Chapter 24. Reunion (1)
Under dazzling lights, a roulette table covered in red velvet sat at the center of the casino.
Jooheon sat in the middle of it, chuckling to himself.
He held a glass of whiskey in one hand while rolling chips between the fingers of the other.
“...Yeah. This one's mine.”
His sharp eyes looked as though he could see straight through the other players.
Sure enough...
Rattle!
The roulette wheel spun rapidly.
The smell of alcohol, laughter, and jeering filled the casino, but Jooheon didn't seem to hear any of it.
Because right now...
He had the roulette Artifact the Satyr had left behind.
Jooheon immediately pressed its button.
“Come on!”
“Madness!”
Majesty Yoo Jaeha snapped at him.
“No!”
“You should be hoping for Blessing, you idiot!”
But from Jooheon's perspective, Madness was better.
“It has a higher chance of appearing!”
He laughed loudly.
“Hahahaha!”
Jaeha stared at him in disbelief.
“If it lands on Madness, that could mean you go crazy because you win or because you lose!”
“Either one is possible!”
“The risk is way too high!”
And more importantly...
It could land on Ruin.
“I'm telling you, stop using that thing!”
Jooheon ignored him and stared at the roulette Artifact.
The needle spun around the circular board like a compass.
Past Madness.
Past Ruin.
Then just barely slipped by the next section...
Click.
It landed directly on [Blessing].
Cup-Ramen Jaeha immediately shouted.
[No way!]
[Isn't Blessing only a one-percent chance?!]
[It actually landed on it!]
Jooheon looked disappointed.
“Huh?”
“Why wasn't it Madness?”
Majesty Jaeha nearly screamed.
“What do you mean why?!”
“Blessing is better!”
Jooheon was just starting to wonder if that was true when an NPC dealer approached.
The dealer brought an extremely expensive bottle of premium liquor.
“This is a special service for our valued guest.”
The dealer poured it into Jooheon's glass.
Jooheon's forehead twitched.
“...Don't tell me this is the Blessing.”
He looked dissatisfied and reached for the Satyr's roulette Artifact again.
“Madness really would've been better.”
“That would've been more interesting.”
Majesty Jaeha practically screamed.
“STOP SPINNING IT!”
Then...
The moment Jooheon pressed the button again—
Creak.
A strange sound came from the Artifact.
The roulette needle began spinning once more.
Then, the moment it stopped—
CRACKLE!
The roulette board suddenly cracked.
At the same time...
An invisible force exploded outward.
BOOOOM!
The chair beneath Jooheon shattered first.
He was violently thrown aside.
CRASH!
The explosion destroyed the table and chairs in an instant.
Debris scattered everywhere.
Lights snapped loose.
Gamblers screamed.
Jooheon groaned and started pushing himself up.
Then—
“Drop.”
A voice came from outside the building.
BOOM!
The floor collapsed.
Jooheon plunged straight through the casino into the level below.
The voice carried the weight of a divine decree.
It sounded as though the very space around them was obeying an order.
BOOM!
A dark underground floor.
Jooheon had no choice but to be confused after being dropped through the building without warning.
He dragged himself out of the rubble and wiped blood from his face.
“...What the fuck was that?!”
He looked furious.
“I haven't even done anything yet!”
Majesty Yoo Jaeha stared at him.
“Yet?”
He pointed at the cracked roulette Artifact.
“You seriously said yet?”
The board now displayed—
[Ruin]
Jaeha grabbed his head.
“I told you to stop spinning it!”
“See?!”
“This is exactly what I warned you about!”
“No.”
Jooheon's eyes narrowed.
He was certain.
This wasn't happening because of the roulette.
It's an enemy.
Meanwhile...
High above the casino, on the rooftop of a skyscraper across the street...
A man in a black coat stood at the railing like a shadow.
The wind moved past him.
His glasses reflected a cold gleam.
Julian Miller.
He looked down at the casino without expression.
Then spoke.
“Article 4, Clause 3.”
His voice was calm.
“Whether intentional or accidental, anyone who violates the rules becomes subject to judgment.”
He raised one hand.
A golden magic circle unfolded in the air.
It looked like a living constitution given visible form.
Then...
“Violation confirmed.”
“Unauthorized Artifact use.”
“Evidence secured.”
“Suspect: Seo Jooheon.”
He continued in the tone of someone reading a legal document.
“Unauthorized individual used the <Wheel of Fate>.”
“Recorded forty-three seconds ago.”
“Therefore...”
Julian's eyes turned gold.
“Law Codex <Lex Dictum>, activate.”
[Target: Seo Jooheon]
[Effect: Immediate Drop.]
[Punishment in progress.]
At that same moment...
Jooheon had just gotten back onto his feet.
He dusted himself off and complained.
“Seriously.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“Who's attacking me?!”
Then...
His skin tingled.
There was no warning sound this time.
Only the sensation of every hair on his body standing on end.
BOOOOOOM!
A metallic spear dropped from above like precision artillery.
