Chapter 50
CHAPTER 50
Luck and Misfortune (1)
"...Shin Yi-jun?"
Instinctively, Ju-Heon looked at the corpse again.
Shin Yi-jun...? Was that this man's name?
His eyes narrowed.
There was no doubt about it.
The body before him was a corpse.
Just then, a familiar voice spoke.
"Why the hell is there suddenly a dead body?"
"What? This one's a suicide?"
"!"
At that moment—
[Identity Synchronization Complete.]
[Current Identity: Shin Yi-jun]
[Residence: Goshiwon]
The door opened.
A familiar face stepped inside.
It was Majesty Yu Jae-ha.
Pointing at the dead man, he said,
"What are you so shocked about? That man's your identity now."
Silence.
Ju-Heon quickly grasped the situation.
"Oh. So that's how it works."
Yu Jae-ha nodded knowingly.
"So this key... steals someone else's identity."
That was how it disguised its user as a legitimate citizen of that world.
At the same time, Ju-Heon picked up a sheet of paper lying on the floor.
It was a suicide note.
The handwriting was calm, carefully written in blue ink.
I can't do this anymore. No matter what I try, nothing works. I don't want to go to Murphy's City. Anywhere but there.
"This is the World of Fortune," Yu Jae-ha explained. "Murphy's City, on the other hand, is a slum where everyone who's run out of luck is forcibly relocated. It's basically an experimental city where only the 'unlucky bastards' are gathered together. Once you end up there, getting struck by lightning out of a clear sky and dying is considered normal."
Ju-Heon gave a crooked smile and crumpled the suicide note.
"Figures."
"The bastard Vitrain probably designed this city too."
His eyebrow twitched.
"An experimental city, huh? That Vitrain bastard really has rotten hobbies."
"...Murphy's City?"
Getting an identity was great...
But if the person whose identity he'd stolen was someone on the verge of being sent to Murphy's City...
[Remaining Luck: 0]
[Luck Points: 0]
Just as expected.
Resting his chin on one hand, Yu Jae-ha chuckled.
"That's a problem. Zero means everything goes wrong. Pick up a wallet, and you're accused of theft. An accident happens even when you never crossed the line. Ten times out of ten, only the absolute worst choices are left."
Looking down at the corpse, he continued,
"And you just stole the identity of someone like that."
"What? I thought using the key meant VIP treatment."
Well...
Avoiding the intruder-detection radar alone was already a huge advantage.
Yu Jae-ha shrugged.
"It's probably the Rulebook. It likely sucked up to another Majesty and had them use a misfortune-type relic to twist your fate."
Sure enough—
[You are permanently afflicted with Misfortune.]
[Curse inflicted by a Misfortune Relic.]
That Rulebook bastard...
"So it has no intention of letting you survive easily."
Ju-Heon couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
"That woman's luck is incredible, after all. So while we're in the City of Fortune, I'm going to make a killing. I'll earn enough for your share too."
"You say that like it's someone else's problem. You're not much better off than I am."
Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha sounded worried.
Majesty Yu Jae-ha simply tapped his chest confidently.
"There's a world of difference between us. The identity I stole belongs to the owner of this goshiwon. Looks like he was murdered... but he was loaded."
"Oh? Lend me some money."
"You think I would?"
[Captain, are you okay? At this point you're practically the King of Misfortune.]
Please. I survived right next to the King of Bankruptcy.
How unlucky could this possibly be?
Ju-Heon headed for the door.
Then—
Crunch!
Majesty Yu Jae-ha smiled.
It was the smile of someone proud to be a Majesty.
The smile of someone convinced—
"I'm different."
"...Huh?"
BANG!
The doorknob came clean off.
Yu Jae-ha stared blankly at it.
It hit the floor with a shower of sparks.
Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha shouted instinctively,
"...It just came off?"
That wasn't all.
[Captain! Your head! Your head!]
"!"
Crackle!
Bzzzzt!
Suddenly, sparks burst from the ceiling.
The fluorescent light flickered once.
Then twice.
A shower of sparks rained directly onto Ju-Heon's head.
The electrical wiring at his feet began exploding with sharp pops.
Within seconds, the tiny room filled with the smell of burning insulation.
Watching the scene, Majesty Yu Jae-ha let out a short laugh.
"...Damn, you've become ridiculously unlucky."
There wasn't a trace of concern.
Or tension.
To him, it was simply someone else's misfortune.
As expected, Majesty Yu Jae-ha casually turned toward the exit.
At that moment—
The corner of Ju-Heon's mouth slowly curled upward.
"Heh."
"I can't even take someone as unlucky as you with me. Just stay here quietly this round. At least you won't be causing chaos in the casino."
He laughed briefly before reaching for the door.
Clearly, he was already sick of dealing with Ju-Heon.
"Then take care of the place while I'm gone~"
Just then—
"No."
Ju-Heon frowned and raised his hand.
[Authority Activated.]
If it's the Hand of Redefinition... I can probably do something.
[...Captain?]
The air shifted strangely.
A moment later—
Ju-Heon hurled the detached doorknob he was holding.
THUD!
Knocked completely off balance, Yu Jae-ha crashed face-first onto the floor.
For a brief moment...
he was speechless.
"...What?"
And that was the signal.
Something was wrong.
"...Huh?"
