Black Badger

The staff member nodded with a benevolent smile.

“That’s right.”

Then, to me—standing there utterly stunned—he began to elegantly recite why this statue was so valuable.

Whose work it was, how it had been procured with great difficulty from wherever.

Of course, I didn’t listen.

I wasn’t in any state to listen....

“Ten billion....”

I don’t have that....

“My entire net worth is five billion....”

It was the money I’d made from selling cider.

Cash sitting neatly in my account right now. When I got that five billion, I’d thought all my financial problems were solved. I had a house, a job with medical insurance coverage, and a decent monthly salary. I had a car. I had a scooter.

There was nothing else I needed materially.

On top of that, I had five billion in cash, so I genuinely thought I’d become rich.

I’d even joked about maybe getting some private banking account consultation from Kairos.

How does someone become a debtor in a single instant like this....

“Installments....”

I muttered haltingly.

“Installments.... Could it be 12—no, 36 months? If possible, 48...60 months?”

“Hey. Get a grip.”

Samuel, who’d been watching me with a speechless expression, smacked my back.

“What installments. First, check whether this can be processed as mission expenses.”

“It won’t work. We’re not on a mission—I just staggered and broke it, didn’t I? No matter how generous Black Badger is, they won’t cover something like this.”

“The dizziness is gone, right?”

“If you exclude a different kind of dizziness.”

I wanted to cry.

Why hadn’t Yun warned me to be careful around nearby objects?

Why hadn’t he told me that even a small statue sitting in a corridor like this could cost ten billion?

Well, it was probably because he didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to break something....

I stared gloomily at the shattered fragments of the sculpture.

Samuel let out a long sigh and shoved me back.

“Come out, kid.”

The doctor handed his card to the staff member, who was wearing a peculiar smile.

“One-time payment.”

“Doctor!”

I sprang up from my seat.

“No! Please don’t! I’ll handle this myself!”

“How much is your entire net worth.”

“Five point three billion.”

The doctor and the staff member both turned to look at me at the same time.

Why are both of you looking at me like that?

Five point three billion is not a small amount.

I pressed my lips into a tight line in indignation, then snatched the card right out of Samuel’s hand.

“Put it away.”

“What’s someone with less than ten billion going to do. Hand it over. Paying this won’t even make much difference to my account balance.”

“I’m not without options.”

First, I had to get in touch.

There was no choice here. There was a good chance he wouldn’t answer, but I was certain I’d get a reply today.

Ignoring the doctor urging me to hand over the card, I pulled out my phone and took a picture of the broken statue.

Its face was split clean in half, but you could still tell what it was originally.

[How much do you think this is worth.]

I sent the message along with the photo.

After sending it, I went back to staring gloomily at the fragments.

Earlier, I’d seen there was a casino next to the hotel.

I should go there.

Unless my luck was truly, truly terrible, I could make up the shortfall at the casino.

Roughly how many games would it take to reach the target amount?

As I ran the numbers in my head, my phone vibrated.

[Evil Friend: Did you break it?]

I stared blankly at the screen.

[Evil Friend: There shouldn’t be any Creatures in Core 15.]

[Me: I never even said I was coming here, yet you already know everything. How reassuring, my creepy friend.]

[Evil Friend: To answer your question, that statue is worth more than your entire net worth.]

[Me: I figured.]

[Evil Friend: I’ll make a call over there.]

[Me: No.]

I fired back the reply immediately.

Then I called right away.

Colton picked up before the ring even finished.

His voice came through, as inscrutable as ever.

[What is it?]

“I want to solve this with my own money if possible. I don’t want to owe you more.”

I had thought about it.

If everything was prepared, I’d planned to drag Kyle down from the summit right before facing him. That would mean I wouldn’t need to repay Colton.

So for a moment, I wondered if brazenly borrowing the money was actually the smarter move.

But the idea felt way too much like Choi Yun, so I dropped it.

I’d try as much as I could first, and if it didn’t work, then I’d ask.

For now, it was better not to draw strange suspicions anyway....

“I’m going to play poker.”

[Are you planning to repeat what happened in Macau?]

“Back then, you were my opponent, and we were both sitting at the final round of a tournament. This is just a casino.”

When I refuted him calmly, Colton acknowledged it with silence.

I added an explanation.

“If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll earn what I need. Of course, there’s also a very real possibility I’ll just lose it all. I know that.”

[So?]

“You place a small bet too.”

