WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ A Gacha Addict's Life in Fusionpunk ◈
Chapter 76: The Unbearable Lightness of Regression (5)
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1.
“Get out! Why’d you bring someone who can’t even get it up?”
“It’s because I drank! I’m still plenty virile!”
“Fuck, this sucks. I’m going home.”
The Red Dragon Family lady huffed, pointed at me, then got dressed and headed out.
This bitch?!
I hurriedly threw on my robe and chased after her.
“You bitch! At least pay half the room fee before you go!”
“Jesus, what a pathetic bastard! Take it and fuck off, you eunuch!”
Bang!
The room went dark again as the door shut.
I crouched down and gathered the gold coins scattered carelessly across the floor.
“Ha, fuck.”
The mood had been so good!
She had a pretty face and big tits!
Nothing like this had ever happened in Cedric’s life!
I spread my robe wide and shouted.
“What’s wrong with you?! You weren’t like this before!”
I smacked my listless little son with my hand.
What could I do?
I must have burned through my stamina playing Hold’em earlier.
In martial arts terms, I had used up my vital energy.
Ding-dong.
“Room service.”
“Can I get a refund?”
“No.”
“Fuck, just give it to me.”
Thanks to that, I ended up alone in a 200,000-Bios suite at the fancy Golden Lotus Casino, guzzling 100,000 Bios’ worth of baijiu.
The one consolation was...
“Whoa, there’s a sauna too?”
I could sweat it out in the sauna beside the bathroom while pounding back sorghum liquor.
For the record, that was extremely dangerous, so anyone weaker than Cedric should not try it.
“Next time, I’ll come here with Arbel and see who can last longer.”
And then...
“No.”
Enough delusions.
I warmed myself up and reviewed the situation.
“78 million Bios in one night... Maybe I actually have talent...?”
My life in another world had so many genres mixed together that I had not realized it...
It was really Gambling Apocalypse!
Could winning 200 million at baccarat in Aden have been foreshadowing?
Should I have stopped screwing around and gone down the gambler route? Would I have returned home in glory?
If I doubled the 78 million I had now, I could cover the cost of making the Ruby, repay Big Brother Yiming, and still have money left over.
That thought suddenly lifted my spirits!
“Big Brother! Your little brother will be there soon!”
I roughly finished my sauna and drank alone while gazing blankly at the night view of C Sector.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked.
The alcohol haze vanished.
“...”
I loaded Death Sentence, hid my mana-wreathed hand behind my back, and stood behind the door.
“...Who is it?”
“My apologies for disturbing you so late. I am Wang Qianyu, the chief steward of the Golden Lotus Casino.”
“Chief steward?”
Looking through the peephole, I saw a neatly dressed man in a Mao suit holding out a business card with his title printed on it.
“Yes. Please open the door for a moment.”
Ha, fuck. This felt wrong.
“What’s this about?”
“First, thank you for visiting the Golden Lotus Casino, Master Rowan.”
When I opened the door, the chief steward cupped his hands in salute and bowed.
“I was deeply impressed by the remarkable skill you displayed at the fourth-floor Hold’em table today.”
“Just luck.”
“You are too modest. But in gambling, isn’t luck itself skill and fortune?”
This really felt wrong.
“However, it has put us in a somewhat difficult position.”
“What position?”
“Our casino is a pond where guests gather to have fun together. If a dragon suddenly appears, would the pond not run dry?”
“...”
“To be direct, I ask that you avoid tables where guests play against one another from tomorrow onward.”
In other words, I was being graduated, or backed off.
A polite expulsion order casinos gave skilled gamblers.
Already?
I had only won 78 million.
And it had even been Hold’em.
“Hey.”
No, this was ridiculous.
“Did I cheat them? No, right? They were betting their asses off too! We all agreed to it! You bastards sucked up plenty in fees, and now you want to pull this shit?”
“Hoho, please understand. This is a small business. If only a few guests stop coming, we suffer great losses. Besides...”
Steward Wang’s narrow eyes gleamed.
“Aren’t you Yiming’s zuobi? It would not look good if someone tied to the Xuan Family came into a Gold Carp Family establishment and caused trouble. Play in moderation, then leave. It’s better for you too.”
Only then did I understand.
Officially, I was Rowan, a Grade 7 fixer and Yiming’s zuobi[1].
To the Golden Lotus Casino, I was one loach muddying the water.
This was a problem.
The Golden Lotus Casino was the only place in Necropolis that accepted bets this large.
“What a mess. So you’re telling me to fuck off entirely?”
“No, we are not so lacking in business ethics. We would like you to enjoy a fair contest against our casino. Have a pleasant night.”
