Gunner stared at the tokens on the table, remaining silent for a moment.
Three hundred and eighty-six black tokens to wager against a caravan valued at two thousand six hundred.
At first glance, the risk he was taking was far greater than Celine's.
But he didn't believe for a second that the fragile human before him stood any chance of winning.
This human woman had a slender build, wore no armor, and didn't seem to carry any decent weapons.
Let alone defeating Talu, it was hard to say if she could even survive his first charge.
This wasn't a gamble at all; she was clearly a fat sheep delivered right to his mouth by the gods themselves.
Gunner split his mouth open, revealing a highly malicious grin.
“Is it really that simple?”
“That simple.”
Gunner burst out laughing and slapped his hand down onto the dark red iron token on the table.
“Fine!”
With those words, he raised his right hand and wiped it firmly across the dark red mark on his wrist.
The previously dormant lines instantly lit up.
A beam of red light shot from the band onto the tabletop, rapidly expanding into a circular magic array that enveloped both the iron token and the three hundred and eighty-six black tokens.
Gunner pressed his palm against the back of the iron token.
His personal mana imprint surfaced, briefly establishing a connection with the vehicles' primary array plate back in the Old Machinery Yard.
【Collateral Confirmed】
【Six wagons belonging to the Windwing Caravan】
【Seven one-horned camel-beasts】
【Various accompanying tools and items】
【Wager Target: Newcomer Challenge】
A cold voice echoed from beneath the table.
【Challenger Defeat: All three hundred and eighty-six black tokens will go to Gunner】
【Challenger Victory: Black tokens will be returned in full, and all collateral of the Windwing Caravan will be transferred to the challenger】
【Confirm?】
Gunner looked at Celine, his grin stretching almost from ear to ear.
“It's not too late to back out now.”
Celine ignored his provocation and pressed her hand directly onto the other side of the magic array.
“Confirm.”
The red light suddenly contracted, and the black tokens and dark red iron token on the table sank into the array simultaneously, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
A few small lines of red text were then branded onto the backs of both their hands, proving that the wager had been officially recorded by the Red Well.
No written contracts were needed here, nor did anyone judge whether the wager was fair.
As long as both parties were willing and the collateral was valid, the Red Well would accept the bet.
As for anyone wanting to back out after the match, the Red Well naturally had plenty of ways to force the loser to accept the outcome.
Gunner stared at the gradually fading magic array, his smile growing deeper and deeper.
In his eyes, this bet had already been decided from the very start.
The only question was whether Talu would ram this ignorant human right out of the arena or smash her directly into a shattered corpse.
“The registration entrance is over there.”
Gunner pointed up above the arena, where dozens of glowing spheres of various sizes floated among the spectator stands. From time to time, people reached out to touch them to check matches, place bets, or register challenges.
Celine raised her hand, and the nearest dark red glowing sphere drifted in front of her.
A ripple like water spread across the surface of the sphere.
【Newcomer Free Challenge】
【Please enter challenger alias】
Celine's finger hovered over the glowing sphere.
Once the alias appeared on the central crystal, everyone in the Red Well would be able to see it.
She was currently wearing a mask and had altered her appearance using the 【Witch's Mask】, so even if someone remembered this identity, it would be extremely difficult to trace it back to her later.
However, there were also Descenders in the stands.
A generic alias would only make them dismiss her as some random NPC from the Secret Alley.
On the contrary, a name with a distinctly modern flavor would make it much easier for them to jump to the wrong conclusion.
Celine thought for a moment and typed a few characters into the light screen.
【Challenger Alias: All-In and Get Rich Quick】
【Confirm?】
“Confirm.”
The alias turned into a streak of red light, sinking deep into the glowing sphere.
A new interface unfolded.
【Please select a defender】
Three figures emerged in sequence.
Without hesitation, Celine tapped directly on the last name.
【Ironhorn Talu】
【Current Win Streak: 12 matches】
【Confirm challenge?】
“Confirm.”
The glowing sphere suddenly burst apart at her fingertips, turning into a shower of crimson specks of light.
The massive crystal above the arena flickered, and the scrolling match information vanished entirely.
A moment later, two names slowly materialized.
【Newcomer Free Challenge】
【All-In and Get Rich Quick VS Ironhorn Wrath Talu】
The spectator stands fell silent for a brief second.
