Pretty quickly, each person began their own ritual. After Dimitri's extraordinary showcase of power, no one else came close to matching it. Most pulled only A rank, a handful managed S or SS, and from the thousands of men here, only a rare few reached SSS. It was now painfully clear—SSS was the peak. There was no equality in this place. If you got a weak gacha, you'd spend your days as nothing more than a punching bag for those with power.
The seats expanded to make space for the summoned girls, who now sat beside their masters. A ranks could summon five. S ranks got six. SS could call eight. And SSS… ten.
Shit… faster, faster! When is my turn, god dammit?! Max's right leg bounced uncontrollably. The line was shrinking, fewer and fewer men left to go, but still at least ten ahead of him. The wait was driving him insane.
"Are you okay?" Jack chuckled from beside him. Max's frantic energy looked almost comical to him. Sure, Jack was excited too—but not to the point of shaking like a man possessed.
Yet, despite the question, Max gave no reply. It was as if he hadn't even heard him.
"This guy's gone," Jack muttered, shaking his head. "If he pulls a low rank, he might just lose it completely." Still… he had to admit, he liked Max. Whatever rank they got, Jack decided—he'd still be friends with him here.
Time seemed to slow, but soon enough it was the turn of the man sitting on Max's right. He stepped onto the stage and gave his name—Andrew. Nobody expected much from him.
And then it happened—something no one saw coming.
Four blazing S letters locked into place on the machine—THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!—SSSS.
The crowd erupted in gasps as a golden crown shimmered into existence above his head for a heartbeat before sinking into his body. Even the floor seemed to hum beneath their feet.
"The birth of a king…" the angel whispered, her voice barely audible, yet in the stunned silence, every soul in the room heard her.
Andrew's pull brought forth fifteen women. None were lower than S rank. Several reached SS, and more than one shone with the brilliance of SSS.
A miracle, born from a man no one had thought twice about.
And now—it was Max's turn. Every eye fixed on him, waiting to see if he would spark another miracle… or prove himself a failure.
He felt the shackles on his wrists finally release, washing him in a wave of relief and comfort. Without hesitation, Max bolted to the stage, weaving past the others, eyes blazing with fever. His grin was so wide, so wild, it looked as if he'd already been crowned with the strongest system in the room.
He stood before the angel—her flawless body now streaked and glistening with the blood of other contestants. Heat surged in his pants, but he didn't care about her. He wanted his own. His personal fuck toys.
Come on, faster. Let me say the words. His fingers trembled around the tiny gacha machine. I'll be the best. I'll pull the most. I'll pull the strongest girls, and I'll win. No more being the loser. No more pulling trash. His heart roared with that vow, and something deep within the machine seemed to hum in response—an ominous vibration, like a sleeping beast stirring.
The angel's lips curved into a sweet smile as she began reciting his lines. Max didn't even need her prompts—he had already memorized every word. He gave his name and spoke the vow without hesitation.
The moment the final syllable left his mouth, it hit him—white-hot pain tearing through his chest. His heart felt like it had burst open, and his vision blurred.
Before his eyes, a golden screen materialized, glowing like a divine interface.
[Welcome, Max.][We are the Gacha System.][You have been chosen to be a great warrior for the academy and the goddess.][Now, we shall assess your talent and potential. Please endure the bonding procedure—it might hurt a little ;)]
A crushing force slammed into him, and the massive gacha machine before the crowd began spinning wildly.
THUNK-THUNK-THUNK!—The letters flashed faster and faster, climbing higher than anyone had ever seen.
A—S—SS—SSS—SSSS—SSSSS—SSSSSS—SSSSSSS…
The air trembled, the lights flickered, and a deep, resonant hum vibrated through the hall like the toll of a cosmic bell. Each rank locked in with a metallic roar, pressure building until the audience leaned forward in disbelief.
Even the angel looked stunned, her perfect lips parting.
The letters climbed until there were ten gleaming S's across the machine's display. The air shimmered like heat haze, Max's veins burning with power, every heartbeat echoing like a war drum.
And then—
The letters began to drop.
Nine S's… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one…
SSS—SS—S—A—
The machine's pitch warped, light cracking like shattered glass. Sparks flew.
And then, to the horror of everyone watching, it didn't stop.
A single letter appeared.
G.
For a heartbeat, there was silence. Then the laughter exploded.
"A failure! The lowest of all!"
"Haha! So it was just a system error—he's pure trash!"
"What a loser! I feel bad for him… NOT!"
Even Jack, who had been rooting for him, sat speechless. This was worse than he'd imagined—Max wouldn't survive long here.
But Max didn't collapse in despair. He stood still. Quiet. Too quiet.
And then, he smiled.
On the golden screen only he could see, words appeared:
[Congratulations, you have received a G Rank.][It is one of a kind—one of only five in the entire universe. The GOD Rank.]
As those words burned into his mind, a faint crown of black-gold flame shimmered above his head—visible only to him. It burned with a silent, eternal light before sinking into his skull like molten metal. A deep—BOOOONG—rang in his ears, shaking him to the core.
God… Hahaha… Laugh. Laugh at me, you fools… I am a fucking god now.
His laughter spilled out—low at first, then rising into a manic cackle that only made the hall laugh harder, convinced he'd lost his mind.
Even the angel beside him didn't understand. In all her millions of years serving this game, she had never once seen a G Rank.
"M-Make your pull…" she stammered, unsure of what else to say.
"Sure." His voice was flat, controlled.
He extended his hand, feeling the weight of an invisible lever.
[You are about to pull your first beauty. Please note: G Rank can only pull one every month. After this pull, you will be placed under cooldown, and further pulls will be impossible.]
The machine began to tremble—no, quake—until cracks spiderwebbed through the walls of the hall. Dust rained from the ceiling. The weaker-ranked clutched their girls instinctively.
One glowing letter appeared on its reels.
M.
From the explosion of ethereal, multicolored light, a single woman stepped forward.
Her skin was pale, flawless. Black armor clung to her frame, covering most of her body yet molded perfectly to her massive breasts, the plates carved to give them space like they were sacred relics. She carried a pitch-black sword, her golden eyes glowing with quiet dominance. Her long hair shimmered with a black light, as if it devoured the glow around her. A void-colored gust of wind rolled off her, making the room's temperature drop.
She was so breathtaking that the entire hall went silent—no one dared breathe. Even the angel's wings twitched unconsciously.
She didn't kneel. She didn't fawn. She only looked at Max with the faintest frown, as if she had just been enjoying her morning tea and now found herself inexplicably standing before some strange man.
Max's system screen burned with ethereal flames.
[Congratulations. You have summoned a Mythical M-Rank Beauty—Michael.]