Free City (4)
“Hey, young friend. Couldn't you at least return our clothes...?”
“Ahem, it's a bit awkward wandering around like this...”
“We'll definitely repay the favor somehow...”
The three men, now down to their underwear, pleaded with me in desperate tones.
I'd bet every chip from the black case on the table, and now I answered them.
“Why the pathetic whining? You three are the ones who staked your clothes. And you don't look like you're short on cash—go buy some new ones outside.”
Considering the sums that had changed hands at the table, these guys were far from poor. If anything, they had money to burn. So they'd have plenty to buy outfits even after leaving the casino.
“Just this once, have mercy...!”
“Please, show some compassion...!”
“At least the pants, please...!”
They even dropped to their knees begging me. It was hilarious in a way, but not exactly a pleasant sight. Three grown men in their undies, pulling pitiful faces—way grosser than you'd imagine.
I wasn't planning to torment them forever anyway. And while I wouldn't give back the winnings, I wasn't heartless enough to keep their clothes.
“Fine. You've got your pride, so I'll return the outfits. But head home for today, got it?”
“We swear, we'll do just that!”
“We won't even look at a casino for a while!”
“Thanks! If fate brings us together again, we'll repay you!”
They snatched up the clothes I handed over and bolted. I grabbed my moneybags and stood.
I'd started with one bag, but now there were two. I'd exchanged half of my original 80 million for chips, and doubled that—so it was practically money duplication. Not packed to the brim, of course.
“Kyle, are you rich now? You have so much money!”
“Not quite rich, but enough to rank in the top five fingers of this stage, yeah.”
The first stage focused on casual fun, so massive sums didn't usually fly around. Still, I'd raked in a fortune. And I had no intention of stopping. I planned to sweep up every coin here.
Opponents? Customers, casino staff—didn't matter. I aimed to claim every chip in this place.
That's how I'll hook the bait.
Playing it safe wouldn't draw attention. I needed to inflict real damage for that.
“Rana, let's hit another spot.”
“Okay! Oh, but is that alright? Grandpa said even if you win once, you can lose it all in a flash.”
“Don't worry.”
I was confident I could handle any setup the casino threw at me. Wasn't there a saying? Hands are faster than eyes.
Plenty of superhumans had challenged me at gambling and limped away defeated. Plus, my luck was insanely good—I could win without even trying. No one in this casino could beat me at their own game.
After that, I dragged Rana around, hitting every table. I didn't discriminate by type. I joined every card game, even roulette and slots that were pure luck.
Retan even had a slot machine 100 meters long with 500 slots total. Payouts varied by matched symbols, up to a whopping 100,000x jackpot. Not right now, but I'd give it a spin eventually. It'd bring me closer to my goal.
But maybe I'd won too much too fast...
“People are avoiding you, Kyle.”
“Yeah. This is a problem.”
The moment I sat at a table, everyone scattered. Word must've spread already. Overheard snippets called me a gambler who ruins opponents.
“Sounds about right. You showed no mercy.”
“Don't say it like I'm the bad guy.”
“It's a little true, isn't it?”
“Not entirely wrong.”
Already ten bags. Cashing those chips would net about 500 million gold.
Should be hearing from them soon...
Visitors would flee to avoid me, and the casino's losses were piling up. Time for contact.
Might as well sightsee while I wait.
“Wanna grab drinks at the bar?”
“Sure! I'm thirsty anyway!”
I took Rana to the bar. No booze for me in this state, so non-alcoholic drinks it was. Rana picked the same.
As we chatted idly, a commotion erupted from the slots area.
“What's going on?”
“Shall we check?”
“Yeah!”
At Rana's nod, we headed over. What we saw was...
“Thank you! We'll be in touch if there's any issues!”
“The money. You know.”
“Yes! We'll send it without fail on the 10th of every month!”
“Good.”
A casino employee fawning over Senior Ruina. Judging by her uniform and badge, a high-ranking manager.
They wrapped up quickly, and spotting me, Senior approached.
“What have you been up to?”
