Chapter 94 : Chapter 94
Chapter : 94
Although not all of Mandiper's 'Dealers' could be said to be bad people in cahoots with the black-masked man—for example, Inuo was forced to stay here and participate in this bloody competition.
But the 'Dealer' before me, who was toying with the contestants like rats, was clearly no good person. This could be seen from the red name above his head.
The only reason I didn't deal with this red name on the spot to gain some experience was that I considered the competition was still in progress, and it wasn't good to alert the enemy.
However, I had already marked this 'Dealer' as a priority. When chaos ensued later, I would definitely kill this red name.
I wanted to say a few more words to provoke this red-named 'Dealer', but then two more bell tolls rang out in the hall.
I paused, and subconsciously looked towards the stage. I had thought it was another contestant who had run out of chips.
In the time it took me to win these two hundred-plus chips, I had already heard this bell countless times, each time representing a contestant running out of chips.
For contestants who ran out of chips, besides going to mortgage for new ones, the only other option left was to wait for death.
Without exception, all those contestants chose to mortgage. At least if the competition continued, they still had a chance to win.
However, when I turned my attention over, I realized that this time's bell toll was different from the previous ones.
This time, it was—a bell toll signaling that half the time had passed!
The sand in the giant hourglass had already poured out halfway, and the remaining half of the sand made the alarm bells ring in everyone's hearts.
That's right, not only would contestants who ran out of chips be eliminated, but those who ran out of time without winning a thousand chips, or were not among the top twenty groups, would also be eliminated from the competition.
Out of more than a hundred people, only forty would advance from the preliminaries, which meant that more than sixty, or even more, people would be eliminated in one go!
More than half of the people would be facing the risk of death. This was a man-eating competition!
Those with a good number of chips in hand, but who had not yet reached a thousand, couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines.
Although they had secured their spots for advancement, gambling was such a terrifying thing.
You would never know until the very end whether a bottomless abyss or a stairway to heaven lay before you.
I knew that what lay before everyone was merely a bottomless abyss disguised as a stairway to heaven.
I lost the mood to continue teasing this 'Dealer'. Divik couldn't be counted on. I was still more than seven hundred chips away from a thousand.
I had to find my next target as soon as possible, and after collecting more than six hundred chips, go to Inuo to win the last three hundred.
***
On the other side of the competition venue, Divik, who I had thought was just there to make up the numbers, had not, as I had guessed, lost until he only had a few chips left.
On the contrary, he had an unexpectedly large number of chips in his hand.
It had already exceeded four hundred.
“Sir, you have already won more than three hundred chips at this table. According to the rules, you should change tables.”
Divik's fingertips caressed a golden chip, tossing it up and down a couple of times. Hearing the words, he glanced lightly at the 'Dealer' who had spoken.
This glance carried no special skill, but the natural bloodline of the dragon race was superior to that of the beastmen.
Coupled with the pressure from the level difference, it made this beastman 'Dealer' break out in a cold sweat.
“Oh? It has exceeded?” Divik repeated unconsciously, but the corner of his eye was always following that figure on the other half of the field.
That damn bastard, how could he touch the King with such filthy hands!
Damn, damn, damn—
I have to find a chance to kill that guy who was disrespectful to the King.
The King shook off that damn guy!
The King is amazing!
Eh... is the King leaving?
Oh, he's changing tables. As expected, the King is very skilled.
"Si... Sir?"
The 'Dealer' being watched by those cold, brownish-red eyes felt his scalp tingle, as if he was being targeted by some ferocious beast, and his legs even began to tremble.
"Hmm?"
This call brought Divik's attention back. Being interrupted from his peeping on the King's movements, Divik frowned in dissatisfaction.
This time, it really scared the 'Dealer'. His legs went weak, and he knelt on the spot.
The other contestants at the same table were even more terrified, not even daring to look Divik in the eye.
Who the hell is this guy? Why is his aura so terrifying? What level of powerhouse is he?
I heard that high-level powerhouses kill people at the slightest disagreement. Could this person be like that too?
Divik confirmed the table that I had finally chosen, memorized the position, and then turned his attention back to the 'Dealer' who had inexplicably knelt before him.
“What are you doing?”
The 'Dealer's sudden act of kneeling not only attracted the attention of the other contestants on this side of the field, but also drew in several black-robed men.
They were very suspicious that this man with an extremely oppressive aura was here to cause trouble.
The 'Dealer's voice trembled: “You... you have already won over three hundred chips at this table. According to the rules, you must change tables.”
He also saw the black-robed men approaching, but these black-robed companions could not give him enough sense of security.
After all, the man with the terrifying aura in front of him was clearly much stronger than the black-robed men.
Unless the master himself came down, this man in front of him could probably kill the black-robed men as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.
