“Haha- To have such an outstanding player participate in our private battlefield. It seems the Dice of Fortune has found its rightful owner, and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

The atmosphere unexpectedly took a warm turn.

I didn’t let my guard down. There was clearly an ulterior motive at play.

Sure enough, Profano made a proposition in a hushed tone.

“I would love to offer you a glass of fine wine, if you wouldn’t mind. Would you care to share a constructive conversation with me?”

A constructive conversation, huh…

It wasn’t the reaction I expected, but I could more or less guess his intentions.

Hitting the jackpot meant I was no ordinary player.

If he could secure a powerful backer to protect his gambling establishment, giving away an Item combination formula wouldn’t be a losing deal. Naturally, Profano wanted to forge a close relationship.

Though his casino was tucked away in the quiet Third Commercial District of Yukantar, anywhere there was money to be made, there were bound to be countless enemies.

He was likely trying to pull me in to act as a breakwater.

“I’m afraid I have companions waiting for me, so I must decline.”

I refused as tactfully as possible, pretending not to grasp his underlying motives.

Using Chasey, who was waiting outside, as my excuse.

But Profano was persistent.

“Your companions are more than welcome to join us. I would also be incredibly grateful if you would grant me the opportunity to host the player who took second place in this battlefield.”

“Hmm…”

I found his offer rather unappealing, but Veron, the Imperial Priest observing our exchange, spoke up in apparent surprise.

“It seems you have made quite a bold decision.”

“Yes. Could I ask you to please keep this matter a secret?”

He meant: please don’t sell this information. Profano made the request because he was at least somewhat aware of Veron’s true identity.

‘He’s actually quite serious about this?’

Seeing his earnest demeanor, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to hear him out a little.

“I am hoping to establish a partnership with the Arrow of the Blue Sky.”

It seemed he wanted to pull the entire Arrow of the Blue Sky faction into his casino’s orbit.

This was all thanks to the impressive performance Chasey and I had put on during this battlefield.

Hearing his proposal, I fell into brief contemplation.

To make money in Trivik, the backing of a faction wasn’t an option; it was a necessity.

Most disputes arising in business were resolved through the influence of backing factions.

For a casino, allying with the 988th-ranked Arrow of the Blue Sky carried considerable risk.

He wasn’t betting on the present, but banking on the future.

“A partnership, you say…”

While such an arrangement would certainly benefit the faction, the timing was inconvenient for me.

I needed to focus on the battlefields, leaving me no room to worry about business affairs.

After sufficient deliberation, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I will send someone over tomorrow. We can discuss the details then.”

I figured Freud, the Vice faction leader in charge of their finances, should at least hear him out.

I had heard their financial situation wasn’t great, so partnering with a casino owner would alleviate some of their struggles.

It absolutely wasn’t because I found dealing with him bothersome.

“…Understood. I sincerely hope for a positive answer.”

Since I had conveyed a clear intention, Profano took a step back.

With that, the exchange procedure for the Item combination formula concluded without a hitch, and Profano didn’t stop me as I left the VIP waiting room.

If negotiations had broken down, it might have been a different story, but a possibility for a positive relationship had emerged.

Stepping outside, I looked at Chasey, who was pacing anxiously.

Spotting me, she hurried over.

“Are you alright? Nothing happened, right?”

She seemed worried about me going into the VIP waiting room alone. I reassured her.

“Yes. I now have an Item combination formula of my own. Haha-“

As my tension eased, reality finally began to set in.

I was now the bona fide owner of an Item combination formula.

It felt similar to the sense of achievement I had when I saved up 100 gold to purchase a skill book.

I was steadily growing.

“What? You didn’t have a single Item combination formula until now?”

Chasey asked, utterly astonished by my words.

Come to think of it, I didn’t think I had ever explained my situation to her.

She was just under a misconception; I was merely a rookie player who had only just experienced my first Ranked Match.

Though even if I told her the truth, she probably wouldn’t believe me.

As if realizing something, Chasey spoke in a cheerful voice.

“So you’re saying that relying solely on Item combination formulas won’t help you build your skills. You’ve taught me another lesson.”

Just as I thought.

“Let’s get out of this casino first. There are too many eyes watching.”

“Yes!”

And just like that, I successfully cleared my first private battlefield in Trivik: Paradise Profano.

***

The headquarters of the Arrow of the Blue Sky faction.

A lively energy filled the quiet space, despite only two people remaining inside.

The two newly recruited players had sent in their settlement reports, and the documents were packed with astonishing results.

“Faction Leader! Look at this. Isn’t it incredible?”

Freud, the Vice faction leader of the Arrow of the Blue Sky, was brimming with excitement.

It was the first time a settlement report contained so much text, considering they usually didn’t exceed a line or two at most.

Freud presented the report to Phil Kruger.

But Phil Kruger scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“Could you perhaps read what is written here for me?”

Oops.

Phil Kruger was an elf, so he couldn’t read the Imperial language, after all.

Freud began reading the contents of the report one by one for his mentor.

──────

Entry Fee: -200 Shillings

2nd Place Prize: +500 Shillings

1st Place Prize: +1000 Shillings

Jackpot Reward: Pure Gold Dice

Jackpot Reward: Dice of Fortune Item combination formula

Total: 1300 Shillings, Pure Gold Dice, Dice of Fortune Item combination formula

──────

Phil Kruger marveled.

“1,300 Shillings? Wow, I wonder how many meals you could eat with that. That’s amazing.”

