Chapter 17

In the middle, there were boxes the size of my fist, each with a large question mark stamped on them, stacked up to the ceiling. Next to them was a sign listing the items that could be obtained from the random boxes and their probabilities.

“Whoa? What are these houses?”

Images of various shaped houses were displayed at the top of the sign, accompanied by the phrase "0.1% probability." There were caves, cabins, temples, and ancient castles. The variety was vast.

“These are very efficient pieces of furniture to decorate your limited artifact space to the best of its potential! If your Terrarium Artifact hasn't been expanded much yet, there's no better item than this!”

Perfect! Mini houses! This one would go well with Daisy, and this one with Mesquite, and this one would drive Elder crazy... I wanted so many that my eyes were spinning.

I went through the images one by one, making a wish list. Of course, the pristine white fountain that gushed water was also very appealing. There's even a rainbow? The probability doesn't matter. I'll keep opening until it comes out.

“Huff, huff, I'll buy all the random boxes here! From here to there, all of them!”

“Excessive gambling is harmful to mental health. Our workshop values this principle and only sells a limited number to each Druid.”

“What? I want to buy them! Why do I need a reason? If you're worried about mental health, why have a gacha system at all?”

Take my diamonds! I'll boost your sales! Despite my protests, the guide smiled awkwardly, saying the rules couldn't be bent. It was bleak. Why can't I keep drawing when I have diamonds...

Reluctantly, I compromised with reality and paid for a pile of random boxes in front of me. I could buy exactly 200 boxes. At 15 diamonds per box, a total of 3000 diamonds disappeared. In return, I received a bundle of lottery tickets.

Suddenly, the few customers around me gathered. Oh, let's see what comes out of the random boxes. It's fun to watch someone else draw, too.

From the first box, a piece of wooden fence came out.

What... According to the sign, the fence item had an 80% probability. In other words, it was a dummy item, something put in to fill the numbers for probability manipulation. I tossed it aside without a second thought.

“Can I have it if you're going to throw it away?”

Someone quickly pointed to the box and asked me. Ah, just take it. Wait, hold on.

“You can take it, but give me a lottery ticket.”

“Well, I didn't expect to win anyway. Here you go!”

I received a star-shaped paper with a number on it.

“Can I take what you throw away if I give you a lottery ticket?”

“Sure.”

After that, people around me started handing over lottery tickets. It felt a bit like farming by creating multiple characters...

I collected the lottery tickets and put them in my robe pocket, then continued opening the boxes.

White fence, iron fence, barbed wire fence, golden fence, this one for Elder, stone fence, fence with fake flowers...

Is this a joke? It looks like I'm going to collect all the fences in this crazy world.

I knew it was a dirty probability game, but it still stung. People around me whispered, calling me the god of fences and saying my luck was terrible.

They keep hitting me in the chest with their words... I've opened so many boxes, but I haven't seen anything other than fences.

“Is this a fence box? It only has fences.”

“All the items that can be obtained are listed on the sign here.”

“But only fences are coming out! This isn't a random box, it's a fence box!”

“We can't help with the probabilistic aspect. Once you've opened an item and seen its contents, it can't be refunded.”

As if I would ask for a refund! The problem isn't the refund, but that the random boxes I can buy are limited, and all I'm getting are fences! I can't even build a house with fences, let alone a house! If you're going to give me only fences, at least remove the purchase limit!

“Druid, what are you doing?”

Daisy and Elder, whom I had sent to shop in the Normal Field corner, returned. Daisy still had almost all her diamonds, while Elder's box was empty. Why can't she use her diamonds... Is she saving them?

I gave Elder more diamonds while looking at Daisy. Should I teach her how to spend diamonds freely? She seems to have bought something, judging by something she's hiding behind her.

“Elder, you came just in time. Can you give me that luck buff?”

“What are you doing?”

“These are random boxes that give out items, but I've only gotten fences for dozens of them! I want a fountain and a house. I want something good to come out besides fences!”

