No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

Both old men were wearing identical strange hats which had a sharp spike protruding outwards.

In between them hovering on top of the table was a sphere of energy filled with… Coffee?

Apparently they were moving the sphere of coffee by pushing it with constant waves of mana weaved into a simple cat symbol.

It was a light hearted game which would end once the opponent was drenched in coffee.

But it was also an extremely high level game as it tested not only the mage's mana purity, but also his ability to manipulate it.

Splash!

A frustrated yelp rang out as Riki was drenched in coffee, the dark liquid dripping from his beard and onto his already stained robes.

Apparently it wasn't his first loss that day.

The room erupted with laughter as the game reached its chaotic finale.

"Damn it, Maru!" Riki slammed his hand on the table and scowled hard at Maru who threw his arms up in victory while grinning like a child.

"Hah! That's another win for me! Now, hand over your bets, old man!" Maru grinned, holding out his wrinkled hand expectantly.

The other elders around the table chuckled, tossing over small pouches of coin and mana stones. Some sighed in disappointment, others shook their heads with amusement.

"Guess the bald one's losing streak continues," one of them mused.

Riki grumbled under his breath, but before he could retort, a clear, youthful laugh rang through the room.

It was light and free of restraint.

Damien Bloodbane.

The old men froze, their laughter dying down as they turned as one to look at him. They hadn't even noticed him until now.

"Boy," Maru said, squinting at Damien Bloodbane. "Who the hell are you?"

"And who let you in?" another elder chimed in, looking around suspiciously.

Damien Bloodbane shrugged. "Nobody. I let myself in."

Silence.

Then—

"Riki, did you set the lock properly?" Maru turned toward the now coffee-soaked old man.

"I did! I made a five-elemental lock!" Riki snapped, still wringing out his robes. "There's no way some brat should've gotten past it!"

Maru turned back to Damien Bloodbane, studying him more closely now.

A fifteen year old breaking a five elemental lock? He was either a monstrous freak with A rank power, or a prodigious freak with mana purity that defied the heavens.

Either way… He would make for a good opponent!

His gaze lingered on Damien Bloodbane's unfazed expression and his steady mana presence.

Finally, Maru grinned.

"Boy, you're quite strong, huh?" he mused while stroking his pristine white beard.

A clear indication of his winning streak.

"Why don't we have a game?"

The other elders perked up at the idea, their interest piqued.

A slow smile formed on Damien Bloodbane's lips.

"A game?" he repeated, stepping forward. "Sure. How much are we betting?"

Maru chuckled, reaching into the folds of his robe before pulling out a small, shimmering mana stone. He held it up between two fingers, the crystal pulsing faintly with stored energy.

"A simple wager," he said, tossing the mana stone onto the table. "One high-grade mana stone for a round."

Damien Bloodbane barely looked at it before snorting.

"I don't play for small stakes."

The old men perked up, their curiosity shifting into amusement.

"Oh?" Maru stroked his beard, leaning back in his chair. "Then what do you suggest, boy?"

Damien Bloodbane grinned. "How about fifty thousand dollars?"

The room went quiet for a beat, before Riki let out a loud bark of laughter.

"Pfft—Fifty thousand? Are you trying to rob an old man, boy?" he wheezed, slapping the table. "What, you planning to buy an entire coffee plantation?"

Maru chuckled along, but then his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Alright, alright, let's say we agree—where's your bet?"

He spread his hands expectantly.

The other elders nodded along, some smirking as they leaned forward.

"Yeah, kid, last I checked, you walked in here empty-handed."

"Unless you're planning to wager that shirt off your back?"

Damien Bloodbane shrugged. "I was planning to win, so it didn't seem important."

The room burst into laughter again.

Another elder chuckled, pointing at Maru. "Careful, old man! He's confident. If you lose, you'll have to sell off that precious beard of yours to pay up!"

"Yeah, yeah! You're always bragging about your perfect winning streak. Imagine how much your face will hurt if some kid wipes the floor with you!"

Maru waved them off, grinning. "Tch. What's fifty thousand? Pocket change."

He turned back to Damien Bloodbane, eyes gleaming. "Alright, brat, let's make it one hundred thousand."

The laughter shifted into mock gasps.

"OHHH! He's doubling it!"

"Maru's really putting his old bones on the line now!"

"If he loses, we'll finally get to see him eat humble pie for once!"

Maru snorted. "Like hell I'm losing to some kid."

Riki, still dripping with coffee, shook his head helplessly.

But Maru had truly won too much recently. Losing a hundred thousand dollars would truly be pocket change!

"But seriously, what are you betting?" Riki asked Damien Bloodbane with a wide smile.

Damien Bloodbane thought for a moment, then tapped his Chronolink.

"How about my IOU? I'll pay you back when I get the money."

"In a few years, that is." Damien Bloodbane added in his mind.

But he was actually quite confident that he could win.

Even though the coffee shop was filled with A rank old fogeys, Damien Bloodbane could sense quite clearly that the mana used to push the sphere of coffee earlier was nowhere as pure as his.

Victory was all but assured.

Another round of boisterous laughter erupted.

"This kid's got guts, I'll give him that," one elder chuckled.

Maru, still grinning, finally waved a hand. "Alright, alright. We'll spot you, but if you lose, you're running errands for us for a month. And I mean, real difficult errands requiring you to put your life on the line!"

Damien tilted his head. "And if I win?"

Maru smirked. "Then you get your hundred thousand."

The other elders whooped in approval, already placing side bets.

Damien cracked his knuckles, stepping up to the table. His eyes locked onto the floating coffee sphere.

"Alright," he said with a pleasant smile.

It seemed like his money problem would be solved soon.

"Let's play."