Chapter 16

Ding.

[The seal has been activated.]

[The treasure box's grade is being determined.]

[Determination complete. It is a Legendary-grade box. There is a 100% chance of successful unlocking.]

[Unlocking successful!]

Crack.

At the moment of successful unlocking, the lock began to crack and soon turned to dust, disappearing into the air.

It was so refreshing that the tension seemed pointless.

"Of course! Lase is a god game!"

—...This is ridiculous. Thieves need to learn the 8-star skill 'Hermes’s Key' to unlock Legendary boxes, and even then, it’s only a 50% chance!

100%?

100% in a game where probabilities are usually a mess!

—The balance is broken. It’s on the level of a broken game.

"Ah, it’s a 10-star skill, 10-star. Where did you get an 8-star skill from?"

While saying this, Carpe also dragged a Rare-grade box over and opened the Rare box first.

"Oh?"

—It’s armor. A decent item came out.

First, a leather armor emerged from the Rare box.

It was a perfect fit for Carpe, who didn’t have proper armor yet.

[Unidentified Leather Armor]

[Appraisal is required to wear.]

—By the way, items found in dungeon boxes all appear in an unidentified state. So, even if you open a box, you usually can’t use the items in the dungeon without a high-quality appraisal scroll...

"The protagonist is not just anyone."

Carpe smiled. At this point, it almost seemed like the cosmic energy was gathering to help him.

"Unlock!"

—Yeah. Just use the unlock to handle everything. Later, you’ll probably unlock the game system and make the game to your liking. Living in your own world, huh?

But the demon’s sarcasm was buried by the next notification.

[The function of the 10-star skill 'Unlock' has been updated, refreshing the skill information.]

[Would you like to appraise the unidentified item by consuming MP?]

"…Huh?"

—Hmm. It just organized the things you’ve found so far for easier viewing. It doesn’t really have much meaning...

"No, no. That’s not the important part! Don’t you see? It consumes MP."

—So what? It’s normal for skills to consume MP.

"The numbers are absurd."

No matter how much Carpe was a god of instant success, he didn’t think he could use the outrageous functions of 'Unlock' without any cost.

But Carpe’s MP was only 70.

Even if he couldn’t open a Legendary box, he couldn’t handle a Hero-grade box either.

—Don’t worry too much. It’s just that you don’t have a job right now. Once you get a job, you’ll secure a decent amount of MP.

Of course, getting a job won’t instantly make your MP 500, but farming items that increase your maximum MP can help.

—Until then, you’ll have to make good use of the free function once a day. Hurry up and appraise it.

"Phew. I understand."

Yeah, once a day for free, where else?

If that wasn’t there, he wouldn’t have been able to open a Legendary box even if he found one.

Carpe used the 'Unlock' skill on the armor again.

[Would you like to appraise the unidentified item by consuming MP?]

"I will!"

[Appraisal of the unidentified item was successful.]

Flash.

A short flash of light accompanied the armor, and when the light faded, a splendid leather armor was in Carpe’s hands.

[Agile Squirrel’s Leather Armor]

[Grade: Rare]

[Equip Level: 5 and above]

[Physical Defense: 25]

[Magic Defense: 15]

- Agility + 4

- Dexterity + 1

- Additional Option 1: Attack Speed + 3%

- Additional Option 2: Movement Speed + 4%

"Rare!"

—No way, really? 10%?

The best possible outcome from opening a Rare box!

Checking the status window, his MP had decreased by exactly 20.

"10% means it’s almost guaranteed."

—Clearly a joke, but the result is correct, so I’m angry. The options are also decent, so I’m even more angry.

For Carpe, who excelled in close combat, it was a pretty good option.

It would be useful until he got a higher-grade item.

After Carpe changed into the armor, he stood in front of the Legendary box.

"Alright, let’s start the main event. But, thinking about it, would it have been better to fail the Rare box and get a free retry?"

—...Have you ever heard of independent trials?

"Typical government conspiracy."

—Yeah, yeah. Let’s just open the box.

"Anything but armor or weapons!"

Carpe forcefully opened the Legendary box.

"Huh?"

—What?

Their expressions subtly changed. It wasn’t armor or weapons as Carpe had hoped, but...

—Another egg.

As the demon said, a single white egg was sitting inside the box.

A white egg slightly larger than a man’s fist.

Carpe spoke with a dubious expression.

"Surely, this isn’t another trap item, is it?"

He had been hit so hard in the tutorial that now even the sight of an egg made him uneasy.

—Well, you’ll know once you appraise it.

"Phew. But if it can be appraised, that’s not good either."

It meant that the item was Rare grade or lower, given his current MP.

"I hope it can’t be appraised."

Carpe used the 'Unlock' skill on the egg, half-expecting it.

[Appraisal successful.]

"Ah, no!"

It was fortunate that it wasn’t a trap, but the appraisal was successful!

Carpe checked his MP in shock. It had decreased by exactly 20 again.

