Episode 572. Third Encounter (3)

Tak.

Lee Hoyeon snatched the fluttering paper out of the air.

On the surface, it looked like a letter similar to the ones Liliana used to contact the Underworld.

But why did it appear before me?

————————–

Hello? It’s been a while. I’d like to ask how you’re doing, but space is limited, so I’ll be brief. The magic you just unleashed is beyond human capabilities, entering the realm of gods. If you tamper with this, I, who granted you the special privilege, would be violating fairness. So, please stop

————————–

Looking at the half-written note, Lee Hoyeon frowned.

It was sudden, but his mind worked coolly.

There was only one person in this world who would send such a message.

“The God of Betting?”

Lee Hoyeon chuckled wryly and checked the back of the note, but there was nothing written there.

“The laws of the world. The realm of gods. Fairness….”

What the hell is this nonsense.

Lee Hoyeon slowly pieced the words together.

‘So, my magic was so outstanding that it touched the [Laws of the World], and it’s unfair for a mere human like me to reach the realm of gods?’

If I think about it simply, that’s the meaning, right?

And my guess is probably correct.

Staring blankly at the note, Lee Hoyeon closed his eyes and thought.

‘Bullshit.’

Lee Hoyeon bit his lip and summoned his mana again.

Laws of the world, realm of gods, whatever.

They broke the rules first, so why should I be the one to bear the consequences?

Just as Lee Hoyeon’s mana recombined, drawing a magic circle.

His vision went hazy.

An unfamiliar pressure made him involuntarily drop to his knees.

As if drawn by something, he lifted his head, and the world flipped, the surrounding space twisting.

A moment later.

The space Lee Hoyeon faced was not the VIP suite.

Manga and textbooks stacked on a bookshelf.

Half-empty vitamins and a messy desk.

‘Right. We always meet here.’

It was the small studio apartment he had lived in before falling into this world.

“I said we should meet after everything is truly over next time… I never imagined we’d see each other like this again.”

At the familiar yet pleasant voice, he turned his head and saw a blond man adorned with ornate golden decorations all over his body.

A divine aura emanated from him, along with a unique presence.

It was the God of Betting.

“It’s been a while, how about a cup of tea….”

“Is it for real this time?”

“I didn’t expect to hear that as a first greeting. What kind of nonsensical talk is that?”

“… I met the Demon King wearing your likeness.”

“Hm?”

The God of Betting, who had been wearing a relaxed expression, furrowed his brow.

He immediately raised his hand, stopping Lee Hoyeon mid-sentence.

“Wait a moment. It’s okay to stop talking there.”

Watching the God of Betting suddenly close his eyes, Lee Hoyeon straightened his knees and sat on a nearby chair.

The God of Betting, who had been concentrating for a moment, soon opened his eyes and nodded.

“Mmm. So that’s what happened. Actually, that’s good. It saves me time explaining. Anyway, you must be flustered, I apologize. As you probably guess, the reason I summoned you is because of that magic.”

“The Hall of the Dreaming Moon?”

“Correct. If I left it as is, I feared you would break the laws of the world… So I had no choice but to use a bit of my power.”

“… What exactly are these laws of the world?”

“The laws of the world are literally the laws of the world. It’s hard to explain in human terms, but… they are the principles that constitute this world. Like the laws of physics? The laws of nature? Something like that.”

“So why is that a problem? The realm of gods? What does that have to do with the fairness of betting?”

What the laws of the world were wasn’t the important part.

Ever since reading the note from the God of Betting, he had a rough idea of what it meant.

But why was it a problem? How serious could it be for the God of Betting himself to appear?

“You called it the Hall of the Dreaming Moon, right? The name of the magic you created.”

“Yes. It’s magic that turns the surrounding area into my dream space. Within it, I can manifest my dreams.”

“You know how powerful that magic is. It’s statistically impossible for a human to encroach upon the realm of gods, yet you accomplished it all by yourself.”

The God of Betting offered Lee Hoyeon a canned coffee, sighing.

It wasn’t there until just now; when did he even make this?

“But… that’s precisely why it’s dangerous. You’re bound to be discovered by this world’s god.”

“What do you mean, ‘discovered’?”