The chief steward said what he came to say and left.
It was an offer with obvious intentions.
At Hold’em, where players faced one another, skill mattered ninety percent of the time. But in games against the casino, probability meant the house always won.
In other words, they wanted me to spit back the 78 million Bios I had won today, then get out.
“So this is how you want to play it?”
Did they think I had only faced one or two obstacles like this?
Who was I?
An unbreakable man who had risen again after being wiped out twelve times.
“Let’s do this.”
This petty interference did not even itch.
2.
Four days passed.
“Whew...”
I sat at the table, my bloodshot eyes fixed straight ahead.
The game was Fish-Prawn-Crab.
Normally, Fish-Prawn-Crab was a simple game where you bet on what would appear when three six-sided dice, each marked with different pictures, were rolled.
But the Golden Lotus Casino’s Fish-Prawn-Crab had rules entirely different from what I knew.
There were various combinations and hands, each with different betting options.
That meant more variables, higher payouts, and more excitement.
“Whew.”
I put a burning cigarette in my mouth and placed my chips on the betting table with trembling hands.
“Betting is closed.”
The dealer threw the dice.
Clatterrr.
The dice in the brass bowl flew into the air.
Clatter!
They slid across a slanted wooden board studded with nails.
Each time they struck a nail, they bounced in every direction, and the colorful images on their faces flashed brilliantly.
“Please...”
I had bet on crab, fish, and prawn, a hand called Sea God Soup.
The payout was twenty-five to one.
I had put down the maximum bet of 500,000 Bios.
This was my last shot at a comeback.
Tap!
The first die stopped. A crab with a red shell.
A good start.
Tap!
The second die showed a prawn.
I had the crab and prawn, so please! Please!
Just give me one fish. Just a fish!!!
Despite my desperate prayer...
The image on the last die was a gourd.
“...Motherfucker.”
Plop.
The ash hanging from the end of my cigarette fell.
I got up and stumbled out of the Golden Lotus Casino.
The bitter cold air stabbed into my lungs.
Ever since that chief steward bastard paid me a visit...
I had only played games against the house, just as he had threatened.
The beginning had not been bad.
I lost hard on the first day, dropping down to 40 million.
But the next day, I clawed my seed money back up to 90 million.
I thought I would soon reach 100 million Bios.
But from then until today, I kept losing, losing, winning, and losing...
Until there was not a single coin left in my hands.
“You fucking scumbag bastards...”
If that chief steward had not interfered.
If I could have kept eating those suckers at the Hold’em table.
No, if only a fish had come up on that last bet.
That could have been the spark that brought me back like a phoenix.
“My money. My precious, blood-earned money...”
What Gambling Apocalypse Cedric!!!
Come to think of it, that bastard Kaiji is such a terrible gambler that his series has been running for thirty years!!!
If he were actually good, he would have made a fortune and finished the story ages ago!!!
“Ugh... Uuugh...”
As I smoked one cigarette after another, chewing over how fucking awful this was...
“Oh dear, boss. Why do you look like you’ve lost the whole world?”
Hyenas came prowling over.
“Need some easy money? We take ten percent upfront, then charge ten percent compound interest per day.”
“Fuck off, you bastard.”
“Hoho, nobody’s in a good mood after losing money. Contact us if you change your mind. Go to that teahouse over there and ask for Old Man Park.”
The loan shark in a bucket hat snickered as he backed away.
“Ten percent upfront? Bullshit.”
If I were really desperate, I might have used them...
But I still had a chance.
Big Brother Yiming Cash, interest-free loans!
Yiming, who had even risked his life for his little brother, who had readily given me 25 million Bios, would not ignore his little brother’s troubles.
He would surely give me another chance.
I tidied my clothes and headed straight for the Drunken Red Pavilion.
“You want to borrow another 10 million?”
“Yes, Big Brother.”
“Ha, this bastard really...”
Yiming crossed his arms and gave a short laugh.
He scratched his head with his fingertips, then stood up.
When he returned, he held a heavy pouch.
“Ten million.”
As if possessed, I checked the contents.
The shining gold coins looked like chips.
With this, I could recover.
With this, I could climb back up!
“As expected! Big Brother Yiming! In my life, you are...”
“Don’t call me Big Brother.”
“Pardon?”
“The first loan was 20 million. With this, it’s 30 million. Pay it back properly. I added 5 million on my own, so I excluded it from what you owe.”
“B-Big Brother...”
“Ahem! Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”
Without even looking at me, Yiming picked his teeth with a toothpick.
“When a man suddenly gets a lot of money, he might gamble. I understand. Gambling and chasing women are both fun.”
