That morning, before the sun fully rose, Takuya was already sitting in the corner of the horse stable, staring at the floating gacha screen in front of him. On top of the straw that had not been replaced since he was summoned to this world, he took a long breath.
"If I get an apple again today, I will seriously curse the Goddess of this world," he complained.
With his finger slightly trembling, he pressed the [YES] button.
A blue light flashed, the wind stirred again. A magic circle appeared and... just like before...
Plop.
A small object fell to the ground.
Takuya glanced slowly.
"...A slime?"
A transparent green slime, the size of a small watermelon, rolled gently. It made a sound like: "pyuu~"
[Congratulations!]
[You have summoned: SS Support Slime – Jacket Form]
[Effect: Can be worn as a jacket. Warm. Slightly sticky.]
Takuya fell silent.
"..."
He looked at the slime. The slime looked back with an innocent expression, if that even counted. Then without warning, the slime jumped onto Takuya's chest and immediately wrapped around his body.
"Uwaagh?!"
The slime adjusted itself to Takuya's shape. In just a few seconds, it turned into a light green transparent jacket clinging tightly to him.
"...Why does this feel like wearing a jacket made of living jelly?" he muttered weakly.
Even though it felt ticklish and sticky, the slime was warm. Not bad for a cold morning and... for nights spent in a horse stable. It was more useful than yesterday's apple. But even so, it was not a combat skill, not a weapon, and definitely not an overpower item.
It was completely different from the novels Takuya used to read on Earth. Of course he was disappointed.
Takuya exhaled deeply. "Please, give me an overpower item or skill tomorrow. I beg you. If it happens, I promise to give you a basket of apples as an offering and... my respect!"
Takuya prayed to the Goddess of this world. He could only hope, not knowing if it would be granted. At the very least, he prayed first.
**
A few hours later...
Takuya stood behind the other heroes.
In front of him was a forest that was fairly safe for beginners. The summoned heroes always started in this forest.
The scent of damp soil, old leaves, and monster blood mixed together. Low level monsters wandered around.
Lady Seraphina stood at the front, surrounded by several royal knights.
"Let us begin. Our target today is to reach level ten."
Shigeru gripped his sword. Hiroshi prepared himself with his tamer wolf companion. Aika stood elegantly with her glowing magic staff.
Takuya?
He stood awkwardly with the slime jacket clinging strangely to his body.
"Pyuu~," the slime said softly.
"Can you stop saying pyuu~? You make me look even weirder," he complained.
"Pyuu~"
Takuya sighed. He knew it was pointless. The slime he got did not understand human speech. It was simply a stupid monster.
"I really am terrible at gacha. It really feels like I am cursed by the Gacha God."
**
The first battle.
The monster that appeared was a Lizardfang. A large lizard with iron claws and a poisonous tongue. It was a strong opponent.
The fastest way to level up was to defeat monsters that were higher level. That was exactly what the other heroes were doing except Takuya.
Shigeru ran forward. He struck first. Shigeru immediately decapitated the monster using his Phantom Slash skill.
The second battle.
A Poison Moth the size of a goat appeared from behind the bushes, flapping its toxic wings.
Aika focused her Mana and her body began to glow. She fired a large spell. The blast shot down the Poison Moth instantly.
The third battle.
A Red Boar, a forest monster with skin as hard as steel.
Hiroshi pointed forward. At that moment Raijin, the wolf, sank its lightning fangs into the boar's neck. The monster collapsed and died.
The three summoned heroes won their fights easily because of their incredible talent.
Takuya?
He did nothing. He became a walking statue who repeatedly scratched his head. It was as if he was not even considered part of the group.
Every time a monster appeared, he lowered his head. He even tripped over roots and fell. His slime jacket stopped him from getting scraped. That was all.
The rest of the monsters were defeated by the other heroes.
"Are you alright?" Shigeru asked, extending his hand.
"Thank you," Takuya said as he grabbed Shigeru's hand.
He stood back up, but several eyes turned toward him. Their gazes were filled with mockery. Takuya exhaled deeply.
"What is the point of bringing that boy here?" one knight whispered.
"If he dies first, I will not be surprised," another replied.
"He is supposed to be part of the hero party."
"Him? I would believe he is a stable boy more than a hero," another knight mocked.
Takuya glanced at them. He heard everything, but he ignored them.
**
After almost an hour, the other heroes all reached Level 10.
[Shigeru Lv. 10
New Skill: Phantom Step]
[Aika Lv. 10
New Skill: Chain Lightning]
[Hiroshi Lv. 10
New Skill: Summon Beast King – Cub Form]
Everyone looked at their notifications proudly.
Aika smiled with satisfaction. Hiroshi summoned a small cub with golden horns using his new skill. Shigeru moved so fast that the eye could barely follow. They were even stronger now.
The three of them received praise from Lady Seraphina. They were even rewarded with gold coins for growing so quickly.
Then, Takuya opened his status.
[Takuya Lv. 9 → 10]
[New Skill: None]
[Available Skill: Daily Gacha (Cooldown: 14 Hours 12 Minutes)]
Takuya simply stared at the screen with disbelief.
"...Pyouu..." his slime said softly, as if feeling sorry for him.
Takuya inhaled deeply and looked at Lady Seraphina. The woman said nothing.
"Is there nothing I can do?" Takuya muttered.
He scratched his head. While all the summoned heroes obtained new skills, he got nothing.
Lady Seraphina glanced at the daydreaming Takuya. She called two knights and whispered something. The two knights nodded.
Then she looked away again.
That night, a bonfire was lit. Food was distributed to the heroes: roasted meat, warm bread, even mild wine.
Takuya?
He was given a piece of potato, hard bread, and plain water.
He looked at his slime jacket, then bit the hard bread.
"Maybe tomorrow my gacha will be more useful."
Takuya let out a long breath. He doubted his hope would come true.
Not long after, Shigeru walked toward Takuya. He sat beside him and handed him a piece of meat.
"Eat. You are still growing, so you need to eat more," Shigeru said.
Takuya was surprised. He smiled immediately. "Thank you."
Without delay, he ate the meat. As he ate, he heard people whispering. Of course they were talking about how useless he was and how kind Shigeru was for helping trash like him even though there was no point.
"If I get a strong skill, all of you will kneel before me," Takuya said while chewing the meat he received.
**
"Huh? Are you kidding me?" Takuya shouted.
[Congratulations!]
[You have summoned: Smelly Socks.]
He clicked his tongue in frustration. He threw the smelly socks away immediately.
"This is even worse than the first day. You seriously want me to be humiliated in this world, Gacha Goddess? I will spank your butt, you idiot!" Takuya yelled.