Chapter 22
There were people with real luck when I was living in Japan.
It’s about those people who are ridiculously lucky when it comes to draws—like the ones who only ever pull "great fortune" on shrine omikuji.
You know, the type who wins the lottery, gets selected in their favorite idol’s raffle, or always has clear skies on important days.
"Is this what they call the gap in luck?"
"Ahahaha, you’re so lively. Nel, you’re always lucky, aren’t you?"
And in this world too—no, in this world, the difference in real luck becomes even more apparent.
"Ehem!"
"I don’t know, I feel like I should be proud of doing something amazing, but I can’t bring myself to praise you honestly."
"It can’t be helped, yeah, it really can’t be helped."
While averting my eyes from Nel’s still-developing chest, what she flaunts are numerous golden mochi.
A total of nine.
Even though the drop rate should be incredibly low, her drop rate is an astonishing 90%.
We were checking the dropped items in the safe area before the boss room, and of course, Nel was leading by a landslide.
In second place, Amina had one.
I had zero.
This is depressing. This result is honestly depressing.
Even though Amina’s soft, fluffy feathers comfort me, the fact that my heart, as a seasoned player, is crushed by Nel’s materialistic sensor is overwhelming.
But I can’t stay like this forever.
With my hands on the ground and my head hanging low, I manage to pull myself together thanks to Amina’s consolation.
"Alright, it’s finally time for the boss fight, but honestly, it’s not much different in strength from a regular Kagami Mochi."
Amina, who’s patting my head encouragingly, is temporarily ignored.
Girls grow faster than boys, so Amina is still taller than me.
Recently, Nel’s height has also started to increase, and she’s beginning to give off the vibe of an older sister.
Since my body hadn’t been properly nourished before coming to this world, my growth potential is unknown. The current situation is that I’ll have to work hard to ensure I grow taller in the future.
But I don’t mind, so I’ll just leave it as it is.
"The only difference is that, like the Golden Mochi, it’s so shiny it’s hard to look at."
We’re about to face the boss, but if we fight as usual, the battle itself shouldn’t be a problem.
"So if we fight as usual, there shouldn’t be any issues."
I say this firmly, but since Amina is still patting my head, it doesn’t quite have the impact I’d like.
"However, there’s something we need to do before the boss fight."
There’s only one thing to keep in mind when fighting the Golden Kagami Mochi.
"We’re going to use this, right?"
"Exactly."
The golden mochi we’ve collected along the way.
We’re going to use them.
Nel grabs one of the mochi laid out on the floor and holds it up proudly.
"We’ve got nine in total, so let’s use the maximum number here."
"Okay! I want to use one!"
"Ah, that’s not fair! I want to use one too!!"
"We’ll use one each, so Nel and Amina can each use one."
Using new items is always exciting, I guess.
Amina also grabs a golden mochi, moving her hand away from my head.
I toss the remaining golden mochi into my leather pouch so I don’t forget them.
"Ready!"
Rest time is over. It’s about time we head back, or things will get bad.
I lead the two of them to the front of the boss room, but...
"The door is also gold."
"Gulp."
"Nel."
"Hah! I’m not drooling or anything!!"
Even if the design is simple, if it’s made of gold, it naturally looks luxurious.
Everything on the way here has been golden, so much so that I think Nel’s eyes might turn into gold coins. Her eye color has changed so much.
For a moment, Nel looks at the hinges of the door, wondering if she can break them, but Amina, exasperated, calls out to her.
"Nel, really. Anyway, Liberta, how do we use this?"
"Press the golden mochi against the door. That should do it."
"Against the door?"
Since using the item is more important, Amina asks, and I explain how to use it.
"Ah, don’t open the door yet. If you open it, using the item will be pointless."
In the game era, the treasure chest count is determined at two points: when the door is opened and when the boss monster is defeated.
The former has an extremely low probability, while the latter has a moderate probability.
The golden mochi affects the former probability, increasing the number of treasure chests.
"Okay, ah, it disappeared."
Following my instructions, Amina presses the golden mochi against the door, and it’s absorbed into the door, disappearing.
"Eh! How did that happen?"
"I don’t know either. It’s just the mystery of the dungeon."
Amina touches the door curiously, but there’s no mochi stuck to it—just the sensation of gold against her hand.
Even if I’m asked to explain the logic, I don’t know.
I just know that items left in the dungeon disappear over time and are used under certain conditions.
"Really? Is it really being used?"
"It should be."
With no special effects, just the simple sight of the mochi being absorbed into the door, Nel looks at the door with suspicion.
We FBO players think of golden mochi and other items as the dungeon’s favorite treats, and we’ve taken to calling them offerings.
We’re essentially asking for an equivalent exchange: give us more treasure chests in return for these treats.
"Hmm."
Perhaps due to her merchant nature, Nel, who was eager to use the mochi earlier, is now a bit skeptical about using them.
"Hey!"
But after a moment of hesitation, she presses the golden mochi against the door with determination.
"If the treasure chests don’t increase, I won’t forgive you!!"
She points at the door and declares as if it can hear her.
Amina and I can’t help but exchange a wry smile at her attitude.
"Alright! Let’s go!!"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Expecting a return on the golden mochi we’ve used, Nel, full of determination, places her hand on the door.
The golden door, which should be heavier than wood, opens smoothly and lightly, and after we enter, it closes with a heavy thud, shut by Nel’s hand.
And in the center sits a golden object.
"That’s the boss."
"It’s really golden."
The Golden Kagami Mochi.
Except for the slightly orange-tinted gold of the top mochi, it’s exactly the same as the regular one.
"Here it comes!"
"Okay!"
"Let’s go!"
And as soon as we enter, the battle with the Golden Kagami Mochi begins.
"Eh, it’s weak."
