Chapter 89: Flare Server – Cyber Gambling Den

Flare Server – Cyber Gambling Den

The reunion with the crew was… shocking.

Well, maybe not shocking, but at the very least, Rita couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

The once peaceful villagers of their server had suddenly transformed into full-fledged gamblers running an underground casino.

[Cyber gambling den;;]
[A casino has appeared!!!]
[The funniest part is, I can already tell whose idea this was.]
[203]

“Rita, you’re here! Wanna join in?”

“Riha.”

“Heyo.”

The crew members welcomed her with bright smiles.

Rita, however, first needed to grasp what the hell was going on.

Who started all of this?

“It was Mollu.”

“Mollu suggested it!”

“This is Mollu’s house, actually.”

[She turned her own house into a casino LOL]
[Didn’t even have a house before, when did she build this?]
[Mollu has poisoned the Flare server.]
[Why the hell is there a secret underground casino under the house?]
[It’s literally like a hidden illegal den.]

“House?”

Now that she thought about it, this place hadn’t existed when Rita logged off the previous night.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary log cabin.

There was a small farm out front, and the cozy structure blended well with the peaceful, natural surroundings.

But as soon as she stepped inside, the truth was revealed.

A hidden ladder led underground, revealing this secret, highly illegal-looking gambling den.

Rita turned to confront the mastermind.

“So this is why you spent all that time mining diamonds?”

Of course, an operation like this would require startup capital.

While the others were outside building houses and farming, Mollu had been deep underground, mining diamonds to fund this casino.

“It turned out to be a pretty good business idea.”

“What are you even talking about—”

“Wait, just hear me out first.”

[Mollu, the underworld kingpin.]
[Using talk-no-jutsu again.]
[Corrupting innocent village NPCs into gambling addicts.]
[They’ve had a taste now, they’ll never go back.]

Mollu spoke smoothly, as if she had prepared this speech in advance.

“You know about KangX Land, right? The big casino?”

“…What?”

“It’s legal. The government itself runs it.”

Out of nowhere, she started bringing up real-life examples.

Rita just nodded, signaling her to continue.

“This Flare Casino can also be run as a public institution for the village. And I, of course, will be its humble administrator.”

“And who exactly agreed to that?”

“Well, that’s why I’m asking for your permission now, Madam Mayor.”

[She already started it before asking LOL]
[Mollu: Act first, apologize later.]
[She makes a good point, though.]

By “Madam Mayor,” Mollu was referring to Rita, the leader of the Flare Crew and the founder of this village.

Rita, speechless, watched as Mollu smoothly continued her explanation.

“It’s not just for my own profit. Since this is a public project, the revenue should contribute to the development of our village.”

Mollu opened a chest and presented it to Rita.

“What is this?”

“Open it and see for yourself.”

[HOW MANY ARE IN THERE???]
[Is all of this Mollu’s??? She’s loaded.]
[Made an absolute fortune off of this one scam.]

Inside the chest were dozens of diamonds.

Rita assumed they all belonged to Mollu.

But then, Mollu shook her head.

“These diamonds were collected from transaction fees during the games. They will be used as a communal development fund for the village.”

Her voice was so calm and matter-of-fact that Rita reflexively asked,

“Then… what’s in it for you? You run the casino, but you don’t get anything out of it?”

“Two things.”

Mollu’s avatar jumped twice.

“First, it’s fun. Watching people win and lose money? That alone is entertainment.”

[Okay, true.]
[Not gonna lie, this server was getting kinda boring. We needed this.]
[Culture and entertainment, everyone. This is what we call economic stimulation.]

Rita couldn’t deny that, from both a gameplay and streaming perspective, this was incredibly engaging.

She had to admit it—Mollu was onto something.

“Second, I’m not just the casino owner… I’m also the bank.”

“…Bank?”

Oh no.

A suspicion crossed Rita’s mind.

“People who run out of money while playing can take out a loan. If they want to keep gambling, I’ll lend them diamonds… for a small price.”

“And that price is?”

“Collateral, of course. For example, HaNyang’s full diamond gear.”

“That’s literally loan sharking.”

“Oh no, no, no. Loan sharks exploit people. I’m simply offering financial assistance to those in need.”

Rita was at a loss for words.

Mollu had effectively become both the house and the lender, ensuring that, no matter what, she always profited.

This wasn’t just some random casino—it was an entire financial empire in the making.

