Chapter 503: Golden Card

After finishing lunch at the bakery,

We continued spending time in the downtown area.

It was a place full of sights and attractions, so even wandering aimlessly never felt boring.

The only issue was that there were too many things that caught Seo Ye-in’s attention.

It was as if she had a magnet on her. She kept getting slowly drawn toward things.

And since her “Reverse Lucky Charm Radar” might’ve been reacting again, I had to keep a close watch.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I want to check that out.”

“Nope.”

“Wanna see…”

“Fine, but let’s look from a distance. Don’t get too close.”

“Whirrr?”

“Turn off that radar. It’s broken anyway.”

“Whirr…”

Aside from these little scuffles, it was an enjoyable time for everyone.

Before we knew it, the sky was painted with sunset hues, and after dinner at a restaurant, we returned to school.

We said our goodbyes to Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so.

“Get home safe, noonas.”

“Mhmm, rest up~”

“Let’s hang out again, young monarch~!”

I waved until the two were out of sight, then turned to Seo Ye-in.

“Shall we head back too?”

“Mhmm.”

And so, we headed to the training center together.

We’d had our fun. Now it was time to rest and do some mana cultivation.

As we walked in silence for a while, Seo Ye-in suddenly looked at me and asked,

“Was it hard?”

“What was?”

“Being a bodyguard.”

“It wasn’t easy. There was a lot to pay attention to. But it was fun in its own way.”

At that, Seo Ye-in reached out and gently patted my head.

“Good job.”

“Well, that’s rare.”

“Just felt like it.”

Even if it was just a compliment based on her mood, it was a good sign.

It meant she’d started to consider things from someone else’s perspective, even a little.

We kept walking in silence, our steps in sync.

Then Seo Ye-in tilted her head again.

“……?”

She came to a stop, then started rummaging through her bag.

What she pulled out was the charcoal card she’d gotten from that fortune teller in the downtown area.

The area covered in gold had grown a little larger.

That’s filling up faster than I expected.

When I first saw it, I thought it’d take at least a week, but at this rate, it might be done in just a few days.

But that prediction was quickly overturned as the card began to glow more and more brightly.

Flaaash—!

A blinding golden light burst forth, and the pitch-black parts of the card began peeling away rapidly.

Before long, Seo Ye-in was holding a dazzling golden card in her hand.

She seemed genuinely confused by the sudden development.

“……?”

“It’s already done?”

“All at once.”

“Does that mean your luck’s back too?”

“……? Not sure.”

“Let’s test it.”

There did seem to be some kind of link between that card and her “lucky charm” ability, but it was still just a theory.

So it made sense to confirm it another way too.

Let’s skip the Fickle Trap this time.

Back when her luck was bad, those traps would just release flower petals or confetti….nothing serious.

But now? Who knew what might come out. There was even a chance it could cause a full-on explosion.

Safest bet is the Random Box.

And just the right target came to mind, so I sent a message.

[Kim Ho: ding-dong]

[Kim Ho: ding-dong ding-dong]

[Shin Byeong-cheol: You rang, dear customer?]

[Kim Ho: Come here]

[Shin Byeong-cheol: What is it]

[Kim Ho: it’s huge]

[Kim Ho: Aaah…….]

[Shin Byeong-cheol: what is it, seriously?]

[Kim Ho: just come and see]

[Kim Ho: hurry]

[Kim Ho: seriously, no joke]

As expected, Shin Byeong-cheol took the bait immediately and dashed over like a bullet.

The moment he arrived, he glanced around and asked,

“What is it? What’s this huge deal?”

“Check out our lucky charm here. Insanely cute, right?”

With a flourish loud enough to go tada!, I said that, and Seo Ye-in slowly raised her hand and made a peace sign.

“Cute.”

Shin Byeong-cheol’s expression instantly deflated.

“Ugh, I seriously fell for that? Don’t call me over for stuff like this.”

“Stuff like this? Are you calling our cute lucky charm ‘stuff’?”

“That’s not what I meant. Yeah, yeah, she’s cute, but I’m kind of busy right now.”

“I’m joking. That’s not the real reason we called you here.”

Then I gave Seo Ye-in a nod, and she took half a step forward and held out her hand.

“Box.”

“You mean… the Random Box?”

“Mhmm.”

“What are you planning to do with—?”

“I’ll open it for you.”

Shin Byeong-cheol’s face turned pale.

He was probably thinking about the [Royal Teacup Set] and [Royal Tablecloth] he’d gotten not long ago.

I said to him,

“You really don’t look convinced.”

“Hey, come on. Of course I believe you! It’s just… my inventory’s been totally empty lately, you know? I don’t have any spare boxes, not a single one.”

“That’s the face of a liar.”

Seo Ye-in stared at him too and asked,

“You don’t want to?”

“…Ahem! Let’s see, maybe if I look really hard, there might be one tucked away in a corner… Ah! Found one! Totally forgot about it.”

With an awkward bit of acting, Shin Byeong-cheol pulled out an E-rank Random Box from his inventory.

It looked like he’d picked a low-rank one thinking it would just go to waste again. But whether that was a smart move remained to be seen.

“……”

“……”

Everyone watched in silence as Seo Ye-in suddenly grabbed the lid and threw it open.

Shin Byeong-cheol was already preparing to make a smug “I knew it” face, but the outcome was far beyond what anyone expected.

Flaaaaaaaash—!

A dazzling light burst out like an explosion.

“No way! No way! This? No! No!”

Shin Byeong-cheol’s eyes flew open in shock.

