[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-gacha-harem-system":3,"chapter-gacha-harem-system-gacha-harem-system-chapter-137":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Gacha Harem System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},453969,707,"Chapter 137: Final Round","gacha-harem-system-chapter-137",137,"\u003Cp>Lukas reached forward and flipped his first card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a jack of clubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his weakest card, placed exactly where he had intended it to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he saw the value of Lukas’ card, Trent began to chuckle. \"After everything you said.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head slowly, the familiar confidence returning to his expression like a cloth he never really discarded. \"After all that, you’re still going to taste defeat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Life is a fickle thing,\" Lukas said. \"One moment everything looks clear, and the next, all you can see is the floor coming up to meet you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held Trent’s gaze. \"I’m curious what kind of man you are when the floor arrives.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The kind who watches it happen to someone else,\" Trent said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he flipped his first card. It was a two of hearts. He had won this matchup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd murmured, the energy shifting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One down,\" Trent said. \"Two to go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas smiled at that but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent reached for his second card, and this time he didn’t bother with any questions or performance. He simply flipped it over, every movement exhibiting confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d taken the result of the first matchup as a sign that he was going to win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas glanced down at the card. A four of hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent sat back slightly, watching Lukas. \"Your move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas leaned forward, clasping his fingers together on the table, and met his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve already won,\" he said quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he flipped his second card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An ace of spades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd erupted into conversation immediately, a particularly loud groan filling the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it! The suspense is killing me. Do they have to wait for the last matchup of the last round to get a winner?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank goodness I didn’t bet on this game. I would’ve died of anxiety before the winner is decided.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Trent, he stared at the two revealed cards. Things were not going the way he’d expected them to. He should’ve won both matchups and by extension, the entire pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled. It didn’t matter. He would still win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas placed his hand on the edge of his third card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held Trent’s gaze for a moment, watching the way the man’s eyes narrowed, before flipping it over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A four of spades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent froze where he sat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The card sat on the table between them, and the crowd went very quiet, wondering if the move was positive or negative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent needed a card lower than four to win. But did he have it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas watched him, his heart drumming in his chest. He was sure he’d won, but nothing was set in stone yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched as Trent’s expression changed. His heart skipped a beat as the man chuckled. And before long, the chuckles turned into full blown laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cackle filled the air, and everyone stared at him in conclusion, wondering if he’d gone mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did he win?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He must have better cards since he’s laughing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t think so. That’s not a happy laugh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about that laugh doesn’t look happy to you?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent’s laugh tapered off, then he leaned forward, still chuckling, and flipped his final card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A five of diamonds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd immediately exploded into conversation, cheers and groans filling the air as coins began changing hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas leaned back in his seat, a smile appearing on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dealer leaned forward. \"Winner, Mr. Lukas.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent was still smiling as he reached into his spatial ring and began depositing the two hundred thousand gold coins on the table in chunks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas collected them into his own ring as they came, making sure every coin was accounted for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the bet settled, they both stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent extended his hand across the table. The smile on his face was carefree, as if he hadn’t even been the one who lost the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You played well, Mr. Lukas,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukas’ eyes went down to the hand, then up at Trent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave him a single nod. \"You too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned and walked away from the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handshake would have been a natural place to end this encounter, with two competitors acknowledging each other as the game ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lukas had learned enough in his time on this world to know that resolved and finished were not always the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle might be over, but that didn’t mean Trent wasn’t preparing for war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew what was hiding beneath that smile. Maybe the man was already planning how to get his money back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lukas put the thought out of his mind. If Trent attacks, he’ll be ready. But that doesn’t mean he’ll spend his entire time tense and waiting for an attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He left the cafeteria and made his way back through the train’s connecting passages to the bunk room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly opened the door and found what he was expecting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akira laid on her top bunk, one arm hanging off the edge as she slept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melody was also on her top bunk, facing the wall and also asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat on the lower bunk and lay back, staring at the underside of Akira’s mattress above him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within a short time, he’d won two hundred thousand gold coins from a single card game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been tempted to stay for another round, but he’d killed the thought quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every round he played gave the room more data on how he thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone who had watched the match carefully enough might already have a working model of his tendencies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if anyone on this train had a skill that bypassed the Artificer protections on the cards entirely, staying at the table was simply donating money to that person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was already a good result. He knew when to walk away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes passed. He yawned once, feeling tired, sleep slowly creeping into his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he heard footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat up immediately, the sleep disappearing. ’Is that Trent?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The footsteps moved through the corridor before stopping directly outside his door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the door, and a few seconds passed in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the person outside slid an envelope under the gap and into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second later, the footsteps resumed immediately, becoming faster than before as they retreated down the corridor, before fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waited several seconds after the sound disappeared entirely before he stood and walked to the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned as he scrutinized the envelope. It looked completely ordinary as it sat on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he crouched and picked it up.\u003C\u002Fp>",1101,"2026-05-30T09:48:28.547Z","2026-06-01T04:30:55.345Z",1,"novelbin.me","1e850f55c696bc3dfea31994f6a0fad6b6e52e84b19f0083875e72a2340505b3","gacha-harem-system-chapter-138","gacha-harem-system-chapter-136",192,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fgacha-harem-system-cover.jpg"]