Damon's Ascension

With that, Xela had won her third bet and was now exempt from the whims of this Hidden Area.

Normally, the next person should have been the one with the most value on the team, right after Xela. That position should have gone to Nicholas, who was the linchpin of their communication outside, but Damon used - read as 'abused' - his authority to shift Felicia there, who was far lower on the list than half the people here.

A few eyes darted between them, teasing smiles and rolling eyes barely hidden.

Felicia didn't bother hiding her smirk as she flicked her hair back.

"Nepotism at its finest." She teased, her tone half-mocking, half-flirtatious.

Damon didn't even pretend to deny it. "Better the devil you know."

Banter aside, tension simmered as Felicia settled down, her posture composed, one leg crossed over the other like she was the queen of the table. Her eyes gleamed cool and calculating as she met the gaze of the host.

Zivar had already vacated the dealer's spot, his grin cold and sadistic as he muttered. "I am not playing with you fellows. Let's see how you fare against the house."

He stepped back, his chair scraping as an eerie hush fell among the Vanguard Team, because this was not a good thing at all.

A new figure emerged from the shadows behind the table, being a tall and thin humanoid clad in a robe of black silk lined with strange gold runes. His skin was alabaster white, almost translucent, and his eyes were two perfect spheres of shifting grey, like miniature galaxies.

His nameplate simply read Nyros, but the weight of his presence made the air feel heavier. Even Damon's eyes narrowed slightly.

A low murmur rippled through the crowd of aliens, monsters, and oddities gathered at the tables and machines.

"Nyros… that's the house's final dealer," A creature with antennae hissed, its voice like the clicking of insect legs.

"He only plays when the house wants to make a statement," another said, being a shadowy figure with a flame where its head should be.

Nyros' lips barely curved. "Contestant Felicia Rothschild. The house has chosen your wager."

He extended a thin, long-fingered hand, palm facing up as if offering a gift.

Felicia's expression hardened, her eyes glinting as she regarded him. "State the terms."

Nyros's voice was smooth, yet it carried an untraceable echo, as though dozens of voices were speaking alongside him. "You will wager your entire Mentality stat along with your natural analytical prowess, your capacity for calculation, your genius itself. All of it."

A collective gasp rose from the crowd and even the dice at the next table rattled as though shivering.

"Are you insane?!" Nicholas's mental voice spiked, sharp and disbelieving.

Henry's mental tone was panicked. "That's basically Felicia's entire identity! Without that, she's… she's just…!!"

"Silence everyone, let him finish." Damon's voice cut through, calm but hard.

Nyros continued as though the interruption had never happened. "In exchange, the house offers an S-rank skill: Quantum Analysis. This skill grants the user the calculative prowess of a low-grade quantum computer."

Felicia's lips parted, but no sound came. The magnitude of the wager sent a shiver of fear through the Vanguard Team.

Even Bane, normally unshakable, let out a low growl of concern. "That's too risky, Damon. If Felicia loses…"

Damon raised a hand, stopping him cold. His eyes met Felicia's, steady and calm.

"Felicia, I've been using Probability Manipulation since he arrived." He said mentally, his voice like bedrock.

Felicia's breath caught. "What?"

Damon's gaze remained locked on Nyros, but his mind's voice was steady. "Ever since he entered, I've been checking the odds and assessing the outcomes as subtly as possible."

Felicia's eyes narrowed, her jaw tightening as she wandered why Damon brought this up specifically.

Damon's mental voice was grim. "Every single check is not giving me a good base reading so I will have to augment the odds a lot of secure victory. This will drain me crazily, but as long as you win, this S rank skill can change your fate forever."

Henry's mental voice was soft and trembling. "Are you sure, boss? What if…"

Damon's voice cut through, cold and final. "I. Will. Not. Fail. Not with her very essence on the line."

Nyros, as though reading the silent exchange, smirked. "Are you prepared to accept the house's terms, Felicia Rothschild?"

Felicia's eyes glowed, confidence shining in their depths. "I accept!"

A cheer rose from the alien spectators, some clapping, others cackling or whispering gleefully about the coming carnage.

Nyros nodded, his eyes glowing a deeper grey as he lifted the dice. "Then let us begin."

A screen flickered to life above the table: [House Bet: Felicia's Mentality Stat vs. Quantum Analysis (S-Rank Skill)]

The dice were placed before Felicia, and a soft hum filled the air, like a machine whirring to life. Damon's eyes narrowed, his mind focusing with laser precision.

'What are the chances that Felicia wins this bet?'

[Objective chances are currently 12%.]

Damon's mental jaw tightened. The house was cheating too, using some hidden ability was at work to slant the odds against them.

