Number 777.
[Mystery Box]
Just like any gacha elements in games, the important thing is the item’s configuration.
What kinds of rewards come out when you spin the gacha.
What are the chances of getting a good reward, and so on.
He recalled the configuration for this item.
[Number 777 has the following restrictions: (1) You cannot put items larger than the box. (2) The converted item cannot exceed the size of the box.]
Ian glanced at the box.
It was about 30 cm in width, length, and height.
It would be difficult to expect equipment-type items.
Still, since there were many accessories among the game’s special items called ‘Numbers’, this size wasn’t too bad.
[ (3) Item conversion is based on the grade of the item put in. ]
This raised the question of what to use for the gacha.
In the game system, most things had a ‘grade’.
This grade concept didn’t exactly match up with value.
Lunar was a case in point.
Despite being a mid-grade mineral, it was expensive and he used it quite effectively.
In other words.
“It means we have to put in cheap but high-grade items and change them.”
This was why he had gone to the market at dawn.
He lifted the large bundle he had prepared and placed it next to the box.
With a thud, it landed.
— Srrrk
The sound of hundreds of miscellaneous items settling inside the bundle echoed.
Cheap items bought at the [Everything for 1000 Krone Shop].
The reason he bought these was simple.
[ (4) Probability elements are the same as the game’s currency probability system. ]
Obviously, probability was everything in gacha.
And the probability elements in Fantasy X Academy…
“Pretty stingy.”
It was notoriously greedy.
– Ah, if I put all this in and nothing comes out, I’m quitting for real.
There were so many players who had quit after saying this.
But Ian knew.
How Fantasy X Academy’s probability elements worked.
In this game, there was a [Probability Adjustment] for gachas.
For example, in reality, the probability of flipping a coin is always 1/2.
In Fantasy X Academy’s gacha, if the previous result was heads, the probability of getting tails next would increase.
This gave rise to the term ‘sacrifice’.
The miscellaneous items he had prepared in this bundle were all offerings.
By using up these cheap items to raise the probability, then putting in a well-prepared, high-value item?
“It wouldn’t be probability anymore; it would be a sure thing.”
Heh heh—
A sly smile crept onto his face.
Of course, he had also prepared the high-value item to put in after the ‘sacrificial offering’ process.
“Now, let’s give it a spin.”
He placed a cheap item into the open box.
Click—
[ ? / ? / ? ]
As he closed the lid, the inscriptions on the box began to turn.
The rules were simple.
– All different numbers meant a dud.
– Two matching numbers meant an average reward.
– Three matching numbers meant a jackpot. The higher the numbers, the better the jackpot.
According to a review from a player who had used this box, the jackpot probability was about one in a thousand.
The chance of even getting an average reward was less than 20%, making it truly a trash probability…
“But knowing the strategy made it different.”
He just hoped the jackpot wouldn’t hit prematurely.
But as if mocking his wish…
Click—!
The sound of the lid unlocking was followed by the numbers updating.
“Ahh—!”
[1 / 1 / 1]
A sudden jackpot appeared.
“Ah, what is this!”
Was it beginner’s luck?
This was too much!
He had just spun it with a 1000 Krone item he bought from the discount shop.
Even if it was a jackpot, how good could the item be?
“Hah…”
He had blown his odds from the start.
His forehead throbbed as he raised his hand to it and opened the box.
A ring lay on the pitch-black floor.
A thin silver ring.
Where there should have been a gem in the center, a faint light shone like a jewel.
“…What is this?”
Surprisingly, it turned out to be quite a decent item.
[Ring of Light’s Blessing: Increases experience gained from light attribute elements by 5%. (Cannot be used multiple times)]
It was undoubtedly one of those.
Among basic items, this one was pretty solid.
The junk item he put into the box was worth 1000 Krone.
In the game’s store, this ring’s purchase price was 100,000 Krone.
Considering the game value compared to the purchase price of my junk item…
“It’s almost a tenfold increase, isn’t it?”
Moreover, a ring that increases elemental growth rate by 5% just by wearing it.
Its real-world value was priceless.
This Mystery Box was quite impressive.
The item quality for a [1 / 1 / 1] pull was unbelievable.
And thinking it over, it might be good to reset the odds from the start.
He got upset for nothing.
But now.
“What should I do with this ring?”
It was useless for me, who was of the earth attribute.
Selling it to someone else would be a waste, and if it ended up with a villain, it would be a headache.
“I should give this to Silvia.”
The only light attribute mage he knew was Silvia.
The question was whether Silvia would like this ring.
It didn’t look particularly luxurious.
“It’s almost like a candy ring.”
That was a bit of an exaggeration.
It didn’t seem fitting for the fashionable Lady Silvia.
But his colleague’s growth was also his growth.
He would force her to wear it if he had to.
With that crude resolution, he started placing the junk items one by one into the box.
“Now, please, only bad ones.”
/ 1 / 5 / 3 /
/ 2 / 1 / 7 /
…….
The subsequent results dutifully demonstrated why gambling was a bad idea.
Finally, the last ‘sacrifice’.
This was the most nerve-wracking moment.
