Lazy but the strongest in the dimension

008: The Legendary Gambler (1)

Kirk, the operator of the largest casino in Count Linus’ territory, received a report that a masked gambler had arrived.

“A professional gambler has shown up?”

“Yes, Mr. Kirk!”

The casino staff member had a troubled expression.

It was something completely incomprehensible.

His casino was filled with professional gamblers.

If necessary, they would even resort to cheating. While the dealers took a commission from the stakes, the casino’s profit structure was reinforced by strategically placing professional gamblers to maximize earnings.

Yet, these professional gamblers had been losing one after another, suffering massive losses.

“How much have they lost?”

“A staggering 3 million gold!”

“Three million gold in a single night!?”

“Yes, Mr. Kirk.”

“Where is this man now?”

“He’s still in the casino.”

“……!”

Many people gambled through the night, but it was rare for someone to stay even after morning arrived. And now, the sun was already high in the sky.

In other words, the man who had turned his casino upside down had not only gambled all night but was still at it even at midday.

Naturally, the casino’s profits had plummeted.

“Damn it. Who sent this guy?”

“Shall we kill him?”

“If we’re going to make a move, it has to be when he leaves. If we do it now, we’ll scare off all the customers. Besides, he didn’t cheat, did he?”

“Of course not. Even when we manipulate the game, we can’t do it in every single round. The customers aren’t fools.”

Kirk furrowed his brows.

He simply couldn’t understand what was happening.

Where on earth had such a professional gambler come from?

The staff member hesitated before speaking.

“This is a situation that requires your intervention, sir.”

“You’re saying it’s that serious?”

“If we don’t stop him, the casino will go bankrupt.”

Kirk nodded heavily.

If someone that extraordinary had appeared, it was time to put his old skills to the test.

“Prepare the mercury-loaded dice.”

***

[Your Laziness Stat has reached its maximum. As a bonus, Agility has increased by +1.]
[Your Laziness Stat has reached its maximum. As a bonus, Strength has increased by +1.]
[Your Laziness Stat has reached its maximum. As a bonus, Wisdom has increased by +1.]

More than 12 hours had passed since the gambling began.

The rapidly decreasing Laziness Stat had not only recovered but had converted into a bonus, and my body was continuing to strengthen at a fast pace.

It wasn’t just my body that was enhanced. My divine power had also grown stronger, and so had my wisdom, which influenced my divine magic.

I could see myself getting stronger, so I couldn’t bring myself to leave.

Andrew spoke with a voice full of exhaustion.

“Young Master, shouldn’t we head back now?”

“No way. The fun is just getting started.”

A huge pile of gold sat on my table.

It had grown so much that I had to call in people from my territory’s merchant guild to deposit it. So far, I have earned a total of 3.5 million gold.

I wasn’t someone who spent much money, but considering that the annual operating budget of my territory was 50 million gold, this was an enormous sum.

There was a saying that wars were fought with money.

I had thought that as long as I had enough funds to live lazily, that would be enough. But things were different when it came to war.

There were times when supplies didn’t arrive properly, and providing good weapons and armor to the soldiers required money. If I wanted to ensure decent rations, even more funds were needed.

The more money, the better.

Thud.

I lightly rolled the dice.

“Another 12!?”

“How is that even possible? He must be using mercury or something!”

“No way. Those dice were provided by the casino itself!”

Murmur, murmur.

I quickly became famous within the casino.

People were whispering, speculating that I might be possessed by the gambling god. On top of that, since I was wearing a mask over my face, they were growing even more curious about my identity.

As fewer and fewer people dared to gamble against me, I was considering moving to another casino—when someone sat down across from me.

“Gasp! That’s the owner of the casino!”

“The legendary gambler, Kirk?”

A crowd gathered.

The massive man looked more like a retired mercenary than a gambler. As expected, he had the aura of someone who controlled a faction in the underworld.

“Youth, I’ve heard that you’ve won a great deal of money.”

“And?”

“Why don’t we have a match?”

“Your stakes seem too low for that.”

At Kirk’s signal, a massive chest was placed on the floor.

Thud!

Clank.

When the chest was opened, it was filled to the brim with gold coins.

Just by estimating, the gold inside easily exceeded 3 million.

Money was always a good thing—the more, the better. Even if he lost all of it and went berserk, I was confident I could handle him.

I was extremely exhausted, but gambling increased my Laziness Stat. As a result, my body kept getting stronger.

I desperately wanted to rest, but this damned profession kept holding me back.

There was no reason to refuse. I could earn money and grow stronger at the same time.

Kirk bared his teeth in a grin.

“Young lord, how about it? Are you ready to go head-to-head with me now?”

“Just don’t cry when you lose everything.”

The gambling continued throughout the afternoon.

It was mainly dice gambling, and judging by the way things were going, the dice likely contained mercury.

But it didn’t matter. I had an eye for detail, and whenever Kirk rolled a 12, I matched him with a 12 as well.

The game was simple—whoever rolled the higher number won. If a round ended in a draw, the stakes doubled in the next round.

“Draw!”

Another draw.

The pile of stakes on the table had already exceeded its capacity.

