“Did you find it!? It was Yuuta, wasn’t it!” -Evie
It was two more days before the staircase to the second floor was found.
That day, I learned about the terrifying nature of women.
Especially in dungeons, one should never underestimate a woman’s desire for the opposite sex. I realized once again that humans are best off engaging in one-on-one romance. When approached with those enchanting lips, the will to resist just fades away.
“Eh, Evie. It hasn’t been that long since you contacted me, you’re quick.” -Yuuta
“Hehe, I wanted to see Yuuta as soon as possible before Misuzu arrives.” -Evie
Having a lot of people was something I thought was only ideal in adult magazines. Once out of the dungeon, I thought about consulting with Nagumo-san. But, I hesitated to consult someone who had been so kind to me about such a pathetic matter. I was always so indecisive.
“I can’t believe we really found it. It’s unbelievable. I thought it was impossible to find something like this when I was in America.” -Evie
And then, in front of us, was the staircase to the second floor. Despite various worries, I was relieved that we finally found the staircase. As I had heard, the staircase was about 2 meters elevated from the ground and covered a considerable area.
“I heard that if it’s the staircase to the first floor, you’d definitely know if you were close, but it was hard to find. I was a bit panicked, thinking we might have overlooked it.” -Yuuta
“Thank you again, Yuuta.” -Evie
Evie naturally hugged me. I would have thought it was just an American thing before staying over, but now it seemed like I had been targeted from the start. The day I first met Evie, I went home and looked up Americans.
Then, I found out that even for Americans, it’s quite rare to kiss someone from a hug when meeting for the first time. Yet, Evie kissed my cheek as if it were the most natural thing on the day we met. And now, our lips were about to meet again.
“Whoa, Evie!” -Yuuta
I hastily pushed Evie’s body away. I was the first to find the staircase and had contacted her, and about 15 minutes later, Evie joined up. Misuzu seemed to be quite far away, and looking at the map app, it looked like it would take about 30 minutes more for her to join us.
“We’re still far away.” -Evie
I showed that to Evie on my smartphone.
“Still. We agreed not to be too clingy.” -Yuuta
Anyway, I was afraid of Misuzu finding out, and I felt guilty.
I wanted to cry at my own pathetic inability to refuse when aggressively approached, but the last thing I wanted was to sneak around behind Misuzu’s back.
“Well, yes, but you have to give me a little time too, or I’ll sulk. I’ll stay away when she gets close, okay? I’m being considerate in front of Misuzu, aren’t I?” -Evie
“Yikes.” -Yuuta
“I told you it’s too early for you. Anyway, I’ll call you again, so you can go back now.” -Evie
As Evie said that, Lean’s body disappeared into a magic circle. Although she seemed dissatisfied, Lean obediently returned at her master’s command.
“Come to think of it, isn’t this the first time it’s just been Yuuta and me?” -Evie
After Lean disappeared, I realized it was the first time Evie and I were alone. Lean was always by our side. Evie approached me again and linked arms with me.
“This is okay, isn’t it?” -Evie
“…” -Yuuta
What could I say? She knew all too well my indecisiveness. But letting my guard down and becoming compliant would only invite more intense physical affection.
“Hey, how many gacha coins did you find?” -Evie
“Three.” -Yuuta
“I found 11. Seriously, three is way too few. Are you searching properly?” -Evie
“I feel like I might have overlooked some.” -Yuuta
“I also think I might have overlooked two or three, but you’re really bad at searching.” -Evie
“Misuzu is good at finding gacha coins.” -Yuuta
“Are you talking about that in front of me?” -Evie
“…” -Yuuta
“What’s wrong?” -Evie
“Ah, no…” -Yuuta
After all, hadn’t I said it was okay to be the third option? Wasn’t the agreement to defer everything to Misuzu in matters like this? I should have confronted her about it, but when faced with Evie’s beautiful blue eyes looking straight at me, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“Sorry.” -Yuuta
Why am I apologizing?
