The sensation of freefall gripped Max; his heart hammered, fear and disbelief twisting through him, every beat louder than the last. He felt wronged, caught between panic and the heavy sense that everything familiar was slipping away. The last words he heard echoed in his head, making it clear that the life he once knew was either just a fleeting dream… or maybe, the real fantasy was just beginning.
His eyes refused to open, but his mind spun.
Am I tripping? Or is this really a summoning? Like in those anime? No way… How is that possible? Were those stories always real?
A wild, desperate sense of relief washed over him—escape. For the first time in years, that word felt like hope.
BAMF!
His body materialized out of thin air, landing softly on a surprisingly comfy chair, though Max was too anxious to notice. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, torn between fear and wild expectation. The next moment, loud voices shattered the quiet.
"Where are we?!"
"Hey! What is this bullshit? Why am I here?"
Manly shouts echoed through the space, and finally, Max forced his eyes open.
He sucked in a cold breath. He was seated at the top row of a massive lecture hall, white chairs cascading down toward a wide stage below. The stage itself was empty, but the room was packed with men, all about his age or older, each one looking just as confused.
He tried to stand, but his wrists were pinned to the armrests by glowing, spectral chains.
"The fuck?" he barked, straining to pull free, but the bindings didn't budge.
"Don't bother," came a calm voice to his left. "Those magical chains won't move, no matter what. All we can do is sit and wait. See if we die or get drafted as heroes."
Max looked over to find a young man about his own age: blue eyes, golden hair, annoyingly handsome, and, somehow, actually friendly.
"I'm Jack. Nice to meet you," the stranger said, flashing a bright, easy grin.
"Max…" Max muttered, still dazed. "Where are we?" he asked, his voice uncertain as he scanned the room. More men kept appearing from thin air, each one locking into place as soon as they arrived. If he had to guess, there were close to a thousand seats. Maybe more.
"Who knows. Looks like some kind of auditorium, but it's hard to say for sure." Jack scanned the room, squinting. "Hey, you think this is like anime?" he asked suddenly, making Max's face light up.
"I sure hope so… Anything's better than my life back there…" His words trailed off, but Jack seemed to get the message.
"I see…" Jack gave him an understanding nod.
"Do you think we're in a different world?" A shaky voice cut in from Max's right. A middle-aged man, face twisted in terror, was struggling against the glowing binds on his wrists, scraping his skin in the process. He clearly wasn't taking this well; his whole body trembled.
"Have you ever seen anything like this in the real world?" Jack replied, gesturing with his eyes at their restraints. The man's expression fell. He clamped his mouth shut, staring ahead, eyes empty.
"Poor guy," Jack muttered. He turned back to Max. "So, where are you from? The real world, I mean."
"Me?" Max's gaze lingered on the broken man, thinking he was just mentally weak. "States. What about you?"
"Germany," Jack answered.
"Damn, your English is flawless. How'd you learn it so well?" Max blurted out.
Jack laughed. "We're not speaking English."
"Huh? What do you mean—then how do we—?"
"Think about it. Does what you're saying actually sound like English, or any language you know?" Jack cut him off. The question hit Max like a slap.
He's right… Max realized. I'm not speaking or thinking in English, but I understand everything. Everyone here's speaking the same language, but they all look so different… He glanced around, only now noticing the variety of faces, hair, and skin tones all packed into the room.
"This is fucking amazing!" Max shouted, unable to help himself. The whole hall went silent, dozens of eyes locking onto him at once.
He slouched down in his seat, doing his best to disappear. Thankfully, he didn't have to sit with everyone's eyes on him for long—the door on the podium slammed open.
A pair of naked legs stepped into the room, and suddenly everything went silent. Too silent.
She strode forward—a naked beauty, completely exposed to the crowd. Every detail was on display: her full, plum breasts, as large as ripe watermelons; flawless, pale skin; a face so stunning it made every other woman Max had ever seen look plain; golden hair that spilled perfectly to her waist; and a pair of golden wings unfurled behind her—angelic, impossible. Between her thighs, a cleanly shaved, delicate mound peeked through, half-hidden by curves that could suffocate a man.
She stopped at the center of the stage and smiled, radiant and bright. "Welcome." Her voice was so perfect that it made Max's heart skip a beat. "I'm glad to see so many new faces in this classroom." Her words were gentle, yet in Max's ears they felt like hot breath against his skin, lips almost brushing his ear. "All of you are now Class X01501. Today, your fates will change forever."
Nobody spoke. The entire room was frozen, every man too stunned to even breathe.
Then, as if performing for an audience, she conjured a massive golden book from thin air. It appeared in her hands with a flash, pages riffling rapidly before settling open.
The book suddenly spoke, its voice echoing through the hall and making Max flinch in surprise. He'd never have guessed, not in a million years, that a damn book would be the one to talk.
"Welcome, new students! You're now part of the Ultimate Gacha Game Academy. Pull beauties, fuck them day and night, conquer the lands, and crush your rivals! Because the one who wins gets to become the god of gacha!"
The room erupted with noise at last—shouts flying from every corner. Some men demanded answers, others started cheering as if they understood what was happening, and a few, like Max and Jack, just sat back in tense silence, watching it all unfold. Not a single heart among them was truly at ease.