Random Box

<Item>

Name : Agility-Infused Longsword Random Box

Price : 1,000 points

Description : Gives you a longsword when opened. A random amount of Agility is granted as a special option. Maximum value: 10.

'Let's see. So when I open this box, I'll get a longsword, and it'll come with 1–10 points of Agility?'

What an intriguing gacha.

In other words, I no longer had to hang around in a trial area forever to farm the weapon I wanted with the options I wanted.

'This is a hell of a deal.'

It cost a hefty 1,000 points, but the fact that it could reduce wasted time was worth noting.

But that wasn't all.

'Huh? There are other boxes, too?'

Random boxes weren't limited to that one.

There were more types than I'd expected.

[Weapon Random Box]

[Longsword Random Box]

[Agility-Infused Longsword Random Box]

I could choose the weapon and option, but I could also choose not to.

The thought that choosing was obviously more advantageous vanished the moment I checked the item information.

'Ha, look at these guys.'

I should have realized it the moment they had blatantly put random boxes on display.

[Weapon Random Box : 250 points]

[Longsword Random Box : 500 points]

[Agility-Infused Longsword Random Box : 1,000 points]

There was a difference in price.

In other words, if I wanted to draw what I wanted, I had to pay more money for it.

But that wasn't all.

'The maximum values are different?'

Assuming the box granted Agility, the maximum value that could come from each box was different. In other words, it was like this.

Weapon Random Box : 20

Longsword Random Box : 15

Agility-Infused Longsword Random Box : 10

'Good grief. If I want to get a better option, they're telling me I have to gamble.'

It was so ridiculous that I couldn't help laughing.

In other words, they were encouraging gambling by claiming that spending money was always advantageous.

Still, I couldn't simply dismiss it, since the values it produced were higher than what I could obtain by farming.

The maximum amount of Agility I could normally obtain in the next trial was 3, but buying that random box could give me as much as 20.

'This is practically telling me to enjoy myself instead of treating it like a trial.'

Regardless, I would have to revise my plans now.

I had originally planned a route that would let me safely build up my snowball, but there was no need for that anymore.

'I can finish farming here in the shelter. I no longer need to go somewhere else to put together my equipment.'

Then how should I carve out my future?

I pressed the [Next Region] button through the quest window. A notification immediately popped up and laid out a series of choices.

[Mirine's Meadow]

[Lakeside]

[Polluted Beach]

[Evil Spirit's Lair]

.

.

When moving from a shelter to a trial area, players could choose where they would undergo their trial.

Choosing a location did not guarantee that they could actually go there.

Just like in the tutorial, there was a limit on the number of people, and if the area was already full, they would be 'forcibly' bounced to another region.

That was why parties were generally formed in trial areas rather than shelters.

'If I don't need to put together equipment separately anymore, I should change my route.'

I had originally intended to go to [Lakeside], where I could safely pick up several useful things, but now I could move on to a much more dangerous place.

'I prefer somewhere dangerous but guaranteed to help me grow.'

[Evil Spirit's Lair]

[Description : Evil Spirit's Lair is a ruin where cursed souls wander. Once a renowned temple, it has now become a dark den where curses and resentment have condensed. Countless undead roam….]

'Of all the first trials, this one has the most vicious difficulty.'

Approximately two hundred thousand people reached the final floor of the trials.

Fewer than fifty of them came from [Evil Spirit's Lair].

The survival rate in the other trial areas was only around 50%, but here it was less than 1%.

'But high difficulty means greater rewards.'

Did that mean the risk was high?

No.

I remembered every major and minor incident that had occurred during the ten years I spent struggling through the [Selection Process].

So to me, it was nothing more than an enticing pie.

I had not the slightest hesitation over my choice.

I chose one of the many random boxes.

[Would you like to purchase the <Holy Power-Infused Longsword Random Box>?]

[500 points have disappeared.]

I had bought an item that should have cost 1,000 points for half price thanks to my resident benefit.

When a box popped into existence above my hand, I caught it properly this time without panicking.

[You obtained a <Longsword>.]

<Item>

Name : Longsword

Grade : Advanced

Description : Deals an additional 10% Holy-attribute damage when attacking.

'Is it slightly better than average, then? The average is 5%.'

Even so, I gazed with satisfaction at the sword in my grip.

To get just this one item, I might have had to go to [Lakeside], spend three days and nights running from baby lizards, and rummage around by the water.

'But now that I have this, [Evil Spirit's Lair] should be manageable too.'

The reason its survival rate was so low in the first place was that the monsters roaming around there were undead.

No matter how many times you killed them, they would not stay dead, so unless your [Unique Ability] had developed in a way suited to dealing with that, you could never make it back alive.

