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

Chapter 2
I Don’t Believe in Fortune Telling (2)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

What is fortune-telling?

Well, everyone has different thoughts on fortune-telling, but at least I can say for sure.

Fortune-telling is just an irrational, unscientific superstition that relies on luck.

My opinion hasn’t changed since my parents, who failed in business when I was young, became obsessed with a fortune teller, poured every penny they had into them, and then committed suicide.

If fortune-telling was truly effective, our family wouldn’t have ended up like that.

“…Let’s not dwell on the past.”

Even if not to the extent that I do, most people see fortune-telling as something for fun or as motivation to boost their confidence; not many truly believe in it.

So, putting aside those fake fortune tellers, how did those commonly called gifted fortune tellers manage to get their predictions right and receive hundreds of thousands, even millions of won in offerings?

“It’s all a scam.”

Background checks, information gathering, observation, psychological counseling.

It might be more accurate to call a fortune teller a mind reader.

They gather information in various ways and make inferences from it.

For example, if someone comes in wearing expensive luxury brands but seems uncomfortable in their clothes, they might not actually be rich.

Or, if someone repeats exaggerated hand gestures while talking, they’re likely lying.

It’s not definite, just things with a high probability. Fortune tellers gather such things from a person they meet for the first time and create a plausible guess.

It feels a bit iffy to call it a scam, but since they spout nonsense about heaven and earth, gods and fate, while actually doing psychological analysis, it is indeed a scam.

In this crappy game, however, the intention is to act as a fortune teller with actual fortune-telling, not like that.

“But then why would anyone set the probability like that?”

What does 25% even mean, even with the maximum buff? Moreover, the probability drops to 20% for someone you’re meeting for the first time?

Still, as a job skill, it would be strengthened by clearing job quests, but if it’s a fortune teller job quest, it would definitely involve fortune-telling.

But to clear it with a 20% accuracy rate fortune-telling?

That’s obviously bullshit.

“Therefore… preparation is needed.”

[Time limit: 71 hours 43 minutes 32 seconds remaining]

I stared at the ‘Time limit’ part of the tutorial quest.

It had decreased a bit, but there were still about 3 days left.

‘It should be fine as long as I do it within that time.’

Even within , there were many quests and events with time limits. Though it was the first time I’d seen it stuck in the tutorial.

Could this be considered consideration? Consideration from that crazy bitch?

I wasn’t even getting angry anymore. Only the rage towards that crazy bitch was quietly building up.

“Just you wait until I get back.”

I’ll make her quit being a game developer or whatever and get her admitted to a mental hospital. For sure.

As I strongly ingrained the motivation to clear this crappy game, I turned around and saw a wooden door practically inviting me to open it and go out.

I had a rough idea. I bet once I open that and go out, it’ll be the entrance exam.

I had organized my thoughts, so all that was left was to go out, but…

“…Still, I should try the test once.”

I had already given up on any expectations for the job skill .

But even dog shit can be used as medicine, and there’s a difference between a completely unusable skill and a somewhat usable one. Even if it was a trash skill that would only work once every four or five tries on average…!

“But how do I use this? In the game, I just had to click.”

Tick. Tick.

Nothing changed even when I clicked on the job skill in the status window.

Then… was there only one possibility left?

“.”

Fwooosh!!

As I thought about using that damn skill and shouted its name, the empty air started to glow faintly.

Wait, so every time I want to use the job skill, I have to say ?

That’s so cringeworthy──

Thud.

“…Tarot?”

What fell with a glow was a beautifully decorated deck of tarot cards.

With such an entrance, I thought it might be some hidden tool, but.

“…It’s ordinary.”

It wasn’t imbued with magical power, nor did it have special drawings, nor was it particularly sturdy. When I tried to tear it a little, it tore easily.

It was just a tarot card deck that could be easily obtained anywhere.

“Is this telling me to use this for fortune-telling because it’s my first time?”

Nothing changed even when I spoke to the air where the status window was floating. I didn’t expect an answer since it was just me talking to myself out of frustration.

I cleared some space around me in the messy room, sat down, and shuffled the tarot cards.

Shuffling. Shuffling. Swish.

It’s been a while since I shuffled, but the feeling is still the same.

I shuffled the cards in a casino shuffle style, dividing the deck in half and bending them together to mix them up, then placed the tarot cards face down.

Now then.

“What should I try to predict?”

If I were to think simply, questions like “Can I clear this crappy game?” or “Can I return to reality?” come to mind, but that’s taboo.

“They say even fortune tellers don’t know the date of their own death.”

Literally, those who can’t even predict the date of their own death are called fortune tellers. It’s a saying that fully reveals the distrust and doubt towards fortune-telling.

As I said before, fortune-telling is unscientific luck. It’s just guessing people’s psychology.

There’s no reason for such fortune tellers to try to predict their own future.

Of course, this is about reality, and there’s no guarantee that it applies in this crappy game… but it still feels unsettling.

“Because each job had quite a few hidden elements…”

There were characteristics that could be considered hidden in each job, even if they weren’t listed in the status window.

Jobs like ‘Nouveau Riche’ or ‘Investor’ would have a significant amount of money automatically deposited every month.

Jobs like ‘Battle Mage’ or ‘Elemental Mage’ were set up to be intelligent, so their learning speed was faster than other jobs.

