Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World

The labyrinth was a place where you could gain strength simply by returning alive. No one knew what kind of power or how much power they would gain, though.

However, the tendency of growth has been somewhat studied… Was what I had written in the settings.

First, the growth was likely to happen in the area that was most needed by that person. For example, someone who is weak or does a lot of physical work might see an increase in muscle strength.

There were unique cases, such as people in those cases obtaining heightened senses, a magician gaining aura, or someone obtaining a longer lifespan. But… these were extremely rare exceptions and could be disregarded.

Next was how much one grew. This too was simple.

Their amount of activity in the labyrinth, and their level of achievement determined the amount of growth.

For instance, a person who stayed put in a corner the whole time would grow less than someone who annihilated the monsters.

Even if they hadn’t killed a single monster, causing a meaningful change on that floor was also reflected in the growth rate.

In simple terms, it could be thought of as login bonuses, combat experience, and achievement experience. That had been what I had thought of when creating the setting after all.

Up to here, it was the power of the labyrinth directly seeping into one’s body.

To put it a bit more grandly, it could be said that fragments of the slumbering deities from the labyrinth were elevating the adventurer’s rank. This was the most common method of growth.

However, the labyrinth also held a chance for a dramatic turnaround besides this steady method.

That was the divine power and authority remaining in the remains of gods, and objects that belonged to the time of the War of the Fallen Gods.

Divine power and authority, which used that power as fuel. All of it was bestowed to one by a god, but that didn’t mean it was a power one could obtain without effort.

After all, priests were a type who could only wield power by paying the ambiguous concept of faith as a price.

But what if that god had died long ago? There would be no need to pay any price anymore.

In other words, the power of a dead god obtained from the labyrinth is a fragment of a miracle that can be exerted without any cost, a pleasure that could be enjoyed without responsibility.

However, since it was the power of a dead god, there was no room for further growth.

Next were items from the time of the War of the Fallen Gods… but there really wasn’t any point in talking about this.

To a humanity that has once been destroyed and rebuilt, ancient technology was lost technology, over-technology.

It’s only natural that the performance of weapons was unbelievably high. Ordinary furniture was sold at high prices to nobles, and books to historians… and when research materials were found, it was common for entire countries to become directly involved.

They said that even the most heinous of criminals, as long as they were not traitors, would be pardoned and that a commoner would be given a title, and nobles would be offered promotions along with various benefits had they found these items.

…To be honest, I hadn’t written this with this much detail. I had just written that the rare remnants of the ancient civilizations would be traded at high value when discovered occasionally.

But the people living here had added some sensible lore on their own.

Anyway, as such, the labyrinth was no different from a land of opportunity. Then, what did I gain from this labyrinth exploration?

“It has to be my luck that’s improved!”

There’s no basis for the assumption. After all, how much can one grow from just killing a few goblins on the first floor?

However, I wanted to believe that. Because from now on, I’m going to spin the gacha…!

Smiling goofily, I took out my wallet and the magic stones. The money I made from selling the goblin by-products to the guild was just over 60 copper.

It was a monster from the 1st floor, and the weakest one at that, so I understood why it was cheap. I should probably be thankful they’re even buying it.

After adding the money I already had to the room fee I paid to Ellie, I’m left with a whopping 72 copper in hand!

Considering that each goblin’s magic stone was valued at 3 copper, selling all 11 would have netted me 1 silver and 4 coppers… but I chose not to sell these magic stones and brought them with me instead.

There’s no special reason. I had just read that the magic stones could be used like money for the corresponding amount in the gacha system, so I wanted to give it a try.

“Gacha gacha.”

When I muttered the related word while thinking of the system, a bell chimed in my ear.

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]

With a fluttering heart, I held up 7 large copper coins each worth 10 copper, and 10 magic stones in my hand, focusing my mind on the single draw. Soon after, a question popped up.

[Would you like to proceed with [1 Draw]?]

“Ooh….”

So it was true that I could spin the gacha by mixing currency and magic stones. Next, it was time to check the exchange rate.

I knew that the guild was buying goblin magic stones for 3 copper each, but I needed to find out if the system calculated it at the same price.

If it pays more than what I can sell to the guild… Well, I might as well use it for the draw, though the other loot is likely another story.

I tried removing one magic stone.

[Insufficient funds.]

“Tch. So it doesn’t work.”

This time, I added one small copper coin worth 1 copper.

[Insufficient funds.]

“B, But if this works…!”

Finally, adding one more small copper coin, I looked at the system again.

[Insufficient funds.]

“Damn it, this thing.”

It didn’t work this time either. It seems the ‘equivalent amount of magic stones’ mentioned in the gacha system was based on the guild’s purchase price.

Of course, that purchase price wasn’t absolute. The market price of magic stones could fluctuate depending on various circumstances.

Well… The price of the lowest-grade magic stones, like those from goblins, which were supplied in huge quantities, doesn’t fluctuate much, so I’ll have to check that later.

