Using Gacha to Increase My Companions and to Create the Strongest Girls' Army Corps

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Author Notes:

Thank you very much for always reading. Tomorrow, on September 28, Volume 5 of the book will be released. At the same time, Volume 1 of the comic adaptation will also be available. More details are shared in the activity report, so if you’re interested, please take a look.

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The day after pulling the gacha, we headed to a secluded spot to inspect the items we received as planned.

"Hehehe, I can’t wait to test how much power I’ve gained," Estel said, gripping her staff with both hands and swinging it from side to side, clearly excited.

"Seeing Estel so excited is rare."

"Testing new powers does bring excitement. I’d probably end up casting a massive healing spell across the entire town."

"No way am I ever enhancing you."

"Oh, come on! It wouldn’t hurt anyone."

Not hurt, huh? A mass healing spell might not be harmful, but an entire town suddenly engulfed in light would definitely cause panic. Sisya’s strength as a priest lies in her ability to heal large groups at once. I wouldn’t put it past her to heal all of Brune at once.

"Testing the gacha items is going to be fun!" Freesia said, beaming.

"Enough to make coming outside in broad daylight worth it," Runa added.

Runa, who had been drowsy a moment ago, came along, probably curious about the gacha items. Freesia had woken her up and invited her, though she didn’t seem to mind.

Today’s main event is the UR item *Goddess’s Sanctuary,* but first, let’s check that one item. I selected the *Massive Gold Nugget* from the item menu and tapped it. Light poured from the phone, materializing before us a colossal trapezoid-shaped ingot—taller than me and more than twice as wide.

"Holy—! That’s way too big!"

"A-astonishing… such a massive nugget!"

"Seems 'untold riches' wasn’t an exaggeration."

"It’s so shiny and beautiful!"

No kidding—this thing’s sheer size is astounding. How much could it be worth? Estel, who was inspecting the ingot, chimed in.

"Hmm, the purity seems pretty high. I’d say it’s worth over ten billion G, if not more."

"Hmph, that’s enough to retire."

Hearing this, Runa’s red eyes sparkled as she tried to drag the ingot away by its edge, but it didn’t budge. She gave up soon after. Please don’t try to hoard and hide away with it…

I’d guessed it was worth over a billion, but ten billion G in Estel’s estimation? With this, I’ll never need to worry about funds again. I could probably buy a mansion in the Capital with this alone. But, as it is, it’s too big to use for transactions. Melting it into smaller ingots might be the way to go.

Now for the *Rare Ore,* another item saved for last. When it materialized, it was another object taller than me, jagged and metallic green, seemingly pure with no visible impurities.

"Another massive ore… is this really just ore?"

"This stone’s quite striking in color. What kind of ore could it be?"

"Definitely not ordinary. We should get it appraised after breaking off a piece."

"An appraisal item would come in handy. Can’t the status app identify it?"

"…Nope, no response."

The status app only works on monsters and people. I’d love for a gacha pull to grant us an appraisal app someday. As Estel suggested, I’ll bring a fragment to Gantz-san to examine.

"Alright, let’s check out *Goddess’s Sanctuary* now."

Storing the gold and ore in the bag, I slipped on the silver ring and visualized Noru and the others as my designated targets, channeling mana into the ring. The emblem within the rainbow-colored gem began to glow, and a thin, rainbow-colored membrane extended in a semicircle around me and the others.

"Oh! It feels like something’s covering us!"

"So, this is *Goddess’s Sanctuary.* I was expecting more of a dramatic effect, honestly."

"The activation may be subtle, but it feels powerful. This could block any attack."

"It’s filled with divine energy… worthy of its name. Oh no, Runa-san! Are you okay in here?"

Oh no! Being *Goddess’s Sanctuary,* I should’ve expected divine energy to affect her! Hearing Sisya, I, along with Noru and the others, quickly turned toward Runa… who was standing there, arms crossed, looking a bit miffed.

"She seems fine… Maybe divine energy doesn’t actually harm her."

"Thank goodness, it appears to be fine."

"Nothing more than a mild headache and nausea."

"That’s not fine! Get out of here now!"

"Exactly! Let’s step outside together."

"When you feel unwell, you should speak up."

"Right! Don’t keep it to yourself."

"I’m not holding back. You’re all just worrywarts."

We hastily escorted Runa outside the membrane and left her there to wait. Why does this prideful vampire insist on staying silent when she’s not feeling well? Starting off with this scare, we resumed testing the *Goddess’s Sanctuary.* First, let’s check the duration. Not knowing how long it lasts would make it hard to strategize. I activated a stopwatch app from the SR clock app to time it.

While monitoring the duration, I tested what would happen if I left the sanctuary. The membrane remained where it was, centered at the original spot. Looks like it stays put even if I leave. A mobile sanctuary would be great for crowding monsters into a wall and squashing them, but I’ll make do.

"Let’s try something else while we wait. I’ll step inside, and Estel, could you cast a support spell while Sisya tries healing?"

Rather than idly waiting, I had Estel and Sisya cast harmless spells on me while I stood inside the sanctuary. They both shook their heads. I couldn’t feel any effect from the support or healing magic.

"Hmm, nope. The spells get deflected midway."

"Looks like even harmless spells get blocked."

"Now I’ll step outside, and you two try casting spells from inside the sanctuary."

When we switched, magic reached me as usual, filling me with a surge of energy. Wow… it feels even stronger than before. Estel’s support spells did strengthen after her upgrade.

Since they were already inside, I had Freesia join and attack from within. She eagerly fired an arrow through the sanctuary membrane, and it passed right through without a problem. Estel then sent a jet of water, which also flew out unhindered.

"So, no issues from within."

"Haha, that’s amazing! The arrows just slip right through!"

"My attack magic works fine too."

