Ch. 53 Combination
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 53 – Combination
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After failing about five times, Hosanna said with a laugh.
“It’s okay. You still have fifteen more tries, right? And I expected this much.”
By the tenth failure, Hosanna’s smile had faded a bit, but he still maintained a relaxed attitude.
However, after nineteen failures, even Hosanna couldn’t help but lose his smile.
I couldn’t bear to look at Hosanna any longer, so I lowered my head. After choosing his words for a while, Hosanna carefully spoke.
“…This is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“No, no. I’m not blaming you… If this were a real game, I’d be protesting about cheating. What’s with the 50% probability? It’s not like it’s 3% or something. How can it not work out like this?”
“I’m sorry for being unlucky…”
When I replied in a dejected voice, Hosanna put his hand on my head and stroked it, comforting me.
“And I said it was okay to use them all up just in case something like this might happen. I really didn’t think something like this would happen, though.”
“Ugh… I-I’m sorry… Ungh.”
“If you say sorry one more time, I’m giving you a flick on the forehead this time.”
Hosanna lightly tapped my head with his palm and leaned back against the backrest, continuing.
“And you still have one more chance left, right? Even if you fail all 19 times, if you succeed at the end, it’s as good as winning.”
“Is that so…?”
“That’s how it is. And so what if you fail? You can just do it again. I have a lot of money.”
“B-But that’s U.P operating funds… Wouldn’t it be a big deal if someone else found out you touched it…?”
“It’s okay. It’s not just me who’ll get caught then; Mari, you’ll be caught as an accomplice too.”
“…Can I back out now?”
“Do you think you can?”
“Heeek…”
To become a criminal after coming all this way. I didn’t want that…!
As I trembled in fear, Hosanna chuckled and said.
“Just kidding, just kidding. Anyway, the operating funds are just a collection of small contributions from everyone to help those in need. It’s really money that can be used without any problems.”
“I-Is that so…?”
“Yeah. Besides, what if it really is embezzlement? There aren’t any police to arrest us, and there aren’t any judges or prosecutors to hold a trial. In fact, when you think about it, this Floating Island is no different from a lawless zone. It’s just a stroke of luck that everyone summoned here is virtuous, so there aren’t any problems.”
Now that I thought about it, that was true. Considering the size of the Floating Island, 300 people were far too few, but if even 10%, or even less, of them were evil, it would have been difficult to live such peaceful days as we were now.
Indeed, it was a stroke of luck, just as Hosanna said. If that were the case, the first to suffer would be weaklings like me. As I let out a small sigh of relief, Hosanna chuckled.
“Considering that, wouldn’t you say embezzlement is a cute thing?”
“Not at all…”
“Anyway, let’s keep going. Who knows? Maybe you’ll succeed on the last one.”
“Yes…”
Hosanna said that, but I couldn’t get my hopes up.
Considering that I had failed a whopping 26 times including the previous attempts, it would be strange to have any expectations.
Thinking about it, it’s ridiculous. It’s a 50% probability, but how can I fail 26 times? I swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out and started making the core again.
[Core Crafting]
[The grade of the core that can be made is Basic.]
[To craft a Core (Basic), you need 30,000 gold and Magic Stones (the number varies depending on the type).]
[Marionette currently has 44,000 gold (44,000/30,000) and 20 Magic Stones (Low-grade) (20/20).]
However, seeing the tens and hundreds of thousands that had been there dwindle so much, I couldn’t help but sigh.
How did it come to this? It feels like I’m crafting just to suffer. Of course, it’s not as bad since it’s not resources I gathered myself, but it’s still painful even if it’s someone else’s.
As I hesitated, unable to start right away, Hosanna said.
“Just close your eyes and go for it without thinking.”
It seemed like it would be better to do that instead. Following Hosanna’s advice, I squeezed my eyes shut and attempted to craft.
I’ll probably fail again anyway. That’s just how I am with my terrible luck. I’m just a being who can’t do anything right, aren’t I?
It was when all sorts of negative thoughts were swirling in my head.
“Oh?!”
“Wh-What is it?! What’s wrong?!”
Startled by Hosanna’s sudden loud voice, I asked back in surprise. I was still squeezing my eyes shut, afraid to see the result, so I couldn’t see anything.
In response to my question, Hosanna cleared his throat and said.
“Ah, sorry. I startled you. It was something I didn’t expect at all, so I couldn’t help but raise my voice.”
“Yes? What does that mean…”
“It means you succeeded. Congratulations on getting a new core.”
