Chapter 154: Coin Toss.
’Damn... what a shrewd woman!’
Jake wasn’t surprised if she knew about his Luck status from Barbara.
No wonder she waited for him before beginning the bet.
Vivian’s elegant smile didn’t change at all, as if she could already read the thoughts running through his head.
Sir James, still standing in front of Jake, watched the exchange with clear interest.
His sharp eyes lingered on Jake for a moment longer before he spoke again.
"Well then," he said with a composed smile. "Since everyone is here... shall we proceed?"
He reached into his coat once more and took out a simple but well-crafted gold coin, placing it on his thumb as if he was about to flick it.
Jake stared at the coin.
Sir James smiled and looked at Jake.
"Well then, heads or tails?"
Jake’s heart was full of nervousness at that question.
Even though he knew his Luck was high... no, Legendary... the thought of one million gold coins being staked on a single coin toss still made his knees feel weak for a moment.
If they lost, Vivian would have to pay an absurd amount of money.
And somehow, that responsibility felt like it was resting heavily on his shoulders.
His fingers curled slightly at his side.
’One million gold coins...’
Just imagining that sum almost made his legs tremble.
But then—
Jake took a quiet breath and forced the tension down.
He had survived a Deep Aberration.
He had fought through blood and near-death situations.
Compared to that... this was just a coin toss.
He decided to trust his luck.
"...Heads."
His voice came out steadier than he expected.
Sir James gave a small nod, still holding the gold coin between his fingers.
"Heads it is."
Then he flicked his thumb.
Ting—
The gold coin spun high into the air, catching the soft light of the luxurious room as it flipped over and over.
Jake’s eyes locked onto it.
Grace held her breath beside him.
Even Vivian’s elegant smile faded slightly as she watched the spinning coin with quiet intensity.
The coin reached its peak... then began to fall onto the floor.
Ting...
Ting...
Ting...
Everyone’s attention was on the spinning coin on the floor as it rapidly changed sides.
But soon it began to slow...
Heads.
Tails.
Heads.
Tails—
At the last moment, the coin tilted sharply toward tails.
Jake’s heart clenched.
Then—
No one else noticed.
Their eyes were locked on the spinning metal, breath held, the luxurious room reduced to that single, decisive flip.
...No one saw the hairline crack already waiting in the polished floor.
Then the coin’s edge caught the imperfect surface for the briefest instant, causing its path to twisted.
The decisive tilt reversed.
And the final result was... heads.
Silence filled the luxurious room.
Jake stared at the coin, still not fully believing it.
’Is that the power of luck...?’
His gaze dropped to the tiny crack beneath the coin.
Disbelief tightened in his chest. With his powerful state and class, his senses were far from ordinary.
He had felt it clearly... the coin had been about to settle on tails.
The weight, the angle, the final momentum... all of it had pointed one way.
Yet it had flipped.
A low, almost disbelieving breath escaped him.
’Damn... I really am lucky.’
Sir James’s eyes remained fixed on the coin long after it had settled.
His expression was thoughtful but he said nothing.
Then Vivian’s voice cut through everyone’s daze.
"Well, it seems fortune has chosen its side," she said softly, a faint, amused smile returning to her lips.
Vivian’s gaze settled on Sir James.
"A deal is a deal, isn’t it, Sir James?"
For a moment the older man remained silent, still looking down at the coin.
Then a low, genuine laugh rumbled from his chest.
He lifted his head as he met her eyes.
"Haha! Of course. Of course."
"You won fair and square. I’ll have someone bring the permit to you tomorrow."
Jake finally let out a quiet breath, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little.
Grace glanced at him from the side, still looking a bit stunned by how casually one million gold coins and a Grade-A ship quota had been decided by a single coin.
Sir James gave Jake another look.
"...Young man," he said, his tone calm but laced with clear interest. "Your luck is rather impressive."
Jake forced a small, awkward smile and scratched the back of his neck.
"Ah... well... I’ve always been pretty lucky, I guess."
Vivian’s elegant smile deepened slightly as she watched the exchange, clearly satisfied with how things had turned out.
After a few more polite exchanges, Sir James eventually stood up and straightened his coat.
"Then I’ll take my leave for now," he said with a composed smile. "I’ll have the permit delivered to you tomorrow as promised."
Vivian gave a graceful nod.
"I’ll be waiting."
Jake and Grace both offered brief, slightly awkward farewells as well.
Sir James gave Jake one last look before turning toward the door, his female secretary quietly following behind him.
The door closed with a soft click.
_
_
_
Outside, the two walked down the quiet hallway of the estate.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then the secretary, who had remained silent the entire time inside the room, finally opened her mouth.
"Boss... losing that Grade-A ship quota is going to delay our next plan."
Her voice was calm, but there was a clear note of concern in it.
Sir James continued walking at a steady pace, his expression calm.
"That will be fine. What kind of merchant experiences no losses?"
He didn’t stop walking.
He simply glanced sideways at her with a faint, unreadable smile.
"...But more importantly, what did you see? I can’t imagine the sharpest sword among the Twelve Swords would be so wary of that young Jake."
"..."
The secretary adjusted her glasses, her earlier concern fading into a colder, more serious look.
"...That guy named Jake isn’t so simple."
Sir James’s steps slowed just slightly.
His eyes narrowed with clear interest.
"Oh? You mean his strange luck?" he murmured.
The secretary shook her head.
"No..."
Then her eyes flashed with wariness as she remembered the first time Jake came into the room and said,
"...There was something... following behind him."