The last thing I remembered was the cat.
Not a truck. Not a dramatic accident. Not even something cool like saving a kid from danger.
A cat.
I'd been walking home after another soul-crushing day at the office, my mind numb from spreadsheets and my boss's endless complaints. The convenience store bag in my hand held my dinner—instant ramen and energy drinks—and the latest volume of Sword of the Eternal Hero that I'd pre-ordered months ago.
I was so engrossed in reading the synopsis on my phone, walking on autopilot, that I didn't see the orange tabby dart across the sidewalk. My foot caught on its tail. The cat yowled. I stumbled backward into the street.
Then came the headlights.
Then nothing.
And now... this.
---
I gasped awake, bolting upright in bed, my heart hammering against my ribcage like it was trying to escape. Sweat drenched my body, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't process anything except the phantom sensation of impact and the horrible, final crunch of—
Wait.
I looked down at my hands. They were pale, slender, and definitely not mine. These weren't the hands of a twenty-eight-year-old office worker who spent too much time typing. These were... aristocratic. Young. Unmarred by years of keyboard abuse.
"What the hell?"
My voice came out wrong too. Lighter. Younger. I touched my face, feeling smooth skin where I should have had stubble, a sharper jawline than I remembered.
Panic rising, I scrambled out of bed—a massive four-poster thing with crimson curtains that screamed "nobility"—and stumbled toward the full-length mirror across the room.
The face staring back at me wasn't mine.
Dark violet eyes, almost black in the dim morning light filtering through the heavy drapes. Sharp, handsome features with high cheekbones and a straight nose. Messy black hair that fell just past my ears. I looked sixteen, maybe seventeen at most.
And I looked exactly like...
"No. No, no, no, no, no."
Kai Valentine.
The Extra. The trash. The disappointment of Duke Valentine's household and the shame of noble society.
The character from Sword of the Eternal Hero who got disowned by his family, drank himself into oblivion, and died face-down in a gutter before the story even hit its midpoint.
"This can't be real," I muttered, gripping the edge of the mirror frame. "I'm dreaming. I hit my head. I'm in a coma. This is—"
A sharp, mechanical ding echoed in my mind, and suddenly, a translucent blue screen materialised in front of my face.
---
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[Welcome, User: Kai Valentine]
[Gacha System Activated]
[Daily Lucky Draw Available: 1]
[Current Points: 0]
---
I stared at the floating window, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing. The text was clear, crisp, and undeniably *there*—hovering in midair like something out of a video game.
"A... system?"
The screen flickered, and new text appeared.
---
[Would you like a tutorial?]
[YES] [NO]
---
My hand moved on instinct, reaching out to touch the "YES" option. My finger passed through the translucent screen, but the moment I made contact, it registered the selection.
---
[Tutorial Initiated]
[The Gacha System grants you the power to draw random rewards through Lucky Draws.]
[You receive ONE Free Daily Draw every day at midnight.]
[Additional draws can be purchased using Points earned through achievements, quests, training, and other activities.]
[Rewards range from Common to Legendary rarity and include: Skills, Techniques, Weapons, Items, Bloodlines, and more.]
[Point costs for draws:]
- Common Draw: 10 Points
- Rare Draw: 100 Points
- Epic Draw: 1,000 Points
- Legendary Draw: 10,000 Points
[Note: The Daily Free Draw has equal chances for all rarities.]
[Good luck, User Kai Valentine. May fortune smile upon your draws.]
---
The screen vanished, leaving me standing there in stunned silence.
A gacha system. I'd been reincarnated—or transmigrated, or whatever the hell this was—into the body of a trash extra from a novel I'd been reading, and I'd been given a gacha system as a cheat ability.
It was absurd. Ridiculous. Completely insane.
And yet, as I stood there in Kai Valentine's body, staring at my unfamiliar reflection, I couldn't help the grin that slowly spread across my face.
"Well," I said to my reflection, "at least it's not boring."
---
I spent the next hour going through Kai's memories—or rather, the fragments that remained after my transmigration. It was like watching a movie on fast-forward, disjointed scenes of a life I hadn't lived but somehow remembered.
Kai Valentine, second son of Duke Aldric Valentine, one of the most powerful nobles in the Astoria Kingdom. His older brother, Cedric Valentine, was everything Kai wasn't—talented, disciplined, respected. The golden heir who would inherit the Duke's title and continue the family's proud legacy.
And then there was Kai.
Born with exceptional talent for both magic and swordsmanship, blessed with a powerful mana core and a body capable of withstanding intense training. But instead of using those gifts, the original Kai had squandered them. He drank, gambled, got into fights, and built a reputation as a womanizer—though, ironically, the memories confirmed he'd never actually touched a woman. It was all rumors and misconceptions blown out of proportion.