[The Scene is Becoming Clearer]
[Mollu… I didn’t expect this from you, but you’re actually terrifying.]
[She’s planning to squeeze them dry, down to their very souls.]
[Why is Jay just curled up in the corner?]
[Is he just spectating?]

Rita’s eyes landed on Jay’s avatar, crouched gloomily in a corner as if he had lost everything.

“Does this have something to do with all this?”

“Oh, Jay? Unfortunately, he went head-to-head in an odd-even match with Ria and… well, he went bankrupt.”

“Oh no…”

Rita glanced at Jay with a pitying expression.

But then, Mollu continued explaining, shifting her perspective entirely.

“During that process, he took out a diamond loan from me… and then, well, he lost again and couldn’t repay it. So, he had to hand over his collateral.”

“Rita… I… I got completely cleaned out…”

“Where did you even learn that phrase?”

[LOOOL “cleaned out” is killing me]
[Did Jay watch Tazza or something?]
[He got played in a den full of pros.]
[Absolute rookie got scammed by the sharks.]

Rita sighed, looking at Jay sniffling in the corner.

“That’s not being cleaned out. It was a fair match, and Ria just happened to win.”

“Fufu, to think you dared challenge someone of noble blood. A fitting end.”

“M-My Sky Tower… Give it back…!”

“That was collateral. It’s mine now.”

The Sky Tower, a lone, towering pillar Jay had built in his dream of ruling the skies, was now Mollu’s property.

Why she wanted that barely-functional tower was beyond Rita’s understanding.

Maybe it was just the concept of having aerial dominance?

“Fine! I’ll take out another loan! I have nothing left to lose anyway!”

“Oh? In that case, how many diamonds would you like?”

“Thirty… no, fifty!”

Jay, now fully resigned, declared his bet with conviction, while Mollu casually pulled out a stack of diamonds.

Rita quickly stepped in.

“Wait a second. Jay doesn’t have anything left to use as collateral, right? And you’re still lending him diamonds?”

“What do you mean he has nothing left? He still has one thing.”

“…?”

Jay’s avatar started running around the room frantically, as if suffering from extreme anxiety.

“If he can’t pay back the diamonds, then he’ll have to compensate me with labor.”

“Labor?”

“For example, he could build the structure I request… or tend to my farm.”

“That’s literally—”

[A glorified sweatshop.]
[He lost and now he’s a servant.]
[At least she’s not harvesting his organs… this is honestly a fair deal.]
[I mean… yeah, could’ve been worse.]

The chat voiced exactly what Rita was thinking.

“So, that’s the full explanation. Would you like to play, too, Rita?”

“Join us, Rita… It’s fun…”

“Jay, wipe your nose before you talk.”

On one hand, this casino was generating content, and it was even providing shared village funds.

In theory, there was no reason to shut it down.

Of course, Mollu was profiting significantly, while Jay was getting absolutely ruined.

But as long as people didn’t get in too deep, it wouldn’t be too bad.

“I’ll pass. Just make sure you all don’t forget your actual jobs.”

“Yes, ma’am~.”

“See you later.”

And so, the village mayor, Rita, reluctantly approved the business license for Flare Casino and turned to leave.

The Next Day

Rita was calmly managing the village as usual when she spotted something bizarre.

Jay was climbing the so-called Sky Tower once again.

“Jay, what are you doing up there?”

“Ugh… Rita…”

For a moment, she thought maybe he had won his games and reclaimed his tower.

But hearing his defeated voice, she immediately knew otherwise.

If he had won, he’d be boasting like a victorious general.

“I’m laying down tracks… Mollu said she wanted a sky monorail.”

“So it’s come to this.”

Mollu, apparently, wanted a sky-high amusement ride in Minecraft.

• Jay, you’re still working, right? Don’t slack off~

[LMAO she caught him taking a break.]
[She’s got her workers under tight surveillance.]
[She really knows how to manage people.]
[Honestly, having a beautiful, rich, and powerful master like Mollu sounds like a dream.]
[Jay, I envy you.]

“Eep…!”

At the sound of Mollu’s voice, Jay flinched violently.

From an outsider’s perspective, it almost seemed like Mollu was lashing him with a whip.

“…I gotta go, Rita…!”

“…Yeah, um, good luck.”

Watching her now-enslaved crew member, Rita could only shake her head in disbelief.