Chapter 287
Chapter 287
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 287
Chapter Title: The Fourth Night (6)
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Was it thanks to being tormented by the Sniper Abyss for nearly a month?
Lee Hyuk-soo had a ton of coins.
It was partly due to the countless achievements he'd racked up from the start, but the endless barrage of sniping had left him with more than enough coins to go around.
"...Master. Do you know how to gamble at all?"
Han Min-oh asked as he gazed up at the massive casino building.
He couldn't help but doubt whether someone who seemed like he'd spent his whole life swinging a sword would even know the rules of casino games.
Lee Hyuk-soo nodded.
"I've played Go-Stop a few times."
"......There won't be Go-Stop in a casino."
It didn't make sense for Korea's traditional gambling game to be in a casino.
Anxiety clouded Han Min-oh's eyes.
They had strutted in here so confidently for the Fourth Night.
For Lee Hyuk-soo, this was the worst possible Creation Abyss unfolding right before his eyes.
In a place where fighting was off-limits, the skills he could bring to bear were extremely limited.
How do I handle this.
The savior of humanity.
The messiah himself, Lee Hyuk-soo, losing every last coin and going bankrupt?
A nightmare.
Han Min-oh pulled himself together.
"Master. Lend me some coins."
"How many?"
"As many as you can."
Ching ching ching!
Han Min-oh's eyes widened like saucers.
Coins poured out in such numbers that both his outstretched hands weren't enough to hold them all.
"Th-this is way more than I need."
"Handle my share too. I'm no good at gambling."
Nearly a hundred coins.
He never dreamed Lee Hyuk-soo would hand them over without a second thought.
It was proof of just how much trust his master had in him.
"...Just leave it all to me."
Han Min-oh nodded.
And that was the beginning.
Though his life had been overshadowed by his older brother Han Shin, Han Min-oh did have one thing he was good at.
Gaming.
He had mastered every genre imaginable from a young age.
Role-playing, cards, strategy, action, shooters, puzzles, sports, horror—he didn't discriminate.
Desperate to escape reality, he'd thrown himself into games obsessively and reached a respectable level.
No matter how devilish the game, the basics would be similar enough.
It's mostly luck, but strategy is key.
He skipped games that were pure chance.
With the sharp eyes of a hawk hunting prey, he prowled the table games, sizing up the dealers, and sat at the one that looked easiest to handle.
He bet boldly.
But he set his own rule: don't play too many games.
The result?
"...You're a regular card sharp."
He was able to return Lee Hyuk-soo's coins with generous interest.
Afterward, Lee Hyuk-soo headed to the VIP room, while Han Min-oh kept playing in the main casino.
...And now.
Spotting Han Shin in the VIP room, Lee Hyuk-soo—
Shing!
drew his sword in an instant and pointed it straight at him.
"You're alive?"
Truth be told, he already knew Han Shin was alive.
After Aheta vanished and the Third Night ended.
Just before being summoned back to Earth, Lee Hyuk-soo had definitely seen 'Han Shin' in front of the Temple of Death.
At first, he thought it was a hallucination.
A monster-like figure cloaked in ominous energy and wearing a chilling smile—could that really be Han Shin?
But if he was alive, why hadn't he shown himself?
Han Shin was Han Min-oh's brother and the eldest son of Han Yeon Group.
There was no reason for him to hide.
"......If you don't want to die, get that out of my face, Lee Hyuk-soo."
Han Shin scowled.
He hadn't expected to run into Lee Hyuk-soo here either.
Originally, half-demons at stage three should have mingled with the humans to play the 'game.'
The goal was to sow chaos and strife, pitting participants against each other in war.
But since Han Shin had devoured them all, that plan fell apart.
Guess I'll have to handle it myself.
He ended up acting solo.
Of course, he was more than enough on his own.
He had his Demon Eye and Spirit Eye, after all.
"Participants, fighting is prohibited here. Please put away that menacing blade."
Rumble rumble rumble!
Diamonte unleashed his magic power with a smile.
The ground shook as if an earthquake had hit.
"Hng...!"
Everyone felt their bodies stiffen involuntarily.
The overwhelming magic radiating from the demon lord right beside them felt suffocating.
Lee Hyuk-soo slowly sheathed his sword.
"Shall we resume the 'auction,' then? I trust the new participants are familiar with the rules?"
Fighting here counted as part of the game.
No need for direct confrontation.
Victory and defeat weren't determined by the sword alone.
...The silver lining was that Han Min-oh wasn't here.
Who knew what reaction he'd have seeing Han Shin.
Han Min-oh had only just started to recover emotionally; this could shatter him.
"Now, let's select a dealer. Please choose one valuable item from your possessions."
Diamonte restarted the game.
Seeing the rules pop up as a message, even Lee Hyuk-soo—who wasn't great at games—could tell how crucial being the dealer was.
But... something felt off at the same time.
This doesn't seem like it'd help the Demon King or demons much.
Their goal was to strip every last coin from the participants, right?
Yet this game's purpose felt different.
Less about stealing coins, more like it had some other objective.
Making participants compete to be dealer...
Was the auction just a pretext?
Did they have a real goal elsewhere?
Maybe one of the participants has gear or an item the Demon King wants?
...That could be it.
Being dealer gave an absolute advantage.
People would pull out their best items without hesitation.
Maybe the Demon King was after one of those.
