Before Rain, an interface appeared on the screen with a slot machine.
[ Limited Only Fun Slots ]
[ 1 Pull: 10 Points ]
[ 10 Pull: 100 Points ]
[ Remaining Points — 100 ]
Rain somehow recognized this type of interface with just a glance.
"Don't tell me this—"
But before he could complete his sentence, message appeared on the screen.
[This is Limited Only Fun Slots, AKA LOF Slots]
He thought with harsh sarcasm, 'I can read and write properly, so thank you for telling me what I already know.'
[Hubby, you can spend points you earn by completing tasks and other stuff here]
'Hmm… interesting.'
'I remember the points… I saw them along with my stats.' he thought, recalling it clearly, though he hadn't paid much attention back then because of his stats.
"What are the rewards?" he asked, eager to know what was behind this paywall.
[You will know once you try it!] the message appeared with a cool glasses.
'Where did she even get those…?' he thought, noticing the glasses that appeared out of nowhere on the screen.
'Whatever.'
"Let's try my beginner luck!" he said, his voice carrying excitement.
Rain's expression was exactly what you would expect from someone obsessed with gacha games.
He raised his hand, his finger landing on "1 Pull: 10 Points."
The slot machine activated.
The three slots started spinning—slowly at first. Symbols shifted, changing one after another.
Then—
Faster. Faster. Even faster.
So fast that Rain couldn't even see the icons anymore—just blurred motion.
"Something good… something good…" he muttered, praying to his so-called beginner luck.
Gradually, the slots slowed.
One by one—
They stopped.
[ You have got: Normal Low-Calorie Protein Bar ]
Rain blinked a few times, staring at the screen.
"…Hnn?"
Before his eyes, a protein bar dropped out of nowhere onto the floor.
He looked at it.
Silence.
He slowly bent down, picked it up, and stared at it with a completely deadpan face for a few seconds.
Then—
He slammed it hard onto the ground.
"Do I look like a gym rat to you!? Giving me this trash!"
"You don't expect me to eat this and run all day to increase my stats, do you!?"
[No, hubby! How could you ever think that… It's just… yeah, bad luck!] the message appeared with an awkward smile.
"Really!?"
Rain stared at the screen with completely suspicious eyes.
'You're telling me to believe you after that pause…?'
He murmured,
"Beginner luck… my ass."
"I don't need luck when I have belief in myself."
His voice carried a sense of pride, which, in front of his own two blue eyes, felt completely useless—
Within minutes his floor was filled with a small pile of protein bars.
[Don't lose hope, hubby. You still got three pulls] the message appeared with a smiling, cheering expression.
Ren thought, staring at the screen with a blank face, in complete disbelief at himself and the so-called "LOF Slots."
'Let's try again.'
He thought, his mind still calm and his face carrying a faint grin as he said, "Jackpot this time for sure!"
The machine slots moved again, sped up, slowed, and finally stopped—
Rain quietly stared at the ground where another protein bar, which was equivalent to crap for him, was added to the pile.
Ren thought with utmost confidence, his face completely blank, 'This is a guaranteed scam without any doubt. Seven pulls and only this shit!'
He had no mood left to curse this shitty Slot Machine anymore.
A different yet better thought crossed his mind after abandoning the previous one.
'You know what, I'll just save my remaining points for the next 10 pulls.'
His thoughts were composed, like a man who knew when to stop.
But his body was completely against his mind—his right hand moving toward "Pull" while his left hand held it back, stopping him. It was a dire situation.
"Shit… my instincts!" he said as soon as he realized his right hand was rebelling against him.
For a person like Rain—or anyone—to play a gacha game, there could be two reasons.
Either they play the game for fun—the story, mechanics, battles, and other stuff… which was never the case for Rain.
Or they play purely for its core—gacha itself. The banners, the thrill of hitting a jackpot, not knowing when every pull gives a rush before it shines, saving and pulling for the things and characters you like in hope of getting them…
It was the true essence and core of gacha games.
And this was the category Rain belonged to.
And for this category of people, there was one curse they couldn't escape—
The last pulls.
They must be spent.
No point in saving for the future.
Just the thought of getting your desired thing in the last moments…
It was one of the many miracles of the true essence of gacha.
But there were abnormalities among these people too—those who save their last pulls instead of spending them, defying their fate.
Those creatures…Were called legends.
But of course, Rain could never belong among those pitiful creatures—the so-called "legends" who turned their backs at the last moment just to save some resources.
"What's even the point of saving? No one knows if they'll even see the next day or not. So why live thinking about tomorrow when there's no guaranteed tomorrow!"
His left hand let go of his right—
And his right struck on "Pull" continuously two times.