“Well, it’s fine.” -Evie
Evie, still attached to me, seemed in a good mood. Being in a relationship like lovers with Evie in secret, and the same with Misuzu. What should I say to Imari? I thought about punching my past self for being jealous of handsome guys, not realizing how painful being popular could be.
“Gacha! Gacha! Gacha!” -Misuzu
Misuzu seemed to be in a great mood coming to the gacha zone.
We managed to meet up with Misuzu safely, and decided to head to the gacha zone before descending the staircase to the second floor on our next dungeon visit.
“Misuzu, are you sure you only want to give Yuuta three coins? I mean, I plan to spin them all myself, but you have the worst luck with gacha, right?” -Evie
In most adventurer parties, gacha spinning is largely left to those with the best luck. After all, it’s definitely more profitable that way. However, for someone like Evie with immense financial resources, there’s no need to worry about money, and they can afford to spin all by themselves.
“But, my gacha luck is the worst. If I want to get a special equipment, I need to spin as much as possible, otherwise, I won’t get anything good. Even with my bad luck, there’s a chance I could get a rainbow capsule, and if I do, I could help everyone.” -Misuzu
“It’s said that getting a rainbow capsule is harder than winning the lottery. Well, if you insist, but without luck, you’ll only get useless things.” -Yuuta
“Still, I’ll keep trying. That’s the thrill of being an explorer.” -Misuzu
“Hmm, well, maybe… I don’t think you’ll get much good, but good luck.” -Yuuta
By the way, Misuzu had found 19 gacha coins. She found even those overlooked by others, as usual, her sensor capabilities were admirable. And our total gacha coins, including those found when all three of us were exploring together, came to 35.
“That means we can spin 350 times with one coin per ten spins.” -Yuuta
“I can spin 230 times myself, so even with my luck, surely I’ll get something good.” -Misuzu
“Misuzu, that’s tempting fate. And you’re planning to spin all the coins yourself, including those we found together? Here, give me three coins so you don’t spin them all yourself.” -Yuuta
“Boo.” -Misuzu
“What’s wrong with the flag?” -Yuuta
It seemed the translation device didn’t catch that properly, making Evie tilt her head in confusion. Misuzu and I exchanged looks and couldn’t help but laugh. Then, Misuzu started spinning the gacha first. She handed me three coins, so she had 160 spins to go.
“May the gacha gods grant me something good! Something good! Come on, rainbow! Come on, rainbow!” -Misuzu
“Gacha is all about probability. Wishing doesn’t change anything.” -Evie
“Evie, quiet! Take this!” -Misuzu
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. With each sound, only white capsules rolled out endlessly. But just when it seemed that was all,
“Oh!” -Misuzu
A silver capsule appeared.
“YESSSS! YAAAY!” -Misuzu
Misuzu was overjoyed, seemingly more so than when leveling up. Yet, as she continued, shake, shake, shake, shake. White capsules rolled out endlessly. However,
“It’s silver!” -Misuzu
“What, no way!? Misuzu, it’s your second time! Did you do something weird to the gacha!?” -Evie
“I did nothing. It’s just my usual good behavior paying off. Let’s get a rainbow this time!” -Misuzu
Misuzu, now in a great mood, managed to get another silver capsule.
The breakdown of everything spun was,
“We did it! We got something good!” -Misuzu
“Hmph, not bad for someone with gacha luck of one. Three silver capsules, one potion worth a million yen, one nameless bow, one nameless dagger, two bronze capsules with sets of ten arrows each, one 【Level Boost】 magic circle. Well, the rest were 112 food items, and the rest were just daily necessities and stationery. Misuzu, move over, it’s my turn next.” -Evie
“Evie, just one coin, please! I feel like I’ll get a rainbow next!” -Misuzu
“No way I’m giving you one. It’s my turn next, so watch closely. I won’t lose to Misuzu!” -Evie
Evie’s words seemed to carry an additional meaning, making me anxious. And that was the end of Evie being her usual confident self.
