Chapter 52
CHAPTER 52
Luck and Misfortune (3)
Ju-heon's cold voice froze the entire casino.
The dealer's hand stopped in midair.
"...What?"
The smile vanished from the dealer's face. A beat later, the entire casino reacted.
"Seriously?"
"Wait, don't tell me you're asking for another game?!"
Even the dealer looked visibly flustered.
"But... you've already accepted your winnings. By convention, the game ends here—"
"Convention? Keep your house rules to yourselves. Now the real game begins. Let's raise the stakes."
"No matter what, someone who has already won can't immediately play again—"
"Then we'll just make it an uninterrupted streak!"
Ju-heon chuckled as he picked up the freshly acquired guarantee seal.
"My opponent is this guy."
"What?!"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha's eyes widened.
Ju-heon simply grinned, as though this had been his plan from the very beginning.
"Didn't they say this place allows consecutive games? You know, me, you, me, you, one after another?"
Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his long legs. He tapped the guarantee seal against the table with his fingertips.
"The last round was just the warm-up."
The dealer's eyes twitched.
"The real match starts now."
Every gaze turned toward Yu Jae-ha.
"..."
Majesty Yu Jae-ha slowly raised his head.
"...Hey. Don't tell me you're seriously planning to use me..."
Ju-heon smiled.
"You're the wager from now on."
"Is that even allowed?!"
"Is he serious?"
Even the dealer looked dumbfounded. It seemed an even crazier gambler than expected had walked into the casino.
"I should warn you. Going any further will be dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
Ju-heon laughed.
"This city's dangerous by nature."
Then he smirked.
"That's what makes it fun."
"Hmph. You got lucky once and now you're getting carried away."
The dealer asked,
"What would you like to use as the wager this time?"
The entire casino fell silent.
Ju-heon thought for a moment before lightly tapping the table with his finger.
"Let's keep it simple this time."
The dealer swallowed hard.
"...What do you mean?"
That single sentence stirred the entire casino.
"Ooh! Here we go!"
"Yeah! Now we're talking!"
The dealer let out a faint chuckle.
So he's finally showing his true colors.
"What kind of relic would you like?"
This city had no shortage of relics that increased luck—charms, dice, cards, probability amplifiers. Simply changing the category could produce countless similar items.
Even if he demanded a high-grade relic, there were ways around it: relics with great reputations but poor usability, items burdened with countless conditions and defects.
The same was true even for Majesty relics. The stronger the authority they possessed, the more restricted their users became, and the greater the price required to wield them.
He's walking straight into a trap.
The moment he asked for a relic, he'd already made a foolish choice.
Go ahead. Let's hear what relic you want.
That was what the dealer thought.
But Ju-heon answered casually.
"I want relics that other Majesties pawned in this city."
The casino reacted a beat late.
"...Pawned?"
"By Majesties?"
Relics that Majesties themselves had used as collateral.
Those weren't ordinary relics.
For the first time, the dealer's expression stiffened.
This man... he didn't say that without thinking.
Normally, if someone requested a relic, the house would bring out substitutes with similar effects but lower quality.
If they asked for something of higher grade, they'd receive flashy-looking junk riddled with drawbacks.
But pawned relics were different.
First, they were items personally accepted by the Queen of Fortune herself. Their value had already been verified beyond question.
Second, once pawned, ownership had already been forfeited. Their original owners could no longer reclaim them, and any resistance from the relics' authorities had already been stripped away.
Third, the Queen of Fortune didn't simply throw those relics into storage. She carefully refined and maintained them.
In other words, they had already been tamed into relics that anyone could safely wield without danger.
The dealer's throat went dry.
"...Those... are truly kept in our vault."
His voice barely escaped.
Ju-heon smiled.
"Exactly. They're high-quality, ownership's completely clean, and the maintenance has already been taken care of."
He tapped the table with a finger.
"And most importantly..."
Looking the dealer straight in the eye, he said,
"You won't have any room to cheat."
That single sentence made the dealer fully understand.
This man hadn't simply chosen a relic.
He had specified a category that forced the casino to produce genuine, top-quality relics.
The dealer quietly lowered his head.
"...Understood."
The dealer closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.
His expression had completely changed.
The friendly face from earlier was gone.
