Thank God for the sofa.
Otherwise, I might've fallen to my knees.
The moment I focused on my [Available Skills] and saw that there wasn't a single one available, all the strength left my body.
I could still acquire skills through other methods, like training, combat, and experience, but still, I'd never wrap my mind around this.
In this world, it was common sense that the skills available for purchase were a companion piece to synergize with a Gift, strengthening or covering their weaknesses.
It wasn't rare for people to plan their future around the skills they could acquire this way.
And because everyone always started with some, they were seen as the materialization of their lifetime.
A reflection of everything a person stood for, developed, and honed.
Even things they had potential for.
So, for nothing to appear like this was probably a first in the world.
It wasn't anything to cry a river about since I could still acquire skills through the Gacha.
However, being unable to plan ahead wasn't something I looked forward to.
It wasn't uncommon for more skills to appear, depending on the path a person followed, so I at least kept my hopes up that with time, skills would eventually appear for me to purchase with level-up points.
All I'd had to do was train, take on challenges, discover new things, or get a lucky reward somewhere.
Knowing that these were the requirements for a skill made things a little better, but at the same time, a little worse.
Something about this felt wrong.
The eighteen years that I'd lived, while not the most exciting, should at least be worth something.
There had to be a reason for this.
Or so my pride led me to believe.
Although I'd imagine asking for anything more than nothing wasn't such an unreasonable request, I internalized the feelings of discontent and decided to look on the bright side.
Since I wouldn't even have to think about using "Level-up Points" on skills, I'd focus them solely on stats.
Fewer choices made things simpler, if nothing else.
Also, I had yet to check the [Mana Gacha] and the [Kingdom].
While I didn't expect them to change this reality, they could potentially make up for it.
So, I tried the [Mana Gacha].
The surprise this time was as high, but not as bad as when I looked at the [Available Skills].
Much like the previous gacha I looked at, there was a huge list of banners for me to select and roll on.
More than I could count, yet definitely less than before.
I could maybe read through all of them in a week or two, which was much faster than the eternity it would take me to go through every banner of the [Ticket Gacha].
I was happy about this, funnily enough.
Less variety meant I could stumble upon something good more easily, and the description said that as my mana grew, I'd unlock more banners, so I had nothing to worry or complain about with this one.
It also allowed me to compare the two Gachas more easily, and in doing so, I noticed that one of the three banners I had my eyes on before, the [Companions Banner], either wasn't unlocked or didn't exist in the [Mana Gacha].
Perhaps it was a beautiful lesson about the value of friendship, and how a single mana point wasn't enough to cut it.
A wonderful thought, but I decided to look at it another way.
For a banner to be absent in the [Mana Gacha] must have meant their value was considerably higher than the others.
If I was right, then I had made the correct choice selecting the [Skills Banner] before, as I could only find the [Weapons Banner] of the three I was interested in.
This meant I could use one Gacha for skills and the other for weapons, and that I had successfully started this combo without even knowing about it.
Still, I delayed rolling using mana until the end of the day, since there was an adverse effect I wanted to avoid until I had checked the last part of my Gift, the [Kingdom].
The description for this part was interesting, but I wasn't sure exactly what to expect.
Once I tried it out, what awaited me was more strange and outlandish than anything I could've imagined.
A small plot of land, covered in grass, barely stretching before my eyes.
Surrounding it was a thick fog that covered the entire place.
The sun illuminated it from above, and a warm breeze reached me, coming from the nothingness that stood north of me.
I wasn't brave or dumb enough to approach the fog.
Its darkness was almost comical.
The kind that would make me scream, "Why are they approaching that?" in a movie.
It only needed a sign saying "free candy" to make it more obvious.
Strangely, the fog respected the Kingdom's borders as much as I did.
I watched it for minutes, and it never once crossed into the grassfield.
Strange...
Besides the evil, ominous fog, the land was surprisingly nice.
