Kiki...?

Kiki?

Quite a bit of time had passed since the drawn-out banter with the Angel Guild. The Siege Warfare event had wound its way toward its final stages, and the DCK tournament was in full swing. I'd been keeping busy myself, running dungeons and streaming ranked matches, and my ranking had finally cracked the top 20. I currently sat at 27th. If a match would just pop, I felt like I could climb any time — but the longer this went on, the more it seemed like matches simply refused to come.

I let out a sigh from my seat in the golden PVP temple.

"At this point it's like one match every four hours."

The Master tier held five thousand players. You could call that a large number, but compared to the sheer sea of DeoEn users, it was nowhere near enough. On top of that, the so-called 'parked' rankers — and everyone else who refused to fight me — had stopped queueing altogether, so the matchmaking times could only keep stretching out.

"And I don't exactly need Honor right now, either..."

I currently had 87,020 Honor. I'd managed to stack up a decent amount through win streak bonuses and promotion rewards, but it was still a long, long way from the price of the Ring of Three Colors, the item housing the Authority of Certain Victory I'd seen in the Honor shop.

A full 500,000 Honor.

With my path forward blocked like this, it seemed impossibly far away. At this rate, Sword God might buy it before I do.

"Hmm, not sure. There aren't many dungeons worth running right now."

I'd already cleared most of the decent ones. And unless it was something special or newly discovered, the experience and currency they paid out weren't all that great.

My level's been completely stuck at 97... I wish an event dungeon would come out or something.

What was the point of all that improved luck if I had no use for it...

"...Oh! Right, there was that thing!"

"Kiki."

Whoosh!

Kiki?

A slot machine materialized in front of me. Its exterior gleamed crimson lacquer trimmed in gilded gold, and in its central window, fruits and rows of lucky 7s spun around, clicking and ticking, shifting shape as they turned. This being — one of the so-called Great Races of Kiki Island — had attached itself to me as a reward for clearing the Kiki Island dungeon. Normally it kept itself hidden away in some other space; my guess was that, though I'd never assigned it anywhere, it was lounging in the Void Space with the others.

"My luck's improved thanks to Kiki anyway, so now's the perfect time to crack this open."

Watching the chat fill up with reactions, I pulled out a single box. The Very Very Rare Random Box I'd received as a reward for helping with the affairs of Duke Leo's household. I'd kept it stashed away thinking I'd find a use for it someday, and up until now I simply hadn't. There'd never really been an occasion. But right now, my luck was at its absolute peak. If ever there was a moment, this was it — surely something good would come out.

"I'll think about opening more later — for now, let's start with this one."

I left the temple behind and headed for a nearby spot where mana gathered thickly. A forest where level 70-to-80 monsters roamed. Riding up onto the highlands, I spotted a well-kept plain rising above the clouds. If you were going to open a loot box, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you had to do it somewhere with good energy.

"The energy feels nice over here."

Good. No people nearby, either. A perfect day for box opening.

I was preparing to open the box in a reverent posture when a bright chime rang out, and I turned my head.

"Hm? It's Leo."

When I'd felt the need to visit the World Tree, I had accepted Leo's invitation and paid a visit to Arne's castle. There I'd met Naphras and the still-recovering Nord, heard how everyone was doing, and exchanged a few words with Arne herself. Leo, in particular, had brought up the World Tree.

'Are you planning to visit the World Tree by any chance? I have two leaves.'

As thanks for helping her with her work, Leo had suggested we go to the World Tree together. And since I had business there myself, I hadn't turned the offer down.

"Shall we open it with Leo, then? She's the one who gave it to me, after all."

"Lily!!"

Less than thirty seconds after Leo sent me her location, she came slicing through the wind. Her hair and eyes had shifted to a vivid green, synced as she was with the wind spirits, and that color — honestly, any color — suited her perfectly and looked adorable.

"Welcome. That was fast."

"If Lily's calling, I have to sprint the whole way, of course. Heehee."

Leo trotted closer, pitter-patter, and flashed a triumphant smile.

Squish.

"Nyaah."

"How many hours have you played today?"

"Twent— no wait, twenty-one..."

"That many?"

The siege war was over; she shouldn't have been that swamped at the moment.

"Auuugh..."

I released her cheek. Leo, who'd been rubbing her cheeks with her tiny hands, looked back up at me.

"I-I've got so much to do! There's my ducal house, and Lady Arne's busy too..."

"Twenty-one hours still seems like a lot, though... You're basically on all day except for meals, aren't you?"

"That's true, but... you know DeoEn's technology! You can stay in without sleeping and it's totally fiiine."

Nutri Company's technology was the best in the world. The company that had created Devil of Angel had developed virtual reality systems, connection devices, and the 'Capsule' that no one else could touch. The Capsule continuously stimulated the occupant's body, keeping muscles and bones from deteriorating even after long hours of lying down. And since you slept while playing the game, there were no issues with rest, either.

Leo carried a penalty that turned her mind into that of a 'young child.' When she returned to reality her mental state came back, but enduring the sensation of her mind being swapped out, over and over, couldn't have been easy.

"Heehee."

Then again, Leo seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Anyway — box opening. The one you gave me."

"Oh! You're finally cracking it open?"

"That's right."

I pointed at the Very Very Rare Random Box I'd set down in reverent silence. In front of it, a slot machine was fidgeting with the box, going Kiki! Kiki! as it poked and prodded — and it seemed awfully confident about the whole affair. A random box that demanded 'luck' like this was, after all, practically the creature's very essence.

"This is about that luck thing, right? I only got a quick look at it befooore."

"They say it's a race that generates good fortune. Think of it like a pet."

I slowly reached my hand toward the box, and Kiki nodded as if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to say, just leave it all to me.

"Here I go."

FLASH!

Ding-ding-d-ring~ ♬

Accompanied by a dazzling cascade of effects, the slot machine began spinning at a furious pace. Something that was, at a single glance, clearly extraordinary. Leo clamped her eyes shut and cried out.

"A m-mythic just dropped?!"

"Not yet..."

Just how spectacular a reward was it planning to give? Thirty seconds after I'd opened the box, it was still blanketing my entire field of vision in overwhelming effects. I could have used an appraisal skill to peek, but I held off for the sake of the suspense. And at last, what revealed itself was...

"Whoa! Lily! It's a mythiiiic...?"

"Hm?"

"Uh..."

Plop.

A small box — radiant past the point of splendor, positively resplendent — drifted gently down to the ground. And inside it lay something that looked absolutely mouth-watering...

A skewer.

"......"

"......"

Silence.

A silence so heavy it was practically frigid settled over the highland, and before long, both of our gazes swung toward one single machine.

Kiki...? Kiki! Kiki!

The slot ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠machine shook its screen, where three bananas had lined up in a row, side to side — an emphatic, repeated denial.

"What exactly happened here?"

Kiki... Kiki.

"'You tried your best'? But this is..."

I lifted the skewer box. I still held out a sliver of hope that it might carry some special effect or hidden ability...

"......"

It wasn't something that granted stat boosts or a divine blessing when eaten. The stick wasn't even crafted from some special material. It was just a delicious skewer. Utterly without function beyond tasting good. Just...

K-ki, Kiki...?