A screen floated before me… a transparent, slightly violet screen with text on it.
[The Chaos Gacha Welcomes You, Isao Tsumugi!]
[You have 1 Platinum and 3 Gold tickets!]
And the only thing I did was stick my hand into the screen, which caused it to flicker and the text to change.
[Do you want to use all tickets at once?]
"No… seriously, what the hell?" My voice echoed through the observatory, and I began to circle the screen.
The screen kept up, turning to face me so the text was always easy to read and clearly visible.
"Okay, deep breath in and out. I'm probably just hallucinating right now, and if I close my eyes for 10 seconds, this thing will disappear."
Which is what I did, closing my eyes and counting loudly to ten.
"1… 2… 3… 4… … 10!"
When I snapped my eyes open and pointed forward, the screen was still floating in front of me. Okay… this isn't funny anymore.
If it's not a hallucination, then it must be a dream, of course! I would never grope my little sister in my right mind, nobody would. Most likely, my thoughts were just following their own trajectory in this dream, and I gave myself logical explanations to grope my little sister!
So I just need to pinch myself. My hand moved impatiently to pinch my cheek.
"Ow, damn…"
I didn't wake up, and the screen was still hanging in front of me. No, no, this is a joke. The pinch just didn't work because it was too weak, but a slap to the face will definitely work!
Slap!
"Ow, damn it all!" I started rubbing my aching cheek, still staring at the screen, but with a certain anger and a pain in my cheek that forced me to believe this was real!
I sat down on a chair, and the screen followed me, still hovering a meter from my face.
[Do you want to use all tickets at once?]
"This thing has to have voice control, because if it doesn't, that would be a disgrace. Ahem, ahem…" After clearing my throat a bit, I sat up straight in the chair and, looking at it intently, answered the screen, feeling like a complete idiot since systems and stuff only exist in fiction. "No."
And the screen reacted; it started to flicker and the text changed again!
[You have 1 Platinum and 3 Gold tickets, which would you like to use first?"]
"Whoa…" If anyone saw me right now, they'd see how wide my eyes were, because it seemed I had some kind of gacha system with some weird tickets.
"Question, what's the difference between a Platinum and a Gold ticket?"
[The Platinum ticket type offers more valuable and useful rewards, for the most part, than the Gold ones.]
"That was the most obvious answer, but it didn't hurt to check. Another question, what types of these tickets are there?" My voice trembled slightly from the emotions slowly filling me.
[There are 8 types: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Legendary, Mythical, and Divine. Each one is more valuable than the last.]
"Okay, and… how do I get these tickets?"
[To receive tickets, you need to perform feats. The more difficult the feat, the more valuable the ticket will be.]
"Oh… where did I get 1 platinum and 3 gold tickets from?"
[Over your eighteen years of life, you have accumulated many bronze, silver, and a few gold tickets. It was decided to combine them all and give you an additional platinumticket. You received the gold tickets as a "starter pack."]
"Got it, that's very clear…"
So this thing has been reading all my actions my entire life and giving me various tickets, which it then "compressed" into a better one.
Well, of course, on one hand, the greedy side of my mind didn't want it to do that, but on the other hand, it's a more valuable ticket! A Platinum one!
What do people say? "Quality over quantity"? Right, one platinum ticket is better than a dozen or a hundred different bronze and silver tickets.
"Okay, can you open one gold ticket first?" The text on the screen changed to a spinning wheel, which slowly began to stop on…
[Strong]
|Common Trait|
You were always pretty strong, granting you slightly increased strength, allowing you to exert more force with your body.
Before I could even finish reading the text, an understanding of what I got was downloaded into my brain, and I felt a warmth spread throughout my body.
Looking down at my hand and clenching it a few times, I noticed a difference. There was a certain lightness that came with this trait.
I felt a little stronger, and I wasn't a weak person to begin with—in fact, I was quite strong, if not the strongest high schooler in this city.
A normal person would probably be going crazy from something like this, but… there was a mad grin on my face that I could feel with incredible clarity. Who said someone who died once and was reborn is normal?
"Spin another ticket!"
The wheel spun wildly again, sparkling, until it stopped on…
[Crazy Lure]
|Rare Trait|
Crazy, Mentally Unstable, or otherwise insane people find themselves more attracted to you, and it is easier to gain their affection and favour. It is also easier for you to reason with them.
