Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Law of Total Luck - 1
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"Th-there! In the mirror! In the miiirrooor!!"
"Hiiiik..."
"Uwaaaah..."
While the three beauties collapsed to the floor, I examined the mirror.
Outside the mirror.
Not inside the elevator, but something pounding from within.
I just wanted to have a proper conversation.
But in this state, no chance of that.
-Tsssh!
I sprayed holy water from the sprayer I'd brought, and the handprint on the mirror vanished.
All that remained was the flickering elevator light and the floor number steadily changing.
But honestly, that wasn't a big deal either.
"It's because there's something else here besides us."
"Yeeees...?"
Poyoo's leader. Luna, was it?
The beauty with the purple short cut and sexy concept looked ready to burst into tears.
No, tears were already trickling down as she whimpered.
"Th-there's someone else here...?"
"For now, there's one stuck to the ceiling up there."
"Hiiiik!"
I pointed to the ceiling, but no one looked.
Hmm. I went out of my way to tell them, and they won't even check.
Embarrassing.
"What do we do! What should we do?!"
"Nothing much. Just shine some light on it, and it'll go away."
I pulled out the flashlight I'd bought recently for a hefty sum.
"This thing's really top-notch."
"A-a ghost-exorcising... tool?"
"Nah, it's expensive. A 300,000-lumen flashlight, and I even modded the battery for 120 bucks..."
"We don't care about that!!"
I wanted to brag since Arthur likes this stuff.
"Then close your eyes. It'll be blinding."
I aimed the flashlight at the ceiling.
In front of the flickering overhead light clung things like leeches.
They were light leeches, creatures that crave light and devour it.
They feed on light.
Similar type to Arthur, right?
Last time I read Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio and told him he was like them, he got super mad.
"Eat up nice and go to a good place."
-Kiiiiiiiiiiiiik!!
The light leeches greedily devouring the light from the bulb were swept away by the 300,000-lumen beam.
With that, the flickering light returned to normal.
"Alright, one left."
"Y-yes..."
"Wh-what do we do...?"
"Mooom... Mooom..."
I hadn't done much, but they were already drained.
Better wrap this up quick and head back.
"This elevator right now is what you'd call a pocket dimension."
"A pocket dimension? Like a rift?"
At least the oldest, Luna, managed to ask through gritted teeth.
She's only twenty-one, but her mental fortitude is solid.
Yeah. Gotta have that much grit.
"Not sure if it's a rift. I only awakened recently, so I haven't been in one."
"Huh? Y-you're... an awakener? A hunter?"
"Yes."
"A warrior?"
"Mage."
Don't I look like one?
I checked my reflection in the mirror.
No matter how I look, I'm a mage.
"Yes?!"
"Why the shock? Feels like you're even more surprised than before..."
I wasn't outright offended, but it was disappointing.
"N-no! I-it's just... unexpected. D-don't get mad..."
"Do I look like the type to get mad over something like this?"
"N-nooo!! No way! Hye-jeong! Sara! Right?!"
"Yes! Yes! No! Don't frown like that... It's scary..."
"Hic... M-mommy..."
This looks like I'm bullying them.
"Anyway, back to the point. This is a kind of pocket dimension. A place where the laws of the world don't apply."
"Th-then how do we get out?"
"There are several ways, but... let's go with the easiest here. It's like a kind of incantation. I'd like your help."
"H-how?"
"Simple. Word chain."
"...Huh?"
"That'll... work?"
"Words hold power. We use words from the world outside the elevator. They're impurities here."
"....."
"Each world prefers to expel impurities rather than erase them. It's easier, really. Like throwing out trash instead of annihilating it."
This is an elevator.
It can open and close its doors.
So entering another world is easy, but so is leaving.
"If we keep the word chain going, this world—this elevator—will expel us."
"Got it... L-let's do it."
"Okay... Luna, right? You start."
"Um... C-calorie. Wait. This isn't Korean. Is that okay?"
"As long as it's a word from outside the elevator. Anything that makes sense. Next, Sara?"
"I-I'm bad at Korean... Um. R-ri, ri, rickshaw!"
"Ka, ka-caravan!"
"Ta, taiko drum."
And so, the four of us kept the word chain going.
How many words had we said?
The Poyoo members' faces gradually calmed.
"Or-order, or-organization!"
"Lithium."
"....."
Someone said a word.
Thium.
No word starts with "thium."
The spell had failed.
"Wh-what happened?"
"Not me!"
"Not me either!!"
Yeah.
I knew that.
It wasn't one of the Poyoo members.
What I'd seen was the elevator's ad screen.