Hearing this, the approaching black-robed men became even more wary of Divik.
This was someone who wanted to openly violate the rules.
According to the master's instructions, all those who wanted to violate the rules were to be executed... wait, could their strength even execute him?
Only then did Divik process the 'Dealer's words. He was a bit puzzled: "If I have to change tables, then I'll change tables. Why are you kneeling?"
He stood up, casually picked up the tray with the chips, and left his original seat. He gave a strange look at the 'Dealer' who was still kneeling on the ground.
This guy is so strange. Can't he just talk properly? He had to kneel, and it even affected my observation of the King's movements.
Seriously, I'll find a chance to kill this guy too.
Anyone who obstructs me from being intimate with the King will be killed.
With this thought in mind, Divik directly carried the chips, found a gambling table closest to the King, and sat down.
The 'Dealer' kneeling on the ground breathed a sigh of relief. Now it was the new 'Dealer's turn to start trembling.
Mmm, the King is so handsome.
...
I didn't know what was happening on Divik's side. I had chosen a new card-related gambling table.
With the experience Inuo had taught me, plus the fact that most children from the Zhonghua family had experience playing cards with their families during the New Year, I picked up cards very quickly.
So, card games were a very good choice for me.
As soon as I sat down, the bell rang again. This time, it represented that the first group had already won a thousand chips.
I looked towards the center of the crowd's attention and found that one of the members of the first group to advance was the boy I had seen before the competition started, the one who was the youngest and had a similar build to Inuo.
The other person in that group, however, was a graceful and luxurious woman, exquisitely dressed.
A moon-white plush shawl was draped over her arm. Unlike the bustles popular among noble ladies, she wore a very close-fitting fishtail skirt, her figure graceful and curvaceous. The gemstone bracelet on her wrist sparkled with a dazzling light.
The two who had cleared the stage first and secured their lifesaver talisman enjoyed the gazes of everyone in the venue and were respectfully escorted out of the venue by the black-robed men.
There was a brief commotion in the venue. The first group to advance had appeared, which meant that the remaining spots had been reduced from forty to thirty-eight.
The hope of survival had diminished a little, causing panic among those present who were still far from a thousand chips.
The most important thing was that in the group stage, your own efforts were not enough. If the other member of the group failed to win enough chips, it would be very difficult for one person to win a thousand chips within the stipulated time.
Because all the 'Dealers' present were elites from Mandiper, it was absolutely impossible for them to give the contestants any opportunity for opportunistic tricks.
I cleared my mind of distracting thoughts and devoted myself wholeheartedly to this card game.
Compared to the dice game, which only required strong hearing and the simple method of converting what was heard into a perception of the points to win, the card game required much more consideration.
Remembering cards, calculating cards, and even using some psychological tactics.
After a few rounds of calculation, I really felt like my CPU was a bit overloaded.
In the middle of it all, several more groups completed the one-thousand-chip condition and left the venue.
I held a card in my hand, quickly calculating the possible hands I might get next and the future trend. Suddenly, the bracelet on my wrist vibrated, interrupting my thoughts.
What's going on?
I was still a bit dazed. I only heard another bell toll for advancement. The other contestants at the same table all cast envious and jealous glances at me.
Yan Yunqing: ?
What happened? Why are you all looking at me?
I looked around and suddenly realized something. Belatedly, I looked at the crystal wall in the center of the stage. Two more names had appeared in the advancement column.
Xavier, Charmite.
So Divik's fake name is Charmite!
I hadn't even reacted to the fact that we had advanced yet. I repeated the name Charmite in my mind, and my expression became a bit strange.
Charmite, Charmite...
Char... mander?
I really wanted to facepalm. I seemed to understand why Divik would choose such a fake name.
Back when the Demon King was petting the little dragon, I seemed to have casually mentioned that he looked like a Charmander...
But that was just a casual remark. How could Divik still remember it to this day?
“Sir, congratulations on advancing in the competition.” A black-robed man appeared behind him. “In order not to disturb the competition of other contestants, please leave the venue with your companion for the time being.”
I was stunned for a moment, and finally realized that I had advanced. My gaze passed over the black-robed man and looked towards the end of the venue. Divik was already standing there waiting for me.
At this moment, although Divik still had a blank expression, showing no emotion, I somehow felt that little flowers were blooming behind his back, and his whole body was exuding the emotion of 'Hurry up and praise me! I'm amazing!'.
If Divik were in his dragon form right now, his tail would probably be wagging like a propeller.
I slowly typed out a question mark: ?
I looked at the chips by my side; a little over four hundred, not even five hundred.
Wait, are you telling me that Divik, who used to lose so badly at the card game 'Go Fish' that his head was covered in paper strips, has now carried me to victory in the competition?