Chapter 240
This dungeon imposes a rare trial for non-combat types.
There is a monster called Lucky Cat, but it's harmless—its only role is to explain the trial, as long as we don't attack first.
"Come, come!! A girl who carries the scent of the Great God!! Everyone!! Prepare the feast, prepare the feast!!" "「「「「Ooh!!」」」」"
Or so it should have been. Yet, somehow, we're being welcomed by the cats like Urashima Taro visiting the Dragon Palace.
"Hey, Liberta. Is this part of the trial too?" "I've never heard of a trial like this."
At the very least, this never happened during the game era. A few seconds after the welcoming Lucky Cat rushed into the cat mansion in surprise, the Lucky Cats came to welcome us—no, to welcome Nell.
Unfamiliar with this turn of events, we cautiously maintain a defensive formation around Nell, just in case.
"Oh, companions of the girl who bears the scent of the Great God, please do not be so wary. We merely wish to welcome those connected to the Great God."
Before us appeared a bipedal cat with two distinctive curled tails, twice the size of the other Lucky Cats—the boss of this dungeon, who should originally be waiting in the great hall before the treasure vault.
"Isn't it strange not to be wary when the boss himself comes to greet us?" "Indeed, under normal circumstances, I would never emerge from the inner hall." "More importantly, are we even supposed to be conversing with monsters?" "Normally, it is forbidden. But among humans, there are those who tame monsters like us and make them companions. It is not as though we can never get along."
A cat wearing hakama pants, with a Lucky Gold Coin pendant hanging from its neck. Jackpot Cat.
For me, it was unexpected to engage in intelligent, rational conversation with a monster, when the basic rule in dungeons is search and destroy. Well, actually, I had planned to talk with this monster. But that was supposed to happen after clearing the trial. This Jackpot Cat says there are exceptions, but during FBO, there were no such exceptions.
Not tens or hundreds of levels. Thousands, even tens of thousands of players have visited this Golden Cat Mansion. Among them are verification teams dedicated to testing game mechanics. Is this some kind of hidden event that slipped past their investigations?
At first glance, it looks like a cute calico cat, but Jackpot Cat is class 6. A boss on par with the Wind Dragon—though inferior in overall strength, this monster's terror lies in its agility, which surpasses even the Wind Dragon, and its absurdly high luck stat. It forces a battle of probability, where all its attacks become critical hits, and our attacks have a chance to fumble.
With our current equipment, we can win. But how much damage we can mitigate remains unknown.
"Is it an exception because we—no, because Nell is here?" "The girl who carries the scent of the Great God is named Nell, is she? And to answer your question, yes, that is correct."
Should we consider retreat as a worst-case scenario? If I ask the Spirit King for help and borrow the power of spirits, we could achieve a flawless victory in this dungeon. I sense no hostility, so I'm staying on guard for now, but if it comes to a fight, retreat is my top priority.
"I don't know anything about this 'Great God'." "The Great God is one of the ancient gods who created this world. That god shaped the flow of fate in this world. We, the curled-tail cats, are its followers." "A god who governs fate, you mean?" "Roughly speaking, yes."
I focus on gathering information about this abnormal situation. A feast is being prepared in front of the mansion. And the delicious smell stirs my appetite. It's clear they genuinely want to welcome Nell, but I don't understand why.
"Our Nell says she has no recollection of any connection to this Great God." "The Great God is no longer in this world. They became the foundation for creating this world. But occasionally, humans are born carrying fragments of the Great God's power."
When he explained the reason, the word "gifted" came to my mind. A fact that should normally be proven in the form of skills—divine favor received from the gods. But Nell had none of that.
"The Great God's power manifests in various ways. Sometimes, it grants the power to foresee the future and sense danger for self-protection. Other times, it awakens the power to gather misfortune from others, making one more unlucky than most." "Like Nell, who is blessed with good luck?" "From the scent of the Great God, it seems more complex than that. The power granted to her is a superposition of both positive and negative." "Positive and negative?" "Indeed. Her power is about convergence. She does not cause things herself, but she can encounter good fortune—and if she is blessed, she will also encounter misfortune. Like a scale maintaining balance, good things happen, but bad things happen in return. Hasn't that been the case while you've been with her?"
To summarize what Jackpot Cat said, Nell's lucky constitution isn't a skill but an innate trait. And it's not just about good or bad luck. She attracts fortune, both good and bad.
Looking back, all sorts of events have happened since I've been with Nell. "Even when I was alone, weird things happened too?" But not all of them were with Nell.
"That is because the scent has transferred to you as well. Though it will fade if you stay away from her for a while." When I pointed that out, he said that merely being near Nell spreads the effect to those around her.
