Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: The Fourth Night (3)
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Five hundred thousand people holding twenty coins each.
Park Chan-woo smiled.
It was definitely different.
Different from Aheta's approach.
'So, whether participants gather or not, it doesn't matter to you?'
Aheta would have forced the "night" to happen somehow.
To make up for the losses, he'd have no choice but to lower the entry barriers.
But the Apocalypse Demon King pushed ahead regardless.
Even though he must have some grasp of Earth's humanity's coin holdings, he kept the entry conditions sky-high.
This showed the bastard's personality, too.
Whether the five hundred thousand filled up and the "Fourth Night" went ahead, or it fell short and the "Abyss of Death" swallowed Earth whole—it was all good to him.
In the first scenario, he could claw back from his blunder. In the second, even if it got rough for him, he'd deal humanity a blow close to extinction.
Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried.
He'd been racking his brain over what to do if not enough participants showed up and the "Abyss of Death" kicked off.
'Lee Hyuk-soo. You really pulled off a big one.'
That was before Lee Hyuk-soo made his move.
Spitting curses and showing a side completely unlike his usual self had done the trick.
Who would've thought the robot-like guy had it in him?
One minute left.
871 participants still needed.
'Guess I'll join in.'
The mood had flipped.
No way he was sitting this out.
The moment he entered the Fourth Night's domain...
Park Chan-woo scanned his surroundings.
And he realized it.
What the Apocalypse Demon King was aiming for.
'A casino.'
A casino loomed right in front of him.
An endlessly sprawling megastructure with "CASINO" emblazoned across it in massive English letters.
And right out front...
"Welcome to the land of dreams!"
"Gamble your way to happiness!"
"Let's all have fun!"
"Pop in your coins and spin the slots!"
"How about a round of cards?"
"Russian roulette's ready too!"
Demons in disguise were putting on a show.
...A creative Abyss he'd never seen before.
'They must've thoroughly researched Earth.'
The Apocalypse Demon King.
A terrifying bastard.
Who'd have thought he'd recreate a massive casino just like that.
But this wasn't your average casino.
It was a battlefield run by the Demon King and his demons, where you wagered coins—and your life.
The games came in all varieties.
At a glance, they didn't seem too tough.
"What, that's it?"
"Five hundred thousand with twenty coins each—that's at least ten million coins just from participants. A few rolls, and fifty million's a breeze, right?"
"Cards? I know my way around those."
Most heading into the casino were brimming with confidence.
The vibe was that it was just regular gambling—nothing to sweat.
Park Chan-woo strolled toward the entrance nice and slow.
'No way it's that straightforward.'
The Apocalypse Demon King was a perfectionist.
He even wielded miracle-like authority to turn the masses' beliefs into reality.
He'd apply that power here in the casino, no doubt.
'He'll make the humans blindly believe something.'
Needed to stay sharp.
Otherwise, he might end up like the half-demons with that "double contract" nonsense.
Stepping inside...
"Whew!"
"Slots!"
"Tons of 'em."
Slot machines stretched out, easily a thousand strong.
Slots were the easiest form of gambling.
Hit the button, match random symbols, get rewards.
Not all identical—slight variations—but the rules were basically the same.
"This spot's mine!"
"I sat first!"
Five hundred thousand entrants.
A thousand slot machines.
The scramble kicked off.
They had to try ten game types by morning anyway.
Ding-ding-ding!
Ding-ding-ding!
The area filled with the sounds in seconds.
Normally, match the numbers right, and payouts scaled with the lineup.
But the slots in this "Fourth Night" were different.
"Wh-what?"
"Why all busts?!"
"What kinda odds are these?!"
No hits.
No matter how many times they hit the button, the numbers never lined up.
'It's not just about mashing the button.'
Every press sent mana flowing like an electric signal.
These slot machines clearly had some other rule baked in.
"Aaaah! Wh-where'd all my coins go?!"
A guy—gambling addict, probably—shoving in coins like mad screamed.
He'd burned through them all.
Not long after...
Boom!
The man's body exploded.
