Chapter 375
Chapter: 375
Chapter Title: Goddess of Fortune
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375.
“We came here to investigate, so what should we do now?”
At Chloe’s question, the group’s gazes naturally turned to Karl.
Chloe, Chelsea, and Iliana, who had been close friends with Karl since their first year, had strong faith in his information-gathering abilities.
And the first-years had also heard Karl’s name many times.
It wasn't just because their mentors were friends with him.
At the beginning of their enrollment, the first-years hadn't paid much attention to Karl, who was the weakest among the second-years with the lowest grades.
But now, among the first-years, the name mentioned most often after Leo and the other top students was none other than Karl Thomas.
The reason was simple.
It was because of what the second-year mentors always said: “If you need information, find Karl Thomas.”
The current first-years were different from the upperclassmen.
Lumerne operated on a survival system where those who weren't qualified had to leave the school.
However, the first-years were given a grace period of one semester.
Even so, Lumerne’s competitive system remained unchanged.
They had to achieve good grades and make a good impression on their department professors.
Only then could they receive even a little more guidance than others, increasing their chances of survival after the first semester.
Grading at Lumerne was a complex process.
There was absolute evaluation, but there was also relative evaluation.
It was only natural that tailoring their approach to a professor's disposition would leave a good impression.
Beyond that, knowing the expected range of questions for written exams or getting advance information on practical exams and assignments was a huge help.
In that regard, Karl’s information was extremely useful, and he had been proving his intelligence-gathering prowess since his first year.
With his unique affability, he was on good terms not only with students and upperclassmen but also with assistant professors, and he was especially close with the staff working at Lumerne.
He had been building his own information network since the beginning of his first year.
It was no coincidence that Abad and Duran, the dorm heads of Noble, had chosen Karl first during the resident selection.
His ability was evident from the fact that Duran, who wouldn't give the time of day to anyone without talent, acknowledged Karl despite his lack of combat skills.
For that reason, in the realm of investigation, Karl was the most trustworthy.
As the entire group focused on him, Karl wore a reluctant expression.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“You should be the one leading us here, senior.”
Juen was more than happy to see her mentor, Karl, in a position of leadership.
Looking at his bright-eyed junior, Karl spoke indifferently.
“Is there anything to lead?”
“Huh?”
“If this were a labyrinth or some abnormal situation caused by a Hero Dungeon, I’d do something.”
Karl glanced around the casino interior.
“This is a casino full of ordinary people. Of course, according to Leo, there seems to be something in the basement.”
Karl shook his head.
“To get down there, we need to collect 100 million points.”
“Does that mean we have to wait until that event starts?”
At Betty’s question, Karl grinned.
“Not necessarily. If we know the event details in advance, we can form a plan, right? The regulars at this casino probably know what kind of event it is. So, we get information from them.”
“How are we supposed to get friendly with them?”
“Wouldn’t we get close if we play games together?”
Karl shrugged at Chelsea’s question.
“Aren’t we supposed to not waste these points recklessly?”
“Since the target is 100 million points… aren’t the tens of thousands of points we have almost meaningless?”
Iliana asked, tapping the VIP card tucked away in her clothes, and Chloe replied.
“Chloe’s right. Well, we can’t use them all. But participating in the games is necessary for gathering information. We also need intel on the Azonia students.”
Just as Karl said, the Azonia students who had entered Uargela had vanished after coming here.
“Finding out where the Azonia students went will be a great help in exploring the Hero Dungeon.”
At Karl’s words, the others nodded.
“Well, it wouldn’t be bad to enjoy ourselves like Leo said. Let’s split up and gather information.”
“The class president already went deep into the casino by himself, so let’s get moving too. Let’s go, Austin!”
Iliana took the lead and walked ahead.
“Luke.”
“Yes, Chloe-sunbaenim.”
“You’re coming with us.”
“Okay.”
Chloe entered the casino, taking her mentees, Betty and Luke, with her.
“Shall we go too?”
At Chelsea’s words, Karl stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed her.
