Chapter 203: Her Value is 10 Trillion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 203: Her Value is 10 Trillion
Finally, he’s gone.
The Pauper held out better than I expected, which actually gave me a bit of a scare.
Perhaps because we gathered chips faster than anticipated, the final boss showed up much earlier than he does in the game.
I stand up from my seat, looking at the Pauper standing side-by-side with Rio.
“We’ve had our fun. Let’s wrap this up.”
As soon as I stand, Yukina and Park Yu-jeong flank me as if they’d been waiting for the cue.
Masayoshi, listen. You might be 'God Sayoshi,' but there’s a certain aesthetic standard required to pull off a cool pose, you know? Could you move aside?
I nudge Masayoshi—who is posing at the very front as if he’s the protagonist—out of the way and take a seat at the swindler’s table.
“Masayoshi, how much did you make?”
“Right now… I have about 3.4 billion.”
He made quite a bit.
“And you two?”
“Me? I’ve got about 120 billion?”
“… …”
I guess the Zone didn’t throw a fit for nothing.
How on earth did she manage to rake in over 100 billion? Is that even possible?
Beside Park Yu-jeong’s smug expression, Yukina speaks up calmly.
“100 billion.”
“… …Everyone made a lot. Good job.”
“So, what about you?”
Thud.
I try to brush it off, but Masayoshi catches my shoulder and asks.
Dammit, don’t turn into God Sayoshi and get all sharp at a time like this.
Park Yu-jeong also leans against my leg, sitting down and whispering.
“I’m curious~ Yeon-woo told us to earn chips, so I wonder how much he earned himself~”
“… …”
“That cart over there isn’t everything, right? You’ve got some hidden somewhere, don’t you? Surely you didn’t earn less than Masayoshi? You weren’t just running around feeling up bunny girls’ chests the whole time, were you?”
“… …”
“Yeon-woo is the team leader coordinating the whole operation, so individual performance doesn’t matter.”
As expected, Yukina is the only one on my side.
With Masayoshi and Park Yu-jeong pressuring me, Yukina steps in to defend me.
“Exactly, you punks. Don’t you know the team is more important than the individual? You should look at the team’s total; why nitpick individual results? It’s because you worry about trivial things like that that team unity falls apart!”
“Ugh~ such a boomer. I’ll let it slide because Yeon-woo is handsome.”
Park Yu-jeong giggles, patting my hip.
“So, what do we do now?”
Masayoshi asks for the next step while sipping a coffee he bought for a million chips.
“First, shall we save that idiot?”
I toss two million-value chips to Rio as a tip.
The haze clears from Rio’s eyes as his will returns. He throws the chips to the Swindler and comes sprinting toward me.
Look at him, all excited because I saved him.
“You son of a bitch! You said there wouldn’t be anything dangerous!”
I guess he wasn’t running over to thank me.
“It wasn’t dangerous. Take the leftover chips after paying your debt, buy a drink, and just watch.”
“Man, I must’ve been crazy to come in here.”
Despite his grumbling, Rio does as I say, buys a beer, and drains the can.
Thinking about it now, it’s actually annoying.
I gave him luck items, I let him draw 'Great Luck'—I did everything for him, yet he lost it all and has the nerve to get mad at me?
Meanwhile, Yukina and Park Yu-jeong brought back 100 billion each.
“Should I save Lena too?”
“No, leave the Pauper for now.”
Seeing Yukina reach for her chips, I quickly stop her.
Even though her eyes are vacant, she must be perceiving external stimuli, because the Pauper flinches.
To flinch even when her physical freedom has been stripped away… the shock must have been immense.
“My, my. Saving some and abandoning others? What a beautiful friendship.”
“Shut up, you swindling prick. You’re the one who made her like this; who are you to lecture me? You made the Zone a piece of crap too, you bastard.”
I try to provoke him, but the Swindler doesn’t react.
He stares at me intently for a moment, then smirks and claps his hands. The Pauper twitches and begins frantically touching her own body.
Her hurried movements, as if checking if she’s still alive, eventually stop. She looks at me, eyes welling with tears.
“Please save me…”
I smile at her words and flick a 100,000-value chip toward her.
“It’s a tip. Come sit here.”
When I pat my thigh and speak, the Pauper clutches the chip tightly as if it were precious and comes over to sit.
“Yay! Yeon-woo’s thighs are soft, right? This is why I can’t quit him.”
Seeing the Pauper sharing the seat, Park Yu-jeong hugs her brightly.
You’ve barely ever sat here; what do you mean you 'can’t quit'?
“If I give Lena a chip, can I touch her however I want too?”
“Hieek—! D-Don’t…”
“I’m keeping the Pauper with me for now.”
“Without saving her? So there was a reason you brought her~? If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve said so sooner. I could’ve done it for you.”
It’s not like that, so just be quiet.
Every time you speak, the Pauper’s face turns pale.