Shake, shake, shake, shake, gacha, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake sha, trouble. With each sound, white capsules rolled out endlessly.
“This! Is it broken!? It has to be broken! Why am I only getting white ones! Misuzu’s luck is 1, and mine is 2, right!? Isn’t that strange?! Aren’t gachas supposed to be completely random?!” -Evie
“Pfft, all white, all white.” -Misuzu
“Misuzu, it’s not nice to laugh at others.” -Yuuta
“Right, we shouldn’t laugh. No matter how many white capsules come out, we shouldn’t laugh at others. Really, we shouldn’t laugh.” -Misuzu
“Fine! I’m sure I’ll hit the jackpot soon!” -Evie
Shake shake shake shake shake shake white capsules kept rolling out endlessly.
“…” -Evie
“Uh, the laughing was just a joke. Just a joke, okay?” -Misuzu
“A bronze color came out! Yuuta, look! A bronze color!” -Evie
“Good for you, Evie! I’m sure you’ll start getting silver ones too!” -Yuuta
“That’s right! I’ll do my best! I won’t lose to Misuzu, just watch!” -Evie
Evie boldly hugged me in front of Misuzu. Misuzu, on the side, opened Evie’s bronze capsule without asking.
“Wow, Evie, a metal bat came out. They say bronze ones are worth about 10,000 yen, right? Is this worth about 10,000 yen??” -Yuuta
“”….”” -Evie&Misuzu
The atmosphere froze. I wanted to run away. Misuzu shouldn’t stir things up. She shouldn’t ignite Evie’s fighting spirit. I just wanted to escape from this situation. After 110 spins, the result of Evie’s gacha was,
“Pfft! 66 food items came out! Who’s going to eat all this?” -Misuzu
“This isn’t what I expected!” -Evie
“43 daily necessities! How are we supposed to use all these?” -Misuzu
“Why do I end up worse than Misuzu, who has the worst gacha luck?!” -Evie
The difference between gacha luck 2 and 1, referred to as a dice roll, should statistically be significant. Gachas are supposed to be completely random. Normally, a person with gacha luck 2 wouldn’t lose to someone with gacha luck 1. But it happened. I wondered if Misuzu’s determination affected the gacha results.
“Evie got just one bronze capsule, this metal bat. Use it to beat up some goblins, okay?” -Misuzu
“Yuuta, give me one gacha coin to prove Misuzu wrong! I’ll definitely get a gold one this time!” -Evie
“I won’t give you one. Oh, a potion came out.” -Yuuta
Then, I spun the gacha. A potion came out effortlessly.
“A million yen one, huh. Not that great.” -Yuuta
“This is why I can’t stand people with good gacha luck.” -Misuzu
“Misuzu, now I understand why you, with your terrible gacha luck, insist on spinning them all yourself.” -Evie
“Right? Right? By the way, was that a sarcastic comment? I don’t want to hear it from someone who only got a metal bat despite having better gacha luck.” -Misuzu
The two started arguing. This quarrel made me worry it might escalate into something more serious in the future. I prayed not to get castrated while spinning the gacha, and the result was,
“Ah, I’m speechless.” -Evie
“This is what a stratified society looks like.” -Misuzu
“Five gold ones for two potions worth 10 million yen each. One exclusive sword named Mikamaru [1] for me. One Mikamaru’s body armor. One SP fruit. Four silver ones for one potion worth 1 million yen. Two 【Earth Blast】 magic circles. One nameless dagger. Ten bronze ones for four 【Rock Bullet】 magic circles. Three potions worth 100,000 yen each. Two MP recovery potions. One SP recovery potion.” -Yuuta
The rest were food items and such for me too. But the gacha results were exceptionally good. To draw from deeper dungeon levels’ gacha, even gacha luck 5 might not be enough, but for Stone Gacha, this was more than sufficient. And the gacha has exclusive equipment for each person.