The grass was tall, and there were no insects.
While watching out for the fog, I took off my shoes to feel the ground beneath my feet.
It was slightly humid and soft, but not sandy.
If I could get rid of the fog, it'd be a nice, relaxing place.
Although there was another thing that caught my attention.
The only building constructed in this land, a lone hut, stood in the center of the field.
Using the mini-map I had for this dimension, I could tell it was a building I could also build, so maybe it was a freebie.
It's just that...
I honestly didn't know what to make of it.
Of the whole Kingdom, in fact.
Since I already had a home, the best I could think of was to abuse the [Access] function as a get out of jail free card.
Dangerous situation? I'll wait out the storm in my Kingdom, thanks.
Though, since sometimes the Dungeon blocks teleportation abilities, especially inside boss rooms, I'd have to test it before relying on it as a trump card.
There were also debuffs with similar effects.
These interactions were often strange, so I couldn't predict what would take priority.
Still, even if it wasn't anything special, I liked it.
The Kingdom was nice to have.
And it seemed fun that I could expand it with [Kingdom Points], too.
Maybe could find more functions for it in the future if I continued to develop it.
Unfortunately, I could only claim 1 [Kingdom Point] currently.
Most things in the [Kingdom Store] were out of reach, and the ones that weren't didn't really interest me at all, so I decided to claim and save the points for the time being.
At least until I had something worthwhile to invest them in.
After checking the [Kingdom], I returned to my home on Earth and looked at my [Status].
Like everyone else's, at level 1, everything displayed a 1, from intelligence to strength, from mana to magic, and both defense and luck.
The only different stat was speed, since I gained a +1 from the skill I received, which increased it to a total of 2.
With a Gift and a combat-oriented skill, I was pretty much ready to explore a Dungeon.
I had looked forward to it for a long time.
To get levels, become stronger, and maybe even live through a tale of my own.
But before that, I couldn't forget about the [Mana Gacha].
These consumed at least 1 mana point, and having just acquired mana for the first time, this was exactly how much I had.
This meant that the moment I tried any banner, I'd suffer from Mana Depletion, which would exhaust my body and mind.
Under its effects, even menial tasks became challenging hurdles.
Thankfully, the recovery method was simple.
Just by sleeping through the night, the effects should disappear.
This meant I would only be able to go to the Dungeon tomorrow, but one day wasn't anything to someone who had waited years.
So, after cooking dinner and setting everything up for tomorrow, I finally tried the last part of my Gift, the [Mana Banners].
Once again, I had no idea what to expect since I only spent a single mana point.
The best I could hope for was an extra lucky pull or a critical roll.
Unfortunately, gachas weren't famous for their generosity.
Just like last time, my mind was enveloped in a blank veil that consumed my consciousness.
I lost sight of everything for just a second.
And then, I was back home, as if nothing had happened.
Suddenly, quickly...
If not for the lingering discomfort, it would be impossible to notice it had happened.
Though that wouldn't be entirely true, as this time, there was a physical result to rolling in the gacha.
A small bladed weapon, a dagger, appeared before me.
It had no ornaments.
No gems, no special material for the handle.
Not even a signature that I could find.
Nothing that screamed about power or rarity.
The best I could say about it was that, at the very least, the blade wasn't rusty or chipped.
I had planned to bring a kitchen knife or a baseball club to the Dungeon, but this one seemed better, so for something that only cost me 1 mana point, it wasn't bad.
Being mundane was a plus side, even.
It wouldn't draw undesired attention, nor would it cause me to grow arrogant or dependent.
If it got stolen in a fight, it would be scary, but not the end of the world.
Appropriate for someone starting out.
These were the last thoughts in mind as the Mana Depletion grew, and I used all of my remaining strength to head back into the bedroom.
The headache was so strong, I felt like it would shatter my skull in two.
Just standing was hellish, so I threw myself into the bed and slept where I lay.