He was an elf who harbored skepticism toward battlefields, but hearing about such incredible rewards, he couldn’t help but be a little tempted.

It had already been several years since he left the forest, and in that time, he had become worldly enough to understand the value of money.

Outside the bountiful forest, you couldn’t even buy vegetables without money!

Phil Kruger had learned this truth through firsthand experience.

Freud said in an excited voice.

“It’s not just about meals. It’s enough money to buy a garden plot and grow plants.”

Grow plants?

At those words, Phil Kruger’s ears twitched.

“Does that mean we could plant trees? A great, big oak tree?”

He was brimming with excitement. However, Freud shook his head in disappointment.

“It’s not our money… We didn’t sign a separate contract with them.”

The two unidentified players were affiliated with the Arrow of the Blue Sky, but they had only borrowed the faction’s name; they weren’t actual members.

Freud looked disappointed, but he quickly shook it off and spoke in a positive tone.

“Still, thanks to our two new recruits earning a massive amount of Faction Points, we won’t have to worry about our Faction Ranking. I did the math, and we could jump straight into the top 300.”

“Wow- The ranking wouldn’t budge no matter how hard our champions worked, but it goes up just like that? Players truly are amazing.”

“No, it’s not that players in general are amazing, it’s those two who are amazing. I never imagined we could earn this many Faction Points from a single private battlefield.”

As Freud noted, recruiting players did help raise the Faction Ranking, but such a sharp increase was a testament to those players’ exceptional individual capabilities.

There had been a lot of concern over taking in two unidentified players, but if things kept going like this, it would be a highly successful recruitment.

A higher Faction Ranking meant more benefits, which in turn would prompt more people to send membership inquiries to the Arrow of the Blue Sky.

They had been handed an opportunity to save their dying faction.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

“We received an inquiry from a casino called Paradise Profano expressing their desire to form a partnership with our faction. We agreed to iron out the details within a week, and if the contract is signed, it could resolve our chronic financial problems!”

“Wow- You were worrying about that a lot, Freud. That’s great, that’s really great.”

“Haha- This is also a deal secured by our new players. He said he wanted to bet on our future after seeing those two.”

“See? I told you not to worry. I told you there are no bad people among those who carry the scent of the forest.”

Contrary to Freud’s concerns, the two players were delivering outstanding results. Thanks to them, the failing faction was sailing smoothly, as if riding a favorable wind with its sails unfurled.

Ding-!

At that moment, another settlement report arrived.

Were they already done?

They had mentioned participating in the next private battlefield right after finishing the Paradise Private battlefield.

They were two incredibly skilled players who were also remarkably industrious.

Just as they were about to check the contents of the report.

Knock-

The sound of knocking echoed from the office door.

Setting the report down temporarily, Freud went to greet the visitor.

“Yes, who is it?”

Creak-

Freud opened the door.

A sweating man stood in the doorway, with an enormous box resting behind him.

“I’m from Cheongma. Where would you like me to help install this?”

“Excuse me? Cheongma?”

Freud wore a bewildered expression.

Cheongma was the famous brand under the Blue Magic Tower known for its magic engineering products.

There was no way they could have purchased a product whose price they couldn’t even dream of affording.

Suspecting a delivery error, he double-checked.

“Yukantar Residential District, Alley 8, Arrow of the Blue Sky. It’s written exactly right here.”

Verifying the address confirmed that this was indeed the destination.

Whoosh-

He wondered if Phil Kruger had emptied his secret stash for an impulse buy, but looking at Phil, he wore an expression of complete innocence.

Then could it be…

“Hold on a moment!”

Entertaining the possibility, he checked the settlement report, which contained yet another lengthy statement of account.

──────

Entry Fee: -200 Shillings

1st Place Prize: +600 Shillings

2nd Place Prize: +300 Shillings

Additional Reward: Magic Engineering Air Circulator.

Total: 700 Shillings, Magic Engineering Air Circulator.

──────

Confirming the final entry on the report, Freud stared at the man with wide, astonished eyes.

“Don’t tell me that thing behind you is an Air Circulator?”

“Yes. I’ll help you install it right away.”

Perhaps reaching the limit of his patience, the man entered the office and began assembling the Air Circulator with practiced efficiency.

Phil Kruger, who had been sitting awkwardly, stood up and took his place beside Freud, staring blankly at the scene.

“Freud. What’s an Air Circulator?”

“I’m not entirely sure either. It probably… purifies the air in the room or something like that?”

“Wow- Does that mean I won’t have to smell that musty stench coming from your body anymore?”

Freud looked at Phil Kruger with wounded eyes.

“Kheung kheung- Do I smell? I’ve been washing myself, though…”

“It’s fine. It wasn’t so bad that it made me want to throw up. It was a perfectly tolerable smell.”

… …

In less than an hour, the installation of the Air Circulator was complete, and the man from Cheongma added a few precautions, looking exhausted.

“Excessive mana usage near the Air Circulator can cause malfunctions, so please refrain from using skills nearby. Also, it’s best to clean the filter at least once a week.”

“Ah… Yes.”

He didn’t quite understand what the man meant, but it was probably a reminder to maintain it properly, right?

With the man gone, the two left behind approached the Air Circulator with eyes full of childlike wonder.

“Freud. Turn it on quickly. I want to see what it does.”

The Air Circulator had three buttons, and unable to read the text above them, Phil Kruger urged Freud on.

“Alright, I’ll turn it on now.”

Clench.

Vwoomm-!

As he pressed the power button, the sound of the mana circuit inside the Air Circulator activating filled the room.