“But this casino is illegal, isn’t it?”
Juen pouted.
“Doesn’t that mean the dealers might cheat or something?”
“I doubt it.”
Karl shook his head.
“Even if it’s illegal, you can’t build a casino of this scale on dishonest methods alone. It requires trust.”
“That’s funny. To think that trust is a factor in a place like this.”
The corner of Juen’s mouth curled up.
Meanwhile.
Iliana stood with her arms crossed, staring intently at the spinning roulette wheel.
“How do you play this?”
“You don’t know?”
“Of course not. How would an elegant young lady like me know about such things?”
“I kind of thought you’d have done this a lot, Iliana-sunbae.”
“What on earth do you take me for?”
Iliana narrowed her eyes.
Then she approached a nearby exchange booth and converted her points into chips.
“Let’s just dive in.”
*Clack. Clack. Clack.*
Iliana, carrying a tray of stacked chips, stood before the roulette table.
“Well, a cute young lady has joined us. This is no place for a young girl like you.”
A middle-aged man who appeared to be a nobleman said, puffing on a cigarette.
Iliana gave the man a bright smile and said.
“Mister, could you tell me how to play this game?”
“It’s not difficult. You can simply bet on black or red. Or you can bet on a specific section. Or even a single number. You just place your chips where you want to bet.”
At his words, Iliana, exclaiming “Ooh, ooh,” placed a single chip on a betting square next to the large roulette wheel.
“The class president’s eyes are red, so here!”
A moment later, the ball, after spinning brilliantly on the wheel, landed in a red pocket.
“Ooh, ooh. So that’s how it works.”
“The little lady’s got some luck. Well, that’s an easy one to hit.”
The middle-aged man chuckled as he watched Iliana.
He had no doubt that her clear, innocent face would soon twist into one of despair and greed.
Because that’s what casinos did to people.
‘Watching such a pure girl become corrupted is one of the pleasures of this place.’
The other patrons seemed to feel the same way, watching Iliana with murky eyes.
But…
“The rep and I were in Class 5, so I’ll bet between 1 and 18.”
A win.
“The rep is 16, so I’ll bet between 13 and 24!”
A win.
“The rep is…”
A win.
Although the basic rule of betting on black or red was simple, roulette was a game where the house had a higher probability of winning.
Yet, even as she progressively lowered her odds and increased her payout, Iliana’s winning streak continued.
“The rep is…”
‘Who the hell is this class president!’
Everyone gulped as Iliana kept mentioning the “class president.”
The surrounding patrons, who had been anticipating a tearful expression on Iliana’s face, began to murmur among themselves.
“Wh-what is with that girl?”
“And what’s this about a class president?”
“It can’t be. She’ll lose it all and cry soon enough.”
“The class president is number one, so I’ll bet on 1!”
Finally, Iliana reached for the highest payout in roulette: betting on a single number.
Laughter erupted from those around her.
The odds were 1 in 36.
If she succeeded, she could earn a 36-fold return, but it was considered impossible.
Especially since this girl had been winning continuously, hadn’t she?
Before long, Iliana was the only one playing at this roulette table.
As everyone anticipated her distorted expression.
*Whirrrrrr—*
The roulette wheel began to spin.
*Click-clack-clack—*
“The player has won.”
*Ch-ch-ch-chink—!*
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the roulette ball landed in the number 1 pocket, and Iliana scored a massive victory in an instant.
“I’ll have 100 million in no time!”
Iliana beamed, and the patrons at the roulette table, their mouths agape, spoke to her.
“Th-The Goddess of Fortune!”
“She must be the Goddess of Fortune!”
“Goddess! Where to next? Please bestow your grace upon us!”
Anyone who frequented a casino was bound to lose a tremendous amount of money there.
Even for nobles, money was finite.
Like most gambling addicts, everyone here was hoping to strike it rich at the casino.
And they approached gambling by creating all sorts of silly superstitions.
And then, Iliana, a girl with incredible luck, had appeared.
