Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
Leaving It to Luck (1)
"Don't tell me..."
"...You're Majesty-class?"
Then, as if arriving at a conclusion, she muttered under her breath.
"So that's it..."
The elite officer's face turned deathly pale, and Ju-Heon grinned.
"No..."
"Wait..."
"Are you a Broker?"
"Looks like you're familiar with this."
"Where did you get that?!"
Ju-Heon raised an eyebrow.
"A Broker?"
"What's that?"
He casually flipped the coin between his fingers.
Instead of answering, the elite officer ground her teeth.
"Oh?"
"So this really is something Majesties use for gambling."
Her expression hardened.
"Recently, inferior copies of the Death Match Coin used by Majesties have spread among civilians and caused chaos."
"So it was all your doing!"
Ju-Heon snorted and shook his head.
"Hah."
"Sounds like there are some real scumbags out there."
"But it wasn't me."
"I just happened to pick this up."
He balanced the coin on his fingertip, spinning it effortlessly.
It bore the image of Fortuna.
Fortuna, the Roman Goddess of Fortune—the very origin of the word fortune in fortune cookie.
Using this coin as a foundation, the Majesty of Gambling had created an entirely new set of game rules.
The result was the forbidden artifact known as the Death Match Coin—
An artifact capable of wagering even an entire worldline.
And now...
He intended to use it?
Just as expected—
"So."
"Pick."
"Heads or tails."
"You're insane...!"
"The Death Match Coin was originally created for Majesties to wager high-grade artifacts or even entire worldlines in battle!"
"Just as its name implies..."
"The loser can lose their entire world!"
The elite officer's face twisted in horror.
Looking at the coin as though it were a cursed object, she shouted,
"You're telling me... to choose?!"
That was Fortuna's Coin—
The coin of the Roman Goddess of Fortune.
"It possesses that much power."
"Destroying a single person's life is nothing."
"Entire nations..."
"Entire civilizations..."
"They've all been overturned because of it!"
Ju-Heon looked completely unimpressed.
"Yeah, sure."
"But the inferior version can't go that far, can it?"
"So choose."
"Heads or tails."
"Don't tell me an artifact user doesn't even have that much courage."
The elite officer's face stiffened.
"...That's..."
"...Fine."
"The inferior version can't wager entire worlds."
"But ruining someone's life..."
"Or taking their life..."
"That's more than possible."
She laughed bitterly.
Right.
It's only the inferior version.
There's nothing to fear.
If I lose, he's the one taking the risk.
If I win, I profit.
"...Heads."
Ju-Heon whistled as he tossed the coin high into the air.
Then he opened his hand.
"Good enough."
"I bet my life every single day anyway."
[Result: Tails]
At that instant—
CRACK!
The Hero-grade artifact hanging from the elite officer's waist split apart.
BOOM!
It exploded into countless fragments.
Her eyes widened in utter disbelief.
How...?!
Why is that coin here...?
No.
That wasn't the important part.
Cold terror crawled down her spine.
Then Ju-Heon's voice rang out once more.
"...Impossible."
"With nothing but luck..."
"You destroyed a Hero-grade artifact?"
Something clicked inside her mind.
Her pupils shook violently.
"Well."
"We tied."
"Let's go again."
She shouted instinctively.
"That..."
"That isn't an inferior copy...!"
"W-We tied?!"
"I lost!"
"Just stop already...!"
Her mind went completely blank.
Ju-Heon merely shrugged.
That's the genuine Death Match Coin...
The one real Majesties use...!
"No?"
"I didn't gain anything."
"So it's a draw."
"Let's do another round."
"What kind of logic is that?!"
Crackle!
Blood rushed to the elite officer's head as rage boiled over.
Ju-Heon's aura shimmered.
[Madness Gauge: 99 / 100]
[Madness is being unleashed.]
[Madness is spreading.]
[Opponent's Sanity Gauge is decreasing.]
"This..."
"If that's the original coin..."
"Losing won't end with simple ruin!"
"It'll be dangerous for you too—"
"Oh?"
"If it's the original..."
"Then it must be worth even more."
This lunatic...!
That's all you have to say when the world could be destroyed?!
"W-What?!"
"Anyway..."
"I have no intention of playing your stupid game..."
But then—
The elite officer's eyes flew open as she staggered backward.
Her body was no longer obeying her.
Madness surged through her.
At the same time, her Sanity Gauge plummeted at an alarming speed.
The proof was right before her eyes—
Her own hand was reaching toward the coin against her will.
Damn it!
Cold sweat streamed down her face.
Without even noticing her trembling fingers—
Flip.
She tossed the coin high into the sky.
Reflecting the crimson neon lights, it spun over and over through the air.
Madness was contagious.
Just as zombies infected others...
Madness could erode another person's sanity.
The method was simple.
All you had to do...
...was genuinely wish to drag someone into your madness with you.
