I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 12

After the entrance exam was over and before the entrance ceremony began.

Students were given a week of time. Many took this time to explore the Romance Academy, meet acquaintances, or even take a short trip back to their hometowns.

At the same time, these students were still unaware of the true nature of the Romance Academy.

Only a few, those with quick wits or prior information gained through acquaintances or dealings, would realize the purpose of this time.

This was a preparation period.

“The dorms inside the academy are already fully booked!”

“All those buildings?!”

“Most of them are for upperclassmen! The new student dorms were filled long ago!”

“Damn it! Even if it’s far from the school, I need to find some place to stay outside…!”

The Romance Academy was equipped with all kinds of facilities.

There were schools, dormitories, practice arenas, shops, squares, mountains, lakes, entertainment facilities, and even transportation systems to navigate all of them.

However, the academy only prepared these; it was solely up to the students to make use of them.

Students had to find their own accommodations, learn where various shops were located, book training rooms, engage in financial activities, and even sign up for classes—all autonomously.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the academy does nothing at all. In fact, once a student secured a dorm, they could simply attend the classes they signed up for and graduate without a hitch.

It was just that if one chose to actively gather information and engage with their surroundings, they could gain far more from the experience.

And today, what I was digging into was part of that endeavor. There were treasures or skill-granting artifacts scattered throughout the Romance Academy that could be uncovered with various hints.

“They called it a treasure hunt.”

But not many were aware of this fact by design. It was an ambitious event the Romance Academy had prepared about 20 years ago, but due to its overly difficult nature, most treasures remained hidden when the event concluded.

Since then, the same event had not been held again, making it a treasured secret known only to a few. To me, who had found all the treasures and roughly remembered their locations, it was the ultimate event!

…But there was one thing that Namgoong Min overlooked.

“So, explain yourself. Why were you digging there?”

“…………….”

“If you don’t say something, it will only be disadvantageous for you. It would be better for both of us if you just said something to avoid embarrassing moments.”

“………….”

“Hah….”

In a game, the protagonist could pull trees from the ground or dig up dirt in the middle of the street without anyone caring.

In reality, however, it was the police—or in this case, the guard—that would swiftly arrive!

‘…What should I do?’

As I was dragged to the nearby guard station after digging up the flower bed, my head was spinning.

I knew this wasn’t just a game, and yet, I couldn’t help but laugh at my own stupidity for making such a foolish mistake.

Still… the truth was, resolving this situation wouldn’t be that difficult.

‘If I reveal that I’m an academy student, it should be all cleared up.’

With the immunity of being a student of the Romance Academy, digging up a flower bed would be resolved without any issue.

But, you know…

‘Some weird rumors are bound to spread. No, they absolutely will. That’s for sure.’

There were quite a few people who saw me being taken away by the guards, and since I hadn’t received my uniform yet, I was inadvertently dressed in a bright red shirt and black suit, making me stand out.

Many who had seen my attire during the entrance exam would likely connect the dots and realize that I was the same person—the fortuneteller who tried to dig up a flower bed.

Would it end just like this? “Haha, turns out I’m an academy student! Oh really? Just go back, will you?”

Not only would I not obtain the skill I desired, but strange rumors would circulate in the academy.

“Wasn’t there an academy student who got dragged away by the guard for digging up a flower bed in broad daylight? And he’s a fortuneteller who doesn’t belong to the elite special class?”

‘My reputation is doomed.’

And if my reputation crumbled, then all the plans I had would turn to shreds.

For a successful first step after the entrance ceremony, I needed to use a different method.

Think, think…!

“Are you a student of the academy? If so, you can just go back without any issue.”

“………….”

“You sure are a tight-lipped fellow. But if you’ve come this far, you realize I can’t just let this slide, right?”

“………….”

“…I have no choice then. First, I need to gather information about this guy──”

While I was desperately trying to think, the situation continued to deteriorate.

I maintained my silence, and the middle-aged guard captain seemed frustrated, exhaling a rough sigh. If things soured between us, that would be a problem…!

