Chapter 56
CHAPTER 56
The Majesty's Pride (2)
Ju-heon reached out without the slightest hesitation.
But he wasn't reaching toward the old man.
He reached toward everything hurtling at him.
[Target Designated]
[Propagation Authority Activated]
[Misfortune is being propagated.]
All of the calamities that had been deferred were rushing toward the old man.
And Ju-heon... sent misfortune at those calamities themselves.
The result was immediate.
Boom!!
The falling boulder collided with another obstacle and shattered.
The collapsing ground stopped halfway before restoring itself.
The instant-death effect exploded harmlessly into empty space, as though its target no longer existed.
The old man's eyes widened.
"...What?"
Every disaster that had been charging toward him suddenly veered away, avoiding only him as they scattered in every direction.
"Aaaah! The casino!"
One side of the casino was obliterated.
Walls collapsed.
Gaming tables overturned.
The disasters meant to kill the old man all "unluckily" failed to reach him.
In other words...
Every one of them misfired.
Ju-heon clenched his fist.
"Nice! That's exactly it!"
"...!"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha stared with his mouth hanging open.
He was so shocked that he actually took off his fashion glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"You..."
"You predicted this?"
"Not really."
Ju-heon answered honestly.
"I just figured..."
"If it didn't work..."
He grinned.
"...I'd steal those disasters too and scatter them randomly across the city."
So your backup plan was basically to spam disasters across the entire city?!
Honestly... it's better that it worked.
Meanwhile, the color completely drained from Basil's face.
That power... what is it?
It wasn't a defensive ability.
Nor was it evasion.
Yet, based on everything he had seen...
He could infer one thing.
The attacks missed...
Does it reduce the probability of events occurring?
Was it the power of a relic?
Or a Majesty's Authority?
He couldn't tell.
But one fact was beyond doubt.
He must never meet the Queen of Fortune.
Every instinct in Basil screamed the warning.
That power had even caused a Majesty's Authority to fail.
Perhaps... it could even destroy fortune itself...
The image of the Queen of Fortune flashed through his mind.
Remembering her, Basil shuddered.
This man...
Might even be capable of confronting the strongest wielder of fortune.
Those two can never be allowed to meet.
With that thought, Basil made up his mind.
"...I need to report this."
There was no need to say to whom.
Meanwhile, Horse No. 5 continued staring at Ju-heon.
"...Young man."
"Who exactly are you?"
"Me?"
"I'm just a passing gambler with terrible luck."
Ju-heon casually patted the old man on the shoulder.
"So..."
"Answer me."
"Were you really a Majesty?"
The old man remained silent for quite a while.
His trembling fingers brushed across his empty chest.
Only the deep scar left by something unimaginably heavy remained there.
"...A Majesty..."
"I can barely even remember what that meant anymore."
His cracked voice slowly escaped his lips.
"My name... is Rigab Teiz."
"I was deceived by the Queen of Fortune and lost everything."
"Even my world's heart..."
"...the Relic of Kronos."
For a brief instant, memories flickered through Rigab's eyes.
One foolish gamble.
That was all it took for his world to disappear.
The Queen of Fortune had mercilessly taken his relics as payment.
He challenged her again and again to win them back—
Only to lose every single time.
She stripped away everything.
His family.
His comrades.
One by one.
In increasingly cruel ways.
Eventually...
Rigab, branded a loser...
Was dragged into the City of Fortune and reduced to nothing more than a racehorse.
"The moment I lost my relics..."
"My abilities vanished."
"All I had left..."
"...was this pathetic power to postpone disasters."
"I became part of this city."
"I couldn't even die when I wanted to."
Rigab lowered his head with a hollow expression.
Ju-heon, however, didn't show the slightest sympathy.
If anything...
He sounded irritated.
"Quit giving me your life story."
"I'm getting annoyed."
"...Wh-What?"
"I don't care how you lost your world."
"But if you've burned through seventy years of my lifespan..."
"...you'd better make it worth my while."
"It's my lifespan, you bastard!"
Ju-heon ignored Yu Jae-ha's furious protest.
He left the dumbfounded Rigab behind and walked toward Basil.
"So."
"Governor."
"You heard everything, didn't you?"
Ju-heon sat back down at the central betting table.
As though nothing had happened, he crossed his legs and looked directly at Basil.
"Now."
"My turn."
Basil's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"...What is it that you want?"
Ju-heon tilted his head.
"Don't tell me..."
"...you still haven't figured it out?"
...
"I want ownership of this world."
Silence.
Basil remained quiet for several seconds.
He was calculating.
How far this game could still be considered gambling.
And at what point it became an invasion.
"...Fifty-nine percent."
He finally answered.
"That is the maximum share I am authorized to transfer."
Ju-heon didn't even smile.
"I already told you."
"I'm not interested in buying shrimp."
"I was being generous before."
Yu Jae-ha quietly warned him.
"Be careful."
"...You're grabbing a tiger by the tail now."
He was right.
Basil's attitude had completely changed.
He was no longer acting as a dealer.
Nor as a merchant.
He now stood as the city's administrator.
"Seo Ju-heon."
For the first time...
Basil spoke Ju-heon's name.
"You have already interfered with this city's rules beyond what can be tolerated."
His grip tightened around his cane.
"This is no longer a matter of compensation."
"I know."
"That's exactly why I'm asking."
"Do you truly intend to continue?"
