The Glorious Evolution

The Wheel of Fortune.

A great wheel dominated the illustration, surrounded by figures climbing along one side while others tumbled helplessly down the other.

The Dealer stared at it for a moment before glancing around at the dimensional wheel.

”...Well, that’s a bit on the nose.”

He moved on without elaborating and flipped the second card.

Five of Pentacles.

”Oh? Good news.”

The Dealer tapped the card with one finger, explaining that while it traditionally told meanings of hardship and loss, beside the Wheel it suggested something far more promising: hardship preceding opportunity, with a considerable fortune waiting somewhere ahead.

This description left Levi quite hopeful for the rest of the reading.

The third card turned... Then the fourth.

And with each reveal, the reading continued leaning in the same direction.

Opportunity...Gain... Fortune.

None promised Levi’s safety, but together they painted an increasingly favorable picture, suggesting that if he spun the wheel, his chances of reaching one of its rewards were considerably better than they had first appeared.

By the fourth card, even the Dealer seemed mildly impressed.

”Unless the last one decides to ruin your evening, Celestial... this is shaping up beautifully.”

He placed two fingers against the fifth card and flipped it.

Then paused... Levi frowned, noticing the weird silence. The Dealer slowly turned the card toward him.

The Star.

A brilliant star occupied its center, surrounded by smaller lights scattered across an open sky.

”Unfortunately, this one complicates things.”

The Dealer gathered the previous four cards together and explained that they all leaned heavily toward fortune, opportunity, and a favorable outcome, enough that under ordinary circumstances he would have confidently encouraged Levi to spin the wheel.

However, The Star prevented him from doing that as it represented possibility, leaving the final destination of the reading unresolved.

Everything could still swing toward great fortune... or great calamity.

Still, the overall reading leaned considerably toward a favorable outcome.

Levi remained silent, his fingers tapping slowly against the table as he went through everything he had heard.

Four favorable cards... One uncertain card... and four rewards waiting on the wheel.

If the Dealer’s reading held any weight, his odds of landing on at least one of those rewards should be considerably better than before.

Still... he didn’t make up his mind yet, as he still had Madam Future’s assistance to clear up the fog.

He turned toward Madam Future and requested, ”Would it be possible to see my future ahead if I were to spin the wheel?”

”My vision doesn’t work that way.” Madam Future shook her head. ”There are no ifs... either you spin the wheel, and I can predict your future, or you don’t, and the possibilities can be anything.”

Levi went silent... he understood that Madam Future could predict any result as long as he didn’t spin it.

However, if he were to spin it, then his fate was decided... the only thing she could do was let him know the result.

”I will give it a try regardless and see the odds.”

Madam Future extended her hand toward Levi and closed her eyes... her fingers twitched faintly as one future passed before her, followed by another, then another.

Eventually, her eyes opened, and she shook her head.

”As expected, it’s not guaranteed.”

She saw Levi spin the wheel several times... In some futures, the pointer stopped on rewards; in others, it landed directly on the traps.

Madam Future explained that her ability was at its clearest when observing her own future, but looking into someone else’s introduced far more uncertainty, especially when randomized mechanisms were involved.

The wheel was particularly troublesome.

A slight difference in Levi’s strength, the angle of his hand, the exact moment he released it, even the smallest variation in the wheel’s resistance could alter the final result and send the future branching elsewhere.

The Dealer’s smirk returned. ”Useless... are you here for the free coffee?”

Madam Future gave him an irritated glare and remained silent, knowing that the prick would never shut up if she gave in to his taunts.

’So much for cheating fate.’ Levi sighed inwardly.

Still, the Dealer’s cards favored fortune, while Madam Future had personally witnessed several futures in which he successfully landed on rewards.

Although neither guaranteed anything, they also hadn’t given him a reason to walk away.

Levi continued staring at the dimensional wheel for a few seconds before turning back toward the Dealer.

”You’re sure about the reading? My odds are actually better?”

The question erased some of the amusement from the Dealer’s face... he collected the five Tarot cards and tapped their edges against the table.

Then, he told him that Fortunari Trueborns were bound by their readings; when offering their services to a customer, they couldn’t deliberately falsify what they saw, twist a reading to deceive them, or outright lie about its result.

The cards favored him... that much was true.

”But favorable odds are still... odds,” the Dealer added with a shrug. ”If you’re comfortable with that, spin.”

Levi remained still for another moment before drawing a deep breath and standing up.

’Fuck it.’

He reached out with his hand towards the wheel and spun it without an ounce of hesitation... it was now or never.

WHIRRRR!

The Joker needle released an excited crackle as the wheel spun rapidly, its colored sections blurring together until the rewards and traps became an indistinguishable blur.

