Hong Yeon-hwa Is Lucky
As we walked, Hong Yeon-hwa kept shooting sidelong glances at my hair before timidly working up the courage to ask.
"Um, your hair color..."
"Wondering why it turned gray?"
"Yeah..."
I brushed it off with a casual explanation: the alchemy club had hosted a tasting event for dye potions, and taking part had temporarily changed my hair and eye color.
Blue-Eyed, Golden-Haired Seo Ye-in chimed in with quiet pride.
"Gray Kim Ho."
"..."
Yeon-hwa clearly understood, yet she still couldn't stop sneaking fascinated peeks at me. Leaving her to stare to her heart's content, we continued onward and arrived at the downtown bakery in no time. When I presented our coupon to the waiter waiting outside, he checked it over briefly and led us inside.
The moment we took our seats around the table, we flipped open the menus.
"Let's order first."
"Okay."
It was right around lunchtime, so everyone had worked up an appetite. Flipping through the pages, we picked out several dishes: salmon salad, seafood pasta, chop steak...
However, the item Hong Yeon-hwa singled out posed a bit of a problem.
"Could I get this...?"
<Hellfire Chicken Gratin>
Watching her over time had already convinced me that she possessed an intense craving for food that was spicy, salty, bitter, and overwhelmingly pungent.
'Even I'd struggle with that one.'
Back during the Ho-Gyu-Sso late-night feast, the inferno-flavored tteokbokki Zhuge Soso bought had been blisteringly hot. Hellfire flavor was a full tier above even that. It was notorious even here in the downtown bakery—lethal enough that Team Leader Ahn Jungmi had suffered severe stomach cramps after eating their Hellfire Pizza Bread.
Yet Hong Yeon-hwa was already smacking her lips in flushed anticipation.
'Ah, let her order it.'
She looked so thrilled, who was I to stop her? Besides, with her monstrous spice tolerance, she'd handle it fine.
Seeing that, Seo Ye-in's curiosity flared up as she pointed at the Hellfire Gratin.
"Me too."
"Young lady, absolutely not."
I cut her off sharply, mimicking Ahn Jungmi's stern butler tone. If someone like Ye-in touched that, she'd genuinely end up in the emergency ward.
Once the order was placed, we decided to check our event prizes while waiting. The duo of Seo-ssassin and Ho-ssassin had put holes through over twenty targets. Zero deaths. Having cleared the requirement with flying colors, Seo Ye-in and I each received two Random Rank Up scrolls. Adding those to the ones stashed in my inventory brought the total to eight.
"Since we're on the subject, might as well use them right here."
"Mhm."
Ye-in gave a faint nod.
Not quite catching the situation, Yeon-hwa tilted her head.
"Random Rank Ups? You're using them together?"
"I've got a stamp coupon."
▷ Stamps: 0 / 15
A stamp would be added for every failed attempt. If one actually succeeded, well, even fewer stamps meant a free power-up, so that was even better.
Yeon-hwa pondered that for a moment, then rummaged through her inventory and pulled out two Random Rank Up scrolls of her own.
"I-I have some too..."
She hadn't earned any event prizes after getting pelted by the assassin duo, but apparently, she'd been carrying a pair in her bags. I shook my head. I had only pulled mine out to knock it out while we had downtime; I had no intention of pressuring everyone into burning theirs.
"You really don't have to use them right now."
"N-No, it's fine! I was planning on using them anyway. And if it helps you, all the better..."
"If you say so. Thanks, then."
In truth, Random Rank Up scrolls weren't affected by luck-based traits, items, or external environments, so whenever or wherever you used them yielded the exact same odds. With Yeon-hwa's contribution, that made ten scrolls in total. If our luck held out—or rather, completely plummeted—we might fill ten stamps right here at the table.
Since I brought it up, I went first. The Random Rank Up scroll flared with an expanding luminescence—
Flash—!
—only to fizzle out an instant later, crumbling away into gray ash.
Psssshhh...
Rank Up has failed.
Rank Up has failed...
Rank Up has failed...
A staggering streak of six consecutive failures.
'Figures.'
That was how it normally went. I hadn't expected much to begin with, but seeing it burn up like that still stung a little. Having hit the jackpot a few times previously had made me secretly wonder, 'Could it happen again?' Gacha items truly were hazardous to one's mental health. Still, the first milestone reward was unlocked.
▷ Stamps: 6 / 15
▷ 5-Stamp Milestone Reward: Rank Up (D)
I popped the guaranteed Rank Up scroll immediately. The only D-rank skill I possessed right now was Chill Wind, and since it was notoriously difficult to grow through conventional means, I had planned on boosting it anyway.
Item 'Rank Up (D)' has been used.
The grade of [Chill Wind] has increased. (D+ → C+)
Next, I handed the turn over to our fortune charm.
"Your turn, my lady."
"..."
The moment the words left my mouth, Ye-in activated her Random Rank Up scrolls.
Psssshhh...
Both turned to dust, total duds. Unbound by luck modifiers, all men were equal before the cruelty of Random Rank Up scrolls.
▷ Stamps: 8 / 15
Now only Hong Yeon-hwa remained.
Having witnessed eight scrolls evaporate into thin air right before her eyes, she looked visibly uneasy. She almost seemed to regret stepping forward, so I reassured her once more.
"Like I said, no pressure. If you're genuinely fine with it, go ahead; if not, just tuck them away."
"I-It's fine. Really..."
Despite her words, her lingering apprehension was plain as day. Holding her breath, she gingerly activated the Random Rank Up scroll. The parchment began to gather brilliant light.
Flash—!
"..."
Bracing for failure, Yeon-hwa squeezed her eyes shut and shielded her face with both hands. Contrary to expectations, however—
Fwwwoooosh—!