Then crumbled to dust and vanished.
The crowd went silent.
Even if he'd used up his coins, exploding like that? No clue.
'Coins are basically life force.'
Park Chan-woo got it at a glance.
Your coin stash was your lifeline.
Run dry, and you died.
He stroked his chin, thinking.
Should he play the slots?
Or scout other games?
'Max returns with minimal games.'
He needed the game he could win for sure.
Especially before drawing attention.
To rake in max profits at a timing the demon dealers wouldn't expect, the "first game" was key.
His strategy was simple.
'Find a game that takes big coin bets and that I can definitely win.'
Slots took one coin at a time, tops.
Multipliers upped it to four, but that was chump change.
Who stakes a measly four coins?
Even a 4x win without a jackpot wouldn't cut it.
So, what then?
Machine games were sure to be rigged.
Better to face off against a demon dealer.
The answer was obvious.
"Hey."
"Yes? How may I assist you?"
A female-form demon replied politely.
Park Chan-woo shrugged toward her and asked.
"How do I get to the VIP room?"
"Sir, VIP room access is for those holding 100 or more coins."
"Got over a hundred."
"...May I verify?"
He nodded and pulled a hundred coins from his inventory.
Her eyes went wide at the sight.
"V-verified. Please follow me to the VIP room."
Just as expected.
No way a casino this detailed skipped a VIP lounge.
Park Chan-woo followed the leading female demon.
The casino's top floor.
Four people were already there.
A card table sat empty in the center.
"Honored VIPs. Shall we play a round?"
A high-rank demon appeared.
He carried a "box" under his arm.
"Simple rules. Guess what's inside the box I'm holding."
"......Guess what's in the box? Impossible."
One man scowled.
Boxes from trials were random.
No one knew what came out.
The demon chuckled softly at the protest.
"There are 10 hints. First to guess right with the fewest wins. Wrong guess? Lose all your coins."
"Hold up. So you know what's inside?"
"No idea. I'm the dealer—and a player too."
"How's this even work?"
"First hint's free. Take a look."
Scribble-scribble.
Words appeared on the box.
1. Unique grade
First hint.
A Unique-grade box.
Still anyone's guess.
"Game on. Bet coins to play. Starts at 10. More hints, bigger bets."
Three of the five bet coins.
Park Chan-woo was one.
Scribble-scribble.
Second hint on the box.
2. One-handed weapon.
"...How the hell do we guess this?"
Zero leads.
How many one-handed weapons could drop from a Unique box?
Too many to count.
But Park Chan-woo thought different.
'They'll base it on common drops.'
Unique grade.
Not likely to be some ultra-rare oddity.
Not many one-handed Unique weapons out there.
Daggers, or beginner-friendly ones you could wield single-handed.
Narrow it down...
'Around twenty options.'
The demon spoke.
"Ten more coins for the next hint. Fold, or raise."
"I fold."
"This game's insane."
Two folded.
Just Park Chan-woo and the demon left.
"Raise."
"......Oh my. A bold one."
The demon eyed the raising Park Chan-woo with intrigue.
"You calling?"
"Have to. Call. Twenty coins."
Coins down, hint added.
3. Durability 2,500.
Brain spinning.
'Four possibilities.'
Unique grade, one-handed weapon, 2,500 durability.
'Dark Raven, Storm Fang, Blood Edge, Storm Blade.'
One of those for sure.
One-in-four odds.
"Another hint? Ten coins for number four..."
"Raise."
"......Overflowing with coins?"
"Call or fold?"
"Raise."
The demon raised too.
Let's see how far this goes.
He figured he could guess once the next hint dropped.
Just like Park Chan-woo.
Call made it forty.
"Raise."
Eighty more coins.
"......Raise."
Demon called with 160.
Park Chan-woo spotted the demon's pupils quiver faintly.
'Gotcha.'
Playing out just as planned, he smiled.
"Raise."
Another 320 coins.
The demon, shock turning to horror, finally croaked.
This first game was just a taste.
But it was already going off the rails.
"H-how many... coins do you even have...?"