Chapter 54
CHAPTER 54
Fortune and Misfortune (5)
Majesty Yu Jae-ha clicked his tongue as he looked at Basil.
Betting lifespan...
There was no doubt Basil had said that because he knew exactly who Yu Jae-ha was.
Sure enough—
"I never imagined a Majesty of all people would crawl in here."
Just as expected.
Basil looked at Yu Jae-ha with mocking eyes.
The contempt in that gaze, as if asking how he had dared crawl into a tiger's den of his own accord, made Yu Jae-ha's blood boil.
He felt utterly insulted.
"So what, you're telling me we're supposed to be on equal footing? Hardly. You're the ruler of this place. You must have mountains of lifespan from all the residents living here. You can stack buffs as many times as you want!"
Yu Jae-ha shouted, but Basil simply adjusted his glasses leisurely before replying,
"If you didn't like that, you shouldn't have accepted the challenge. This city was created so that those born unequal could enjoy the gap between them."
I didn't challenge you—the idiot over there did!
Yu Jae-ha pressed a hand against his forehead.
At this rate, his lifespan was going to be drained away.
Looking at Ju-heon calmly placing his hand on the betting panel, it seemed he had already decided to see this through.
Calm down. We just have to survive first. We can win once the game starts.
That meant choosing the horse with the highest luck. It was their best chance.
Ju-heon seemed to understand that as well.
"You pick. Your Luck stat is higher than mine."
At Ju-heon's command, Yu Jae-ha felt his blood run cold.
Still, he forced himself to stay calm.
In the end, this game comes down to choosing the horse with the highest base luck.
A Majesty's unique appraisal ability shone in Yu Jae-ha's eyes.
[Majesty's Eye]
[Appraisal Activated]
The moment he activated the skill, information appeared before his eyes.
- No. 1: Muscular man. Excellent stamina, but terrible luck today. (Luck: D)
- No. 2: Slender woman. Physically weak, but highly focused. (Luck: B)
- No. 3: Experienced middle-aged man. Skilled, but physically lacking. (Luck: D)
- No. 4: Athletic woman. Excellent balance and in peak condition today. (Luck: C)
- No. 5: An old man walking with a limp. (Luck: F)
Yu Jae-ha's gaze fixed on Horse No. 4.
"That one! It's that one!"
Unlike the others, a faint aura of blessing surrounded Horse No. 4.
According to the city's system, she had received the greatest fortune today.
Without outside interference, she was almost guaranteed to finish first.
"It's Number Four! She's the luckiest one here! Trust me, please!"
My lifespan is on the line!
If Ju-heon picked Horse No. 4 instead of fooling around, then no matter how many buffs Basil piled on, they'd still have a fighting chance.
At the very least, they could avoid the worst-case scenario of losing their lifespan for nothing.
Ju-heon stared at Horse No. 4 for a moment before asking,
"So that's the luckiest one?"
"Yeah! My eyes don't lie!"
Ju-heon nodded and reached toward the betting panel.
Yu Jae-ha finally let out a relieved sigh.
But the finger Ju-heon pointed with landed not on Number Four—
[Selection Complete.]
[Horse No. 5]
Yu Jae-ha's mind froze.
Number Five?!
The limping old man who looked like he'd collapse before the race even started?
That horse was obviously nothing more than a sacrificial extra.
"H-Hey... your finger slipped, right? You meant to press Number Four but hit the one next to it? Tell me that's what happened."
"Nope. I pressed it on purpose."
Ju-heon chuckled as he finished confirming the bet.
Click. Click. Click.
"Watching the luckiest guy win is boring. Isn't it more entertaining when the unluckiest bastard wins through sheer force?"
"You crazy son of a bitch!!"
Yu Jae-ha nearly grabbed Ju-heon by the collar before stopping himself.
"N-No, listen! Just think about it!"
Taking a deep breath, he spoke as rationally as he could.
"We can always disable their relics with relics. Curses? Equipment? There are plenty of ways to cover that. So at least pick someone with decent physical ability—"
Ju-heon cut him off.
"I'm not going to let anyone use relics anyway."
Yu Jae-ha blinked.
Ju-heon answered matter-of-factly.
"With bad luck."
Yu Jae-ha felt his sanity slipping away.
"No, that makes even less sense! If nobody can use relics, then you should at least pick the horse with the best physical specs! That means Number One! Best muscles! Best stamina!"
Just then—
Ju-heon calmly pointed at the limping old man.
"That one."
Yu Jae-ha's thoughts stopped completely.
"W-What did you just—"
"...Huh?"
At that moment, Ju-heon pulled out a scroll.
[Declaration of War]
- Targets one designated Majesty.
- Activates the declaration: "That relic does not belong to you."
- Once the declaration is established, the target's relic becomes contested property.
- If the enemy Majesty's relic is destroyed, one complete relic is restored.