"Why would I slip on perfectly flat ground?!"
Just as Majesty Yu Jae-ha was about to leave—
his feet suddenly slipped out from under him.
That wasn't all.
"Wait!"
"Argh!"
BANG!!
"Aaagh!"
People in the neighboring rooms tried to close their doors—
only to slam their fingers in the doorframes.
Then—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As if that weren't enough, the building's automatic fire sprinklers activated for no reason.
Crash!
"Aaagh!"
Cups and dishes shattered onto the floor from the room next door.
Freezing water poured down, instantly turning the floor into a slippery mess.
Crash! Bang!
The entire goshiwon erupted into screams.
"Why did the sprinklers go off?!"
"There isn't even a fire!"
"AAAAH!"
Before anyone could finish shouting, electricity sparked again as exposed wiring touched the pooled water.
This time, someone came tumbling down the stairs.
Then, without warning, the fluorescent lights throughout the building exploded.
BZZZT!
"AAAAH!"
Even after the power went out, the screaming didn't stop.
A window suddenly shattered,
and a shard of glass embedded itself just inches from Yu Jae-ha's face.
SMASH!!
He swallowed hard.
Finally collapsing onto the floor, he shouted,
"You! What the hell did you do?!"
Ju-Heon burst into laughter.
"What did I do?"
[Majesty Authority: SPAM Broadcast]
- Forces an irresistible amount of power onto the target, whether they want it or not.
- Cannot be blocked.
- Cannot refuse reception.
Ju-Heon had decided to make use of the permanent Misfortune affecting him.
Using the SPAM Authority.
[Authority Operation Method Changed.]
[Area-Wide Broadcast (SPAM)]
"From now on..."
"I'm not just an unlucky guy."
"I'm a walking disaster that spreads misfortune."
"What?!"
The moment Ju-Heon began walking down the goshiwon hallway—
the entire place descended into chaos.
Every light he passed exploded.
Cracks spread across the walls.
When I'm not using it, I can simply turn the broadcast off.
"Don't worry."
"If my luck's at rock bottom, I'll just steal everyone else's luck until the average balances out."
"What the hell...? He's basically walking nuclear waste!"
Wearing the Rulebook's curse like a medal of honor,
Ju-Heon walked out of the goshiwon.
The worst uninvited guest in history
had just stepped into the City of Fortune.
A man who literally delivered the disasters meant for himself directly to everyone around him.
Seeing that horrifying ability firsthand, Majesty Yu Jae-ha turned pale.
"Hey! Tone it down— AAGH!"
Ignoring Yu Jae-ha's screams, Ju-Heon leisurely strolled toward the dazzling casino district.
As Yu Jae-ha continued yelling behind him, Ju-Heon casually spun the Majesty Ring on his finger.
"Good equipment really does make all the difference. Starting from the very beginning."
Yu Jae-ha stared at him in disbelief.
"Good equipment? Starting advantage?"
Nearby—
cards flipped over.
The winner's eyes flashed as knowledge was stolen directly from the loser.
But what truly caught Ju-Heon's attention lay beyond that.
It wasn't a relic auction house.
It was a Relic Casino.
Displayed on the tables weren't antiques for sale—
they were relics people were actively using.
Absurd as it was,
this was the City of Gambling.
Cross a single street,
and the stakes changed three different times.
"Next round. If you lose, ownership of the Relic of the Sun will be transferred."
At one table, people wagered their lifespans.
Inside glass capsules, glowing lifelines ticked away like the hands of a clock.
The instant one player lost,
their hair turned completely white,
and they screamed in despair.
Elsewhere,
people stacked memories as poker chips.
The dealer made an announcement.
A golden shield landed on the table.
"That's at least B-Rank."
"No. If its core's intact, it's A-Rank."
"One patent's worth of knowledge."
"Two sets of combat experience."
Everyone held their breath.
Relics piled up like gambling chips.
Rings.
Swords.
Hearts.
Contracts.
Each time someone lost ownership of a relic,
the very atmosphere around them changed.
Yet amidst all of it—
someone looked as though he was having the time of his life.
"Don't even think about touching those."
"This isn't just a city where Majesties live."
"What? I heard you already. It's ruled by that Queen of Fortune or whatever."
"...Ha."
"Wow."
Yu Jae-ha, now wrapped in bandages after repeatedly falling victim to Ju-Heon's misfortune aura, let out a weary sigh.
He slowly inhaled.
The city's scent filled his lungs.
Sweat.
Greed.
And the air of people moments away from losing everything.
"I told you."
"One of the Twelve Executors rules this city."
Ju-Heon's eyebrow rose slightly.
"Isn't that perfect?"
"They're openly handing out relics like this?"
"It's a golden opportunity for bartering."
"Yeah."
"The errand boys of the highest-grade relics from the Four Great Civilizations."
Just then,
a low voice spoke from behind them.
Yu Jae-ha continued,
"That's right. No matter what happens, the Majesty ruling this city profits. So unless you want to lose even your soul, just behave yourse—"
"...Huh?"
"Where the hell did that bastard go?!"
Ju-Heon...
had already disappeared.
A bad feeling settled over Majesty Yu Jae-ha.
Normally, he might not have worried.
But now—
"With that misfortune surrounding him..."
"Where the hell did he wander off to?!"