Who knew the afterlife would just be a boring office? Certainly not Leon.
"Greetings, Leon Grayson."
The one that spoke, the white silhouette in a suit, smiled at him.
Leon, however, had questions. Questions only the being he was meeting could likely answer. "Could I ask something first before we do whatever this is?"
"Ask away."
"How the hell did a truck turn into a transformer and why the fuck did it kill me when I was just crossing a street?"
Today had felt like one of the best days of the year. High school break just started, he got a new personal record in the gym, and the sunset he saw on the way home was magnificent.
It all went downhill when he crossed a street and passed by a truck. It looked like every other truck he'd seen in his life, so he hadn't noticed anything strange until a shadow of a robot covered the crosswalk.
When he turned around, he witnessed something that made him freeze—a damn Transformer.
It also talked.
"It's time to get isekai'd!"
That was the last thing he heard before a metal fist the size of a wrecking ball covered his vision.
Needless to say, Leon was baffled by the entire event.
"Ah, you mean Truck-kun," the silhouette answered. "He is our organization's top employee. I do apologize for his violent methods."
"Employee?" He frowned in confusion. "You mean…"
"Yes. Truck-kun and I are both part of an organization that manages the smooth transition of people like you. My name is Orion."
Leon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. I don't even know what to think anymore. This whole situation just feels so… cliché.
Regardless of the method used to bring him here, he couldn't help but feel excited about it. An isekai had always been one of his fantasies, and now it seemed to be a fantasy come true.
"Okay. I think I get it," he said, taking a more relaxed posture in his seat. "So what am I here for?"
"Well, you should be receiving a notification right about now."
"What noti-"
[Gudako! Gacha initialization complete.]
Before his eyes, a shimmering holographic screen flickered into existence, floating like something out of a sci-fi RPG.
"…Holy shit."
"There it is." Orion turned to the screen. "Gacha, begin World Selection."
Leon's head whipped towards him. "Wait, I can't pick?"
"Nope. You're out of luck in that department, sport."
[World Selection commencing.]
On the screen, something that reminded him of the distinctive case opening interface from CSGO materialized. But instead of showing potential skins, the names of worlds blurred past. The familiar clicking sound even echoed in his head.
Orion leaned back in his chair as Leon stared at the gacha with a tense expression.
"To explain things, you have been chosen as the new host of the Gudako! Gacha. Due to its extremely temperamental disposition when it's without a host, we had to send Truck-kun for immediate selection of a good candidate. With you as its new host, you are unfortunately restricted from selecting your destination world. It's just part of the package."
Leon could only partly pay attention to Orion's words. His eyes were glued to the gacha. It had begun slowing down, allowing him to read what was blurry before.
Monster Hunter, Bloodborne, and Warhammer 40k all passed by.
Thank goodness for that. No chance in hell am I surviving for even a day in any of those worlds.
It slowed to a crawl, passing Harry Potter, and looked like it would stop at Pokemon.
Oh. That's pretty goo-
It did not stop at Pokemon.
[World Selected: Invincible]
[Randomly selected transportation method: Drop-in]
[Prepare for transport.]
[Countdown: 3]
Orion clapped his hands, grabbing Leon's attention. "Oh well. It was a pleasure meeting you, Leon. Good luck. You'll need it."
[Countdown: 2]
Leon wanted to scream, to protest, to demand a reroll. But the words died in his throat as the selection locked in. A strange, heavy calm settled over him, pushing back the panic.
The dice were cast. The wheel had stopped and there was no going back.
His jaw tightened, and a grim, almost reckless smirk touched his lips. He met Orion's gaze as he repeated the one phrase that has enabled him to push through life's difficulties.
...Fuck it. We ball.
[Countdown: 1]
[Drop-in commencing]
Leon expected to blackout after the countdown ended, not to find himself seated on a park bench with the clothes he had before he died. The change was so seamless, he couldn't help but be impressed.
Before doing anything else, he near-frantically checked his body. Nothing seemed out of place. The clothes he wore when he died—a plain white hoodie, brown cargo pants, and white sneakers—seemed untouched. His wallet and phone were the same.
That's a relief.
But one question remained.
What do I do now?
The gacha—the whole reason he was isekai'd in the first place—greeted him once more.
[To commemorate the user's new beginnings, you have received 1000 Gacha Points and your Daily.]
[Total Gacha Points: 1001]
…Was that a lot? He didn't really know. It sure seemed like a lot. But he knew from personal experience that when it came to gacha or loot box games, too much was never enough. A thousand bucks could vanish without a single SSR you wanted.
Remembering all the times he spent money just to lose a pity roll made his heart and wallet ache.
How do I roll?
[To roll, you must purchase Gacha Tickets using Gacha Points.]
Figures. How much is a ticket?
[These are the conversion rates:
Bronze Ticket: 5 Gacha Points
Silver Ticket: 25 Gacha Points
Gold Ticket: 100 Gacha Points
Platinum Ticket: 500 Gacha Points
Diamond Ticket: 2,500 Gacha Points
Legendary Ticket: 15,000 Gacha Points
Mythical Ticket: 50,000 Gacha Points
Divine Ticket: 250,000 Gacha Points]
Wow. Just… wow. How the hell do I even get more points? And what rewards can I get from the gacha?
