Chapter 199: Luck is Everything
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: Luck is Everything
I arrived at the shrine to deal with the Asen Industrial Zone.
The members entering the Zone were Yukina, Park Yu-jeong, and the Comedy Duo…
“Why the hell do I have to go in there?!”
“Give it up already, man. They’re paying a lot.”
“It’s a grave! What’s the point of getting paid if you’re dead?!”
Rio, this guy has a lot to say for someone who’s just a substitute.
I held out my hand to persuade him, as I had no other choice.
“Customer, would you like to pay for the potions you’ve used so far, the subsidies, and the geezer’s tuition? Oh, and there’s the Bracelet of Weathering and, what was it? The fig I gave the geezer. And then…”
“Ugh… You’re so petty!”
“Customer, if you’ve consumed it, you have to pay it back. If you don’t have the money, you’ll have to pay with your body.”
Faced with flawless logic, Rio couldn't even argue; he just stood there trembling.
Masayoshi, who had been watching from the side, let out a smirk and chimed in.
“You won’t die anyway. I told you before.”
“… …”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be easy… well, I don’t know if it’ll be easy, but we’ll clear the Zone safely. We’ll make money and gain a reputation as the mages who conquered the Mage’s Grave.”
“I don’t really want to be famous for Zones, though…”
I had to agree with him there.
If I got a reputation as a Zone expert, people would ask me to solve every Zone that popped up.
If I weren't short on cash, I wouldn't be doing this either.
Still, I’m grateful Masayoshi trusts me, but what did he say to Rio to make him shut up after all that complaining?
There’s no combat in this Zone.
If it were a Zone where combat was the main focus, it would have been cleared long ago.
All you need is intelligence and luck.
All the characters are famous mages with brilliant minds, but if I had to pick the top three intelligence-based characters, they would be Shiori, Park Yu-jeong, and a genius-concept junior who appears later.
That junior is probably busy with Akito’s intensive sex tutoring right now, so it’s a relief to at least have Park Yu-jeong.
I wanted to bring Shiori too, but would she really come to a place called the Mage’s Grave, a Zone that has swallowed up about fifty mages in charge?
Even if she wanted to, her siscon brother Akito would stop her.
So, the substitutes were the relatively lucky Rio, and…
“Um… are we… are we really going into the Mage’s Grave…?”
A brown-haired girl looked terrified, as if she were about to vomit at any moment.
She has neither intelligence nor luck, but the Pauper is actually a key member.
I put a lot of effort into persuading her.
“Yeah, trust me. As long as you’re with me, we can definitely clear it.”
“Ah… ugh…”
“Ahat, she’s totally spooked. Did Yeon-woo threaten you or something?”
Seeing the Pauper so tense, Park Yu-jeong looked delighted and linked arms with her.
To an outsider, they might look close, but that smile was the look of someone who had found a fun person to tease.
“What do you mean, threaten? I persuaded her politely.”
“Per… yes… per… you persuaded me…”
“Looking at her reaction, you definitely threatened her. Did you jump her and take sex photos or something?”
What kind of person do you take me for?
I only told her that good things would happen if she came with me, and bad things would happen if she didn't.
I did explain the "bad things" in a bit of detail, though.
Like how I’d buy up her debts and force a foreclosure, or buy her parents' house and kick them out, or buy the land near her master’s dojo and make their lives miserable.
Thanks to my proactive persuasion, the Pauper joined the Zone raid team.
I thought Akito might try to sabotage me, but he’s leaving this alone for some reason.
Regardless, the Pauper is a key member.
In the first place, this Zone is part of the Pauper’s character story… well, not exactly, but in the game, you can’t even enter the Zone without her.
In other words, it can only be cleared if she’s there.
“Alright, then. Let’s go offer our tribute for today.”
The girls looked happy at the mention of tribute, while the Comedy Duo—especially Rio—looked like they didn't understand why we were doing this.
“Is that cat really that important?”
“It’s a spiritual creature, you brat. The reason you keep failing to get Great Luck is because you keep having impure thoughts.”
“How is a cat that’s just fat a spiritual creature?”
Since luck is crucial, I plan for everyone to get Great Luck from the shrine’s fortune drawing before we enter.
However, offering tribute to that cat doesn't guarantee Great Luck, so we’ve been trying for four days now.