"Black Dick! What's that?"

The moment I gripped the sword, Shin Seoyeon came rushing over, her eyes sparkling.

"What the fuck is that? It looks fucking amazing."

"Yeah, it's fucking amazing."

"What about mine?"

I looked at Shin Seoyeon.

No, there were limits to how shameless a person could be.

"You have plenty of money."

"I do?"

"Yeah."

Even though she'd taken 100 points from me yesterday.

However, our shameless yet adorable Witch of Crimson Flame suddenly began twisting her body in front of me as if she'd had a drink, her fingers fidgeting while she put on a bashful expression.

"Aww, I don't have much money."

"Do you have a conscience?"

"Oh, come on. Do you think I'm doing this because of money? It's special when you buy it for me, Minjun. We're pretty close, aren't we?"

"We are?"

"Yeah!"

"Are we? Hmm, I don't remember that."

When I remained as unmoving as a stone statue, Shin Seoyeon rolled her eyes and changed tactics. She ran over to the Saintess, who had arrived late, stuck close to her side, and smiled sweetly.

"Besides, I'm getting along with this unni just like you told me to!"

In other words, since I'd promised to look after her if she got along with the Saintess, she wanted me to look after her a little now.

Yes, not a chance.

"Is there anything you need, Ms. Hana?"

"I'm not sure. I don't have much strength to begin with, so it would be difficult for me to carry anything heavy…. Should I try a b-bow?"

The Saintess's Strength was 5. She could not lift something like a sledgehammer or mace with that. A bow did not seem like it would be particularly different.

"Hey, I want a staff! A magic staff!"

No, expecting the Saintess to fight in the first place was misguided.

"Minjun! I want this staff!"

Her ability to completely heal someone was enough for her to fulfill her role.

Making her do anything else would only inconvenience her.

In fact, I had never seen her fight even once during my first run.

"Hey! Are you listening?!"

Shin Seoyeon shrieked repeatedly in front of a staff hanging on the weapon shop's wall, but I ignored her completely and spoke to the Saintess.

"Then let's think about weapons later."

"Yes, I'll do as you say, Mr. Minjun."

I did consider buying her some armor, but wearing armor from the very first trial would be a luxury.

More importantly, with the Saintess there, armor was unnecessary as long as we avoided instant death.

'It would be better to use that money at the general store to get other necessities.'

I was thinking that as I took a step toward the shop's entrance.

[Event Complete! Your first-purchase benefit has been awarded!]

[You received a <Weapon Random Box>.]

[You received an <Armor Random Box>.]

'Huh?'

Then two boxes dropped from the air with a pop.

This was the third time I'd received one, so I was confident I wouldn't miss it, but I had a sword in one hand and two boxes fell at once. They struck my hands, bounced away, and rolled across the floor.

Then they shook themselves and undid their wrapping on their own.

Bang!

The items emerged amid fireworks.

[You obtained a <Lumina's Vestment>.]

[You obtained an <Apprentice's Staff>.]

I stared blankly at the items that had fallen onto the floor.

<Item>

Name : Lumina's Vestment

Grade : Mythic

Description : The ceremonial robes of the holy priestess Lumina. Increases all stats by 10 and restores 1% of maximum Mana every second.

<Item>

Name : Apprentice's Staff

Grade : Advanced

Description : A staff suitable for an apprentice mage. Increases the power of Fire magic by 20%.

"……"

One was a healer's outfit, and the other a mage's staff?

The world was really screwing me over.

"Hey, what's this?"

"Huh?"

The two of them came rushing over and picked up the items.

As if they knew which one was theirs, they each took one and looked at me, leaving me genuinely speechless.

I looked at the luxurious clothing in the Saintess's hands, overflowing with holy energy.

'It increases all stats by 10?'

A Mythic-grade item this early in the game?

Wow. Even I felt a surge of greed for a moment. And it restored a percentage of Mana every second, too.

'…If it weren't priestess's clothing, I'd be wearing it myself. Tsk.'

Although I had spent ten years in the [Selection Process], I still wasn't shameless enough to walk around wearing women's clothing.

Unfortunately, I had to give that one up.

"That's yours, Ms. Hana. Take it."

"Thank you, Mr. Minjun!"

The Saintess hugged the clothes with a happy smile.

Right. Since I couldn't have them anyway, this was the correct choice.

The Saintess's [Healing Authority] currently consumed 10% of her Mana, while those clothes restored 1% every second.

Now that I'd given it to her, I realized it was a pretty good combination.

"Black Dick! Can I have this? Give it to me!"

After giving away [Lumina's Vestment], I turned toward Shin Seoyeon.