[Rewards are sourced from the infinite sea of realities and are divided into the following categories: Abilities, Skills, Items, Traits, Familiars.
Each reward will also possess one of the following rarities: Trash, Common, Uncommon, Rare, Elite, Epic, Legendary, Mythical, Divine, Transcendent.
The following are the methods of point acquisition:
Daily Gacha Points (1 GP per day).Defeating enemies, accomplishing impressive feats, interacting with people important to the "plot" and complete or change plot points of your current world/universe. (5 – 50000+ GP).
"The hell?"
Dailies and plot meddling were the way, then.
He was in Invincible. Much like other worlds with superpowered beings, deadly shit would come out of the woodworks every once in a while. Monsters crawling out of the ocean. Villains with more tech than sense. Extra-dimensional incursions. You name it, this world probably had it.
Leon had some meta-knowledge. He had finished the latest season of the show adaptation before he died. But how he should apply that knowledge now eluded him. He was no genius. He'd only count himself as someone with above average intelligence at best.
If he wanted to prevent the bloodbaths and tragedies he knew were coming, he would need to make some big plays. He was just one man and would need help. Maybe contact Cecil and Rudy first, cooperate with them and tell them what he knew. They would ask questions about how he got his info, but he would rather hide his origins if he couldn't help it.
I'll have to lie, then.
However, Leon would need insurance first, just in case things went south. An insurance he could always fall back on when someone or something flips the table.
All he had to do now was try out the gacha and see what insurance he could get. The gacha claimed to source its rewards from everywhere and he could think of a few superpowers that would let him thrive in a world like this.
But which tickets should he buy?
After a moment of assessing his options, Leon decided to spread his purchases—both as a test of the rates and to see what kind of rewards each ticket could give.
Besides, it wouldn't do to put all his eggs in one basket.
Gacha, I want to purchase one Platinum Ticket, four Gold Tickets, three Silver Tickets, and five Bronze Tickets.
[1 Platinum Ticket, 4 Gold Tickets, 3 Silver Tickets, and 5 Bronze Tickets requested. Cost: 1,000 GP. Confirm purchase?]
Leon paused for a moment to reassess and think for a solid minute. In the end, he could find no better way to maximize his gains and test the gacha's rates.
What kind of rewards would he get? If the rewards really were sourced from the "infinite sea of realities", could get an item like Master Chief's Mjolnir Armor? The possibilities were quite literally endless.
Yes. Go ahead.
[Purchase confirmed. You have received 1 Platinum Ticket, 4 Gold Tickets, 3 Silver Tickets, and 5 Bronze Tickets.]
[Remaining Gacha Points: 1]
His heart ached at the loss, but he pushed on regardless. Leon clasped his hands, leaning forward, sweat beading on his forehead.
Please, RNGesus. I beg thee for good luck!
He pulled the five Bronze Tickets. On the holographic screen, five capsules descended in a dazzling light show. They clicked open, exploding into an array of colors. Two white, one brown, one grey, and one green.
The screen grew to accommodate the rewards' descriptions, arranging them neatly in their own little boxes.
[Kure]
|Uncommon Trait|
Kengan Ashura - You are a Member of the Kure Clan, a clan of people selectively bred to be deadly assassins and martial artists. Your genes grant you increased physical abilities, greater physical growth rate, and better combat instincts and intuition. You have a similar aptitude for martial arts as Kure Raian.
You can also use the technique "Removal", which is the conscious removal of the natural limiters the brain has to stop you from using 100% of your physical strength in order not to hurt yourself. You can increase your removal percentage by training.
-x-
[Fight mode]
|Common Ability|
Get your head in the game and start fighting. Using this ability fills your body with incredible amounts of adrenaline, norepinephrine, cortisol, endorphins, testosterone and dopamine to make your body go into an enhanced fight mode without suffering the negative consequences of overdosing on those chemicals and hormones.
-x-
[Crow]
|Trash Familiar|
A very smart and loyal crow companion with intelligence on the level of a human, she can look for and fetch shiny things or do things a crow could otherwise do.
-x-
[Digestive Expulsion Independence]
|Trash Trait|
You never piss or shit. Don't ask where all the waste in your body goes.
-x-
[Tune Up]
|Rare Trait|
Your body has received a tune up. All previous health complications have been erased, and your body has been improved, greatly increasing your latent genetic potential and giving you a fit and incredibly healthy body.
Before he could even process what he'd just pulled, a strange warmth flooded Leon's body, like liquid fire racing through his veins.
Leon gasped and doubled over on the park bench. It felt like every muscle in his body was being stretched, rewoven, and strengthened all at once. His bones ached, his blood burned, and his heart hammered like a war drum. He could literally feel his muscles growing denser, his reflexes sharpening, and a cold, predatory instinct blooming in the back of his mind.