The cat must have fully recognized us as the people who bring him food, because as soon as he saw us, he tapped the ground with his fat front paw.
…His attitude, as if telling us to take out what we brought, is pretty annoying.
But I’m the one who needs something here, so I have no choice.
“Aigo~ Lord Cat, you must be hungry. This time, I’ve brought some incredible fish worth 2 million G, sliced into sashimi. I even had a master chef remove all the bones so they wouldn't get stuck in your throat~ Look at how fresh this is. It was sliced just now. Just now.”
I took a lunch box filled with sashimi out of the cooler and placed it in front of him. The cat sniffed it, inspected it, and then began to eat.
“Aigo, so cute~ Look at how plump he is.”
Park Yu-jeong treated him like a neighborhood cat and petted him all over, and Yukina also thought he was cute and stroked his head.
Was this bastard a male? He was incredibly sensitive when I touched him while he was eating.
I nudged the ribs of the idle Rio and Masayoshi with my elbows.
“Hurry up and act cute.”
“Hey, he gets mad if we even get close.”
“Sigh… is it because you’re ugly? Does he mistake you for monsters?”
“…He gets mad at you too.”
“At least he doesn't do anything to me as long as I don’t touch him. Hurry up and go show off some tricks. How long are we going to keep doing this?”
Yukina and Park Yu-jeong have pulled nothing but Great Luck so far.
I don’t know if the cat is playing favorites or if they’re just naturally lucky, but the Comedy Duo and I keep taking turns failing to get Great Luck, which is why we’re repeating this.
“Heeing… I like cats too…”
The Pauper, born with financial luck buried 3,000 meters underground, just watched the cat from a distance.
Since her misfortune would become my fortune, she had to enter the Zone in this state.
While the Comedy Duo was trying their best to get on the cat’s good side without provoking it, someone approached from a distance.
Who’s trying to interrupt Lord Cat’s meal?
As I quickly stepped forward to block him, the man recognized my face.
“Seo Yeon-woo, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. But why are you speaking so informally? Do I know you?”
“Hah, you’ve gotten a bit famous lately and now you’re acting all high and mighty. This is who I am.”
I took the business card the arrogant man handed me; he was a Rank 5 Blue Agent.
People tend to look down on Blue Licenses because many of them hold office jobs, but they are also skilled mages who do a lot of work.
In fact, Blue Licenses are mages with higher productivity than Black Licenses, who are useless for anything other than violence.
A Rank 5 government official… would that be a deputy director or a department head?
He didn't look that old and didn't have any subordinates with him, so he was probably a deputy director with not much experience.
“So?”
“Black Licenses, honestly… Tsk. Anyway, you said you’d clear the Asen Industrial Zone, right?”
“Yes, I believe the discussion with the government department is already finished?”
“Finished according to who? The amount of money you requested is too large, so I’m here to negotiate.”
Negotiate?
Do you think I brought up Erin just because she backstabbed me?
It was to get permission for a dangerous Zone and to have her act as a proxy for these administrative procedures.
Erin had already finished the talks with the government, and they agreed to pay the amount I wanted.
Since all the administrative procedures were done in Erin’s name, if he had a problem, he should have gone to her. Why was he coming to me?
“You don’t even have a career yet, so what are you going to do with all that money? Maybe you’re too young to know, but things like this are supposed to be done to build up your track record…”
Mhm~ So you’re trying to lecture me because you think the money is a waste?
I don’t know how she did it, but Erin must have given the government confidence that I would clear the Zone.
Is it really such a waste to give me one year’s revenue from the unusable Asen Industrial Zone?
Of course, it’s revenue, not net profit, so it’s a large amount. But for the government right now, productivity is more important than money.
I watched the man as he went through the full "old-timer" starter pack: telling me I’d regret being so blatant about money, asking if I wanted to be scolded by senior mages, mentioning the powerful people he knew, and so on.
In the end, he came to me because he couldn't stand up to Erin.
And seeing him talk like this, it was clear that when his superiors decided to proceed with the deal despite the loss, he stepped forward to try and "fix" it himself out of a desire for achievement.
I’ve seen plenty of these overambitious rookies during my long years in the corporate world.
Every single one of them who stepped forward with such ambition failed and only ended up getting cursed at.
As I just stood there nodding and listening, the man got excited and kept rambling, so I made a call.