Immediately after, a massive wave of boos and roaring laughter erupted simultaneously.
“All-In and Get Rich Quick?”
“What kind of ridiculous name is that?”
“Looks like someone really wagered their entire net worth.”
Gunner stared at the central crystal. He froze for a second, then laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
“A bold name indeed, but too bad you'll only manage the 'All-In' part, with none of the 'Get Rich Quick'.”
Celine stood up, adjusted her cloak, and said unhurriedly, “It's not decided yet who will win and who will lose. Just keep that token safe for me for now.”
Gunner snorted coldly. “Once you're dead, it will naturally return to my hands. As for those black tokens, I'll spend every last one of them for you.”
Celine paused slightly in her tracks, glanced back at him, and said bluntly, “Then you had better think ahead too. Once the caravan is gone, what else will you have left to wager?”
The smile on Gunner's face froze, his red skin showing signs of turning purple once again.
Before steam could puff from him, Celine had already turned around, walking toward the fighters' passage along the red glowing guide lights beside the stands.
At the same time, several Descenders near the betting area looked up almost in unison.
“Wait.” One of them stared at the alias on the crystal, his expression turning odd. “All-In and Get Rich Quick? This naming style... why does it look so much like a player?”
The person next to him immediately opened their log panel.
“With a name like that, it's definitely not an NPC.”
“Check if anyone from the guild registered nearby. It might be a hidden nickname.”
Another stood up directly, trying to get a clear look at the black-cloaked back disappearing into the fighters' passage.
“Never mind who she is for now, record it quickly. A newcomer with no record daring to challenge Talu on a twelve-game win streak is either crazy or actually has something up her sleeve.”
“Look, the odds are out!”
The crystal above lit up again.
【All-In and Get Rich Quick】
【Record: None】
【Odds: 1 to 8】
...
【Ironhorn Wrath Talu】
【Record: Max 12-match win streak】
【Odds: 10 to 1】
Seeing the vast disparity in the odds, the betting area fell briefly silent before erupting into even greater noise.
The vast majority of black tokens began flowing toward Talu's side.
The total wagers below the crystal ticked up rapidly.
【Ironhorn Talu: 66,414 black tokens】
In just a brief moment, the number surpassed sixty thousand and was still climbing.
By contrast, the number beneath Celine's name looked exceptionally pitiful.
【All-In and Get Rich Quick: 13 black tokens】
After a while, it slowly crept up to twenty tokens.
Most of those were likely placed by the few Descenders testing the waters.
Standing inside the fighters' preparation passage, Celine looked up at the total wagers for both sides.
Over sixty thousand versus twenty. This could no longer be described as merely being the underdog; it was a downright tragic sight.
However, those twenty black tokens did catch her eye for an extra moment.
To bet on a recordless human newcomer, they were almost certainly Descenders from the same world as her.
Celine didn't really mind.
The more they believed "All-In and Get Rich Quick" was some Descender with a hidden identity, the harder it would be for them to link this person to Celine, Isolde, or even Crow Candle Castle.
As for the odds—she did find it a bit of a pity.
Had she known the Red Well would offer such high odds, she probably should have kept a few black tokens for herself.
Looking at the match schedule on the crystal, she saw she was slated for the third match.
Amidst the fierce combat, the first match had already concluded.
【Winner: Jagged-Tooth Venom-Blade Barlow】
A burst of cheers erupted in the arena.
Soon, the defeated Aberrant banshee lying on the stage was dragged away. Before the bloodstains on the ground could even be fully cleaned, the second match began immediately after.
This match ended even faster.
The combatants had only clashed a dozen times before the dwarf challenger's weapon was severed by a windblade, forcing him to surrender.
【Second Match Concluded】
【Winner: Windblade Hunter Hena】
The names on the crystal quickly dimmed.
Immediately after, an even more eye-catching crimson beam of light swept across the entire arena from above.
【Next Match】
【Newcomer Free Challenge】
【All-In and Get Rich Quick VS Ironhorn Wrath Talu】
The spectator stands, which had still been discussing the previous two matches, instantly erupted into a wave of noise far more violent than before.
Everyone was waiting for this match.
Not because they actually expected a newcomer to perform a miracle.
But because Talu had not participated in a Newcomer Free Challenge in a long time.
The vast majority wanted to see with their own eyes exactly how many seconds this recordless human could last under his horns.
Rate on N.U.