Because of that, an extra chest was brought in, and we swept the money into it. The total had already surpassed 2 million gold.

“For the next round, the stakes will be 4 million gold. Will you continue?”

The total stakes were now at 4 million gold.

Growl.

I felt a bit hungry.

I could eat here, but it was almost time to leave.

It was obvious that once Kirk lost this much money, he would go completely mad.

I had already been feeling the pressure, so I decided to leave content and head home safely today. If they attacked me? Of course, I had no intention of fighting. If it were a large battle where I could gain some fame, maybe, but what was the point of dealing with these low-tier thugs?

There was always a way to escape.

“All in.”

“You’re betting 3 million on the game?”

“If you’re scared, then die.”

Huff.

Kirk’s nostrils flared.

The total stakes had reached 6 million gold. It was an enormous amount, a sum that ordinary people could never even dream of handling.

It was money that could only be earned by running a casino for years, so it was understandable that he was feeling the pressure.

But it didn’t matter. Most of the 3 million gold I had was money I had won from gambling through the night. If I lost, it wouldn’t be a huge loss.

At that moment, Kirk’s concentration was beginning to waver.

“3 million! Let’s go!”

Clatter!

Kirk rolled the dice first.

Once again, it seemed likely that Kirk’s dice would land on 12. This time, I decided to use a bit of my own device’s power.

The dice rollers used in casinos were often magically modified. Since cheating was rampant, the casino had made sure to take precautions.

But that was a standard device, relying on regular mana. My device was different. It wasn’t just any device—it was a divine artifact.

Thud.

The dice roller opened.

“11!”

“Huh!?”

Kirk’s eyes were shaking uncontrollably.

“This can’t be happening!”

“The game’s not over yet.”

I shook the dice roller.

Clatter!

Kirk’s eyes were bloodshot, with veins popping in his eyes.

I kept shaking the device for a while before setting it down.

Thud.

“12!”

“Wow! You won!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd around us.

By now, word of the match between Kirk and me had spread, and a crowd had gathered. Kirk was shaking uncontrollably.

Then, his anger erupted.

“Damn it! This is cheating! Cheating!”

I slowly walked over and tapped his head with my finger.

A massive vein popped up on his forehead, and his face turned bright red. If the casino owner overturned the game now, his credibility would crash to the ground. He couldn’t make a move. Of course, if I left, the story would change, but I had a plan in mind.

He was probably going to blow up inside, knowing that he was being played.

“You used the dice you brought, and I won fairly. What the hell do you mean by calling it cheating? Huh?”

“You bastard! This is definitely…!”

“This is what? What the hell did I do, you little shit?”

“Ughhh!”

Kirk’s body shook with rage.

He was holding himself back with desperate patience. I expected he would try to make a move when I went into an alley or sat down to eat at a restaurant. But I wasn’t going to move according to his plan.

“Now then, let’s leave this money with the higher-ups and head back.”

“Yes, young master!”

The deposit was made immediately.

Just in case, I had called someone from the guild to wait.

I couldn’t carry such a large chest around, and it was also a precaution in case the casino tried something.

I spoke to the guild staff.

“I have some business, let’s head to the guild.”

“Shall we?”

Kirk’s face turned ashen.

I was planning to go to the guild to prevent any possible backstabbing. If I went there, he wouldn’t be able to harm me.

There were guards at the guild, and if anyone messed with the guild, the lord’s wrath would surely follow.

Kirk was out of his mind.

He had lost more than 5 million gold today alone.

Out of the 6 million gold he had, only 1 million was spent by customers.

Two million was lost by the professional gamblers he had hired, and 3 million was lost by Kirk himself.

That damn bastard had brought in a guild staff member, left him waiting, and then immediately handed over the money, sending him to the guild.

I couldn’t let this stand.

“Did you send the people?”

“More than 10 have been sent. We plan to kidnap him as soon as he comes out.”

My hands were trembling.

Kirk, who was known as the legendary gambler, had just been fleeced by some rookie. It made me feel sick inside.

All I could do now was wait.

Kirk got up from his seat.

He was restless, pacing around, then looking at the sundial.

Nearly an hour passed before I received a report from my subordinates.

“Boss! He disappeared with the knight brigade!”

“The knight brigade!?”

“The 1st Knight Brigade! They surrounded him and calmly disappeared! There’s no way to reach him now…”

“What do you mean by that!? The knight brigade!? Is that even possible!?”

“I’m not sure about that either…”

“Arrgh!”

Kirk grabbed the back of his neck.

This was the bastard who had stolen 5 million gold.

It was a huge amount—equivalent to a tenth of the annual budget for the region—and he had never suffered such a loss running his casino before.

Even when a professional gambler showed up and caused some damage, he always managed to chase them down, kill them, and recover the funds.

But what if the knight brigade was involved?

The commander of the 1st Knight Brigade was a Great Rank knight, someone who couldn’t be touched. And the entire brigade had shown up to take him away, so there was no way to intervene.

“Damn it! What the hell is his identity?”

I felt like I was going to die from frustration.

I lost 5 million gold without being able to do a thing.