"It’s all about appearances, huh?"
"I told you, it’s just a bit more health."
The result is a complete victory.
It was almost too easy.
I take down the largest mochi at the bottom, causing the upper mochi to tumble.
Nel seizes the opportunity to take out the top command tower, while Amina finishes off the second mochi from the top.
Finally, the three of us simultaneously attack the third-tier mochi, and the battle ends in an instant.
With our weapon power and all the experience we’ve gained from fighting regular Kagami Mochi, the battle ends with a sense of anticlimax.
Nel looks dissatisfied, as if to say it was too easy.
Amina lets out a big sigh, feeling like she wasted her nervousness.
It’s only natural to get your hopes up when you see a new monster.
"Alright, it’s time for the long-awaited treasure chest moment."
"Yeah! Hey, Amina! Isn’t this amazing?"
"Yeah! Five golden treasure chests appeared!!"
Their attitudes suggest they’re completely unsatisfied, but after the boss is defeated, a beautiful light fills the area, and five new golden chests appear in the center of the golden plaza.
It’s a sight I’ve seen many times, but it’s always breathtaking.
Even after years of playing, this is a scene that never fails to excite.
"Alright, Nel gets three, and Amina gets two."
"Okay!"
But I don’t let the excitement get to me and make the mistake of opening them myself.
It’s best to let Nel, with her real luck, open all of them, but seeing Amina fidgeting with excitement, I decide to let Nel open a few more.
I walk after the two as they rush toward the golden treasure chests.
"On the count of three!"
Before I can even count, they start opening the chests together.
"Ah, I got just one mochi."
Amina got the minimum guarantee of one golden mochi.
She mutters disappointedly, but even that one mochi is worth 10,000 zeni if sold.
If sold between players, it could go for at least five times, or even ten times that amount.
She probably doesn’t know that, so she thinks it’s a dud and is casually tossing it like a ball.
"And Nel... Nel?"
As for Nel, she’s had her head stuck in the treasure chest and hasn’t come out yet.
Amina, who had been sounding disappointed, now calls out to Nel with concern.
"Fu, fufufufufufu."
A muffled but audible laugh comes from inside the chest.
With a sudden movement, Nel pulls her head out of the chest.
"Look at this!!"
She proudly shows off the contents of the chest.
"What!?"
I can’t help but shudder at what Nel reveals.
"Nel, that’s amazing!!"
In her small hand is a golden key.
Is the 5% probability barrier meaningless to Nel!?
Amina praises Nel sincerely, clapping her hands.
"With this, we can go another round!!"
"Ah, yeah."
At this point, I’ve just accepted that Nel’s real luck is just... Nel.
"Ah, and this also came out."
She hands me the guaranteed golden mochi, and I silently accept it.
Then, I can’t help but wonder—given her real luck, is this really the end? I glance at the remaining three golden treasure chests.
"Alright, let’s go to the next one!!"
"Ooh!!!"
Nel, full of enthusiasm, rolls up her sleeves and heads for the next golden chest, with Amina following suit, pumped up.
I don’t know why.
Even though something good is bound to happen, I can’t shake this bad feeling, this unease in my chest.
"Another one came out!!"
"Eh, I only got a golden mochi..."
Yeah, what even is probability?
In her hands shine two golden keys.
Come to think of it, a gambling-addicted friend once told me.
Probability doesn’t apply to those who are already lucky.
Is this enlightenment?
I may not have luck, but Nel has it.
Yeah, that’s fine.
"Congratulations."
"Why are you clapping with such a gentle face?"
"Ah, Nel wouldn’t understand. But I think I get how Liberta feels."
This is a good thing. My pride is nothing compared to the fact that we got what we wanted.
I accept Amina’s sympathetic gaze and Nel’s confused expression.
"Don’t worry about it. Look, we don’t have much time left, so let’s open the last chest."
"Y-yeah."
I mustn’t be jealous.
This is all because of my lack of luck, so I can’t resent Nel.
I tell myself this, trying to erase my ugly feelings, and the result is this calm expression.
Even though we’re about the same age physically, being jealous of a girl who’s mentally much younger means I’ve failed as an adult.
I’ve learned to separate things like this while living, no, while playing FBO.
I’ve experienced all sorts of unfairness.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve lost in drop item competitions.
So I watch Nel with gentle eyes.
As she reaches out to open the last golden chest.
"Kyaa!? What!?"
"Eh? The chest suddenly glowed."
"Wait, no way!? A promotion!?"
The moment Nel touched it, the golden chest emitted a rainbow light.
This effect is unmistakable.
It’s a promotion.
A rare event where a treasure chest upgrades to a higher rank.
This should only happen with silver chests or higher.
The probability of a promotion is 0.1%.
And it happens at this moment!?
"Li-Liberta, this is..."
"A rainbow chest."
Nel points at the chest, now glowing with rainbow light and transformed from gold to platinum.
Amina stares at it in a daze, just gazing at the chest.
"...It got promoted."
"Promoted?"
"Silver or higher chests can sometimes upgrade to a higher tier. We call that a promotion. When that happens, the contents of the chest are reset and re-rolled. Probably, from that chest..."
I don’t say that anything could come out.
The rainbow chest in the Golden Mochi Dungeon.
The minimum guarantee is a Skill Upgrade Orb.
But of course, other items can drop too.
"For us, it’s a chest that can drop some really valuable items."
Even with two golden keys already, things are already crazy, but now we get to open a rainbow chest too.
If, by chance, *that* item drops from this rainbow chest, it’ll be beyond incredible.
"Sh-should I open it?"
"......"
I nod, filled with anticipation.
Perhaps sensing my words, Amina also nods in agreement.
"Ah, I’ll open it."
I don’t know what will come out. All I know is that my heart is pounding loudly.