I kept my eyes covered as I praised her into the air.
“As expected of our Lucky Charm. You never let us down.”
“Luck overflowing.”
Seo Ye-in replied in kind also with her eyes covered.
Soon, the rainbow light gradually faded, and we opened our eyes almost simultaneously to look where the random box had been.
Two palm-sized roulette wheels.
Right in the center, in a flashy font, were the words “Again!”
[Reward Again!] ×2
▷ Randomly obtains one of the previous quest rewards.
▷ Skills/traits already possessed are excluded from the table.
▷ All reward probabilities are equal.
There were countless rewards gained from clearing various side and main quests up to this point.
Using the roulette lets you obtain one of those immediately.
Already acquired skills or traits like [Blessing of the West Wind], [Enchantment], [Harship], [Bond]… can’t be duplicated and are excluded.
I paused to think.
Should I use it now, or save it?
Saving it for later was an option.
The stronger the player becomes, the harder the side quests get and naturally the better the rewards.
On top of that, thanks to the Challenge Book, rewards could even be upgraded. Future additions to the table were bound to be better than the current ones.
The problem is, it’s still random.
There were already a huge number of rewards in the table, so adding one or two new ones wouldn’t noticeably change the odds.
You’d need to stack at least ten to see any real impact, but clearing that many side quests would take months.
And that opportunity cost is too high.
If I used it now to boost my fighting power, that would expand my range of action and a few months later, I could look forward to something even better.
Yeah, using it now is the better choice.
Whatever the result….good or bad.
With the decision made, I reviewed the rewards I’d received so far.
The best-case scenario is a Bond slot.
Every time one is added, the whole team’s power increases.
Once we have enough, I could start investing slot-expansion items elsewhere.
Next best would be a Locking Pin.
Every use leads to a direct spec upgrade, so having more is always better.
Other decent rewards include Empty Skill Book], [Refined Blue-Green Oil (A)], and [Magic Scroll Time Leap (S)].
But unfortunately, the table also contains a lot of junk.
The worst are those low-rank selection tickets.
Like the [Weapon Selection Ticket (E)], [Accessory Selection Ticket (C)], and [Material Selection Ticket (C)] from early in the first semester.
Even if you get to pick what you want, the rank is so low it’s practically worthless.
And F- or E-rank [Rank Up] or [Random Rank Up] items are complete duds, especially considering the roulette’s potential.
To make matters worse, the proportion of rewards I no longer need is overwhelmingly higher than those I actually want.
And my luck isn’t exactly good enough to beat those odds.
Still, it’s not like anyone else can spin it for me. So I decided to face it with a humble heart.
With the roulette placed in front of me, I turned to Seo Ye-in and asked,
“Lucky Charm, do you think I can pull something good?”
“……”
Seo Ye-in stared at me for a few seconds, then slowly reached out and gently wrapped her hands around mine.
“……”
“…Why the hands?”
“Sharing lucky energy.”
“Does that actually work?”
“…Maybe?”
She didn’t seem too confident herself, judging by her uncertain expression.
Still, I figured it couldn’t hurt. So I let her hold on.
While I was at it, I called over to Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Hong Yeon-hwa.”
“…Mhmm?”
“Lend me your hand too.”
If I’m going to believe in superstition, I might as well go all in.
At the very least, luck had been on our side today. So I figured I might as well double down and absorb even more of it.
“……”
Though hesitant, Hong Yeon-hwa slowly extended her hand.
When I grabbed it without warning, she flinched a bit but didn’t pull away.
With our hands joined like some kind of demon-summoning ritual, I spoke.
“Well then, let’s give it a spin.”
[Used ‘Reward Again!’]
The roulette wheel split into multiple sections, each one displaying a reward I’d earned in the past.
Then it gradually picked up speed and started to spin.
Shrrrrrrr—!
“……”
“……”
Everyone silently watched as the wheel began to slow down.
Shrrrrrrr…
Then, just as it neared the [Locking Pin] section, it slowed more dramatically and stopped right before moving past it.
I looked down at Seo Ye-in’s and Hong Yeon-hwa’s hands in turn.
“Hey, maybe this lucky energy thing actually works?”
“Today’s a winning day.”
“I guess so… huh?”
“Let’s keep the momentum going.”
[Used ‘Reward Again!’]
The roulette wheel lit up again, displaying the same items as before, and started spinning.
Shrrrrrrr—!
Somehow, it felt like it was spinning even faster than last time.
Deep down, I hoped for a slot reward, but I tried not to get my hopes too high.
Getting a Locking Pin alone was already a win.
Shrrrrrrr—
The wheel gradually slowed, and I began to make out the text on each section.
Then, just as it entered the [Accessory Selection Ticket (C)] section, it dramatically lost speed.
“…Oh no.”
“Ah…!”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s grip on my hand tightened.
However, the roulette wheel, while maintaining its dramatically reduced speed, continued to spin and leisurely passed right by the [Accessory Selection Ticket (C)].
As everyone let out a sigh of relief, Seo Ye-in spoke up with a short comment.
“On a roll.”
