What is the price of human life?
Society constantly poses the same question to us through the judicial system, life insurance, medical services, and so on.
Of course, I don’t give a single fuck about such philosophical questions.
The price of my life is exactly 16,000 Wonbo and 300,000 won in cash.
In other words, it was exactly enough for a 100-pull.
***
[★Event-Limited Rate-Up★ SSR Battle of Dongjun Cao Cao Drop Rate UP!]
[Time Remaining Until Rate-Up Ends: 00:23:12]
There are only 23 minutes left already?
I’m sure there were still 3 hours left before I went to borrow the money.
My shoulder, hit by my brother, aches.
Is he even human, throwing a fist at me right away when I just asked to borrow 300,000 won?
A bastard worse than a beast. A cowardly bastard.
[Consume 1600 Wonbo to recruit. Proceed?]
I pressed Yes without hesitation.
“I’ve already pulled 160 times... Please, just this once!”
It was the final 10-pull containing my entire fortune.
How much time and money had I spent to pull Battle of Dongjun Cao Cao?
Because it was a limited rate-up, if I missed him this time, I’d probably never get him again.
The must-have character that everyone else had, and I was the only one without it?
That was plenty to spark an inferiority complex.
“Just try showing me a purple. I’ll quit right then and there.”
Of course, this was the tenth time I was repeating that I’d quit.
I forced myself to stay calm and pressed the button.
Please... just not blue or purple.
I closed my eyes, and slowly opened them around the time the gacha animation’s ending sound could be heard.
Wow... is this the jackpot?
“Shiiiiit!! There are two golds!!!”
Two out of the ten gems shone brilliantly in gold, dizzying my retinas.
My heart pounded as if it would burst out of my mouth.
Captured by dopamine, I pressed the blue and purple gems first in order.
“Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition Artillery, Pre-Battle of Hefei... I don’t need any of this, so skip, skip...”
From the eight gems, beautiful girls in splendid outfits popped out.
People seeing this game for the first time might ask, “Wait, they’re so pretty but they’re trash?” but to veteran players like me, they were nothing but junk taking up officer slots.
In reality, the only usable ones were the SSR-grade officers popping out of those golden gems.
With a racing heart, I clicked the fifth golden gem.
“Please, Wei Kingdom... Wei Kingdom...”
The limited hero I was aiming for was Cao Cao, the ruler of Wei. For gold gems and above, there was a gacha animation, but before the hero appeared, a scene showing which kingdom’s hero it was popped up first.
[Han]
Just like this.
“Agh!!!!”
Not Wei, but Han had come up.
[You have acquired SSR Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition Army Yuan Shu!]
A girl with blonde sausage curls looked down at me and sneered.
I’ll feed you nothing but honey water until your stomach bursts.
Having resolved to subject Yuan Shu to the honey water punishment, I clicked the remaining golden gem with a pounding heart.
This was the most nerve-wracking moment.
“Pleasepleasepleaseplease...”
Didn’t they say utmost sincerity moves even the heavens?
Brilliant blue characters appeared before my eyes.
[Wei]
Yes, that’s it!!!! It’s Wei!!!
Because it was the Cao Cao limited rate-up, Wei appearing meant Cao Cao was guaranteed, and it meant there was a very high probability that the Battle of Dongjun Cao Cao I was aiming for would appear.
Without hesitation, I immediately tapped the screen.
[You have acquired SSR Guhyeonlyeong Cao Cao!]
“...Huh? Where’s my Battle of Dongjun Cao Cao?”
I’m so fucked.
“I got off-bannered...”
In the game I play, [Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8 Origin Remake Powerup Kit for Cao Cao], the probability of an off-banner, non-limited hero appearing by breaking the limited rate-up was a whopping 0.03%.
It was notorious for being a game where getting off-bannered was nearly impossible, and yet it shoved this massive middle finger at me?
This... really is...
“It’s a flamebait ticket, isn’t it? Hell yeah, huge profit.”
As if possessed, I opened Jjugeul and typed Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors Gallery into the search engine.
[Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors Gallery]
I had no time to look at anything else. I immediately pressed the write button.
[Title: Cooked Up a Flamebait Ticket]
(Photo)
Tried to pull Battle of Dongjun Cao Cao but got off-bannered.
I’m as pissed as 100 Wei-only draw tickets.
What is this Guhyeonlyeong Cao Cao? Where do you use it in combinations? It looks shitty, should I just grind it up?
ㄴ Guhyeonlyeong Cao Cao? What is that, first time seeing it.
ㄴ That’s combination material. Yeah, combine it with any SSR hero and it gives you Dongjun Governor Cao Cao guaranteed.
ㄴㄴ (OP) Really?
I left a comment and spammed the refresh button.