The understanding of what I got poured into my head again, and I felt the same warmth spread through my body.
But this time, the warmth was a bit stranger, as if something wet that shouldn't be wet was pressing against my skin and trying to rub itself in.
But there was no stopping this thing, and now I have to live with the knowledge that, for fuck's sake, I'm a magnet for all sorts of psychos!
"Spin another gold ticket!"
Same effects, same screen, but this time the text was…
[Steel Man]
|Elite Trait|
You have a heart of steel that can endure any hardship, your body is like a machine that needs less than even the bare minimum. You only need 1/100th of the sustenance you would normally need; you can go entire years without eating and months without drinking a drop of water, you even need 1/100th of the sleep you usually need, having to sleep every few months or so even as a regular human being.
"Woo-hoo! An elite trait! This thing's going to turn me into a machine!"
The familiar warmth spread through my body again, but this time it was more concentrated around my chest, especially right next to my heart, making me sigh with pleasure.
Because, my god, if that wasn't the most pleasant massage I'd ever received.
The effect was immediate. I could even feel my enhanced heart starting to pump blood through my vessels much faster.
And it seems my first common-rank trait and this Steel Man trait are stacking, because after integrating the Steel Man trait, I felt a significant change in my body, as if I'd been transferred from an uncomfortable but still good car to a much more comfortable one whose engine was roaring, eager to break loose.
And it was incredible, this feeling like I could run two marathons without a break, without needing water, food, or sleep, and still have energy left for other activities.
Wait, I need to ask what ranks of things there are, and what can I get from these tickets anyway?
"Um, Chaos Gacha…?"
[Questions?]
"Yeah, I'd like to ask what kind of rewards I can get from you, and what ranks there are in general?"
[From the Chaos Gacha, you can obtain Abilities, Traits, Items, Skills, and Familiars.
There are also 10 rarity ranks: Junk, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Elite, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, Divine, and Transcendent.]
"Well, cool…" My eyes were still fixed on Transcendent… what kind of luck would you need for that, and the ticket would have to be appropriate, probably Mythical or Divine…
Oh well, the main thing is to get strong enough to earn those tickets.
"Use the Platinum ticket!"
My voice trembled with anticipation, my hands clenched involuntarily as I watched the spin with trembling eyes, until the pointer stopped on…
[Metallurgy]
|Elite Ability|
Metallurgy allows you to create metal at will and control it telekinetically. You are able to create any mundane metal you are aware of and you can telekinetically control the metals you have created, the stronger or more complex a metal is the more energy you need to expend to create it.
"Whoaaaa! Earth, meet Magneto! Fear Magneto!"
Seeing the rarity and receiving the knowledge of what I got from the Gacha, I started jumping around the observatory.
Because, holy shit! Every person has at some point wanted some kind of kinesis, and here I have metallokinesis(?), magnokinesis(?), basically, I can control any metal I create with the power of my mind…
Wait, that I create? How does that even work? Thinking about it more deeply, I realized I couldn't control metals created by others; to control different metals with my mind, I have to create them myself.
I quickly extended my hand forward, thinking about creating iron, but nothing happened, despite all my efforts.
"Damn…" Sighing sharply, I sat back down in my seat, staring ahead. "Why the hell isn't my ability working?" The screen appeared before my face again, its text looking at me like I was an idiot.
[Unlike Traits, Items, and so on, to use an Ability, you must place it in one of your free ability slots.
Right now, you only have one slot. You will be able to get new slots each time you obtain a fifth ability.]
"You could have said that earlier, you know!" The screen left my words unanswered and disappeared in a flicker of color.
And how do I even use this ability slot? In most stories, to use something like this, you had to focus, and so I did just that, closing my eyes.
In the complete darkness, I felt something, like a small opening, towards which something else inside me was being pulled.
And "looking" deeper, I realized that the thing being pulled towards the opening was my new power, the metallurgy ability.
I "took" the ability and, with a quiet, imaginary click, inserted it into the opening, taking a sharp breath and opening my eyes due to the new sensation.
Something in me felt a sense of relief, or something. This new feeling was novel and completely different from the usual ones.
It was hard to explain, but it was as if I had some kind of inner "eye" looking at the world more broadly, and if I wanted to, then…
I extended my hand forward and concentrated, imagining an ingot of iron, how cold it would feel in my hands, its hardness and size.
