Chapter 136

“…What? There’s a special way to influence random odds?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

The three fantasy creatures nodded their round heads.

They nodded so hard that their plump bellies jiggled like pudding.

Lloyd straightened from his desk.

He adjusted his posture and asked, “Influence the odds? You mean the chance of getting the type of fantasy creature I want increases?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“……”

They answered with absolute certainty.

Fantasy creatures never lied.

That meant they were telling the truth.

‘Oh, in that case… this could be a huge help.’

Lloyd quickly calculated in his head.

He was currently troubled over what material to use for the wire mesh in the gabion retaining wall.

If a fantasy creature that could produce that wire appeared?

‘That would solve the problem in one go.’

It was clearly a jackpot.

Lloyd asked with anticipation, “So, can you tell me what that method is?”

“Ppodong!”

Ppodong grinned brightly.

“Ppododong! Ppodong! Ppodongdong!”

“What? I just have to wish for it sincerely?”

“Ppodong!”

“……”

“Ppodong, Ppododong, Ppodong!”

“So, you mean… if I imagine clearly the kind of fantasy creature I want and wish for it earnestly, that emotion affects the result?”

“Ppodong!”

Ppodong nodded again, patting his belly.

“Ppododong, Ppodong!”

He was saying he was proof of it.

He added that Bangul and Hamang were proof, too.

Lloyd, who had been skeptical, began to let go of his doubt.

‘Hmm. Maybe there’s some truth to that.’

Earnest desire and probability—

At first glance, it sounded absurd.

But when he recalled all his past random draws, he began to think differently.

‘Come to think of it, my luck really has been incredible.’

It was true.

Ppodong.

Bangul and Hamang.

They all appeared at the exact moment he needed them most, with the most suitable abilities.

‘When I needed overall excavation power, Ppodong showed up. When we were building tunnels, Bangul appeared. And when we needed to drain the water at the Marez reclamation site, Hamang came out.’

He’d just thought he was lucky.

That it was all the blessing of randomness.

That maybe his bad luck with the lottery back in Korea had been concentrated here.

That was all he’d ever believed.

But now, he wasn’t so sure.

‘Maybe it wasn’t just luck. Maybe the images I drew in my mind while wishing earnestly at the time actually affected the outcome of the random draw.’

A glimmer of hope appeared.

He could smell the faint scent of possibility.

Lloyd made up his mind.

“Alright, it’s decided.”

He smiled broadly at the three fantasy creatures.

“Let’s do the fourth random draw.”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

Ppodong, Bangul, and Hamang cheered excitedly.

Without being told, Ppodong pulled out a welcome sign.

Bangul unfurled a banner with a flourish.

Hamang got ready to scatter confetti.

“…Wait, did you guys have all this prepared ahead of time?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“To use when we summon a new friend?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“But we’re not doing it here. This is the bedroom.”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“You want to go outside? To the training ground?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“Well, that’s a bit difficult right now, okay? Let’s wait until late night when no one’s around.”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha?”

“It’s broad daylight right now. Too many eyes around. Everyone thinks I summon you guys through magic, remember? It’s best not to let anyone see the random draw process.”

Indeed.

Neither the Count couple nor Javier, nor anyone in the estate, knew about the RP system.

They all just believed Lloyd was someone skilled in summoning magic.

“So we’ll go to the training ground at midnight, after Javier’s asleep. Sound good?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“You’re going to keep holding those signs until then?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“There’s still more than half a day left until midnight, you know?”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“……”

They must have really been waiting a long time for him to summon a new friend.

And so half a day passed.

Under the midnight moonlight, Lloyd headed to the training ground.

He pictured the fantasy creature he wanted to summon this time.

‘Something that can make wire mesh—or produce a substitute material for it.’

As specific as possible.

As sincerely as possible.

He focused on the image and prayed.

Then he opened the random draw menu.

‘Ding-dong.’

[Fantasy Creature Random Draw]

[You can invest RP to summon a fantasy creature.]

[Powerful and unique fantasy creatures will pledge absolute loyalty to their summoner and provide various abilities.]

