Chapter 14
#014
1.
A 5-pt one-pull and the Old World shopping mall, where I could do even more gacha?
Or the Joker Random Box, pricey at 30 pt per pull but letting me see more variables?
The one I carefully chose was the Joker.
《Joker Random Box》
- 1 draw: 30 pt
- A consumable item that can become a powerful variable.
- Put a single card that can shake fate in your hand.
Modern goods definitely provide convenient items.
If the cost had been modest, I might even have considered selling it to scrape together the money.
But the money I needed to gather was that inhuman sum: Omni-coins plus 500,000 Bios.
Even a Rolex watch wouldn't be enough.
Even if it were a Patek Philippe, I doubted I'd be able to sell it at a proper price.
It was a time when I desperately needed a single card capable of shaking fate.
“Good.”
It wouldn't do to leave a patient outside for too long, so I headed home for now.
I laid Arbel on the bed and knelt down reverently.
If possible, I even felt like bathing and fasting to purify myself.
The maximum number of possible gacha pulls was four.
It's not that I don't hesitate.
A vague fear blocked my path: What if this goes totally to hell?
At that point, I thought of Nietzsche, my favorite philosopher.
He said:
‘Was this life? Good! Then once more!’
It was a line that always gave me courage when I stood before a choice.
“Well, if I regress, that's that~”
After all, gacha is a man's pleasure, meant for those who can enjoy ruin as part of it.
To the true battlefield where weak cowards couldn't even get in, I willingly stepped forward.
“1 pull, go.”
[Points used : 132pt =>102pt]
-Dudung-tak, dudung-tak, dung-tak!
A cheerful tune rang out, and suddenly the clown inside the UI started dancing.
It blared the trumpet, blew a ridiculous horn, and began scattering colorful confetti everywhere.
My heart pounded.
It was a performance I'd never seen before.
The clown, laughing madly, tossed out a box.
Inside it, a fierce red light leaked out.
Red.
A harbinger of SR.
“Nice! That's what I wanted!”
I clenched my fist tightly and got to my feet.
Apparently it had been noisy, because Arbel frowned and made a cute little “Uuung...” sound.
But there was no guarantee that an SR-rank item would be useful.
I moistened my lips, which had gone dry with nerves.
Please, something actually helpful, not a bait item like ‘Sturdy Stomach.’
Someone's going to die here!!!
“Hup...!”
I pressed the box.
-Peeeeew! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Together with the red fireworks, an old scripture that looked like something you'd see at the Central National Museum popped out.
What it looked like didn't matter much.
What mattered was the effect.
I could only pray it would be the move that broke this deadlock.
「Copy of the Sutra of Mystic Insect Sounds (妙法蟲聲經)」
- Rank: SR
- Description: A copy of a scripture containing the teachings of mysterious insect sounds.
- Effect: Summons a retainer of the Outer God for 5 minutes.
- Note: Does not distinguish friend from foe. One-time use.
“How mysteeeerious....”
It really is ambiguous.
The effect is obviously a Joker meant for making a mess.
I don't know what an Outer God is, but since it's Super Rare, it'll probably deploy some pretty strong guys.
In a way, it also suits the purpose of a “Joker” best....
Still, the note saying “does not distinguish friend from foe” was pretty damn concerning.
“How am I supposed to make money with this?”
The first thing that came to mind....
Was maybe releasing it in Ceres's house and taking the money from that safe?
A quick glimpse inside the thick safe behind the painting showed it packed with all sorts of valuables.
If I took it all, it wouldn't just be three generations—thirty generations could live in luxury.
It would be satisfying to get revenge on the previous run, and it was tempting too, but....
“No way.”
Rationally speaking, it was still too much of a stretch.
Whether the Outer God's retainer summoned by the Sutra could beat Ceres was uncertain, and even if Ceres lost, there'd still be a problem.
Because I'd be the dessert for the monster that devours mages.
Fighting is obviously excluded.
I have the Eye of Laplace and a revolver, but this world would have to be vicious enough to make them matter.
Even if the real John Wick came, getting cast out in this world would still be a three-hour job.
That said, trying to profit from the chaos by opening the safe was also out.
I don't have the skill to open a thick safe that looks like it could withstand a nuclear blast.
Maybe thinking I'd use the “Joker” to raise emergency cash was a mistake.
Maybe abandoning Arbel really was the wise choice after all.
