Chapter 65
Claire couldn't take her eyes off what had just happened.
Her hand trembled around her fan.
"H-How...?"
This game had been fought with nothing but their own hands.
No abilities.
No Traits.
That was why she'd been certain she couldn't lose to anyone.
That was how it should have been.
How did he do it?
He hadn't cheated.
She knew that much because she'd watched him the entire time.
Had he possessed some technique so refined that even she couldn't detect it?
No.
She could confidently say that wasn't the case either.
Then had he somehow escaped the bracelet's restrictions from the beginning?
That was the most plausible explanation she could think of.
"You look rather shaken."
Suhyeok looked at her calmly.
"Is it because this is your first defeat?"
Crack!
[The Restriction Bracelet's durability has reached 0 and it has been destroyed.]
[The user's restricted stats and Traits have returned to normal.]
Clack.
Suhyeok placed the cracked bracelet on the table.
Claire's suspicion hardened into certainty.
She had been played.
Her entire body trembled.
Crack!
She snapped her fan in half and threw it to the floor.
Then she shot to her feet.
"This was cheating!!"
Her voice rang throughout the room.
"How could you possibly do that without using an ability?! No. Impossible! You must've used some kind of trick!"
"You're right."
Suhyeok answered without hesitation.
"I cheated."
Claire froze.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"Is that a problem?"
"Hah! How dare you be so shameless-"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Something suddenly seemed to occur to her.
Her shoulders twitched.
The word no way was practically written across her face.
"I never broke our agreement."
Suhyeok tapped the broken bracelet.
"Just as you wanted, I restricted myself so that I couldn't use my own abilities or Traits."
He leaned back slightly.
"That means every other method was fair game, doesn't it?"
"...!!"
No restriction was perfect.
There was always a gap somewhere.
The rules of the game had been clear.
His Traits and abilities would be sealed.
That was why he'd thought of Leon.
The Hidden Shop wasn't Suhyeok's personal ability.
It was an authority belonging to a Lower Administrator.
Of course, he still couldn't receive help from the three people standing behind him.
If I'd done that, Claire and everyone else would've noticed immediately.
Leon puffed out his chest proudly, clearly waiting to be praised.
Beside him, Seong-a had appeared at some point and was clapping enthusiastically.
Suhyeok glanced toward the chat.
Wow, he fooled us perfectly lol
Surely there weren't actually idiots who bet on ‘Defeat,’ right? lol
FUCK MY COINS!!!!!!!
Weren't you supposed to lose?! Why the hell did you win?!
Tsk, tsk. Should've bet on the underdog. Inferior creatures.
Under...dog?
(staring at his now-worthless betting slip) W-Why...? Why are my Coins...?
Old man ;;
[The betting event has ended.]
[Constellations who bet on ‘Victory’ will receive their winnings.]
[Total wagered amount: 15,000,000 Coins.]
[10% commission is paid to ‘Player Lee Suhyeok’.]
[You have obtained 1,500,000 Coins.]
A few Constellations complained, but their voices were quickly drowned out by the overall excitement.
Leon and Seong-a hugged each other in celebration.
[ We're rich, nya! Rich! Puhahaha! A Churu swimming pool is within reach now, nya!! ]
"Yaaay!"
I've gotten everything I can from here.
All that's left is finding the source of the drugs.
Then numerous footsteps echoed around him.
Before long, men dressed entirely in black surrounded the area.
Claire stepped away from the table naturally.
"At this point, I suppose I can't make myself look much more pathetic."
Hatred filled her gaze as she looked at Suhyeok.
"I don't know what kind of trick you used, but..."
"You will not leave this place alive."
Half-beasts closed in around them, preparing to attack.
Claire's laughter filled the room as though Suhyeok no longer had any hope of escape.
But it didn't last long.
Thud.
"Hyungnim, we're finished over here."
Taesu dusted off his hands.
"I hit them a few times and they just dropped. It ended rather anticlimactically."
"We're done too."
Yumi looked around.
"They weren't nearly as impressive as they looked. They were just big and slow."
She glanced aside.
"Hyuna's coming back too."
Employees lay scattered across the floor.
The tendons in their arms or legs had been severed.
Hyuna walked over while wiping blood from her dagger.
"It took a little longer because I was trying not to kill them."
She looked toward Suhyeok.
"This side's finished too, Mister."
Suhyeok slowly stood.
Claire backed away while trembling.
She only managed a few steps before collapsing onto the floor.
"...W-Why won't these damn legs move...?!"
Suhyeok walked right up to her.
Her body had already frozen stiff with fear.
He put on the Anubis Mask.
Claire's face turned completely pale.
"L-Lee Suhyeok...."
Her eyes shook.
"I-I never imagined it would be you."
She couldn't accept the death approaching her.
Suhyeok slowly drew his sword and raised it above her head.
"Now then."
His voice was cold.
"It's time for you to pay the price of our wager."
Whoosh.
"Hoo! All done!"
Taesu stretched his back.
"We threw the others outside and only brought the important one in, Hyungnim."
Claire was unconscious and tied to a chair.
Taesu looked at her.
"Ugh. Hyungnim, how are we supposed to question her when she's unconscious like this?"
He frowned.
"She's even foaming at the mouth. It'll probably take her quite a while to wake up...."
"Should I wake her up by force?"
Yumi raised one finger.
Crackle!
Electricity danced over it.
"If I shock her a few times, she'll probably wake up on her own."
Taesu immediately paled and hurried to stop her.
Then Hyuna approached Suhyeok carrying several tools.
"We could torture her instead."
She began laying them out.
"I learned a little about it on the 20th floor."
Some of the tools made their intended purpose obvious at a glance.
Others were impossible to even guess.