[Random Draw Cost (4th Time) = 150 RP]

[Current RP: 4,783]

‘Good. I’ve got plenty of RP.’

He’d been hoarding it diligently, like a miser.

Unless it was an emergency, he never spent a single point.

As a result, he’d accumulated nearly 5,000 RP.

[Execute Random Draw?]

[YES / NO]

‘Of course, yes. Let’s go!’

No hesitation.

He thought of the fantasy creature he wanted and selected YES.

[Executing Fantasy Creature Random Draw.]

‘Paaaat!’

A pale light appeared in the air.

It spun, devouring the darkness under the moonlight.

Lloyd crouched slightly.

He relaxed his shoulders and focused on the glowing sphere.

His posture resembled an outfielder ready to catch a fly ball.

‘Something’s going to pop out.’

That was how it always went.

The light would flash—

A new fantasy creature would shout its name and jump out, leaping into his arms.

‘It’ll be the same this time, right?’

Lloyd waited, staring at the sphere of light.

He anticipated the new fantasy creature that would fly toward him.

But then—

‘Pzzzz… pshhh…’

The spinning light slowed.

Then it faded.

Nothing came out.

Instead, a message appeared before his eyes.

‘Ding-dong.’

[Miss! Too bad. Please look forward to the next random draw♥]

“……”

‘Whiiish.’

A cool night breeze blew past.

No one spoke.

For a long moment.

Then Lloyd forced an awkward smile.

“…Ahaha. Well, that happens sometimes. It’s random, after all, right?”

“Ppo… dong.”

Ppodong smiled awkwardly too and quietly lowered his welcome sign.

Lloyd steadied his trembling spirit.

‘Yeah, it’s random. Missing once is perfectly normal.’

This was reality.

He’d just been too lucky until now.

He wouldn’t let one failure shake him.

Determined, Lloyd reopened the random draw menu.

[Random Draw Cost (5th Time) = 225 RP]

[Current RP: 4,633]

[Execute Random Draw?]

[YES / NO]

‘Alright. This time, I won’t fail!’

He braced himself.

Even more determined.

Even more earnest.

He visualized the image clearly in his head.

Then he pressed YES.

[Executing Fantasy Creature Random Draw.]

‘Paaaaat!’

The pale light blazed in the air, spinning wildly and illuminating the surroundings.

Lloyd swallowed dryly.

‘Please!’

But his wish was in vain.

The light dimmed again.

Then the horrifying message appeared.

[Two misses in a row! Too bad. Please look forward to the next random draw♥]

‘Whiiish.’

“……”

What was this crushing emptiness deep in his soul?

That chaotic despair—like watching someone pour sweet-and-sour sauce over your fried pork without asking.

He muttered faintly, “Hey.”

“……”

“You said if I wished sincerely, it would work.”

“……”

Bangul quietly folded up her banner.

Lloyd bit his lip hard.

‘Stay calm. Stay calm.’

Don’t lose your composure.

It’s just random luck.

Today’s just an unlucky day.

Maybe he was paying back all the good luck he’d enjoyed so far.

So the third try would definitely work.

“Phew.”

He steadied himself.

He resolved to trust the fantasy creatures again.

And maybe—just maybe—there was no way he’d miss three times in a row.

Perhaps that’s why he tried again.

And the result was a message beyond belief.

[Three misses in a row! How unfortunate. Please look forward to the next random draw♥]

‘Whiiiiish.’

“……”

Life… where does it begin, and where does it end?

Was reality always this brutal?

When had the tears begun falling from his eyes?

At that moment—

“Hamang!”

Clueless Hamang scattered the confetti he’d been holding.

Ppodong and Bangul hunched their shoulders.

Lloyd, wiping his eyes, spoke.

“Everyone, heads down.”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

‘Thunk!’

Ppodong, Bangul, and Hamang all lowered their heads to the ground.

Lloyd wiped away his tears.

“Sigh.”

He’d worked so hard to save up that RP.

He’d built achievements and completed quests to earn it.

He’d resisted every impulse to spend it.

