The power of the golden ball was immense.
Boooom—!
Perhaps because it was cast by a D-rank boss who poured his life force into the magic, not only did one side of the wall shatter completely, but the temple itself shook as if struck by an earthquake.
I shrugged my shoulders at the sight.
As long as it doesn’t hit me.
Although I could easily tweak the trajectory of the ball with Distortion, using it rashly could cause it to change direction and fly back at me.
So I kept running and increasing the speed of the energy ball until I precisely adjusted the angle so it would crash into the wall with Distortion.
“This can’t be happening… How could this…”
Of course, to the priest who was unaware of these details, it must have looked quite different.
It seemed as if I was barely avoiding the ball only to casually flick it away with a gesture of my hand.
Despair and disbelief filled his eyes.
“I’m very sorry.”
“This can’t be…”
The priest kept repeating “This can’t be” until he finally drew his last breath.
Shortly after, his body turned to dust, leaving behind a golden dagger and two boxes.
[Magic Dagger (C)]
[Feather Serpent Temple Random Box (D)] *2
Rumbeee—
The vibrations underfoot grew increasingly intense.
It was due both to the energy ball having struck the entire temple and to the sign that the dungeon was collapsing following the priest’s death.
Therefore, I immediately moved outside the temple.
The first thing I saw was the back of Go Hyeon-woo.
And below him, a veritable hellish scene unfolded.
The sword energy had swept through so many times that an entire floor had been sliced away and the torn remains were all dark red.
Just as Go Hyeon-woo was about to swing his sword mercilessly again, he turned his head towards me.
“It looks like it’s over.”
“Yes, you held up well. It made things easier for me.”
“I’m glad to have been of help.”
“Let’s go, now.”
***
After stepping through the portal to the outside, Shin Byeong-cheol revealed himself from stealth and greeted us.
“Ah, you’ve emerged. How did it go? Any trouble clearing it?”
“No trouble at all.”
“It was quite the beneficial experience.”
We began walking towards the surface.
During this, Shin Byeong-cheol slowly closed the distance between us, somewhat awkwardly, then smiled broadly in the style of Han So-mi.
He seemed to be anticipating something quite eagerly.
I pulled out a random box from my inventory and handed it over to him.
“Here you go. Consider this your fee for the request.”
“Oh, thank you so much, customer-nim.”
He politely extended both hands as if ready to receive it.
Typically, the fee for guiding through the lower levels of the dungeon was paid by purchasing items from the student store or by sharing a portion of the dungeon’s rewards.
And since the reward for clearing the Feathered Serpent Temple this time was random boxes, I was handing over one of them.
However, a D-rank random box was somewhat excessive for Shin Byeong-cheol, who provided guide services at a first-year level, so I balanced it out by planning a few more unpaid requests in the future.
But before handing over the random box, I checked with him one last time.
“What if it turns out to be a dud? You won’t regret it?”
“Of course not. A man takes his chances, good or bad, right?”
“Alright then.”
With that said, it only seemed right to let him have his way.
As soon as I let go of the box, Shin Byeong-cheol eagerly bowed repeatedly and took the box with both hands.
Then he asked,
“Hey, can I open this right now?”
He seemed quite anxious.
I nodded my head nonchalantly.
“It’s yours now, so do as you wish.”
“Okay, here goes. Will I get the golden rainbow?!”
Click.
[Feathered Serpent Tribe’s Wooden Cup (F)]
“……”
“……”
Shin Byeong-cheol stiffened up on the spot.
I told you, a dud really is the end of it.
Go Hyeon-woo fully understood his feelings and gently patted Shin Byeong-cheol’s shoulder.
“I have that same wooden cup myself. It’s not bad as a teacup.”
“……”
However, those words didn’t seem to offer much comfort.
***
The next day.
After lunch, we found a quiet spot to sit together.
