Profano announced the final results.

[“In third place! Maximizing the Gunslinger synergy while incorporating both the Despicable and Wild synergies into his deck, the runner-up of Group A. Player Teiz of the Lotus faction is the man of the hour!”]

Teiz, who remained on the battlefield until the very end, seemed certain of his defeat and instead focused on earning bonus points.

He pulled all his main champions and restructured his deck solely to activate synergies.

Thanks to this, securing victory in the final round was easier than in any previous round.

In Group B, which had been fiercely contested until the end, the player aiming for first place wouldn’t have been able to make such a choice.

In the end, Teiz, who maximized his roulette bonus points, overtook the runner-up of Group B to claim third place.

‘A wise decision.’

Since this too was a valid strategy, it was a choice worthy of applause.

Swish- swish-

– I won’t lose-!

Chasey wrote a message in her notepad, throwing a cute taunt my way.

I gave a casual nod. The outcome was already decided, after all.

[“I will now announce the first-place winner! The ultimate victor of this Paradise Private Battlefield is… a player from the Arrow of the Blue Sky faction!”]

Chasey swelled with anticipation for a moment before quickly deflating in disappointment.

Now that I thought about it, weren’t both of us from the Arrow of the Blue Sky?

Profano was simply playing word games to build up the tension.

The result followed immediately.

[“Please give a round of applause! Utilizing three synergies—Shieldbearer, Assassin, and Magitech—Player Hans has achieved the ‘Jackpot’! He is the man of the hour!!!!”]

“The Jackpot…?”

Chasey looked at me and opened her mouth.

I chuckled at the sight.

“Didn’t we agree not to say anything?”

“Ah, right!”

Chasey hurriedly clamped her mouth shut, covering the mouth section of her rabbit mask with her hand.

Even though her face was hidden, it was obvious she was embarrassed.

Knock-

Creak-!

Just then, the door to the VIP waiting room opened.

“Player Hans. Player Alice. Please follow me so we may proceed with the award ceremony.”

With the final rankings announced, a casino staff member had come to escort us for the awards.

Chasey and I obediently followed behind the staff member.

Murmur- murmur-

As we stepped out into the casino’s main hall, all eyes converged on us.

“Those two are…”

“Arrow of the Blue Sky, right?”

The murmuring gamblers. Perhaps overwhelmed by the attention, Chasey, who was walking beside me, took a step closer.

The third-place winner was already receiving their award, but player Teiz of the Lotus faction kept glancing our way even while conversing with Profano.

He was the spitting image of a typical sycophant, fingers covered in jeweled rings and a messy goat beard adorning his chin, yet his eyes possessed a peculiar, spirited glint.

He stared intently at us as if he had something to say, but with the award ceremony needing to proceed, he wrapped up his conversation and stepped down from the podium.

The awards continued.

“In second place of the Paradise Private battlefield, player Alice of the Arrow of the Blue Sky! Please give her a big round of applause.”

Contrary to Profano’s enthusiastic introduction, the gamblers’ reaction was icy.

It was only natural.

Far more people had lost money in this battlefield than had won.

Receiving congratulations was a privilege reserved solely for the first-place winner, not for the players below.

Despite achieving a good result, Chasey was flustered by the lack of applause.

Unsure of what to do, Chasey glanced around nervously.

Clap- clap- clap-

In the quiet stillness, I was the first to start clapping.

What meaning would others’ congratulations even hold? To these gamblers, players were merely components of their bets.

I met Chasey’s eyes. Her anxious trembling gradually began to subside.

Profano was wearing a subtle smile, and seeing it made my blood boil.

‘What a scumbag.’

With Winner Betting in play, he knew full well that the other players wouldn’t be congratulated.

Parading them in front of the crowd for the award ceremony was just showmanship, a display for the audience.

Well, it wasn’t as if I couldn’t understand the organizer’s perspective.

Just awarding first place would have been enough; humiliating the runners-up in public wasn’t exactly pleasant to watch.

Chasey descended from the podium after receiving her award, and Profano looked my way, raising his voice.

“Here is the star of the day! The first player to hit the Jackpot in the Paradise Private battlefield. Player Hans of the Arrow of the Blue Sky is the man of the hour! Please give him a massive round of applause!”

Waaaaah-!

“You’re the best, Hans!”

A stark contrast to the reaction Chasey had received.

The people who had bet their money on me in the Winner Betting were cheering loudly.

Considering my high odds due to my faction ranking, I must have seemed like a lucky charm that brought them a fortune.

While I basked in the cheers, the crowd’s behavior was somewhat repulsive.

These were the very same people who had been so cold during Chasey’s award.

“Damn, son of a bitch.”

Among the crowd, I briefly caught someone cursing at me.

When I glanced in that direction, the culprit was looking away, pretending he hadn’t said a word.

‘Should I let it slide?’

Was it because this was the lowest of the low private battlefields in Trivik?

In these 999+ tier private battlefields, neither the organizers nor the gamblers seemed to have an ounce of respect for the players.

Swallowing my anger, I slowly ascended the podium.

Profano, with his beady eyes, was watching me. I met his gaze directly and walked up to him.

It ain’t over till it’s over.

The private battlefield had concluded successfully, but the Item combination formula had yet to land in my hands.

I had seen plenty of people who shamelessly went back on their word, so I never expected Profano to hand over the Item combination formula without a fuss.

Profano looked around and raised his voice.

“Player Hans, the ultimate victor of the Paradise Private battlefield! You will receive 1,000 shillings as a reward. But this isn’t the end, is it?”

The excited crowd echoed his sentiment, raising their voices.

“Jackpot!”

