Chapter 96 - Fate is dull
A festival it may be, but the Rotation was, at its core, a competition.
Naturally, gambling rings sprang up both online and offline.
From the legal betting sites sanctioned by the city government to the illicit corners of the black net, the variety was staggering.
Who would emerge victorious?
Who would suffer defeat?
Simple predictions moved absurd amounts of money.
Today, someone had multiplied their wealth tenfold.
Beside their triumphant cheers, another figure slumped to the ground in despair.
He had lost the deed to his house, which he had put up as collateral.
The only thing left in his hands was a crumpled lottery ticket.
"Shit! This is rigged! The whole thing was fixed from the start!"
"How the hell did Cecile beat Carlos?! Do you have any idea how much I lost?! My wife took the kids and left! What the hell am I supposed to do now?!"
"My money! Give me my goddamn money back, you bastards!"
A commotion had erupted in front of the stadium, a growing crowd of people wailing and screaming.
But there was no retrieving their lost money.
The stadium officials remained firm, declaring that the sanctity of the Rotation must not be defiled.
And those who refused to accept their losses were swiftly silenced—some quite literally—when a few particularly unruly gamblers had their vital points slashed by the swords of the Anarion family's enforcers.
Only then did the uproar subside.
"Idiots."
"Seriously, who the hell bets their house and car?"
The spectators looked on with cold indifference.
No one felt sympathy for these moths who had flown straight into the flames, ruining their lives over a single bet.
Yet even they couldn't deny their own shock.
After all, no one had expected Cecile Florence to win.
Cecile won?
Jin blinked in disbelief.
Thinking he might have misread, he refreshed the results multiple times—but no matter how many times he checked, the outcome remained the same.
The name "Cecile Florence" was burned into his screen.
Carlos was supposed to win...
Jin stopped himself mid-thought and shook his head.
Nothing in this world was a given.
Chiding himself for his narrow-minded assumption, he let out a small smile.
He recalled meeting Cecile at the cathedral.
She had been so nervous before his match with Kendrick, her face trembling as she asked if Jin was feeling the same.
Jin had given her a high-five of encouragement.
Cecile had been underestimated, seen as a mere substitute for Thea.
But she had proven herself.
Feeling oddly proud, Jin played the match recording.
He had to see this.
Just how fierce had the battle been?
Excitement flickered in his eyes as he watched the footage.
And then—
"...Huh?"
Jin's voice came out blankly.
The match had been one-sided.
At Cecil's command, a knight shrouded in dark blue mist had led a legion of various summoned creatures, relentlessly overwhelming Carlos.
It was almost miraculous that Carlos had survived for fifteen whole minutes under such an onslaught.
Jin had assumed it had been a desperate, hard-fought battle where she had found an opening at the last moment to claim victory.
Instead, he sat there, dumbfounded.
Curious, he checked the comments, only to find that everyone else was just as stunned.
- How many summons does he even have? How does he have the mental fortitude to control all of them?
- At this rate, it wasn't Thea stepping aside—it was a complete domination.
- Give me my money back, you bastards.
- This is the fundamental difference between the main bloodline and the branch family. The so-called "strongest Esquire" was a joke. In the end, it's Cecile, the direct heir, proving herself to the world.
- Then what does that make Kendrick, who lost to a branch family member?
- That was because his opponent was Jin Evernight.
- Give me my money back, you sons of bitches.
The comments were a chaotic mess, and Jin turned off his device with a sigh.
Whatever the case, Cecile had won.
And now, the Rotation was heading in an unpredictable direction.
Could Cecile make it to the finals instead of Ryucard?
No, wait.
Ryucard might lose to Dayor.
Or Cecile could lose to Raph.
…Actually, maybe not.
Either way, it was best not to make any hasty predictions.
Nothing in this world was guaranteed.
With that thought, Jin stood up.
He had just devoured nearly twenty tacos—an amount that would leave most people stuffed after just three or four.
As he paid, the cashier stared at him in disbelief.
Jin took the moment before receiving his change to casually ask,
"You follow the Rotation?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess…"
The hesitant response didn't bother Jin.
He had worked in a barbecue joint before—he knew how hard it was to keep smiling at customers all day.