About a minute later, a reply was posted.
ㄴ Yeah, have you lived your life being deceived? Hurry up and go combine. Only 11 minutes left, go go go.
What do you mean only 11 minutes left?
I read the remaining comments.
ㄴ Hey hey, newbie, that’s not it.
ㄴ First of all, fuck, that’s a mobile user, don’t fall for it, it’s 100% bullshit.
ㄴㄴ (OP) But I failed to pull Dongjun Governor anyway so I’m screwed. So I’m just gonna go play Galaxy Rail. Bye2.
ㄴㄴ Oof, mentioning another game, that’s brutal.
ㄴㄴ Goodbye, bb.
Since I’m leaving anyway, should I leave a comment too?
I pressed refresh.
[Blocked IP. Reason: Mentioning another game. Block period: 15 days.]
Wow... the mods are fucking good at their job.
But whatever, it doesn’t matter now. Since I couldn’t pull the must-have character, I have no choice but to quit.
I still had ten other Earths I needed to protect anyway.
“Shall I hold an Execution Ceremony?”
Execution Ceremony.
In Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors, it means combining all your characters. In other words, graduation.
“If I’m gonna go, a little honey water is fine, right?”
I fed the newly pulled Yuan Shu the honey water—a favorability item—like crazy.
After feeding about 20, her favorability maxed out quickly.
Watching the favorability event would have given me 250 more Wonbo total, but with only about 5 minutes left on the limited rate-up, there was no longer any way to gather enough currency for a 10-pull.
“If you had been born as Battle of Dongjun Cao Cao, we would have been together forever...”
I stared for a long time at the Guhyeonlyeong Cao Cao projected on my phone screen, then combined him with Yuan Shu.
“If Battle of Dongjun Cao Cao comes out from this, I’ll keep playing.”
I pressed the combine button.
But something was strange.
Why was the screen flashing white?
Doesn’t the result window usually come up here?
“Huh, what? What is this!!!”
Light bright enough to blind me began to fill the room.
At the same time, an unknown voice echoed in my head.
[User recognition complete.]
[Data Synchronization: Reconstructing the world based on the system of Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8 Origin Remake Powerup Kit for Cao Cao.]
That was the last scene I remembered.
***
Title: But I’ve sunk 200 million into Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8
(Some bishoujo image)
Never even seen Guhyeonlyeong Cao Cao.
How the hell did the guy who just got blocked pull him?
ㄴ For real? But I haven’t seen him either.
ㄴ Guess I got Dongjun Cao Cao in one 10-pull, so I’ve never seen Guhyeonlyeong Cao Cao either.
ㄴㄴ Is this a brag post for real?
ㄴ Guhyeonlyeong is from 210 AD, a year where no SSR-grade officers have even been implemented yet.
ㄴ The most recent SSR update was 202 AD? Then it’s an internal leak?
ㄴ Internal leak? LMAO, today’s bait topic is this, lol.
***
How did this happen?
There was no time to be confused.
“Kyaaaa!! Save me, please save me!”
Because before I could even come to my senses, a sharp scream rang against my eardrums.
When I turned my head toward the sound, five men wearing yellow headscarves were surrounding a woman in a circle.
It was then.
Something became clear above the men’s heads, and red letters appeared.
[Yellow Turban Remnants (N)]
Yellow Turbans?
What the hell is this all of a sudden?
“P-please...! Someone help me!”
My eyes met the woman’s.
Pupils trembling in fear, and the Yellow Turban Remnants approaching while taunting her.
I knew this scene very well.
“It’s the tutorial scene of Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8!”
Having rerolled dozens of times to pull the must-have character, it was an all too familiar scene.
“Kehkehkeh!! In these treacherous mountains, who is going to save you!”
“Give up and obediently accept us!”
Even the lines were identical without missing a single letter.
Therefore, I realized it.
That I had entered the world of Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8.
—Ding.
A cheerful notification sound chimed at that moment.
[Check today’s quests!]
[1. Defeat enemies. 0/5]
[2. Perform a free draw. 0/1]
[Reward: 60 Wonbo]
[Resets after 14:04:02.]
As expected, my guess was right.
This is the world inside Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8.
Then what should I do?
In human affairs, fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin.
Getting confused and disoriented was something only amateurs did.
True experts...
“Of course, they finish their daily quests before 5 AM.”
60 Wonbo.
Though it was far too insufficient a currency to spin the gacha, you take what you can get.
160 Wonbo for a single draw, 1,600 Wonbo for a 10-pull.
If I’d known this would happen, I would have watched Yuan Shu’s favorability event before combining her.
The 250 Wonbo that had already slipped by shimmered in my mind.
“Who the hell knew I’d suddenly get dropped into the world of Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8?”
