That was when it happened.
A long shadow suddenly fell over Geuru’s head.
A woman stood before her, her hair swept back and dressed in a sharp suit.
[Gwon Riyeong]
Geuru read the name tag and opened her mouth with a small “heh.” If she was wearing a name tag, was she someone from the museum?
But Geuru could feel mana from her. Was she not an ordinary person? Someone in the same line of work?
When their eyes met, Gwon Riyeong smiled brightly.
“You must be the friends here on a field trip?”
Then she scooped up Geuru and Beilak in one swift motion.
“Eh!”
“Hm?”
Before they could even resist, the two were carried over and set down at the very back of the Chick Class line a few steps away.
Uju, spotting Geuru, quickly slipped backward and stuck close beside her.
“Where did you go?”
“Well……”
Should she tell him that Beilak had smelled Dongdong?
While Geuru hesitated, the woman in the suit strode over to the Chick Class teacher.
The two exchanged brief greetings, and then the Chick Class teacher introduced the woman to the children.
“Everyone, look over here. This is the docent who’ll be helping us explore the museum today.”
“Waaah!”
“Hewwooo!”
As the children greeted her one after another, Gwon Riyeong waved both hands.
“Hello, my little history explorers. I’m Docent Gwon Riyeong!”
Samantha, the Roe Deer Mask, smiled brightly.
Using a shape-shifting item, she had deliberately approached the Chick Class in the form of Gwon Riyeong, daughter of Chief Secretary Gwon Honggyun and a docent at the National Museum of Korea.
It was rather distasteful to target a child, but she had no choice.
After what had happened last time, Obsidian was practically in ruins.
No matter what happened to the others, Obsidian’s captain had to be extracted.
But getting the captain out alone was impossible.
Instead, if she completed this commission successfully, Chief Secretary Gwon Honggyun would use his influence for her.
She steeled herself.
‘Then shall we begin?’
As she looked at Geuru, thick mana began to rise from her.
At that, Mephisto, sitting atop Geuru’s head, and Beilak, who was being held by the Chick Class teacher, tensed and met each other’s eyes.
If she intended to harm Geuru, they would step in immediately.
Though with so many watching eyes around, it would become a little troublesome……
While they hesitated, Gwon Riyeong’s skill shot toward Geuru.
[Activating skill “Fortune Reaper (SS).”]
At the same time, four cards appeared before Gwon Riyeong’s eyes with a flutter.
[Fortune Reaper (SS)]
-Draw a card to steal another person’s luck. For a set period of time, luck produces the best possible outcome for the caster.
She drew the card in the center.
Depending on which card she drew, the amount of luck she could steal from her target would be decided.
But the result was always the same.
Misfortune for the target! The greatest fortune for herself!
The reason she alone had been able to escape when all the other members were captured during the last commission was entirely thanks to this skill.
From something small, like avoiding a stone in front of her foot, to something large, like narrowly avoiding the moment of death.
She possessed the ability to exchange another person’s fate with her own.
An SS-rank special skill that even the members scarcely knew about. That was “Fortune Reaper.”
‘It’s the perfect skill for this commission.’
Yes.
It should have been.
And yet……
[Skill “Fortune Reaper (SS)” has failed.]
[The target’s luck is too high.]
[A small amount of the caster’s luck stat has been stolen.]
‘What?’
The card she had drawn was empty, without a single thing depicted on it.
There were no blank cards among the cards. It was impossible.
‘How can this be……’
It was an SS-rank skill. No matter how great the target’s luck was, completely blocking it should have been impossible.
But it had been blocked.
And because of the skill penalty, her own luck had instead been stolen by the child.
With a dazed expression, she looked back and forth between Geuru and her blank card.
No matter how many times she looked, she couldn’t believe it.
[Activating skill “Fortune Reaper (SS).”]
[Skill “Fortune Reaper (SS)” has failed.]
[The target’s luck is too high.]
[A small amount of the caster’s luck stat has been stolen.]
……
…
.
