Chapter 98: Chapter 98: New Player
Lloyd remained vigilant as he slowly ascended the stairs, arriving on the second floor.
It was completely empty, without a single person in sight. The lighting was dim, with only an oil lamp hanging at the end of the hallway providing a sliver of light.
Lloyd took a left turn, found the room the clerk had mentioned, and knocked on the door.
The door opened on its own...
There was no one inside. The room was utterly bare—not even a single piece of furniture could be seen. There was only a filthy floor and walls covered in cracks.
’Is there something special about this place?’
Lloyd was very confused.
’But since I’m already here, I might as well go in and take a look...’
Lloyd signaled for the little kitten to hide in his pocket. He then called up his panel in his mind, clutched the gold-plated business card, and walked into the room.
His vision suddenly blurred, but it returned to normal just a second later.
He found himself in a resplendent, magnificent casino. All around was a scene of debauchery and neon lights. Gamblers of all stripes waved colorful chips in the air, crying out in shock, complaining, and cursing around the tables. The noise was deafening.
Everywhere, stunning young women in revealing outfits acted as dealers. They wore intoxicating, seductive smiles as they mercilessly harvested the gamblers’ wealth.
The flamboyant music and the gamblers’ uproar completely overwhelmed his senses, making Lloyd feel a bit dizzy. He instinctively reached for his waist.
But his hand didn’t grasp the hilt that should have been there. His Short Sword had vanished without a trace?
But at least his panel was still there, which meant he hadn’t fallen into some illusion or a "Story."
Lloyd scanned his surroundings and saw an Attendant in a tuxedo approaching him. When the Attendant noticed the gold-plated business card in his hand, his smile instantly grew several degrees warmer.
"Welcome, our rarely seen distinguished guest. Please, follow me to the second floor."
Lloyd still hadn’t figured out the situation, but after a moment’s hesitation, he followed the man.
’Since the Chief Judge was the one who recommended I come here, he probably doesn’t expect me to make money by gambling, right?’
’However, the Chief Judge also warned me to be "extremely careful."’
Following the Attendant’s lead, Lloyd walked up a spiral staircase toward the second floor.
He glanced around again and noticed that the stairs under his feet, the railing, and the handrail were all glittering gold.
"This is all made of pure Gold."
The Attendant walking ahead of him remarked.
"What is this place?"
Lloyd asked in a low voice, while simultaneously using [Inspect] on the Attendant’s Attributes.
[Ding~ Inspection failed. Please select a valid target.]
’What does "failed" mean?’
As he was wondering, he realized that something seemed off about his current altitude.
He had only climbed a few steps, but the gamblers below had already shrunk to the size of ants, and their voices were completely inaudible.
It was as if those few steps had taken him from the mortal world to the heavens.
"This is the Dream Casino, a place countless people dream of. If you haven’t heard of it, you can think of it as a special Space that exists independently from the real world."
The Attendant in front explained to Lloyd.
"It exists thanks to a precious Ancient Relic. Only those holding an invitation can enter. Of course, an invitation like yours is special, so you don’t have to start from the first floor."
As he spoke, the pure Gold staircase reached its end, and a large, ancient iron door materialized before them.
The Attendant pushed the door open, leading Lloyd into an exquisite and beautiful garden.
He was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colorful flowers. A winding cobblestone path lay beneath his feet, and the refreshing fragrance of flowers filled the air. The gentle morning sun warmed his skin, making him feel comfortable and lazy.
"This is... truly magical..."
Lloyd sighed in amazement.
"If you can win a certain number of rounds on the second floor, you’ll earn the chance to proceed to the third. But be warned: if you lose even once, you’ll have to return to the first floor and start all over again."
The Attendant continued, leading Lloyd around a few bends in the garden before stopping in front of a black wooden door.
It was just a door, standing there out of thin air, with empty space both in front of and behind it.
The Attendant stood beside the door, bowed slightly to Lloyd, and spoke again:
"This round’s game is about to begin. If you are ready, please enter and take your seat as soon as possible."
But Lloyd shook his head.
"Uh... I don’t want to participate in any form of gambling."
"No, no, no. I believe you’ve misunderstood. Only the first floor requires gambling. From the second floor onward, it’s mainly a contest of strength. It might require a little bit of luck, but you won’t need to pay with chips or wagers."
"For every round you win, you’ll receive a certain number of points that can be exchanged for various prizes. Isn’t that interesting?"
"Of course... if you insist on refusing, you can simply walk around to the other side of the door to return to the real world."
After this final explanation, a plume of smoke like dry ice rose from the Attendant’s body, and he vanished on the spot, like a magician taking his final bow.
’This guy probably isn’t even human...’