“Everyone else, leave just enough for food and basic needs, then take turns giving 100,000-chip tips to save the staff.”
“Without fighting that guy?”
“Yeah, I’ll handle that. I need to teach him that if you cheat, you lose a hand.”
“Heeh… didn’t you say you don’t know the rules of poker?”
“Trust me.”
Park Yu-jeong meets my eyes, grins, and nods.
In the back, Rio is making a fuss, asking how anyone could trust me, but I ignore him completely.
Starting with Masayoshi, they take turns giving chips to save the staff members one by one.
“Alright, it’s 100,000 chips, so first, do you want to kiss the top of my foot? No, lick the sole.”
Park Yu-jeong really doesn’t let anything go easily.
While everyone else hands them over silently, Park Yu-jeong demands something every single time.
She tells them to lick her feet, tells them to dance, and eventually even gives chips to two people and tells them to kiss.
Ugh—making two dignified middle-aged men deep-kiss… she truly is a devil.
Regardless, we save the staff members one by one.
It seems the system involves paying off the interest through labor once you become staff, so we only have to pay the principal. It costs less than I thought.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
“I thought there was no hope left… truly, thank you.”
The people who escape their staff status after receiving tips weep as they offer their gratitude.
They haven’t even escaped the Zone yet, and if we lose, it’s all over, but they’re reacting like this. They must have had a truly hard time.
Then again, being trapped in a Zone is miserable enough, but no new people had entered for years.
That meant the government had given up on this Zone, and they were living lives bound here forever, just waiting for death.
Mages who broke in to find a grave, industrial workers caught when the Zone first appeared—countless people had been trapped here for five years.
Once freed, Mariene looks at me with teary eyes and smiles.
“Thank you…”
“It’s not over yet. Just wait a little longer.”
“Let’s have a word.”
Agh, the mood was so good. Who’s interrupting without any tact?
I turn my head to see an old man.
Ah, is he the leader of the second or third team that broke in?
“I am Sebalan, a Rank 4 Black Agent. What is your affiliation and rank?”
“Seo Yeon-woo, Black Temporary License. Affiliation… I guess it would be Yggdrasil.”
“What?! A student? What on earth is the government thinking…”
The man who introduced himself as Sebalan looks shocked and whispers something to the teammates who came in with him.
I told the people who escaped their staff status to gather in the back; why is he stepping forward?
It’s not like the others don’t have questions; they’re just following my lead.
“I don’t know why the government sent you kids in, but can you follow my command here?”
“… …”
This is unbelievable.
Is it that… what do you call it? Sense of justice? Duty? That makes him want to complete the mission? Or does he want the credit for resolving the Zone? Or does he just not trust us?
“I will be the one to resolve this Zo—”
“Mister.”
“… …”
“No matter how I look at it, I think I’m doing a much better job right now. So why don’t you stop wasting my time and go stand in line in the back?”
“You little brat! Do you have any idea who this man is…”
As one of his teammates approaches angrily, a blade touches his throat.
Since we can’t use magic, I can’t turn my stick into a weapon, but that doesn’t mean I’m not carrying other weapons.
Daggers and the like are more useful hidden on your person rather than stored in a stick.
Yukina glares coldly, as if she’ll stab him if he moves another inch—actually, she’s already poked him enough to draw blood—making it clear she’s ready to kill. The man freezes, looking around nervously.
Since everything they had was taken when they became staff due to debt, they must be empty-handed.
Man, people are more of a problem than slaying monsters or clearing Zones.
As the man touched by Yukina’s dagger remains paralyzed, Park Yu-jeong puts her hands behind her back and circles them brightly, striking up a conversation.
“I know these misters. They’re the incompetents who’ve been stuck here for five years because they couldn’t even pay their debts, right? I earned 120 billion, so I wonder how much you misters earned to end up in this state?”
“… …”
“Ah, right, right. You couldn’t pay your debt because you didn’t earn anything. Sorry, I’m so silly. But it’s still better than being incompetent. Gosh, you wasted five years of your lives. What a shame. It doesn’t look like you have much longer to live, either.”
“Guh…”
Sebalan grinds his teeth at Park Yu-jeong’s mockery.
However, as if she’d just heard the most melodious sound, Park Yu-jeong leans her ear toward his mouth with an ecstatic expression.
“Are you pissed? Want me to make you even more pissed? How about I do absolutely nothing for about three days starting now? I’d feel so bad for those people—they’re going to suffer because the great Rank 4 Black Agent Sebalan-ssi got angry.”
Wow—she’s a perfect devil, even taking the other people hostage.
My own taunting doesn’t even amount to a speck compared to Park Yu-jeong’s.
Caught in her incredible agitation and feeling the sharp glares of the crowd, Sebalan flinches in embarrassment before turning away.
“I’ll watch and see just how well you do. You damn brats.”
