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

[[2024-06-09]TL note: fixed naming issues sorry about that. Thanks for letting me know.]

After finishing the discussion with the guild master, we received our silver plates as proof of our B-rank and returned home.

"Phew... that was exhausting."

"You were more tense than usual. I understand though; that man has an indescribable presence."

Upon returning home, we gathered in the living room to discuss the day's events.

The guild master, Christoph. When I heard "guild master," I thought he would be a strict person, but he was surprisingly easy to talk to. However, the way he precisely targeted the things we didn't want to be known was quite unsettling. He's definitely not just an ordinary person... If I ever have to talk to him again, I need to be careful.

"Still, I didn't expect us to get a request immediately after becoming B-rank."

"It was a guard request, right? I wonder what the magical city of Queres is like?"

The request we saw on the paper Christoph showed us was a guard request to the magical city of Queres. It was a B-rank or higher designated request, and the client was a wealthy person living in the capital. The departure was in six days, and like our trip from Brune to the capital, it would take more than ten days. The reward was 600,000G.

Wow, rich people are really generous. But is it okay for us, who just became B-rank, to be the guards? While I'm not worried about our combat abilities, I am concerned about doing the job properly.

Also, the destination of this guard request, the magical city of Queres. From the name, it's obvious that it's a city mainly inhabited by mages. I'm finally going to see the mages of this world, and I'm curious about what kind of city it is.

"Mmm, good morning..."

"Oh, you're up, Runa."

Runa, wearing her usual nightcap and nightgown, came into the living room. She still looked sleepy, probably because she was tired from yesterday. This is a good time to tell her about the guard request.

If we're going to take this guard request, we won't be able to return for over ten days. We can't freely use the beacon in front of others, so we might not have the chance to set it up along the way. This means Runa will be alone at home during that time. Since she's not registered as an adventurer, we can't take her with us.

"Hmm, leave the security to me while you're away. I'll make sure to guard the house."

"That's reassuring. Oh, and please take care of Mofuto's food."

"Don't worry, I'll be spending time with Mofuto, so everything will be fine."

Runa confidently assured us. Despite her appearance as a young girl, she was very dependable. It's convenient for us that Runa will be at home, as we can't bring Mofuto with us. Right now, she's petting Mofuto, who was in Noru's arms after we returned home.

"I'm worried about leaving Runa-san alone! Please let me stay too!"

"What are you talking about? We'd get scolded if we left the cleric behind on a guard mission."

Hearing the conversation, Sisya banged the table and stood up, pleading to stay with a hand clenched over her chest. Of course, her opinion was immediately rejected. Leaving a cleric behind on a guard mission is unthinkable. Besides, this request will help Sisya reach E-rank, which is convenient.

"Runa-san, you want me to stay, right? Right?"

"Not at all."

"Ugh... that's so harsh..."

Realizing my persuasion was futile, Sisya tried to appeal directly to Runa. However, Runa answered dismissively without even looking, continuing to pet Mofuto. Hearing the response, Sisya sat back down and began to sob quietly.

So cold... I thought they had gotten closer, but she cut her off instantly... Although, this time, it's actually helpful.

"There are still a few days until the departure. Is there anything we should prepare?"

"Well, we should buy some essentials since we can't freely use gacha items in front of others."

Like the beacon, we'll avoid using convenient gacha items where people can see. Not being able to produce food from the gacha is a downside, but it can't be helped. Although we’ll pass through some villages on the way to Queres, it's best to bring non-perishable food. The magic bag will keep the food from spoiling.

"Oh, and we'll need at least two horses for the trip, right? Who's going to ride the second one? I can handle one, but who will ride the other?"

"I can't ride a horse. I'd prefer to ride behind you, brother."

"Ookura can't ride either. Last time he tried—"

"I can't hear you! I can't hear you!"

Noru was about to bring up an embarrassing story, so I loudly interrupted. Don't spread such embarrassing tales!

This time, we need to ride horses to guard the carriage. Ideally, we’d have four horses, but since Estel and I can't ride, we'll have to manage with fewer. We need one more person who can handle a horse. Should I try to learn in the remaining days despite my past trauma?

"Seriously, what are we going to do? I can handle the reins if needed."

"Wait, Sisya, you can ride?"

"I'm not as skilled as Noru, but I can manage. I'm a cleric, after all."

"Alright... I'll rely on you then."

Sisya raised her head and said she could ride. There were no traces of tears on her face. She was fake crying...

But it's a relief Sisya can ride. A cleric who can also ride a horse... what's with that versatility?

"Well, we’ll prepare our gear, but there's something else we need to do first."

"Oh? What else do we need to do?"

Besides preparing for the guard mission, there are a couple of things I want to check before we leave.

"We need to test the synthesis machine and check the skill upgrade we received from the labyrinth."

"Ah, right. The skill upgrade... does that mean we can enhance our skills?"

"Probably, yes."

There's the SSR synthesis machine from the gacha and the SSR skill upgrade from the labyrinth. The synthesis machine can combine two items, and the skill upgrade presumably enhances skills.

I glanced at Estel, expecting her to push for herself like she did with the cost reduction. She noticed my glance and smiled back but didn't insist this time.

"You're not pushing for it this time?"

"Even I know not to be selfish about this. Skill selection is crucial."

While cost reduction was important, skill upgrades are an even bigger deal. I'm impressed she understands that. It makes me want to enhance her skills, but I need to be fair.