Isn’t there something I could do?

A way to secure my skills, avoid ruining my reputation, and maintain a good relationship with the guards?

But surely, there couldn’t be such a good method…

“Chief of Guards!”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“J-Just a moment──”

“───What?”

With a face full of annoyance, the guard captain’s expression turned to one of shock after hearing the report from one of his men.

He alternated his gaze between Namgoong Min and the guards, verifying several times before finally looking at him in astonishment.

“Top student, is it?”

“………Yes.”

…There it is.

I’ve found a way!

“My name is Namgoong Min.”

In fact, it was obvious that my identity as an academy student would soon come to light. They would’ve uncovered it easily just by investigating.

In other words, it was something that would resolve itself even if I remained silent. However, I wouldn’t gain the skills, ruin my reputation, nor strengthen my relationship with the guards.

Yet, I had a means to turn the situation around!

“Indeed, you’re a top student…?”

“With limited abilities, I was fortunate enough to pass the entrance exam in second place.”

“…Being a top student isn’t something you can get through luck.”

“You’re too kind.”

Even though he heard that I was a top student, perhaps due to my previous demeanor; the guard captain’s words were sharp.

That was only natural. From his perspective, a young punk like me was likely perceived as having deceived him and the guards.

Just imagine—someone deliberately getting caught and then not revealing his identity until someone calls out, “Hey, this guy is amazing!”? It looks like the epitome of a middle schooler’s delusions of grandeur.

And thus, an obvious question flew my way.

“If you knew this much ahead of time, why remain silent? Was it to act tough, thinking ‘wow, I’m a top student’ when it eventually got revealed?”

What should I even say in response to that? What would be a persuasive answer to justify my silence?

No matter what excuse I came up with, it wouldn’t matter.

However, though my past was somewhat unfavorable… I was a survivor who made my living with just my tongue, even earning college tuition.

I had a way out.

“I was reading fortunes.”

“Fortunes?”

“Allow me to introduce myself, I am Namgoong Min, a fortuneteller. I maintained silence as I was deeply engrossed in reading fortunes just now. This is undoubtedly my mistake, but please understand I had no intention of deceiving you or the guards. I apologize.”

“I, I see. A fortuneteller who’s a top student? Impressive.”

“My skills are lacking. Even if I graduated as a top student, considering the efforts of the guards who are responsible for our safety, it was extremely rude to remain silent. Please forgive my rudeness and lack of foresight.”

“Ah, no need to bow your head. I’m not offended at all, so let’s leave the apologies at that.”

That was a lie. I had seen the annoyance and irritation build on his face when I had kept silent.

But a guy he thought had been rude suddenly apologizing politely and even praising the guards?

The contrast was enough to throw someone off entirely. As we hadn’t spent much time together, he could easily mistake my earlier demeanor as a misunderstanding.

‘You can’t spit on a smiling face, and there are few who can ignore a polite apology.’

People can easily make mistakes, but they seldom apologize easily. And that’s why a sincere apology holds great power.

The atmosphere, which had been somewhat tense just a moment ago, softened instantly.

Now, perhaps seeing me as a guest, the guard captain smiled as he brought over some refreshments.

“So, you were reading fortunes?”

“Yes. It was regarding the flower bed.”

Though I had managed to prevent tension with the guards, the matters of the hidden skills and my reputation still remained.

At this point, it was time to pull out the cheat card.

“About that flower bed…? As far as I know, it’s a normal flower bed, but is there something hidden there?”

“Yes. When I viewed the feng shui this morning, it was quite beautiful, with energy flowing throughout the land. Though the Romance Academy is an artificially created floating city, there must be earth and sky, right? So the land’s energy will surely have some influence?”

“Uh, um?”

“Being situated in a path of the energy, the shops and dorms are indeed warm, and by creating various facilities underground, they must be receiving that energy. It’s excellent geography. Moreover, examining the mountains where the dragon is located reveals that the main academy building is a place with distinctly strong energy.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Curiosity led me to explore various locations within the academy, and I discovered that the veins of energy twisted and gathered oddly in certain spots. Initially, I thought it was a major energy source, but upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn’t the source but something buried that was obstructing the energy, so I intended to dig it up.”