Of course, doing so required an overwhelmingly high Madness stat.
Unlike Sanity, Madness was almost impossible to control.
It was like expecting a drug addict to perfectly control themselves.
Meanwhile...
Ju-Heon casually placed the coin back onto the woman's palm.
A wicked smile spread across his face.
No...
I can't...
I mustn't throw it...!
Tap.
Ju-Heon caught the coin.
At that moment, his voice cut into her mind like a blade splitting open her thoughts.
"So."
"Heads or tails?"
"What are you so afraid of?"
"You just throw it and pick one side."
Madness and playful amusement shone together in his eyes.
His gaze devoured the elite officer—and only her.
Her heart pounded violently.
This was no longer just a game.
She was already being swallowed by this man's madness.
Crack.
"Y-You..."
"You crazy bastard..."
"!"
Finally, gritting her teeth, the elite officer answered through a strained voice.
One strand of the rope artifact unraveled.
"...Heads."
[Aah! A strand came loose! It came loose!]
The hand opened.
The result...
The elite officer had won.
The rope artifact drooped sadly.
Seeing that, her face lit up.
[Result: Elite Officer Wins]
[Penalty Applied to Seo Ju-Heon]
[One possessed artifact will be destroyed.]
"...Good."
She hadn't dealt him a fatal loss.
Still...
She had won.
The game was over.
Feeling the tension leave her body, she let out a deep breath.
"Now..."
"This should be enough."
"The game's over."
"You lost."
But then—
Her face suddenly turned pale.
"W-What?"
Crackle!
Ju-Heon's eyes slowly curved into a smile.
His trembling lips gradually lifted.
"...Done?"
[Madness is being unleashed.]
[Madness is spreading.]
[Opponent's Sanity Gauge is decreasing.]
His voice was low...
Almost eerie.
Then, as though making an absurd joke, he spoke.
An invisible pressure spread through the air.
The elite officer felt her consciousness sway.
It was as if her sanity itself were being sliced away.
"Damn it...!"
Without realizing it—
Her hand reached toward the coin again.
Ju-Heon casually placed the coin back onto the back of her hand with a playful tap.
Then he smiled.
"Go ahead."
"Throw it again."
The elite officer screamed,
"This will never end!"
She bit her lip until it bled.
"Whether you win or lose..."
"You're never satisfied!"
"How long are you planning to keep doing this?!"
Ju-Heon answered with eyes overflowing with madness.
"Until I'm having enough fun because I've made a profit."
Cold sweat poured down her back.
This...
This lunatic...!!
Making someone toss the Death Match Coin over and over again?
Until they were completely ruined...
Until he was satisfied...
This wasn't gambling.
It was a living nightmare.
Her vision distorted.
The air twisted.
Everyone's faces blurred.
The coin flashed once again as it spun through the sky.
She clenched her teeth.
No...
If I lose again...
My life...
Everything...!
[Sanity Gauge: 21 → 15 → 9]
But the instant the coin landed—
"No..."
"I have to stop...!"
[Result: Invalid]
Yet...
Her fingers had already grasped the coin once more.
Even when she didn't want to throw it...
She was forced to.
Ju-Heon's madness wrapped itself around her like chains,
forcing her to raise the coin high like a puppet on strings.
"...!"
Her pupils shook briefly.
Ju-Heon's grin only widened.
"Hah."
"Invalid?"
"That just makes it even more interesting."
She was at the very brink of becoming an NPC.
Ju-Heon's eyes flashed again.
"Good."
"The game's over."
"...?!"
[Madness is spreading.]
[Opponent's Sanity Gauge is rapidly decreasing.]
[Sanity Gauge: 9 → 4 → 1]
After making that declaration, Ju-Heon glanced toward Majesty Yu Jae-ha.
Fwoosh!
The umbrella opened wide.
<Noah's Ark> activated once more, drenching the elite officer in rain.
As the rain fell over her—
Her Sanity Gauge rose ever so slightly.
The elite officer's eyes became vacant.
[Sanity Gauge +5]
"No..."
"At this rate..."
"I'll become... an NPC..."
"...Ugh..."
Her trembling lips stiffened like machinery.
All expression disappeared from her face.
Deep within her eyes,
the image of a wine goblet slowly spread.
Still...
The tiny increase in her Sanity Gauge allowed her eyes to tremble ever so slightly.
A faint spark of humanity still remained.
She was barely suspended between madness and sanity.
At last—
The elite officer let out a humiliated groan and dropped to one knee.
But then—
Ju-Heon frowned for some reason.
Watching Yu Jae-ha continue holding the umbrella over her, he grumbled,
"You idiot."
"Close the umbrella."
"How much higher are you planning to raise her Sanity Gauge?"
Is...
Am I going to become this man's slave now?
Is he going to sell me off?
Then—
Ju-Heon said something she had never expected.