And before my astonished gaze, the air in front of me began to sparkle, and from the air, a whole ingot of iron started to appear.
My mouth was wide open, and I could only stare at it with equally wide-open eyes.
Looking at the iron floating before me, I moved it to the right with my thoughts, and it followed. Then to the left, and it followed my command again.
The movement of the iron ingot in the air was jerky and stuttering, probably due to my inexperience with it, but still, it was…
"Fucking cool! HAHAHAHA!" I started to spin the ingot through the air all over the observatory, and in mid-air, I split the ingot into several pieces.
My greed wouldn't let me leave my iron here, so I divided the ingot into parts and began creating various accessories right there in the air, like a bracelet, a chain, and a ring, not forgetting earrings, since I left mine at home.
I brought the resulting items closer to me to examine them up close. They weren't super beautiful, but you couldn't call them ugly either.
I ended up with a few bracelets, which I immediately put on, along with the earrings and a thin chain around my neck.
Damn right, with this ability, I can definitely live well, combining it with my work as a manga artist!
I started to breathe deeply, trying to calm down, but my hands were trembling with happiness and joy, so I headed for the observatory exit.
Once outside, breathing in the fresher air, my thoughts returned to the topic of my power, and I just started thinking about everything!
Imagine creating gold, platinum, silver, and other precious metals—I'll be incredibly rich!
In a year, I'll…
Thud… thud…
"What's that sound?" Looking around, I realized the sounds were coming from the direction of the school gates. Looking over, I saw some strange man in a suit banging on the gates; he was throwing his whole body against them, making noise across the entire schoolyard.
Glancing up at the roof, I noticed Takashi, who was staring intently towards the gate and started coming down the stairs. I ran over to him.
"Hey, Takashi, what's going on?" Takashi spun around sharply towards me, as if he hadn't heard me approach, though it seems he really didn't.
"Tsumugi! Be louder so people know you're there, you scared me!" he yelled, waving a hand at me, before looking back towards the gates.
"Alright, I'll do that next time. But tell me, what the hell is going on?"
"I don't know, that guy started banging on our gates a few minutes ago. Wakisaka-san noticed it and went to get Teshima, and they should be here by now… oh, there he is!" He pointed to Teshima and Wakisaka, who were coming out of the main building together.
Teshima walked confidently towards the gate, with Wakisaka, the social studies teacher, following behind him.
They shouted something at the man, who was still banging on the gate. Unable to stand being ignored, Teshima grabbed the man and slammed him against the gate, shouting something again.
Wakisaka tried to calm him down, until…
Teshima let out a blood-curdling scream, as if he were being cut. Takashi and I flinched, watching it happen.
"What the hell…" Our voices sounded in tandem as we stared at what was happening with wide eyes.
Teshima pulled his hand back and clutched it. My eyes saw blood begin to drip onto the ground, and a few moments later, Teshima collapsed.
Wakisaka panicked and began to check on him, trying to bring Teshima back to consciousness.
"Did he get bit?" Takashi's question didn't escape my ears.
"Seems like it. The guy at the gate is either high on something or whatever, but Teshima? Why the hell did he faint from a simple bite?" Yeah, the bite drew blood, but a person shouldn't instantly pass out from that unless he's a total coward.
"Something's not right here, Tsumugi…" Takashi's voice was filled with shock.
"Like I don't know that…" I replied, and instantly noticed Teshima moving. "Oh, he's getting up…" Teshima lunged forward and sank his teeth into Wakisaka, who began to scream horribly. Then Teshima ripped a chunk of flesh from Wakisaka's neck and started chewing it.
"Bleargh…" Takashi threw up on the ground next to me, while I stood frozen like a statue.
The Gacha awakened today, and you only get crap like a Gacha or a System when a person is in deep shit, and seeing what was happening right before my eyes…
"Zombies…" Zombies. He came from the city, and Mom went out shopping today… My voice trembled. Please no… please hold on until I can save Kotobuki, Mom. Please just hang on until then.
"W-what…?"
"Zombies! It's fucking zombies, Takashi! Run and get Rei and Hisashi, and I'll go for my little sister. We have to get out of here before the whole school turns into a breeding ground for the dead!"
I started running while Takashi shouted at my back to slow down a little, but I couldn't! I couldn't slow down because my little sister and my mom could be in danger!