So as he pocketed his change, he added,
"Then don't forget to cheer for Jin Evernight. If anything big happens, just leave a message on the solo intranet. If you're lucky, I might even see it."
"...Huh? What?"
Leaving the confused cashier behind, Jin stepped out of the restaurant and climbed into the driverless taxi still waiting for him.
"Wait! Hold on!"
The cashier rushed outside, only to see the vehicle already pulling away in the distance.
***
Jin arrived at his hotel late in the evening.
The dim lights flickered against the twilight sky, and as he approached, he noticed a drone silently flying overhead, scanning the area.
Expensive hotels really did take their security seriously.
Far from the unmanned motels where you could wake up to find a scavenger staring at you.
Yeah, money was nice.
With that thought, Jin entered the hotel.
As usual, he returned the polite greetings of the staff and stepped into the elevator.
It smoothly and swiftly carried him to the VIP lounge.
He had been heading toward his room when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Turning his head, his gaze landed on Kendrick, sitting alone by the floor-to-ceiling windows, sipping a glass of wine.
"What are you doing here by yourself?"
Jin plopped onto the opposite sofa with a grunt.
Kendrick barely spared him a glance before turning back to the city lights.
"Piss off."
"One cola, please!"
"..."
Ignoring Kendrick's look of exasperation, Jin stretched out lazily.
"Which district is Zahad in again?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh. Just wondering if it feels as fancy as this place."
Kendrick remained silent, and Jin spoke as if he wasn't expecting an answer.
"You know I'm from downtown, right? That place is the complete opposite of this. You can't even see the sky properly. The buildings are crammed together so tight, the streets barely get any sunlight. You can walk around and not even realize if it's day or night. Compared to that, this place is…"
"Ah, thanks."
Jin nodded at the waitress who placed his drink on the table.
Kendrick watched him quietly before suddenly speaking.
"So, are you envious of this view?"
"What?"
"If you become the head of a family, all of this could be at your feet."
Jin, mid-sip, nodded.
"Well, yeah. I mean, if you're the head, you'd obviously—wait a sec."
His eyes widened.
He turned to Kendrick, raising a hand as if to stop him.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, he grinned and held up a single index finger, waving it excitedly.
Kendrick scowled at the exaggerated gesture.
"What now?"
"Perfect. Property prices in Primus Zone are insane."
"What the hell are you—"
"When you become the head, cut me a deal on a good building. Like, 20% of market price. C'mon, you can do that for me, right?"
"What—wait. Hold on. What even is 'our relationship' supposed to be?"
Kendrick, his face still scrunched, asked again.
Jin picked his nose and casually replied.
"When guys go all out and fight, they become friends. That's just how it is."
That simple answer was like a bucket of ice water dumped over Kendrick's head.
A strange feeling washed over him—drenched in something unfamiliar.
It was undoubtedly cold and irritating, yet oddly refreshing at the same time.
At some point, Kendrick let out a small chuckle.
Of course, Jin didn't laugh with him.
Only to a Sword Saint-level figure would he laugh along without questioning it.
"So, are you going to give me a discount on the house or not?"
It was a firm question.
Kendrick, with the remnants of laughter still on his face, shook his head.
"I'll consider it."
"Ooh…!!"
"If I can become the family head."
"Hm?"
Jin, who had been celebrating, furrowed his brows.
Meanwhile, Kendrick took a sip from his wine glass and turned his gaze toward the window.
He remained silent for a while.
His eyes, fixed on the dazzling nightscape, were deeply immersed in thought.
And within them, the city lights soon transformed into the cheering faces of an audience.
Faces that applauded even for the defeated.
Praise for the process, not just the result.
The cheers of that day had forced him to look back at himself—someone who, despite never losing a battle, had lived feeling defeated.
Suddenly.
Kendrick realized his hand had reached toward the sky.
And from that moment on, it was no longer the sky.
It was merely a colossal wall blocking the next world.
It had been six years since he reached the Second Tier.
Finally standing at the end of that path, the heir slowly opened his eyes.
Then, he turned his head, looking straight at the man who had handed him his first defeat.
"Win. I won't accept any other outcome."
There was a faint smile on his face as he said those words.
Jin nodded without hesitation.
"Of course."
The next moment, their glasses clinked midair.
A clear, crisp sound.
