While the robot kept clanking its way toward us,
the other event bosses arrived first and had a reunion with Seo Ye-in.
The masked gentleman gave a polite bow,
the clown broke into a bouncy, ridiculous dance,
and the fortune-teller rapidly shuffled the stack of cards in their hand.
SHFFFL-!
Seo Ye-in looked at them in turn and kept nodding.
Like she was glad to see them again after so long.
‘Maybe this is my chance.’
Normally, there was no way for me to know what kind of {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} conversation passed between them, but now that she’d become 50% Chatty Sloth from the side effect,
I might finally be able to clear up at least some of the questions that had only been piling up this whole time.
So I casually said something to Seo Ye-in.
“There’s something I want to ask them.”
“...?”
“What did they do during break? Summer and winter, both.”
Immediately, the bunch of them started silently communicating through gestures, nods, headshakes, and hand motions.
Then Seo Ye-in turned back to me and answered.
“They said they were out.”
“Outside Dungeon Island?”
“Yeah.”
I’d thought they had completely settled down here, but apparently those guys had been wandering around here and there during break too.
Feeling like I had even more questions now, I asked another one.
“Then why did they come back in?”
This time, the one who answered wasn’t Seo Ye-in, but the fortune-teller.
They started rapidly shuffling their cards again, then smoothly drew one and handed it over.
On it was a picture of several satellites orbiting a large planet.
[Attraction]
I pointed at Seo Ye-in to make sure.
“They were drawn to her?”
— Nod.
“What exactly about her?”
At that, the event bosses made a series of awkward gestures, as if they didn’t know either.
It looked like they had moved half on instinct.
I lightly cupped Seo Ye-in’s face and pretended to inspect her from every angle.
“They say you’ve got a pull to you. Is there a magnet inside you?”
“...?”
Seo Ye-in tilted her head too, equally puzzled.
Then, as if some thought had occurred to her, she stuck herself right to my side and linked arms with me.
“...There’s a magnet inside me.”
“There really is. A Kim Ho magnet.”
“Kim Ho magnet.”
Meanwhile, Song Cheonhye was watching that scene with shining eyes.
Normally, she would’ve snorted in disbelief or made some pointless jab,
but now her gaze lingered on my other arm.
Like she was just about to grab it and say, I have a Kim Ho magnet too!
But right as Song Cheonhye was about to act,
WHIRR- CLANK, WHIRR- CLANK,
the robot that had been diligently walking toward us finally came to a stop in front of us.
Then it held out the box it had been carrying in its arms, and it turned out to be a large mechanical device shaped like a box.
Seo Ye-in and Song Cheonhye immediately showed curiosity.
“How do you open it?”
CLANK, CLANK.
As if answering that question, the two ends of the mechanical box opened and revealed a pair of input slots.
At the same time, the electronic display beneath them lit up with this phrase:
[Please insert items]
I added an explanation.
“It’s kind of like synthesis. Put two things in, and something else comes out.”
“What about the rank?”
“Basically, it averages out.”
For example, if you put in one B+ and one C+, you got a B.
Since two items got reduced into one, it usually went up or at least got a plus attached.
If you were really unlucky, though, it could drop.
‘The type of resulting item is random.’
Even if you put in two elixirs, you weren’t guaranteed to get an elixir.
Sometimes you got materials like metal, wood, or gemstones, and sometimes some random everyday-use item popped out for no reason.
Song Cheonhye didn’t think long.
“I want to try it once.”
“Go ahead, just don’t overdo it.”
Since the box robot was something you had to leave entirely to luck, the best mentality was to treat it as great if it works, whatever if it doesn’t.
‘It’s best used for cleaning out your inventory.’
Like getting rid of things that had outlived their usefulness to raise the rank or aim for a high-value item.
But when I saw what Song Cheonhye pulled out, I couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
[Orb of Thunderbolt(B+)]
[Knot of Stealth(B+)]
“Aren’t those too good?”
The rank alone was one thing, but both were rare equipment items—things that even second-years couldn’t get easily.
The first, as the name alone suggested, was a useful item for a lightning-aspected mage.
The second was auxiliary gear that enhanced stealth ability.
If I had to guess, she’d gotten them to use in the underground floors.
But Song Cheonhye answered without the slightest concern.
“It’s okay. We have a lot of them at the Mage Tower.”
“You’re really sure this is okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for worrying about me.”
She smiled brightly, without even a trace of irritation.
At this point, I didn’t really have any grounds left to stop her, so I decided to just watch.
Maybe something better would come out.
Soon Song Cheonhye inserted the orb and the knot into the two slots.
Then, with a WHIRR sound effect, the box shut tightly,
♪ ♬♩♬
and the robot began blasting colorful lights along with a cheerful melody.
At the same time, it spun around in place, performing a mechanical dance, then held the box out again.
Then the output slot at the bottom center opened and an item came out.
CLUNK.
[Orb of Thunderbolt(B)]
‘It’s the same thing.’
It had even lost the plus.
Looks like she was unbelievably unlucky.
And yet Song Cheonhye just examined the orb with a bright face.
“That’s fascinating. Should I try again?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stop here?”
“I don’t know, I just have a good feeling. Just one more time, and then I’ll do what you said.”
That felt less like a good feeling and more like the side effect making her recklessly push it.
Still, she didn’t seem like she planned to keep insisting forever, so I decided to remain in my position as a bystander.
Before long, the things Song Cheonhye inserted into the slots were the [Orb of Thunderbolt(B)] that had just come out,
and an item called [Watcher’s Patch(B)].
Its effect was just what the name suggested—support for detection ability.