‘Damn it!’
Despite the repeated failures, she drew another card.
[Activating skill “Fortune Reaper (SS).”]
[Skill “Fortune Reaper (SS)” has failed.]
[The target’s luck is too high.]
[A considerable amount of the caster’s luck stat has been stolen.]
‘……!’
Accordingly, the card’s appearance changed as well.
Until now it had been completely blank, but now a reaper emitting black energy was spinning its scythe in a circle. Then it stared straight ahead. As if waiting for her misfortune.
Her heart dropped with a thud.
Overwhelmed by the child’s high luck stat, she had lost all of her own luck.
A crease formed between Gwon Riyeong’s brows.
‘That makes no sense……’
She blocked it with nothing but luck? An SS-rank skill?
‘This child…… What on earth is she?’
Already defeated in the first clash, Gwon Riyeong’s trembling gaze landed on Geuru.
“Mm?”
Why was she looking at her like that?
Geuru narrowed her eyes and floated a question mark over her head, while Mephisto and Beilak confirmed that nothing was wrong with her and let their taut tension subside.
‘Hmm.’
Geuru placed a hand on her chin.
Judging from how naturally she handled mana, she definitely didn’t seem like an ordinary person. Could this be related to that?
Geuru read the status window before her again.
[Due to the influence of an (unknown title), your luck stat increases.]
[Due to the influence of an (unknown title), your luck stat increases.]
[Due to the influence of an (unknown title), your luck stat increases.]
Popup windows were appearing one after another before her eyes.
They had suddenly appeared after Gwon Riyeong raised her mana.
Something had definitely happened, but……
‘Mm……’
Geuru organized the situation in her head.
Luck = good thing
Luck went up = good thing got even better
Then if Docent Gwon Riyeong and her increased luck were connected?
At that moment, a light bulb flashed on above Geuru’s head.
Gwon Riyeong = a person who makes good things even better!
‘Let’s stick close.’
She had a feeling something good would happen.
Geuru darted forward and grabbed Docent Gwon Riyeong’s hand.
Then it felt as though an immense fortune, one that could even prevent the terrifying thing threatening her friends, was boiling up.
This was it!
“Geuru wants to be partners with Dossent Teachuh!”
Eek! Gwon Riyeong tried to pull her hand away as if she had seen a ghost, but forced herself to endure it and filled her face with a smile.
“……Shall we?”
From afar, Uju opened and closed his mouth as if in shock, but Geuru merely waved a hand to tell him to stay there.
Managing her expression with effort, Gwon Riyeong patted Geuru as if she found her adorable.
Samantha Lee.
As a professional mercenary of Obsidian, she would not ruin a job over a single failure.
……Though it did feel a little unsettling, as if even her remaining luck was being sucked dry by this child.
“Then, friends, shall we go watch a fun video first? We have to go down to the basement, so let’s be careful on the stairs~”
“Yes, yes, yesyesyes!”
Among the children answering crisply was Geuru, who was holding her hand tight.
When their eyes met, Geuru grinned.
‘Yes, it’ll be fine.’
The moment she thought that, she nearly tumbled down the stairs about three times, and at the same time, because of Geuru, managed to right herself about three times.
“Dossent Teachuh, be careful-careful on the stairs!”
The child who had mercilessly stolen her luck gave her a prim warning.
“Y-yes……. Teacher should be more careful……”
She had no choice but to answer while hiding her conflicted expression.
At the sight, the children burst into laughter.
When Gwon Riyeong’s face began to burn, the Chick Class teacher gave her an awkward smile.
‘Damn it, damn it! Damn it!’
Ever since she had acquired the skill “Fortune Reaper,” this was the first humiliation she had suffered.
After taking a deep breath, she straightened her clothes and guided the children to the 4D screening hall in the basement.
To cause an unfortunate accident for the target, On Geuru.
And to save On Geuru in the guise of Gwon Riyeong.
For some reason, their roles had been reversed up until now, but still.
Everything was ready. The operation would absolutely not fail.