But the worst part? He was engaged to Princess Seraphina Astoria, the Third Princess of the kingdom.
In Sword of the Eternal Hero, Princess Seraphina was one of the main heroines—a beautiful, talented mage destined to join the Hero's harem after Kai's engagement was broken off due to his disgraceful behavior.
The original Kai had been on a fast track to ruin, and in the novel, his fate was sealed within two years. Disowned by his family, abandoned by his fiancée, he'd spiral into depression and alcoholism before dying alone and forgotten.
"Not anymore," I muttered, clenching my fists.
I wasn't the original Kai Valentine. I had knowledge of the story, knowledge of what was coming. And more importantly, I had a system that could give me power.
I just had to use it.
---
[Reminder: You have ONE Daily Lucky Draw available.]
[Would you like to use it now?]
The blue screen appeared again, and this time I didn't hesitate.
"Yes. Let's see what we're working with."
The screen shifted, and suddenly a massive holographic wheel materialized in front of me, divided into countless sections of different colors—gray for Common, green for Rare, blue for Epic, and radiant gold for Legendary. The wheel began to spin, faster and faster, a dazzling blur of light and color.
My heart raced as I watched it spin. This was it. My first draw. My first step toward changing Kai Valentine's fate.
The wheel began to slow, the sections becoming distinguishable again. Gray... green... blue... green... gray...
It stopped on blue.
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[You have drawn: Epic Rank Reward]
[Reward: Mana Circulation Technique - "Astral Flow Method" (Tier 3)]
A surge of information flooded my mind—not painful, but overwhelming. I gasped as knowledge imprinted itself directly into my consciousness. I could *feel* it, understand it instinctively. The Astral Flow Method was a mana circulation technique far superior to anything the Valentine family possessed. It would allow me to purify and strengthen my mana core, increase my magical capacity exponentially, and even heal internal injuries through proper circulation.
This was... incredible.
"Holy shit," I breathed, staring at my hands as I felt the mana within my body respond to my new understanding. Even without practicing it yet, I could sense how much stronger this would make me.
And this was just the first draw.
---
[New Quest Available!]
The screen appeared again, and I quickly read the notification.
---
[Quest: First Steps to Redemption]
Objective: Begin restoring your reputation and strength.
Tasks:
- Practice swordsmanship for 2 hours (0/2)
- Practice magic for 1 hour (0/1)
- Practice the Astral Flow Method for 1 hour (0/1)
Rewards:
- 50 Points
- +5 to all physical stats
- Minor reputation increase with Valentine family
Time Limit: 3 Days
---
A quest system too? This gacha system was more comprehensive than I'd expected.
I dismissed the screen and looked around the room. It was lavish but messy—empty wine bottles on the desk, clothes strewn across chairs, the remnants of Kai's old lifestyle.
That ended today.
I walked to the window and threw open the heavy curtains, letting sunlight flood the room. The Valentine estate stretched out before me—manicured gardens, training grounds in the distance, and beyond that, the city of Valeshire, capital of the Astoria Kingdom.
This was my new world. My new life.
And I wasn't going to waste it.
---
The training grounds were empty when I arrived an hour later, dressed in simple training clothes I'd found in Kai's wardrobe. The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of dew-covered grass and distant flowers.
I approached the weapon rack and selected a standard longsword. The weight felt foreign in my hands—my old body had never held a weapon before—but Kai's muscle memory remained. I could feel it, dormant but present, waiting to be awakened.
I took a stance, remembering fragments of training from Kai's childhood before he'd given up on everything.
The sword felt heavy. Awkward. Wrong.
But I swung anyway.
The blade cut through the air with a *whoosh*, and I nearly lost my balance from the followthrough. Terrible form. No power. Completely amateur.
I gritted my teeth and swung again.
And again.
And again.
This body has talent, I reminded myself. The original Kai just never used it. But I will.
Sweat began to drip down my face as I continued the repetitive motions. My arms burned. My shoulders ached. But I didn't stop.
Because I knew what was coming. I'd read the story. I knew the challenges, the enemies, the disasters that would unfold. If I wanted to survive—if I wanted to thrive—I needed power.
And power required work.
---
Two hours later, I collapsed onto the grass, gasping for breath. My entire body screamed in protest, muscles I didn't know I had burning with exhaustion.
[Quest Progress Update: Swordsmanship Practice - 2/2 hours complete]
A small smile crossed my face despite the pain. One task down.
I lay there for a few minutes, catching my breath and staring up at the clear blue sky. In my old life, I'd been sedentary, unhealthy, trapped in a cycle of work and escapism through novels and manhwa.