- All treaties of alliance, peace, and neutrality with the target are automatically nullified.
[Use this item?]
[Any existing 'Majesty' within range may be designated.]
[Available Targets:]
1) Yu Jae-ha
2) Horse No. 5
"...What?"
Yu Jae-ha's eyes widened.
"Wait. The Declaration of War only works on Majesties."
"Which means... the only Majesty in this arena is supposed to be me—"
"Exactly."
Yu Jae-ha's gaze slowly shifted toward Horse No. 5.
"...No way."
Ju-heon nodded.
"It works on Horse No. 5 too."
Silence fell.
On the track, Horse No. 5 kept his head lowered, quietly staring at the shackles fastened around his ankles.
He wasn't surprised.
He wasn't anxious.
His expression simply said,
"Ah... one of these games again."
Yu Jae-ha's throat went dry.
"That's... a Majesty?"
"One who fell."
"One who was ruined."
"One who went bankrupt."
Ju-heon answered calmly.
"He was once someone who held an entire world in his hands."
Then he added,
"And if he's a Majesty..."
Tilting his head slightly, he smiled.
"...then at least one of his unique abilities should still remain."
Only then did Yu Jae-ha understand.
Luck?
Physical ability?
Those were merely standards for ordinary people.
A Majesty was different.
A Majesty wasn't someone who merely endured disasters.
They were beings who knew how to survive through any catastrophe.
"More than anyone else here, the one with the highest chance of surviving this race..."
Ju-heon looked at the old man.
"...is him."
Yu Jae-ha slowly let out a breath.
"...You're insane.
That's why you picked Number Five."
Watching Ju-heon make his choice, Basil chuckled softly.
So that's Seo Ju-heon.
I'd heard he'd crushed one of Bitrain's most valuable pawns.
Turns out he's just a gambling addict.
Majesties that reckless always burned through their lifespan quickly.
Eventually, every last one of them became his livestock.
Right. Even the former ruler of the First Civilization is nothing more than another foolish child.
Basil selected Horse No. 4.
At last, the starting signal lit up above the racetrack.
[Event: Return of Moniseus]
[Participants: 5]
[Scoring: Survival + Finishing Order]
At the same time, countdown timers appeared above each horse's shackles.
Each timer ticked at a different speed.
No one knew exactly how much time they had left.
"The race begins."
The instant Basil spoke, the ground split apart.
The starting gates burst open.
As soon as the horses took their first steps—
A huge boulder came crashing down from above.
Boom!
One horse shoved another aside.
"W-Wait!"
Horse No. 1, knocked directly into the boulder's path, was crushed to death instantly.
Ju-heon's eyes narrowed.
A glow of fortune shimmered around one horse.
Horse No. 4.
The very horse that had shoved Number One aside.
Its movements became lighter, while an icon above its head showed its Luck stat increasing.
Just as expected—
Basil had pressed the Luck Infusion button.
"You see?"
Basil spoke calmly.
"Luck... is nothing more than stealing someone else's opportunity."
Realizing the implication behind those words, Ju-heon grimaced.
"So that's why you're the ruler of a Majesty with such a rotten personality."
[Y-You're hardly one to talk, Captain... Gah!]
Ju-heon stuffed the talkative Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha back into silence.
Then he pressed the button before him.
Click.
He activated Luck Infusion.
[Injecting Luck into the horse at the cost of lifespan.]
At that exact moment, a system message appeared above Majesty Yu Jae-ha.
[Proxy Guarantee Activated]
[Lifespan -1 year]
The luck Ju-heon purchased flowed into Horse No. 5.
The old man quietly looked back at Ju-heon.
Meanwhile, Majesty Yu Jae-ha lunged for Ju-heon's collar.
"You crazy bastard!
You actually used it?!"
Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Ju-heon continued pressing the button without hesitation.
[Lifespan -1 year]
[Lifespan -1 year]
[Lifespan -1 year]
...
Yu Jae-ha felt his sanity slipping away.
Ju-heon, meanwhile, was smiling.
"Hey."
He looked toward the racetrack.
"Majesty."
"As long as you're alive..."
"You can always earn your lifespan back."
Use your own lifespan, damn it!
"More importantly, why are you giving Luck to the other horses too?!
Shouldn't you dump everything into Number Five?!"
"That's because..."
Ju-heon grinned.
"...of what I'm about to do."
Instead of answering, he released misfortune.
The atmosphere throughout the entire racetrack instantly turned heavy and ominous.
The fortunate Horse No. 4 suddenly stumbled.
"Huh?"
Crash!
There hadn't been a single obstacle in front of it—
Yet it suddenly tripped and crashed to the ground.
The countdown timer on its shackles accelerated.
Basil frowned.
...What?
How?
Ju-heon merely smirked...
...and pressed the button once more.