Go Hyeon-woo had only handed over the random boxes dropped by “Fatty” and “Skinny” before leaving and saying,
– I wonder if it’s because of me that these bad things come out.
It was because F-rank wooden cups had already popped out twice in his presence.
While I saw no connection, he felt uneasy so I let him be.
And so, Seo Ye-in and I sat down alone before I opened my inventory.
[Feathered Serpent Temple Random Box (D)] *2
“We’ll do some box-opening again today.”
Clap, clap—
Seo Ye-in silently clapped her hands.
Before we started opening the boxes, I turned over my shoulder and said,
“You’re welcome to come closer.”
Just then, Ahn Jeong-mi suddenly emerged from the bushes a little distance from us.
Except for her mentoring duties, as the head of the Future Strategy Office and Seo Ye-in’s butler, she was always around to keep an eye on Seo Ye-in.
She made sure to hide her body so as not to disturb the other students though.
Ahn Jeong-mi quickly recognized the nature of the random box and asked,
“Have you been to the underground levels?”
“Yes, last night.”
I had revealed this deliberately to gauge her reaction, and as expected, Ahn Jeong-mi did not seem particularly troubled by the fact that I had gone down to the underground of the dungeon building.
“Strictly speaking, this is a violation of the rules, but sticking to the rules is not my style. However, as someone who once studied at the Dragon Slayer Academy, I would like to give you some advice.”
“I’m all ears.”
Ahn Jeong-mi said in a serious tone,
“Considering what I’ve observed about Kim Ho-nim’s personality, even if you approach with great certainty, I advise you to always be extra careful when entering the underground levels of the dungeon building. There’s a reason why this island was once considered a cursed place.
There were over a thousand dungeons in the underground, and their types were immensely varied.
The [Feathered Serpent] series and [Black Death] were dungeons that followed a set storyline, and therefore, knowing the right strategies meant you were halfway to clearing them.
On the other hand, there were countless dungeons where randomness ruled and strategies barely mattered.
In such places, one had to rely solely on their own strength and quick wits to navigate through.
Of course, I was aware of this and chose simpler locations for that reason, but even in dungeons with clear strategies, the possibility of unforeseen variables always existed.
One such instance occurred in the Black Death dungeon where Go Hyeon-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol encountered the hidden boss, White Death.
It was a boss one would typically never see unless they were extremely unlucky, yet there they were, facing him.
This is why one must always consider the worst-case scenario and be prepared as a single misstep could endanger one’s life.
For these reasons, I too found An Jeong-mi’s advice to be sound.
“I will bear that in mind. Thank you for the advice.”
“Can I go down too?”
Seo Ye-in asked to which Ahn Jeong-mi sternly replied,
“Absolutely not. Miss and Kim Ho-nim are different. Mis should only tackle dungeons that you are qualified for.”
“…….”
Seo Ye-in looked at Ahn Jeong-mi for a few seconds without saying a word before shifting her gaze to me.
It seemed like she was letting her words go in one ear and out the other.
Sensing this, Ahn Jeong-mi emphasized her point again.
“Miss, that’s not possible. If anything were to happen to you in the lower levels, a lot of people including myself, would be deeply saddened. Please consider us and exercise caution.”
Then, there’s the possibility that an entire department could be wiped out.
As the warnings were repeated, Seo Ye-in slowly nodded her head.
“…. Alright.”
At last, Ahn Jeong-mi let out a silent sigh of relief.
It felt like that conversation alone might have shortened her life span by a few months.
Who knew that a butler’s job could be so extremely demanding?
“Alright, let’s open it up.”
I changed the subject to lighten the mood.
After handing Seo Ye-in a random box, I asked her,
“Do you want to do the honors again this time?”
“Mhmm.”
It was the third time Seo Ye-in had taken charge of opening the box.
Just like before, there was no hint of nervousness in her demeanor.
She effortlessly lifted the lid of the box and,
Fl—ash—!!
A bright white light burst forth, filling the entire view.