“Mom....”
Did my brainwaves trigger Arbel's survival instincts?
A sleep-talking murmur slipped from Arbel's lips.
To me, that voice sounded like, “Cedric, why did you sell my corpse...”
“Okay, okay. I get it.”
Once this run is over, we'll be even.
[Points used : 102pt =>72pt]
This time, the effect was underwhelming.
As expected, it was a white, Common-rank Joker.
「Dying Message from the Future」
- Rank: C
- Description: You receive a letter from your future self. It's not a love letter.
- Effect: Upon death, you can receive a hint about the cause of death in the previous run, limited to five characters.
- Note: Automatically activates immediately when the run restarts. One-time use.
My upper lip scrunched up.
My future self?
Who exactly is that future me? Is this some kind of deterministic universe?
That's the universe I hate most.
Doesn't that mean every hand is already decided before you even enter the casino?
And I wasn't sure the effect was even that good.
A hint about the cause of death doesn't sound bad, but what are you supposed to do with five characters?
‘We're fucked’ and that's it.
“Phew.”
Didn't I already decide not to get disappointed one by one?
Let's just shake it all out and move on.
“One more pull.”
[Points used : 72pt =>42pt]
The third gacha animation was not bad.
This time the box was blue. Rare rank.
「Curse-Repelling Talisman」
- Rank: R
- Description: A talisman that prevents curses.
- Effect: Prevents death penalties. Already applied penalties do not disappear.
- Note: Automatically activates immediately when the run restarts. Remaining uses: 5.
“Oh?”
This isn't bad.
From experience, death penalties act as a pretty big variable.
If I hadn't had [Late Response], which prevents action for 24 hours after regression, I wouldn't have fallen all the way to Necropolis in the first place.
I would've had plenty of time to go back to the casino, pull 200 million Bios, and flee.
It's a shame the already imposed penalties don't disappear, but it's a Joker that lives up to its rank.
“…but for some reason, this feels a little off.”
Two out of the three items were basically life insurance.
None of them help me right now.
Is it my imagination, or is this run basically holding a ritual so I can die in peace?
I had only 42 pt left.
Final pull.
One last showdown.
I cast the final die, staking my fate on it.
Now it was time to leave everything to God.
-Dudung-tak! Dudung-tak! Ppa-bam! Ppa-ba-bam!
Cheerful music played, and the clown danced a ridiculous jig to its rhythm.
Confetti fluttered in the air.
“It's here, it's here, it's here!”
A red light brighter than a freshly picked pomegranate! Super Rare! It came again!
Two SRs in four pulls?
This is way more generous than I expected.
“Arbel, I'm definitely going to put you in a reverse bunny girl outfit!”
With solemn resolve, I touched the box glowing with a faint reddish light.
-Pop
The UI went completely black, as if someone had pressed the power switch on an old brown TV.
“What the hell.”
Neither the jaunty sounds nor the clown's twitching backside was visible.
The status window had gone dead, with no interaction possible.
All that remained was silence. Stillness. Darkness.
“Hey, hey, what's going on here?”
You're confiscating the status window at this point? Are you serious?
Then.
-Kyaaah-hoo! Hahahahahaha!!!
The clown's laughter rang out from everywhere.
It was a freewheeling laugh, brimming with madness, arrogant enough that no one could restrain it.
The moment that peak laughter cut off abruptly.
-crack
A hairline crack appeared in the black screen that filled my vision.
-crack-crack
The cracks spread as if glass were breaking apart.
The brilliant radiance seeping through the gaps in those fissures was something humans had longed for since ancient times.
Across East and West, ever since humanity built civilization, it had without fail symbolized “wealth (富).”
The gold light of the purest, most primal desire.
-crack-crack-crack-crack!
As if a crevasse were collapsing,
the black screen that had overturned the UI shattered apart with a deafening roar.
[ 7 7 7 ]
[ JACKPOT!!!! ]
[ CONGRATULATION!!!! ]
The concentrated light became a storm that swept through the entire room, dyeing everything inside gold.
Within the eye of that raging storm.
SUPER
One by one.
SUPER
Rising.
RARE.
Letters blazing with golden light.
[ SUPER SUPER RARE!!!!! ]
“Kyaaah-hoo!!!!!!!!”
Wow, fuck, I'm so hyped!!!!
This production is insanely good!!!!! It even supports 4D!!!!
