Chapter 53. Fortune and Misfortune (4)
[Lifespan]
The dealer cautiously asked about the words written on the check.
"...Do you mean your own lifespan, sir?"
Jooheon shook his head.
"No."
Then he gave a short laugh.
"Lifespan that can be given to anyone. Basically, spare lives."
"...Spare... lives?"
The dealer's fingertips stiffened.
Reserve lifespan.
In other words, a transferable resource that could be used to sustain life.
That wasn't ordinary lifespan.
It was a form of currency handled almost exclusively by Majesties, used in wars, contracts, experiments, resurrections, and other extraordinary circumstances.
He actually dares to ask for that...?
For the first time, the dealer found Jooheon completely incomprehensible.
More importantly, lifespan was the most valuable currency in this city.
It was a lifeline.
Lifespan that could be transferred to someone else was no different from a miraculous elixir capable of altering causality.
Why on earth would this man want to collect something like that?
Was he trying to become some kind of savior?
Jooheon didn't explain.
Instead, he tapped the table.
"Oh, right."
"This time, let's play whichever game you're best at."
It was an obvious provocation.
The dealer gritted his teeth.
I'll show you the difference in our abilities.
No matter how confident you are, you can't overcome Majesty's blessing.
The game he was most confident in was Three Cups of Destiny.
It was a simple game in which a marble was placed beneath one of three cups before they were shuffled.
However, a thin bracelet of Fortune was wrapped around the dealer's wrist.
It had been bestowed upon him by this world's Majesty, Xiao Meiling, the Queen of Fortune.
At last, the dealer began shuffling the cups at a speed the naked eye could barely follow.
There. It's over.
The marble is on the right.
The dealer stopped the cups with a triumphant smile.
But the moment he set them down...
He saw a bizarre illusion.
For an instant, it looked as though the marble had been sucked into the left cup instead of the right.
Huh?
The dealer became confused.
Did the marble move over there?
No. I definitely put it beneath the right cup.
Then he swallowed.
...But what if I'm wrong?
His heart sank.
If I make an illegal move in front of Her Majesty, she'll kill me!
Cold sweat ran down his face.
He tried to recover the situation.
He needed to check where the marble was.
But that decision was his fatal mistake.
Tap.
"......!"
His hand suddenly spasmed, knocking over one of the cups.
Worse still, the spare marble hidden inside his sleeve slipped out.
He always kept it there so he could manipulate the game whenever necessary.
But why had it fallen out now?!
The dealer turned deathly pale.
Silence descended over the casino as though someone had poured cold water over the entire room.
"Hey, Dealer."
Jooheon smiled wickedly and caught the rolling marble with one finger.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"There's one marble inside the cup and another on the back of your hand."
He held it up.
"You've got two marbles."
"N-No! This is... I was just trying to correct the situation...!"
"Correct what?"
"Your cheating?"
Jooheon sneered.
"Are all the dealers here like this?"
"If you don't have the skill, you should at least have better sleight of hand."
"You're practically throwing the evidence in my face."
BEEEEEP!!!
[Interference detected.]
The system governing the World of Fortune activated.
The moment the alarm sounded, the dealer's expression froze.
According to the rules, the person who interfered with the game automatically lost.
[Dealer has committed a foul.]
[According to the rules, the dealer must pay 200 years of concentrated lifespan.]
"No!"
"I wasn't trying to cheat!"
The dealer's desperate shout echoed through the casino.
Jooheon looked at him calmly.
"But you did cheat."
Those words settled everything.
The dealer was dragged away before he could offer another excuse.
Only the lingering terror of what had happened remained at the table.
After a while, Majesty Yoo Jaeha muttered quietly:
"At this point... I'm starting to feel a little sorry for the dealers."
Since Jaeha knew exactly why Jooheon kept winning, the whole spectacle was terrifying to watch.
This latest incident had undoubtedly been caused by the power of misfortune too.
But Jooheon had absolutely no intention of stopping.
"All right."
"Bring out the next dealer."
The casino immediately erupted in murmurs.
"The next one?"
"He's still going?"
"Is this guy insane...?"
Unease spread among the dealers.
None of them wanted to approach the central table.
But after exchanging looks, they eventually made a decision.
As proof, another Artifact was placed on the table.
It resembled an incense burner.
Merely looking at it made it difficult to concentrate and seemed to slow down one's thoughts.
It was the kind of Artifact that tormented its target, clouded their judgment, and pushed them toward their own destruction.
The new dealer spoke.
"This time, let's play a game in which the player can directly participate."
Jooheon smiled.
"Oh?"
"Losing your confidence already?"
The dealer chuckled.
"...Of course not."
"We simply thought you might be getting bored, so we're giving you an opportunity to participate."
He wouldn't be smiling for much longer.
The Artifact he had just placed on the table was designed to impair the opponent's judgment.
The dealer continued.
"So, what would you like to win this time?"
"More Fortune?"
Jooheon didn't hesitate.
"This entire City of Fortune."
The casino erupted.
"He's insane!"
"That's impossible!"
Even the dealer couldn't hide his shock.
"...That..."
His voice cracked.
"...That's not something that can be offered as a wager!"
"The rules."
Jooheon interrupted him.
"Where does it say that?"
He raised his index finger.
"Because I'm pretty sure the sign here says something quite different."
Jooheon chuckled and recited the words clearly.