“Indeed… so, that’s to say… based on your feng shui? You were trying to dig up something obstructing the flow of energy in the flower bed?”

“That’s correct.”

“Is that so…”

Under normal circumstances, the reaction would be one of disbelief.

Yet, the guard captain was mulling it over, considering the fact that I was a fortuneteller and that I had given a serious explanation with all sorts of specialized terminology, coupled with the fact that I was capable enough to enter as a top student.

He couldn’t trust my words entirely, but he couldn’t dismiss them either.

The art of fortune-telling was exactly that shady territory.

“What would you do if you dug it up?”

“I would simply dig a little to confirm. My skills are insufficient, and I might have misinterpreted things, or perhaps someone could have deliberately altered the flow of energy, so I planned to confirm it.”

“Hmm…”

I also emphasized that all I intended was confirmation. I wasn’t driving in stake poles or performing any strange rituals—just verifying.

The guard captain’s thoughts gradually honed in on one conclusion.

After a brief moment of deliberation, he eventually smiled warmly and nodded.

“If it’s only for confirmation, then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thank you. If it’s alright, may I go along with other guards as well? I don’t intend to seek help but want to leave the responsibility to you, should anything unusual arise from the ground.”

“Of course, no problem there. You said your name was Namgoong Min, right? I’ll accompany you, so let’s go check it out.”

“Thank you for your assistance.”

*

I did it.

Somehow, I resolved the issue, and I clenched my fist in triumph.

With my arms previously restrained and dragged, now I walked out proudly with the guard captain and several guards in tow.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey? Isn’t that the guy who was dragged away earlier?”

“Feels like I’ve seen him somewhere before…?”

With this bizarre sight drawing spectators, I was able to arrive at the flower bed I had previously been dragged away from, wearing a confident smile.

While the guards surrounded me, blocking the crowd, I picked up a shovel with gloved hands and plunged it back into the flower bed I had just been dug up from.

Thunk! Thunk!

“What are you doing? Why are you digging?”

“I don’t even know. I got dragged away for digging and now I’m digging with the guard beside me?”

“Isn’t he getting punished?”

The crowd was murmuring, and as more people gathered, it became increasingly crowded.

Then finally, amidst the crowd, someone recognized me.

“Hey? Isn’t that the fortuneteller?”

“Fortuneteller?”

“There was a fortuneteller among the new students. I remember him because of that outfit.”

“But wait, isn’t he the one who took the specialized exam? Why is he digging up the ground?”

“Obvious, isn’t it? If he’s a fortuneteller, he’s probably just flunked the exam and is now doing manual labor?”

“That fits!”

Predictably, my reputation wasn’t looking too good.

It was common for students, given the specialized exam is only for the elite, to take pleasure in ridiculing someone from a profession as bad as a fortuneteller.

Yet, there was nothing to be done about protesting the Romance Academy, so they probably wanted to drag the person himself down.

Whether young or old, it’s a common occurrence for people to laugh at someone beneath them to inflate their self-esteem.

But I kept digging. I just kept digging.

Thunk! Thunk!

“…Hey, aren’t you hot?”

“Well, of course, I am. Why?”

“Then why isn’t that fortuneteller sweating at all? Look at that, with all that dirt flying around and he doesn’t have a speck on his clothes.”

“…Huh?”

As time passed, those who noticed the incongruity started to appear one by one.

My hard work of digging without breaking a sweat.

Amid dirt and flying dust, I remained spotless.

And then, regardless of what anyone said, I continued to dig.

And.

Clunk!

“Huh?”

“What was that sound?”

After relentlessly digging for a solid ten minutes, I finally felt something hard catch on my shovel.

Even though it was buried deep, it wouldn’t be visible from outside, but carefully shaking off the dirt, Namgoong Min pulled it out of the hole.

“What is that?”