Or, like ‘Royalty’, they started with the ridiculously overpowered trait of +80 favorability with pro-emperor figures, but also had the penalty of an assassin invasion event occurring with a certain probability every night.

Why weren’t these important things written in the explanation? I was so frustrated that I sent 5700 characters to that little sister bitch, but she completely ignored it.

…Anyway, I don’t know what’s hidden in , so I need to be cautious.

After racking my brain for a bit, I decided to ask something that came to mind.

“”

1st card, 2nd card, 3rd card.

The method of fortune-telling was the Three Card Spread, where three cards are drawn for the reading.

I randomly drew three cards from the tarot deck and placed them in front of me in order.

“The first one is…”

A picture of an elderly man wearing a crown and sitting on a stone throne.

Major Arcana number 4, The Emperor.

“The Emperor…”

The Emperor card usually symbolizes authority and stability, or leadership and perfection.

When asking how a specific event will unfold, it usually proceeds in the order the tarot cards are drawn.

The first being the Emperor probably means that it will start stably and well.

“The second.”

A picture of a general riding a chariot with two sphinx-like animals in front of him.

Major Arcana number 7, The Chariot.

This would mean victory, success, and in this case, that the entrance exam would proceed actively, but—

“…It’s reversed.”

The Chariot card was upside down.

In tarot, a reversed card usually has the opposite meaning of its upright position.

And if it’s the reversed Chariot… it means defeat or loss.

“………….”

I didn’t believe this result, but it still made me feel uneasy.

Unable to shake off the unpleasant feeling, I flipped the last tarot card.

The last one was— a sky with clouds, and a wheel floating in that sky. Creatures like birds, angels, snakes, and foxes surrounded it.

“…Wheel of Fortune.”

Major Arcana number 10, Wheel of Fortune.

It usually symbolizes fate, turning points, or destiny itself, as the name suggests, but.

If it’s reversed, it’s a different story.

“If the 10th Arcana is reversed…”

Instability, things getting tangled up.

Ha.

“This is why fortune-telling sucks.”

Since I’m doing this for the first time, couldn’t it show me a positive future? Why does it have to predict a future that’s getting worse?

………But wait a minute.

“Then what is it that has a 15% chance of being right?”

How exactly does this ‘fortune-telling being accurate’ work?

Tarot cards, synonymous with fortune-telling, consist of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana (14 cards in each of the 4 suits).

And each of these Arcana has a different meaning, and above all, a different interpretation.

‘In the first place, how many types of tarot cards are there?’

Some tarot decks include original Arcana, some have different illustrations, and sometimes the upright and reversed meanings are switched.

In fact, there are so many interpretations of tarot that even with the same cards, different fortune tellers will give different readings.

So how is it judged here? Is it based on my interpretation?

‘Then if things getting tangled up in the entrance exam is 15%, wouldn’t that mean there’s an 85% chance that nothing will happen?’

Due to the situation, I wasn’t thinking too deeply, but when I was thinking about this ‘accuracy rate of fortune-telling’.

A status window appeared, rendering all my worries into trash.

[Job skill complete!

Fortune-telling content:

Fortune-telling progress: The Emperor (upright), The Chariot (reversed), Wheel of Fortune (reversed)

Fortune-telling result: A member of the Imperial family will participate in this entrance exam, and it will start smoothly without any problems! But oh my, a strange chariot ruins the entrance exam! Disappointed that the entrance exam, which was supposed to be a shower of flower petals, is ruined, you end up finding comfort by stroking the upside-down wheel! Don’t worry, this is just the beginning of a thrilling adventure in !

Probability of the fortune-telling result being executed as is: 15% (Basic 10% + Tarot card use 5%)]

“Um, yeah.”

The inclusion of “Heart pounding!” which I didn’t even ask about, the interpretation of the Emperor card as an actual member of the Imperial family, the reversed Chariot as a literal chariot ruining the entrance exam, and above all, the mention of stroking an upside-down wheel because it was reversed, all left me speechless.

But the most absurd thing was the last sentence.

“Probability of the result being executed ‘as is’?”

So, there’s an 85% chance that the thing ruining the entrance exam isn’t a strange chariot but a strange student, and the thing I touch at the end isn’t a wheel but maybe a cat?

Or, none of the content from the fortune-telling might even happen at all.

“Bullshit.”

In the first place, the probability of that kind of result being executed as is is definitely 0%. Or rather, is it a whopping 15% because I did the fortune-telling?

I roughly threw the tarot cards I had laid out into a corner of the room and cursed.

“You’ll never be used again.”

Yes, I simply confirmed the uselessness of a skill that seemed useless anyway.

Rather than messing around here… it would be better to face things directly.

“…Let’s go.”

Steeling my resolve, I turned the doorknob and opened the door.

And the sight that unfolded beyond it was—

“Congratulations on the entrance exam!”

“Congratulations!”

“Hahaha! If you get me, the entrance exam is nothing!”

“Today is the day to settle the score!”

“Whatever.”

Lines that, despite having read them countless times, still dealt damage to my mind.

“…Why is only the name in English…?”

Banners that I couldn’t see in the game.

And people celebrating not the entrance, not the entrance ceremony, but the entrance exam.

At the center of all that.

“Life…”

I was the only one lamenting about life.