At the same time, a look of regret crossed his face. He was already thinking, “If I’d known, I would’ve given her the best one.”

Flaaaaaash—!

Meanwhile, the light continued to pour out.

Oddly enough, the Random Box itself began to grow larger, and it even looked like it might split into two or three.

“……”

Seo Ye-in, as if her job was done, set it down on the floor. After a little more time, the items inside were finally revealed.

They were big single- and double-seat sofas.

[Royal Plush Sofa Set (C+)]

I let out a soft exclamation.

“Wow, a C+ from an E-rank box? That’s jumping up more than two ranks.”

“Y-Yeah, it is.”

“Perfect match for that Royal something-or-other you pulled last week.”

Getting set items in a row like this….it had to be fate, right?

Seo Ye-in added a short comment too.

“Debt repaid.”

Looking back, when she’d been in her unlucky sloth mode, she burned through two of Shin Byeong-cheol’s Random Boxes and had said something like this:

– …Someday, jackpot.

– You’ll pull one for him when your luck comes back?

– Mhmm.

She meant that she was paying back that old debt now.

Shin Byeong-cheol seemed to catch the gist of it too.

Still, he seemed hopeful, rubbing his hands together as he asked,

“So, you opened two boxes last time, right? Maybe… maybe it’s only fair to open two this time, too…? Just a small hope, haha.”

Seo Ye-in slowly shook her head.

“Later.”

“Ohh, understood. I can wait as long as needed. Thank you, really, thank you so much!”

Bowing repeatedly, Shin Byeong-cheol stepped back and called over his team members to carry the sofas away.

As I watched him go, I turned to Seo Ye-in and said,

“You’re really back, huh, lucky charm.”

“A glorious comeback.”

“Love to see it. And since you’ve made a comeback… how about doing this too?”

What I pulled out was the [Mystery Book].

Seo Ye-in took it without hesitation, then asked,

“What do you want from it?”

“Are you offering a targeted pull?”

“I’ll give it a shot.”

At that, I handed her a [Handicap Scroll] and explained,

“There’s a bundled book set I want. If you get it for me, I think I’ll be able to make good use of it.”

“Got it.”

Seo Ye-in nodded, then followed my instructions and tucked the scroll into the Mystery Book like a bookmark.

It slightly increased the odds of the related book appearing.

For a lucky charm like her, that kind of boost is basically nothing.

The only concern was that her luck might be too good. She might end up pulling something even better. But I’d deal with that when the time came.

Soon, Seo Ye-in stared down at the book for a moment, then suddenly flipped open the first page.

Immediately, a burst of vibrant light began to shine.

Fwooooooosh—!

As the Handicap Scroll dissolved into red particles and merged into the Mystery Book, the light gradually took on a dark red hue.

After watching a little longer, the completed item revealed itself.

A deluxe hardcover with an ominous blood-red glow.

[Challenge Book (A+)]

So that’s what came out.

A superior version of the Handicap Scroll or the Handicap Book.

The effect was similar, but the quests it generated came with more demanding conditions and accordingly, greater rewards.

Even better.

It might be tougher, but if the payoff was big enough, it was well worth the effort.

I grabbed Seo Ye-in’s hands, and we broke into a happy little dance.

“You really are my lucky charm. You nailed the exact one I wanted.”

“Luck, overflowing.”

“But I just had a sudden thought…”

“?”

I suddenly stopped dancing and gave her a suspicious look.

“You had no luck all day walking around the city with me, but the moment it’s all over, your luck comes back?”

“Pure coincidence.”

“That’s a little too convenient to be a coincidence. I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself.”

Seo Ye-in paused to think, then finally spoke.

“Innocent.”

“I’m the one making the judgment; you need to give a reason. Why are you innocent?”

At my serious tone, Seo Ye-in seemed to think a little longer.

Then she stepped closer and gently tugged at the hem of my clothes.

“Innocent.”

“And the reason?”

“Because I’m cute.”

“So you do know you’re cute, huh.”

“Forgive me.”

She was being so shameless, I had nothing left to say.

It’s not like I’d been seriously angry or interrogating her from the start anyway.

So I nodded.

“All right. I’ll let it slide just this once.”

“Kiss.”

“You just got declared innocent barely and now you want a kiss?”

“Kiss.”

Seo Ye-in kept tugging insistently at the hem of my clothes.

I bent down slightly and kissed her on the cheek.

Her gray eyes sparkled.

“…Thump thump.”

***

As I examined the gold card from every angle, I asked Seo Ye-in,

“Doesn’t it look brighter than the one we got before?”

“Agreed.”

It had been quite a while, so it was hard to compare exactly, but that’s how I remembered it.

Maybe that means it’s even better this time.

“If we get the chance, let’s take it to the crow.”

Crows always showed a ton of interest in shiny objects like this.

The first gold card we found had been accepted by the crow tailor as payment, and the result was an S+ rank pot with [Space Severance].

I figure the one we have now might also be pretty useful as a bargaining chip.

With that in mind, I took out the communication crystal.

“Let’s talk to Uncle Dragon.”

“Okay.”

We needed to share the news that our luck had returned and discuss next steps.

First, I tried contacting An Jeong-mi.

After a few rings, the crystal ball lit up with an image of her office.

An Jeong-mi began speaking politely.

“Young miss, Kim Ho-nim, thank you for reaching out.”

“Is something going on?”

“Well, the Director has returned.”

I wasn’t sure who she meant at first, so I glanced sideways and saw Seo Ye-in’s face light up with excitement.

“Mom.”