I Maxed Out My Luck Stat

’And so it begins...’

Frankcastle’s frown deepened as his group of fellow Adventurers parted with the Explorers and made their way to the northwestern region.

He was in disguise, naturally, and he had a partner next to him.

But it wasn’t Iri.

It was one of her clones.

For this operation, Iri had made four clones.

Two of the clones would be with the Nobles and pretend to be the Special Investigators. One of the clones would come with him to the Adventurers’ side, while one of the clones would follow Iri on the Explorers’ side.

This way, they would be able to confuse the very cautious adversary they were up against.

They would also be able to cover more ground.

’Iri can share her senses with her clones. The burden becomes bigger the more clones she has, and her limit is five clones, but still... with this arrangement, we’ll be able to detect any anomaly that would occur.’

Frankcastle could already see signs of Noble schemes.

As a perceptive detective, these things weren’t unclear to him.

But so what?

He didn’t care about Noble politics in the slightest. After all, most machinations made by Nobles ended up affecting the upper echelon and had very little effect on the populace.

It was a battle between the rich and powerful.

As someone in the Special Class of Vampires, he never understood or cared for the conflict among Nobles. His duty was to protect the people of the Vampire State, and that was where his interests lay—even now.

’So show yourself, Ghost... I’ll be waiting!’

***********

’How much more walking are we going to do before we find anything?!’

Richard had been trekking with the Adventurers for a few hours now, and he couldn’t bear it any longer. It wasn’t that he was exhausted or anything. No, his Vampire physiology was much better than what normal humans possessed, and he also had Mystic Objects to help him deal with any kind of exhaustion or damage.

The problem was the discomfort that came with walking among these people.

Although the atmosphere was cool, when you inhaled the air, it became hot. Because of this, many people had begun to sweat.

Unfortunately, the odor they exuded was not the pleasant kind.

’If only I could summon a car or something. I’d just get in and exclude myself from these plebeians. But this is an experience I chose to have. I can’t back away now!’

And so he endured the long walk.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to endure for much longer.

Right when he felt like he was about to hit his limit, everyone stopped, and an announcement echoed into the air.

"We’ve ventured far enough. All you should do is split into your respective parties. If you are lone Adventurers, that is fine too. As long as you return here within twelve hours, there’s no problem. After ten hours, we’ll rest as a team and take account of everyone present before heading back. If anyone is missing, we won’t go and get you immediately. It’s only until we rendezvous with the Explorers that we will collate the numbers of all the missing people and send a dedicated search team after them."

Richard gulped slightly and nodded in clear understanding.

’Basically, we have to be careful and do our best not to get into serious trouble. If we do, there’s no guarantee that we’ll get saved on time.’

"Greed is the essence of Adventurers, but you must not be too greedy. If you encounter something you or your party cannot handle alone, you should involve others. If the others cannot handle it, return to this location and report to the Guildmaster. He won’t be leaving this position unless there is such a report."

The one announcing all of these, using clear and professional words, wasn’t Zarius the Berserker.

It was the Vice Guildmaster.

Unlike him and most adventurers, she had an air of neatness about her.

She looked like a secretary, with spectacles and smooth hair packed into a neat bun. She wore a fur coat with a silver-like uniform that doubled as her armor.

Based on appearances, she was also a beauty.

Many people couldn’t help but stare at her when she spoke—especially her exposed cleavage.

’I wonder if she dressed like that intentionally. That’ll catch the attention of all the Adventurers for sure...’ Richard stared at his new acquaintances and noticed Dort and Vesh already gawking at the Vice Guildmaster’s chest.

He shook his head in mild disappointment, wondering if these men were really the right fit for him. However, right as he was basking in this emotion, he noticed something else.

A gaze... resting on him.

"How surprising. You’re not enamored by that woman, huh?" Carra retorted with a mildly surprised but also impressed tone.

Richard chuckled with his bold, mysterious voice.

"Should I be?"

"Most men would be. She’s awfully attractive for an adventurer, isn’t she? There are lots of rumors surrounding her relationship with the Guildmaster, and—"

"What of it?"

"Hm?"

"How is that relevant to me? To us?"

"Well..."

"We are Adventurers, are we not? We seek glory and fortune by exploring the unknown and unearthing the secrets of the world. Why should I concern myself with such petty matters? Why would any Adventurer do so?"

"Ahh... I see." Carra nodded almost immediately, her eyes flashing in realization. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"I understand now. Yes, that is indeed the right attitude of a true Adventurer. I can see why you seemed disappointed at Vesh and Dort."

’No, you misunderstand...’ Richard smiled to himself. ’I was disappointed because it took so little to make them lose all rationality. Ahh... Dort is even drooling now.’

The current Richard had been exposed to all kinds of beauties since he was young.

Heck, he even saw Neia naked every night.

As such, it would take a lot to impress or distract him. In fact, only Nobles could ever elicit such an instinctive reaction from him.

But the Vice Guildmaster was no Noble.

She was a Special Class Vampire, and while her beauty was exceptional among fellow Special Class Vampires and even the Common Class, Richard didn’t find it very outstanding.

"Snap out of it, you two! Everyone is splitting up now!" Carra clapped her hands in front of the two dazed men, drawing their attention to herself and Richard.

"Since we’ve formed a temporary party, we might as well move together... right?"

"R-right!"

"Y-yeah! Let’s do it!"

Everyone turned their attention to the mysterious Lock. Their expectant gazes told him that they were waiting for his decision on the matter.

He folded his hands, as though in deep contemplation, before finally muttering.

"I see no problem with that."

"Great! Then let’s head out!" Carra seemed far more pleased than normal, but Richard ignored it and simply nodded casually.

’Although I think I’ll be fine on my own, the experience would be best if I had a team.’

Besides, since his luck had brought about these acquaintances, he couldn’t simply abandon them at this specific juncture. Even if he didn’t need them now, it was possible that in the joint expedition with the Explorers, he could require their assistance.

As such, he made the decision to stick with them.

For now, anyway.