Levi stepped back while the Dealer leaned forward slightly, his attention fixed on the spinning wheel... somewhat excited about the results.

However, Madam Future remained still, her eyes reflecting a new future... now that the wheel was already moving, many of the variables that had clouded her earlier attempts were gone.

So she looked ten seconds ahead, her expression a perfect poker face.

While she had already seen the result, the boys shared a knowing grin as the wheel lost momentum, its needle creeping toward one of the greatest prizes available.

The SS-Rank Recovery Item.

Another click sounded as the wheel passed the section before it and crept closer toward the reward.

Click...

Levi’s heartbeat accelerated while the Dealer’s mouth was already half-open, about to brag his ass off that his readings should never be questioned.

”I fucking knew...”

Click...

Before he could finish his sentence, the wheel moved a tiny bit... but it was enough for the needle to slip past the dividing line and enter the next section.

TRAP.

”...”

”...”

”...”

Levi, Ash’Kral, the Titan, Omnithar Genie, the Dealer, and even Madam Future... none of them spoke a single word as they stared at the needle sitting in the corner of the Trap card.

Then...Kihihihihihi.

A faint, sinister giggle escaped the Joker, breaking them out of their daze... Levi looked up as the painted grin on the Joker began stretching wider and wider until his entire form peeled itself from the wheel.

Then, he swelled rapidly as his thin painted body expanded into three dimensions, growing from a tiny harmless mascot to a five-meter giant.

Then his stomach split vertically from chest to pelvis, akin to a nightmare-dwelling monster, scaring the shit out of Levi.

The appearence itself didn’t scare him, but the swirling darkness that turned into a dimensional gate inside his stomach did.

Levi’s expression turned grim instantly.

’Oh, you motherfu...’

Whoosh!

The suction caught him before he could finish, his shoes ripping from the ground as his entire body was dragged toward the Joker... he tried to claw desperately through the silver grass in an attempt to save himself, but to no avail.

His entire body was lifted off the ground and flew backward toward the Joker’s open stomach.

As he went in, Levi twisted in midair and locked his doodly mask onto the Dealer’s dumbfounded face.

The Dealer immediately raised both hands defensively. ”Don’t look at me! The cards...”

”This ain’t over, Deaaaler!!”

Levi vanished into the darkness, his pissed-off voice fading into the distance...

Whoosh!

After claiming his target, the Joker’s stomach closed shut, and then he broke into dimensional particles.

Silence returned to the garden as petals continued drifting upward and the silver grass swayed gently as if neither Levi nor the Joker had set foot in the garden.

The Dealer remained frozen with both hands raised while Madam Future stared at him from across the table.

The Dealer slowly lowered them and glanced at her. ”...What?”

Madam Future only stared at him.

”I didn’t lie.”

Still nothing.

”I literally cannot lie about a reading!”

Just as she opened her mouth to retort, a sudden notification manifested in front of their eyes, shutting them up.

[NOCTURNAL RING NOTIFICATION]

[Three-Body Problem has entered the Nocturnal Ring...]

Both stared at the notification for a moment, then looked at each other for a long, silent second...

Whoosh!

The Dealer swiftly swept every Tarot Card off the table and stuffed them into his coat, resembling a scam artist on the run.

”You should’ve told him not to spin.”

”Me?! You literally saw the future!”

”I saw a possibility...”

”And my cards showed fortune.”

”Well, apparently your cards are shit.” Madam Future scoffed.

The Dealer gasped while clutching his deck to his chest as though she had insulted his children.

”How dare you... My babies are immaculate! It’s not my fault Celestial’s luck is garbage.”

”I can’t wait to hear you tell him that... if he manages to survive.”

”You wanna bet on it?”

The Dealer suddenly offered, just as they were about to part ways at the cafe’s gate.

”Why would I bet on a loss?” Madam Future said, recalling what he had done in her promotion Game. ”Celestial isn’t someone who can easily be defeated...”

”Well, I am betting on him winning.”

The Dealer said confidently, taking a seat at the closest table.

This time, Madam Future wasn’t so sure anymore... surviving a death game was nowhere near the same as winning it.

She felt that it was still far-fetched for Levi to claim a win in his first Baron rank game while he wasn’t given even the time to learn the rules or prepare.

”How much?”

In the end, Madam Future joined him and tuned in to the livestream... the moment she saw the written details of the game and the map, she was left stunned.

”What’s up?”

The Dealer was surprised by her reaction and pulled up the livestream... Immediately, his lips twitched after reading the game’s name.

”I told you my readings are always right...”

”Just shut it.”

”Cough.”