I’d already experimented with every single possibility that didn’t use magic stones, such as how the gacha had a spare change function or how only the required amount of money was used even when holding an excess amount, so there wasn’t anything more to experiment with.

“Let’s get a 5-star with that single draw!!”

Though I will only be left with 4 copper after this gacha draw! Though I can get one additional draw if I save up 10 silver and do the 10 draw! None of that mattered to me! Because I wanted to roll the gacha right now…!

…I couldn’t help but think of the famous marshmallow experiment from my past life.

I’m sure I would have been one of the kids who couldn’t resist eating the marshmallow right away. However, since it later turned out that the experiment itself had been full of inconsistencies, wanting to spin the gacha right now must not be wrong either.

It’s natural to want to spend the money earned from my first labyrinth exploration on something meaningful. Yes. It’s all the labyrinth’s fault. I’m not to blame.

“Sigh….”

I took a deep breath to calm my mind. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I had to try everything I could.

Holding a magic stone and a coin in my right hand, I began to dance the dance I recalled seeing somewhere.

“A dance to increase gacha luck…!”

My arms, spread wide, wriggled like seaweed, and my hips swayed rhythmically from side to side in a strange movement.

Though I was aware that from a distance, I must have looked like a squirming worm, I passionately continued to dance for about a minute.

This should have triggered it. With a thumping heart, I spun the gacha.

Rollllllll….

With the sound reminiscent of dice rolling, the magic stone and copper coin vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, my heart began to thump wildly.

Shortness of breath. Vision blinded by diverse, shining colors. A laugh burst out of me, driven by the sensation that made it feel as though my entire body was floating.

Prepared to cheer at any moment, I waited…but the anticipated rift in space did not appear.

Instead, I was suddenly struck by a headache.

“Keuk…!”

It didn’t hurt too much. At most, the pain was akin to that of hitting your head on a corner as you were getting up.

However, even if it had been much more painful, I would have smiled. This pain was the same pain I had felt when I drew the pickpocketing skill… which meant it wasn’t a worthless item!

As I smiled, gripping my head, sure enough, a translucent notification window popped up instead of an item.

Ding!

[1 Star: Magic - Weak Flame]

“Wow…!”

It was indeed a skill! It’s a bit disappointing that it was only a 1-star, but drawing a skill in a single draw was definitely a win.

The pickpocket skill, which fell under a miscellaneous category, turned out to be quite useful once I tried it, but this time it was a magic skill. Although its rank is low, its practicality should be higher!

With a pounding heart, I absorbed the knowledge that had just been imparted into my head. Simultaneously, a warm sensation arose from my heart.

I transferred a speck of mana to my fingertips and uttered the spell.

“Weak Flame.”

Fwoosh.

A small flame ignited in the air, a short distance from my index finger. …And that was it.

I examined the flame on my hand from all angles and even tried shaking it, but nothing changed. It was just a small, cute flame.

“Is this a lighter or what…”

It didn’t last long and was soon extinguished. The reason was my lack of sufficient mana to use as fuel.

Having the ability to obtain mana without much trouble was indeed great, but the problem was that the amount I obtained was only enough to cast Weak Flame once.

What am I supposed to do with this…?

A sense of emptiness welled up from deep within me. Additionally, my heart began to feel slightly sore.

It was a soreness similar to what one might experience after a full sprint. Could this be a symptom of mana depletion? Even if it was just a tiny amount of mana, it seemed depletion symptoms appeared once it was all used up.

“Give me back my Meteor…”

In hindsight, I realized that not all skills were necessarily good. What mattered was the grade. Only a certain number of stars could satisfy me, Jonah Kim.

Feeling gloomy, I stared blankly at the 4 copper left in my hand. What on earth did I spend the 1 silver for?

With 1 silver, I could have had a full meal with plenty of meat, gotten myself a decent set of clothes, or bought proper crossbow bolts instead of these crudely fixed wooden arrows.

But I ended up blowing it on a lighter. And not just any lighter, but one that’s a defective mess requiring hours of waiting before it can be used again after just one use.

It’s a bit of an exaggeration to call it a catastrophic failure… since it had only been a single draw, but still, the signature feeling of emptiness after having messed up began to creep up on me.

The boiling dopamine seemed to have gone and jumped off a cliff, leaving behind an endlessly depressing sensation. But the moment I hit rock bottom… My perspective flipped.

“Huh?”

If it’s just at the level of a lighter, why not just use it as a lighter? Why try to use it in combat?

Rustle.

I opened the desk drawer and stuffed a few dried strands of mana grass into my mouth. Bitter, sour, and musty, but not inedible.

Why was it called mana grass? Because it contained traces of mana, that’s why.

Eating it raw was incredibly inefficient, but that didn’t matter since my mana pool was as small as a pinpoint anyway.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Lighters reminded me of cigarettes, and cigarettes reminded me of Ellie.

A good idea popped into my mind.