“Ah.”
I'm dizzy, and my nose is bleeding.
It's been a long time since I felt such ecstatic exhilaration.
After a while of rolling my eyes back and soaking in victory bliss, I checked the item.
I'd been guzzling victory kimchi soup from the reservoir this hard—there's no way they'd still give me some shitty item, fuck?
“Claim! Hurry up and give it to me!”
The first SSR-rank item I'd ever encountered.
-Thunk!
What fell with a heavy sound was a huge leather sack, almost as big as my upper body.
「The Sack Dropped by God」
- Rank:
SSR
- Description: Try opening it first.
That's the whole description.
No effect, no note.
The corners of my mouth kept creeping upward.
“What are you trying to give me to get me this excited!”
I tried to lift the sack with a grin, then gave up.
It was too heavy for me to lift.
“Why is it so heavy?”
After undoing the leather knot sealing the bag and opening the sack, I...
“…….”
I was overwhelmed.
Because the sack was overflowing with gold coins whose brilliance didn't lose out at all even against the SSR effect.
“How many... is this?”
Just how many are in here?
Considering the sack's size, a thousand? Ten thousand? Surely not as many as ten thousand, right?
I reached in and pulled out a single gold coin.
“No, fuck....”
And then I realized it belatedly.
These gold coins weren't ordinary gold coins.
The coin that dropped from my hand spun around, scattering mysteriously glowing powder.
“All of this is Omni-coins?”
That's right.
Every single gold coin stacked haphazardly in there was an Omni-coin.
Then how many Bios is that?
If I dumped all of this into Necropolis, would hyperinflation break out?
No, that probably wouldn't happen.
Corporations like Twilight Resource Development and Overnus Pharmaceuticals would suck it all up, and ordinary people would still suffer in a world of low wages and high prices.
This unreal luck is making my head spin.
Joker! So you really could go this far, huh!!!
I'm glad I came to this other world.
I'm really glad I jumped down into that parking spot then!
With this much Omni-coin, I can do anything.
“Arbel, let's go.”
I quickly bundled Arbel up like a sack.
I'm taking Arbel straight to Isis for treatment.
Even if it's 3 a.m., it won't be a problem.
I'll kick the door in and shout, 'Boss, get out here!'
Who am I?
The great J. Gatsby of Necropolis.
‘What's wrong?’
‘I brought the money. No change needed.’
‘Oh my! Two Omni-coins? I'll treat you right away!’
‘Ahem, doctor sis, seeing you has suddenly made a certain part of me feel weird too....’
‘My place is a little expensive....’
.
(omitted)
.
‘Ugh! Why is the treatment fee so expensive!’
‘Aaaah! Next time you come...! I'll waive the consultation fee for youoooo!’
I could do that too!
Since the sack wouldn't fit in my inventory, I tucked four Omni-coins into my coat and headed out into the night streets.
Even the pungent dawn air that sickens the lungs no longer felt unpleasant.
It was even pleasant, in fact.
“Arbel, hang in there a little longer. Let's get out of this shitty place and head for a resort.”
On a white-sand beach where the foam broke over the shore, Arbel would wear a reverse bunny-girl outfit for me, and I'd stack up a fortune in the casino while building champagne towers and enjoying a young, super-rich life.
“Ah, that life will surely be dazzlingly beautiful....”
Lost in my delusions, I was passing through a gloomy underground passage leading to Aquarium Street when it happened.
A musty, moldy smell.
Because proper cleaning hadn't been done, the broken tiles were covered in a sadly sludgy layer of mud.
Ripping through the silence, broken only by the hum of the mercury lamps and my footsteps.
I heard a sound that should never have been heard.
-따각
Suddenly, all the mercury lamps in the passage went out at once.
Faint darkness.
-따각
Against the backlight seeping in from both ends of the passage, a figure leisurely rounded the corner.
-따각
The peculiar footsteps stopped.
Goldfish embroidery flowing over black silk, and the scabbard of the katana at the waist, reflected a strange light in the darkness.
“Hello?”
Impossible.
“This... shit....”
No, that couldn't be, could it?
This run, I hadn't even met Ceres, the informant.
And yet my beautiful death found me faster than in the previous run.
“You're Cedric Montreban, aren't you?”
Beneath the shadow cast by the splendid broad-brimmed felt hat.
A pair of violet eyes, shining with a wicked light, curled into a smile.