Chapter 132As usual, Yong-Yong sat on the sofa watching TV.

    ?This week’s winning numbers are 2, 10, 11, 15, 29, 42! The bonus number is 33.?

    ?The estimated prize for first place is around 1.8 billion won. I hope I get to win first place someday, too. Congratulations to all the winners, and we’ll see you again next week!?

    Yong-Yong dropped the TV remote he was holding in disbelief. His mouth hung open in shock, unable to close, eyes wider than ever. He darted toward Yoon-Hee, who was busy washing the dishes.

    Leaping onto the sink, he started making a fuss. Yong-Yong was so overwhelmed by the 1.8 billion won prize that he couldn’t even form his words properly.

    “One... 1.8 billion! They said! Billion!”

    “You mean that’s the prize for first place?” Yoon-Hee asked.

    Yong-Yong nodded vigorously.

    One point eight billion won. With that much money, they could eat fried chicken every day, go to the store to buy snacks daily, and still have plenty left over. If he gave that money to Yoon-Hee, she might even cook braised short ribs for him every day.

    However, for some reason, Yoon-Hee’s reaction was rather lukewarm. She said, “Whoever wins must be really lucky, don’t you think?”

    Her voice made it clear that she was unfazed by the astronomical prize.

    “Let’s buy a ticket!” Yong-Yong suggested enthusiastically.

    “We can’t.”

    “But it’s 1.8 billion won!” Yong-Yong’s expression was filled with disbelief.

    Yoon-Hee wiped her wet hands on her apron, picked up Yong-Yong from the sink, and set him down on the floor.

    “Lottery tickets are for adults only. Since neither of us is an adult, we can’t buy one.”

    She hung her apron on the magnet hook on the fridge.

    Yong-Yong looked dejected at the news that they couldn’t buy a ticket.

    After a moment of thought, Yoon-Hee leaned in and whispered into his ear, “Try asking Father. Do it nicely.”

    ***

    Do-Jun was in the bedroom, reading the newspaper he’d subscribed to for over four months now. Though smartphones had largely replaced physical newspapers, he enjoyed the scent of the ink and the act of flipping through the pages.

    Yong-Yong bounced in. “Master, I have a favor to ask.”

    Of course, Do-Jun already knew what Yong-Yong’s request would be: to help him buy a lottery ticket.

    “Have you picked the numbers?” he asked.

    “Pardon me?” It seemed like Yong-Yong wasn’t actually familiar with the rules, so Do-Jun explained how the lottery worked.

    “You could either pick the numbers yourself or let the machine select them automatically.”

    If they chose the automatic option, he could simply buy a ticket on his way home from work.

    ***

    Monday, 2 PM, in the office of the Seoul City Hall Fissure Management Division.

    The sound of nonstop typing filled the office. The background noise was suddenly interrupted when Cheol-Soo slammed his hands on his desk and stood up abruptly.

    With a mix of frustration and disappointment, he looked at Do-Jun and Hyuk-Soo and said, “Welp, I guess I’ll have to see you both for another week.”

    “What place did you get this time?” Hyuk-Soo asked with a grin.

    “Not even fifth.”

    Hyuk-Soo chuckled.

    Every week, Cheol-Soo spent 5,000 won on lottery tickets, always dreaming of hitting the jackpot so he could quit his tedious government job. His best result so far had been fourth place.

    “You buy those lottery tickets just for fun, anyway, right? Don’t you agree, Do-Jun?” Hyuk-Soo said.

    The odds of winning first place were one in eight million. Despite these daunting odds, people bought tickets every week, chasing the dream of instant wealth. For many workers in Korea, where the average salary was around 30 million won, winning over one billion won in the lottery represented the ultimate fantasy.

    “It’s better not to expect too much,” Do-Jun said.

    “I know, but I really thought this week was my turn. Do-Jun, you don’t buy tickets?”

    “I...” He trailed off.

    Honestly, he didn’t need to. If he wanted to, earning tens or even hundreds of billions of won would be no challenge at all. While 1.8 billion won wasn’t a small amount, considering the average price of an A-grade mana stone was 200 million won, the lottery jackpot didn’t feel particularly significant to Do-Jun.

    “I... actually plan to buy one this week,” he said, remembering Yong-Yong’s Saturday night plea.

    ***

    Meanwhile, Yong-Yong was meeting with Laghaim.

    The Spirit Queen resided in seclusion within the Fissure known as the Forest of Spirits.[1]

    Yong-Yong tapped the desk with a pen while staring at a lottery ticket. He needed to pick six numbers between one and forty-five, but he hadn’t chosen a single one yet.

    “Give me a number between one and forty-five,” he said to Laghaim.

    “A number? Why all of a sudden?”

    “Just do it. I’ll give you a hundred mil if we win first place.”

    “I don’t need it,” Laghaim declined, sipping tea from her cup.

    She had no interest in Earth’s money. Living entirely off the land, she rarely left the Fissure and didn’t need to purchase anything. Even if she did, she could acquire the money for herself with ease.

    “It’s for Master. Come on, help us out.”

    “For Master? What are you talking about?”

    “If we win the lottery, it’ll make Master’s life easier.” And they could eat fried chicken every day, but Yong-Yong left that part out.

    “I see.”

    Laghaim suddenly looked serious, deep in thought. A moment later, she smiled, as if struck by a great idea.

    “Then... eight.”

    “Why eight?” Yong-Yong asked, puzzled.

    “Because I first met Master on the eighth.”

    ***

    Hakase was, as usual, selling taiyaki today.

    Because of the hot weather, he had started adding cold treats like ice cream and slushies to his menu. This seemed like a smart decision, as more customers had been stopping by lately—or so he thought.

    “Excuse me, three taiyaki and a slushie, please.” A high school girl handed over two thousand won with her order.

