Being told I could choose freely made me hesitate, but that hesitation was ultimately meaningless. It wasn't as if I were using logic to deduce the right answer. I simply trusted my intuition and chose the chest in the middle.
"I should probably check for traps, just in case."
Since this was a reward for reaching the goal, I didn't think there would be any traps, but that kind of carelessness invited danger. It was important to investigate properly.
"There don't seem to be any traps... I think. It looks like it’s locked, though."
There hadn't been any description of a lock in the game. However, the lockpicking difficulty didn't seem particularly high. As I fiddled with the keyhole using my lockpicking tools, the mechanism soon gave way with a satisfying click.
『Food! I’d be happy if there were food inside, I tell you!』
"Hmm, I can't really imagine food being a Jackpot..."
"Maybe some top-grade meat?"
"That would be a bit underwhelming for a dungeon reward..."
『You lot do not doubt for a single second that a Jackpot will appear, do you...』
Listening to the others excitedly guess the contents, I slowly raised the lid. The moment I confirmed what was inside, the atmosphere of the room shifted. Everything grew dim, and the treasure chests I hadn't chosen vanished into thin air.
"Wait, what happened!?"
『Fret not. It is merely a mechanism to prevent opening multiple treasure chests. But this is...』
"Ah! The sign! The message changed!"
Even the text on the sign set in the center of the room had updated. Noticing this, Halfa immediately read it aloud.
"“Unfortunately, it is a Lose. Do not let this discourage you; try again. The labyrinth is always waiting for challengers”... Eh? A Lose!?"
"What!?"
"You're kidding, right...?"
Halfa, Lowell, and Spira stared at me with expressions of pure disbelief. However, Shiroru looked as unbothered as ever. Perhaps curious about her reaction, Garna addressed her.
『You do not seem surprised in the least. Why is that?』
『It's nothing to be surprised about! If Tort missed, it’s because missing was definitely the better outcome!』
Seeing Shiroru speak with such unwavering confidence, Halfa and the others let out murmurs of admiration, nodding as if it all made sense. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on in their heads.
Still, Shiroru’s logic wasn't entirely wrong. For me, this "Lose" was far more valuable than any Jackpot.
"The content was... a Pandora Gift!"
"Eh!? Amazing, so it is a Jackpot! Wait, but it was a Lose?"
When I made the announcement with a smile, Halfa mirrored my expression, drawn in by my mood. However, she seemed to realize the contradiction in her own words halfway through and looked confused.
Seeing this, Spira placed a hand on Halfa’s shoulder with a slight, wry smile.
"Halfa-chan, a Pandora Gift is usually considered a dud item."
"Ah, right! That’s why it was a Lose!"
Exactly. Just as Spira and Halfa said, a Pandora Gift was generally regarded as trash. But to me, it was an item so valuable that no ordinary pile of treasure could possibly replace it.
『See? It was just as I said!』
"I suppose so. Public perception and personal value are two very different things."
Lowell nodded at the proudly laughing Shiroru. Meanwhile, Garna shook his head in exasperation.
『Even so, the discrepancy is far too extreme...』
I certainly didn't think there was anyone else in the world who valued a Pandora Gift as much as I did.
...Then again, perhaps the executives of that evil cult might want them. After all, it seemed the original core of this dungeon had been a Silverized Pandora Gift.
Regardless of that, however...
"This dungeon... or rather, this floor, is worth challenging many times!"
I had heard that the disappointment of finding a dud item in a treasure chest was immense, but that didn't mean their drop rate was particularly high. In other words, you couldn't usually find a dud item even if you were looking for one.
But on this floor, one of the three treasure chests was guaranteed to be a "Lose." That meant I had a one-third chance. There was no guarantee that every Lose chest would contain a Pandora Gift, but it was still more than worth the effort.
"Are you going to farm Pandora Gifts?"
"Yeah. They'll be my trump cards. I'll feel much more secure if I have several of them on hand."
I nodded at Lowell's question. You could never have too many Pandora Gifts. I wanted to stock up while I had the chance.
"I think I can clear this dungeon by myself, so the rest of you can do whatever you like in the meantime."
I was fine with it because I had a goal, but for everyone else, repeating the same dungeon over and over would probably be a soul-crushing grind.
"In that case, Spira-chan, let's go visit the Fairy Realm! Roro-chan and the others are waiting for us!"
"Good idea! Let's open the soft serve stall again!"
『Oh! You're going to make soft serve? Then I'm going too!』
And so, we decided to stay at this dungeon for a while.
Time to get to work. I’m going to collect those Pandora Gifts!