Lloyd thought to himself as he looked at the black wooden door in front of him.
’Well, I’m already here. Might as well see what it’s about.’
He pushed the door open and walked inside.
Inside was a spacious reception room. The walls were adorned with murals, candelabras, and other decorations. A soft red carpet covered the floor, and in the very center stood a massive round table, set as if for a banquet.
Seven people were already seated at the table, chatting about the Great Expansion. A layer of mist seemed to cover each of their faces, obscuring their true appearances. One could only guess their gender and age from their clothing and voices.
Lloyd’s sudden appearance didn’t seem to surprise them. A man immediately called out:
"Oh? We’ve finally got eight people. Quick, have a seat. I can start soon."
In front of him was a number plaque that read: ’3’.
Lloyd casually found an empty seat and sat down, then glanced at the number plaque in front of him.
Number 8, the last one.
"As is tradition, shall we vote to decide this round’s event?"
A woman with the ’1’ plaque in front of her suggested.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Whatever."
Lloyd said nonchalantly, watching as the others picked up the paper and pens in front of them and wrote something down.
The paper then vanished into thin air. Next, as if a mechanism had been triggered, the center of the round table split open. A small toy soldier climbed out, holding a tiny toy Matchlock Gun. It looked charmingly naive.
"Oh? We’re playing this? You guys didn’t pick this just because there’s a newcomer, did you?"
The player from earlier, Number 3, asked in a teasing tone.
"For a newcomer, this is indeed the game with the best odds. After all, if your luck is good enough, it’s possible to survive."
Player Number 1 added.
Meanwhile, Player Number 7, who was sitting next to Lloyd, turned to look at him and chuckled.
"Good luck, newcomer. Don’t die too quickly."
"Let the game begin!"
The remaining players shouted in unison.
The toy soldier in the middle of the table began to hop and skip around, performing a comical dance. As it danced, it spun, its toy gun sweeping past each player at the table.
Seeing this, Lloyd seemed to realize what game they were playing...
’But this game is based entirely on luck. That doesn’t seem to match what the Attendant said earlier, does it?’
’Didn’t he say this place was about strength? And that no wagers were needed?’
’Then what did that guy mean by "don’t die too quickly"?’
’When he says "die," does he just mean getting eliminated from the game, or does he mean...’
’It can’t be that bad. A toy gun this small can’t kill someone, right?’
As Lloyd was thinking, he noticed the toy soldier’s movements were gradually slowing down. It had stopped dancing and was now simply spinning in a circle, its gun pointing at each player in turn.
Judging by its speed and the direction it was pointing, it seemed likely to stop on either him or Player Number 7...
Lloyd quickly tried to stand up and move away. He didn’t want to get eliminated before he even understood the rules.
But he found his body was bound by an invisible force.
He quickly turned to look at Player Number 7 beside him, only to find the man was also looking at him. He asked with a smile:
"Will it be me? Or you?"
Just as he spoke, the toy soldier’s rotation came to a near standstill.
Its muzzle was pointing right at Player Number 7.
’Whew~ Looks like my luck isn’t so bad after all...’
Lloyd had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly felt a surge of Spiritual Power gush from Player Number 7 and rush toward the toy soldier.
The muzzle, which had already stopped, was nudged by this force. It rotated once more, coming to a stop aimed squarely at Lloyd’s chest.
BANG~
A real gunshot rang out from the toy gun. A bullet-like wisp of Spiritual Power shot from the muzzle, hitting Lloyd square in the chest, piercing through his skin, and striking toward his heart.
"Ugh..."
Lloyd’s body trembled violently.
"Heh heh~ Looks like I’m the luckier one after all."
Player Number 7 let out a smug, cold laugh.
Player Number 6 beside him also chuckled and said:
"Picking on a newcomer right from the start? You really are a bastard."
Player Number 3 also spoke up:
"There’s nothing to blame him for. Those are the rules of the game. Let’s just hope this newcomer can hold on until he’s rescued and doesn’t lose his life here."
Player Number 1 shook her head, pronouncing Lloyd’s death sentence:
"Not much chance. He was completely unprepared. His heart has probably been pierced. After struggling for a little while longer, he’ll die completely and disappear from before our eyes."
"Alright, enough about him. Let’s continue."
Player Number 7, the one who had dealt the fatal blow, said impatiently.
Then, he heard a response from right beside him:
"Sure. Let’s continue."
Everyone present froze, their eyes turning to Lloyd, who had been motionless just a moment ago.
"What’s wrong? Why is everyone staring at me? Let’s continue, shall we?"
Lloyd said, somewhat amused, and then followed up with a question:
"You guys don’t actually think a toy gun like this can kill someone, do you?"
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