I offered smoothly.

“If I earn more than what I need, I’ll give you a fixed percentage as commission.”

[A fixed percentage?]

“Thirty percent.”

I threw it out boldly.

Since this was a casino packed with the wealthy, the stakes would be enormous.

Even so, to make the most powerful man in humanity show interest, even out of courtesy, it had to be 30%, not 5% or 10%.

“From the final amount after taxes. What do you think? Not a bad deal, right?”

[And if you lose, I cover the entire amount you lost?]

“That’s right.”

I answered with a smile.

“It’s not an unreasonable condition, is it?”

***

Samuel thought it was absolute nonsense.

He didn’t know who was on the other end of the phone, but he kept pounding my back, telling me to please come to my senses.

I complained that it hurt, but it didn’t work.

“Why don’t you just say you’re going to blow ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) all the money you have!”

Thump thump!

“Ah! That hurts, Doctor!”

“Your wallet’s going to hurt a lot more soon, you bastard! Get a grip! Who thinks they can make ten billion through gambling! And at a casino in Core 15, no less!”

I protested that I’d won all sorts of poker tournaments in the past, but he wouldn’t listen.

I tried to explain that poker wasn’t pure gambling, but that didn’t work either.

Samuel fumed, saying that if I hated accepting his help that much, I should just take on debt instead.

“If you keep being stubborn, I’m reporting this to Yehyeon!”

“The Commander has been extremely busy lately. It’ll be hard for him to take a call.”

“Then I’ll tell Yun or Ami—word will reach him eventually!”

Well. Maybe Ami would worry, but Yun probably wouldn’t. He’d understand that this wasn’t some senseless gamble.

He’d probably find it amusing, if anything.

In fact, the administrator here found it amusing.

“All right.”

When I said I’d make compensation by winning money at poker during my stay on the island, he smiled broadly.

It was the smile of someone who’d just found an entertaining spectacle.

“Do as you please. Shall I guide you to the casino right away?”

I didn’t think it was a bad idea.

But Samuel flew into a rage, and the visit that day was called off.

I didn’t protest much either. In truth, I needed some rest. I wasn’t as dizzy as when I caused the ten-billion-won statue disaster, but the dizziness persisted. I felt nauseous, and my body felt heavy and limp.

Poker requires stamina.

Back when Colton and I were facing opponents, they meticulously managed their diets to optimize their bodies before tournaments.

Of course, the people here would be much easier to deal with than them.

Still, there was no harm in resting a full day before starting.

Samuel dragged me off and tossed me into my hotel room.

“But it’s only 3 p.m., Doctor.”

“What does time matter. You’re a patient. Get some sleep. I’ll come get you around dinner.”

“What about the ‘legendary doctor’?”

“I’ll look into it. You stay put.”

“And checking the core device performance?”

“Stay put!”

I slept.

When I woke up after sleeping like the dead, the sun had set. I staggered out of the room and knocked on the door next door. Samuel greeted me with a sigh.

After examining me, he ordered room service and shoved me back into my room.

Apparently, according to what he’d found out, the ‘legendary doctor’ was on a small auxiliary island within Core 15. There was a single villa there, and you could get back and forth by small boat.

“I contacted them about visiting tomorrow.”

No reply yet, though.

“And the Core device will be checked by the Badger dispatched here, so don’t worry about it.”

With nothing left to do, I really did lie back down on the bed and drift off to sleep again.

It was almost strange how easily sleep kept coming to me these days.

Sleeping when you can isn’t a bad thing.

I nodded off, sinking into a heavy, weighty sleep.

***

Foden was browsing social media.

More precisely, he was snooping on the SNS of a couple he knew who were vacationing in Core 15. It had been about ten minutes since he’d decided that this year, no matter what, he’d take a vacation to Core 15 himself.

The business Foden had started this time hadn’t gone well.

Yesterday, at a meeting convened over the rare earth shock, he’d had the bad luck of running into Choi Yun, and even heard, “Your performance figures are collapsing like your building did—are you okay, Foden?” The thought of how furious he’d been—of how he hadn’t managed to properly retort to Yun on the spot—made his stomach churn every time.

So, to lift his mood, he’d looked up information about Core 15.

A Core that Choi Yun—an adopted son of a rootless company, rootless himself—surely wouldn’t be welcome in.

Foden didn’t particularly like the couple who stayed there posting all sorts of provocative content on SNS either, but their posts were still useful for seeing how Core 15 had changed.

