Inside a dark casino.
Inside the gloomy, smoke-filled casino, a middle-aged man swallowed dryly.
'Four cards...!'
2 years of gambling experience.
He held a golden hand, one he'd never seen before. Four nines of cards. In poker, it's called the unbeatable hand. Knowing this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the man clenched his teeth to hide the smile that was creeping onto his lips.
‘Everyone, come in without leaving…’
The man saw three men sitting at a round table.
An old man with a long white beard.
A gentleman who didn't seem to be familiar with gambling. A blond guy I often saw at the casino. I can't remember his name, but he was a professional gambler like me.
And finally, one more person.
"Ah... uh..."
He was a young man with red hair.
The young man, who had lost enough money to build a house in the countryside, was a fool that the man was keeping an eye on.
It seems like he became rich at a young age.
He's a guy who doesn't fit in with this cruel world of trickery and deception. He can't even control his expression, and if he loses even a little, he'll jump into the next game to try to make up for it. He's clearly a fool.
The bets were exchanged, and the stakes began to escalate as the man intended. The man's lips trembled at the unprecedented stakes.
'Okay... good!!!'
This time, it seems like the blond guy has a good hand too, but unfortunately, the goddess of victory is on his side.
If I win this time, I can pay off the loans I've been owing and brag to my wife, who used to nag me about my gambling addiction. Plus, if I can pay off my daughter's college tuition, which I'd swindled to fund my gambling, I'll be a proud father.
The man spoke in a firm voice, hoping that people would view gambling as a profession, not a pastime.
"All in."
The old man, who seemed uninterested in money, also laughed heartily and pushed the chips in front of him away.
"I'm all in too."
And the same goes for the blonde guy.
"I'm all in too!"
The man looked at the young man whose face had turned pale and said:
"What do you want to do? All in? Die?"
"That... no... this..."
Looking at the bewildered face of the young man, he felt a strange sense of guilt, but in this world, such pretense as sympathy was a luxury, so the man hoped this incident would serve as a good lesson and offered some words of wisdom.
"Why don't you just die? If you lose more here, you won't be able to go home."
"Ah... but still..!"
The young man swallowed hard and pushed the chip in front of him away, speaking in a trembling voice.
"All in!"
The man thought to himself.
'You idiot. You can't take a chance even if I give you one.'
The moment when you start to open the doors one by one.
A smile began to spread across the man's lips.
"I'm sorry, what should I do? It's a four of a kind."
"It was almost dangerous. But I have a 9-of-a-kind…!"
The inspiration said, shaking his hands.
"J One Pair."
As victory became certain, the man spread his hand to sweep up the chips, his hidden smile brightening.
"I'm so sorry! Oh my... I'm so tired of holding it in. I was worried that everyone would die. I'm a 9-for-9! Hahahahaha!"
A man smiled happily at the thrill of the taste. He was thrilled by the thought of the mountain of chips becoming his. Then, a cold, manly voice broke his silence.
"Aren't you going to reveal my pattern?
"what?"
"It's my fault. You have to see it."
The red-haired youth spoke in a cold voice. His expression, which had been pale and youthful until just now, was now blunt, his expression fading.
Thump. With a light gesture, he spread the cards on the table. The man's body froze as if frozen.
"It's a royal flush."
"What? No... This is ridiculous."
The young man's expression as he laid out his best hand on the table in poker was utterly blunt. The man's eyes began to tremble at the sight of the young man's hand, devoid of joy or pleasure, as if he were simply showing the obvious.
"No... definitely..."
The young man looked at the man and whispered softly.
"Then he said, 'Just die.'"
[Breaking the Limit Tests Your Luck]
"It's a shame."
[Gwen Villian]
[Occupation: Gambler]
[Favorability: 100 > -50]
[Favorite conversation topic: Four of a kind. Turning your life around. I'm holding a nine of a kind. Dad's coming!]
[Disliked conversation topics: I'm sorry, honey; I love you, daughter; Don't call me a gambler; I'm a loser]
The young man put one of the most expensive chips in the man's hand and said:
"Fold it. That's for the family."
The man looked at the young man with empty eyes and said.
"Your... name?"
"Please call me Hamel's Devil."
"crotch..."
This was the beginning of the legend of 'Agwi', the greatest gambler in the empire.
*
On the way to the store with a lot of money.
I walked towards the shop where the girl was with a bright smile.
A smile naturally spread across my lips as I thought about the gloomy girl's expression brightening.
"By the way... I didn't know Topju would be here."
The inspiration of Whitebeard.
Tower lord on the Empire's Magic Tower.
I never would have thought that one of the only five archmages in the empire would be here.
Since he has such a free-spirited personality, I don't think it would be strange no matter where he goes, but I never thought I would meet him at a casino.
'Have you come to see Ruin?'
No.
I nodded, recalling an episode that happened a while ago.
Hans.
It seems that he has taken a precious step to find the fallen disciple.
As I was walking down the street, my shoulders trembling from the eerie encounter.
-Suddenly.
Something thin fell on Jeongsu-ri. It was too heavy to be called rain, and too unpleasant to be called snow.
I put my hand to my head, swearing harsh words in my mind, and sighed deeply at the white liquid that was dripping from my hand.
"Haa... Is this a penalty?"
What fell on my head was pigeon droppings. The smell wasn't terrible, but bird droppings were a symbol of bad luck.
I stood still and humbly accepted the misfortune that was coming my way.
Because it was an expected misfortune.
Breaking through the limits.
It was an ability that pushed the user's abilities to their limits, but it was a skill with a clear penalty for it.