/7 / ? / ? /
“Why do you have to make me nervous?”
/7 / ? / 7 /
The numbers matched except for the last slot.
If it hit here, everything would be ruined.
He had used a relatively high-value item for the final sacrifice… but still, it mustn’t hit!
For the first time since the possession, he clasped he hands together.
And he prayed.
“Please, please.”
Did the first prayer since possession work?
/7 / 1 / 7 /
“Ye…”
Thankfully, it was a medium win.
Wow. His heart was pounding.
The 900-odd sacrifices he had offered so far almost went to waste.
Of course, if it reset, he planned to start again from the beginning.
But this was quite a tiring grind.
“Alright, now for the final one.”
From one side of the table, he picked up an item wrapped in fine cloth.
Hmm… could this even be called an item?
It was a bizarre object consisting of a shard of the ‘Twilight Wolf’s’ magic stone, wrapped in 100% pure gold thread, and connected to various other materials attached to an exquisite cloth.
This was the result of exploiting Fantasy X Academy’s grading system, where the value and grade of an item increased with the variety of materials used.
The price of the magic stone shard alone was about 10 gold.
The gold thread, exquisite cloth, and additional materials also cost around 10 gold.
A total of 20 gold, roughly equivalent to 200 million Krone worth of materials, but in the system, it would have a value of about five times that, around 1 billion Krone.
“Alright. Here we go.”
With trembling hands, he carefully placed it into the box.
As delicately and respectfully as possible.
Gacha was like a ritual.
And then, he cautiously closed the lid of the box.
— Charrarak!
[ ? / ? / ? ]
The inscriptions on the box started spinning.
He shut his eyes tightly.
The world turned black.
Only the sound filled his mind.
— Chack!
One number locked into place.
His heart pounded harder.
— Chack!
Another one fixed.
Another number locked in.
“Please. Please….”
A flood of random thoughts filled his head.
What if the numbers don’t match?
Should he open his eyes and check?
Maybe he should have just sold it and bought equipment?
And then once more.
— Chack!
By now, he couldn’t think anymore.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
He could only hear his heartbeat.
“… Please!!!”
He shouted as he opened his eyes.
【 4 / 4 / 4 】
Oh. Jackpot.
If 1, 1, 1 was a tenfold increase… this should be at least a twentyfold increase, right?
He opened the box without hesitation.
Inside, there was no radiant light, no shimmering gold.
Just red.
Like a blood-stained iron shield, a foreboding rust-red color.
The moment he identified the item, he clutched his forehead.
“… Is this for real?”
◆
High risk, high return.
Recalling this age-old truth, he grasped the small shield in my hand.
Or rather, could he even call this a shield with a diameter of just about 20 cm?
【 (No. 444) Berserker’s Guardian Shield: It looks small, but it’s still a shield. It’s quite sturdy. It seems like it would hurt a lot if you got hit with it. 】
Sure.
It was a shield.
“… Was this meant to be worn on the wrist?”
It was a shield you strapped to your wrist, using it like a guard.
At most, it could cover just about his face.
But this item had two features.
One was its characteristic as a shield.
“… It has a mid-level indestructibility attribute.”
This shield, no larger than a pancake, could still be called a shield because it was indestructible.
To be precise, it couldn’t be destroyed by any reasonable means.
It was sturdy, but its small surface area made it a high-risk, high-reward item.
And then there was the second characteristic.
Its special ability.
「When remaining health is below 10%, damage increases by 1,000% for 10 minutes. Activates upon absorbing a sufficient amount of impact.」
It had the berserker trait, living up to its name.
An enormous damage increase option, but only when I was near death.
This was an ability he couldn’t even test in reality.
As far as he knew, there weren’t many items in the game that symbolized high risk, high return like this one.
“Wow….”
He felt a bit dazed.
No, he needed to get a grip.
Thinking about it, this wasn’t such a bad item.
In fact, for something he got for 200 million Krone, it was an incredible gain.
A number in the 400s.
The special ability was what he unconsciously focused on, but even without it, the shield was valuable enough.
A manly shield the size of a pancake.
Practically unbreakable.
“Wait a second.”
‘Extraction’… of course, it wasn’t possible.
Probably because of its indestructibility attribute.
At this point, he realized something.
The world seemed to be forcing me down the path of magic (or physical prowess).
Whatever.
He might as well go for it.
Just as he made up his mind.
— Knock, knock, knock.
He checked the time at the sound of the knock.
It was around noon.
Come to think of it, he said he would make Snowflake Tomatoes today.
It must be Elena.
“Elena, wait a moment. I got a bit distracted with something and forgot….”
Click.
The moment he grabbed the door handle, he felt something strange.
The handle was unusually cold.
It had a thin layer of frost on it.
He turned the frozen handle.
— Creak
Old fittings groaned as the door opened.
Through the gap in the opening door, he saw long hair.
An icy blue color, seemingly cold to the core, perfectly neat, reaching down to her waist.
As the door fully opened, the woman with her head bowed lifted her gaze to meet his.
Eyes like the depths of a frigid ocean, cold and deep.
Her face was unusually tense.
“…Sharon Pierce?”