Like researching a destination before a trip, he wanted to get a feel for the place.

Just to change his mood.

Lightly....

Pffshk!

He spat out the liquor he’d been drinking.

The corner of his phone screen got wet with alcohol.

But he couldn’t even think to wipe it off.

With a stupid look on his face, he stared blankly at the couple’s SNS live stream.

The live broadcast had a sensational title attached to it:

“Poker Play of a Commoner in Debt Twice His Net Worth: Total Assets 530 Million.”

The chat window on the right side of the screen was scrolling rapidly.

Next to the chat window sat a man Foden recognized.

Neatly arranged features, gold eyes that drew the gaze.

Hair white as snow.

Dragging over freshly won chips to an already towering pile, Hildebert smiled faintly.

***

“Aaah!”

Ami let out a shriek the moment she clicked the link Foden had sent.

She watched the live stream with her mouth hanging open, then sprang to her feet.

She ran straight toward Ricardo, who was walking toward the elevator.

“Rick! Rick!!”

The man heading for the underground parking lot turned around.

Karl, who’d been waiting for the elevator first, tilted his head as well.

“Karl! Look at this!”

Ami ran up to them, thrusting out her phone.

“Hilde—!”

She was out of breath from shouting.

“Hilde!!”

***

Pffshk!

Ska sprayed coffee.

“What the hell?”

Someone who almost never got startled stared stupidly down at his phone.

The paper cup crumpled as he failed to control his grip.

Holding the cup, barely not completely crushed, he stared blankly at the screen.

“What’s he doing there?”

“What is it?”

Gilbert approached with raised brows.

A man who’d walked up behind Ska bent down to peer at the phone screen.

His jaw dropped.

“Hilde?”

The brown-haired aide murmured.

“What is he doing there?”

***

Honestly, humans are so vulgar.

Watching the people sitting at the poker table and those standing nearby, eagerly enjoying the spectacle, I sneered inwardly.

When I woke up in the morning, rumors about me had already spread far and wide.

A Badger with total assets under 800 million coming to Core 15, then heading to the casino to pay off a small debt incurred here—it was all very stimulating to them.

Walking through the hotel that morning, people smirked at me. Entering the casino, those looks grew even thicker. As if they’d made bets among themselves, some came grinning, carrying chips and rushing to sit at the same table as me.

Why do they all act like such stereotypical low-ranking nobles?

And the casino staff act like their vulgar retainers?

Still, I didn’t complain much.

More fish to eat is always a good thing.

In fact, I’d already made quite a bit of money.

And now I was facing the final player in this round—the one with the largest stakes.

“All in.”

The man, grinning with his girlfriend seated beside him, declared an all-in.

“I’m in!”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

“End it!”

“You call too, Badger!”

“Call! Call! Call!”

Cheers erupted at the all-in declaration.

People waved their fists, shouting at me to accept the challenge.

Keeping the faint smile on my face, I did a quick calculation—and then, just as they wished, I called.

“Call.”

“Wooooaaah!”

The casino shook with shouts.

Behind me, Samuel let out a small groan.

“You okay?”

I barely moved my lips as I answered.

“Probably.”

Samuel’s groan deepened.

More people gathered. Drunk on the heated atmosphere, spectators shouted all in! all in! call! call!

My opponent’s hand was the jack of diamonds and the eight of spades. He had an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw.

As expected, my hand was still better for now.

Unless an eight, nine, or jack that wasn’t a spade came out, I’d win.

“How much is the pot right now?”

“1.5 billion.”

“Jesus.”

Samuel muttered.

“What comes out and you lose?”

“A heart eight, diamond eight, club eight, heart nine, diamond nine, club nine, heart jack, diamond jack, or club jack.”

“So if any one of those comes out, 1.5 billion goes down the drain.”

That’s right.

But if I avoided that, I’d pay off the debt and be free.

I sat calmly, waiting for the floor manager to tell my dealer it was okay to flip the next card.

Amid the chaos, the floor manager kept his composure and gave the dealer a signal.

At that moment, the casino fell quiet, as if someone had thrown water on it.

Everyone’s gaze snapped to a single point.

The dealer’s hand moving toward the card....

The dealer flipped it over.

***

“Aaaah!”

The scientists screamed.

Headquarters scientists, watching an unknown person’s SNS live broadcast on a massive screen.

“Wooooaaaaah!”