“Excuse me~”
Park Yu-jeong laughs at Sebalan’s back as he retreats into the crowd.
“Why are you leaving just like that?”
“… …”
“Aren’t you going to apologize for being rude to the great person who saved you? Should I stay still for three days? Get on your knees and apologize. Then bark like a dog.”
She is definitely a dopamine addict.
It’s satisfying, and I’d like an apology too, but if she keeps acting like a tyrant, even the people we worked so hard to save will start to resent us.
I’m annoyed too, but now isn’t the time to settle scores.
I stand up and grab Park Yu-jeong’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Yu-jeong. You over there, go ahead and rest. We’re a bit sensitive because we’re trying to clear the Zone. Everyone will be happy once we resolve this quickly.”
“… …”
Sebalan glares at us with bloodshot eyes before going to sit in a corner with his teammates.
I whisper to Park Yu-jeong, who is still snickering and mocking him.
“Thanks for playing the villain. You can stop now.”
“… …”
Really?
Did she really act like a bad person just to make me look better?
Though it vanished instantly, Park Yu-jeong showed a brief look of surprise, as if wondering how I knew.
It’s truly shocking that she wasn’t just being crazy and tormenting people, but was acting for my sake.
“No fun. Stop reading my mind.”
Park Yu-jeong punches my chest and lies down on a nearby table as if she’s lost interest.
What is with her? I really can’t understand that girl.
“Now that we’ve saved all the staff, we just need to crush the Swindler.”
“W-What about me…?”
“You’re my lucky charm. Sit back down.”
I flick a 100,000-value chip and pat my thigh. The Pauper sits down cautiously with a look like she’s about to cry.
Now that the only staff member left is the Pauper sitting on my lap, the Swindler laughs as he shuffles the cards alone.
“You save everyone else but not this woman? Do you hold a grudge, or do you intend to use her like a slave?”
“You’re the one who used her as a slave, prick. And is she even your property?”
“She hasn’t paid her debt, so she is my asset.”
Aha~ so you said it yourself, she’s an 'asset'?
You have no idea how terrifying she is, do you?
“If you were to sell her, how much would you want? Since she’s your asset and not just a debt, she must have a value you’ve assigned to her.”
“I don’t know what kind of joke this is, but let’s see… 1 trillion should do.”
“Is that all? That’s too low. Let’s make it 10 trillion.”
“Hah—it’s meaningless anyway, so let’s go with that. Can we start now?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
The Swindler shuffles and deals the cards with flashy hand movements.
The Pauper’s value is 10 trillion… the amount is so massive it makes my heart race.
Since I don’t know much about poker, Masayoshi organizes the cards for me.
“The hands? Is that what you call them? What’s the highest hand?”
“You challenged him without knowing anything?”
“No, stop nagging and just tell me what it is.”
“A Royal Straight Flush, which is among the Straight Flushes…”
“Can I get that with these cards?”
“As if! And you haven’t even received them all yet.”
“In that case, All-in.”
I’m supposed to receive more cards, but I push all my chips forward.
Everyone is shocked by my all-in, and I hear the sound of Park Yu-jeong jumping up in surprise.
I hear all sorts of insults—that I’m a madman, that we’re doomed.
These people were thanking me for saving them just a moment ago.
“Are you sure? You haven’t even received all your cards yet.”
“Don’t stall and just do it. I have a package arriving at my house today.”
The Swindler smirks, matches my bet with his chips, and deals the remaining cards.
Masayoshi, who was organizing my hand, flinches and stares at me blankly.
And the Swindler scowls as he looks at his own hand.
“What? You tried to cheat but it didn’t work? Strange, isn’t it?”
“… …It’s a Flush.”
I don’t know what a Flush is, but since Masayoshi isn’t saying anything, it must be right. Judging by the noise behind me, it seems to be a fairly high hand.
Masayoshi lets out a hollow laugh and flips my cards over.
“Straight Flush.”
“That’s impossible…”
Hey, if I won, it’s a good thing. Do you not want to go home?
Disbelieving reactions erupt from behind me, and the Swindler just glares at me silently.
“Let’s move on to the next game.”
He deals the cards again after another shuffle, and I push my chips in without even looking.
“All~ in.”
“… …”
Now, no one says a word.
In the suffocating silence, only the sound of cards sliding across the table is heard before the hands are revealed.
“Four of a Kind.”
“… …Straight… Flush…”
Masayoshi mutters as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing.
So you do have emotions.
The Swindler’s jaw drops beneath his tiger mask.
It makes no sense, right? But this girl has lived her entire life like this.
I stroke the head of the Pauper—my lucky charm and a literal plague to the Swindler—feeling very proud of her.
You said the Pauper was your asset? And her value is 10 trillion?!!
Unfortunately, she’s not an asset; she’s a liability.
Now, get a taste of a 10-trillion-value plague that tramples all over the laws of your Zone.