And now, after three consecutive failures, he’d burned through 713 RP.

His 5,000 RP had dropped to just 4,070.

‘Ugh. Is this even real?’

It stung.

He felt hollow.

Was this what people felt like after gambling away their fortunes?

‘Tsk. Should I even keep doing this?’

Doubt crept in.

The idea that sincere wishing affected results was probably just a myth.

His confidence shrank.

‘Maybe it’s wiser to stop now.’

There was no guarantee another draw would succeed.

Expecting luck to stay forever was foolish.

And the next draw would be his seventh attempt—

which meant the cost had risen to 507 RP.

‘If I fail again…’

He’d be down to 3,563 RP.

Then what if his frustration took over?

What if he tried again out of stubbornness—

and failed once more?

‘The eighth draw would probably cost around 760 RP. That’d leave me with 2,803.’

Half gone in an instant.

The thought alone was terrifying.

No, unbearable.

Clearly, the right choice was obvious.

‘Stop. If I let emotions take over, I’ll lose all my RP and my sanity.’

Today just wasn’t his day.

He had to think rationally.

Act logically.

He was about to close the draw window when—

‘Ding-dong.’

A clear chime.

And then, an unexpected message appeared.

[Hidden Condition Achieved: Three Consecutive Misses]

‘Huh?’

What now?

He read the message as it continued to scroll.

[You have spent a certain amount of RP and achieved the hidden condition <Three Consecutive Random Draw Misses>. As a reward, the <Conditional Premium Random Draw> function has been unlocked.]

‘What…?’

Lloyd’s eyes widened.

His thoughts raced.

The fantasy creature abilities he’d wished for—

Ppodong’s advice that those wishes influenced the outcome—

‘So it was true?’

It was.

It really was.

“Everyone, up.”

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

The little ones popped up eagerly.

Lloyd looked at them and asked, “Ppodong?”

“Ppodong!”

“Was this what you meant? The Premium Random Draw?”

“Ppodong!”

“So you knew from the start?”

“Ppododong?”

“That this feature would unlock after three misses?”

“Ppodong!”

“So you told me to keep drawing on purpose?”

“Ppododong!”

Ppodong nodded proudly as if to say “of course.”

Had he already forgotten he’d just been punished?

Or was he so forgiving he didn’t even mind?

His face was as bright and pure as ever.

Maybe that’s why—

Lloyd bit his lower lip.

‘I didn’t even realize.’

He’d taken his frustration out on them for nothing.

He felt guilty.

They always wished only the best for him.

They were selfless, loyal, and pure.

And yet he’d lashed out because of a momentary loss.

‘What a selfish jerk I am.’

He almost wanted to slap himself.

But as if understanding even his remorse, Ppodong, Bangul, and Hamang crept up and rubbed themselves against his hand.

“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”

“Mhm. You’re saying it’ll work this time, and I should try the Premium Random Draw?”

“Ppodong! Bangul! Hamang!”

“…Yeah. Thanks.”

He tucked the guilt in his heart—

and chose to trust them once more.

Lloyd reopened the random draw menu.

At the bottom, a new option had appeared.

[Premium Random Draw]

[Invest slightly more RP to greatly increase the chance of summoning a fantasy creature with your desired ability.]

[Conditional Draw Cost (1st Time) = 800 RP]

[Current RP: 4,070]

[Execute Conditional Random Draw?]

[YES / NO]

‘Alright. No turning back now.’

He’d come this far.

Might as well see it through.

Clenching his fist, Lloyd selected YES.

A new message appeared.

[Please visualize the ability of the fantasy creature you desire.]

He did as instructed.

He focused hard.

The wire mesh for the gabion wall.

A fantasy creature that could make that material.

‘Strong, tough, unyielding wire or rope. That’s what I need.’

And the moment he wished—

[Your desired condition has been registered.]

‘Paaat!’

With a bright message, radiant light flared up.

It chased away the darkness beneath the moon.

It spun fiercely.

And at last, a new silhouette began to emerge from within the light.

“Ggoming!”

A strong, crisp voice echoed from inside the light.