different!

“Argh!”

I closed my eyes tight and spun the gacha again.

Ding!

“Ah…”

After carelessly stuffing the magic herbs into the pouch and shoving the shield and iron ingot under the bed, I could finally smile comfortably.

It seems that the monstrosity I just dealt with had been the problem. I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but even for the same 1-star, it feels like I got better items than usual.

I had a hunch.

“The southeast wind is blowing.”

One might wonder what kind of nonsense this was, standing in a room without a hint of wind, but anyway, that was just how it felt.

To continue the current momentum, I pressed the gacha button repeatedly. The contents of my wallet dwindled quickly. Correspondingly, the notification window stretched longer.

Ding!

“Huh?”

All my money disappeared in an instant, and when the magic herbs had piled up enough to be used as a bed, I discovered a notification that couldn’t be ignored.

“Two… 3-stars? And a two-star skill on top of that?”

In a daze, I tried to read the notification again, when.

“Ugh!”

My head began to hurt as if it were being tightly squeezed. At the same time, I broke out in a cold sweat from the sensation of something deep inside my body changing.

The headache must be from the skill…but this strange feeling inside, was it from the process of the power being transplanted?

Once I curled up into a ball, groaning, it took a moment before all the pain disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.

And then, memories that were mine but unfamiliar surfaced in my mind.

First, Hesitation-Free Pathfinding was literally the ability to pathfind. However, fitting for a two-star, it was not at the ordinary level.

Starting from the simple method of not getting lost to the knack for finding secret passages, clue collecting to discern if a path was dangerous or not, and even the spatial awareness to assist all of this.

It was disappointing that it wasn’t a skill that directly enhanced combat ability, but it was certain that it was a useful skill for overall labyrinth exploration.

Next was Gluttonous Stomach. I never expected a power to come out from the gacha, but if we’re going to question that, then it’s strange for skills to appear in the first place.

The effect of the Gluttonous Stomach, which I knew instinctively, was simple.

‘If it’s something edible, it can be digested perfectly.’

I’ll have to test out the details, but since it’s 3-star, it’s definitely not a useless power.

I’m already making such good use of the pickpocketing skill, and this was a power.

The last thing was the unicorn’s horn. I understand this is a suuuper high-quality material but…

“So, where do you use it?”

I gazed at the pure white horn, which shone brightly the moment I touched it.

Is this some kind of virgin discernment device…?