The sun blazed mercilessly overhead, its golden rays unrelenting as they shimmered across the endless stretch of blue. The waves lapped lazily at the sides of a small, crude wooden raft, no larger than a bed frame, drifting with the current. A lone figure lay sprawled on the planks, unmoving save for the faint rise and fall of his chest.
His name was Karl—no last name he could remember. He was seventeen, with sharp, slightly sunburned features and a head of disheveled black hair. His body ached, stomach growled like a beast, and his lips were cracked from dehydration.
"Water..." he rasped.
The sea, in typical fashion, offered no mercy. He wasn't even sure how many days had passed since the wreck—only that he had managed to grab a life raft and cling to it through a storm that had swallowed his ship and every soul aboard.
That's when he heard it.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.]
Karl's eyes snapped open. The voice echoed in his head—not loud, but unmistakably clear. It wasn't human. It was mechanical, emotionless, like a narrator reading off a script.
[Welcome, User. You have been selected as the host of the Gacha System.]
"What... the hell?" Karl croaked, squinting at the bright sky. "Am I dying?"
[No. You are, however, on the brink of death. Would you like to activate your Beginner Pack?]
He blinked. "What Beginner Pack?"
[Beginner Pack includes: 5x Common Tickets, 1x Starter Mission, System Interface, Inventory Access.]
"...Sure. Yeah. Why not? I'm hallucinating anyway."
[Beginner Pack Activated.]
Suddenly, a translucent blue screen materialized in front of his vision. It hovered in midair, semi-transparent, with text glowing faintly across its surface.
⸻
[GACHA SYSTEM - INTERFACE]
Tickets Available:
Common: 5
Uncommon: 0
Rare: 0
Legendary: 0
Mystical: 0
God: 0
Inventory: Empty
Starter Mission: Survive for 48 hours and find land. Reward: 3x Common Tickets
⸻
"Am I in a game?" Karl whispered. "Or am I just insane?"
He reached up to touch the screen—and to his shock, his finger actually made contact. It clicked like a touchscreen.
The "GACHA" icon pulsed.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see if this is real."
He tapped [Roll Common x1].
The screen swirled like a slot machine, rapidly shifting between names, colors, and icons until it stopped on a faint yellow glow.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Sticky Fingers (Common) – Basic Adhesive Touch]
Effect: User's hands can stick to surfaces for 10 minutes per day.
"Sticky Fingers?" Karl repeated. "Like... glue hands?"
The ability automatically activated. He reached out and touched the wooden plank of the raft—and his hand clung tightly to it like a suction cup.
"No way."
[Remaining Tickets: 4x Common]
"Let's use the rest," he said quickly. "Might get something better."
[Roll Common x4 - Processing...]
Four new icons appeared in quick succession.
• [Obtained: Quick Dry (Common) – Speeds up drying of wet items by 300%]
• [Obtained: Minor Night Vision (Common) – Enhanced low-light visibility]
• [Obtained: Enhanced Taste (Common) – Able to detect poison or rot]
• [Obtained: Muscle Memory (Common) – Slightly boosts learning speed of physical tasks]
"Okay... this is actually kind of useful," Karl murmured. Night vision and enhanced taste could save his life.
And Muscle Memory? That could make training easier—if he ever found solid ground again.
But first... he had to survive.
⸻
12 Hours Later
His vision blurred from thirst and hunger. The sun had begun its descent, casting orange streaks across the sky. Karl chewed slowly on a soggy piece of rope—just for something to bite.
Then he saw it.
Land.
A small silhouette in the distance—maybe an island. He wasn't sure. But it was his only hope.
With what little strength he had, Karl activated Sticky Fingers, and paddled by using his arms to pull along the side of the raft, sticking to the wood and propelling forward. Slowly. Painfully.
But steadily.
⸻
2 Hours Later
Karl collapsed onto the shore like a corpse being dragged from the sea. Sand filled his nose, his mouth, his clothes. He rolled onto his back, eyes wide, breathing ragged.
[Mission Complete: Survive for 48 Hours and Find Land]
Reward: 3x Common Tickets]
"More..." he coughed. "Tickets."
⸻
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Common: 3
Uncommon: 0
Rare: 0
[New Mission Unlocked: Secure Shelter and Fire Before Nightfall]
Time Limit: 2 Hours
Reward: 1x Uncommon Ticket
⸻
"Okay... okay." Karl sat up. "I can do this."
He stumbled into the nearby forest, scavenging fallen leaves and twigs. With no matches, no flint, and no experience—he needed help.
He used a Common Ticket.
[Roll Common x1]
[Obtained: Fire Spark (Common) – Can ignite dry materials with finger once per day]
"Yes!"
Using Fire Spark, he set a small pile of dry leaves ablaze, creating a small fire beneath a makeshift shelter of leaves and bamboo stalks he had stacked against a tree.
He passed out under the shelter.
⸻
Morning - Day 3
[Mission Complete: Shelter and Fire Built]
**Reward: 1x Uncommon Ticket]
System Update:
Common: 2
Uncommon: 1
Karl grinned.
"Time to see what Uncommon gives me."
[Roll Uncommon x1]
The screen shimmered with a light green hue.
[Congratulations! You obtained: Spirit Tracker (Uncommon) – Can detect life signatures within 50 meters for 30 minutes daily]
He blinked. "That's... kinda insane."
He activated Spirit Tracker—and suddenly he sensed a presence. No, multiple presences. Not animals. Not beasts.
People.
⸻
Encounter
Karl climbed a low ridge overlooking the nearby bay—and saw it.
A small pirate ship, docked just off the shore. Several rough-looking men in bandanas and tattered coats were stomping through the jungle, blades and rifles in hand.
"Pirates," he whispered.
They weren't Marines. They weren't friendly. And judging by the drunken shouts and laughter, they weren't here for sightseeing.
Karl backed away slowly, mind racing.
He needed strength.
Something more than glue hands and poison detection.
He needed power.
But he only had two Common Tickets left.