Exclusive equipment has unique names for each individual, and mine seems to be called Mikamaru. The more exclusive equipment you collect, the more buffs you get. Although it’s currently impossible, when rare materials appear, they can be synthesized, making it feel truly like a game.
These personalized equipments will not appear unless the person themselves spins the gacha. This serves as a reason why even those without gacha luck need to participate in spinning. There are ten types of personalized equipment in total, and the more you collect, the greater the buffs (status enhancements) you receive.
However, personalized equipment can only be obtained from gold capsules, and due to their low appearance rate, very few manage to collect them all. Most people end up enhancing nameless equipment to match the power of personalized equipment. However, no matter how much nameless equipment is enhanced, it does not receive buffs.
As for MP and SP recovery potions, it was the first time they appeared, but since there’s no demand for them in the market, they don’t gain value over regular potions based on rarity.
“Mikamaru? What does that mean?” -Yuuta
“It seems all the personalized equipment from the Stone Gacha are named after people from fantasy worlds. If you collect all the equipment, you’ll be able to understand their stories.” -Misuzu
“Why does my equipment have ‘beauty’ in its name?” -Yuuta
“That’s because…” -Misuzu
“Hey.” -Evie
Misuzu and Evie exchanged glances and nodded at each other at this moment.
“More importantly, try it on. I want to see what kind of buffs it gives.” -Misuzu
“I want to see that too.” -Evie
Prompted by the two, I took off my upper garments in the gacha zone, feeling their gazes on me as I donned the body armor. Both the armor and the sword were predominantly red, including the blade of the sword and the armor itself.
The armor looked like the sleek armor from a fujoshi game set in the Sengoku period, and it was pretty cool in appearance.
“Wow, that’s so cool.” -Yuuta
“Really. I wish mine would come out soon. I thought at least one would appear.” -Evie
“Yuuta, let’s check your status quickly.” -Misuzu
“Okay.” -Yuuta
Feeling awkward about the girls’ keen interest in me, I was also excited to check my status.
Name: Yuuta Rokujou
Level: 2→3
Job: Explorer
Race: Human
Title: Rookie
HP: 15→20
MP: 10→14
SP: 13→18
Strength: 16→19(+10)
Agility: 15→19(+10)
Defense: 15→20(+10)
Dexterity: 13→15(+10)
Magic Power: 12→14
Intelligence: 14→16
Charm: 16→24
Gacha Luck: 5
Equipment: Stone-grade 【Mikamaru’s Body Armor】
Stone-grade 【Mikamaru’s Flame Sword】
Bronze-grade 【Aristo】 (Barrier Value 100)
Silver-grade 【Magic Bag】 (200kg)
Magic: Stone-grade 【Rock Bullet】 (MP4)
Equipment Skill: Unapproved Stone-grade 【Flame Torrent】 (SP18)
Skill: Stone-grade 【Double Strike】 (SP3)
“Just having two pieces has added +10 to four different stats. Personalized equipment really is amazing.” -Evie
“People with a gacha luck of 3 usually don’t get their first personalized equipment until after the third floor. And look, you’ve got an equipment skill already. Just from having two pieces.” -Misuzu
“Flame Torrent? What does ‘unapproved’ mean?” -Evie
“It probably means you don’t have the required level yet. A skill that consumes SP18 would be too much for your current status. Plus, your stats have increased too much. This might not be good.” -Misuzu
“Why not?” -Evie
“It’s a bit different from a gun, but if your stats are too good, you might face some restrictions from the dungeon side.” -Misuzu
“The dungeon imposes restrictions for items obtained from the gacha?” -Evie
Evie asked, puzzled. Restrictions from the dungeon on individuals are rare and not widely known.
