TRGS 73

Chapter 73

“Do you know what Russian Roulette is?”

Clack! Click!

Eugene asked as he slid one bullet at a time into the revolver’s cylinder.

Out of six chambers, only one held a live round.

It was a game often played when pride clashes broke out over important conquests.

Of course—not in Korea, but abroad.

Would anyone here really bring out such a game otherwise?

Korea’s land was so small that if you got into a fight, chances were you’d know the other guy.

The best option was simply not to fight at all.

That, apparently, was how the game came about.
But to Eugene, it looked more like the game’s developer had just seen a movie about Russian Roulette and gotten the idea.

Otherwise, it made no sense.

“You put the gun to your temple and fire one shot. Then you spin the cylinder to reset the odds. One in six chance. Not bad, right?”

“…You want to bet using a toy like that?”

The one who had picked a fight with Eugene was a B-rank Hunter named Sa Gong-eon.

His face twisted in anger.

“Are you screwing with me?”

“I’m serious. Unless… you’d rather spar here? I’m sure the higher-ups would love to hear that.”

The “higher-ups.”

Not just a single guild, but multiple guilds, the Hunter Association, and even the government.

At his rank, B-rank, he knew what that meant.

And so, he shut his mouth.

He knew very well—if a real fight broke out here, it wouldn’t just be him who was punished.

It would bring trouble down on the whole team. Something he clearly wanted to avoid.

Especially since he didn’t seem eager to clash with his team leader, that woman, Song Hye-yoon.

“So what the hell is this game about?”

The B-rank Hunter and his comrades demanded an explanation.

Eugene replied with a voice tinged with amusement.

“It used to be a popular game in my country. Not sure if it ever caught on in Korea, though. Was it called Korea Squid Game? I enjoyed watching it back then.”

“Who doesn’t know that game? Are you just stalling for time? Explain it properly and get on with it—or are you scared?”

“As expected of a Korean—so impatient. Calm down and listen. This gun has a special function.”

“A function?”

“What did you bring here?”

“There aren’t many items like that in Korea…”

“I said one in six, but in truth, it’s not fixed. This gun is picky.”

Eugene gave the revolver a little shake.

He had gotten it from the black market, and it came with a surprisingly fun gimmick.

Among players, that gimmick had led to countless different games being invented.

“The odds change depending on the ‘talent’ of the one it’s aimed at.”

“Talent?”

“Think of it as potential. It reveals who between us has greater capability, who holds more promise.”

Rank was one simple indicator, sure—but it didn’t tell the whole story.

A B-rank might have no useful skills at all, or just one or two. Meanwhile, a C-rank might have a hundred.

After all, acquiring skills depended not only on luck but also on resources, effort, and innate potential. It was complicated.

“Interesting, isn’t it? A perfect way to decide who gets ownership of the skill book.”

“You C-rank magician bastard…”

Scrape!

The Hunter, his pride fully stung, yanked his chair back and sat down.

“Spin it, punk. I’ll show you. Some foreigner sent on dispatch because he was too useless at home dares run his mouth?”

“I didn’t come here because I was running away.”

“Do you even know which guild I belong to? Unlike your half-destroyed guild that’s down to you and that weird woman, mine is different. I’m from the Mir Guild. I’ll teach you to know your place.”

The Mir Guild was famous even overseas.

Korea’s global rank wasn’t the highest, but it wasn’t low either.

Mir Guild was one of the big names that had succeeded in international expansion.

By contrast, the guild Eugene—under his identity as Isaac—belonged to was one that had barely survived extermination.

And here he was, acting all high and mighty, suggesting games? Of course it rubbed them the wrong way.

It wasn’t just that.

They were venting all their built-up dissatisfaction onto him—about treatment, about pride, about everything.

Eugene knew that too.

‘All the better.’

Isaac’s identity was unstable in many ways.

The only way to solidify such an unstable identity…

Was the Hunter’s way: prove yourself through strength, luck, and talent.

Naturally, he had no intention of backing down.

“We’ll decide the turn order at random.”

Eugene placed the gun down and gave it a strong spin.

The revolver rotated like a fan blade and finally pointed at him.

He smiled faintly, pressed it to his temple, and pulled the trigger.

Click!

“Phew~”

Eugene wiped his brow theatrically and set the revolver down.

“Fortunately, my luck’s good today.”

“…You insane bastard. Even if it doesn’t hurt, you just pull the trigger like that?”

“Must be because he’s a foreigner. Thinks differently.”

“Hey, isn’t that still dangerous if something goes wrong?”

“Shut up!”

Grinding his teeth, the B-rank Hunter pressed the gun to his own temple and pulled the trigger.

Click!

Again, an empty chamber.

Eugene smiled and spun the cylinder once more.

Spin! Clack!

“See? That’s how it’s played. Simple, right?”

“Hah. Hurry it up. You’re doomed anyway.”

“Am I?”

Click!