After a moment, the light faded and what remained was a tightly rolled magic scroll.
[Shape Transformation Scroll – Life(B)]
Another B-rank?
Seo Ye-in’s incredible luck had been evident in the two previous random box openings.
She had drawn a B-rank cushion from a D-rank random box,
And then drew out an A-rank Millennium Iron from a B-rank ingot box. She was a true master of luck.
Still, I hadn’t expected her to draw another B-rank item this time.
Moreover, it seemed like fate was targeting Seo Ye-in with yet another daily life item.
[Shapeshifting Scroll – Life(B)]
▷Allows the appearance transformation of B-rank or lower daily life-type items.
▷The item used for appearance transformation will disappear.
▷Warning: Use on A-rank or higher items may result in a downgrade of their effects.
Seo Ye-in already possessed the [Feather Cushion (B)] from the previous box opening.
It wasn’t just a normal cushion though; it was laden with effects for an improved nap life, accelerating fatigue recovery, enhancing resistance to status ailments, and improving skin health.
According to Ahn Jeong-mi, it had been very useful to her.
However, the design of the cushion was quite boring compared to its performance. It seemed as if the scroll that popped out was suggesting to us, “Why not change that cushion’s appearance?”
“……”
As expected, Seo Ye-in showed great interest.
Each time I playfully moved the scroll around, her gaze followed it.
Then she looked straight at me and sent me an expressionless but sparkling look that clearly meant, “Give that to me.”
I smiled wryly and extended the scroll to her.
“Alright, take it. Daily life items don’t really mean much to me anyway, and with my luck, I wouldn’t have been able to draw it anyway.”
“Thank you.”
My gesture was partly as a friendly favor and partly with a calculated intent.
The butler is watching, after all.
When I first met Ahn Jeong-mi, she had promised to compensate me for helping Seo Ye-in grow.
And when I had promised to go out with Seo Ye-in to the downtown area over the weekend, she had assured me that she would make it worth my while.
With such a growing sense of debt towards me, there was no need to put a price on just one scroll.
As expected, Ahn Jeong-mi watched me with deeply moved eyes.
I then pointed to the second random box amidst the warm atmosphere.
“Shall we open the remaining one?”
“Shall we?”
Seo Ye-in had placed her hand on the cover.
However, for some reason, she paused midway through opening it and hesitated.
She titled her head in puzzlement as she looked at the random box before she handed it over to Ahn Jeong-mi and said,
“You open it.”
Caught off guard by the sudden pass, An Jeong-mi’s pupils wavered.
“You mean… me?”
“Mhmm.”
An Jeong-mi’s expression turned into that of a new employee who had suddenly been burdened with a huge project.
This random box was mine, and since it was D-rank, the likelihood of something out of the ordinary popping out was quite high.
Thus, the possibility of an awkward situation arising was also quite high.
Her eyes conveyed extreme discomfort and a plea for help, but
“It’s okay. I’m not too worried about what might come out.”
I only doubled the burden on her with my friendly smile.
Based on past experiences, it seemed that Seo Ye-in’s tremendous luck did not activate twice in a row.
That left me and Ahn Jeong-mi, and probably the odds were similar no matter who drew.
Wouldn’t it be more fun if the butler did it?
“……Understood.”
Ahn Jeong-mi seemed to resign herself to her inevitable fate.
And then she carefully opened the box with the most tense demeanor she had shown so far.
Click,
[Feathered Serpent Tribe’s Wooden Cup (F)]
Her complexion turned ashen, or rather, it was now the same color as the wooden cup.
She immediately bent at the waist in a 90-degree bow.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Really.”
“I don’t know how to apologize for this…”
“It’s okay, I’m telling you.”
Even though I repeatedly told her that it was okay, Ahn Jeong-mi couldn’t raise her head for a long time.
In the end, the wooden cup was going to be used by Ahn Jeong-mi as a coffee cup.
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