***
Casino Hudson.
Another name for Arcana, the Golden City, was the City of Pleasure. This place was one of the three major casinos operated by Hudson, the influential figure of Arcana. Its grandeur and splendor tempted people day and night.
The advantage of Casino Hudson was that 'outsiders' could enter without any special measures. They did not verify identities; the only thing required to enter was 'money.' Furthermore, because it sat at the pinnacle of Arcana’s entertainment, many people visited Hudson while keeping their identities hidden.
"You're saying this house deed is only worth 8,000 gold? What are you talking about? It's being traded for 15,000 gold even now!"
At the entrance desk where visitors were screened, a man shouted angrily. The person wearing small glasses inside the desk shook his head.
"The actual transaction price around that area in District 5 was 7,800 gold. I believe 8,000 gold is a generous offer, but it will be difficult to enter unless you make up the remaining 2,000 gold."
"Even so, how could you...!"
"Guards."
In an instant, the burly guards nearby suppressed the man.
"W-what! I'm a customer!"
"You are not a customer if you do not have the 10,000 gold entry deposit."
"Gah!"
The guard picked the man up and tossed him into the air. The man flew several meters and crashed headfirst onto the ground. Seeing that, the people nearby covered their mouths and snickered.
"Tsk, tsk. A beggar trying to cross the threshold."
"Ugh, how unsightly."
"Isn't District 5 a rat hole? I feel like the stench of rot is vibrating from somewhere!"
These were the city's wealthy, wearing beautiful dresses, stylish tuxedos or suits, or the golden turbans that symbolized great tycoons. They frowned as soon as the shabby-looking man tried to enter. They mocked and ridiculed him. This was Arcana, a place where 'money' was the absolute priority.
However, my gaze was not on them, but on the guards. They were not ordinary guards.
【Lv. 6】
They were powerhouses on the level of Great Warriors or Knights. According to the setting, they were actually regular knights of Arcana City. It might have seemed strange for honorable knights to be working as mere casino guards, but in this game, every single 'metropolis' was a different royal government. Therefore, the rules and customs were entirely different for each city. It meant Arcana had its own laws.
"Welcome."
The important thing was that I was next in line after the man who had been thrown away. Isabella and I could also have been tossed by the guards just like that man.
"To enter the casino, a deposit of 10,000 gold is required. Naturally, we also accept collateral."
The manager behind the glass wall showed a pleasant smile. A deposit of 10,000 gold. However, the cash I had was less than 300 gold.
'I spent 50 gold on washing up and buying clothes.'
Exactly 250 gold remained. I couldn't enter the casino covered in blood, after all. My cash was woefully insufficient, so what remained was collateral.
'The levels are divided even by the entry deposit.'
I had many things to give as collateral. Just as Isabella had said, even if I handed over the Amber Dagger, it would be worth at least 30,000 gold. The manager possessed a high-grade skill that fundamentally allowed him to verify the 'value' of all items. One could only enter if they had 10,000 gold or equivalent collateral, and levels were often divided based on the amount of that collateral.
As a rule, collateral was not treated as game money. It was merely a yardstick to distinguish the 'level' of the visitors. It was to distinguish between those who could leave high-value goods without hesitation and those who could not.
"Sir? Do you have anything?"
The guards took a step closer.
"If you don't have it, move out of the way quickly!"
"Can't you see the line? Let's just get in!"
"Ugh, these beggars. They're wasting so much time."
The people in line shouted in anger. Since two people in a row were stalling, those who wanted to enter and spin the slots even a second sooner were clamoring. The manager’s eyes scanned me from top to bottom.
'Casual clothes made of low-grade materials bought for 13 gold at the market. I don't see anything else that would be worth money. The woman with him is quite pretty, but there’s nothing special.'
The manager sighed inwardly. It seemed there were an unusually high number of unqualified guests today—the kind of people who should be playing games on a mat in the market rather than in a casino. If many unqualified guests visited, the casino's reputation would drop. Although Hudson was said to have the most relaxed atmosphere among the three major casinos, this was still too much.
'I should set an example.'
Even after seeing the person in front of him fly away, his persistence was malicious. It seemed necessary to punish him more severely. If he was beaten to the brink of death in a remote area, he wouldn't set foot here again.
"Guards...!"
"Let's go with this."
The moment the guards were about to pounce, I pulled an item from my breast pocket and held it out. The manager, after checking the item, tilted his head.
'This is?'
He couldn't get a sense of what it was. At the moment he activated his 'Appraisal' skill, the manager's eyes grew so wide they looked like they would pop out.
"……I will escort you to the VIP room. A sincere welcome to Casino Hudson."
The manager and the guards who were about to attack politely folded their hands.
"I will guide you to the VIP-only entrance."
"Please follow me. Move, move!"
The guards’ attitude changed instantly as they moved in an orderly fashion. They pushed aside the people blocking the way and created a path. It was a sight as if the Miracle of Moses was unfolding.
"VIP?"
"W-what...?"
Furthermore, the people who were standing in line watched blankly as we went up through the VIP-only entrance instead of the general entrance, completely dumbfounded.
