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

TL note: Tried to contact current translator as he stopped translating since 04/01/24 but couldn't find a way how. So I decided to pick this series up.

After we dropped the Smiter into the abyss, we moved towards the coffin room.

"Well, let's see what's going on..."

"Is the door actually open?"

"What if it's connected underground, and it's still alive..."

"Stop saying things like that. If it were true, it would be terrifying."

We were all anxious about whether the door was truly open. There was a nagging fear that the Smiter might still be alive, lurking at the bottom of the abyss.

As we moved along, I noticed Runa walking beside me, frequently tilting her head and clutching her throat.

"Runa, are you feeling okay? Did you hurt yourself earlier?"

"I did heal her, but if you're still in pain, please let me know, Runa-san."

I was just supporting her, but Runa had faced the Smiter's attacks head-on. Sisya had healed her afterward, but it wouldn't be surprising if she still had some lingering issues. The clash was intense—only someone like Noru or Runa with their skills activated could withstand it.

"No, it's not that. I'm just really thirsty. Heiha, could I have the water flask?"

"Ah, sure."

I was worried, but it seemed she was just thirsty. Even though she wasn't sweating much, the tension might have made her parched.

I took out the water flask from my bag and handed it to Runa. She poured water into a cup and began drinking it down, gulping audibly.

After finishing, she poured more water and drank repeatedly. She had already drunk five cups—wasn't that too much? But if she was that thirsty, maybe it was normal.

"How are you feeling now? Better?"

"...Probably. I should be fine for a while. Sorry about that."

"If anything happens, please tell me right away!"

After drinking twelve cups, Runa returned the flask to me. She had drunk a lot—her stomach must be sloshing with water.

Sisya approached with a worried expression, moving her hands nervously. Runa frowned and gestured for her to keep her distance, just like usual.

Although I was still concerned, it seemed she was getting back to her usual self. With that reassurance, we kept an eye on her and continued moving.

After some time, we finally saw the entrance to the coffin room. My heart pounded as we approached the entrance—this would determine if we had truly defeated the Smiter.

"Oh, the door's open!"

"And there's a piece of the stone tablet, too!"

"Does this mean we've finished this ruin?"

Swallowing nervously, we entered the room and saw the double doors at the back were indeed open. There was no treasure chest, but a piece of the stone tablet embedded in the wall. When I touched it, it came off easily.

Combining it with the pieces we had collected, we completed the rectangular stone tablet. Now we just had to find where to use it.

●

Leaving the coffin room, we wandered the labyrinth, searching for the place to use the completed tablet. We fought off Mummies along the way until we reached a large iron door at the end of a corridor. It reminded me of a similar door in the Goblin labyrinth—was this the end?

"That looks like the place, doesn't it?"

"It seems like it... but with all these traps, I'm a bit scared to go in."

After encountering so many traps, we were all wary. No one rushed towards the door, even though we were close to the goal.

"Alright, Noru and I will go check it out."

"Yes, we should be able to handle it if anything happens."

Noru, Sisya, and I were the only ones able to move properly. I wanted Noru to stay back and protect Estel and Runa, but it was better to check for traps first.

"Estel, Runa, you two rest here. Sisya, can you watch over them?"

"Gladly! I'll watch them closely!"

"Ugh, stop... don't come near..."

Asking Sisya to watch over Estel and Runa, she responded with a smile, wriggling with excitement. Runa looked uncomfortable as Sisya approached her. As usual, they had an odd dynamic.

Leaving them with Sisya, Noru and I cautiously approached the door, checking our surroundings carefully.

We reached the door without encountering any traps. It was almost frustratingly easy after all that caution.

"Alright, let's fit this tablet in."

"I hope this is the end..."

There was a rectangular slot in the middle of the door. I inserted the completed tablet, and the door opened on its own.

"It looks like we're safe."

"Thank goodness!"

Cautiously peering inside, we saw a dark room similar to the Goblin labyrinth. Finally, it seemed to be over.

"The end of the labyrinth looks like this."

"It feels similar to the Goblin labyrinth."

With the area secured, I waved for Estel and the others to join us. Runa was curiously looking around, taking in the sight of her first labyrinth end.

At the far end of the room, there was a thin pedestal with a platform, just like the previous labyrinth. Was this how all labyrinths ended?

This was the third labyrinth we had cleared. There might be more out there, possibly even in already known locations, given that the Angori ruins had one.

For now, though, it was time to claim our reward. I placed my smartphone on the transparent panel on the pedestal. The phone vibrated, and the screen displayed something.

[Labyrinth Completion Reward: 200 Magic Stones, Premium Ticket, SSR Cost Down, SSR Skill Up]

Whoa! This is amazing! 200 magic stones, a free ticket, and two SSRs—what a haul!

"Hehe, this is it! This is what I was looking for!"

"You still have so much energy, Heiha..."

"Your face is grinning so much."