"A true UR item—no interference from the outside, yet full access from within. It’s ridiculously powerful."

Runa’s reaction to the divine energy was unexpected, but this item’s strength is beyond impressive. Over five minutes have passed, and *Goddess’s Sanctuary* is still active, allowing for safe attacks from within. If we’d had this during the Grandoris battle… ugh.

"Now to see if it nullifies any attack. I’ll stay outside… and use this plushie instead."

"What! Ookura-dono, using the plushie as a test subject is unthinkable!"

"We have plenty. One won’t hurt—"

"No! I don’t have that type yet!"

I’d intended to place a plushie inside the sanctuary for the test, but the moment I materialized it, Noru lunged for it. Was she aiming to complete her plushie collection?

"Plushies are useful, like that one time in the cave when it acted as bait," Freesia chimed in.

"Hey! You weren’t supposed to say that!"

At Freesia’s words, Noru froze in place.

"And what happened to that plushie?"

"Got blown to smithereens by that ditzy elf’s skill."

"My… my plushie… gone…"

Noru slumped to her knees, devastated by the plushie’s loss. Well, the sacrifices had to be made. After producing a few more plushies and handing her the new one, she let us use the duplicates. Apparently, Noru can be quite the pragmatist.

Time’s ticking! Back to testing *Goddess’s Sanctuary’s* defenses. Freesia was first up.

"Alright, I’ll go first! Bullseye!"

Receiving Estel’s boosted support spell, Freesia fired an arrow that shattered the air with a loud crack. It struck the sanctuary membrane but ricocheted off, flying into the distance.

"It bounced off… That’s amazing!"

"Now it’s my turn to shatter it in your stead."

"Go for it, Runa!"

Excited, Freesia cheered as Runa prepared to hurl her spear with all her might. Aren’t they closer than they seem?

Without delay, Runa took off running, leaped, and spun the spear overhead, coating it in a crimson aura. Wait, is that a skill?! I realized this just as she released the spear, which shot toward *Goddess’s Sanctuary* like a red flash… only to deflect off, spinning harmlessly into the distance.

"Deflected… Heiha, give me blood."

"Uh, sure."

"Didn’t expect a skill-based attack…"

"But this shows how robust *Goddess’s Sanctuary* truly is. Few things could block an attack from Runa."

I hadn’t expected Runa to go

 all out, but this made an excellent demonstration. Even with enhanced defense and magic resistance, neither Freesia’s arrows nor Runa’s spear skill could penetrate it. It’s safe to say it nullifies all external interference.

That’s most of the testing done. Now we wait for the effect to expire… or so I thought, as Estel grinned eagerly.

"Hehe, my turn to test something. Let’s start with a little ‘poof,’ shall we?"

With a yellow grimoire in one hand, Estel planted her staff into the ground, causing a thunderous tremor as the earth around us quaked. The sanctuary’s ground edge exploded, sending dirt skyward in a landslide.

"Wh-what did you do?!"

"Curious about the ground underneath, so I hit it with earth magic. It’s holding up well."

"T-that was quite a shake."

"Estel’s magic has clearly gotten a boost…"

Testing the ground was wise, but Estel’s magic seems… unhinged. The sanctuary is holding firm in a near-circle, unaffected by her chaotic spell.

Then, Estel pulled out a red grimoire and swung her staff again, causing an explosion in the air above the sanctuary, sending a blast of hot air outward.

"Oops, missed."

"Estel, what just happened?! It blew up!"

"Simply blew up an area above. Looks like interference from outside is impossible."

"A pinpointed blast… Estel, you’re terrifying."

A pinpointed blast…? She’s targeting coordinates?! Usually, spells need time to charge, but this one detonated instantly. It could easily hit fast-moving foes and vastly improves anti-air capabilities.

Enhancing Estel was definitely worth it… but seeing her in action is a bit scary.

"And now, for my special move."

"The *Light of Annihilation* spell…?"

"Yes. I would’ve leveled everything in sight before, but now I can control it. Relax."

Isn’t that spell insanely dangerous? I wanted to tell her not to, but seeing her confidence, I let her proceed. Estel flashed a bright smile and raised a white grimoire, casting a vast magic circle high above us, where a glowing sphere formed and pulsed as light gathered.

This spell… is it really okay?

"…Take this!"

When ready, Estel swung her staff, sending a colossal beam of light down onto the sanctuary. The blinding pillar enveloped the area, completely obscuring our view. It was hard to look directly at it, but the silence was even more unnerving.

After nearly a minute, the beam thinned and faded, revealing the sanctuary’s spot left unscathed, surrounded by a gaping crater.

"Phew… It still held up. UR items truly are impressive."

Estel exhaled, cheeks flushed with satisfaction. That spell alone could vaporize any monster. And despite the insane strength, *Goddess’s Sanctuary* held firm. This UR item’s potential is truly unmatched.

"Estel is incredible…" Sisya whispered.

"It’s amazing how much an enhancement unlocks. I hope I get one someday."

"Hmm, only if I don’t have to work," Runa added.

"Haha! That was amazing! Estel, let’s see more spells!"

"Alright, let’s keep experimenting a bit more," Estel replied with a grin.

We continued testing until *Goddess’s Sanctuary* wore off, and Noru screamed when her plushie disintegrated. The final assessment showed the sanctuary lasts 20 minutes, with a 12-hour cooldown. Estel’s upgrades and *Goddess’s Sanctuary*’s phenomenal powers have me excited for future battles.

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Author Notes:

Thank you very much for always reading. Tomorrow, on September 28, Volume 5 of the book will be released. At the same time, Volume 1 of the comic adaptation will also be available. More details are shared in the activity report, so if you’re interested, please take a look.

This is important, so I mentioned it twice… Sorry if that’s a bit pushy!

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