-Ki. Ki. Ki. Ki. Ki.
The woman in the ad sneered.
As if saying we couldn't leave, she laughed grotesquely with bloody tears streaming.
"...Did that say it?"
"Yes."
"What do we do! What...!!"
"Let's try again. Method."
"...Law school."
"School rules."
"Ru-runaway..."
The word chain started anew.
Everyone's faces grew serious.
Sara said it cautiously, and next was Hye-jeong.
"Po-pocket..."
Light flashed on the elevator screen.
It was trying to steal my next word and end the chain.
But what can you do?
"Your mom's a bitch..."
I'd been waiting for you to show.
I never planned to use the word chain spell anyway.
The moment it appeared on the screen, I smashed it with Saint Martha's Staff.
-Bang!!
"Kaaaaaaaack!!!"
The screen shattered as it screamed and burst out.
It was like a shadow.
Arthur leaped from my shadow and stabbed it with his sword as it rolled on the floor.
"I-is this okay?!"
"Yes. Things that won't respond to words need a good smack to come to their senses."
-Kyaaaak! Kyaaaak!
Impaled on the shadow sword, the screen kept screaming.
Quiet down while people are talking.
"Hey."
-Kyaaaaak!!
"Shut up."
-....
Much quieter now.
"It'll open now."
"It's not opening...?"
"Arthur."
-Crunch!!
The shadow sword plunged deeper.
Only then did the doors open.
First floor.
"C-can we go out...?"
"Yes. Go ahead."
No sooner had I spoken than the three tumbled out.
It was all over—did they have to bolt like that?
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
"Mooom... Hic... Mooom...!!"
All three were sobbing their hearts out.
A gentleman would offer a handkerchief, but I only had one.
"Stop crying and let's talk."
"Hwaaaaa!!"
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
"Mooooom!!"
Ah.
Headache.
They calmed down after about ten minutes of wailing.
Passersby were staring.
I like attention, but they probably didn't, so I glared a bit, and they looked away.
"Hic..."
"Feeling better?"
"Y-yes..."
They'd cried so much their voices were hoarse.
I pulled a water bottle from my bag and offered it.
"C-can we... drink this?"
"Yes."
The three shared it amicably.
They drained the 500ml bottle but still looked thirsty.
"Want me to grab something from the convenience store?"
"No! No! Don't gooo..."
"Pleaseee..."
"Stay with us..."
What is this? The harem vibe?
Never had women cling like this—feels kinda good.
"Sure. What floor?"
"W-we have to take the elevator?!"
"Your place low?"
"10th floor..."
"You gonna walk?"
Legs all jelly?
The three made sour faces again.
But I can't carry all three up.
"Do you three combined weigh over 200kg?"
"N-no!!"
"No!"
"I'm 43kg!!"
"Me too..."
"I-I'm 45kg..."
"My god."
Is this human weight?
"Anyway, I could carry you... but one piggyback, the other two under my arms."
Fine for me, tough for onlookers.
"Elevator'll be fine now."
"Really...?"
"Yes. No reason for me to scam you on this."
After hesitating, they nodded.
They boarded the elevator cautiously with me.
"It's real..."
"How'd you know?"
"I'm a mage."
"I-I've seen mages before, but not like this..."
Sara said carefully.
After their comeback success, they'd been on various channels and met mages there.
"Their magic was amazing, but..."
"This is magic too."
"I see..."
As we chatted, the elevator stopped.
10th floor.
Doors opened.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes. Of course..."
I followed the three as they trudged inside.
Hmm...
Expected an idol dorm to be fancy, but it's ordinary.
Just a place where people live.
"Thank you so much for helping us. Oh, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Poyoo's leader, Luna."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hye-jeong."
"Sara, Sara."
"Yes. Nice to meet you. Mage Yoo Wol-young."
I showed them the business card and hunter ID from the Association.
Only then did relief wash over their faces.
"Now, to business."
"Y-yes..."
"I've heard you've had a lot of bad luck lately."
"Yes..."
"Comeback success, events everywhere, music shows, performances..."
"But all these weird bad things kept happening."
It started small.
Shoelace coming undone mid-performance.
Car tire going flat.
Or the waiting room door locking.
"But things escalated."
"And last time... someone got hurt..."
"Mr. Mage. What's really going on?"
I met their gloomy expressions.
What's going on?
"Someone here knows better than I do."
Two looked puzzled.
One froze.
"Luna."
"......."
"S-sis...?"
"Wh-what does that mean?"
Luna said nothing to her staring bandmates.
So I spoke for her.
"By any chance, do you know about the Law of Total Luck?"