“What are we betting on?”
Castio sat back down and wiped his sweat.
The sensation of having everything seen through was terrifying. Only Loren in the entire world could do that.
So he no longer doubted Loren’s words. Loren had countless ways to lengthen his life, the simplest being the Ember Radiance Loren had shown earlier.
“I bet ten years of my lifespan, you bet your luck.
“If you win, I give you ten years of life. Save up thirty years and you can exchange them for a bottle of Ember Radiance.
“If I win, you give me your good luck.”
“……”
Castio went silent. Loren’s proposal sounded bizarre. Loren giving him lifespan was easy to understand, but Castio did not know how he would give his luck away.
“All right, same rules as always. No cheating.”
After a moment’s thought, Castio agreed.
He had considered many things. Loren had always been a man of his word, so he was not afraid Loren would renege.
Moreover, the price he had to pay was not severe—only losing his luck.
But if he really obtained an Ember Radiance, that was a completely different matter. The value an Ember Radiance could bring was not comparable to mere good luck.
If he acquired enough and used them wisely, he could climb to unimaginable heights.
Especially now, in chaotic times, becoming king was not impossible.
In the end, he agreed to the terms.
“Good.”
When Loren agreed, the demon card had already formed the contract. Neither of them could break it.
“How do we gamble?”
“Continue with the roulette wheel of death, but this time use ordinary bullets.
“This is just a vessel. We are not actually gambling our lives. I believe ordinary bullets cannot kill you.”
“As expected, nothing can be hidden from you, Master Mentor.”
Even when seen through like that, Castio did not find it strange—after all, Loren was the legendary Master Mentor.
“I’ll go first.”
Loren picked up the revolver, loaded a bullet, and spun the cylinder.
“How old are you now?”
After loading the bullet, Loren put the muzzle to his temple.
“Forty-five.”
“Oh, that’s getting up there. People in this world don’t live very long after all.”
Loren said something offhand, and Castio didn’t quite understand what Loren meant by “this world.”
The first shot carried a one-in-six chance. Even so, when Loren pulled the trigger, the gun fired.
“You’re really lucky. You’re now thirty-five.”
Loren set the revolver back on the table, the muzzle still smoking.
Violetta picked up the spent bullet from the floor; it was flattened, and there wasn’t a scratch on Loren.
Given Loren’s physical constitution, even without any enhancements, a normal bullet couldn’t injure him.
Castio said nothing. He felt life force surge into his body; even his sight and hearing sharpened slightly. The sensation was crystal clear.
“Amazing.”
He stared at his hands. Loren sensed the growing greed in him.
Having stood on high for so long, he no longer cared about money. This time he had encountered something worth going insane for, and he reverted to that pitiful gambling addict.
“Continue?”
“Of course.”
Castio took the revolver, expertly loaded it, and aimed it at his temple.
“This time the lifespan I win will be accumulated and exchanged for Ember Radiance.”
With that, he pulled the trigger.
“All right.”
Loren agreed, not at all concerned that Castio had already decided he would surely win.
As before, Loren’s first shot struck successfully.
In the third round, Loren shot first.
When Loren retrieved the revolver this time, Castio suddenly felt panic.
Loren smiled slightly; he knew why.
The God of Greed did not do charity. He could not grant endless luck.
Strong luck was consumable. The earlier dice duel with Violetta and the roulette of death had already burned through a lot of his luck, and he had just won two hands against Loren.
His fortune was nearly exhausted.
Loren guessed that he had not been merely gambling with those who had lost everything; he had been supplying sacrificial offerings to the God of Greed.
“Wanna keep going?”
Loren asked before firing.
“Bring it on!”
Castio answered crisply. He had already won one round; win two more and he could obtain an Ember Radiance.
Loren pulled the trigger, and, as expected, this shot didn’t hit.
When Castio took the revolver, the pressure multiplied, yet he still missed.
Back and forth they went, until on the fifth shot the bullet struck Loren’s temple.
“Going again?”
By now Castio’s expression had changed. He had completely fallen into the abyss of greed.
His luck had been spent. He told himself this was just a fair duel.
If he won, his life would be turned upside down.
So Loren had no worry that he would know when to stop. That was the gambler’s mindset.
“Go!”
Castio reloaded, but this time he had lost his usual composure. After picking up the gun he did not immediately point it at his own head.
That proved Loren’s earlier guess correct—he had lost his strong luck.
It seemed Castio had rationalized it: even if he lost, he wouldn’t die. At worst, he’d retire from the scene later.
Once he accepted that, he gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.
The gun did not fire. Castio was stunned and forgot to hand the revolver back to Loren.
Loren snatched the revolver, fired a shot at himself, and returned it to Castio.
Startled, Castio took the gun and fired again—still no sound.
But Loren gave him no time to adjust. He grabbed the gun, shot himself, and quickly handed it back to Castio.
“One in two. If I win, my life will change…”
With that hope in his heart, the fear in him was gradually consumed by greed, and he pressed the trigger.
The bullet flew out and struck Castio’s temple, but it was deflected and shattered the light bulb on the ceiling.
Castio lost; his luck transferred to Loren, and a new entry appeared on Loren’s panel:
[ Fate of Descent ]: Sacrifice the soul of a person who fell into the abyss because of greed to gain a limited strong luck. The sacrificed person must willingly give up their life.
There is a possibility of becoming immersed in desire.
Seeing this boon, Loren finally understood why Castio had insisted on letting others gamble for their lives before. In a sense, that was them willingly giving up their lives.
“Farewell. I got what I wanted; no need to continue.”
Loren yawned and planned to turn away, and to clean up everyone here on the way out.
At that moment Castio, losing his composure, blocked Loren’s path:
“Please, I beg you, give me one more chance, one more round… ”
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