An ability gained as soon as you open your eyes in another world.
It was the highest-level skill I had, and the one that made me who I am today.
I prayed that I had this ability and was able to become an outstanding martial artist at a young age.
The penalty for breaking the limit was clear.
If you test your luck, you'll either have bad luck like bird droppings falling on your head like I just did, or you'll have a penalty that prevents you from having a day or so of luck.
Using abilities related to the body would result in extreme muscle pain, while using abilities related to regeneration would result in extreme pain. While the penalties were clear, the rewards were also unimaginable.
'It's fortunate that today's bad luck ended with bird droppings, but I still feel bad.'
As I was leaving the store, leaving the bewildered gamblers behind.
"Haha... You're lucky, young man."
An old man with a white beard called me over.
An old man with a kind face.
The old man who had been sitting at the same table a moment ago was the owner of the Magic Tower.
I looked at him and bowed my head slightly.
"I have no intention of returning the money."
The old man opened his eyes in confusion and looked at me. He didn't seem to expect me to talk about money.
I said with a small smile to the surprised tower owner.
"I can give you some money for your transportation back home."
"Heh heh..."
Topju smiled, stroking his beard.
"He's just a funny guy."
"I know."
The tower lord of the magic tower.
A character who is killed by his own disciple, Hans. It's a long time in the future, but it's also a future where nothing will happen.
Tyrving is in my hands, and I intend to prevent his death.
I bowed my head and wished the tower lord well.
"Then I'll go buy something delicious with my grandfather's money."
"Is it Mac?"
"yes."
"Hahaha... what an interesting young man."
*
That moment.
A cold air flows inside the store.
"what?"
The plump schoolgirl was looking down at Olivia with disdain, and Olivia was looking up at her with eyes full of murderous intent.
Despite the unfavorable situation of 1 vs. 3, Olivia remained unafraid and silently watched them.
"shut up."
"Phuhat...!"
The plump schoolgirl smiled at her friend.
"What did you say? What about the child?"
"I don't know. They told me to shut up."
"Pfft."
A derisive "Poohaha" echoed throughout the store. Even as the students glared at each other, snickering, almost laughing, Olivia remained silent, slowly strangling her prey.
The plump schoolgirl took a step closer to Olivia and said.
"Hey. Say it again."
"..."
"Say it again. Kill me? Hahaha, you still think I'm the Olivia you used to be?"
"..."
"I'm sorry, just saying one word isn't enough. Right now, you're in a position to do that. Get your act together."
"..."
Olivia sighed deeply and spoke to the student in front of her.
"It looks like an orc with a triangular head and it chatters loudly."
Olivia looks at them, her ears perked.
Despite Olivia's warning, they only resisted more fiercely.
"what?"
Olivia said with a small smile.
"Am I wrong?"
Olivia's main weapon was her horse.
and.
-Brrrr...!
A sturdy weapon protected Olivia.
*
The store was in chaos.
"...?"
Holding my purse, I looked at the girl standing blankly in the middle of the store with bewildered eyes.
"Did the monster do this?"
"no."
"Uh... So did a meteor fall from the sky?"
The girl shook her head sullenly and said.
"no..."
I had a bad feeling about the girl's appearance as she cringed, her voice crawling into the ground.
I asked the girl in a trembling voice.
The store was in chaos.
The clerk's eyes were confused.
And the female students looking at the young lady with trembling eyes.
"Haa... Miss."
"huh..."
The girl's head lowered further with a sigh.
I said with confidence.
"There was a robbery."
"huh?"
"Don't worry. Think of the money you lost as a donation."
I checked the girl and made sure she was not injured.
“The fingers are still intact….”
"Your face is... pretty."
"Hehe..."
"I'm glad you weren't hurt."
"thank you."
The girl smiled bashfully, but didn't raise her head. She smiled faintly and spoke to me in a sullen voice.
"that is..."
"Does anything hurt?"
"That's not it... I fought with Jane."
"yes?"
The girl's shoulders shook at the panicked voice.
"Did you fight?"
"yes."
"With them?"
I looked at the schoolgirl lying on the floor and asked.
The gruesome sight of the schoolgirls, blackened and bruised. I stroked the girl's head and said.
"So. Where did you get hurt?"
"huh?"
The girl looked up at me with bewildered eyes. I could read guilt on her face, with small tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.
"Aren't you going to scold me?"
"yes."
"why?"
"Because it was worth fighting for. I fought, didn't I? Because I believe my character patch is perfect."
"Personality patch?"
"There is something like that."
The girl nodded, biting her lip tightly.
"There's a lot to compensate for."
"I have more money."
"Ricardo told me not to hit anyone, but I did."
"Just be careful next time."
"and..."
The young lady spoke of her wrongdoings in a melancholy voice. She had hit someone with the Ferris No. 1 machine. She muttered that she had hurt them with harsh words.
I pinched the girl's cheek and asked in a gentle voice.
"So you weren't hurt?"
"yes..."
I smiled slightly at the sight of the girl lowering her head sullenly and said.
"Okay then."
The girl lowered her head sullenly.
"I swore."
"What did you say?"
"Beep beep───!"
"oh..."
I said, stretching the young lady's cheek.
“But you didn’t do anything wrong?”
"Your parents are precious to you."
"Well done. I think that's enough."
I know the young lady's personality well.
The young lady is also kind.
And also, the temper is dirty.
so.
I think this is a good measure.
I said, handing the clerk a wad of money I earned today.
"I'll pay you back the remaining amount later."