Return of the Mythic Bloodline

When I was observing Vyrion, I activated Eyes of the Fallen to see what exactly he was doing under the cup.

Surprisingly, I discovered something really interesting. The table he was using wasn't an ordinary one.

There was a very small wooden pad at the bottom of the table, and when he pressed it with his foot, a needle would emerge on the surface of the table inside the cup and strike the dice to flip the numbers.

The seven people he deliberately let win must have been his companions—or people he was using to gain the trust of everyone else.

"Hehehe~ I haven't even begun my plan and I've already won fifty thousand kilograms of Grade 1 Soul Stones," I snickered, putting the rings on my finger.

As I reached the corner of a tent, five figures stood in my way—an elephant beast, a cat woman, a short brown-haired human, the cigar man, and the scarred face.

"Hohoho~ where are you going in such a hurry, Master Bettor?" Vyrion said, emerging from the corner.

"As I thought, they're all your sidekicks," I murmured.

"Who are you calling a sidekick, wildling?" the cigar man scoffed.

"We're only here because this pimp offered us extra Soul Stones to kick your ass," the scarred face added.

"Now-now, there's no need to make things bloody," Vyrion said, stepping closer to me. "Just leave the amount you won, along with half of your Soul Stones, here—and nobody will get hurt."

Taking a long sigh, I replied, "Since you're a Master Gambler, why don't we solve this issue professionally? I'd like to make a bet with you."

If it had been anyone else, they would have rejected my offer immediately since they had the advantage in numbers. But Vyrion, being a gambler, couldn't help getting interested.

"What do you offer?"

"Not again, meow!" the cat girl stepped forward, her tail wiggling behind her. "How meowny times have you put us in trouble because of this addiction of yours? Don't listen to this suspicious human."

"Yeah man, listen to Feralin," the short man added. "We absolutely need those Soul Stones to cure her."

"Hrrrmmmphh… if you dare create trouble again, I'll smash your head," the elephant beast added, raising his trunk.

"Guys, at least hear him out," Vyrion coaxed. "If the offer isn't good, we can still beat him to get our Soul Stones back."

The group sighed, finally nodding in agreement.

As their internal matter settled, I spoke up. "The bet is like this: I will give you ten minutes. If any of you manages to remove the sunglasses from my eyes within that time frame, I'll not only return your Soul Stones but give you mine as well. It doesn't matter whether you attack me one by one or altogether."

The group flinched at my too-good-to-be-true offer.

"Isn't it easier to snatch the sunglasses than actually beating him, meow?" Feralin murmured.

"But why would he make a disadvantageous bet? There must be a catch," the short brown-haired man added.

"What if we lose?" Vyrion asked, his voice firm.

"Isn't it obvious? I'll take every last Soul Stone you possess."

The four of them gathered in a close circle and murmured among themselves while I, the scarred face, and the cigar man observed them silently.

"All right, we'll take this gamble. But before that—" Vyrion turned to the two rented bodyguards and asked, "Are you two in or not? I'll give you double the price if we win, and if we lose you'll get nothing."

The two gave a quick glance at me and then replied with a laugh, "There's no way we're losing to this sucker. Bring it on."

---

We all reached the open space between the tents, which the army had deliberately left open to fight among themselves.

People began gathering as I stood facing the six with one hand in my pocket.

"Hahaha, let's go—another fight!" they shouted.

"Blood… we want blood!"

"Kill this hairy bastard!"

"Hah! What a bunch of animals!" I scoffed, running a hand through my messy hair. "Come forth. I don't have the whole day."

The first to attack were the scarred face and the cigar man. The two leapt at me with a sword and knife in their hands, their faces gleaming with wide smiles and their eyes filled with extreme bloodlust.

As their weapons reached closer, my fist struck the pointed end of the knife and my kick slammed into the sword.

Their weapons shattered like glass, and the moment my limbs struck their bodies, the two went flying and crashed into a nearby tent.

"Hahaha! That's what we're talking about!" the crowd laughed in rejoicing.

"My wages are on that sunglasses bastard! He's gonna beat the shit out of them!"

"Then I'll bet on the other five. They're definitely gonna win!"

The spectators' joyful exclaims filled the area.

"The side characters are out, it's time for the main cast—"

While I was speaking, a white paw with sharp nails suddenly appeared before my eyes to snatch the sunglasses.

I tilted my head, dodging the swipe, but then the trunk of the elephant beast descended toward my head.

I grabbed Feralin's tail—she was already halfway past my body—and pulled her upward, slamming her into the elephant beast.

The beast caught Feralin and retreated a few steps backward.

"Meahhhh, how dare you grab my tail?" Feralin hissed, her tail snapping straight in anger.

"Calm down, Feralin," Vyrion said. "This man is not as simple as he appears. Our only goal is to remove the sunglasses, so let's focus on that."

Vyrion drew a long sword from his space ring and ordered, "Gajendra, Feralin, Armin—let's do it the old way."

The elephant beast named Gajendra pulled out a massive shield, Feralin drew her sharp nails, and the short brown-haired man named Armin took out a long staff embedded with a Soul Stone.

"Hmm, things are getting interesting," I murmured, a faint smile tugging at my lips as I pulled my hand from my pocket.