Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Tikhe (4)
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Tikhe's typing speed had picked up.
At first, she fumbled around not even knowing where the keys were, but now her fingers were a blur.
Her index finger gripping the mouse looked ready to punch right through the monitor.
"But... Tikhe, aren't you putting in too much?"
I couldn't help but speak up, seeing the shopping cart numbers climbing at an alarming rate.
Tikhe didn't even glance away from the screen as she replied to my worried question.
"Oh, honey. Don't worry, I'm only buying the absolute essentials. Everything here is something we need."
For "essentials," the list piling up in the cart looked awfully long, but her voice was so full of conviction that it was hard to argue.
"R-Really? Well... I guess you know what you're doing."
There was plenty of money to spare, after all.
A sudden thought occurred to me.
"But do we really need to buy this stuff? Can't we just roll the dice like yesterday?"
Tikhe, who had been focused on the screen, turned her head slightly and stared right at me.
"Honey, even as the Goddess of Luck, if I roll it over a hundred times, there's bound to be a dud eventually. You confident you can handle the penalty if it fails?"
"...Yesterday?"
"That was just for dramatic effect to make my grand entrance. I had to show off once so you'd believe in me, right?"
In other words, it was all for show. Over a hundred rolls? It left a bit of a bad taste, but I let it slide.
I lay back down on the bed.
Before I knew it, Little One had settled in beside me.
I tilted my phone to show it. Stimulating short-form videos flashed by.
Its face was blank, but its mouth hung open. Its pupils were dilated.
"Hey, isn't this hilarious?"
It nodded shortly. Definitely addicted to dopamine.
The room was filled only with the cheerful clatter of Tikhe's keyboard and the Shorts background music.
It was peaceful.
An hour later.
"Euuu~!"
Tikhe finally stretched grandly and rose from the computer chair.
She must have been stiff from staring at the monitor so intently; she cracked her neck side to side and turned toward me.
"Computers are seriously amazing. Honey, all done."
"Nice. Good work."
I approached with some trepidation.
Shopping cart total.
"...?"
I thought my eyes were playing tricks and counted the digits again. Was this for real?
"Five hundred...? Five million won?"
"What's wrong? Why the face, honey?"
Oblivious to my shock, Tikhe beamed at me.
"Running low on funds?"
"No, it's not that... but five million is a bit much. You said just some shampoo!"
For a guy living alone, that's a whole year's living expenses. Unbelievable.
"Oh, I compromised quite a bit, you know?"
"Th-This is your compromise?"
"Honey, don't worry about money. I'll handle it. I'm the Goddess of Luck, after all."
Tikhe puffed out her chest confidently at my question.
That's when it hit me.
Lotteries, casinos, horse races... Anywhere probability was involved, Tikhe would be invincible.
It was tempting, but I shook my head.
"N-No, I don't think so."
"Why? What's the problem?"
"Well... I just want to live quietly without drawing attention. I hate the idea of standing out and attracting weirdos. Plus, it just feels wrong."
Tikhe smirked and leaned in close to my face.
"Aw, are you scared, honey?"
"...!"
She nailed it.
Tikhe shrugged and pulled back.
"Well, fair enough. Hitting the jackpot nonstop would get noisy. How about stocks? No face needed, nice and clean."
"Stocks...? That might draw less attention. But doesn't luck matter? Stocks usually require analysis, right?"
"Ha."
Tikhe snorted derisively at my sensible retort.
"Honey, I'm the Goddess of Luck. Better to see it once than hear a hundred words. Give me some money. I'll show you myself."
Half-doubting, I opened the stock app.
The goddess's fingers flew across the screen. I couldn't even tell what she was buying.
"There~ All set for now. Check the results later."
Tikhe stretched contentedly and asked.
"So, what are you up to now? What do you usually do at this hour?"
It felt like she'd blown my savings on gacha, but her nonchalance left me speechless.
I glanced at the clock. It was dawn.
"Normally around now... I head to the Tower."
The words had barely left my mouth when dread washed over me.
The timer. It was stopped now, but who knew when it'd start again.
[8/101]
That ominous timer from before still wasn't showing.
I knew it stopped when I entered the Tower and reset on clear, but I had no clue what triggered it to start.
What's the damn condition?
Reading my serious expression, Tikhe tilted her head.
"The Tower? Want to head there now?"
"Yeah, but there's a problem..."
"Huh? What problem?"
"Tikhe, do you know about Inflation?"
"You mean... like rising prices?"
"No, not that."
I briefly explained how I'd chosen an Augmentation at level 5, and how the Tower's difficulty had skyrocketed unreasonably afterward, affecting the world.