“You’re not wrong, but where did you even learn that phrase?”
“Godfather.”
Now I’m really starting to wonder what that Underworld Dragon King spends his time watching.
The roulette wheel made yet another full rotation before finally coming to a stop on the [Locking Pin].
I thanked Seo Ye-in and Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Thanks to you two, I got two of them. Really, thank you.”
Both of them looked genuinely happy for me, as if it were their own win.
“A lucky day.”
“Congrats…!”
We held hands and did a little celebratory dance.
***
I decided to save the [Skill Book Fairy Summon Scroll] for later.
It’s not like I urgently need a new skill, and I don’t have many skills or traits I’d be willing to give up in exchange anyway.
It’s better to wait and use it when I’m properly prepared.
Soon after, Hong Yeon-hwa went off to cultivate mana using the poison core, and Seo Ye-in headed to the training center to practice space folding.
Normally, they’d both just head straight to bed, claiming they were too tired. So the new skills must’ve really made an impression.
After seeing them off, I turned to my own tasks.
Or rather, one had just now popped up.
Since I managed to get two Locking Pins.
The original plan was to clear side quests gradually and secure the Locking Pins around final exams or the start of vacation.
But unexpectedly, I got two spins from the random box, and both landed on Locking Pins.
Might as well move the plan up a bit.
[Used ‘Locking Pin’.]
[Locking ‘Self-Generation (S)’.]
▷Copy-Trait [3/4]
1. (None)
2. Time Resistance (S)
3. Pain Delay
4. Chain Explosion (S)
[Traits]
▷Self-Generation (S)
The [Sovereign’s Crown] which grants bonuses to all mana-related skills and traits.
[Self-Generation] which produces mana even from nothing.
Now, just one piece remained to complete the combination.
[Loop of Circulation].
It’s a trait that greatly improves mana efficiency and stability.
Not exactly common, but any skilled practitioner above a certain level probably has it.
The principal likely does too.
Striking while the iron is hot, I reached out to him right away.
When I asked if he had any free time, he told me to come right now.
Does he even have such a thing as a “busy day”?
With that question in mind, I made my way over.
When I entered the principal’s office, he was, as usual, half-reclined in his chair.
He slowly spun in his seat, then glanced over at me.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“Another favor…no, wait, let me guess.”
He sat up in his chair and and started mimicking the Kim Ho tone,
“‘I came to ask for a favor’.”
“You know me too well.”
“You little punk! What do you think I am, a magic wand or something? You show up and expect me to grant your wishes with a flick?”
“I don’t think that analogy’s quite accurate. It’s not like you’ve ever just given me something one-sidedly.”
If anything, both sides benefited through fair trade.
The principal gave a small cough, seemingly in agreement.
“…Ahem. So, what do you want this time?”
“I wanted to observe a skill.”
Technically, it was a trait that activates while using a skill. But that was close enough.
At this, the principal’s eyes gleamed.
“A sparring match?”
If it were a duel, he could use the excuse of “training a student” to blow off some steam.
Of course, from my perspective, there was no reason to take on a fight I was sure to lose.
“No, just a demonstration.”
“It’s not just a simple demonstration. You’re definitely up to something…”
The principal shot me a suspicious look.
Trying to dodge the question here would only make me look guiltier, so I decided to be partially honest.
“There’s a trait that benefits from watching high-level skills.”
“Knew it.”
“And besides, Hero skills are cool.”
“Hey, if you’re going to flatter, you’ve gotta do it before asking for a favor.”
“I’m being sincere. Honestly, they are cool.”
“…Ahem. Can’t deny that myself.”
The principal scratched his chin, looking pleased.
I could almost hear the voice of the crow sage echo in my head:
– Caw! A man unworthy of his age!
Still, the principal may act like a kid, but he’s no pushover.
He straightened up and asked,
“Showing you is easy enough. But you’ll pay the price, right?”
“Of course.”
“That necromancer grimoire I was supposed to get….how about we call it even with that?”
“I’d prefer to offer something else, if possible.”
As important as finishing my trait is, it’s a waste to throw away a chance to increase my slot count.
And besides, I hadn’t even properly discussed it with Dang Gyu-young. Making that call on my own didn’t sit right.
The principal asked again,
“Then with what?”
“I’ll pay with information.”
“You’ll tell me anything?”
“Not anything.”
Still, I knew more than a few hidden pieces, so I could answer most questions.
The principal, clearly intrigued, pressed further.
“How many pieces of information?”
“One. If you want more, you’ll have to give more too.”
It was a skill cast by a former Hero of S-rank, so in name alone, it held value. But from another perspective, it wasn’t all that impressive.
It’s not like he’d lose anything just by using a skill in front of me.
The principal gave a slight nod, as if in agreement, and fell into thought.
“……”
A brief silence filled the principal’s office.
Then the principal finally spoke.
“At the start of the semester, you made those strategy guides and sold them. Even got them certified by us.”
“I did.”
“And back then… didn’t you say you also had a guide for an S-rank dungeon?”
A sharp gleam lit up in the principal’s eyes.
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