“What did you just say?” Leonar asked, tilting his head with a carefree smile still plastered on his face.

Barret stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“Nothing. Doesn’t matter.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “What does matter is what you’re going to do now, Leonar.”

“What do you mean?” Leonar frowned, though his smile didn’t falter.

Barret sighed, running a hand over his face as if searching for the right words. Finally, he pointed at the bundle of bills sticking out of Leonar’s pocket.

“What are you going to do if that ability of yours fails you again? Lose everything you earned today?”

Leonar scoffed, waving dismissively.

“That’s not going to happen again, Barret. Relax.”

Barret raised an eyebrow, his skeptical gaze cutting through Leonar.

“Really? Haven’t you heard yourself say that before? Because I have. Multiple times, in fact.”

“This time it’s different!” Leonar exclaimed, stepping forward and slamming his palm on the desk. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, but I swear it’s different this time.”

Barret stayed silent, his expression unchanged. After a moment, he shrugged and let out another long sigh.

“Fine, let’s say I believe you. What happened during the mission? How did your gathering job go?”

Leonar stepped back slightly, crossing his arms as he thought.

“Well… it wasn’t too bad, I guess.” His eyes drifted to the floor for a moment.

He hesitated but finally pulled out his hunter ID and tossed it onto the desk.

Barret frowned, picking up the object and inspecting it, initially unsure what it was. He turned it over in his fingers until his eyes widened in realization.

“Is this real?” he murmured, looking up at Leonar.

“It is.”

“When did you awaken your powers?” Barret asked, still in disbelief.

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“During the gathering mission you got me with that guild,” Leonar explained, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

Barret leaned back in his chair, placing the ID on the table. For a few seconds, he said nothing but then offered a faint smile.

“Congratulations on becoming a hunter.”

Leonar raised an eyebrow, surprised by the reaction.

“What did you just say?”

Barret repeated himself, this time more clearly.

“I said congratulations. Becoming a hunter isn’t a small feat.”

Leonar scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the praise.

“Bah, it’s not a big deal. I’m still not sure how to start.”

“Have they offered you a contract?” Barret asked.

“Not yet, but I want to make sure the guild didn’t trick me into signing something weird,” Leonar replied.

Barret shook his head.

“Don’t worry about that. That guild wouldn’t offer you a contract until after the expedition was over.”

Leonar let out a sigh of relief.

“I guess that’s good. But how good do you think I really am?”

Barret shrugged.

“I don’t know all the ins and outs of the hunter world, but my gut tells me you probably dodged a trap they set for rookies.”

Leonar nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I guess so…” His gaze hardened, and he pulled all the cash from his pocket, placing it on the desk. “I’m putting $3,000 toward the debt I owe you.”

Barret looked at the money for a moment before shaking his head.

“That’s not necessary.”

“What?” Leonar leaned forward, clearly surprised. “You’re kidding, right? You always charge me down to the last cent. What’s changed?”

“I’m not kidding.” Barret looked up, his expression more serious than ever. “But there’s a condition.”

Leonar swallowed hard, his muscles tensing.

“What condition?”

“I want you to stop gambling,” Barret said, his tone so calm it almost sounded like a joke.

“What? Why?” Leonar frowned.

“Because I don’t want to see how long you can keep that streak before it all falls apart again.” Barret stretched his arms, lacing his fingers together in front of his face. “Tell me, Leonar. Do you remember how your downfall started?”

Leonar gritted his teeth.

“This time is different!”

“Of course it is,” Barret replied with a bitter smile. “It always is, right? But you sound exactly like a gambler who can’t quit.”

Leonar slammed his fist on the table.

“I’ll quit once I don’t have to worry about anything else. I just need to stabilize.”

Barret stared at Leonar.

“Then tell me, Leonar. When you had everything—when you helped your family, your friends, even me—why did you keep playing? Why didn’t you stop until you lost it all?”

Leonar clenched his fists and looked away.

“You’re not my father to be questioning me.”

“No, I’m not.” Barret sighed. “But I don’t want to see you fall again. If you decide to keep gambling, you can’t do it in this casino.”

“Why not?” Leonar asked, frowning.

“Because I don’t want to see you like you were before,” Barret said, his voice carrying a rare sincerity.

Leonar threw the rest of the money onto the table.

“Take it all. I’ll make more elsewhere.”

Barret watched him, his expression calm.

“Do you really think you can quit?”

“Of course I can,” Leonar replied defiantly.

Barret smiled, this time with a hint of mockery.

“Then let’s make a deal. I’ll forget your entire debt, and you can keep that money. But in exchange, you have to go a whole year without gambling.”

“I could go ten years,” Leonar declared, crossing his arms.

Barret pulled a contract from his desk and slid it toward Leonar.

“Then sign it.”

Leonar looked at the paper, his lips tightening.