Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Devil's Gamble - Rules (9)
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The moment I climbed the stairs.
The air changed.
The 4th floor was unlike any previous floor.
The bizarre figures resembling mask-wearing dealers and staff that had partially appeared on the 2nd and 3rd floors were nowhere to be seen.
The floor was empty like a vast plaza, and at its center stood a single table, standing tall in solitude.
All surrounding lights were off, so nothing else was visible.
Thanks to that, the light and shadows were sharply divided, naturally drawing the gaze to one spot.
As I reached it, the Securities stopped in their tracks.
With expressionless faces, they set down a black bag beside the table and silently descended back to the lower floor.
Once even the sound of their footsteps faded, the hall was enveloped in quiet stillness.
I slowly raised my head.
The floor's sole source of light came into view.
A transparent glass case entered my sight.
Finally, it was close enough to touch.
Countless chips filled inside that glass orb, scattering light as they dangled precariously, as if they would fall with a mere reach of the hand.
At that moment, a low voice echoed through the space.
"…Intriguing."
I reflexively lowered my head.
Straight ahead in my field of vision.
The figure seated there came into view.
A man dressed in a black suit.
A devil mask covering his entire face.
Behind the mask's eyeholes, a burning red glow flickered.
"Never thought you'd make it this far."
The low voice spread across the table.
—The owner of this Gamble.
***
"First, before the main event."
Clap—
The moment he clapped his hands, the air rippled like waves.
"We'll block any outside help or advice. Some unusual folks drop by from time to time, you see."
In an instant, the chat window, which had been clearly visible until just moments ago, blurred.
The text shook as if erased, appearing fragmented.
[GambleBlack]: ■■■ ■■ have to do.
[GambleBlack]: The opponent will ■■ ■■■.
Soon, sensing something off with my reaction, GambleBlack's bewildered messages followed.
[GambleBlack]: Could it be... you can't see what I'm saying?
I narrowed my eyes.
It was starting to make sense.
Normal conversation was fine, but anything directly related to the Gamble was completely censored.
They couldn't block chats entirely, but they could cut out anything that might influence the Gamble.
Which meant GambleBlack's help was no longer an option.
In the end—
This fight would have to be won with my own strength.
At that moment, the devil mask leaned back against the chair.
That simple motion alone made the hall's air sink heavily.
The red glow spilling from behind the eyeholes seeped everywhere, the entire space permeated by his presence.
Like an invisible hand tightening around my throat, breathing grew heavier.
He lightly tapped the table with his fingertips.
The short sound spread like ripples, turning into a massive echo that shook the entire hall.
As if imprinting on me who owned this place—a crushing pressure.
And—
"Now, decide what game you'll use to face me."
The moment his voice rang out, the suffocating pressure vanished like a lie.
The red gaze fixed on me.
Even motionless, that gaze carried a strange pressure, thanks to the prior experience.
All decision-making power was thrust upon me in an instant.
"It's... the bare minimum courtesy I offer those who reach this far before dying."
The voice from behind the mask was low and smooth.
It sounded like genuine consideration, but the undertone was clear.
No matter what game I chose, the end was predetermined.
Absolute confidence underpinned his words.
His demeanor remained utterly relaxed throughout.
Under the suffocating pressure, my answer was obvious.
I had no intention of challenging a casino monster inside his own casino with one of his games.
A beast who lived off gambling.
Right now, even GambleBlack's advice was severed.
The answer was singular.
A stage that played to my strengths, not his.
A method where I could carve my own path, not relying on his honed skills.
One word clearly surfaced in my mind.
"…Chess."
As I spoke, the devil mask chuckled slowly.
"Intriguing."
"Too difficult?"
"No. Any game is fine by me. However…"
His voice dipped low.
"…just playing it straight would be no fun, would it?"
He raised his hand.
The next moment, a dull metallic clunk rang out on the table.
An object gleaming with cold luster sat in the table's center.
A silver revolver.
Its barrel gaped roundly forward.
The black grip was polished smooth, as if alive with wood grain.
"Ending it with just chips would be a shame. Every loss, the defeated pulls the trigger on this revolver. One bullet loaded. Bets match your chips. The final survivor takes all the chips. How about it?"
In that instant, the hall's air grew even heavier.
The revolver on the table exuded a chilling tension.
I had no right to refuse from the start.
Sensing my acquiescence, he smiled amusedly.
"Fortunate. You know your place. Let's begin."
With those words, a black shadow slithered across the table.
A chessboard materialized there.
The pieces moved on their own into proper positions.
***
The game started swiftly.
Time passed bit by bit, and the board grew tangled with pieces.
Pieces clashed and fell, entering the midgame.
I moved a piece on the chessboard.
But the pawn at my fingertips was mercilessly devoured by the black rook.
I tried to create an escape route somehow—
Thud.
In the end, the devil mask's finger shifted the knight, ending my turn.
"Check."
With a flick of his hand, a piece toppled—thud.
The glowing red eyeholes sparkled, as if mocking me.
Clink—
The revolver slid toward me.
"…"
I drew a breath and pressed the barrel to my temple.
The cold metal dug into my skin.
The moment I pulled the trigger—
Click.
Only an empty friction echoed in the air.
The impotent sound of an empty chamber.
The game continued.
Another round.
This time, I advanced my queen for a counterattack.
But the devil mask's bishop sliced diagonally toward it.
In that split-second gap.
My queen toppled—thud.
"In chess, the king is most precious, but the queen is the deadliest."
With mocking words, the board's balance shattered completely.
And soon.
"Checkmate."
Clink—
The silver revolver arrived before me again.
I pressed it to my head and pulled the trigger.
Click.
Another hollow echo.
I survived this time too.