"Normally, that wouldn't happen. But you, master, carry a unique scent. An unseen fate, and the path you've traveled, attracts the scent." I've heard that cats can see invisible entities. In places like Egypt, cats were considered guardian deities.
"If you continue to stay by her side, it will persist. Your will, or the girl's will, has no bearing on it." The Jackpot Cat before me seems to see something within me as well.
After hearing all this, I can vaguely understand why Nell wasn't in the original story. She must have been overwhelmed by these turbulent waves of fortune.
"If you dislike it, you could stay in this mansion forever. Here, the flow of fate is constant, so her turbulent fate won't affect you. And you, who carry the scent of the Great God, would be welcomed as one of us!!"
She might be a girl who brings good luck, but at the same time, she's also a girl who spreads misfortune. There's no way she could handle those turbulent waves alone. Even a bit of good luck would be countered by a bit of bad luck. If she were to receive tremendous good fortune, the backlash would bring equally tremendous misfortune.
"......"
Jackpot Cat says Nell's good luck and bad luck are two sides of the same coin. If this is true, then the so-called Great God has bestowed quite a fate upon one girl.
I glance back and see Nell there, her face pale. She's clever—hearing that all this trouble was caused by her, she must have looked back on her past and found it relatable. Normally, you wouldn't believe something told to you by a monster you just met. Laughing it off and saying "You're kidding" would be the normal response here. But we've seen Nell's luck—and experienced it. The intense battles.
A moment of silence. The surrounding noise feels out of place, but I scratch my head.
"Well, so what?" "Eh?"
I don't know how to dispel this dark cloud in one stroke. But after benefiting so much from Nell's luck, it would be absolutely wrong to say "goodbye" just because I found out she also spreads misfortune. Some god I've never heard of has appeared, but if it's an enemy in this world, I know how to defeat them all. Nell doesn't need to worry about feeling down at all.
"Keep your jokes to your face, you damn cat."
Fate or whatever—I don't care. Whether it's the Earth Dragon, the Wind Dragon, General Locust, or even the Mad Jester, I, Liberta, have swept them all aside.
"I've managed until now. Then I'll just keep managing. Nell is my comrade!! If it's trouble that some random cat can handle, there's no way I can't handle it too, right?"
There's not a single reason to lose to a cat that's just lucky.
"The scent of the Great God on that girl is stronger than you think." "Don't you know? Apparently, I'm an apostle chosen by the gods. And that apostle was summoned to defeat the evil god. Is the scent of that Great God stronger than the evil god's?" "......"
And besides, damn cat. You're underestimating gamers.
"Then it just gets more exciting!! I was already planning to defeat the evil god, but if there's an extra stage beyond that, it just means more fun, right? Sounds great, awesome!!"
Some players give up on difficult content, but there are also players who crave the challenge. If I had to choose, I'd definitely be the latter. I'm surely wearing a ferocious grin right now.
"You're insane, meow." "I know."
The monster seems to have made a normal judgment about me. Gamers are all a little crazy, to varying degrees. I'm just a gamer who's a little—just a little—crazier than the others.
"Fate is harsher than you think, meow." "Good. I prefer nightmare mode over easy mode."
Originally, I came to this dungeon just to get the Blessing and Fortune skill.
"Hmph."
But instead, I ended up with strange information. And for some reason, I ended up ranting at this monster. Jackpot Cat, looking exasperated with me, rummages through its belongings.
"If you're by her side, you'll be able to use this too, meow. Do your best to keep defying fate, meow."
It pulls out a scroll and hands it to me.
"This is what you wanted, right? Take it and get out, meow." "......"
I silently accept it and check the contents. It's unmistakably the Blessing and Fortune scroll.
"You all!! The feast is canceled, meow!! Our guests are leaving!!"
The welcoming mood from earlier completely reverses. We're not exactly chased out, but they make it clear they're unhappy and want us gone. What was that all about? Still, I got what I came for. There's no reason to stay here.
Thinking that, I turn around and see—
"Hey, Nell, what's wrong? Your face is red."
Earlier, she was pale, but now Nell's face is bright red. She doesn't seem down, nor does she seem to be feeling negative emotions. It's almost like she's embarrassed?
"It's nothing!" "Really?"
Hmm, I really don't understand the emotions of girls this age. She turns her face away with a "hmph," and I can't press further.
"Liberta-kun." "Liberta-sama." "Liberta." "*Sigh*, you really are..." "Eh, what? Is it my fault?"
The moment I decide to wait for her to calm down, all the girls sigh at me.
I don't get it.