That morning, before the sun fully rose, Takuya was already sitting in the corner of the horse stable, staring at the gacha screen floating in front of him. Sitting on straw that had not been replaced since he was summoned to this world, he took a deep breath.
"If I get another apple today… I will truly curse the Goddess of this world," he complained.
With slightly trembling fingers, he pressed the [YES] button.
Blue light shone again. The wind stirred. A magic circle appeared and just like before,
Plop.
A small object fell to the ground.
Takuya glanced at it slowly.
"…A slime?"
A transparent green slime, about the size of a small watermelon, rolled gently. It made a sound like, "pyuu~"
[Congratulations!]
[You've summoned: SS Support Slime | Jacket Form]
[Effect: Can be worn as a jacket. Warm. Slightly sticky.]
Takuya froze.
"…"
He looked at the slime. The slime looked back at him with an innocent expression, if it could even be called that. Then without warning, the slime jumped onto Takuya's chest and immediately wrapped around his body.
"Uwaagh?!"
The slime adjusted to Takuya's body shape. In just a few seconds, it turned into a light green transparent jacket that fit tightly around him.
"…Why does this feel like wearing a jacket made of living jelly?" he muttered weakly.
Even though it was sticky and ticklish, the slime was warm. It was not bad for the cold morning and for the nights in the horse stable. This was more useful than yesterday's apple. Still, it was not a combat skill, not a weapon, and not an overpowered item.
This was very different from the novels Takuya read back on Earth. Of course, he was disappointed.
Takuya took a deep breath. "…Please, tomorrow give me an overpowered item or skill. I beg you. If it happens, I promise I will offer you a basket of apples and my respect!"
Takuya prayed to the Goddess of this world. He did not know if his prayer would be answered or not. At least, he prayed first.
**
A few hours later…
Takuya stood behind the other heroes.
In front of them was a forest that was safe enough for beginners. Summoned heroes always trained in this forest.
The scent of damp soil, old leaves, and monster blood mixed together. Low level monsters wandered around.
Seraphina stood at the front, surrounded by several royal knights.
"Let us begin. Today's target is to reach level ten."
Shigeru gripped his sword. Hiroshi prepared with his contracted wolf. Aika stood gracefully with her glowing magic staff.
Takuya?
He stood awkwardly with the slime jacket hanging strangely on his body.
"Pyuu~," the slime said softly.
"Can you stop saying 'pyuu~'? You make me look weird," Takuya complained.
"Pyuu~"
Takuya sighed. He realized it was useless. The slime he got did not understand human language. It was just a stupid monster.
"I am really bad at gacha. It seems I am truly cursed by the God of Gacha."
**
First battle.
The monster that appeared was a Lizardfang. A large lizard with iron claws and a poisonous tongue. It was a strong opponent.
The fastest way to level up was to defeat monsters with higher levels. That was what the heroes were doing, except Takuya.
Shigeru ran forward. He attacked first. Shigeru immediately cut off the monster's head with the skill Phantom Slash.
Second battle.
A Poison Moth the size of a goat appeared from behind the bushes, flapping its poisonous wings.
Aika focused her mana. Her body began to glow, and she fired a large spell. The attack instantly brought down the Poison Moth.
Third battle.
A Red Boar, a forest monster with skin as hard as steel.
Hiroshi pointed forward. At the same time, Raijin the wolf sank his lightning fangs into the boar's neck. The monster collapsed and died.
The three summoned heroes won their battles easily thanks to their extraordinary talents.
Takuya?
He did nothing. He stood like a walking statue, repeatedly scratching his own head. It was as if he did not exist there.
Every time a monster appeared, he lowered his head. He even tripped over a tree root once and fell. His slime jacket protected him from getting hurt. That was all.
The rest of the monsters were defeated by the other heroes.
"Are you alright?" Shigeru asked while reaching out his hand.
"Thank you," Takuya said as he took Shigeru's hand.
He stood up again, but several pairs of eyes were focused on him. Their gazes were full of contempt. Takuya could only let out a long sigh.
"What is the point of bringing that kid here?" one soldier whispered.
"If he dies first, I would not be surprised," another replied.
"He is also part of the hero party."
"Him? I would rather believe he is a horse caretaker than a hero," another soldier mocked.
Takuya glanced at them. He heard everything, but he ignored them.
**
After almost one hour, the other heroes all reached Level 10.
[Shigeru Lv. 10 | New Skill: Phantom Step]
[Aika Lv. 10 | New Skill: Chain Lightning]
[Hiroshi Lv. 10 | New Skill: Summon Beast King | Cub Form]
They all looked at their notifications.
Aika smiled in satisfaction. Hiroshi summoned a small cub with golden horns from his new skill. Shigeru moved fast, too fast for the naked eye. They had become even stronger.
The three of them received praise from Seraphina. They were even given gold coins as rewards for their rapid growth.
Then, Takuya opened his own status.
[Takuya Lv. 9 -> 10]
[New Skill: None]
[Available Skill: Daily Gacha | Cooldown: 14 Hours 12 Minutes]
Takuya stared at the screen in disbelief.
"…Pyuu…" his slime said softly, as if it felt sorry for him.
Takuya took a deep breath and looked toward Seraphina. The woman said nothing.
"Is there really nothing I can do?" Takuya complained.
He scratched his head. While all the summoned heroes gained new skills, he got nothing.
Seraphina glanced at the daydreaming Takuya. She called two soldiers and began whispering. After that, the two soldiers nodded.
Then she looked away again.
**
That night, a campfire was lit. Food was distributed to the heroes, grilled meat, warm bread, and even light wine.
Takuya?
He was only given a piece of potato, hardened bread, and plain water.
He looked at his slime jacket, then bit into the hard bread.
"Maybe tomorrow my gacha will be much more useful."
Takuya let out a long sigh. He was pessimistic that his hope would come true.
Not long after, Shigeru walked toward Takuya. He sat beside him and handed him a piece of meat.
"Eat it. You are still growing, so you need to eat a lot," he said.
Takuya was surprised. He immediately smiled. "Thank you."
Without delay, he ate the meat. While eating, he heard people whispering. Of course, about how useless he was and how kind Shigeru was for still helping trash, even though it was pointless.
"If I get a strong skill, all of you will kneel at my feet," Takuya said while chewing the meat he received.
**
"Hah, are you kidding me?" Takuya shouted.
[Congratulations!]
[You've summoned: Smelly socks.]
He clicked his tongue in extreme frustration. He immediately threw away the smelly socks he had just obtained.
"This is even worse than the first day. Do you really want me to be humiliated in this world, Goddess of Gacha? I will punch your butt, bastard!" Takuya shouted.