Chapter 243: The Price of the Bet
Two hundred million.
It was the kind of number that most people couldn’t even comprehend, an amount that could build entire districts from the ground up. Parks, housing blocks, schools, and even hospitals... All of it could be constructed in underprivileged areas with that kind of money.
And here it was, being wagered on a fight. A single, underground brawl.
If the general public ever caught wind of something like this, there would be riots in the streets. Outrage wouldn’t even begin to cover it. The injustice of it all, how the wealthy could toss around absurd amounts of money like it was pocket change, was enough to ignite a revolution.
Max felt it too.
Not the fury of the masses, but the very real ache in his chest, brought on by the constraints of the Vow. Putting that kind of money on the line made his heart race for reasons beyond nerves. If he lost... how much weaker would he become? How long would it take to recover? Could he even earn back that sum without exposing himself?
But there was one thing Max was confident about.
Dud.
Even when Dud entered the venue earlier, Max had sensed it, the certainty, the power in his stride. He wasn’t bluffing, and Max trusted in that.
The manager stared at Max in silence. No smile. No expression. Just disbelief frozen on his face. It was clear the number had rattled him.
"I heard you’re able to cover this," Max said coolly, eyes locked onto the man. "Chad told me he placed a bet this high before. So I’m assuming the Black Hounds have the means to cover it. Otherwise... you shouldn’t have accepted a bet like that in the first place, right?"
The words landed heavy. And the manager didn’t respond immediately.