✺✺✺
On the top floor of the casino.
As we arrived at the place reserved only for VIPs, Isabella spoke to me with a skeptical expression.
"……What did you leave as collateral?"
"The Tear of the Fairy Queen. It's a Talisman."
I answered as if it were nothing. At that, Isabella’s confusion grew even greater.
"Isn't a Talisman an artifact used to refine weapons? But no matter how good a Talisman is, to receive this kind of treatment for just one..."
"It would be impossible."
No matter how good a Talisman was, it was difficult for it to have a value of over 1 million gold. Simply looking at 'value,' the 'Teleport Book' would cost more because the demand was high. However, this was Casino Hudson.
'Hudson. He's definitely a player.'
Gamers had flowed into the game and become NPCs. Not knowing they were real people, I had mistaken their interference for 'game freedom' in the past. But if they were not NPCs, the owner of this place, Hudson, was a person synchronized with reality with a 99% probability.
'Hudson is collecting Talismans. Naturally, he would covet a rare Talisman.'
Hudson was a great merchant. Since his combat power and talent were poor, he was plotting to become stronger through Talismans. This was because some Talismans contained functions that removed equipment restrictions on weapons or allowed one to gain talent even without having any. Naturally, the 'Tear of the Fairy Queen' met those conditions. Originally, it was an item that might or might not drop even after killing about ten thousand 'Knights of the Fairy Queen,' who were semi-raid boss monsters.
In addition... it was likely one of the Talismans Hudson wanted most.
'He's a relatively easy target. There's no one like Hudson for blocking variables.'
I was curious about their stories after they became NPCs and the information Hudson possessed. And among those I was certain of, Hudson was the easiest to approach. However, before contacting him...
"I should spin the roulette first."
✺✺✺
Spin, spin, spin!
The ball spun on a large circular wheel. It was a roulette game where you bet on high, low, odd, or even numbers by guessing which of the numbers from 1 to 50 the ball would land in.
"Go in! Go in!"
"Stop!"
People cheered wildly, focusing on the ball.
Ting, te-ding!
The ball bounced here and there, making it impossible to guess where it would land. Eventually, the ball landed exactly in the slot marked '48.'
"He, he won again?"
"Who is that guy?"
The people's eyes soon gathered in one place. Gold was piled like a mountain in front of a man.
"How much is it already, after starting with 250 gold?"
"Is it already 1.32 million gold?"
"No. He just bet ten gold bars, so it's 1.42 million gold now!"
"Crazy. Is he the God of Gambling?"
There were 300 coins worth 100 gold each, stamped with the Central Bank seal. There were 20 Gold Balls worth 1,000 gold each. There were 127 Gold Bars worth 10,000 gold each. A total of 1.42 million gold was piled in front of the man.
In the VIP room, such an amount was common, but the problem was that the start was a mere 250 gold.
'As expected of Golden Grace.'
I smiled slightly. The 1.32 million gold was the amount before the bet. After the 100,000 gold bet succeeded, it was now 1.42 million gold. It was a literal jackpot. It was thanks to betting on the place with the highest probability due to 【Golden Grace】.
【Golden Grace】 shows the probability when executing something involving money. It becomes more accurate as the sample size increases, and there was no place with a larger sample size than a gambling house like this.
Perplexity clouded the dealer's face. It wasn't just me who won money; everyone who bet along with me had won money. Furthermore, it would have been one thing if I won a reasonable amount, but I had swept up thousands of times the original amount. Perhaps by tomorrow, I would be on the blacklist of every casino.
"C-customer. No more..."
The dealer, who had suffered a massive loss, looked like he was about to cry. Soon, guards grabbed my shoulders. It meant I should stop now that I had won this much. No matter how much this was a VIP room with a collateral of over 1 million gold, this level of loss was devastating. They had tried to check if I was using some kind of trick in the middle, but they couldn't find anything.
"We will give you the money you won as it is. However, you are no longer allowed to enter Casino Hudson."
In the end, they had no choice but to send me away. Guards surrounded me. If I persisted further, not only the money I won but my life could be in danger. Isabella glared at the surroundings, her senses sharpened.
"Stop. He is my guest."
At that moment, a man who had come down from a higher floor spoke to the guards. The guards bowed their heads while taking their positions. The people around also began to murmur as if they were familiar with him. Regardless, he walked straight toward me, reached out his hand, and opened his mouth.
"I am pleased to meet you. I am Hudson, the owner of this casino. If it's not too much trouble, how about a cup of tea?"
...Hudson. The owner of this casino and a person who was, with a very high probability, a human from reality.
【Lv. 9】
The first thing that caught my eye was the level above Hudson's head. But as expected, no distinction other than the level was possible. If so, could Hudson see my level just as I could see his? Other NPCs could not see my level. I was not yet certain if this was a benefit of being a Player or an ability only I possessed.
If it was a Player benefit, would Hudson be able to recognize that I was a Player? Above all, I had caused such a commotion. I wondered how he would react. Since I had to face him directly, even I couldn't help but be nervous at this moment.