WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ A Gacha Addict's Life in Fusionpunk ◈

Chapter 2: I Became the Wastrel of a Count's House (2)

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1.

The world had ended.

Black Dust, which twisted the roots and origins of living things, and the monsters it spawned devoured the world with ravenous force.

The faith written in God's holy scriptures.

The splendor of civilizations that had ruled vast continents.

The magical ideal that mages must achieve transcendence.

All had lost their light within a thick black fog.

But humanity had prepared.

For the survival of the species, for survival itself, for God, for transcendence.

After a great prophet foresaw this "Great Erosion," a group project began that crossed national and racial boundaries.

Humanity built walls taller than any tower.

They linked those walls together until they were longer than any mountain range.

They made a cradle for humanity to stand against the end.

That was Aden, the Ark City.

And that was the full setting of the other world I had fallen into.

"Boring and pretentious."

That was my review, anyway.

Wouldn't it have been nice if this were just a story I knew, or a world packed with clichés?

'Is my life finally looking up?'

After possessing Cedric's body.

Even when I first realized this was another world, my heart had raced.

An otherworld transfer came with special perks. That was common sense, even if it wasn't written in the terms and conditions.

The classic plots from every otherworld story I'd read flashed past like a panorama, making me tremble with excitement.

'Do I seriously have no abilities at all...?'

I had nothing.

Cedric was a dullard.

Aside from being a little handsome, he was an empty shell with no talent for either martial arts or magic.

The fact that I had possessed him did not suddenly change that.

'Status window, stats, information screen, choices, selection window?'

There wasn't even a trace of a status window that would let me wreck this world with a few clicks.

The selection window I'd seen just before jumping to my death was gone too.

Still, it was fine.

These days, the protagonist didn't have to be exceptional.

The trend was harems built around appealing characters. The heroines' quality was a serious matter.

Did being born a man mean I absolutely had to accomplish some grand feat?

Wasn't it enough to live happily buried in a flower garden?

Personally, I preferred a busty saintess heroine, who was a virgin, a tsundere archmage heroine, or a maid heroine who couldn't resist her master's lewd demands...

But there was none of that.

'Cedric, can I ask you one favor? Please die somewhere secluded, where no one will ever find you. Stop disgracing the family.'

'Kill yourself. Just kill yourself. I can't stand the sight of you.'

'It is truly horrifying that blood like yours runs through my veins.'

Instead, all I had was a nasty older sister named Arbel, whose weak point seemed like something you could guess.

It was fine.

There was another classic otherworld plot: managing an estate.

'Hah...'

But Count Montraven's House wasn't even that impressive.

It had once been a great noble house of the empire that ruled the Ark City. But after its magical lineage had been cut off a hundred years ago, its interests had gradually been taken away until all that remained was a wealthy family with nothing inside.

When all your hopes turn to dust, the disappointment lingers.

But that was only because my expectations had been too high. Thinking about it normally?

It wasn't bad.

I'd pulled off the one thing you should never do at a funeral: resurrection.

And besides...

Even a ruined rich family could live well for three generations.

"Hey."

"Yes, Young Master Cedric."

"I'm feeling a little hungry."

"Yes, sir! I'll set you up with your usual!"

The casino host, who had been standing beside the betting table while rubbing their hands together, brought out something splendid on a silver tray.

A clear tequila glass filled with tequila, tomato juice, lemon juice, and a whole fresh raw oyster.

A cocktail called an oyster shooter.

"Ah, this is the taste. It really sticks to the tongue."

The instant I tipped the glass back, the scent of the sea spread through my mouth with the tequila.

The salty, clean flavor of the oyster blended with the tart tomato and lemon, drawing a sigh of appreciation.

Then, if I topped it off by making my lungs pleasantly rough with a cigarette...

"Ah..."

Paradise.

The oyster bars of Las Vegas floated before my eyes.

"Um, Young Master, is it really that good?"

"Want to try one?"

"Oh, how could a country bumpkin like me eat something so precious?"

The Ark City, sealed in on every side by walls, officially had no sea.

Naturally, it had no coastal waters where freshwater and seawater mixed.

In an environment like that, fresh raw oysters were worth whatever price someone named.