Iliana looked at the crowd that had gathered around her, praising her, and after a moment of thought, she spoke.
“By any chance, did some students from Azonia come here recently?”
At her words, a beastman raised his hand.
“Yes! They were going around asking for information about a Hero Dungeon and Hero Hunters!”
“Oho.”
‘Hero Hunters?’
Iliana’s eyes narrowed.
A Hero Dungeon made sense. Lumerne had come to investigate one as well.
But Hero Hunters?
Iliana knew, from what Leo and Karl had told her, that this casino also functioned as an information guild.
‘Could it be that Hero Hunters have appeared in this country?’
If so, they needed to be even more cautious.
“Then one more thing. I heard there’s an arena here. Does anyone know what you have to fight to get the biggest prize money?”
“If you mean the arena… the champion’s payout is the highest recently!”
“The champion?”
“Yes. It’s a rabbit!”
“…”
‘What does it mean, a rabbit is the champion?’
Iliana’s expression turned peculiar.
“Goddess! Your next bet!”
One person shouted with a desperate look on their face.
At that, Iliana crossed her arms.
‘I’ve run out of things related to the class president.’
After a moment of thought, Iliana wore a smug expression.
“Number 1. Because I’m the number one Magic Swordsman in our year.”
“…Isn’t there the Young Master?”
“Do you see him as a Magic Swordsman?”
Iliana glared at Austin.
“Number 1!”
“It’s number 1!”
The surrounding gamblers began betting on number 1.
*Whirrrrrrrrr—!*
The roulette wheel spun.
*Click— clack-clack—*
And the ball rolled into the number 24 pocket.
“Aaargh!”
“Wh-what is this!”
Cries of despair echoed through the air.
“Hmm. I guess it doesn’t work unless it’s related to the class president.”
“Indeed, if it’s related to you, Iliana-sunbae, even the Goddess of Fortune would probably run away.”
“Do you want to die?”
While she bickered with Austin, the staff had already loaded the massive pile of chips Iliana had won onto a cart.
Once all the chips were loaded, Iliana pushed the cart toward the exchange booth and said.
“Austin, you don’t happen to know the class president’s three sizes, do you?”
“…I do not.”
“Should I go ask him? I feel like I could really win 100 million if I play my cards right.”
The patrons could only stare with empty eyes at the backs of the two as they walked away, chatting casually.
***
“Hero Hunters?”
“Yeah.”
In a room accessible only to King-level members, Leo sat in a curtained-off booth, his eyes narrowed.
Across from him, Ar sat with his legs crossed and arms folded.
“I found the Hero Hunters who use ‘Beastification,’ the ones the Llewellyn Shadows mentioned before. I came here to get information related to them.”
At those words, Leo fell into thought.
Cherna Llewellyn.
Chelsea and Abad’s aunt, a powerful mage who operated as one of the Llewellyn Shadows.
She, too, was a skilled individual who had buried countless traitors and Hero Hunters in the shadows.
And during the winter break, she had defeated a Hero Hunter who used Beastification even without a full moon, and had summoned Dorveman Kalles, the student council president of Azonia, and Ar, who had inherited Ar-on’s Beastification ability.
‘Back then, she said that Hero Hunter had a fake Brave, didn’t she?’
Ar-on’s beloved sword, seemingly obtained through the World of Heroes.
It was clear they were using that sword to perform Beastification.
‘It’s possible Tartaros is utilizing Ar-on’s Hero Record.’
A murderous glint appeared in Leo’s eyes.
In that instant, Ar’s tail shot straight up.
Just as Ar narrowed his eyes in reaction to Leo’s killing intent.
*Knock, knock—*
A knock came from the entrance.
“I heard the student council president of Lumerne was here, so I came to say hello.”
Leo looked toward the entrance.
He tilted his head at the man standing there.
“Who are you?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Delean Evern.”
Delean offered a gentle smile.
“I’m a Lumerne graduate. Your senior. I came here because I have a proposal for you.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a labyrinth beneath this place. How about we cooperate to conquer it?”