“This was something buried here. It didn’t harm the energy of the earth, but it seems its potent energy was gathering the surrounding life force.”

“…Ah, ha ha. I was wondering what nonsense you were talking about.”

What emerged from the earth was a box marked with the stamp of the Romance Academy. It was a box that would typically be used to hide something within the academy, just like the ones I had seen in games.

And naturally, the guard captain, who had worked in this floating city for over thirty years, knew exactly what kind of box it was.

“It looks suspicious, so can I leave it to the guards?”

“Ha ha, this isn’t just any suspicious object.”

“Excuse me?”

While I certainly knew what it was, I wasn’t Namgoong Min the gamer, but rather Namgoong Min the newly admitted fortuneteller yesterday.

Thus, I gave him a puzzled look as he spoke with a look of wonder.

“This is a treasure hidden by the academy.”

“Treasure… you say?”

“Indeed. It’s been hidden for nearly twenty years, and now hardly anyone knows about it, so this is quite a rare sight.”

Though it was an event from twenty years ago, the guard captain wore a nostalgic smile as if he could remember that time clearly.

“Back then, there was a great fuss over this. Students were digging up the grounds, tearing apart buildings, and even going all out with the mountains to find it—basically destroyed the academy because of this. Because of that, they stopped hiding things afterward.”

“So this is…?”

“Only a minuscule number of treasures were found among those hidden by the academy. I’ve only seen a couple, but here I am seeing it again.”

The box, which appeared as if it had preserved the passage of time for twenty years, looked worn but still stood tall. The guard captain gazed at Namgoong Min.

“Open it.”

“…Alright.”

Opening it wasn’t hard at all. Just applying some force did the trick.

Click.

“What is this…?”

“This now belongs to you.”

Inside the box, due to being stored for so long, was a necklace that had slightly tarnished.

At first glance, it looked like a cheap trinket, but there was an unusual power emanating from it.

[“Necklace of Watching Over Someone”
Once the owner wished to eternally keep watch over someone, a faint lingering obsession remains.
* When worn, the general skill ‘Observation’ is activated. This uses a skill slot.
* Wearing it for over 24 hours straight may affect one’s personality.]

As I caressed the necklace, a status window appeared, revealing the information about it, and as expected, I nodded at the performance just as I had seen in the game.

“It’s quite a remarkable… artifact.”

“Try wearing it. It should activate the skill.”

Just as he suggested, as I wore the necklace, changes started occurring incrementally.

‘So this is how it works.’

My right eye sharpened, allowing me to see more clearly.

Although I hadn’t experienced such a change in the game itself, the observation skill was clearly being applied.

Meanwhile, as I focused on my slightly awkward right eye…

“Did you, did you hear? It’s an artifact with an embedded skill…!”

“No way. You just dug and that appeared?”

“That guy’s a fortuneteller, right? Didn’t he read some fortune or something?”

“Do you believe in fortunetellers? Everyone knows their skill hit rate is less than 20%!”

“That may be, but…”

Within the crowd, commotion began to brew.

A fortuneteller found digging up something buried by the academy—a hidden artifact that had lain dormant since ages past.

In fact, artifacts containing skills weren’t exceptionally rare. Anyone with the job of ‘Blacksmith’ could craft artifacts.

But since blacksmiths had an extremely scarce population among professions, the supply was often far outpaced by the demand, making them quite the luxury items.

And was it possible that the academy had hidden such treasure across its grounds?

“This…”

“Finding it is a jackpot, isn’t it?”

The crowd buzzed, and a few folks dashed off somewhere, stirring up even more excitement.

“This is huge…!!”

“Is it really the treasure the academy hid twenty years ago? I’m definitely going to find it!”

In the end, students of the Romance Academy were merely youths not yet twenty.

A treasure hunt, especially one that yields an artifact, was bound to spark interest in everyone…!

“A treasure hunt? Count me in!!”

Initiated from the single shovel dig of a fortuneteller, thus began the treasure hunt frenzy.

As people gradually dispersed around me…

“………”

One female student was watching Namgoong Min as he toyed with the necklace.