At those words, I opened my eyes, which had been squeezed shut, and saw the dark bead on the table.
For a moment, I couldn’t react and just stared at it blankly. But soon, I jumped up and shouted.
“O-Oh…! Hosanna, is this real…?!”
“It looks similar to the core we saw last time, so wouldn’t you say it’s real? Check it out.”
“Ah, yes…!”
I carefully picked up the bead and drew out a Mana Thread to connect it.
And as soon as I poured Mana into it, the bead, no, the core began to shine brilliantly, and a broad smile naturally spread across my face.
Finally! At last! I succeeded in crafting a core!
I barely managed to calm my body, which was about to jump for joy. It was because I thought I would look too giddy, having only succeeded on the 27th try after failing 26 times.
Still, I couldn’t completely hold it in, so I showed off the brilliantly shining core to Hosanna and shouted.
“H-Hosanna…! This is, it’s real…!”
“Yeah, it is. Congratulations, Mari. You finally succeeded.”
“Yes! Hehe…”
The corners of my mouth loosened, and silly laughter leaked out on its own. Hosanna, who was smiling as he watched me grinning at the properly functioning core, said.
“Then you have to make a new doll now, right?”
“Yes? A doll?”
“I told you, we’re going to do everything this time, both crafting a core and making a new doll.”
W-Was that so? Perhaps it was because of the joy of finally succeeding in crafting a core, but I didn’t remember well.
As I stood there with a dazed expression, Hosanna placed a leather pouch, similar to the one from before, on the table.
“600,000 gold this time too. I’m just asking in case, but doll-making doesn’t involve probabilities or require Magic Stones, does it?”
“N-No, it doesn’t. I make the dolls myself using my skills. The only problem is that it takes a bit of time. Is that okay with you…?”
I had heard just a little while ago that he had discovered a boss room and was preparing to go down.
I was worried that Hosanna might be stuck here because of me, making the others wait.
When I asked with a worried voice, Hosanna nodded and said.
“Don’t worry. We’re not going down until late in the afternoon anyway.”
“But there were already a lot of people gathered in the lobby…”
“Those guys just gathered early because they have nothing to do. As you know, there’s not much entertainment here, is there? At most-“
I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Hosanna, who stopped talking as if he was about to say something.
“At most…?”
“Um… No, you don’t have to worry about it.”
The more you say not to worry about it, the more I worry.
As I stared intently, Hosanna slightly avoided my gaze and said.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about how long it takes. I don’t know how you make them, but it doesn’t take that long, does it?”
“That’s true… But I don’t really know. I want to make the new doll at least bigger than me.”
“Bigger? How big?”
“Um… Big enough to completely wrap around me and protect me…?”
“Big enough to wrap around you…”
Hosanna scanned me up and down, then stroked his chin and said.
“Ulrika’s size might do?”
“Ah, definitely… Ulrika’s size would be big enough.”
If we stood side by side, my height would reach Ulrika’s chest, so that size would be just right.
Now that we’ve decided on the size, I should do what I’ve been thinking about first. I took out the spare doll I had made in advance and opened the shop window to buy materials to make the doll.
As I placed four pieces of firewood, Hosanna asked with curious eyes.
“You make it with those?”
“Ah, yes. I activate doll-making while holding these, and then… Like this…”
“It looks like you’re playing with clay.”
As he said, the way I made dolls resembled playing with clay.
It was partly because I lacked dexterity, but it was also because the solid pieces of wood became flimsy and deformed every time they touched my hands, so it was natural that it looked like playing with clay.
[Completed a Wooden Doll.]
[Completion Grade: D]
“It’s done…!”
Anyway, after a few minutes, I showed Hosanna the completed doll and smiled brightly.
Hosanna, seeing the appearance of the completed doll, let out a hollow laugh and said.
“You really like Doll 505, don’t you?”
“Hehe… I wouldn’t say I like it, I just did my best. Anyway, now that I’ve made it, I’ll combine them.”
“Combine them?”
Instead of answering Hosanna’s question, I brought the spare doll I had taken out and the doll I had just made close together and used doll-making.
Then, the touching parts began to become flimsy, and when I put strength into my hands and pushed them in, they became completely one.
The combined doll looked only slightly bigger than before the combination.
I guess simply adding them together doesn’t make them twice as big.
I groaned and let out a sigh.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
It’s a little late…!I’m sorry!!!
But thank you for reading as always!!
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
The probability of hitting a 50% 26 times in a row is about 1/67108864 (or roughly 0.0000014894%)Girlfailure at luck is what I’d say, but…
Nevermind…
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