"I'm giving you this warning out of concern for your own sake."
Ju-heon's gaze locked onto Basil.
"So?"
Ju-heon smirked.
"Don't bluff."
"You're testing me right now, aren't you?"
"Trying to figure out just how far I'm willing to go."
"If you want..."
"I can show you exactly how far."
Basil lowered his gaze before speaking.
"...Very well."
"And?"
"The moment ownership of this world is transferred to you..."
"...you will become a target of the Queen of Fortune's attention."
The corners of Ju-heon's lips curled upward.
"Oh."
"That saves me the trouble of looking for her."
So he's actually looking for her.
At last, Basil raised his hand.
A golden magic circle spread across the air.
[World Ownership Transfer Procedure Initiated]
"...I will transfer five percent."
[Temporary Ownership Granted.]
Ju-heon raised an eyebrow.
"'Temporary,' huh?"
Basil answered stiffly.
"Formal ownership cannot be transferred without Her Majesty's approval..."
Bang!!
Ju-heon slammed his foot onto the table.
"That's not what we agreed on."
"If you're going to play games..."
"...then I've got my own ways too."
He's a complete loan shark.
Yu Jae-ha couldn't help thinking that.
Though...
Calling him a loan shark might actually be insulting to loan sharks.
The moment Ju-heon reached for another relic, every employee inside the casino immediately went on alert.
The opponent is a Majesty!
Who knows what kind of relic he'll pull out!
If it's some kind of retaliation relic...!
Seeing their reaction, Ju-heon grinned.
He couldn't get what he wanted without applying a little pressure.
Just as expected—
"Very well."
"You may keep the temporary ownership."
"But make up the difference..."
"...with that Wish-Granting Relic."
"...!"
The relic Ju-heon pointed at was the blank sheet of paper lying on the central table.
A relic capable of granting whatever wish was written upon it.
Basil answered in shock.
"I would sooner offer you my own lifespan!"
"I don't need an old man's lifespan."
Basil shot to his feet.
His eyes burned with anger.
Even if he had to change the rules...
He decided he would eliminate this man.
But then—
[Warning]
[The administrator has refused payment.]
[Punishment will be imposed upon those who fail to honor the contract.]
[The guarantor will also be affected.]
A mechanical voice echoed through the casino.
It was the system Bitrain had left behind when creating this world.
A framework that allowed Majesties to govern their cities smoothly.
Every city possessed rules established by its ruling Majesty.
But one line caught Basil's attention more than anything else.
[The guarantor will also be affected.]
The guarantor...
That referred not only to himself...
But also...
To the Queen of Fortune.
I can't allow even the slightest harm to come to Her.
In the end, Basil had no choice but to bow his head.
"...Understood."
The Wish-Granting Relic.
The Queen of Fortune herself had entrusted it to him.
It was a priceless relic.
Yet...
Compared to a share of an entire world...
It was insignificant.
As soon as Ju-heon obtained the relic, he chuckled.
"Perfect."
Seeing Ju-heon's rare smile, Yu Jae-ha understood immediately.
"You..."
"You came into this shop from the very beginning for that, didn't you?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Ju-heon shrugged.
"If you're buying a house, do you want the lamp..."
"...or the genie inside it?"
"A relic that grants wishes..."
"...is far more valuable than the shop itself."
Basil's expression turned ice-cold.
"The moment you leave this place..."
"...you would do well to watch your back."
"Thanks for the warning."
He's not joking, you idiot.
Ju-heon burst into laughter at Basil's expression.
"But if you're warning me now..."
He leaned forward slightly.
"...doesn't that mean it's already too late?"
"..."
At that moment...
Basil became certain.
This man...
Was not someone this city could contain.
Leaving the room at once, Basil headed toward the administrator's office.
His footsteps remained composed.
But inwardly...
He had already reached his conclusion.
He connected to the communication terminal linked to the New World.
[Report Channel Connected]
He hesitated for only a brief moment.
Then—
"An unexpected variable has appeared."
His voice remained calm.
"I believe the target possesses both Fortune and a Misfortune-type Authority."
A brief silence followed.
"...Having observed him directly..."
"...he nullifies Fortune."
Basil lowered his head.
"Yes."
He added one final sentence.
"They must never meet."
At that very moment—
At the center of a golden palace—
Shamo Meirim leisurely sipped her tea.
Even after receiving Basil's report, the smile on her face never faded.
"Misfortune?"
The cat-like beauty smiled playfully.
"That's ordinary."
She spoke as though it were nothing.
"There are always unlucky people."
Whatever she attempted...
She succeeded.
She had never known defeat.
Every stroke of fortune belonged to her.
Every misfortune instinctively avoided her.
She had never suffered injury.
Never experienced hardship.
Even random lottery tickets she bought always won first prize.
Everything in existence revolved around her.
But—
The moment she reached the final line of Basil's report...
Her hand stopped.
[Devours even Fortune itself.]
"...Ho."
"I was getting bored anyway."
Her eyes slowly narrowed.
"That..."
"...is a power that corrodes Fortune."
Shamo Meirim thought quietly for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"So that's why Basil became frightened."
She tapped a finger lightly against the table.
At the same time—
One entire worldline trembled.
"They must never meet?"
She slowly shook her head.
"No."
Her smile deepened.
"It'll be far more interesting if we do."
At last—
The strongest Fortune...
And the strongest Misfortune...
Were about to collide.