The short-haired beauty was making an enormous fuss, acting cute and pitiful in every way she could.

She knew it herself: I had no intention of giving it to her. I held out my hand to Shin Seoyeon and said,

"Give it here."

"No."

It wasn't something she could simply refuse.

The owner of the random boxes was me. That made me the owner of the items that came out of them, too.

I had transferred the Saintess's item to her, but I had not given this one away yet.

"Huh? Huh?"

When I reached for it to make my intention to reclaim it clear, the staff naturally slipped into my hand.

"Hey! Are you seriously going to be like this?!"

Someone was hopping and shouting in front of me, but I had no idea. What was she even saying?

"Kang Minjun!"

"You're noisy. Besides, you're a Transcendent, so you don't particularly need a weapon anyway."

I had calculated Shin Seoyeon's destructive power with [All-Seeing Eye] yesterday, and it was more than five times higher than that of most Fire magic.

It was a combination of overwhelming Mana and a ridiculously overpowered Unique Ability.

Taking Mana efficiency into account, her hunting speed would be more than twenty times that of a mage of the same level. At that level, she could probably solo without items until the third or fourth trial.

"Are you seriously going to be this stingy?"

"Yeah. Sorry I'm such a stingy man."

I went to the weapon merchant, activated the trade window, and put it up for sale.

[Sale Price : 0 points]

Tsk, had they blocked resale because it came from a random box?

"Minjun, give it to me. Please?"

"Buy one with your own money."

"I don't have enough money to buy it."

I looked at the price of an ordinary staff sold in the shop.

It cost 300 points.

Damn, even an ordinary staff that increased power by 10% was that expensive. How could this be worth 0 points?

"Aww, Minjun."

The Witch of Crimson Flame now clung to my arm, rubbing her breasts against it while toying with my cock with one hand.

I looked down at her, her face stained with desperation and greed, and said,

"200 points."

"What?"

"I'll sell it to you for 200 points."

"Why did you give her hers for free but make me pay?!"

"Because I feel like it."

"Are you seriously going to do this?"

"If you don't like it, forget it. I'll just sell it back."

Then, when I lifted the staff and moved it toward the weapon merchant, Shin Seoyeon was startled and grabbed my wrist.

"Wait. But you should take my circumstances into account."

"What circumstances?"

"I don't have 200 points. I spent my money living here for ten days."

Thinking about it, that did seem possible.

"Then 100 points."

"…Are you seriously planning to take every last bit of money I have?"

Shin Seoyeon looked at me with tearful eyes as if I were being cruel, but yes, I wasn't budging.

When I moved the staff toward the weapon merchant again, Shin Seoyeon narrowed her eyes, opened a trade window in front of me, and put up 100 points.

[Would you like to complete the trade?]

And so the staff became Shin Seoyeon's property.

But judging from the way she was grinning, it felt like Shin Seoyeon had more money and was pretending she didn't, pulling a trick on me.

For some reason, it rubbed me the wrong way.

"The remaining 100 points were a loan, so pay me back later."

"Hey!"

Just then, the Saintess tapped me on the shoulder.

"Mr. Minjun, I'll pay too. Here."

As she said that, the Saintess opened a trade window and put up 100 points. Wow, our Saintess really was….

"No, it's all right. Keep it, Ms. Hana."

"Black Dick! Isn't the difference in how you treat her and me way too obvious?"

That's because the things they did were completely different.

More importantly, 100 points was the Saintess's entire fortune. It felt wrong to casually accept it.

"I gave it to you as a present, so just keep it."

"No. It's only right that I pay too. I do have a conscience. Besides, you bought me an expensive meal yesterday."

"Unni? What are you talking about? Did you go somewhere nice without me?"

Then the Saintess really gave me the 100 points.

As expected, everything our Saintess did was unbelievably adorable.

"…Thank you. I'll make sure not to waste this money."

"I'm glad I could help. So where are you planning to go now?"

[Remaining Points : 714 points]

I still had plenty of money left, but there was nothing else to buy here.

"I'm planning to go to the general store and restaurant to buy the things we need."

In fact, supplies were more important than equipment in battle.

I intended to invest all the remaining money there.

And there was something I wanted to check while I was at it.

'They might offer some kind of benefit, just like the weapon shop here.'

Maybe they would give me another random box.

I was counting on that. Sure enough, after buying something at the general store, a notification appeared.

[Event Complete! Your first-purchase benefit has been awarded!]

[As a resident benefit, you can now use the <Arcana Mirror> in all shelters.]

<Resident Benefit>

Name : Arcana Mirror

Grade : Transcendent

Description : Place an original item inside to copy it and create 10 replicas. An item placed inside disappears the moment it is removed. This system and the original are passed down to each shelter, and its cooldown is 10 days.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the random box I had been hoping for.

