Chapter 5: Let's Be Kind (3)
I placed my hands on my waist and glared sharply.
“Really… Ellie. Why didn’t you sneak into my room last night? I even left the door open on purpose!”
“Jonah, what exactly do you think of me as…?”
“A cowardly wolf who can’t even seize what’s handed to them?”
Ellie sighed deeply as I pouted and responded.
“Today is the first day you’re entering the labyrinth, and you’re joking around like this? Don’t exhaust yourself and put yourself in danger. You should really be more alert.”
“Tsk tsk. It’s the opposite, Ellie.”
I clicked my tongue and flicked my extended index finger back and forth. Then, I confidently pointed my index finger at Ellie and exclaimed.
“It’s because I don’t know what will happen in the labyrinth that I must live each day without regrets!”
“…You have the mindset of a great adventurer, considering you haven’t killed a single monster yet.”
After a momentarily dazed expression, Ellie chuckled and lightly tapped my head.
After laughing for a while, she carefully straightened my clothes with gentle movements.
“Since Lydia is going with you, you probably won’t get seriously hurt… But still, a labyrinth is a labyrinth. Come back in one piece, alright?”
Ellie didn’t look up at me, instead focusing on my clothes. Perhaps it’s because she only has one hand, but her movements were slow and awkward.
Her voice was full of affection and concern. Even considering that hybrids have a soft spot for children, Ellie’s attitude was far from ordinary.
And it wasn’t as if I didn’t understand why she was doing this.
After looking at Ellie’s empty sleeve for a moment, I abruptly grabbed her hand.
“Ellie…”
“Hmm?”
The hand of a warrior, which must have once been covered in calluses, had become as soft as the time she had put down her spear.
Fiddling with Ellie’s palm for no reason, I continued speaking.
“I’m going to charge you if you keep groping me while pretending to smooth out my clothes.”
“No, that’s not- I can’t help it! I only have one hand!”
“Haah. If you just want to touch me, you should just say so.”
I grabbed Ellie’s hand and pulled it towards my stomach. For some reason, in this gender-reversed world, a man’s stomach was considered a private area.
Slight exposure was okay but considered provocative, and fully showing or touching was completely off-limits.
Right. If I had to say, it’s similar to how women’s breasts are perceived on Earth.
Gulp.
Ellie swallowed audibly enough for me to notice. As her hand got closer to my stomach, the tension also heightened.
Just as Ellie’s fingertips were about to touch my stomach, I stopped guiding her hand and stood slightly on my tiptoes.
My face drew close enough for our breaths to mingle. Directed at Ellie, who was stiff with tension, I whispered, in quite a ticklish voice if I say so myself.
“Touching over the clothes is 1 silver, under is 10 silver. Which one?”
“…….”
Ellie’s eyes wavered.
That day, I received 10 silver coins.
The place I was supposed to meet Lydia was none other than this place, the Fairy and Silver Coin.
But there was still some time before Lydia arrived. So, I planned to use the money I just earned to do some gacha in the meantime.
Just like Ellie, who was still staring dazedly at her hand, even if Lydia was there, one never knows what may happen in the dungeon.
“Ellie. I left something in my room, so I’ll go back for a bit.”
“Okay….”
“Don’t come peek this time, alright?”
“Okay….”
I walked past the dazed Ellie and headed towards the corner of the upper floor. Of course, I hadn’t actually left something behind, and just planned to spin the gacha without anyone knowing.
Because there’s no temporary storage, the results of the gacha all fell on the floor.
Click.
“Sigh.”
I locked the door and took a deep breath.
The cost for a single gacha spin is 1 silver. Opting for a 10-spin gacha—a consecutive gacha—grants you an additional spin as a bonus.
Naturally, spinning the consecutive gacha is more advantageous compared to the single spin since you receive an extra spin as a bonus… but honestly, I wasn’t fond of it.
I would have preferred a bonus that guaranteed a minimum number of stars rather than merely increasing the number of spins.
I’m not exactly sure about the rates of this cursed gacha system, but after the initial free one, I had done three consecutive gachas and only received 1-star items.
1-star items are the lowest grade, where selling off all 11 items would barely net you 3 silver.
Thinking of it as mileage, the exchange rate seemed pretty sweet, but what’s the point if there’s no cap and you can’t make a guaranteed purchase with mileage? The only option left is to use it for another gacha roll.
However, considering the usefulness of the pickpocketing skill obtained from the first free consecutive roll, I assumed 2-stars would at least break even, and 3-stars would definitely yield a profit.
Viewing it from this perspective, I could somewhat understand the despairingly low odds.
You shouldn’t expect to profit from gacha in the first place, right? You just roll because there are items you can only obtain through gacha…
For instance, if this is what 3-stars are like, imagine the power of 4 and 5-stars.
Perhaps the Meteor skill, a hallmark of the Red Magic Tower? The hidden secret technique of the Sword Emperor family? Maybe even a national treasure-level artifact or an elixir capable of reviving the dead could emerge.
Regardless, these were items I would never be able to acquire through normal means, no matter how much money I amassed or how great a person I became.
“Hehehe….”
