I was standing in a queue at the shopping mall, with a lottery ticket in my hand.
“You’ve won the consolation prize, it’s a pack of tissue. Here you go!”
I got this lottery ticket while I was shopping and even though I knew I wouldn’t win anything, I queued up to redeem my ticket.
People in front of me kept getting the consolation prize one after another. A list on the side with all prizes caught my eyes.
Consolation Prize – Tissue
Item Coupon – 1 000 yenMixed SweetsThe Latest SmartphoneHot Spring Vacation for 2 People.1.???
Following the order of prizes, it’s logical for the first prize to be an oversea vacation or something along the line. It’s placed higher than the hot spring vacation after all.
As I tried to figure out what the first prize could be, the queue got smaller in front of me.
*ding ding ding*
I heard a bell ringing. Looked like the guy in front of me won something.
“Congratulation! It looks like… YOU HAVE WON THE FIRST PRIZE!”
“Ohhh, yes! I did it!”
The guy who won made a triumph pose.
“Well then, we will give you more details about your prize, so please follow me inside.”
“Alright!”
He was then led by the staff inside the store. It was my turn now.
“What comes after the first prize…?”
The staff has put a big cross mark at the first prize using a magic pen. I’ve lost the first price even before I could redeem my ticket.
Well never mind, it looked like there is still that smartphone available. Didn’t sound too bad!
After I gave my lottery ticket to the staff, I started spinning the lottery machine.
*gara gara gara… goto*[1]
*Ding Ding Ding*
The staff rung the bell once again.
“Eh? I’ve won? Seriously?!”
I was shocked. Never before have I ever thought of winning something.
I looked at the ball that came out of the lottery machine. It was painted in the colour of the rainbow. I turned my head into the direction of the premium prize list to see what kind of prize this would get me.
The first prize came with a golden ball, the second prize with a silver one, the third with a red ball and the fourth and fifth prize respectively came with a blue and yellow ball.
The prize for a rainbow coloured ball was nowhere to be seen.
“What prize do I get with this?” I gave the staff a questioning look, while holding up the ball.
“This is the hidden prize. Congratulation, you have won a great hidden prize!”
“So there is something like that…”
The people around me started to clap, as I looked around.
“Well then, we are going to give you more details about the hidden prize. Please go inside.”
“Sure.”
The staff lead me inside the lottery booth.
I was excited. What kind of details are they going to explain to me? Is it such a big prize needing further explanations?
When I got inside, I saw the man who won the first place earlier.
They have prepared another slot machine as well.
The man from earlier pulled the trigger and two b.a.l.l.s came out of the machine.
“It seems to be…tentacles.”
“Is this a usable skill by any chance?”
“Yes, you are correct.”
“Great!”
“I will begin the transfer now.”
I didn’t understand a single word. Transfer? What were they doing? What was going to happen?
I should get the answer right away.
A bright light suddenly burst out of nowhere and a glowing pattern which looked like a magic circle was formed on the ground where the man was standing. The man then disappeared.
“Wha-What just happened?!”
“Em, and you are?”
“I won the hidden prize.”
“Oh! Is that so? I am sorry.”
The staff took a bow.
“Congratulation on your win from me as well. I shall explain you the prize in detail.”
“Oh yeah.”
“For the premium prize, just like the man who won the first prize earlier, you have the privilege to teleport to any world of your choice.”
“Eh…Excuse me, what did you say?”
“You have the privilege to teleport to any world of your choice.”
“This isn’t a bad joke, right?”
“You saw with your very own eyes what happened earlier, didn’t you?” said the staff and I gasp in disbelieve.
“No way…”
No way some kind of light and magic circles came out of nowhere. And a man just disappearing in a blink of an eye. Certainly this can’t be true.
“This was our transfer array. We use this to teleport you to any world you can imagine of.”
“You are kidding me”
“Well, you will have to experience it for yourself. And whether you believe it or not but it is the very truth.” the staff said patiently.
Slowly I began to believe what the staff member was telling me.
“The first and the hidden prize are essentially the same. You get to visit any world you desire. However, the difference between the prizes is that the first prize winner can only pull the machine once. He has to take whatever skill that come out the machine. On the other hand, the hidden prize winner can pull the trigger as many times as he wants, to get the skill he fancies most.”
“As many times as I want you say?”
“Yes, but you can only take one skill to be precise.”
“I understand.”
I didn’t understand it really, but just simply nodded to the explanations.
“As you have unlimited tries, how about give it a go once? And since this room lies in another dimension you can try out your skill as well!”
TL: Hanbun Isekai… Trying to look up for better translation
“I…I will give it a try then.”
Yep, I still didn’t get it, but I’ll just accept his invitation and give it a try.
I grab the handle of the slot machine and pulled it down. A ball came out instantly and the staff took it.
“’Fire Blowing Man”, he read.
“Looks like it’s a skill that let you breath fire out of your mouth.”
“Fire?”
“Just try it out! But please do not face toward my direction. It seems to be a kind of dangerous skill.”
I turned around at once, and let out a strong breath.
“Uwahh!!”
Somehow, fire really did come out of my mouth. My face felt a little bit frizzled.
“How was it, did you take a liking to that skill?”
“No… Wait, just give me a second.”
I put my hand on my forehead, and started to think about it.
My thoughts were a mess and I was still confused, but I was certainty sure of one thing.
“You said this is all real, right?”
“I can fully understand that you still have doubts.” the staff said.
“And you said, I can pull the handle as many times as I want, am I right?”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“Are there any chances that I get the same skill once again?”
“Yes.”
“Alright!” I nodded.
As there were possibilities of getting the same skill over and over again, trying out a lot of skills might be a good idea.
*gara gara gara… goto*
“This is ‘10x Power Up’. It’s a skill to raise your overall strength by 10 times.”
“That’s so plain. Once again!”
*gara gara gara… goto*
“’Sage’, a skill that let you be all-knowing.”
“Sounds like it’s going to be troublesome. Another try!”
*gara gara gara… goto*
“Don’t tell me this is…”
“From the name alone this skill is no good. Again!”
*gara gara gara… goto*
“’2x Power Up’”
“It became worse. Again!”
*gara gara gara… goto*
“I’m sorry, this time it’s a skill to increase your overall strength by 3x.”
“Never mind, once more!”
*gara gara gara… goto*
*gara gara gara… goto*
*gara gara gara… goto*
I pull the handle of the lottery machine again and again and again.
After I heard the skill description, I pulled the handle to get a new skill right away.
Sure there were some skills that looked usable. But the more skills I saw, the more I got to think that the previously won ‘10x Power Up’ is not the big prize. There must be something bigger.
“My hand run out of strength.”
“Same goes to me, I’m tired explaining.”
Countless b.a.l.l.s, countless skills.
After I have pulled a hundreds of skills, I knew just by looking at the colour of the ball if I got something big or not.
*gara gara gara… goto*
*gara gara gara… goto*
*gara gara gara… goto*
“Oh! A rainbow coloured ball! It’s the second time now!”
“Eh, what’s with that? There weren’t supposed to be any rainbow coloured ball inside this slot machine.”
The staff was surprised as I showed him the rainbow coloured ball.
“Mister, this is really wonderful!”
“Wonderful? What did I get?”
“Overall strength increase by 777 times!”
I was greatly shocked when I looked at the rainbow coloured ball, to the point that it looked dazzling to me.
____________________________
[1] The sounds of the rumbling inside the lottery machine.