“Hey guys, what’s that bastard muttering about?”
“I don’t know? Maybe he’s gone crazy?”
“Kekekeke!! Why are you curious about the words of a guy who’s about to be sold! Look at that face. Such fine looks, the kind noble ladies love, right?”
Just like in the Beautiful Girl Dynasty Warriors 8 tutorial, after delivering the line, “Take me instead of the woman!”, I was neatly surrounded by the Yellow Turbans.
“Hey mister, if you come quietly, we won’t kill you. Wouldn’t it be easier to live as a noble lady’s plaything rather than living this shabby life?”
In the Yellow Turbans’ hands were crude daggers and farming hoes.
Rusted iron implements with dark red bloodstains clearly visible.
If I get stabbed by those, it won’t end with just tetanus.
“One, two, three, four, five... You’re all gathered just right for a daily quest, huh?”
“Y-you, what the hell have you been muttering about since earlier!”
[Tutorial Quest Complete!]
[Draw has been activated!]
Ignoring the Yellow Turban’s shouting, I naturally pressed the draw button on the screen projected before my eyes.
[Officer Draw] [Equipment Draw]
I selected Equipment Draw without hesitation.
[Proceed with today’s free draw?] [Yes/No]
“Yes.”
Along with the sound of the gacha spinning, the result appeared on screen.
Purple light flashed, and text was printed.
[You have acquired SR-grade Black Huantou Dadao!]
——
[Equipment Information]
Name: Black Huantou Dadao
Grade: SR
Might Correction: +10
Durability: 200/200
Special Effect: Increases damage dealt to unarmed enemies by 10%.
Description: A treasure gifted by King Sosurim of Goguryeo to King Fu Jian of Qin, called a Goryeo-style great blade.
——
A blade with a ring attached to the end of its hilt fell from empty air with a clack.
I grabbed the sword’s handle and hilt with both hands and drew the blade from its scabbard.
Admiration escaped me at the pure white, smooth blade contrasting with the dark red hilt.
“It’s been a while since I pulled an SR from a free draw? They always only give N grades.”
“Hii... hiiik! A, a weapon from the sky...!”
“D-did he use magic?”
“Don’t be scared! He’s just one! We’re five, so if we attack at the same time, we have a chance!”
The Yellow Turbans, who had flinched at the word magic, came to their senses at the shout of the bald man who seemed to be the leader and charged.
The moment the rusted dagger approached me.
‘Hm...? What is this?’
The world looked slow.
As if I had accidentally lowered the YouTube playback speed to 0.25x.
Moreover, the dagger’s trajectory was drawn vividly in my mind.
If I did nothing, the dagger sweeping horizontally would slash my throat and kill me.
I hate pain, so let’s block it.
—Swish.
I raised the Huantou Dadao and deflected the dagger.
I had just lightly swung using a flick of the wrist, but.
—Kwa-aaaang!!!
“Kuaaaack!!”
Along with an enormous sonic boom, the body of the man charging in front was sent flying far away.
The three comrades following right behind collided with the flying man and got tangled up like bowling pins, crashing into rocks.
“Huh?”
“Uh...?”
After a moment, as the dust settled, the men who had crashed into the rocks lay sprawled on the ground.
[1. Defeat enemies. 4/5]
I had merely flicked my wrist once, yet four people died.
“Y-you monster!!”
As I approached, the last remaining Yellow Turban fell backward in terror.
“...”
“P-please spare me...! I’ll offer you my wife and daughter, so please... just my life...”
“You’ll offer your wife and daughter to save your life? Hmm... That’s convenient.”
At my words, his face brightened and he continued.
“Th-they’re quite worth seeing! Please spare me, my lord!”
—Srrk.
“...Kuhk! Wh-why... you said it was a good thing...!”
“I meant it’s a good thing that I don’t need to feel guilty, since you’re trash who would sell out his own family.”
[1. Defeat enemies. 5/5 (Complete)]
[You have completed all of today’s quests!]
[60 Wonbo will be rewarded.]
Luminous golden horse-hoof gold scattered in the air.
Having finished my daily quests before 5 AM, I nodded in satisfaction.
“How much Wonbo have I gathered?”
[Currently Held Wonbo: 90]
Hmm....
I need 1,600 for a 10-pull....
Is there no way to get more?
It was then.
[Annual Quest Occurred!]
[1. Join and maintain allegiance to a specific faction. 0/180]
[Reward: 800 Wonbo]
“It gives five draw tickets’ worth?”
My eyes sparkled.
I looked down at the Yellow Turbans sprawled on the ground.
“I should have asked where this is before killing them.”
First, I should go to a nearby village, find out where I am, and then decide on a faction.
I shook off the blood on the blade and moved on.