“The dungeon is really watching closely,” it’s said. In the beginning, there were many bugs in the dungeon, or so the story goes. However, whenever explorers discovered these bugs, they would be fixed by the next day. It’s said the standard for these corrections is something anyone can do. If leveling up becomes as effortless as yawning, it’s probably a sign to worry.” -Misuzu
“Really?” -Evie
“It’s just a rumor, but I’ve never heard of anyone, especially a newcomer, getting five gold capsules in a single gacha pull, even with a gacha luck of 5. It’s probably best not to take it too lightly, thinking it’s a cheat or something.” -Misuzu
“I see. Well, I’m glad I won’t be left far behind by Yuuta, but I was also curious to see how overwhelmingly strong Yuuta could become.” -Evie
“Haha. Even having just one personalized equipment piece is said to make you considerably stronger before reaching the second floor.” -Misuzu
“I see.” -Evie
Misuzu seemed genuinely envious, possibly feeling a bit of pressure for herself.
“So, this is in return for the three gacha coins you gave me.” -Yuuta
Saying that, I handed Misuzu the SP fruit. Unlike recovery potions, fruits increase basic stats.
“Is it really okay? I’ve heard that explorers who get something from a gold capsule would never eat it themselves. Besides, I can’t pay you a 10% commission for this.” -Misuzu
Misuzu was referring to the margin for gacha proxy services. People with poor gacha luck often let those with better luck spin for them, expecting to pay back 10% of the earnings.
“That’s right. Even if a rich person offers a billion for it, explorers wouldn’t sell it,” Evie added.
Gold capsules from the Stone Gacha are said to be worth about a million yen in rarity. However, the items explorers refuse to part with skyrocket in value.
“Even though fruits from the Stone Gacha are known, no one sells them because gold itself is hard to get with normal gacha luck, making it too precious to sell. And since nobody sells them, their actual market value is unknown.” -Misuzu
“It’s okay. I want both of you to know, my gacha luck is too good. On the other hand, Misuzu and Evie, who became my companions, have pretty bad gacha luck.” -Yuuta
“Ouch.” -Misuzu
“I think the dungeon is compensating for your lack of luck with my good fortune. So, even if I do gacha proxy for you, I don’t plan on taking any commission. After spinning the gacha this time, I realized I can get a lot of gold capsules. So, I want to use that to fill in what you two are missing in stats. Especially Misuzu, who doesn’t have a rare job, wouldn’t want to be left behind, right?” -Yuuta
“Yeah, I was really worried about that.” -Misuzu
“My stats can be sufficiently boosted by personalized equipment. So, if fruits come out, I plan on giving them to Misuzu and Evie.” -Yuuta
“Yuuta…” -Misuzu
“Yuuta, are you sure about that?” -Evie
“It’s fine. If we can’t raise the entire party’s level, we’ll just end up stuck somewhere.” -Yuuta
No matter how talented in combat or favored by the dungeon, one cannot enter the dungeon alone. Therefore, a party where only one person is significantly stronger is said not to last.
“Yuuta… thank you.” -Misuzu
“I’m honestly relieved to hear Yuuta say that. From the results of this gacha, it seems I also have a hard time getting gold capsules. Or rather, I should have given my coins to Yuuta as well. Even though it’s just the Stone Gacha and I thought my financial resources could compensate… I didn’t expect fruits to come out so easily. They’re said to be quite rare…” -Evie
Misuzu hesitated but eventually accepted and ate the SP fruit, increasing her SP by 4. In return, she hugged me and kissed my cheek, which I considered a sufficient reward.
I turned my attention to the large quantity of food, stationery, and daily necessities.
Interestingly, items from the gacha, when encapsulated, remained small in size. This feature allows the food that comes out of the gacha to be used as provisions during dungeon exploration.
This is why explorers can stay inside dungeons for extended periods without any issues. Most meals and daily necessities can be acquired from the gacha. If you’re skilled enough, living inside the dungeon poses no particular problem. It’s said that high-level explorers even choose to live in the deeper layers.