Now he wore the face of a true casino dealer.
"...The game has been changed."
The table split apart with a loud rumble.
A massive roulette wheel rose from beneath it.
Instead of numbers, every section was labeled with words.
[Relic Confiscated]
[Forfeit All Wagers]
[Life Span Reduced]
[Nullification]
And then there was one final space.
Written so small it was almost impossible to see.
[Player Victory]
"...That's a roulette wheel?"
"Look at the size of that space."
"That's completely insane."
The dealer calmly explained,
"The Fortuna Roulette. This casino's standard game."
A tiny silver ball appeared on the outer rim of the wheel.
"The player does not spin this roulette."
"Fine. Go ahead."
The dealer extended his hand.
It was the flawless movement of someone who had done this thousands upon thousands of times.
Perfect.
This was the domain of a master.
The instant he flicked the ball—
The silver ball began racing around the wheel.
Its speed, rotation, and trajectory were textbook perfect.
But then—
With the faintest scrape—
One section of the roulette shifted outward so slightly that it was practically impossible to notice.
The dealer's eyes widened.
"...?"
The ball struck that protruding edge.
Tick.
Just once.
A collision no stronger than a strand of hair brushing against something.
But it was enough.
The ball's trajectory changed ever so slightly.
"...Wait."
Something was wrong.
The dealer swallowed hard.
Just as he reached out—
A warning appeared first.
[Interference Detected]
[Dealer Intervention Prohibited]
I have to fix it...!
The dealer's hand froze.
The silver ball continued spinning.
Its speed slowed.
The wheel gradually lost momentum.
The entire casino held its breath.
Finally—
The ball came to a stop.
The dealer slowly lowered his gaze.
[PLAYER VICTORY]
The casino erupted.
"No way!"
"With those odds?!"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha muttered,
"...Hey."
"...You seriously rigged this, didn't you?"
Ju-heon shrugged.
"I didn't do anything."
"Luck just has a habit of slipping in your favor."
The dealer lowered his head.
Cold sweat ran down his forehead.
"...I will now present one of the pawned relics as your prize."
Another display case rose from beneath the table.
[Pawned Relics]
Sisyphus's Stone Boulder (Grade 5)
The moment he saw it, Ju-heon smiled.
Yu Jae-ha frowned.
"...What is that? Some rock you picked up off the side of the road?"
Rolling the stone lightly in his palm, Ju-heon answered,
"It keeps things that should've ended from ever ending."
"...Huh? What does that even—"
The Relic of Sisyphus.
A relic originating from Greek mythology.
Just as Sisyphus was cursed to push a boulder up a mountain only for it to roll back down again, repeating the same punishment for eternity...
This relic embodied that endless cycle.
Ju-heon gave a sinister grin.
"It's like gambling addiction."
The dealer, trembling, had presented what looked like nothing more than an ordinary jewel-encrusted stone.
"It's the casino's drain."
"Once you step into it, the game never ends."
"It ruins your life."
"It strips away your soul."
"It drags you all the way to the bottom."
The dealer's face turned pale.
This relic had once been used by a Majesty to utterly destroy an opponent.
It was, quite literally...
...a curse that sentenced someone to an endless game.
The moment Ju-heon took possession of it, it meant that no one inside this casino could leave without his permission.
Ju-heon casually placed Sisyphus's Stone Boulder in the center of the table.
"Well, I got my reward."
"Now let's play the next round."
"Dealer."
"Shuffle again."
"This establishment's operating hours have now ended!"
The moment those words left the dealer's mouth—
Boom!!
Every exit of the casino slammed shut.
At the same time, an overwhelming wave of madness burst from Ju-heon's eyes.
The Relic of Sisyphus vibrated with an eerie metallic hum.
"I never said anyone could leave."
"So..."
"Shall we continue?"
The dealer swallowed.
Then he forced himself to calm down.
Not yet.
I'm still in control.
"...There are still six pawned relics remaining."
The dealer spoke steadily.
"The next game will also be played with a pawned relic as the stake—"
"Ah."
Ju-heon waved his hand dismissively.
"We're done with that."
The casino fell silent.
Ju-heon slowly raised his head.
"This time..."
The words that came out of his mouth made the dealer's eyes widen in shock.