LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 225
Chapter 225. My Younger Brother (3)
His heart was pounding.
‘…I’ve endured this moment with determination.’
A year ago, when he first tasted the thrill of the random draw box, he was overwhelmed by a strong temptation.
But Yuri had endured it all, holding back for this very day!
Yuri’s golden eyes flashed as he slammed the bar table.
Bang-!
“Come on, bring it out already! The 50th random draw box that’s been perfectly aged!”
From January 1st to December 31st last year.
The box contained the sales records of all items sold during special sales and limited editions.
Seeing Yuri snorting heavily, Coco let out a sigh.
“…You’re really going for it.”
Yuri wasn’t the first in the history of the Cradle to attempt a substitute draw.
But bringing a first-year cadet to do the substitute draw? This was definitely the first time.
And the reason was all too clear.
‘It’s because of the elixir.’
Yuri was the only one who knew that the elixir was in the 50th box.
That’s why he was determined to grab it before anyone else could.
Coco asked with a deadpan expression.
“How many are you planning to draw?”
Yuri answered decisively.
“All of my funds.”
“…How much is that?”
“Roughly 200 million points? I spent about 15 million earlier, so I have around 180 million left.”
The moment she heard this, Coco was astonished.
“Oh my, that’s insane…”
200 million points.
It wasn’t an amount that a single cadet could gather in just one year.
No, it was possible.
But that was only feasible at higher levels where the quest rewards significantly increased.
A mere first-year cadet gathering 200 million points in one year?
Undoubtedly, that was practically impossible.
Yet, someone had accomplished the impossible.
‘What a tenacious guy…’
Coco knew that Yuri hadn’t lost first place in rankings even once in the past year.
Also, he had utilized the special sales more than anyone else.
And still, he managed 200 million points.
“What kind of life have you been living?”
How could a first-year cadet gather 200 million points in just one year?
Coco wanted to document this for the record.
Ignoring Coco’s shock, Yuri gripped Mucci’s shoulder firmly.
“…I’m entrusting my entire fortune, my life’s worth, to you.”
“Huh?”
“So, you should bet your life, too.”
“Bet my… life?”
Mucci wasn’t sure what was going on, but it didn’t seem like something worth risking his life over.
Mucci blinked and tried to slip away, but Yuri’s grip tightened on his shoulder.
“In your hands… rests the fate of my blood and sweat over the past year.”
“W-Why are you entrusting this to me… Can’t you just do it…?”
“Shush!”
“C-Can’t the senior do it…?”
Yuri turned to Coco and asked.
“How much does it cost for a second-year cadet to draw a single random box?”
“5 million points.”
Upon hearing this, Yuri turned back to Mucci.
“You heard that? If I draw, it’s 5 million, but if you draw, it’s 1 million.”
“T-That’s quite a difference.”
“Yes, so you’ll be the one drawing, right?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Of course, you can’t just draw randomly.”
“Huh? Then how?”
“Do it well.”
Yuri’s low voice rumbled.
“Reaaaally well! Exceptionally well, you understand?”
His already low voice dropped even further, creating a terrifying atmosphere.
Yuri’s sharp, icy gaze added to the fear.
“If you don’t want to end up in a coffin right after entering the Cradle… you’d better do it right.”
Mucci’s face turned pale at the sight of Yuri’s madness.
‘T-This is terrifying…’
This wasn’t the reunion Mucci had hoped for.
After a year apart, he had anticipated a moment to showcase his honed skills and effort.
A heartfelt reunion, a time filled with emotion… but this was far from what he had wished for.
‘This isn’t right!’
As Mucci’s face started to crumple into a frown.
Thud-.
“There.”
Coco, blowing out smoke from her cigar, placed the box marked with the number 50 on the table.
Yuri’s eyes sparkled with delight at the sight.
‘As expected, it was here!’
There was only one random draw box across all special sales shops for each year.
Yuri had been certain it would be at Coco’s shop, and his guess was spot on.
Also, the fact that the random draw box came out here meant…
‘We’re the first to open it!’
It meant that no one had attempted to draw from it yet.
And that meant the elixir was still inside.
Huff huff-
Yuri’s breaths became even more labored.
“Alright, let’s start.”
He pushed the random draw box towards Mucci.
Mucci hesitated, sensing Yuri’s urging gaze to hurry and stick his hand in.
Both Yuri and Coco watched Mucci’s actions with great interest.
Then.
Gulp-.
Mucci swallowed hard.
Rustle-.
The first slip of paper was drawn into his hand.
Yuri snatched it up immediately and unfolded it.
Reading the words written on the slip, Mucci asked cautiously.
“T-Ten thousand points?! Is that good? Right?!”
Mucci’s expression brightened slightly.
Meanwhile, Yuri’s hand, holding the slip, trembled.
– Lecture Registration 10,000P
Yuri smiled warmly.
“Yes, it’s good.”
“Phew, thank goodness…”
“With this, the lid of your coffin just opened. Very good.”
“……”
“Hey, you idiot! Didn’t I say each draw costs 100,000? And you pulled one worth just 10,000 points, and you think that’s good? Damn it!”
“Eek!”
Mucci shrank back, covering his head with both hands.
Yuri glared at him and urged him sternly.