One oyster shooter cost one hundred thousand Bios.

I had just swallowed a normal worker's month of labor, blood, and sweat in one mouthful.

"If I win this, I'll buy you one."

I gave a look to the dealer, who had paused the game, then picked up five bundles of purple chips.

"Wh-what? Young Master, is there some special occasion today?"

The host's eyes went wide as he hurriedly tried to count the amount.

"Shh."

Silence descended.

The soft jazz playing from the record faded away.

My awareness narrowed to a single point, and in that moment, I realized that my heart's heart was beating inside me.

Player.

Banker.

Tie.

On the polished wooden table covered in an expensive mat, only three areas rose clearly into view.

"...This spot feels right."

I placed my chips on Tie.

Tie. When the Player and Banker had the same score, it paid eight times the stake.

The switch that turned baccarat, which was little different from even-or-odd, into real gambling and made you a bitch.

"T-Tie bet. Five million Bios."

The dealer, who normally kept a calm expression, kept glancing anxiously at the host.

Well, it was five million Bios.

About the starting salary of a proper major corporation employee in this city.

It was by no means a small amount.

And it was absurd to place that much on a slim 9.52 percent chance.

"A-are you sure, Young Master? It's five million Bios. Y-you're betting on Tie?"

This had become a long story, but as you could see, I didn't have many complaints despite receiving no otherworldly perk.

I had possessed the talentless eldest son of a declining count's house in a world that had come out of nowhere, but I could still live leisurely, keeping fifty million Bios in a casino and playing around.

Not bad.

It had been my dream for a long time.

I had fairly good gambling luck, so if I played little by little with a set amount of money, I might get VIP treatment for another year.

"......"

But as always, I wanted more.

More stimulation. Dopamine that felt as though it would burn my nerve endings.

And my instincts and intuition were screaming themselves hoarse.

Right now.

"Hey, how much do I have in my deposit right now?"

"Let me see... About twenty-four million."

"It dropped a lot already."

"Oh, come on, you've been having fun for a long time with that much. So take it easy this time too, hehehe. Shall we escort you to your room and send in two or three Kaleidoscope girls? We got a newcomer this time, and her face is just..."

I ignored the host, who was trying to distract me and stop the game.

"Bet all of it."

"...Pardon?"

"All in. There isn't a cap anyway, right?"

Silence followed.

The host's face turned pale as he pleaded.

"Young Master Cedric, you can't do this! I'm only saying this because I care about you. Seriously, what will you do if you lose it all?"

"Why is the casino owner worried about that? All in."

"No, I'm telling you, the new girl is incredible!"

"I'm gay. All in."

In Las Vegas, high rollers put five hundred million or a billion on a single hand.

That was why casinos sent private jets to bring them in and entertained them in presidential suites.

But this was a small casino with only one VIP room, so it was pathetically fussy over a mere twenty-nine million Bios.

Clatterrrr!

Colorful chips piled densely across the table.

"N-no more bets."

The dealer trembled.

The host clasped his hands in prayer.

A gambling house owner turning to God. They were hopeless.

I believed only in my own luck and judgment.

My eyes stayed fixed on the dealer's fingertips and the cards.

Those faintly trembling hands turned over the cards on the table.

"......"

Pressure built in my ears. A brief ringing passed through them, and my heart tightened.

My head cooled.

My mind became astonishingly clear, as if someone had taken out my brain and washed it in hexagonal water.

My heart trembled.

The moment the final card was revealed.

"...Ah."

The dealer dropped the card with a short gasp.

A perfect draw. Tie.

"Aaaaah!"

The host screamed in despair.

I turned over the card that had slipped from the dealer's fingers again and grinned.

"Like I promised, I'll buy you a drink. One for the dealer too."

My clear mind instantly became muddled.

A buzzing thrill and pleasure flooded through me, as if I had filled my brain fluid with popping candy loaded with food coloring.

"Mmmmmm! Hoo!"

======

::: Challenges (NEW!) :::

- Attend the casino for 30 consecutive days. +1 pt

- Lose at least 5 million Bios through gambling. +1 pt

- Bet at least 10 million Bios in one game. +2 pt

- Bet at least 20 million Bios in one game. +2 pt

.