I felt like I was about to have a gestalt collapse from repeating "fence, fence" so much.

Suddenly, Elder's eyes turned dirty. He looked at me like I was a gambling addict.

“Why are you using my luck buff for something like that?”

“Hey, isn't this for my own good? Huh? Isn't this all for your benefit? For the Terrarium Artifact? Imagine a beautiful fountain with water gushing out! And a grand temple! Huh?”

It was true that it was for my own good.

“I can't use it because I just gave it to Mesquite.”

Elder looked disappointed, convinced by my argument. Ah, so he's only good for wasting my diamonds. No, a handsome face has many uses. It felt like my dirty mood was somewhat purified by only getting fences.

“Hey, Daisy, do you want to open a box? Just open it.”

Elder, who I thought would collapse as soon as I gave him diamonds, also came closer, curious about the random boxes. Mesquite, who had returned silently, was also looking at the sign for the random boxes.

“Will the Druid be happy if I get something good?”

“Of course! Just not a fence! Just not a fence! Don't worry, just open it. Look. When you open the box like this... Oh, there's a lot in it.”

For the first time, I opened a box that didn't just have a single piece of fence, but was full of something. Excitedly, I took it out, but it was a set of 10 white fences.

“Ah! You're improving! A set of 10 fences has a 15% probability!”

The onlooker who had been eagerly collecting fences congratulated me. What's the difference between one piece and a set of 10? Ah, they're all fences. Anyway, he quickly picked up what I threw away.

“See... It's not easy...?”

You can do it. Daisy handed me a box with many diamonds still left and picked up a random box from the scattered pile around me.

She opened the lid. Surprisingly, it was the first time an item other than a fence came out.

A vine support. The manual said it was an item that would give comfort to vine-type dryads when placed in the Terrarium Artifact.

It was something I didn't need, but as soon as I tried to throw it away, two onlookers started fighting over it.

“Did you get a bad item?”

I patted Daisy's head, who looked a bit disappointed.

“No! You're doing great. I've never seen an item other than a fence come out of a box. Keep going. More.”

“I want to try too.”

Elder also picked up a box and opened it. A strange purple mushroom item came out of the box Elder opened.

The manual said it would give a vitality bonus to dryads in the Normal Field when placed in the Terrarium Artifact. Oh...

“Wow... Indeed, a lucky charm.”

“I want to try again!”

Suddenly, Daisy, who seemed to have a good sense of luck, started opening boxes wildly. Daisy seemed to have good luck. The random boxes that kept giving me fences were, in Daisy's hands, turning into palm trees, piles of rocks with shells, parasols, and hammocks.

Each item didn't give any bonus to the dryads I had, and they didn't fit the landscape theme I was aiming for. But the items Daisy drew were incredibly rare, with single-digit probabilities.

On the other hand, the boxes Elder picked kept giving items that were good for the dryads in the Normal Field and tree-type dryads. Items like a white iron bench and a lamppost entwined with vines would look perfect in the Normal Field.

Mesquite also opened a few boxes for fun, but it seemed I wasn't the only one with bad luck, as he also got fences. Strangely, it was quite comforting. You can only rationalize when everyone fails together. As they say, "The good will be good."

“Hey, kid. Jay doesn't have any River Field dryads, so where are you going to use a fishing chair?”

Elder, who couldn't even match Daisy's size, teased her. Daisy glared at Elder with an angry face.

The two dryads didn't seem to get along. It was all Elder's fault. Daisy, who was trembling with anger, stopped opening the box and gripped it tightly. A cracking sound came from the box. Daisy was kind and lovely but had a temper.

But a bright white light flowed out from the side of the box, which had opened instead of the lid. It felt like fireworks were exploding in my head.

“Wow! Jackpot! This is the rainbow fountain I was aiming for!”

I had been praying for the fountain, which had a slightly higher probability than the houses, to come out, and finally, it did.