Next round.
I poured every move into defense, but the board shrank relentlessly.
My king retreated one square, then another.
Sweat already soaked my palms.
The devil mask moved pieces nonchalantly.
His laughter grew louder.
In the end, my king fell.
Consecutive defeats.
The revolver rolled across the table once more.
I slowly picked it up.
The barrel pressed against my forehead.
I drew a breath—
Click.
The third sound echoed into the void.
Now the odds were 1/4.
After every game ended, I repeated the act.
In my mind, I replayed the recent position.
The moment pieces clashed, where the queen fell, the king's trapped retreats—all of it.
Reviewing it all to find a clue.
When I hit a wall?
"That last move."
I looked up at the devil mask.
"Why'd you play it like that?"
The glowing red eyeholes pierced me.
A hint of bewilderment.
The devil mask chuckled lowly.
"…That's what you're curious about? At a moment where death is possible?"
I answered calmly.
"I need to remember what I missed, why I got cornered…"
His laughter deepened.
"Intriguing. Even facing death, questioning the reason for defeat."
The fourth round began.
Pieces positioned themselves autonomously.
The black knight crept out at an angle, white pawns falling one by one.
I countered with all my might, but paths closed off gradually.
The board narrowed, my king's escapes vanishing one by one.
As rounds progressed, his movements grew smoother.
One move, two.
Initial caution gave way to utter confidence.
His aura shifted.
The refined air from before was gone.
Even his formal tone warped.
Then, the devil mask's voice burrowed low into my ear.
Completely shedding decorum.
"You think you can win?"
He tossed it playfully, toying with prey soon to vanish.
Red light leaked through the mask's gaps.
Childish mischief, boredom, and raw malice intertwined and flared.
"Ever wondered about the items pawned at this Gamble's pawnshop?"
Thud—
A piece placed, immediately followed by one mirroring mine.
"It's not just objects pawned as collateral."
The devil mask's lips twisted slowly.
Watching my reaction, he brimmed with eerie anticipation, like finally grasping a long-awaited toy.
"Talents are included too."
"Did you really think bringing a game not in this Gamble—would let you beat me?"
Kuhuhuhuhu—
Laughter started low, swelling.
It echoed, filling the hall.
Black pieces advanced on the board.
The game was already his.
No move could reverse it.
"Who do you think designed this Gamble?"
"I don't mind losing. What I lose is just a handful of coins."
The devil mask slowly raised his head.
Red light rippled, air sinking heavily.
"Anyway, the next one, and the one after... a day later is an hour, a minute, a second later. I grow stronger."
"So, win or lose, it doesn't matter to me. In the end, going all the way..."
Kuhuhuhu—
"—I win."
His voice filled the hall.
"Humans are hilarious. Making choices based on such short-sighted futures."
"But you've wasted too much time. Now this game isn't just a contest. From here on—"
With those words, the transparent orb overhead vibrated.
Instantly, chips poured in, filling it with blinding light.
Finally, the orb shook perilously, as if about to fall.
The suited man's shoulders heaved.
Slowly, with unstoppable momentum—
Vast black wings sprouted from his back.
They wrapped the table, extending to swallow the entire hall.
In that moment, the chess pieces blackened.
Formless shadows seeped in, engulfing them, and the air's flow shifted instantly.
Suffocating pressure.
The whole space felt claimed as his.
Long horns rose from the mask.
Red eyes flashed, a smile curling his lips.
Heh—
"—it's a battle for souls."
The devil mask's declaration echoed through the hall.
***
"Why are you smiling?"
He tilted his head.
"Didn't understand what I said?"
"…No."
I let a smile slip.
"I get it. What I need to do."
A short breath mingled.
In the frozen air, my voice felt oddly light.
"—It's simpler than I thought."
Thud—
I set down a piece, staring straight into his red eyes.
"Just smash you to bits. So you can't crawl back. Crush you flat."
Kuhuhuhu—
The devil mask's shoulders shook.
"You're already wrong, human."
"Roles are set upon entering this game."
His gaze swept the board.
"Yours is the pawn."
Red eyes flared.
"This Gamble's owner is me, and I set the rules. In chess terms… I'm the king, the queen, the rook, the pawn."
Is that all?
"…We'll see."
I slowly moved the revolver's grip.
Metal creaked faintly against my palm.
I'd endured somehow.
But I knew this was the limit.
Odds at 1/3.
No more games held meaning.
Now, only the moment to end it remained.
My heartbeat strangely slowed.
The barrel's chill alone remained vivid, all worldly sounds fading into the distance.
In that silence—
The chat window flickered suddenly.
[GambleBlack]: You'll learn with age. These things come down to gut feeling.
[GambleBlack]: But it's strange.
[GambleBlack]: Why, even facing death, don't I think you'll die?
That single line carried an inexplicable warmth.
As if, at this moment before death, affirming the life within me.
I gazed at the screen for a moment.
No words... but it felt like his intent transmitted through that gaze.
A brief silence.
Then, as if reading my eyes, text continued.
[GambleBlack]: Good enough.
[GambleBlack]: As long as it's not goodbye.
The short sentence lingered on the screen, refusing to fade.
I blinked at it, steadying my breath.
Now, truly—
Then, the chat shook again, text bursting forth.
[GambleBlack]: Krkkkkuhahahaha!
Stunned by the sudden laughter, more followed.
[GambleBlack]: By the way.
[GambleBlack]: That last bit? I typed it.
A smile spread across my lips.
This farewell was enough.
Neither he nor I would change.
The only change... time itself.
Creak—
"…See you."
I met his eyes squarely.
Bewilderment crossed his face at my smile.
Seeing that.
Just like that—
Bang—
Vision went black.
The first regression.