“A contract.”
Her curt reply pointed to the slots. Machines lay disassembled in heaps, staff cleaning up the wreckage.
“No way—you did that?”
“Too shoddy, so I took it apart.”
I could picture it. By her standards, the machine's craftsmanship was laughable. She'd dismantled it and rebuilt it her way. The manager rushed over too late, saw the reborn machine's perfection, and signed a deal. Royalties secured, no doubt.
“So very you, Senior.”
“What is?”
She tilted her head, clueless.
“A compliment. You're always dead serious about alchemy.”
“Yeah. Alchemy is everything to me.”
She nodded proudly. Seeing that, Rana hoisted her up.
“Senior Ruina's a genius!”
“Genius. So... ugh, put me down...”
Ruina flailed midair.
“Hehe, you're so cute, Senior.”
“Down...!”
Rana wouldn't relent—Ruina was 20cm shorter, resistance futile. I had to intervene before she relented.
Right on cue, Evan trudged over from afar, shoulders slumped, face crestfallen.
“Lost it all?”
“Yes, hyungnim... Everything, all gone...”
Evan couldn't lift his head, crushed by self-loathing. All that bravado, ending in ruin—expected.
“Unlike you, Junior Evan has no gambling talent.”
“Huh? How much did you win, hyungnim...?”
“About 500 million in gold? Yeah.”
“Gasp!”
He gawked at my floating moneybags behind me, then his own pathetic pouch.
“The world...”
He let out a world-weary sigh.
“Happens your first time. Don't beat yourself up.”
“Even so, that gap's too much...”
The protagonist had good luck overall, but gambling? Catastrophically bad. From the world's view, this was inevitable.
“He's such an idiot.”
“Senior, don't say that to his face—rude.”
“It's true.”
I had nothing to say there. He wasn't without his idiot moments.
“So, Kyle, what's next?”
“That.”
To Rana's question, I pointed at the massive slot machine I'd mentioned.
Its official name: Despair Generator. Nicknamed for delivering only despair to challengers. And it lived up to it—brutally.
Basically, slots spun at insane speeds, accelerating backward. Even a swordmaster's dynamic vision struggled.
“Don't do it. Well made.”
If Senior tried stopping me, that said it all.
But I had a plan and zero chance of losing. I headed for the machine.
Then a casino employee blocked me.
“Kyle Arden, we'll escort you to the next stage.”
“Took you long enough. Thought you'd come sooner.”
“You seem to know our casino well.”
“Retan's the continent's most famous.”
He smiled, but it must've stung inside. The losses weren't trivial.
“And your companions?”
“They're coming too.”
“Very well. This way, all four of you.”
He led us. Retan had two gambling areas—stages.
The first was the public one we'd just left.
The second was...
“Welcome to the second stage.”
The VIP stage. Invite-only, casino-approved.
“An underground paradise like this...”
“Three times bigger than upstairs!”
“I wanna check that out.”
The group gawked. True to its name, the scale dwarfed the upper floor, with twice the game variety. For high-rollers only, naturally.
“Crowded. How many?”
“Auction soon—around 2,000 guests.”
“Damn, that's a lot.”
Timing explained the crowd.
Still, peanuts compared to upstairs's tens of thousands. Heaven.
“Safe bringing us here? We've cost you plenty.”
“We merely offer a more enjoyable, comfortable environment.”
“Smooth talker.”
Minimum bets here started at a million gold. One slip, and poof—winnings gone.
“No regrets, anyway.”
“Pardon?”
I ignored his puzzled look and strode to the tables.
***
Bang! A man slammed the table. Face flushed with rage, he bellowed.
“Burning 500 million on no pair?! Bluffing has limits!”
I chuckled coolly. “You folded. Why the fuss? Anyone'd think I cheated.”
“You bastard...!”
He lunged, but I stayed put. Backup arrived.
“No disruptions here.”
“Let go! Know who I am?! Release me...!”
His tirade faded as staff dragged him out. Another moneybag joined my pile.