It was a Rare-grade item.

Ding.

[Magic Squirrel 'Tamias' Egg]

[Category: Familiar, Pet]

[Grade: Rare ~]

[The land of squirrels 'Tamias' is a society with a strict class system. Magic is the definitive proof of their higher status.]

*Tip: It can be hatched with an attribute acorn.

"Huh?"

A question mark appeared above Carpe’s head as he read the information.

"The wave symbol next to Rare, surely this means..."

—Yeah, 'minimum' Rare. For pets, the grade is often determined at the time of hatching.

"Phew. What a relief."

It turned out to be a Rare item, but there was still one more chance.

Carpe sighed in relief.

—Anyway, a magic squirrel... not bad.

"Oh, it’s a good one?"

—Lase is a game where getting pets is difficult, so any pet is good. A magic squirrel is cute and has decent performance, making it popular.

It seems that in community polls, magic squirrels always rank high.

—Even if you eventually get a hidden pet or a divine beast, this is quite good for now. The synergy is good. You can engage in close combat while the pet handles long-range attacks. Perfect, perfect.

"Hmm. That’s true."

He wasn’t incapable of long-range combat, but he was definitely more familiar with close combat.

"Then I need to farm attribute acorns now."

—Squirrels drop them with a low probability, but you’re really lucky.

"Why?"

—The dungeon boss drops them with a high probability. Even if things go well, it’s rare for them to go this well.

The demon muttered, clearly astonished.

"Of course."

Carpe licked his lips. He had been thinking the same thing.

"Still, this is a bit of a dilemma."

—Yeah. This is a bit unexpected.

Carpe stared at his palm.

There were eight small acorns lying there.

"I didn’t expect all of them to drop."

—The drop rate was increased due to the first dungeon entry bonus. Even so, getting all of them is a stroke of luck.

From the flame-shaped acorn to the heart-shaped acorn.

Without a doubt, they were all attribute acorns.

[Flame Acorn]

[Grade: Rare]

[A rare magic acorn that contains mana and has a flame attribute. Consuming it can grant a slight resistance to fire.]

"Originally, it’s an item to increase resistance."

—Yeah, but there are many alternatives, so few people use acorns to increase attribute resistance.

"I can eat the leftovers. But which one should I choose..."

There are eight types of attributes a magic squirrel can have.

Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Wood, Light, Darkness, Spirit.

He had all the attribute acorns, but unfortunately, a magic squirrel could only have one attribute.

"Ah, if only one acorn had dropped. Then I wouldn’t have to worry."

Carpe was weak when it came to making choices.

Ramen and fried rice, dogs and cats, Iron Man and Captain America, Eevee evolution, Gentweihan, and so on.

Whenever he had to choose one, he became indecisive.

—Every attribute has its pros and cons. If you’re really struggling, why don’t you decide on a job first?

"Job?"

—Yeah. You might get a job that specializes in a certain attribute.

For example, in Lase, there is a job called Fire Fist (火拳士).

As the name suggests, it’s a job where you fight with flames around your body, known for its burst damage, a typical attribute-specialized job.

—If you get a fire attribute job, you don’t need a fire attribute pet. It narrows down your choices.

"Indeed. I understand."

Carpe took a deep breath and exhaled.

Finally, this moment had arrived.

The time to choose a job, the alpha and omega of RPGs!

"Jobs are definitely obtained from the background lord, right?"

—Yeah. More precisely, the background lord gives you a quest, and when you complete it, they give you three job options that suit you.

"However, my background lord is you. Not a normal background lord, but an irregular one."

—That’s right.

"…Do you know how to give jobs?"

Carpe looked at the demon with doubt.

Even if he wasn’t a normal background lord, could he still give job quests? What if, in the worst case, he had to play without a job forever? Such worries crossed his mind.

But the demon chuckled, as if to dispel those worries.

—Hehe. Actually, I was a bit worried about that part, but the moment you hit level 10, I got a feeling.

"Feeling?"

—It’s hard to explain. A tingling sensation in my chest, like if I just burst it, I could give you a quest.

"…You’ve become an NPC. Congratulations."

Watching the demon’s gradual dehumanization made him feel complicated, but it seemed he wouldn’t have any trouble getting a job.

—Alright, are you ready?

"Yes."

—Let’s go!

The moment the demon shouted, a notification window appeared in front of Carpe.

Ding.

[You have received a 'Job Quest' from the background lord.]

[Would you like to view the quest details?]

—Done!

"Wow, really done...?"

But the notification didn’t end there.

[The relationship value between the background lord and the player is at its maximum.]

[Automatic quest completion. Rewards are given!]

—Huh? Hey, hey! What’s going on! I’m not close to him!

"Every time you speak, you act so tsundere. The relationship value is maxed out."

—Shut up. Ah, I’m going to go crazy. This instant success player needs to suffer a bit!

Flash!

With the job quest automatically completed, three options appeared in front of Carpe.

A 10-star player strengthened by random draws