    Hakase enjoyed seeing people come by more than the money he was making. As much as he loved tinkering with machines in his nest, his solitary research made him crave interaction from time to time.

    “Coming right up.”

    He cooked the taiyaki fresh on the spot and handed her the slushie as she waited. Yet, for some reason, the high school girl stared at his face intently.

    “What is it, human?”

    “Mister, you’re really handsome.”

    Hakase stood over 1.9 meters tall, with a slender build, long limbs, and striking features that seemed like they belonged on a magazine cover.

    “Here’s your taiyaki,” he said and handed the bag to the high school girl, who smiled brightly with a piece of taiyaki already in her mouth.

    “I’ll be back, Mister!”

    “Alright.” Hakase smiled faintly as he watched her walk off.

    Before long, a new group of customers arrived—a group of four college girls. Hakase recognized them immediately.

    “Weren’t you girls here yesterday, too?”

    “Hehe, but we wanted taiyaki again!”

    ***

    “See? This is what you get for messing with Master.”

    Yong-Yong clicked his tongue as he watched Hakase grilling the fish-shaped buns late into the night.

    That day, Yong-Yong learned all the details of what had happened between Hakase and Do-Jun. In their one-on-one fight, Hakase had used Dragon Spear once and Dragon Breath twice. Even after taking both attacks head-on, Do-Jun hadn’t suffered so much as a scratch.

    “But hey, you’re still alive. That’s impressive,” Yong-Yong remarked. sea??h thё n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    “Yes... I thought I was going to die for sure at the end, but he said he’d spare my life. On the condition that I sell these buns for three months...”

    Hakase shuddered as he recalled the battle with Do-Jun. How could a human be that strong? It didn’t seem possible. Still, he had seen it himself.

    “What about you, Lord Izaas?”

    “Hm?”

    “How was your fight with Lee Do-Jun? I imagine you must have faced him at least once.”

    For some reason, Hakase seemed to be looking forward to Yong-Yong’s response. The anticipation in his gaze made Yong-Yong feel a little pressured.

    “Me? It was a very close match, of course!” Yong-Yong cautiously averted his gaze as he spoke.

    Hakase’s face lit up, and he gave Yong-Yong a thumbs-up. “As expected of you, Lord Izaas! So, what happened in the end?”

    “Well, don’t you know how so kind-hearted I am?”

    “Of course!”

    “So... I let him win on purpose. If we’d kept going, I would’ve won for sure.”

    Hakase exclaimed in admiration, grabbing Yong-Yong’s front paw. “As expected of the great Izaas!”

    “Uh, yeah... Haha...”

    Yong-Yong recalled his first encounter with Do-Jun. He would never admit it, but just before Do-Jun fired his mana gun, Yong-Yong had desperately called for a timeout to save his life.

    “H-h-hold on a second!”

    Afterward, he had received... “corrective measures” for it.

    “Anyway,” Yong-Yong said, trying to forget that memory.

    “Yes, Lord Izaas!”

    “Pick a number for me.”

    Yong-Yong pulled out his lottery ticket.

    ***

    Yong-Yong was in front of the TV, watching the emcee as he drew this week’s lottery numbers.

    ?Now, we’ll begin this week’s lottery draw. Match the numbers, regardless of the order they appear, to win. Proceeds from lottery sales go toward public welfare programs for low-income and marginalized groups. Let’s begin.?

    Inside the lottery machine, forty-five numbered balls bounced around before the numbers began to be announced one by one.

    Sweat dripped down Yong-Yong’s front paw as he clutched the ticket tightly.

    ?The first number is eight!?

    “Yes!” Yong-Yong jumped up from the sofa.

    The number eight, just as Laghaim had mentioned. It was a good start.

    ?The second number is one!?

    “Wow!”

    This number one was Yong-Yong’s choice. As the number one Dragon Lord, he had felt compelled to include it.

    It seemed like a great decision.

    ?The third number is...?

    As the numbers were announced one after another, Yong-Yong’s eyes grew wider and wider, almost popping out. In the end, the winning numbers were revealed to be: 1, 8, 10, 31, 33, 45.

    All six numbers matched. Yong-Yong rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it.

    ?Congratulations! The prize amount is 50 billion won!?

    “F-fifty billion!”

    An astronomical sum!

    At that moment, the family members came rushing out of the bedroom.

    Karsiel was the first to react. “That’s incredible! I would expect no less from the great Lord Izaas!”

    Next was Byeol. “Yong-Yong is weally amazing!”

    Finally, Yoon-Hee chimed in, “Thank you, Yong-Yong, I’ll make you braised short ribs every day!”

    Yong-Yong frantically looked around. Where was Master? Ah, there he was, sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper.

    Yong-Yong dashed over. “Master! I won first place!”

    Do-Jun hugged Yong-Yong tightly and said, “Good job, Yong-Yong. From now on, I’ll call you Master.”

    “Hahaha! This is great!”

    ***

    ?Congratulations to all the winners!?

    Do-Jun checked the winning numbers: 1, 4, 8, 10, 11, 12.

    He glanced at Yong-Yong, who had fallen asleep waiting for the lottery results. He grunted in his sleep, still clutching the lottery ticket in his paw, which he had held onto so desperately.

    Yoon-Hee placed a plate of freshly sliced fruit on the table in front of the sofa.

    Looking at the peacefully sleeping Yong-Yong, she remarked, “He must be having a good dream. He looks so happy.”

    Do-Jun draped a blanket over Yong-Yong and smiled.

    “Seems like it.”

    1. This is a new Fissure introduced in this chapter. We think it should be connected to the Core’s second floor, as we believe that’s where Laghaim resided last. You can refer to our previous notes on this in Chapters 104 and 117. ?