.

-

::: Achievement Unlocked :::

You have seized a large sum in the world of cool-headed gamblers.

The goddess of luck is smiling upon you.

Today, that is.

▶ Achievement: 「Lucky, for Now」 achieved

- “Luck” slightly increases.

- The chance of good items appearing in ■■■■ (Lv. 0) slightly increases.

- 30 pt awarded.

======

2.

The exhilaration of a big win didn't fade easily.

My steps were so light that I could not feel gravity at all.

The moment the final card had flipped over kept replaying before my eyes in an endless, beautiful montage.

No wonder. After rounding down, I'd won two hundred and thirty million Bios.

I had been nibbling away with bets of around fifty thousand, then won that much in one bet over one night.

And on a Tie bet, no less.

In a hazy state between dream and reality, I got out of the car.

It looked somewhat like a classic vehicle Ford had made in the early 1900s.

I had bought it outright after finding it at a nearby pawnshop.

I had left the rest in my deposit.

"Looks damn fine."

I was humming a song of triumph as I strode confidently inside when someone stopped me.

"Young Master Cedric. You've returned."

It was Albert, the old butler of Count Montraven's House.

He raised one eyebrow at my sleek red new ride, then raised the other when he saw me reeking of cigarettes and alcohol.

"Oh, old man. You're working hard from dawn. I'm tired, so I'll go rest."

Honestly, Albert made me uncomfortable.

Back when I had first reincarnated, I had arrogantly insisted on testing my talent for swordsmanship, only to get punched in the stomach and collapse. And whenever I came home after drinking and playing cards, he always watched me with piercing eyes.

But today was different.

I had a massive trophy now.

For the declining Count Montraven's House, two hundred and thirty million Bios was not a small sum.

I felt a little bad for taking over the son's body without permission, but this was my chance to be filial in my own way.

"Come with me for a moment."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I was led to the drawing room while trying to figure out when to pull the casino deposit certificate from my coat.

Beneath a huge chandelier that had likely once been the most splendid among the nearby noble houses, but would now be called outdated.

A familiar silhouette stood alone.

Luscious golden hair, shining like honey.

Smooth, pale skin as if coated in butter, and bewitching golden eyes.

Her delicate figure, visible through her thin nightgown, gave off a beauty that threatened to overwhelm anyone who saw it.

Cedric's sister.

A real mage who had awakened her Mind's Eye and reached the First Rank.

The last hope of Count Montraven's House, whose magical lineage had been severed for so long.

Arbel Montraven.

Damn, she really was pretty no matter how often I saw her.

"...Hm."

Honestly, on my first day after reincarnating, I had thought Arbel was the greatest heroine their late mother had given birth to.

Sure, it would be incest, but I was an idealist.

I firmly believed that the mind stood above matter, so there was no problem.

"Cedric, did you come back from rolling around at the gambling tables again?"

"Come on, Sis."

"Don't act familiar. It gives me chills."

But lovely Arbel's true nature was that of a gorgeous poisonous mushroom.

She was a terrifying older sister who turned vicious whenever she saw Cedric.

I had heard they had not always been this hostile. What on earth had happened while "Cedric" was unconscious...?

There was no way for me to know.

Whenever we encountered each other, Arbel would tear into me one-sidedly.

And I had kept my distance because I didn't want a conversation to run long enough for her to discover that her brother's insides had been replaced.

"So why did you call me here? You even sent Albert."

She walked toward me.

Step. Step. Step. Step. Step.

"The chance to remove you from before my eyes has come."

The reason she had to take so many steps was that Arbel's frame was small compared to her imposing presence.

Cedric was well over 180 centimeters tall, so her eye level barely reached his chest.

Her youthful face looked up at me, seeming far younger than Cedric, who was in his mid-twenties.

Well, she was a mage.

Then.

Ding!

A notification sounded beside my ear.

Goosebumps rose across my skin.

Before Arbel could say anything, before I could pull out the splendid certificate from my coat.

[ 1. Go to the academy obediently ]

[ 2. Refuse enrollment and kiss Arbel ]

The first thing that filled my vision was a familiar-looking choice.

"......"

What the fuck?

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