“...”
“But you blew the money I loaned you for your sister’s surgery? Tsk. You’re worse than a beast.”
Yiming waved me away as if he could not stand the sight of me.
“Get out.”
Just before the door closed...
“Rowan, I thought of you as my little brother.”
Those words stabbed into me.
“...”
It was fine.
Big Brother Yiming would not abandon me over something like this.
I would show him by winning, then repay the 5 million Bios and extra interest.
Then Big Brother Yiming would surely praise me, saying, “You bastard! You were the real deal! That fucker Li Cheng was awful, but you really screwed him over!”
Then we could put on bunny girl outfits and resume our fun little cross-dressing club.
“Gambling is a wave.”
When you go up, you come down. When you come down, you go back up. That was the natural order of gambling.
3.
======
::: Challenges (NEW!) :::
- Lose 30 million at a casino. +2pt
======
It took three hours.
Three hours to blow through all 10 million Bios I had just borrowed.
“Ahahaha.”
I squatted in front of the Golden Lotus Casino, smoking and watching people pass by.
What was I doing?
Why was I here like this?
There was really no helping it now.
I had not secured the Ruby, but I would awaken the fake Progenitor for now.
I would take the fake Progenitor to the Keystone and see whether I could meet the True Progenitor without breaking the vessel.
If it was possible, I would get the headpiece from the True Progenitor now. If not...
“No. Think differently.”
Come to think of it, there was no reason to be depressed.
I had turned 25 million Bios into 90 million, then lost it all?
I could just say I had fun gaming for the first time in a while.
I had also lost the extra 10 million Bios and been disowned by Big Brother Yiming?
“Fuck it, I’ll just call this a vacation run!!!”
I had struggled and worked hard until now.
I still had one immunity privilege left anyway.
How could someone work hard all the time?
I had restrained myself and endured enough, hadn’t I?
This run, I would let out every desire I had left.
Besides, it was not over yet.
The highest-paying Fish-Prawn-Crab hand was 888.
Its payout was 888 to one.
Even with the minimum bet of 10,000 Bios, I could make a dramatic comeback with 8.88 million Bios.
Humans were not created to be defeated!!!
As for where I could get more seed money...
Fortunately, there was somewhere.
“Cereees.”
After drinking until nighttime, I went looking for Ceres.
“Drinking again? You really treat this place like your own home, do you?”
“Ugh, I was in a good mood, so... Well, that’s what happened.”
“You reek of alcohol, and you’re here to ask me for money?”
“Yes, hehehe.”
“Haah, you really take me lightly.”
I twisted around and desperately begged Ceres to lend me some money.
Ceres looked me up and down with a slanted gaze.
“Why are you living like this?”
“It was hard. Things were hard.”
“Wait, who said you could touch my body whenever you wanted?”
“You look especially pretty today, Ceres.”
“Will you get away from me?”
I casually pulled Ceres into an embrace.
Ignoring the hand trying to push me away, I buried my face in her chest.
“Mmm, Ceres. I missed you.”
“You are so transparent that I can’t even get mad.”
I heard Ceres snort.
“Why should I lend you anything? What reason do I have to trust you?”
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
“I lifted your Commandment.”
“That was a transaction.”
“Come on, Director. Be generous and throw in a little extra service.”
“Ha.”
When I shamelessly kept pestering her, Ceres laughed as if I were absurd.
Tch, so it was not going to work?
I had hoped our growing closeness might give me some leverage.
“How much do you need?”
“Hmm... About 500,000?”
“About 500,000? Do you think 500,000 is pocket change?”
“Oh, no. But it’s pocket change to you, Ceres.”
“...If only you knew when to stop talking.”
Ceres rummaged through her wallet and handed me a note.
She was really giving it to me?!
Honestly, I had not been sure it would work.
Did Ceres Mama’s Mandate of Heaven involve some kind of bad-boy complex?
Maybe I could push things a little further.
“I love you, Ceres Mama!”
“That word Mama, could you please... What are you doing?”
“Come on, you know. I got an allowance, so I have to be good.”
I wrapped an arm around Ceres Mama’s waist and naturally led her toward the bathroom.
“Why is this being good? It’s good for you. And I don’t have much time.”
“Who said anything? I’ll only help you bathe.”
“Haah... You really are impossible.”
Ceres pretended to refuse, but readily headed into the bathroom.
That day, Cedric received an additional 300,000 Bios.
Footnotes:
[1] zuobi: a trusted operative who handles Yiming’s private, disreputable jobs.
“Gambling Apocalypse” references the gambling manga series Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji.
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