With such a fantastic reward, I couldn't help but be ecstatic! My exhaustion vanished in an instant.

Our target was 140 stones, but we got 200 instead.

...Wait, something seems off. Did I get the magic stones this easily last time?

I remember there was some other notification before I received the reward last time... something about... blackened Niguld?

"Hmm?"

"Onii-san? What's wrong?"

"When we cleared the Goblin labyrinth, I remember seeing a notification about something being lifted... something about blackened Niguld?"

Before receiving the magic stones last time, there was a notification about lifting the blackening. It had been a mystery since then—what was that about? The phone hadn't changed, so what had happened?

"Blackened... maybe it was a title change or something, onii-san?"

"Title change... there doesn't seem to be any difference."

I checked the title screen, but there were no changes. What could it have been? Was it related to the labyrinth or something else entirely?

"Whoa!?"

"Another teleport? Everyone, gather up!"

While pondering, a magic circle appeared at our feet. We quickly gathered together as we were likely being teleported outside again. The vision was consumed by white light.

"Ugh... is everyone okay?"

When the light faded, we found ourselves at the entrance of the Angori ruins labyrinth. After confirming everyone was there, I sighed in relief. It was nice to be teleported to the entrance, but the constant worry was tiresome.

Right after that, there was a dull creaking sound from behind us. Turning around, I saw the labyrinth door closing.

"What's happening!?"

"It seems the labyrinth is closing."

The Goblin labyrinth had crumbled away, but this one was closing its doors. Maybe we'd never enter it again.

The podium where we placed the smartphone emitted a green light and then disappeared into particles as the door closed.

"Well, it's over now. Let's get out of here."

"Can't we use the beacon?"

"Oh... it's not working."

"It doesn't reach outside, huh..."

As we started leaving, Sisya asked about using the beacon. I tried, but it displayed [Unavailable]. We had to walk back manually.

"Oh, Heiha!? The magic stones are black!"

"What?"

As we exited the labyrinth area, Noru pointed out that the magic stones, which had been glowing green, were now black and dark.

Oh no... were those stones absorbing magic from the labyrinth? Did clearing the labyrinth cause this?

"...Is this our fault?"

"It looks that way..."

"Haha... we came here to investigate, but it seems we reduced the adventurers' income source..."

What should we do? If this happened after we went in, we might get in trouble. But the labyrinth was unknown, so maybe it was unavoidable.

It's best to be honest about it to avoid complications. I should take some of the blackened magic stones with us.

Feeling a bit down, we started walking back outside.

"Huh? The Flauum Mummy is gone?"

"Now that you mention it, we haven't encountered it for a while."

"And there are fewer mummies too."

As we walked out, we noticed the mummies had drastically reduced in number, and we hadn't seen the Flauum Mummy at all.

"Did clearing the labyrinth fix the anomaly?"

"If so, the labyrinth was causing the anomaly, right?"

The sudden disappearance of anomalies suggested the labyrinth was the cause. But labyrinths had existed for a long time without issues before. Why now?

As I pondered, we emerged outside to find it dark, the surroundings of the pyramid shrouded in night. We had been inside for a long time. Walking down into the desert wasn't appealing—let's use the beacon and head back.

We'll report to the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow. We're all exhausted, and reporting now would take too long, considering the magic stone situation.

"Runa-san! Are you feeling unwell!?"

"Hmm... oh

, yes..."

Before I could use the beacon, Sisya suddenly shouted. Looking over, Runa was staggering, looking weak. Her responses were sluggish and her eyes unfocused—something was definitely wrong.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"She looks dazed..."

"She seems worse off than me."

Noru waved a hand in front of her face, but there was no reaction. She wasn't herself.

"Runa-san? Do you have a fever?"

"Hmm..."

Sisya put an arm around her shoulders, feeling her forehead. Normally, Runa would protest loudly, but she was unresponsive.

"Runa! Are you really okay!?"

"There's something wrong! Heiha, give her a universal antidote!"

"It's odd... she's not reacting to Sisya..."

Seeing this unusual sight confirmed that Runa was in serious trouble. She wasn't even reacting to Sisya's touch—this was bad.

Sisya looked teary-eyed, holding Runa close, and when I handed her a potion, she drank it down, looking determined.

"I'll try to be tastier, Heiha."

"Oh, okay... good luck with that..."

Sisya's weird determination made me unsure how to react. It wasn't the first time she'd been strange.

"I feel a chill... but I'm better now. My thirst is gone too."

"Thank goodness. But why did this happen?"

"Maybe Runa's skill causes a thirst for blood, like a vampire?"

So, Runa's skill's side effect was a vampire-like blood thirst. She had mentioned being very thirsty earlier. She must have fought the urge hard.

Runa had helped us a lot today, enabling us to draw the gacha. We needed to repay her somehow.

With the commotion settled, we used the beacon to return home. After all that, it was finally time for the gacha.