From Bullets To Billions

When Max spent his money in situations like this, it didn’t just feel like he was throwing away cash, it felt like he was losing experience points in a game. The problem was, he had no way of knowing exactly how much EXP he was losing with each transaction. Ever since he made the Vow, his strength had become directly tied to his wealth. But figuring out how strong he used to be before making the Vow, and how much of that strength had shifted, was nearly impossible to gauge.

There hadn’t been a drastic increase in his total wealth since then, but overall, there had been a noticeable enhancement in his physical abilities. With the test he had done using ten million, Max had confirmed that there was definitely a change, both upward and downward, depending on whether he gained or lost money.

Still, the difference in power wasn’t drastic. Losing a hundred grand in one fight or dropping ten thousand here and there wouldn’t cripple him, not in terms of the Vow’s effect. But just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

Max had even begun to wonder: if the Vow was influenced more by his mind than anything else, then did his perception of loss matter more than the actual number? If he truly believed the loss was massive, would that make him weaker? And conversely, if he convinced himself that his wealth had grown significantly, would his strength increase in kind?

It was a strange idea. Even if he tried to control how he felt, the Vow would always pick up on the truth buried deep inside him. And right now, even a hit like this, just a few tens of thousands, he could feel it in his body. Like an invisible weight pulling him down.

"Crudding crud!" Crondo blurted out, practically leaping to his feet. "He’s gotten up four times now! That’s forty grand! At this rate, the kid’s gonna make more from standing than from the fight itself!"

"How do we even know that guy’s gonna pay up?" a student from Konsoon muttered under his breath. "Bet he never thought the guy would get up this many times..."

Max could hear their whispering, clear as day. But he didn’t flinch, didn’t respond. Of course he was going to honor the deal. Even if Mayson stood up a hundred times, Max would pay every last cent.

The kid deserved it.

Just looking at his face, swollen, bloodied, and the condition his body was in, it was painful. He looked like he’d been through hell and still wasn’t done fighting.