Like something old and worn washing away.
***
"Waaaaaaaah!!"
The quarterfinals had finally begun.
The lucky spectators who managed to snatch up the increasingly rare tickets erupted into cheers.
Moments like these made Jin appreciate being a participant.
No need to worry about getting tickets—he had a VIP seat.
A perfect view of the arena, a luxurious reclining chair, and a table within arm's reach piled with fresh fruit and biscuits.
Reaching the quarterfinals came with its perks.
Unlike the trembling Raph beside him, Jin sat back comfortably, eyes fixed on the first match about to begin.
Anna versus Katrina.
The two women representing Solard and Marzie now stood face to face, and interest flickered in Jin's eyes.
He recalled the title of a novel—A Song of Ice and Fire.
If Eanna could hear his thoughts, she would surely reply with a calm smile.
"It's A Song of Fire and Ice. We have the higher win rate."
A classic family rivalry!
Or was it the other way around?
Whatever.
For generations, their families had subtly—or rather, blatantly—been rivals.
And now, the heirs faced each other in battle.
Katrina spoke first.
"You look good."
"What do you mean?"
"For the past few years, you looked like death itself. Like someone mourning a lost love."
She likely hadn't intended to strike a nerve.
But for Anna, who had buried her lover in her heart, it was no laughing matter.
Yet she didn't get angry either.
She wasn't the same person she used to be.
She remembered Walter, who had protected her even in death.
She hadn't forgotten the warmth in his eyes.
And that was enough.
Besides, the one who had saved her from that abyss was here.
Anna's gaze briefly shifted to the audience, landing on Jin.
Then, turning back to Katrina, she smiled—a sacred fire burning in her eyes.
"Shall we begin?"
"So impatient."
As Katrina replied, black ice blossoms formed around her.
Dark Ice.
The crystallization of Marzie's signature frost bared its black fangs at the White Flame.
Boom!!
Neither waited—their battle erupted instantly.
And what followed was the most breathtaking fight of the tournament so far.
White Flame and Dark Ice.
Two opposing forces that could never merge, only clash—devouring each other, stripping away flesh and bone.
Fwoosh!
The overwhelming heat seemed to vaporize all ice.
Crack!!
But the ice reformed, devouring the flames in return.
The battlefield's climate shifted so drastically that even clueless spectators could tell who had the advantage just by the temperature.
When it felt like their skin would burn, Anna had the upper hand.
When their teeth chattered, Katrina held the advantage.
A brutally intuitive battle.
As the fight intensified, the contrast became clearer.
The temperature and the scenery flipped like a coin, over and over.
Heat blossoms and ice crystals took turns dominating the field.
As if asserting their existence.
But all things must end.
Boom—!!
With a thunderous explosion, silence fell over the arena.
Emerging from the thick steam was Anna, standing tall over an unconscious Katrina.
"…Sorry, Katrina. But the world I faced was far too vast for me to lose to you."
Murmured words meant for another—words that never reached the fallen opponent.
Only the announcer's voice roared through the arena.
"Winner! Anna Solard!!"
Solard now led their rivalry by one victory.
Some cheered, others despaired.
Small gamblers, great houses—it was all the same.
But for now, the arena shook with thunderous applause.
"Anna! Anna! Anna!"
"The White Flame is unstoppable! That was insane!"
"Anna! Look this way!"
Even as the excitement lingered, Jin stood up.
The dark horse who had defeated Kendrick was stepping onto the stage.
Naturally, the crowd roared even louder.
"You're finally here."
Across from him, a dark-haired beauty smiled.
A smile as dazzling as a thousand blooming roses—yet its thorns seemed dangerously sharp.
"Meeting you here… I suppose that's fate."
As Jin cracked his neck from side to side, Michelle murmured softly.
"Fate, huh…"
At that moment, a deep horn sounded.
Bwooo—!!
Jin instinctively activated Polar Radiance.
And in that instant—
Michelle, who had been ten paces away, appeared right in front of him.
Jin flinched.
A blink?
Using it to close the distance instead of escape?
Then—
Michelle spread her arms and suddenly pulled Jin into a tight embrace.
Like two lovers reuniting after ages apart.
Warm and tender.
And then, she whispered.
"Fate is dull. How about destiny?"