“As you know, this world’s god has descended into the Demon King’s body. To stop you directly. He must be sweating bullets right now. A human he kidnapped on a whim has chased him right to his doorstep. How furious must he be to descend himself.”

“That’s exactly what I want to say! He wasn’t fair in the first place, so why am I being treated like this?”

This was the one thing Lee Hoyeon had always wanted to ask the God of Betting.

He thought the God of Betting was on his side.

But the god descending directly into the Demon King’s body… no matter how he thought about it, it was far from fair.

“No. You might feel wronged, but… this world’s god probably feels wronged too. Without the special privilege I gave you, you would have met a dog’s death at Lucifer’s hands long ago.”

Swoosh-

The God of Betting downed the coffee in one gulp and continued.

“The problem is, you were so outstanding that the special privilege I secretly gave you was discovered. Therefore, I had to offer some merit to this world’s god as well. Turns out, this world’s god had more authority than I anticipated. He could intervene significantly in the bet. That’s the Demon King you saw.”

“… So, I got too strong too quickly, got caught receiving the special privilege, and this world’s god descended directly to receive equivalent fairness. That’s also why the perception of mana in the Underworld changed.”

“Correct. The special privilege I gave you was incredibly potent. As a mediator, I had to grant this world’s god some merit.”

“But the bet itself was unfair! That’s why you, God of Betting-nim, gave me the special privilege, right? The clear rate was only 6%.”

“Don’t you remember what the initial clear rate was? You have memory augmentation abilities.”

“… It was 0.002%.”

“Now you see what an incredible thing I gave you, right?”

The threads of understanding, previously tangled, began to unravel.

My received special privilege was discovered belatedly, and to maintain fairness for the bet, this world’s god also received a corresponding privilege and descended directly.

And on top of that, he’s been doing all sorts of strange things.

With things this convoluted, there was no way I could figure it out alone.

If he had just shown up sooner, I wouldn’t have this headache.

“The Hall of the Dreaming Moon you created is magic that reaches the realm of gods, but ultimately, it cannot escape the special privilege I gave you. Meaning, you must pay another price for fairness to this world’s god.”

“I have a lot I want to say… but since I received the talent to reach the realm of gods, I have nothing to argue. As you said, God of Betting-nim, without the privilege, I wouldn’t have even been able to defeat Lucifer.”

“Not necessarily. Regarding that magic, the limit of the special privilege I gave you, [Mana Attunement], was human capability. You reaching the realm of gods… that was the product of incredible coincidence, serendipity, and effort. Honestly, I think it’s amazing.”

“I appreciate the compliment. Though it’s useless.”

Even hearing I have talent in magic… I don’t know.

I stepped into the realm of gods to defeat a god, only to be immediately kicked out. How should I even express my feelings right now?

“Don’t be too disheartened. Even though this world’s god descended directly into the Demon King’s body, it’s still a mortal vessel. Rip off the head, carve out the heart, and eventually, he will die.”

“… Then what about this magic? It’s my masterpiece, containing everything I have.”

“It’s a shame, but you’ll have to consider it a valuable learning experience.”

“Isn’t there anything you, God of Betting-nim, can do to help? Right. Lately, the status window hasn’t appeared, and the Heroine Conquest System is gone too. Those were part of the special privileges, weren’t they?”

“You might not know this, but that coincided with the Demon King’s possession. I couldn’t provide support that would reach you then.”

No wonder.

I can’t tell you how flustered I was when the status window suddenly stopped working.

The rewards for heroine conquests were minimal at first and then disappeared.

“Every time you open your mouth, it’s nothing but bad news. If I’d known, I shouldn’t have met you.”

“Sorry. Actually, I don’t have much time left. We talked about this last time, didn’t we? The more heroines you conquer, the more cracks appear in this world, allowing me to meet you. But I used up almost all that point during our second encounter. I’m pushing it greatly even now.”

“… God of Betting-nim. Whether it’s a special privilege or a stroke of luck, if nothing else, I wish you could offer some small help. I’m really struggling. Every word you say is bad news, and it just kills my motivation.”