But here? Here I had a chance to be something more.
The sound of footsteps on grass made me turn my head. A young woman approached, dressed in a maid's uniform, her brown hair tied back in a neat bun. She looked surprised to see me.
"Young Master Kai?" She blinked, clearly shocked. "You're... training?"
I sat up, wiping sweat from my forehead. "Is that so surprising?"
"Well, I..." She hesitated, clearly trying to be diplomatic. "It's been a while since anyone has seen you at the training grounds, my lord."
Right. The original Kai's reputation. Everyone expected him to be sleeping off a hangover or causing trouble somewhere, not actually training.
"Things are going to change," I said, standing up and sheathing the sword. "Starting today."
The maid looked uncertain, like she didn't quite believe me but was too polite to say so. "Shall I prepare your bath, young master? Breakfast is also ready."
"Please. And..." I paused, realizing I didn't even know her name. The original Kai had barely paid attention to the servants.
"Clara, my lord."
"Clara. Thank you."
She curtsied and left, though I caught the puzzled look she gave me before disappearing back toward the mansion.
I couldn't blame her. From her perspective, the troublemaker young master had suddenly decided to train and was actually being polite. It must have been jarring.
But this was just the beginning.
---
After a bath and breakfast—an elaborate spread that would have cost a week's salary in my old life—I returned to my room to practice magic and the Astral Flow Method.
Magic in this world operated on mana cores, internal wells of power that mages cultivated and expanded throughout their lives. The stronger and purer your core, the more powerful your magic.
Kai's core was actually quite strong, a natural gift from his bloodline. But it was undeveloped, stagnant from years of neglect.
Time to change that.
I sat cross-legged on my bed and closed my eyes, focusing inward. I could feel it—the mana core just below my sternum, a swirling mass of energy that pulsed with potential.
Following the knowledge imprinted by the Astral Flow Method, I began to guide my mana through specific pathways, circulating it in patterns that refined and purified the energy with each cycle.
It was... intoxicating.
Power flowed through me, growing stronger, clearer with each circulation. I could feel impurities being burned away, my core becoming denser, more refined.
Hours passed in what felt like minutes.
---
[Quest Progress Update:]
- Magic Practice: 1/1 hour complete
- Astral Flow Method Practice: 1/1 hour complete
-[Quest: First Steps to Redemption - COMPLETE!]
[Rewards:]
- 50 Points earned
- +5 to all physical stats
- Minor reputation increase with Valentine family
[New Status Available]
---
I opened my eyes, feeling energized despite hours of cultivation. Another screen appeared.
---
[STATUS]
Name: Kai Valentine
Age: 16
Title: Second Son of Duke Valentine, Disgraced Noble
Stats:
- Strength: 15
- Agility: 14
- Endurance: 13
- Intelligence: 18
- Mana: 27
- Luck: ???
Skills:
- Basic Swordsmanship (Lv. 1)
- Basic Magic Theory (Lv. 2)
- Astral Flow Method (Lv. 1)
Points: 50
---
I studied the screen with interest. So the system tracked my growth quantitatively. The stats were relatively low except for mana—evidence of Kai's natural talent—and intelligence, probably boosted by my transmigration.
But what really caught my attention was the "Luck" stat showing as question marks.
"System," I said aloud, "why does Luck show as unknown?"
[Luck cannot be quantified by normal means. It fluctuates based on circumstances, karma, and the whims of fate. Your connection to the Gacha System, however, suggests your Luck may be... exceptional.]
A smirk crossed my face. "Good to know."
I had 50 points now. Not enough for a Rare Draw yet, but I was making progress.
Tomorrow I'd train again. And the day after. And every day after that.
Kai Valentine's story in the original novel had been one of waste and tragedy.
But my story?
My story was just beginning.
And this time, the extra would write his own ending.
---
[End of Chapter 1]
---
Author's Note:
Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of The Extra's Lucky Draw! I hope you enjoyed Kai's journey into his new life. This is going to be an epic adventure filled with action, romance, system mechanics, and lots of gacha-powered chaos!
Your support means everything! Here's how you can help this story grow:
🌟 POWER STONES: Every 10 Power Stones = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
🎫 GOLDEN TICKETS: Every 10 Golden Tickets = 2 EXTRA CHAPTERS!
Drop those Power Stones, send those Golden Tickets, and let's climb the rankings together!
💬 Comments and reviews are always welcome—I read every single one and they help me improve the story!
Next chapter, we'll see Kai face his first real challenge in this new world. Stay tuned!
May your pulls always be Legendary! 🎲✨