"Onii-chan, you're amazing. They're showing it on TV right now! Apparently, there are people all over the world who can use skills like yours. Look at that guy - he's a wizard."
In the video Himawari was watching, a man who appeared to be Japanese was chanting the word fireball.
A ball of fire, about the size of a dodge ball, formed at the tip of his hand and shot forward.
It was unmistakably magic.
The magic of game worlds I had only seen in fiction.
"This is incredible," I muttered.
"It's definitely magic," Himawari agreed. "I wonder if my brother will be able to do something like this."
"Well... I don't know," I replied, trying to play it down.
Deep down, I was sure that my "Gacha" skill couldn't do anything that spectacular.
"Come on, give it a try," Himawari urged.
Without much thought, I tapped "Gacha" for the third time.
"Magic stone? What's that?"
Curious, I tapped on the word "Magic Stone" that appeared on the screen.
"Wow, it's beautiful. Is it some kind of jewel?" Himawari asked.
"Hmm, maybe. It says it's a magic stone," I replied.
What appeared was a transparent blue jewel-like object. It was about 10 centimeters in diameter, much larger than a normal gem.
"Magic stones seem quite valuable. I wonder if they'd sell for a high price," Himawari mused.
"I think so," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure.
I didn't really understand what a magic stone was. If it was just a fancy glass ball, it wouldn't be worth much. However, its size and its bright blue color made it seem extraordinary.
I showed the Magic Stone to my parents, but as expected, they had no idea what it could be worth.
After that, a week of relative peace passed. Despite my daily gacha attempts, nothing of value or note appeared. It was almost as if the world had returned to normal.
Then, on July 14th, everything changed.
That day would come to be known as the First Rift, a pivotal moment in human history.
Suddenly, massive underground labyrinths known as Dungeons began to appear across the globe. Monsters, terrifying and otherworldly, began to emerge from some of these dungeons.
The scenes broadcast on television were so surreal, it was like watching a high budget special effects movie.
Some of the creatures were instantly recognizable.
"Goblins..." I murmured.
Their appearance was identical to the goblins often depicted in games and manga - short, green-skinned humanoids armed with crude weapons.
But this wasn't fiction. These goblins and other monsters swarmed into cities and wreaked havoc.
With primitive weapons in hand, they smashed through buildings and attacked innocent people without mercy.
The country most affected by the First Rift was Japan, my home.
The reason was simple: very few people in Japan had weapons to defend themselves.
The police tried to fight back with firearms, but in areas where monsters appeared in overwhelming numbers, their efforts were in vain.
Eventually, the Self-Defense Forces were called in to take on the monsters in brutal battles. Although they were able to clear some areas, their victory came at a great cost. The scars of that day ran deep.
From that moment on, dungeons and monsters became a part of everyday life.
As the chaos spread, certain individuals began to emerge - people who could use their skills to fight the monsters.
Unlike the police or the military, these individuals possessed extraordinary abilities that enabled them to stand toe-to-toe with the creatures.
These heroes, humanity's first line of defense, soon became known as "Sabers"-the swords of humanity.
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