Chapter 20. Leave It to Luck (1)
The elite officer's face went pale.
Jooheon grinned.
“Looks like you're familiar with this thing.”
“Where did you get that?!”
Jooheon playfully flicked the coin with his thumb.
“Oh?”
“So this really is something Majesties use for gambling?”
The elite officer's expression stiffened.
“Don't tell me...”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Are you actually Majesty-level?”
Then she seemed to reach a different conclusion.
“No.”
She muttered under her breath.
“Don't tell me you're a Broker.”
Jooheon raised an eyebrow.
“Broker?”
“What's that?”
Instead of answering, the officer ground her teeth.
“Recently, degraded versions of the 'Death Match Coin' used by Majesties have been spreading among ordinary citizens.”
“It caused chaos everywhere.”
Her eyes sharpened.
“So all of that was your doing!”
Jooheon laughed and shook his head.
“Ha.”
“I don't know what you're talking about, but sounds like there are some nasty people around.”
He rolled the coin across his fingers.
“Wasn't me.”
“I just happened to pick this up.”
Then he smiled.
“So choose.”
“Heads or tails?”
The officer's face twisted in horror.
Choose?
That was Fortuna's Coin.
A gold coin engraved with Fortuna, the Roman Goddess of Fortune.
Her name was so deeply tied to luck that even the word fortune itself came from her.
But a Majesty specializing in gambling had used that coin as the basis for a new game system.
As a result, a forbidden Artifact had been born.
The Death Match Coin.
An Artifact powerful enough to wager even entire worldlines.
And this lunatic wanted to use it?
The officer shouted.
“Are you insane?!”
“The Death Match Coin is normally used when Majesties wager high-level Artifacts or even entire worldlines!”
She stared at it like it was a monster.
“Literally speaking, the loser can lose their entire world!”
“Its power is so extreme that destroying one person's life is nothing.”
“It can overturn entire nations and civilizations!”
Jooheon casually dusted off his coat.
“Sure.”
He looked bored.
“But this degraded version isn't that powerful, right?”
The officer froze.
“...Well... yes.”
“The degraded version can't wager an entire worldline.”
She swallowed.
“But it can still destroy a person's life or take their life.”
Jooheon whistled.
Then tossed the coin high.
“That's fine.”
He smiled.
“I gamble with my life every day anyway.”
The coin landed on the back of his hand.
He covered it.
Then gave her a wicked smile.
“Choose.”
“Heads or tails?”
His eyes narrowed.
“You're an Artifact User.”
“Don't tell me you don't even have enough guts for that.”
The elite officer gave a hollow laugh.
Right.
It was only a degraded version.
There was no reason to be afraid.
If she lost, he would suffer.
If she won, she gained something.
“...Heads!”
Jooheon opened his hand.
[Result: Tails.]
CRACK!
The Hero-Grade Artifact hanging from the officer's waist suddenly split.
Then...
BOOM!
It shattered apart.
Her eyes widened in horror.
“Impossible...!”
“It destroyed a Hero-Grade Artifact purely through luck?!”
Then realization struck.
Her pupils trembled.
That isn't a degraded version.
Her mind went blank.
That's the real Death Match Coin Majesties use.
But why was it here?
No.
That wasn't even the important part.
Fear ran down her spine.
Then Jooheon's voice rang out again, low and clear.
“Good.”
“We tied.”
“Again.”
The elite officer shouted reflexively.
“Tied?!”
“I lost!”
“That's enough—”
Jooheon shrugged.
“No.”
He looked bored.
“I didn't gain anything.”
“So it's a tie.”
“Again.”
“What kind of logic is that?!”
Blood rushed to her head.
Her anger flared.
“That might be the original coin!”
“If that's true, losing won't end with simple misfortune!”
“It'll be dangerous for you too—”
Jooheon's eyes lit up.
“Oh?”
“If it's the original, it's worth more?”
The officer stared.
This lunatic...
The world could collapse and that's what he cared about?
“Anyway, I'm not playing this game anymore—”
Then...
Crackle.
Jooheon's aura rippled through the air.
[Madness Gauge: 99/100.]
[Madness activated.]
[Madness is spreading.]
[Opponent's Reason Gauge decreases.]
“W-What?!”
The elite officer's eyes widened.
She stepped backward.
Her body was reacting on its own.
Her Madness Gauge rose.
At the same time...
Her Reason Gauge dropped terrifyingly fast.
Her hand moved toward the coin without her permission.
Damn it!
Madness could infect another person's sanity like a zombie spreading its condition.
The method itself was simple.
All the user had to do was genuinely think:
Let's get drunk together.
But that only worked if one's Madness Gauge was extremely high.
And unlike Reason, Madness was difficult to control.
It was like expecting a drug addict to calmly control their addiction.
But Jooheon...
Jooheon casually placed the coin into the woman's palm.
His lips curled upward.
“Why are you so scared?”
“It's simple.”
“Toss it.”