An even more dazzling radiance burst forth from the magic scroll, sinking deep into her body.
The rank of the target skill/trait has increased!
"...!"
Yeon-hwa's face lit up as brightly as the scroll. But a split second later, she glanced nervously between me and Ye-in.
"Ah, um... you need failures to get stamps, right?"
"No need to walk on eggshells. You used your own item. Getting a rank up is something to celebrate."
Ye-in seemed to agree, offering a silent round of applause by tapping her fingers together.
Yeon-hwa's eyes darted shyly before she murmured in a tiny voice, "Yeah... thank you..."
She promptly activated her last Random Rank Up scroll, but—
Psssshhh...
Naturally, it fizzled out. Letting out a soft sigh as if she had expected nothing less, Yeon-hwa asked, "How many is that now?"
"Nine."
▷ Stamps: 9 / 15
It hadn't even been a week since I acquired it, yet it was already filling up fast. Yeon-hwa continued,
"One more stamp gets you the next reward?"
"Yep."
"I'll ask my sister if she has any left over."
"I'd appreciate that. But there are plenty of other ways to get stamps."
Any chance-based item counted as long as it registered a 'failure'.
"Random boxes, for instance."
"Ah...!"
A figurative exclamation mark popped over her head. But her expression quickly darkened again.
"I don't have any of those either... Maybe I should've saved the ones from last time."
"So what? We can just go get more."
"...?"
Her eyes widened as she caught the hint. I nodded in confirmation.
"Let's head down next week."
"...Really?"
"We took a break for a while, so it's time to go back and grind some ranks."
Now that the Witch of Rot had been subjugated, Oubliette was gone, and with it, any risk of bizarre variables interfering with our dungeon raids. With security on the Underground Floors loosened after the incident, sneaking around would be even easier.
"...! I'll clear my schedule!"
Her face beamed with unadulterated joy. If she had a puppy tail, it would have been wagging at breakneck speed.
Watching this exchange, Seo Ye-in tapped my shoulder and stared up at me intently.
"Me?"
"Not until you get permission."
"..."
I could practically feel the silent pouting welling up beneath her expressionless face. I asked in a teasing tone,
"Am I fired as your butler?"
Ye-in gave a vigorous shake of her head.
"Butler for life."
"That sounds terrifying."
"You can't go."
She even stealthily took hold of my wrist as if to physically anchor me down. While I playfully swayed my captured arm back and forth, our food arrived.
The waiter arranged the plates across our table one by one: seafood pasta, chop steak, and...
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
The Hellfire Chicken Gratin.
To call it 'food' was being overly generous with its violent crimson color. It looked as though someone had ladled fresh lava straight out of the underworld, tossed in a few chunks of chicken, and melted cheese over the top.
"..."
Ye-in stared at the dish with renewed curiosity. Noticing her gaze, Yeon-hwa offered,
"Would you like a bite?"
Before Ye-in could even lift her fork, I intercepted.
"I told you, no. You can't even handle a kick of pepper, yet you're overflowing with curiosity."
"..."
Still, she looked stubbornly reluctant to let it go. Turning to Yeon-hwa, I said,
"Mind if I take a piece?"
"Go ahead! Take as much as you like."
As Yeon-hwa slid the dish closer, I took a tiny sliver of chicken breast onto my plate. Then, I brought it near Ye-in just so she could catch the scent.
"...?"
Her eyes widened a fraction before she recoiled in the opposite direction. Just breathing in the fumes was enough to assault her senses.
"See that? One bite and you're headed straight to the afterlife."
"Spicy..."
"Eat something else. The salmon is great. The steak too."
Only then did she abandon her foolish ambition and focus on her own plate. For the record, I ate the tiny piece of Hellfire Gratin I had scooped out. I figured I should at least test the waters and see how spicy it actually was. I immediately regretted that decision.
'Holy crap, this is insane...'
A single morsel of chicken breast was enough to leave my tongue completely numb. Meanwhile, Hong Yeon-hwa was digging her fork into the bubbling bowl of hellish magma with the happiest expression in the world, showing not the slightest hint of distress.
After a satisfying meal for all, we ordered some pastries to go before leaving the bakery. Yeon-hwa bought a Hellfire Pizza Bread for her sister, while Seo Ye-in picked out a newly released cookie gift set.
Seeing that, Yeon-hwa asked,
"Do you like cookies?"
"Mhm."
Ye-in gave a subtle nod and held up the box.
"For research."
"Research...?"
Yeon-hwa wasn't yet fluent in Sloth-speak, so understanding the full context from a single noun was an uphill battle. I stepped in to clarify.
"She bakes them for me from time to time. They're good."
The flavor really was quite decent—even if the shapes still showed zero improvement. At that, Yeon-hwa glanced between the two of us, sinking deep into thought.
"Cookies..."
Deciding to leave her to her thoughts for now, I turned to Seo Ye-in.
"What's your battery at?"
"54%."
"Why is your fuel efficiency so good today?"
"Fuel efficiency booming."
Normally, her battery would have been completely depleted by now. In that case, there was no rush to head back.
"Want to hang out a bit longer?"
"Shop."
"We already bought something, remember?"
Having purchased an A-rank item at the Elven Magic Tool Shop, Ahn Jungmi's blank check had expired. Upgrading my bracelets was already an overwhelming profit. Even so, Ye-in shook her head.
"Buy one more."
"We can't do that. The agreement was strictly one item."
I made it a policy never to turn down freebies, but one still had to maintain basic boundaries. At that, Ye-in stared at me intently, then started rummaging through her inventory. What emerged a moment later was a small, thick, black rectangle.
The Haeseong Group Black Card.
"My gift."
"You're buying it for me?"
"Mhm."
"...Let's go."