“Well, it’s just the gacha at the end of the first layer. I think there’s no need to rush. Anyway, I think everything that comes out of the gacha should be considered shared property.” -Yuuta
“If you, with your gacha luck of 5, say so, I have no complaints. But you never know what could cause disputes in the dungeon. Let’s properly keep track of the outcomes as financial records. That’s the least we should do.” -Evie
“Yeah, okay.” -Yuuta
Having Evie, who is not only wealthy but also has a solid sense of economy, is a blessing. Or perhaps it’s because of her strong economic sense that she’s wealthy. I tend to be too lenient with anything, so I decided to follow Evie’s advice.
The potions that came out were allocated for replenishment. As a result, there were hardly any items that could be converted into cash. Only necessities came out.
“About that 50 million yen repayment…” -Yuuta
“It’s fine. I never intended for it to be repaid anyway. Besides, I’ve heard you can get quite a lot of gacha coins on the second floor.” -Evie
Finally, we checked what items we had left. Two items worth a million yen each were gone. Misuzu had used them when she was injured while searching for the staircase alone.
Additionally, we had used 36 potions worth ten thousand yen each for healing injuries and fatigue, requiring a replenishment cost of 5.6 million yen.
Including food and other various expenses, this overnight stay cost about 6 million yen. This expedition cost was covered by the results of the gacha, including mine.
In the end, we decided to sell a potion worth 10 million yen.
“It’s a shame there weren’t many items to sell, but if we consider that we got what we needed, it’s definitely a boost for the party. With the items we could have sold from this gacha, we could have made over 100 million yen. With Yuuta, the next gacha is sure to bring in a substantial profit.” -Evie
“Most people have a gacha luck of 【3】, right? The minimum is said to be 2, so why is mine so low?” -Misuzu
“It can’t be helped. It’s said that those with bad gacha luck will always have bad luck.” -Yuuta
“I wish I was born with good gacha luck.” -Misuzu
“It’s still better that Yuuta has exceptionally good luck. If the entire party had bad luck, staying overnight would be impossible. We wouldn’t be able to afford to drink a potion worth ten thousand yen just to recover from a day’s fatigue. And since gacha food can be preserved and sold for a good price, it’s normal to sell it and eat cheaper food in the dungeon. In fact, making any income on the first floor is incredible. It’s said there’s hardly any income during the Stone Gacha.” -Evie
“My gacha luck…” -Yuuta
“Misuzu, you should definitely give more coins to Yuuta. Normally, you wouldn’t even be able to explore due to debt. Instead of hoping for the rare rainbow capsule, consider boosting your stats with the fruit Yuuta gave you.” -Evie
“Ugh… I’ll think about it.” -Misuzu
“Really?” -Yuuta
With my exceptional luck of 5, it seems I’ll be able to easily collect personalized equipment, and with Evie, who has a rare job as a summoner, we can expect a significant boost in our combat capabilities.
On the other hand, Misuzu’s archer job isn’t particularly rare, and her gacha luck is low. It’s said that people with low gacha luck and no rare job usually give up on being explorers quickly because they can’t collect personalized equipment.
If it was 2, it might be possible to compensate with fruits. But Misuzu’s luck is 1. She hardly gets any gold capsules, let alone rainbow ones. Considering she can’t get personalized equipment, the gap exceeds what can be compensated with fruits. Yet, there are high-level explorers who have overcome this, like Tanaka, who managed to summon a rainbow capsule.
“I’ve never gotten a gold capsule myself. But my comrades were different. They let me spin the gacha anyway.” -Tanaka
I remembered an interview with Tanaka. I want to spin the gacha because I enjoy it, but maybe it’s better if Misuzu spins her share. That might be the better approach.
TL Note(s)
[1] Mikarmaru = 美火丸. 美 is a kanji that can mean “beauty.” That is why Yuuta asks why “beauty” is in the name.
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