"Hmm, I see."
"...So I was on Nightmare Difficulty, but I'm worried it's gone even higher, and that's making me scared to go in..."
Truth be told, I was terrified.
I said it with a slight quiver, and Tikhe, who'd been listening, sidled up and wrapped me in a warm embrace.
Her goddess scent, soft and pleasant, enveloped me.
"The penalty too harsh? But to me, it still seems light."
"What?"
"It's the price for summoning me. You called forth the Goddess of Luck Tikhe—you've gotta pay up."
It was warm. Reassuring.
Even if it was baseless confidence, if a goddess said it, it must be true.
Tikhe pulled away from the hug, her eyes sparkling.
"But what's this Augmentation? First time hearing it."
"Uh, Augmentation is..."
I explained as best I could.
Tikhe looked utterly puzzled.
"Huh, this world has that?"
"No, probably not. Seems like it's just me."
"Come to think of it, you said there are no Summoners here either?"
It was from our talk over dinner earlier. I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Other dimensions have worlds with Summoners, worlds without—varies a lot. Plenty of worlds have this Tower too.
But this Augmentation system? Never heard of it. Weird."
"I don't know much either. It just pops up, so I pick."
Tikhe propped her chin, lost in thought for a moment, then asked again.
"But do you have to climb the Tower?"
Staring at the frozen number in my status window, I replied.
"If I don't, the timer starts up outta nowhere. Seems tied to Nightmare Difficulty penalty or something... Not sure exactly, but I feel like I have to. It's unnerving."
"Yeah? But it's not showing now."
"No idea on the exact trigger. Still, I try to chip away whenever I can. Good money, and nothing else to do."
"Okay? Gonna go now?"
At Tikhe's question, I gazed out the window at the dawn air, then nodded resolutely.
"Yeah... guess I have to."
Tikhe called out to Little One, sprawled on the bed.
"Little One, ready?"
Still glued to Shorts on the phone, it raised a thumbs-up without looking away.
Thumbs-up? This guy's something else.
"Alright, let's go."
After a short break, we set off for the 9th floor—the first since Inflation.
[Entering the 9th floor.]
"Whoa, Little One can use Stealth too? Impressive!"
Tikhe pinched Little One's cheek playfully.
It shook its head annoyedly, but she didn't stop.
Normally I'd chuckle at the sight, but right now I had no room for that.
The air was different.
The landscape was a notch darker, more grotesque.
A bone-scraping, eerie noise echoed from somewhere, and my body shivered uncontrollably.
I was trembling. Was this the bumped-up difficulty?
Then Tikhe, who'd crept up, placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry, honey. I've got you."
Her warm voice and touch steadied my breathing.
I managed a shaky reply.
"Y-Yeah. Please... take good care of me..."
I steeled myself and stared ahead.
Shadows of hulking figures emerged from the darkness.
"Wha...?"
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
Goblin Chieftains—the 5th floor bosses. Three of them stood there.
And behind, an even larger, overwhelming brute. The Great Chieftain hefted a massive battle axe.
Bosses as trash mobs? Insane!
"Tikhe! Get ready!"
I summoned the Black Knight Commander. The armored giant blocked the front.
Immediately after, the Azure Sea Butterfly. Two thousand butterflies filled the field.
"Wow, what a sight!"
"Not the time for admiration! Hurry!"
Tikhe flashed a seductive smile.
"Oh? Should I?"
Snap.
She snapped her fingers, and white light exploded.
The light tore through the darkness, spreading across the ground to form intricate geometric patterns—a field effect.
"Wh-What is this?"
I gawked at the transformed area. Tikhe stood beside me, casually brushing back her hair.
"Deployed my Sanctuary. Buffs allies, debuffs enemies—or special effects on the ground."
"No attack skills?"
The Sanctuary eased my tremors, but the goblins closing in still intimidated. Tikhe winked at my question.
"Of course. The Lucky Dice from yesterday."
"That counts as an attack?"
"Naturally, honey. It's an all-purpose skill."
No time for chit-chat anymore.
The goblins, briefly halted by the Sanctuary light, roared back to life and charged.
Boom boom boom boom!
The three Goblin Chieftains thundered forward, the Great Chieftain raising his huge battle axe behind.
My two thousand legion blocked ahead, but the bosses' momentum overwhelmed them.
"G-Go, everyone! Attack!"
My voice cracked.
At my shout, the Black Knight Commander charged first, the Azure Sea Butterfly swarm crashing like waves onto the goblins.