Once again, no shot fired at Eugene.

Sa Gong-eon gritted his teeth, grabbed the gun, and pulled the trigger.

And then—

BANG!

A deafening blast. Gunpowder smoke flared from the barrel.

Sa Gong-eon’s eyes went wide as he stared at the weapon.

It had fired.

Not by coincidence, but because the item—designed to test “talent”—had chosen him to lose.

“I win.”

Eugene smiled faintly.

“As promised, the skill book is mine.”

“You… you bastard…!”

“What the hell just happened?”

Clatter!

At that moment—

The door opened, and Song Hye-yoon stepped in. She glanced around the room and frowned.

“I told you to wait quietly, didn’t I?”

“T-Team leader! It’s just…”

“Ah, welcome, Team Leader. We were just having a little chat.”

Eugene approached her with a genial smile. Thanks to the mask, his real expression couldn’t be seen anyway.

“We don’t get many chances to talk among ourselves. So we decided to pass the time with a little game.”

“…A game?”

“Do you know Russian Roulette?”

“…Why would you play that here? Oh, right. You’re a foreigner.”

She sighed deeply, her eyes scanning the room.

She’d come in late, but as a leader, she could tell right away—this hadn’t been an ordinary game.

There had been some kind of wager. Money, or something else.

“Well, that was fun. I’ll claim my prize later.”

Eugene tapped his palm with a fist, as if remembering something.

“Oh, and the next bet—if you still want to play—let’s do it inside the dungeon.”

“….”

“….”

Naturally, there was no reply.

Eugene only smiled faintly and turned away.

“Something wrong?”

…Shake, shake.

Arthur—no, Seo Hye-won—shook her head.

She had been so quiet she was almost invisible. But after watching what had just happened, her mind was swirling.

‘Why that kind of bet, of all things…?’

Sure, there were many ways to pick a fight and many ways to settle one, but that?

Did he want to emphasize he was a foreigner?

No… he’d come off more as an eccentric.

One word came to mind:

A gambling addict.

Come to think of it, hadn’t he been like this often?

No way… did he take on this identity just to do stuff like that?

“Thank you for the skill book. I’ll make good use of it.”

Crunch.

The Hunter reluctantly handed it over. Eugene grinned broadly as he accepted it.

Watching that, Seo Hye-won couldn’t help but wonder if her suspicions were right after all.

“…If we meet again, be prepared.”

“We have to fight together in there anyway… oh, then how about this? Let’s make it a contest—whoever kills more monsters inside the dungeon wins.”

Because he was a foreigner.

If he were an illegal entrant, maybe things would be different. But Isaac was a registered, legitimate resident.

Their real goal was just to put Eugene in his place.

The conditions for clearing the Rattlesnake Dungeon were as follows:

• At least one warrior with a spear or sword.

• At least one healer to tend injuries.

• At least one fire-element mage to burn away the poison.

Naturally, the most valued roles were healer and mage.

Healers weren’t too hard to find.
But fire mages—unlike healers—were rare.

Unfortunately, Team 5 didn’t have one.

The mage they’d had before specialized in earth magic.

That was why they’d brought in Isaac. But if his arrogance got out of hand, that would be a problem.

This wasn’t overseas—it was Korea, their home ground. To be pushed around by a foreigner here? Nothing was more insulting.

Especially since they were front-line physical fighters. They had to put their bodies on the line, yet got little recognition. It was enough to make anyone bitter.

Isaac needed to be the one to step back.

If they pressured him hard enough, he’d lash out. That was what they’d been aiming for.

Once he crossed the line, they could crush him.

And Eugene had no hesitation about crossing it.

Though, to be honest, it was such a flimsy “line” that it hardly deserved the name.

“I won’t need any of your help in this dungeon.”

“!”

“Instead, let’s each compete to see who kills more. There should be a record system for that, right?”

“…Hah. And where’s that confidence coming from?”

“Who knows. Maybe from my absolute confidence that I won’t die here.”

At Eugene’s words, Sa Gong-eon looked completely provoked.

“Fine! I don’t need your help either!”

“If you end up needing me, then you’ll have to bow your head. I’ll make an exception for the Team Leader.”

“Let’s see how long that cockiness lasts!”

Sa Gong-eon stormed out.

Only then did Seo Hye-won, who had remained silent until now, speak.

“Eugene… what are you trying to do?”

“Nothing much. It’s common enough. I’m just trying to increase my rewards.”

“Common…?”

“You’re with the Association, aren’t you? You know how Hunters are. Always scheming to squeeze out a bit more reward. I’m no different. Now, let’s see…”

His immediate gain was the skill book he’d just won.

The reason he’d wanted it was simple: he still lacked fire-element skills.

“Alright, let’s open it.”

Eugene cracked open the skill book.

A burst of light shot out.

Golden light!

“…I’m lucky today.”

A message appeared before his eyes.

[You have acquired the skill ‘Ember of Courage.’]