Profano curled the corners of his mouth upward.

“That’s right! He is the protagonist of the first-ever Jackpot achieved in the Paradise Private battlefield! Haha- I must say, I never imagined there would be a player capable of hitting the Jackpot.”

Profano gestured to the side, and a casino staff member brought out something covered in a black cloth.

Flutter-

As the cloth was lifted, it revealed a perfectly cubic Pure Gold Dice.

The Jackpot reward included not only the ‘Dice of Fortune’ Item combination formula but also the Pure Gold Dice.

“A masterpiece crafted directly by a dwarf artisan, I present to you the Pure Gold Dice as a prize.”

Despite the flowery adjectives, it was nothing more than a lump of gold melted and solidified into a square shape.

Profano willingly yielded the Pure Gold Dice to me, and I casually accepted it, shoving the gold dice into my pocket.

I had no interest in anything other than the Item combination formula.

Seeing this, Profano’s brow twitched.

“Haha- As expected, a prize of this caliber means nothing to an outstanding player. But this time is different. The treasure of the Paradise Private battlefield, the Dice of Fortune Item combination formula, is the true reward!”

“What’s an Item combination formula? Is it more expensive than the gold dice?”

“Are you seriously asking that?”

Those unacquainted with the battlefield envied the Pure Gold Dice more than the Item combination formula, but those who truly understood its value cast greedy glances toward it.

My heart pounded.

Was I finally going to get an Item combination formula of my own?

However, I wouldn’t be receiving the Item combination formula just yet.

“The awarding of the Item combination formula will be handled separately, following the notarization of Imperial Priest Veron of Yukantar, who assisted in hosting this private battlefield.”

It wasn’t as if I didn’t understand the reasoning.

When Hans received an Item combination formula at the Einthoven Private battlefield, there had also been an Imperial Priest’s notarization.

Item combination formulas could only be traded through devices.

Since the failure to distribute a reward placed on the line in a private battlefield—not a personal trade—would also fall on the presiding Imperial Priest, the notarization process was a necessary step.

It was the standard procedure for receiving an Item combination formula.

“Finally…”

Clap- clap- clap-

Just as the award ceremony was about to wrap up, the sound of clapping echoed from somewhere.

I figured it was Chasey and looked over, only to find an unexpected figure.

Player Teiz, who had taken third place in this private battlefield, was the one clapping.

Chasey, who had been preparing to clap, had her timing stolen and was left staring at Teiz with her hands awkwardly raised.

Profano shot a brief glare at Teiz with his beady eyes.

“Haha- Did I talk for too long? Let’s wrap up the awards quickly and begin the settlement for the Winner Betting.”

He laughed it off, but having been interrupted mid-sentence, he seemed a bit irritated.

“I would like to express my gratitude to all the guests who visited Paradise Profano, and with that, let us conclude this Paradise Private battlefield!”

Clap- clap- clap-!

As if she had finally found the right timing, Chasey broke into enthusiastic applause. Player Teiz beside her and the gamblers who had bet on me joined in the clapping.

With Profano’s closing remarks, the crowd gathered in the event hall began to disperse.

Some headed to the settlement Office with light steps to collect their Winner Betting payouts, while others drifted back to the gambling tables to recoup their losses.

With the grand event of the private battlefield concluded, the casino returned to its everyday routine.

Profano, observing the scene from the podium, quietly gave a cue to the casino staff member behind him.

“…Escort him to the VIP waiting room.”

“Yes, understood.”

The same staff member who had guided me here was about to guide me once more.

He had been practically my exclusive escort since the casino entrance, to the point where his face was becoming quite familiar.

Whisper.

I left a whisper for Chasey as she approached. If things went south, I could rely on her help.

Then, I obediently followed the staff member’s guidance to the VIP waiting room.

VIP waiting room.

“Hehe- You’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve worked hard as well, Priest. This is a donation. Please put it to good use.”

“Since there is sincerity behind it, I will not refuse.”

Priest Veron and Profano, the owner of the casino, exchanged pleasantries.

The reason private battlefields were consistently held in Trivik was because there were substantial profits to be made.

The Paradise Private battlefield was no exception.

Even without knowing the exact figures, the revenue had to be incomparable to the prize money put up for the battlefield.

Without considerable connections and capital, hosting a private battlefield was no easy feat.

Hosting a private battlefield required the assistance of an Imperial Priest, and by promising massive donations in advance, one could expedite the scheduling.

According to what Jay had told me, the majority of that money didn’t flow back to the Empire as it should have, but instead lined Priest Veron’s pockets.

That was how he had become the majority shareholder of the Yukan Newsletter.

Since it was received under the guise of a donation, how the money was spent was entirely up to the Imperial Priest’s discretion.

After their exchange concluded, Profano stared at me standing idly by.

He offered a smile.

“Haha, you’ve waited a long time.”

As Profano tapped his device, a golden dice emblem appeared.

【Dice of Fortune】

– Dull Dagger + Dull Dagger

– Critical Hit Chance +20%

– Upon each critical hit, Attack Power and Spell Power increase by +7.

It was my first time exchanging an Item combination formula.

“Please hold out your device.”

Fortunately, the notary, Priest Veron, was explaining the exchange procedure for the Item combination formula, so I simply followed his instructions.

When Profano tapped his own device, the golden dice flew toward my device.

And then, a message popped up.

[You have acquired the Dice of Fortune Item Combination Formula.]

To think the exchange process would be this simple.

I hadn’t even considered the possibility that Profano would hand over the Item combination formula so obediently. It had completely defied my expectations that some troublesome complication would arise.

Profano smiled and spoke.