Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

"Oh, my bad." Rudy tapped on the black card and uttered, "I will add five hundred thousand more, making it a fifteen million dollars bet."

"You…!" Roid gritted his teeth and glared at Rudy.

"Roid. Mind your manners. It's your turn now," Rusher stated in a calm voice. "Call or fold?"

Roid drew two cards from the deck on the table, then pulled two more and one more.

After a brief silence, he sighed softly and uttered, "Call."

"Ahem!" Rudy cleared his throat and said, "I increased this bet by fifty million dollars."

"....!" Roid was obviously baffled, but even Rusher was left speechless by Rudy's action.

"See? I told you!" Someone from outside said.

"That guy is a mad gambler! No one would bet 50 million on a game that has a five million reward."

"It makes no sense to bet that much."

"That guy is either super crazy or just utterly stupid."

"Maybe his goal wasn't to win this game?" someone wondered.

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, that makes no sense."

"Why would someone play a game if they don't want to win?"

SIGH!

Maria let out a weary sigh and shook her head at their dumbness.

'Rudy wanted to win, but not just win. He had to make his name known in history. Everyone present here and all those who witnessed this match will remember this match.

Rudy will already be famous when he enters the underworld because of what he did today. That's what Rudy is planning. He had already won this tournament the moment he decided to take out the black card.'

"Your turn, Roid." Rudy smirked widely and said, "Didn't you say you will keep playing until you win?"

Roid clenched his fists and glared at Rudy like never before.

"Roid, your turn," Rusher uttered.

Roid took a deep breath and exhaled sharply before saying, "Fold."

Rudy smirked from the corner of his lips and asked, "Shall we play another round?"

"I am done."

'Good. Very good! I have done what I had to do. Now, whenever they look at me, they will fear me.'

Rudy had won the finale of the tournament without even revealing his card. If the gamblers didn't have a reason to fear him now, they were destined to be doomed.

Rudy glanced at Rusher and asked, "So do I get the fifteen million dollars he had called before folding?"

"Obviously."

"And I have won the tournament, so how much do I currently have in my casino card?" he asked curiously.

"Are you going to count the amount you bet from the black card too?"

"Uh.. no. Excluding the betting amount, not the winning."

"You had four and half million before you used the black card, and you won fifteen million. The reward for winning this tournament was five million, so you currently have twenty-four… let's just make it twenty-five million. You get an extra five hundred thousand dollar reward from the house for showing me an interesting match."

Rudy shrugged his shoulders and said, "I am honored."

"Do you want to take out the money in cash like the last time or keep it in the card?" Rusher asked while picking up the deck of cards from the table.

'I don't need cash. And I plan to use this money to bet in the underworld tournaments. I expect strong and rich gamblers there, so I must have as much money as I can.'

Rudy pointed his gaze at his casino card and asked, "Can I use this card in the underworld too?"

"No. You will be given another card. But the money will transfer. If you win the underworld tournament, too, you will get a new card, which holds the most value. Not only that, but the underworld casino card has its own merits.

For example, if you run out of money to bet, you can take out a loan in an instant, but of course, the interest charge will be high too."

Rudy handed his casino card to Rusher and asked, "How much money can I loan with the underworld casino card?"

"Ten million dollars and you must pay it back in a week. The next card, or rather, the last card, will be the underworld VIP casino card, which you can use to loan fifty million dollars," Rusher responded calmly.

"What about the VVIP club? It doesn't have its own card?" Rudy asked curiously.

Rusher's eyes widened after hearing that. He shook his head and replied, "No. I will go handle the transaction and announce the results of this tournament— although I am sure everyone must have already seen it.

Also, I need to register your name to the underworld. Be ready for a whole new experience. The underworld is a place for those who are prepared to lose everything."

Rusher left the room after that.

SIGH!

'He makes it sound like it's hell. I have nothing to fear. I have no reason to fear.'

Rudy got up and walked to the door with Angelica.

"Hey, wait…" Roid called out to him.

"What? Are you going to threaten me or something?" Rudy asked with a lifeless glare in his eyes.

"No." Roid lowered his gaze and asked, "Are you aiming for the VVIP tournament?"

"What if I am?"

"You shouldn't. It's not worth it."

'Maria had said the same thing when I asked her about the gamblers of the VVIP tournament. Roid should be one of them, but why are they so afraid of the VVIP tournament? I get it that it would be a massive event where only the best of the best gamblers from the globe can enter.'

Rudy raised his brow in amusement and asked, "What types of games are in the VVIP tournament?"

"I cannot… tell you. WE signed a contract before taking part in it…"

'That sounds fishy. Some shit must be going on in the VVIP tournament,' Rudy uttered inwardly.

"And even if I tell you, it wouldn't matter. The games are random and decided by the mafia lord himself," Roid added.

Rudy threw a smirk at Roid and uttered, "Then you should feel honored that you got to play with the winner of the VVIP underworld gambling tournament. I will avenge you by doing what you couldn't do."