“You seem too young to understand how the world works, but there’s a reason for all of this—”
“Yes, Professor Erin. Isn't the talk with the government over?”
“Wait…”
“Right, it’s over, isn't it? But someone came to find me and said I’d regret it. Oh, who is it? Just a moment, I’ll hand him over.”
When I held out my smartphone, the man, who had been so arrogant just a moment ago, turned pale and just stared at it.
“Are you going to keep one of the 12 Zodiacs waiting? Take it, quickly. Oh, you said Black Licenses have no manners, right?”
“… … H-Hello, this is he.”
The man spoke politely into the phone, bowing repeatedly as if Erin were standing right in front of him.
I have so much to do, and he’s just being a nuisance.
I’ve been preparing to enter for four days since the talks ended, so why the interference?
If they try to change the terms after I clear it, I really won’t let it slide.
I looked back and saw Lord Cat, who had finished his meal, sitting on Yukina’s lap and letting out a huge yawn.
Aigo, look at that ugly face. Our Lord Cat is lucky to have someone to feed him even if he’s ugly.
After finishing the cat hospitality, I looked back to see the man politely returning my smartphone with both hands.
“Are you done talking?”
“I apologize for interrupting your precious time. Please, save the Asen Industrial Zone.”
Save it.
Blue Licenses do all the productive work, but the reason they can’t stand up to Black Licenses is summarized in that one phrase.
Monsters, Zboni, Zones… Black Licenses risk their lives to maintain safety, so no matter what they do, the power of the Blacks is bound to be stronger.
Not that I have any intention of acting superior or arrogant, but if the other side doesn't show respect first, I have to crush them.
I don’t know how the "kind" Erin chewed him out, but the man treated me like a life-saver, saying he was counting on me one last time before leaving with his shoulders slumped.
After sending the man away, we drew our fortunes at the shrine.
Please… please… let everyone get Great Luck this time.
First, I passed.
Yukina and Park Yu-jeong also drew Great Luck, just like last time, and showed them to me.
The Pauper drew Great Misfortune as usual, Masayoshi got Great Luck, and Rio…
“If it’s not Great Luck, I’m going to kill you.”
“I got it. Happy now?”
Rio smirked and showed me his Great Luck.
Phew—we can finally go in.
Think of all the money I spent on that cat bastard.
“Then, are we going in now as planned?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“I haven’t even prepared myself mentally…”
“Prepare yourself on the way.”
It was a relief that we got Great Luck, but since we had to go in immediately, Rio followed along with a dejected look.
We boarded the government vehicle that was waiting for us and headed toward the Asen Industrial Zone.
It was so massive that even after arriving at the industrial zone, we had to drive for quite a while to reach the front of the Zone.
“Huaaa… it’s too late to say I want to go back now, right?”
“Customer, you’ll have to pay back the money I invested in that cat bastard too—”
“Alright, alright! I’m going, I’m going!”
Rio looked miserable as he stared at the massive Zone, which was three or four times larger than a normal one.
Zones are dangerous because you don’t know what kind of forced conditions are inside, so being large doesn't necessarily make them harder.
“I pay my respects to your courage in attempting to clear the Mage’s Grave, which everyone else gave up on. Please, save the Asen Industrial Zone.”
A middle-aged man, who looked older than me and seemed to be the person in charge, saluted us.
The sight of people lined up on both sides of the path to the Zone saluting simultaneously was cool, but a bit cringeworthy.
However, it seemed to have a different effect on Rio and the Pauper, as their faces showed a newfound sense of motivation.
Then, let’s head in.
We passed through the black veil amidst the send-off.
“Welcome to Paradise on Earth!”
As soon as we entered, bunny girls with their chests almost fully exposed welcomed us.
Bright neon signs that the darkness of night could not penetrate, noisy game sound effects, a place filled with desire and corruption.
Everyone was taken aback the moment they saw the flashy casino.
“So this is why luck was so important.”
I looked back at Park Yu-jeong, who was smirking, and the others, and gave a broad smile.
“The way to clear this Zone is simple. We just have to clean out the entire casino. Simple, right?”
“Yeah, right. Simple my ass…”
Rio looked fed up.
Hey, don’t worry. The game’s system is great, and as long as you’re by my side, you can receive the full power of the system.
Just wait until you get a taste of that Great Luck high.