Or perhaps to scout participants for some other aim.
Lee Hyuk-soo scanned the room.
He sized up the other participants.
And Han Shin did the same.
All this is just groundwork for the next game.
Han Shin had a rough idea of how the Fourth Night would play out.
His contracted Creator was none other than the Demon King of Blazing Flames.
This casino, this entire Fourth Night—it was all designed for him.
The reason for pitting them against each other via Diamonte was simple.
A brutal war of attrition is coming.
It was reconnaissance.
Being in the VIP room marked them as humanity's elite.
Gauging their gear would help calibrate the next game's difficulty.
Han Shin thought to himself.
Once the war breaks out...
...I'll kill Lee Hyuk-soo.
And also.
Find the Archmage.
The Archmage could be here in disguise.
Just a day ago, he'd clashed with them directly, but the Archmage was a master of perfect concealment—even Creators couldn't track him.
Changing appearances would be child's play.
For all he knew, the Archmage was hiding here.
Waiting to toy with him again.
The Demon King of Blazing Flames was hunting the Archmage too.
"Next participant?"
"I'll put up this."
As everyone pulled out their chosen items,
Lee Hyuk-soo held out a tool that looked like a magnifying glass.
"Oh ho, an Avatar Magnifier? That's a rare one."
Then he stared straight at Han Shin.
As if to say, I know you're an avatar, Han Shin.
But Han Shin just smirked.
Lee Hyuk-soo. Five out of the nine here are avatars.
He could spot avatars without any tool.
He closely observed the remaining four who weren't.
Or rather, the three excluding Lee Hyuk-soo.
Two that my Insight Skill doesn't pierce.
Lee Hyuk-soo and one other man.
Han Shin's Insight Skill let him see opponents' levels and stats.
But it failed on Lee Hyuk-soo and that one man.
Meaning they had something blocking observation skills, or their levels were higher than his.
Probably the former for both.
...Feels like I've seen him somewhere.
He tilted his head inwardly.
The man's face looked familiar.
He definitely felt like he'd seen him before.
Han Shin rarely forgot faces.
If he felt this way, he'd seen him for sure.
Ah.
Soon, Han Shin remembered.
Where he'd seen the man.
That time...!
Back in the Fortune Abyss, when his 'plans' were stolen.
He'd checked the stats of 627 people to find the thief and memorized their faces.
That man was one of those 627.
A weakling.
...All his stats had shone at '1'—the weakest of the weak.
He remembered him so well because he was so unusual.
A pale face that looked like it could drop dead any second came to mind.
So why was this bedridden invalid standing before him now?
Looking far healthier than before, no less.
Feeling Han Shin's gaze but ignoring it, Park Chan-woo continued with the game.
He wouldn't suspect him of being the Archmage anyway.
Right now, 'Diamonte' was more important.
This wasn't just participant vs. participant; he needed to draw the demon in actively.
Value.
The number that popped up when you presented an item.
Diamonte was the demon of jewels, one of the best at appraising treasure.
To reel him in, he needed treasure worthy of the demon.
But he couldn't whip out 'Baal's Sword' or the 'Staff of the Fleshly Throne.'
That would advertise he was the Archmage.
Or maybe go the complete opposite way.
What if I show Diamonte something even he can't appraise?
......There was one such thing.
Something no one could value.
"Let's select a new dealer."
Diamonte pressed on with the game.
"Hold on. I have a question."
Park Chan-woo cut in, and Diamonte nodded.
"Participant 499,519. Yes, go ahead."
"What's the standard for judging 'value'? You aren't rigging the game on a whim, are you?"
"Perish the thought. My judgment of value is my authority—absolutely trustworthy. If I'm wrong or tamper with it, I'll step down from my post."
"I can't trust that. Swear on the Messenger of Oaths."
"......Do I really need to go that far?"
"Judge the 'item' I'll show you properly. Get it right, and I won't complain."
"Hmm. Can't proceed on words alone. Bet some coins."
"A hundred do it?"
"What are you saying? All five thousand of yours."
Diamonte grinned wickedly.
Are you that confident?
He exuded total confidence in his appraisal ability.
Park Chan-woo had finally forced a one-on-one showdown with Diamonte.
"You're on. But in return."
"......Return?"
"You bet 5,000 coins too."
"...Oh ho. That suspicious, eh?"
Diamonte's smile deepened.
He's convinced I'm rigging it.
As if.
Putting up a strong front meant he was bluffing.
Just like with Lukar.
But the difference was Diamonte's 'appraisal authority' was absolute.
He could even value demigod-grade treasures.
Whatever Park Chan-woo showed, he'd win.
"...Fine. I swear on the Abyss with 5,000 coins that my judgment is infallible."
"I swear on the Abyss with 5,000 coins too. That you can't judge my item's value."
Whoosh...
In that instant, before them.
"The Messenger of Oaths...!"
"He's really doing it?"
"What? Five thousand coins? Did I hear that wrong?"
The Messenger of Oaths appeared, scythe in hand. The moment he did, Park Chan-woo pulled an item from his inventory.
"......?"
Diamonte couldn't help but freeze at the sight of what Park Chan-woo held.
Because.
The spot where the numerical value should have shown was filled with question marks.
Everyone else reacted the same.
"Isn't that an egg?"
"Why bring out an egg...?"
What Park Chan-woo had pulled out was none other than the Easter Egg.