After almost a minute, the burning subsided, leaving him breathing hard, covered in a thin layer of sweat. He flexed his hand and felt raw power coursing through his limbs. He was stronger. Faster.
Leon's body felt… optimized.
The Removal technique sat in the back of his mind like a coiled spring, ready to be unleashed. Fight Mode waited beside it, like a mental switch labeled "go berserk safely."
A moment later, a sleek black crow materialized on the bench beside him with a soft flutter of wings. Its head tilted, one dark eye fixed on him with unnerving intelligence. She ruffled her feathers once, then dipped her beak in what looked suspiciously like a respectful nod.
"Crow?" Leon muttered. "Uh… hi?"
The crow let out a quiet, almost amused croak and hopped closer, clearly waiting for a name or command.
Before he could decide what to call her, the gacha opened a second screen.
[Initiating integration of Command Seals, Subspace Storage, and Familiar Storage.]
A searing pain flared across the back of Leon's left hand.
He hissed through his teeth, clutching his wrist as white-hot heat branded his skin. It felt exactly like someone pressing a red-hot iron into his flesh. His vision blurred for a heartbeat.
Then it was gone. Only a dull, fading throb remained.
Leon stared down at his hand. A complex, red tattoo had appeared on the back. It was a stylized design, featuring a central circle with three distinct, wing-like segments branching off. The entire thing glowed with a faint crimson light before fading into a dark red mark against his skin.
[Notification: Command Seals]
These are your Command Seals, three absolute orders of unconditional obedience that can either restrain or reinforce the action of a familiar. The strength of the command depends on the Master, directness of the order, and the amount of energy it requires. Those that are broad and long lasting will weaken the power of the Command Spell.
Command Spells can force familiars to do anything possible for them, even committing suicide. Powerful familiars may resist, requiring two or all three Seals.
The Command Seals regenerate at a rate of one seal every 24 hours.
The space within the Command Seals acts as a storage subspace and a familiar storage. Any item obtained from the Gacha may be stored here. To retrieve an item, focus on the desired object and call it forth. Familiars may be summoned to and from the subspace at will. While inside, they require no sustenance and heal rapidly.
Leon's mouth went dry.
Command Seals. Gudako. The name of the system finally clicked into place.
Fate/Grand Order. Of course. Man, I'm stupid for not connecting the dots sooner.
Did it also imply the possibility of Servants as Familiars he could pull? Maybe. The only caveat with that was the possibility of getting someone like the ever-egotistic Archer Gilgamesh as a Servant.
He'd sooner drink a blender's worth of raw eggs than deal with that bastard's hot streak of arrogance.
Would he even be able to sustain a Servant's existence? He had no magical energy to speak of, which was the fuel a Servant needed from their Master to continue existing and use their abilities.
Regardless, he now had three potential "I win" buttons that refreshed every single day, and a pocket dimension no one could steal from.
A grin spread across his face.
As for the trait that made it so that he never had to shit or piss again, it was… convenient.
He glanced at the crow watching him patiently. "I guess I should introduce myself first. My name's Leon Grayson. Do you have a name?"
The crow shook her head.
"Hmm. That's not good. I can't just keep calling you Ms. Crow or something equally stupid. Let me think of name."
Holding his chin as he went into deep thought, inspiration struck Leon when the crow's black feathers reminded him of the night sky.
"What about Nyx? It's the name of the primordial Greek goddess of the night." he asked. "Short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue, right?"
The crow closed its eyes for a moment to decide. Cute. A few seconds later, it nodded its head, bringing a smile to Leon's face. He was becoming fond of her already.
My first friend in this new world is a crow of all things.
"Awesome. It's a pleasure to meet you, Nyx. I look forward to working with you."
Nyx spread her wings slightly and cawed, seemingly in agreement with him.
"Feel free to roam around for now," he said, brushing his finger along her neck. "I still have more tickets to open, so I'll be here for a while."
Tilting her head, Nyx seemed to consider his words before nodding and taking flight. Leon watched her fly in the sky with a smile. Having a crow for a new friend still felt surreal.
"…I guess it's time for the next set of tickets."
The cheapest tickets had already given him some wonderful rewards. Even if the only good one he had gotten was Nyx, he wouldn't be too disappointed. His new friend could be his eyes in the sky and an excellent scout.
Kure was the top reward. With it, turning into a skilled fighter would no longer be an issue. But he did wonder how the Removal technique and Fight Mode would interact. Would they synergize well or stack on top of each other? Would they clash? He was eager to find out.
There was also Tune Up, and because of it, he felt like a new man. All the aches and pains his body had accumulated from past injuries had vanished. Overall, he just felt better in every sense of the word. The other benefits, like improved genetic potential, were just the cherry on top.
He could only wonder what other rewards the Silver Tickets would give him.
Let's do this.
-x-
A/N: The gacha this story uses is a mix of the Chaos Gacha made by BronzDeck (check out his fics, too) and the Gudako! Gacha from Lt Ouroumov's Worm CYOA V17. Many of the rewards and gacha rules won't match with the ones in the Chaos Gacha site and its index as I have altered them to suit my needs.