Gacha

The monstrous spider lay defeated, dissolving into a swirling plume of black smoke that faded into the night.

Yuto exhaled sharply, his breath misting in the cold air. The Volumen Hydrargyrum, which had just delivered a devastating strike, shimmered and melted back into its original state, a strange, silvery liquid. It hovered briefly, as if drained of its magical vigor, before spiraling into a stunning black and red card that settled gently into Yuto's palm.

A glowing notification flickered across his vision:

[Congratulations, host, for completing the novice mission. Reward: One talisman and three Saint Quartz fragments.]

Another message followed swiftly:

[Detected: Remnant of the aberrant creature "Spider Evil Spirit" -"Venom Silk Sac." Would you like to store it in your Personal Space?]

' Store it,"Yuto replied in his mind, adrenaline still coursing through him. To his surprise, the spider's corpse left behind a pale, milky sac. A brilliant white light swallowed it whole, and in an instant, it was gone.

"Yuto-kun, what was that?" Utaha's voice quivered as she flung herself into his arms, her usual poise shattered by the night's chaos.

Yuto's pulse hammered, but he forced calm into his tone. "Let's get out of here first. I'll explain later." Though rattled, he steadied himself for her sake, wrapping an arm around the trembling girl and guiding her swiftly out of the shadowed alley.

.....

Thirty minutes later, they reached Utaha's home, a warm haven against the storm outside. It was the weekend, and her parents were away until tomorrow night, leaving the house silent and still. Soaked and shaken, Utaha bolted for the bathroom the moment they stepped inside, desperate to wash away the terror clinging to her skin.

Yuto wasn't faring much better, his clothes got dirty with mud from their ordeal. With Utaha's nod, he peeled off his filthy clothes, tossed it into the washing machine, and treated himself to a steaming shower in her parents' bathroom. Refreshed and clad in her father's oversized clothes, he wandered into her bedroom.

Utaha's room was modest yet cozy, painted in soft, welcoming tones. A white desk bore her trusty red laptop, while a small bed in the corner gave off a faint, soothing scent. Normally, Yuto might've let his mind drift to playful thoughts about his girlfriend in this private space, but tonight, exhaustion and lingering shock dulled any such whimsy.

Rubbing a towel through his damp hair, he summoned his personal interface, something he hadn't had a chance to inspect amid the chaos.

[Current System Template: FGO Gacha System v1.0]

[Initial version loaded. Stay tuned for future updates.]

[Host: Yuto Arai]

[Age: 17]

[Initializing... Loading specific information...]

A tiny, animated creature—Fu Fu—darted across the bottom of his vision, scurrying tirelessly to load the data.

[Master Information]

[Personal Space]

[Heroic Spirit Summoning]

[Story Dungeon / Locked]

The layout felt oddly nostalgic, reminding of a certain gacha game he had once been hooked on. Yuto smirked, memories of its infamous reputation flooding back: 'No guarantees, even for whales,' or 'Drain your wallet and still miss your waifu.' He had quit in rage after the national server butchered his beloved Scathach with senseless censorship. Bittersweet times.

Tapping [Master Information], he found a sparse entry, just his name and age, no stats or details. [Heroic Spirit Summoning] was the main draw, letting him pull legendary spirits and gear from a story pool. Unlike the game, there was no friendship pool here just the premium gacha, and he had no Quartz to spend. Typical.

He was about to dismiss the panel when a blinking icon in [Personal Space] caught his eye. Curious, he opened it, revealing a grid-like inventory with two gift boxes.

[System Update Compensation]

[Novice Ten-Draw Pack]

"Fuck yeah!" Yuto's grin widened. Counting the talisman from the spider, he had eleven draws ready. He navigated to the story pool and triggered a ten-pull without hesitation.

[Draw Results:]

Craft Essence : Volumen Hydrargyrum x1

Craft Essence : Motorcycle - BMW M1000RR x1

Craft Essence : Red Black Key x1 

Craft Essence : Green Black Key x2

Craft Essence : Blue Black Key x1

Spiritual Base Fragment: Arthur Pendragon x1

Craft Essence : Projection Magic x1

Craft Essence : Reed Sea x1

Craft Essence : Magic Meter x1