The candidates for skill enhancement are Noru, Estel, and Runa. Sisya hasn't used her skills much, so she doesn't need enhancement yet. I don't have any skills myself, just titles. So, out of these three...

Noru's skill boosts all abilities and makes her almost invincible but leaves her unable to move afterward. Estel's skill increases her magic power, dealing significant damage even to resistant enemies, but it lowers her accuracy and power afterward. Runa's skill allows for high-damage single attacks but increases her bloodlust, reducing her control.

All of them are powerful, making it hard to decide. Maybe I should enhance Noru's skill? If it reduces the post-skill immobilization, it would be a huge help. Estel and Runa's post-skill effects aren't as severe, so they can manage.

"Alright, I'll go with Noru. It might reduce the pain."

"That would be great. It really hurts after the skill ends..."

Noru always seems to be in pain after using her skill. If this upgrade lessens that, it will be worth it.

So, I selected Noru on my smartphone for the skill upgrade. A light emanated from the phone and enveloped Noru.

"How do you feel? Any changes?"

"Hmm... I don't feel any different."

Noru checked her body, opening and closing her hands, but didn't seem to notice any changes. We'll probably only see the effects when she uses her skill. I'll check her status just in case.

[Silver Aura☆2]

Increases all stats by 3.2 times for 12 minutes. Cooldown: 10 hours.

"This is quite something... I wonder how far it can go."

"But it still looks like it might hurt afterward... I hope we can strengthen it more."

Noru's skill duration and stat boost increased, and the cooldown decreased. Just one enhancement did this much. How powerful will it become at max level?

"We should test it now to see how it goes."

"Alright, here I go!"

Noru activated her skill, her body enveloped in a white aura. The cooldown is longer now, so we can test it properly today. This will also help us see if the post-skill pain happens without combat.

"Oh, so this is Noru's skill. Impressive."

"It's the first time Runa is seeing it! Isn't it amazing?"

"Yes, it's very cool."

Runa watched Noru's skill with bright eyes, clapping. Noru, pleased by the praise, puffed out her chest proudly. The skill always seems to boost her mood.

After a while, the white aura around Noru faded, and she collapsed to the floor.

"It hurts... why does it still hurt..."

"Even without moving, it still causes pain."

"Are you okay, Noru? This should help a bit."

"It looked cool, but it's like a fire burning out."

Noru crawled on the floor, crying out in pain. Sisya quickly cast a healing spell on her, lifting her upper body. Runa

's comment, though, was a bit harsh but accurate. The aura did look like a spark burning out.

The first enhancement didn't seem to make much difference. Noru's immobilization isn't due to her movements but the skill itself. It would've been useful if she could just block attacks with it.

"Sorry, but you need to rest today."

"I shouldn't have done it..."

We helped Noru to a chair after Sisya's healing spell. I felt really bad, but we needed to test it to know.

"Alright, let's try the synthesis machine next."

"I'm looking forward to this. Combining equipment to enhance it sounds fun."

"I doubt it's that straightforward."

I placed the white synthesis machine in the corner of the room. The front panel had a black section, probably for displaying information. I'll try inserting random items first.

I placed an R-grade greatsword and boots in the machine. The machine's interior had a divider, with two slots on each side. When I put the greatsword in the left slot, it turned into light particles, filling the left side. The same happened with the boots on the right.

"Okay, let's close it."

"Huh? It's not starting."

"Brother, there's something displayed here."

The black panel showed, [These materials cannot be synthesized]. So these two can't be combined.

After several trials, I finally saw, [Do you want to proceed with synthesis? Yes, No], when I combined gacha equipment with a monster drop item. This time, it was the greatsword and Stinger's venom needle.

When I pressed Yes, another message appeared, [Consume one magic stone to prevent destruction? Yes, No].

Huh? Prevent destruction... one magic stone!? Does it mean the equipment might get destroyed? That can't be... Surely not.

I selected No, and the synthesis machine started moving. It shook for a while and then stopped with a chime. The black panel displayed, [Synthesis failed. The equipment has been destroyed].

"What!? It really got destroyed!?"

I opened the box, and the light particles were gone. Both the equipment and the material had vanished.

"So it really gets destroyed if it fails... But you can prevent it with a magic stone."

"But consuming a magic stone each time is a bit much."

Estel was right. Using a magic stone each time to prevent destruction is costly. It doesn't even increase the success rate, just prevents destruction.

"Better than losing everything."

"Using it for UR synthesis is a must."

Runa and Sisya agreed that preventing destruction was necessary. It's important, but consuming magic stones is a hard choice.

I continued combining my Excaliburl with Stinger's venom needle. Each attempt consumed the monster material, but I used magic stones to prevent the Excaliburl from being destroyed.

After 14 attempts, the black panel finally displayed, [Synthesis successful], showing the synthesized Excaliburl's stats.

Excaliburl☆29

Attack: +3290

Action Speed: +190%

Status Effect: Poison (Small)

"14 magic stones for this... Seems underwhelming."

"Don't call it underwhelming! It finally succeeded!"

"Too bad it wasn't the Behemoth's horn. That would have been better."

Damn, it took 14 tries... Well, at least I know the success rate isn't high. I had 60 magic stones from the labyrinth reward, so losing 14 isn't too bad.

But thinking about what could have been with the Behemoth's horn... It's too precious to risk easily.

I was hoping for a significant upgrade before the guard mission, but it looks like that's not happening yet.