Just the thought of it spiked my dopamine, and my entire body began to tremble with excitement.
Clutching the 10 silver I had just earned, I activated the gacha system.
Ding!
[Normal Draw]
Use cash or an equivalent amount of magic stones to randomly obtain items and skills between 1~5 stars.
[1 Draw] [10+1 Draws]
A very simple screen. The system didn’t explain anything, not displaying what items could come out or the odds.
But to me, it was my window to a golden future…!
“Let’s get a 5-star!!”
Without hesitation, I pressed the Draw button. At the same time, I felt the weight of the silver coins disappear from my hand.
There was no special drawing animation. This wasn’t a game, so that’s to be expected. However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any signs of change.
Clatter…
There was the sound of dice rolling that only I could hear. After tumbling around noisily for a while, the dice gradually came to a stop, and soon everything went completely silent.
Then, not long after, a small hole opened up in the air.
Vwoom-
An unidentifiable rift in space. Something poured out from beyond it.
“Let’s see.”
As I reflexively caught the falling objects, a list of the items simultaneously appeared before my eyes.
Ding!
[1-star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-star: Processed Healing Herb]
[1-star: Thick Socks]
[1-star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[1-star: Processed Healing Herb]
[1-star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
[2-star: Wrist Crossbow]
[1-star: Lowest-Grade Healing Potion]
[1-star: Wooden Arrow]
[1-star: Well-Dried Magic Herb]
“No! My 5-star!!!”
Once again, the excitement that had enveloped my whole body drained away after witnessing yet another 1-star list. Replacing that space was anger.
I have no idea who gave me this ability, but if I could meet them, I’d seriously want to ask how their parents are faring. That was the level of anger that submerged my thoughts.
Just how much do you think I’ve invested here!!!
Because of that, I was late to notice.
“Grrrrr…huh?”
Just now. Wasn’t there a 2-star mixed in among them?
When I carelessly threw the handful of weeds onto the desk, the small crossbow finally revealed itself.
“Oh?”
I carefully placed the crossbow on the bed and started to organize the rest of the items first.
In the first drawer, I put the overly abundant mana herbs, and in the second drawer, the healing herbs.
Having learned my lesson after being kidnapped, I plan to consume those myself rather than sell them…but eating them as is won’t have any effect. They need to be refined properly.
So, for now, I’ve set aside the mana herbs and the healing herbs and looked at the rest of the items.
A lowest-grade potion, huh? This will go in my pocket for the labyrinth. The wooden arrow I placed on the desk, and the thick socks…I wore them. They’re warm.
After sorting through the various items, I carefully picked up the crossbow.
It was sturdy, made of solid wood reinforced with iron here and there. Except for its size, it was identical in shape to the crossbows I was familiar with.
However, there was one peculiar feature: the crossbow had a built-in leather bracer on the bottom.
Just like its name suggests, a wrist crossbow, it seems I’m supposed to wear this on my arm.
I firmly fixed the bracer on my left arm. Surprisingly, the significant weight felt reassuring. It’s a size that even my child-sized body can use without any problem.
“Hmm….”
I first examined it from various angles while wearing it. It does look cool. …But how do I use this?
I looked at the wooden arrows placed on the desk. They were too long compared to my crossbow.
“I guess I could just break them.”
After breaking the arrow to a length that fits the crossbow, I tried hooking it onto the string. It seems to fit.
I broke some more arrows to a similar length, put them in my pouch, then went down to the first floor. There, an expressionless female knight was waiting for me.
“You’ve finally come down.”
“Miss Lydia? When did you arrive?”
“Just a moment ago. …What’s that on your arm?”
“Cool, isn’t it? It’s called a wrist crossbow!”
“I know. I also know it’s quite expensive for Jonah’s budget. Where did you get it? It definitely wasn’t there yesterday. Don’t tell me…?”
“It’s not what you think! This is simply…”
I can’t say that I just pulled it from a gacha. After all, it wouldn’t do me any good for others to know about this ability.
So, there was only one excuse I could use.
“I had my eye on it and took it while leaving the Twin Daggers Clan!”
“…So it’s loot that should have been mine?”
“What?”
“About 20 silver, I’d guess. Let’s ask for details at the guild’s blacksmith.”
“Excuse me? Miss Lydia?”
“Let’s go. Even if it’s a standard model, it’ll take some time to fit it to Jonah’s body.”
“You’re really going to get some?! Actually?!”
I would have just left it in the room if I knew this would happen! I didn’t think I would fall into more debt after experiencing the joy of pulling a 2-star…
Despite my writhing in frustration, Lydia paid no attention and nodded towards Ellie, who was still out of it.
“Don’t worry, Senior Ellie. We’ll be back before nightfall.”
“…Yeah.”
I extended my hand out towards the dazed Ellie as if reaching out to her.
“Ellie…!”
But Lydia caught me.
Grasp!
“Let’s go.”
“……”
I inferred from her aura that I would be dragged away even if I resisted, so I nodded reluctantly with teary eyes.
“I’ll be back, Ellie….”
“…Yeah.”
Ellie had been out of it until the end. Just how much did she like it?
Maybe I should charge her double next time.
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