“Let’s do better, alright?”
“Yes!”
“Next!”
“N-Next!”
Mucci, stiff with fear, reached into the box again.
Another folded slip came out.
Yuri yelled at the sight.
“Now, follow me and unfold the paper. Good luck, come on!”
“G-Good luck, come on!”
Mucci sharply unfolded the slip.
– Lecture Registration 10,000P
“……”
Mucci, seeing the unwelcome words, tried to discreetly fold the paper back.
But Yuri wasn’t one to miss the implication.
He smiled and said softly.
“…Next.”
Mucci paled as Yuri’s low voice rumbled.
‘T-This is scary…’
Yuri’s mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not.
They were filled with a chilling, murderous intent.
Seeing this, Mucci prayed.
‘Please, please, something good!’
He felt like he might really end up dead if this kept going.
He had to pull something valuable to make up for the losses.
‘Please!’
With desperate hope, Mucci reached in for the next slip.
“Ah!”
Mucci’s face lit up.
– Low-Grade Mana Enhancement Elixir 2,500,000P
“It’s valuable!”
A whopping 2.5 million points.
He had recouped the lost points and still had 470,000 points left over.
But Yuri’s stern expression didn’t soften.
“Mucci.”
“Yes?”
“We’ve only drawn three. There are roughly 180 left… Are we going to be at this all night?”
“Uh… no.”
“Then get moving, faster!”
“…Yes.”
Mucci, dejected, picked up the pace, reaching into the box with more urgency.
From Mucci’s expressions, Yuri could tell what had been drawn.
“Ah!”
“……”
“Oh no…”
“……”
“Ugh!”
“……”
“Huh….”
If the value was over 100,000 points, Mucci’s face would brighten instantly.
If it was lower, Mucci would become dejected, glancing nervously at Yuri.
Around the 25th draw, Yuri assessed Mucci’s results.
‘Roughly worth 20 million points…’
Spending 25 million points to gain 20 million.
The losses were severe.
If not for the single 10 million high-grade elixir that had appeared midway, the losses would have been even greater.
Yet, more than the financial loss, what made Yuri tense was the growing stack of slips.
‘Out of 180 chances, 155 are left. Can I pull the elixir within that?’
Among the thousands of slips inside the box, would he be able to draw the elixir in the remaining 155 chances?
What if he just wasted points without any return?
What if, after reducing the number of slips, some random guy pulled the elixir while he was gathering more points?
Yuri was very worried.
Mucci’s face also darkened, seeing Yuri’s tense expression.
‘This is bad!’
By rough calculations, they were already down 5 million points.
Mucci feared he might really end up in a coffin, so he prayed desperately.
‘Oh, heavens! Please give me something good! Like the 10 million one from before!’
Recalling how Yuri had smiled slightly when the 10 million points item came out, Mucci prayed even harder as he reached into the box.
“Please… Please give me something good, come on!”
Mucci clenched his eyes shut, drawing with all the hope in the world.
Rustle-.
Holding the slip, Mucci opened his eyes slightly to see the words.
“Oh no
…”
His high hopes deflated instantly.
“Ooh…”
Mucci’s eyebrows drooped in disappointment.
Anyone could see he was let down.
Yuri sighed and reached out his hand.
“Hand it over and draw the next one.”
“Yes…”
“Hup! Focus!”
“Yes!”
Mucci straightened up and handed over the slip to Yuri with a slight excuse.
“B-But it’s worth 300,000 points!”
“Wow, you lost 700,000 points and you’re thrilled…”
Yuri, assuming it was another high-grade restoration medicine, casually accepted the slip, but then he froze.
Meanwhile, Mucci nervously called out, gauging Yuri’s reaction.
“I-I’ll try harder!”
But Yuri’s rigid expression didn’t change.
Yuri, staring at the slip in his hand for a long moment, finally spoke in a low voice.
“Don’t….”
“Huh?”
“Don’t try harder.”
“What?”
Mucci tilted his head in confusion as Yuri’s hand, holding the slip, trembled.
Yuri suddenly shouted in a booming voice.
“No need to try harder! You’ve already done what you needed to do!”
“Huh?”
“Shiiiit!”
A joyful curse echoed loudly.
Coco dropped her cigar in surprise.
‘No way?!’
There were close to 4,000 slips in the random draw box.
Among them, there was only one item that Yuri wanted.
And Mucci had pulled it in just 26 tries?
“Is that even possible?”
Coco muttered in disbelief.
Hearing her, Yuri slammed the slip onto the table in front of her with a loud thud.
Bang-!
“This impossibility… this adorable guy did it!”
Yuri slammed the paper down on the table and clung to Mucci’s back.
“Oh, my adorable little guy!”
“Hehehe!”
“My little cutie!”
“Hehehe!”
As Yuri, clinging to his back, gently scratched Mucci’s chin, Mucci’s face relaxed into a smile.
In the meantime, Coco examined the slip Yuri had left behind.
– Bone Clan’s Secret Technique 300,000P
Just a 300,000 point item.
Not even worth 1 million, which disappointed Mucci, but it was more valuable than anything in that random draw box.
Seeing this, Coco sighed in disbelief.
“Duran, you damn Duran… what are you going to do about this?”