Now 2.5 billion. Half a year's taxes for a small territory.
Scale changes everything.
Three hours upstairs for that? One hour here multiplied it several-fold. Why big capital matters in gambling.
Thanks to the rich crowd. Their wealth rivaled territories.
More tycoons than you'd think.
“Next.”
I taunted the empty opposite seat. Crowds surrounded us. Mostly spectators, but VIPs were gambling fiends—challengers aplenty.
“Hm?”
A plain-looking man sat. Average aura, just a rich patron.
But instinct screamed: don't underestimate.
I scanned slowly. Eyes locked on his hands.
Cardsharp...
Well-hidden, but the telltale calluses remained.
“Got money?”
“Plenty. Worry not.”
Staff stacked bags behind him. Fifty cases—matching mine exactly.
Confirms: casino-hired. They saw me as a threat.
“Let's have fun, then.”
I shuffled.
***
Chilling. Like a knife to the heart. The casino froze like a movie scene.
Cards flew across the table. Spectators glued to it.
“Raise.”
“Call.”
He matched my bet. Then dealt from the deck.
I tsked, tossing my hand. “Tch, busted again.”
“Tough luck. Losing streak.”
“Yeah. Feels rigged—cards suck.”
“Doubting me?”
I just smiled. Sly bastard. Dealt winning-ish hands but never let me win big. Occasional big wins to dodge suspicion.
And damn good at it.
Manipulating without looking—god-tier. Masters might miss it without mana sense.
Casino blocked mana, thanks to Norang's divine power everywhere.
Recon done.
Lost a third of my stack probing his skill, personality, habits. No need to drag it out.
My turn ended; his deal.
“Time to up the stakes.”
“Good idea.”
Base bet: 100 million gold.
Showdown time. Cards whirred mechanically. Bets piled.
Stacks towered beside us. He'd anticipate my move—but not this.
As he dealt the last card and reached for his...
I shot my hand out. “Hold it—bottom dealing?”
Swapped my hidden card with his in a flash, pocketed the deck, and slipped it back. Seamless, undetectable.
“What the hell?!”
“You think I'm some chump who can't spot your bullshit?”
“What bullshit? Proof?”
“Proof? Duh. You dealt me one pair.”
Flipped my cards. Matching pair gleamed.
“And you a one pair too—just enough to edge me.”
Revealed his hole cards for all to see. Snatched his hand.
“Bet this is a J or Q. Let's check.”
Opened it publicly. Crowd murmured at the Q.
“It's really Q.”
“He cheated...”
Realization hit: every game rigged. They glared at him.
“N-no, how...?”
Panicked—card that shouldn't be there, was.
Manager rushed in.
“What's happening?!”
“Hey, Retan—can't control guests? Scammer loose in VIP?”
“Th-that...”
He glanced, sweated bullets.
“Place went downhill. How to enjoy games now?”
“S-sorry! We'll handle it immediately!”
No defending their plant now—trust on the line. Crowd noise swelled; he summoned staff to haul the guy away.
“Truly sorry, Kyle Arden. Please...”
He hovered, apologizing. I ignored, scooping chips.
“Th-that money...”
“What? It's my cash he scammed. Fair game, right?”
“...Y-yes, of course.”
He winced, then conceded nicely.
Chips secured, I hit the bar to wet my parched throat amid the chaos.
“Kyle, mega rich now?”
“Eh... enough to barely qualify as rich?”
Continent had tons of wealthy folk.
“Whoa, hyungnim... respect. Never thought you'd win like that.”
“Luck. Don't try it.”
“As if I could...”
It worked 'cause his tells were blatant for a sharp.
“I want chocolate shake.”
“If Senior wants, I buy.”
Money made me generous.
“What'll you have? My treat.”
“Ooh, me...”
“The non-alcoholic I had!”
“That drink.”
A gravelly elder voice cut in.
I knew him instantly. The one whose attention I'd courted with this chaos.
“Mind if I buy?”
The Golden Merchant Guild's owner, Barto Bennett.