But it was far better than that.

'Item duplication? It has a function like this, too?'

Damn, they really were giving me everything they could to keep me from dying.

I thought it over carefully.

The reason they'd given me this function was obvious.

Most items sold at a general store were consumables. In other words, I was meant to use the [Arcana Mirror] to reduce those recurring expenses.

'What should I put inside it?'

Although I considered it carefully, I soon found the answer.

I put the [Summoner's Letter Envelope] inside. The holographic window then wobbled comically on its own, and with a bang, it spat ten items into my hand.

<Item>

Name : Summoner's Letter Envelope (Replica)

Grade : Transcendent

Description : Immediately brings the designated target to your location when used. Single-use. Time remaining: 9 days, 23 hours, 51 seconds.

'I suppose it works exactly like the original.'

With these, I would be able to have all sorts of fun in the trial areas. Wearing a satisfied expression, I put them into my inventory.

Then I immediately went to procure food.

Unfortunately, I couldn't receive any more benefits from the restaurant. I checked several eateries, but it was the same everywhere.

'Is it finally time to move on?'

I had obtained equipment and bought plenty of necessities and food. I had checked everything several times, and nothing was missing.

"Black Dick, can't we buy something to drink over there? We've walked so much my legs hurt. Your legs hurt too, don't they, unni?"

"Huh? Um, I suppose."

When I stopped abruptly, Shin Seoyeon tugged on my right arm and pointed to one side.

I let out a deep sigh. She was practically treating me like a lord.

"No. We're moving on to the trial area now."

"Tsk. Then I guess it can't be helped."

"Speaking of which, how about you let go now, Seoyeon?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

I stared down at Shin Seoyeon. She stared back at me, blinking several times, then trembled around the eyes and asked,

"Don't tell me… you two are going alone? You're taking me with you!"

"We'll see."

I had originally intended to undergo the early trials alone, and although the Saintess had ended up joining me, I had no intention of adding any more party members.

Besides, the Saintess struggled with interpersonal relationships. It was too soon for her to travel with someone else.

But Shin Seoyeon, out of all people?

Definitely not.

So I was about to refuse when—

"Why are you doing this to me…?"

Shin Seoyeon looked as if she were about to cry. She lowered her head and covered her eyes with one hand. Her shoulders shook.

Uh…. This was the first time I'd ever seen Shin Seoyeon like this, so I was flustered.

'She's crying?'

The Witch of Crimson Flame? Why was that shameless, fierce woman crying?

"……"

Looking at Shin Seoyeon's shaking shoulders, I was left speechless.

You know how it is when something completely unexpected happens and you just go blank.

It was even worse because I had never seen her cry in more than ten years.

As I stood there dumbfounded, the Saintess whispered beside me,

"Mr. Minjun, don't do that. Let's go together."

Sigh, this really hadn't been part of my plans. I scratched my head in front of Shin Seoyeon for a brief moment, then let out a deep sigh and said,

"All right. Let's go together."

"…Really?"

"Yeah."

"You… a man shouldn't go back on his word, you know?"

Then she suddenly lifted her head and smiled sweetly. Just like the usual Shin Seoyeon. There wasn't a tear in sight.

"Hey, weren't you crying?"

"Idiot, can't you tell when someone's acting? Do you think I'd cry over something like this? I'm Shin Seoyeon!"

Ah, this was pissing me off. Should I just leave her behind?

The thought suddenly occurred to me, and it wasn't a bad idea.

"Ms. Hana, let's go together."

"Pardon?"

"We're going to [Evil Spirit's Lair]. Follow me right away. We can't be even a little late."

"Huh? Ah, yes."

Shin Seoyeon's eyes widened. She hadn't heard where we were going, so she jumped and protested.

"Hey, are you kidding me? You call yourself a man…!"

[You have selected <Evil Spirit's Lair>. Would you like to move?]

The moment I accepted, the sensation in my body began to disappear. The Saintess beside me was also gradually becoming blurry, like a mirage.

"You fucking bastard!"

"Seoyeon, it was nice seeing you again. See you next time."

"Tell me quickly! Tell me where you're going! If you don't tell me where you're going, I'll make you pay!"

"Yeah, sure."

Shin Seoyeon thrashed and raged, but they disappeared just like that.

Silence descended over the street for a while.

Then a voice rang out.

"…You rotten bastard."

Alone in the empty street, Shin Seoyeon stared for a long time at the place where Kang Minjun had disappeared and muttered the same words.

She tightly clenched the staff he had given her.

"…You rotten bastard. Sniff."