'Now I've done it… I really can't control this habit of mine.'
He thought with a blank face, a hint of sweat forming. His voice carried a bit of pity for himself… but no regrets.
[Hubby! Hubby!] the message appeared with gleaming, excited eyes.
Rain said casually, clearly not interested in hearing it at all, "What now?"
[Look at the LOF Slots]
Rain continued his thoughts without any expression, 'What is even there to look for? Another protein bar?'
But—
The moment his eyes fell on the screen—
[ You have got Liquor of Purification x3 ]
[ You have got Physical Pill ]
Two items dropped out of nowhere right in front of his eyes.
A small white flask, its mouth sealed with a cork… and a silver-colored pill.
—but his expression barely changed.
"…Hmm?"
[See!?] the message appeared with a bright, proud smile.
Rain replied in the same bored, emotionless tone, "Yeah… just a bunch of more crap."
[No! This is what you were looking for. With this, raising your stats will be easy peasy]
Rain blinked a few times—
Then suddenly his face burst into surprise, a smile forming.
"What!? Really!?"
Somehow, his last pulls—bound by the curse he carried—could actually be considered a jackpot in his current situation.
"So what's this for?" he asked, picking up the pill in one hand and the small flasks filled with liquor in the other.
[Physical Pill: Consuming it increases the growth of physical stats like endurance, agility, strength, and stamina rapidly for the next 14 days]
A grin of satisfaction appeared on Rain's face as he put the pill into his pocket.
'Just what I needed the most… perfect. I'll use it later.'
Then his eyes fell on the liquor.
"And this?"
[Liquor of Purification: A liquor made from high-quality rare ingredients. Liked by certain special species]
'Basically just some premium liquor. I don't drink anyway… can be useful later.'
With that thought, he stared at the flasks for a moment—
Then quietly put them into his pocket.
---
Rain was walking inside a mall, shopping some clothes and stuff. Humans all around—just like in his original world he used to live in.
'This world is mostly the same as Earth…'
The world of OG was not that complex. The planet itself was almost the same as Earth, just two times bigger—not that it changed its gravity, day and night cycle, time to revolve around the sun, or any other factors.
This planet was divided into mainly two parts—one where humans and other races lived together in relative peace and harmony, and the other where all the defiled creatures called "Corrupts" lived.
"This too… and this… and that!" Rain was shopping without any worries. After all, he had no need to save.
When he came to this world, one of his problems was how to handle expenses, but all his worries flew away when he received a message on his phone about receiving a good sum of money.
After some time, his shopping was finally done. He had taken more time than a girl would selecting clothes—just one of his many charms.
But as soon as he took his first step out of the mall, something caught his attention.
"What's all this commotion about?" he said in confusion, looking at the large crowd gathering around something.
The crowd was saying things like, "Hey, let me see her too!" as people tried to catch a glimpse of something.
Some faces lit up as they saw it.
"Hey! She is an Artikyn, right? Isn't she? Just look at her!"
While others were amazed by its beauty—
"So pretty… they really belong to another class!"
Rain heard those words, and the term "Artikyn" caught his attention quite a lot.
"Artikyn… Artikyn… Artikyn… where have I heard this word before…?" he murmured, clearly thinking, as he knew he had seen and heard it somewhere before.
"…Yeah, isn't that one of the races!" he said as he finally remembered.
Artikyn—a race whose origin comes from objects possessing soul cores. An Artikyn's origin could be anything—a phone, a painting, a book, a deadly weapon, daily-use items… even something unexpected. As long as it was a non-living object.
They had humanoid appearances, mixed with traits of their origin—but all of them carried special powers, something humans rarely ever possessed.
Rain tried to glance through the crowd—
And somehow, he managed to.
It was a woman. The same woman from the park.
Silver hair flowed down her back with faint red streaks, crimson eyes calm yet faintly dangerous. A loose white top held by golden rings revealed her smooth skin, paired with a long black skirt brushing the floor. Small paper-doll figures drifted around her silently, swaying as if alive.
Rain was a bit of surprise. "Wait she—!" his voice came out louder than he thought.
This little rise in his voice caught her attention, and she looked in Rain's direction.
As soon as her eyes fell on Rain, a small smile appeared on her face.
'Isn't he the cutie from the park…'
But what caught her attention more was the flask containing the liquor in his pocket.
Her expression changed a little to a surprised one.
'How could he have such a thing!?'
But soon a grin appeared on her face as her finger moved to her soft lips, lightly touching them before her tongue traced across in a dangerous, teasing way.
But as soon as Rain recognized her completely, a devilish grin appeared on his face.
'Luck is totally on my side.'