[UNLIMITED GACHA UNLOCKED – 1x Daily Draw Available]
[Would you like to pull now?]
Takuya stared at the floating screen for quite a long time. He was still hesitant to touch it. The last time he did a gacha, the result was trash, but his addiction to gacha made him curious again. However, he hesitated once more right before doing it.
"What if the one that appears is a bear and it instantly mauls me?" Takuya shook his head. He did not want to die. "But... in the novels, manga, manhwa, or manhua I read, the summoned creature should obey the summoner. This is worth trying."
[Yes/No]
Takuya already raised both of his hands, but he still hesitated. Everything indeed felt familiar, yet experiencing it directly was an entirely different matter.
"Will I walk the path of an anti hero?" Takuya muttered softly.
He always imagined becoming the main character in a novel and playing the role of an anti hero. It made him feel cool. Someone who looked evil, destroying many things for the sake of a greater good.
Takuya nodded slightly. He smiled to himself while imagining it. "Oh, this is interesting."
Takuya pressed the [Yes] button with confidence.
A blinding blue light burst out from the hovering screen. The air around him trembled, as if something was trying to break through from another dimension. A magic circle gleamed on the floor, forming a complex pattern that reminded him of classic magic anime.
It looked slightly similar to the summoning circle that brought him into this world. Takuya swallowed hard, waiting with a pounding heart.
Then, from the swirling radiant light... something appeared.
Something very small.
Plop!
The object fell right at Takuya's feet. There was no explosion. No tremor. No dragon roar or the sound of a giant tiger. Only the soft thud of something dropping, like a fruit falling from a table. Takuya froze, spacing out for a long moment because he was confused.
"...What is this?" Takuya murmured.
He bent down.
An apple.
Fresh red. Shiny. Half cut, even with a bite mark on its end. It was not something he expected. In isekai novels, people usually received overpowered abilities, but... he only got an apple. Just an apple. Nothing more.
"..."
Takuya was stunned. A silent breeze slipped past his ear.
"...WHAT IS THIS?!" he finally shouted, breaking the silence.
[Congratulations!]
[You have summoned: Apple]
[Effect: Unknown.]
[Try eating it?]
Takuya blinked several times. He waited for further explanation, but nothing came. There was no mysterious narrator voice. No elf woman appearing from the light to explain anything. Just an apple. A piece of apple. Not moving, without any magical phenomenon at all.
[Try eating it]
"It might be a poisonous apple," he muttered while staring suspiciously at the little fruit.
But the sweet aroma tempted him. Fresh. His stomach suddenly growled, and he realized he had not eaten anything since he arrived in this world.
"If this were in a Manhua, this apple would be a legendary item. An apple left by an ancient God hundreds of years ago." Takuya nodded repeatedly, hoping that was true.
He wanted to eat the apple, but the fruit looked more like dessert.
He stood up, looking around. No servant came. He sat back down, staring at the apple again. Takuya felt disappointed because no one brought him any food.
He was completely forgotten.
"It seems I have no other choice," he sighed softly.
With slight hesitation, Takuya lifted the apple. Then he took a bite.
"Itadakimasu!"
In an instant, his eyes widened. He was shocked. The apple tasted unbelievably good. He was sure it was the best apple he had ever eaten. Takuya devoured it eagerly.
After finishing the apple completely, he sat still for a long time, crossing his legs. He hoped something unique would happen to his body. He stretched both arms, hoping to gain a cheat skill or maybe receive an elf girl or at least a useful weapon.
Unfortunately, nothing happened.
"What is this? Why is it useless? Where is the power that can conquer the world?" Takuya complained.
Takuya reached toward the screen still floating in front of him. He tried touching the [Gacha Draw] button again. The screen instantly changed.
[Daily Gacha has been used.]
[Reset time: 6 Hours 32 Minutes remaining]
"Huh...?!"
He stared at the notification like it was a curse. He could not believe it. His finger tapped the screen again, trying to force the system, hoping there was an extra option, anything!
[Failed!]
[Failed!]
[Failed!]
"I am sure there is something hidden."
He pressed again and again.
[Failed!]
[Gacha can only be performed once per day.]
[Would you like to buy an additional ticket?]
[Yes. No]
Without thinking, Takuya chose "Yes".
[Sorry! Shop feature not yet available.]
[Account level too low! Reach level 30 first!]
"So it really is only once per day? If so... I am just an ordinary human trapped in a foreign world without a cheat ability. Isn't this unfair? Even my stats are bad. Isn't this too much?" he complained.
Takuya clicked his tongue in frustration. His only hope of surviving in this world was... gacha? And once per day? Even then, the result was just an apple. He did not know what he would get tomorrow. If the result was trash again, he would curse everyone he met.
"At this rate, I will die before getting a Rare item or skill!" he groaned.
Takuya lay down on the filthy straw inside the horse stable. The smell of urine and leftover dirt still lingered on the floor. The stomping and loud snorts from the horse beside him made him wince. It was hard to sleep.
"Why are they so noisy," Takuya complained.
He closed his eyes. Forcing himself to sleep despite the itchiness, cold, and noise stabbing his ears.
Before long, his breathing slowed.
Takuya fell asleep.
**
The next day, he woke up and walked to find the servants, but they ignored him. Takuya kept insisting and eventually he managed to meet Seraphina in the training hall.
When Takuya arrived, Seraphina only glanced at him briefly. After that, she looked toward the three other heroes.
"Why did you come here?" Seraphina said sharply.
"Hey, lady!" Takuya said with a slightly raised tone. "You all summoned me into this world. At least give me proper facilities."
"What did you get from your Gacha skill today?"
Takuya scratched his head. He hesitated to answer because if he told the truth, he would be looked down on even more. But if he lied and could not prove anything...
He was done for!
"Hahaha, I have not done it yet," Takuya replied while scratching his head.
"You only got an apple, right?" Seraphina said.
Takuya froze instantly. His eyes widened and he swallowed hard. Seraphina already knew what happened.
"You were spying on me? That is very rude," Takuya complained.
"Tomorrow we will go to the forest to level up. You may come and we will give you proper food. Do not be late. And... tomorrow will be the day of proving yourself. If you are useless, then you will be thrown away."
Seraphina said that without even looking at Takuya. In this world, potential and skill were everything.
If you had an overpower skill, then you would be the strongest and respected. But if the opposite happened, you would be looked down upon.
Like Takuya, who only had one skill: [Daily Gacha].
"If you become a burden, then we will throw you away. Remember that."
Takuya's eyes sharpened. "She really does not like me."
Takuya wanted to curse loudly, but when he saw Shigeru fighting Aika, the explosion of magic created a powerful gust of wind.
Takuya watched in awe. "This is exactly like a magic anime," he said, swallowing hard.
"No wonder they are treated so specially. They are strong. Meanwhile, I..." Takuya forced a thin, awkward smile. "... only have one stupid skill."