Like the [Knot of Stealth] that had just been deleted, it looked like something she had planned to use in the underground floors.
♪~♬♩♬~
Again, the robot performed its mechanical dance to a cheerful melody.
Then the output slot opened and the result popped out.
CLUNK.
[Orb of Thunderbolt(B+)]
Song Cheonhye said brightly,
“The rank went up!”
“It did. Good for you.”
It had dropped, then gone back up.
And two rare B-rank pieces of equipment had disappeared.
But if she was happy, wasn’t that all that mattered?
By the time the medicine wore off, everyone would probably be back at the dorms anyway.
‘Gambling really isn’t something people should do.’
And this still isn’t supposed to count as a disease?
That was what I was thinking as I tried to move away from the box robot.
At that moment, Seo Ye-in slowly tugged on my sleeve.
“You know.”
“What?”
“That thing we were saving.”
Those words made me think back for a second, and then something came to mind.
“The random boxes?”
— Nod.
The [Descent of the Feathered Serpent] random boxes we’d gotten during that raid battle.
Six had dropped in total, but we’d only opened one and decided to keep the remaining five in storage for the time being.
“You were thinking of using them here?”
— Shake shake.
“So even this is unexpected for you?”
— Nod nod.
I did some quick calculations in my head.
I’d just watched Song Cheonhye spectacularly fumble it, but Lucky Charm always produced results beyond expectations.
And that was especially true whenever event bosses were involved.
‘Two, just as a test.’
Even if we got complete trash, it still felt worth throwing in a couple.
That said, there was one thing bothering me apart from that.
‘Song Cheonhye’s right here.’
There was already plenty of suspicion that we were the ones who cleared [Black Serpent Fang] and [Descent of the Feathered Serpent], but no one had been able to present definitive proof.
And in the middle of that, we were going to show her the random boxes?
That was basically the same as confessing, Yeah, that was us.
Even if the side effect made her let it slide for now, the moment it wore off, she’d come charging straight at us.
So there was no way I could take them out in front of her.
‘I’ll have to distract her somehow.’
And for some reason, it felt like that might be easier than expected.
Normally Song Cheonhye bristled like a hedgehog, full of sharp spikes and wariness, but right now none of that was there at all.
So I opened my mouth in a casual tone.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Go ahead. I’ll try my best to do it.”
“You’re way too nice today.”
“You let me come along, didn’t you?”
Song Cheonhye answered with a dazzling smile.
I nodded, then pointed at the box robot.
“We’re thinking of putting in a few things too.”
“I hope you get something good.”
“Thanks. But I’d prefer it if there were a few fewer eyes on us, so could you turn around for just a minute?”
“Why do there need to be fewer eyes on you?”
This was the middle of the entertainment district, and small groups of onlookers were already gathered around in the first place.
So I used Seo Ye-in as an excuse and launched into completely ridiculous nonsense.
“Our Lucky Charm gets stage fright and doesn’t pull good results if she feels pressured. It’s even worse if someone she knows is watching.”
“...?” Pressure pressure.
Even while a question mark floated over her head, Seo Ye-in played along.
If this were the usual Song Cheonhye, she would’ve picked up on how suspicious that sounded immediately.
And she absolutely wouldn’t have granted the favor.
But this time, just as I’d expected, she didn’t seem to suspect much of anything.
Instead, she added a suggestion of her own.
“Then I’ll go somewhere for a moment too.”
“Where?”
“I said I’d buy you something good to eat, didn’t I? There’s a place nearby I go to a lot.”
“You’re having thoughts that kind? Thanks.”
“It’s nothing. Then I’ll be back.”
— I’m coming too.
Fast-Luckless, who had apparently been getting bored, went after her, and Song Cheonhye readily accepted that as they left together.
She was being so nice today that I actually felt a little guilty.
Still, what had to be done had to be done, so I said to Seo Ye-in.
In the tone of a solemn Murim warrior.
“Are you prepared?”
“Come at any time.”
“You’re full of spirit.”
An excellent mindset.
I nodded and opened my inventory, then took out just two random boxes for now.
Handing them to Seo Ye-in, I continued.
“I entrust this matter to you.”
— Shake shake.
“After coming all the way here?”
“You go first.”
“Can I do it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why, then?”
“...?” “I don’t know.”
As always, Seo Ye-in made her judgments based on pure feeling.
Since I had no other choice, I did as she said and inserted the random boxes into the slots.
Then, while watching the robot dance, I thought:
♬♪♩♬-
‘Something good could come out.’
Song Cheonhye had already done more than enough bad-luck cleansing for us.
After two whole B-rank equipment items had just been deleted, surely I’d get something on my side, right?
So with a bit of anticipation, I waited.
Then—
CLUNK.
The mechanical box opened, and a small box rolled out.
[Assembly of Villains Random Box(B+)]
‘There it is again. The gambler’s fallacy.’
Or rather, independent trials—no matter how much bad luck somebody else burned off, the actual probability stayed the same.
And I belonged on the unlucky side.
With a conflicted expression, I asked Seo Ye-in as if seeking advice.
“We put in two and only got one back. What should be done?”
“There is no other choice.”
“......”
“...We have no choice but to step in ourselves.”
“I had been waiting to hear exactly those words.”
Looks like now she was finally starting to warm up.
Right after that, Seo Ye-in held out both hands toward me.
“Bring them.”
“Here they are.”
The moment she received [Assembly of Villains] and the Feathered Serpent box from me, she tossed them briskly into the slots.
♬♪-! ♬♬♩♬-!
The box robot started its mechanical dance again.
And its movements looked far more excited and flamboyant than they had up to now.