"No money? No problem. Wager anything."
All the color drained from the dealer's face.
It felt as though the God of Misfortune had descended upon the City of Fortune.
"...That..."
His throat tightened.
"...That's beyond my authority. Please...!"
Jooheon smirked.
"Then call someone who has the authority."
"!"
"This isn't a game that can end with you."
Jooheon's arrogant demand froze the entire casino.
The dealer could only open and close his mouth, unable to find an answer.
He retreated several steps.
Daring to summon the queen...
This was no longer ordinary gambling.
It was a declaration of war.
Then—
A golden elevator slowly descended from the ceiling with a strange mechanical hum.
Its doors opened.
An elderly gentleman stepped out, wearing a neat tailcoat and a monocle.
He walked with the assistance of a cane.
Every time he took a step, the smoke rising from the Artifacts on the tables parted as though obeying him.
"My, my. It seems we have a most distinguished guest."
"The stakes are far too great for one of our ordinary dealers to handle."
"Manager!"
The old gentleman, whom the others called Basil, bowed politely to Jooheon.
But his eyes were as cold as ice.
He was the acting administrator personally appointed by Xiao Meiling.
"You're the manager?"
"Indeed."
"Her Majesty does not personally involve herself in such trivial disturbances."
"However..."
Basil lightly tapped the floor with his cane.
An elaborate magic circle appeared around Jooheon's table.
"Did you really think we would simply let the rookie Majesty who disrupted Lord Betrayne's plans walk away?"
"!"
Apparently, their identities had been exposed.
Sure enough—
[Warning: Your Fortune is gradually decreasing.]
[Opponent is using an Artifact of the Beggar God.]
Jooheon rested his chin on his hand.
An Artifact, huh?
Apparently, it was a debuff that reduced Fortune.
But a Beggar God who quietly lowered someone's luck was nothing compared to being hit by Irene's bankruptcy power.
Basil spoke confidently.
"If you wish to wager an entire world, very well."
"Try bankrupting me."
"If you win, I'll give you a five-percent share of this worldline."
Jooheon leaned back in his chair with a wicked smile.
"Five percent, huh?"
"Splitting things up and selling them in pieces isn't really my style."
"This is the world of one of the Twelve Executors. Even a five-percent share would give you considerable bargaining power when negotiating with other Majesties."
"Fine."
Jooheon nodded.
"That's enough for an appetizer."
He still hadn't taken out the Declaration of Plunder Right he had received from Rulebook.
Using such a valuable card on a mere representative would be a waste.
Instead, he casually tossed Sisyphus's Artifact onto the table.
That would prevent Basil from running away halfway through.
"So what's the game?"
The elderly gentleman smiled.
"Don't you find numbers produced by machines rather dull?"
"Fortune is the most valuable thing in this city."
He adjusted his monocle.
"So why don't we bet on the people who possess it?"
"?"
Instead of elaborating, Basil activated an Artifact.
[Odysseus's Journey Home (S-Grade Artifact)]
The floor at the center of the casino split apart.
A gigantic circular arena rose from beneath it.
Inside was a maze-like road that seemed to stretch endlessly.
There were countless branching paths, and the terrain was constantly changing.
Five men and women were dragged onto the arena.
They were ‘human racehorses’ who had gone bankrupt in the casino and mortgaged their lifespans.
Basil chuckled.
"You know Odysseus, the hero of Greek mythology, don't you?"
He pointed his cane toward the track.
"He won the war, yet it took him ten years of wandering before he finally returned home."
In other words, this was an extraordinarily difficult maze.
"In practice, explosives are attached to the contestants' ankles, and random disasters strike throughout the track."
"The game is simple. Whoever correctly predicts the first contestant to reach the finish line wins."
Basil smiled.
"Of course, most contestants die before they ever get to see their ‘home.’"
"So you want to bet on human horse racing?"
"It's one of Her Majesty's favorite games."
"Direct interference is permitted in this game."
"You may grant Fortune to your chosen horse."
"You may even use every Fortune-enhancing Artifact in your possession."
"Wouldn't that give your side an overwhelming advantage, considering how many Artifacts you have?"
"Naturally, the competition must be fair."
Basil smiled.
"I'll give you something even better than an Artifact."
He waved his cane.
Five colored buttons appeared in front of both Basil and Jooheon.
"Pressing one of these buttons will grant a powerful increase in Fortune to the corresponding horse."
"However, the price is the player's lifespan."
"Each press costs one year."
He added with a wicked smile:
"But you have an excellent joint guarantor who can pay that lifespan on your behalf, don't you?"
Majesty Yoo Jaeha went pale.
You bastard!
Why would you tell him that?!
He's going to go completely berserk!
Sure enough...
Jooheon was already grinning as he held the buttons.
Jaeha looked him in the eye and forced a rare, friendly smile.
"You're not going to do that, right?"
"We're comrades, after all."
But Jooheon's smile only grew wider.
Sweat gathered on Jaeha's face.
"...Right?"
Jooheon's grin became positively sinister.
"As long as we win, what's the problem?"
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Jooheon began pressing the buttons mercilessly.
Majesty Yoo Jaeha's expression was priceless.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
The elderly gentleman made a serious observation.
"The game hasn't even started yet, sir."
Jooheon laughed.
"That's what he says. Why are you getting so scared?"
Fuck...
(To be continued.)