With a mental breath, he focused. He pushed the probability upward.

'Shift: +15%.'

The odds rose slowly on his internal screen: [27%.]

Nyros's grin twisted, his eyes flashing. The house's luck-altering force fought back, dragging the odds back to [18%].

A bead of sweat dripped down Damon's forehead as he focused harder, his energy burning fast.

'Shift: +15% more.'

The odds rose to [33%], then [41%], but wavered at [38%] as the house's unseen force battered his manipulation. Damon felt the pull in his chest, his energy burning.

Felicia's hand trembled as she picked up the dice.

Damon's voice sliced through the mental fog. "Felicia. Now."

She threw the dice.

They clattered across the table, bouncing and spinning as time seemed to freeze while every eye in the room locked on the little cubes of fate.

They landed, two sixes!!

The screen blinked. [Bet Won!]

Nyros's eyes widened, his grin faltering as the casino's lights dimmed, flickered, and flared back to life in tune with his emotions.

Felicia's Mentality stat remained intact, her eyes sharper than ever. Damon's own eyes met hers, and a quiet understanding passed between them.

Damon's mental voice was cool and satisfied. "One win down. Two more to go."

The peanut gallery erupted, some shrieking in anger, others crying out in awe while the Vanguard Team exhaled as one, relief washing over them in a shared mental wave.

"Let's keep playing." Damon's tone was calm, a steel spine in the chaos.

Felicia took this chance to share the details of the newly acquired skill with the group.

[Quantum Analysis - Mentality-Based Skill]

[Rank: S || Stage: S]

[Effect: This is an advanced analytical ability that enhances the user's calculative prowess to that of a low-grade quantum computer, allowing them to simulate, model, and predict the outcomes of complex systems, probabilities, and scenarios at a level far beyond typical mortal cognition. This Skill grants the following abilities and bonuses:

1. Enhanced Calculation: The user can rapidly analyze large data sets, simulate real-time outcomes, and predict multi-variable scenarios with a success rate tied to their Mentality stat.

2. Battle Strategy Optimization: The user can assess combat situations, anticipate enemy moves, and devise optimal counter-strategies, reducing reaction time and decision-making lag to near-instant levels.

3. Probabilistic Foresight: The user gains a unique intuition for risk assessment, allowing them to weigh the odds of success or failure of an action at a granular level. This effect is passive and augments existing Mentality-based skills and abilities by 1.4x their base effectiveness.

4. Data Parsing: The user can extract, organize, and analyze vast streams of information.

5. Tactical Computation: By activating this ability in focused mode, the user can simulate up to 10^6 potential outcomes in less than a second.]

The Vanguard Team sat in stunned silence, their mental link flooded with a mixture of amazement and shock.

Henry was the first to speak, his mental voice trembling with disbelief. "Holy—! Felicia, you just won a skill that basically lets you out-think the universe!"

Felicia's mental tone was cool and composed, though a note of pride glinted beneath the surface. "It's powerful yes, but let's not pretend it was easy. Damon practically burned himself out to tilt those odds."

Bane's mental voice rumbled low, steady as always. "Still, the house was cheating like crazy. Damon, you okay?"

Damon's reply came slow, his mental tone calm but tinged with fatigue. "I'm fine. The house's luck manipulation is stronger than I thought. I had to push the odds with everything I had just to hit that win."

Nicholas' mental presence felt like a steady thread. "The fact that you could do it means we have a fighting chance here. Damon, that was incredible."

Levi's mental voice carried a note of awe. "She's got a quantum computer in her head now. That's basically a cheat code for the Chaos Realm, isn't it?"

Felicia let out a faint mental laugh, her confidence returning. "It's not a cheat code, Levi. It's a tool… and I intend to use it wisely."

Connor's voice was measured but firm. "Wise words, Lady Boss. Still, let's not get overconfident though, the house won't make it easy from here."

Damon's mental voice carried severity. "Agreed. The house's interference is powerful, but so is our team. Every win we get here is a victory against their methods. Remember, the rule is three wins to escape, but nothing says it has to be easy."

Felicia's mental tone was calm, but a sharp edge of determination shone beneath her words. "With Quantum Analysis, I'll be able to analyze the house's strategies and predict its plays. You're not alone in this, Damon."

Henry's voice cracked slightly with nervous laughter. "Well, with Damon's reality-bending power and Felicia's superbrain, I guess we might actually get out of here alive."

Bane's mental tone was dark but resolute. "If the house wants a fight, we'll give them one. Just say the word."

Felicia's mental presence felt like a steady glow. "Thank you, everyone. Let's keep fighting."

Damon's voice was steady. "We will. Let's prepare for the next round."