“Hmm. I confirmed it while reading your memories earlier, but I do want to tell you that your current approach is still correct. This world’s god did indeed change the perception of Underworld mana in this world, just as you expected. However, he didn’t anticipate a being like you, who doesn’t belong to this world. The Underworld mana you wield is enough to correct others’ perceptions. If you disrupt the Demon King’s plans, it will also help weaken his forces.”

“… That’s helpful advice, thank you.”

Finally, the first positive words were spoken.

It’s a relief that what I’m doing in France isn’t in vain.

“This is the best I could do to block things, even exerting my utmost effort. Yes. I’ll at least do this for you.”

Srrrk-

The God of Betting’s finger pointed at Lee Hoyeon, and a small light flew from its tip.

Seeing the light burrow into his chest, Lee Hoyeon blankly placed his hand over his heart.

“What is this? Come to think of it, didn’t you do something like this last time too?”

“Yes. That light is my will. By carrying the will of the God of Betting in your heart, you’ll be able to sense any issues with fairness, regardless of the circumstances.”

“This is exactly that situation right now.”

“I already told you that. The special privilege I gave you was itself a violation of fairness. It was an extremely disadvantageous bet for you from the start.”

“… So, there’s no other help?”

“I wish I could help more, but I am, after all, just a mediator. Meeting you like this is already against the principle of fairness.”

“Sigh. Yes. I’ll handle it myself.”

With a sigh of regret, he clicked his tongue and leaned back in the chair.

Just then, the entire space began to turn black.

Simultaneously, the figure of the God of Betting began to fade.

It was time to part.

“Don’t worry too much. The laws of the world that hinder you apply equally to this world’s god who has descended into the Demon King’s body.”

“… Yes.”

Even so, his mood didn’t improve.

After all, the Hall of the Dreaming Moon had to be sealed within his heart.

If it was going to be like this, perhaps it would have been better not to meet the God of Betting.

“You said its name was the Hall of the Dreaming Moon, didn’t you?”

“Why?”

The God of Betting, his form gradually disappearing, spoke his last words.

“Because it’s a good name. You’ll definitely have a chance to use that magic again. I guarantee it.”

Before he could even ask what that meant.

Lee Hoyeon’s vision slowly faded to black.

*

“Hah…!”

When he opened his eyes, the ceiling was unfamiliar… or rather, it wasn’t.

The VIP suite he had seen for days, and a soft bed.

A sleeping place incomparable to his studio apartment back home.

“Haa. I really came back.”

Lee Hoyeon clenched and unclenched his fist, summoning his mana.

The God of Betting was gone, and he had returned to his original world.

Which meant he could no longer use the [Hall of the Dreaming Moon].

A sigh escaped him at the sad reality.

“Returned? Did you perhaps visit this world during that short time?”

“Aack!”

Startled by the sudden voice, he turned his head and saw Scarlet looking down at him from behind.

As soon as Scarlet’s eyes met Lee Hoyeon’s, she gave a slight nod and continued speaking.

“I came in because of the loud ‘udangtangtang’ noises, but I found you collapsed in the lab. I moved you to the bed.”

“Ah… yeah. Sorry. Was I lying down for long?”

The conversation with the God of Betting was so shocking that he had forgotten he hadn’t even been lying on the bed.

Right. If someone moved me to the bed, it must have been Scarlet.

“No. You woke up exactly 2 hours and 35 minutes later. Your breathing was stable too. Since you seemed asleep, I didn’t call the medical staff.”

“Good job. I fell asleep from exhaustion during my research.”

Lee Hoyeon stretched and sat up.

Despite immersing himself in magic research for days, barely eating, and even meeting the God of Betting, he felt no fatigue.

To be in this state after sleeping only about two hours… My body really is cheat-level.

“If you’re not tired, please get ready and come out.”

“Why? Are you hungry? Shall we go grab dinner together?”

“That would be nice too, but the Guild Master and Miss Alice have returned. I mentioned you were still researching magic, just in case, but if your condition is okay, it would be best to see them right away.”

“… Good thinking. I should go right away.”

Alice returned just as I met the God of Betting.

Is this fate too?

I only heard bad news, and the [Hall of the Dreaming Moon] was sealed, but I can’t give up now.

If I were going to give up at a trial like this, I would have given up long ago.

Lee Hoyeon shook off the lingering sleepiness and got out of bed.