To understand what happened, it would be better to understand everything from Harry’s perspective.
Earlier in the day, Harry was finally guided to the casino. Compared to the shady route they took, the casino was filled with blinking lights and the sweet sound of Mana Stones clashing.
Harry immediately walked in without any care. He was now in his natural habitat. “This place seems really luxurious. Too bad I only brought a bit of money on me.”
“That’s no problem. As long as you sign a contract, we can lend you a lot of Mana Stones. That is of course with interest. It would be a shame to go all the way here to barely play, right?” The man devilishly grinned. He was going to take everything from Harry.
“Really?” Harry’s heart started pounding. This was turning out to be even better than he had thought. “How much of a loan can I get?”
“Hahaha, it seems like I’ve chosen right. Follow me into the back, I’ll let you meet with a higher-up.” This was going great. His sinister plan was coming to fruition so quickly. It was almost as if this was payback for all his hard work.
One of the gamblers saw Harry and the man start walking away and sighed. “Poor bloke, he’s gonna get everything taken away from him. I kind of feel sorry for him.”
“Huh? That’s Richard the Scammer. Another victim I see. If only his brother wasn’t a Peak Rank 9 then Dominion would’ve already done something. Having power really lets you do anything you want.”
“True.” They both offered their condolences.
Richard called over one of the workers and guided them towards the back. Just as expected, the red carpet and golden interior remained the same all the way to this special room. Knocking on the magnificent encrusted door before them, a cold aloof voice responded from inside.
“Come in.”
The man had a stack of paperwork before him that he was diligently working on. Compared to his brother, he seemed to be much more methodological in his work.
“Brother, I’ve got someone who wants to ask for a loan. How about it?” Richard’s words held a hidden intent that Moris immediately picked up.
“Anything for a friend.” Moris kindly escorted Harry to sit down on the chair before him. “So, how much are you willing to ask a loan for?”
“The highest amount.” Harry confidently said. He crossed his arms and said with a complete smile on his face.
Moris couldn’t help but internally laugh. This was the type of fool that he was extremely glad to do business with. Not only was he completely overly confident but he was also quite skilled. This type of person would have pride that wouldn’t so easily shatter.
“The most I can loan out is 500 Medium-Quality Mana Stones, that’s half the value of a High-Quality Mana Stone. That’s no small number.” Moris immediately said the most overbearing amount. This was to showcase the strength and wealth he had at his disposal. Now for the next step, he would now give out a much lower number, around 100 Medium-Quality Mana Stones which Harry would have an easier time of accepting.
It was but a simple tactic that was extremely effective. No one in their right mind would ever accept 500 Medium-Quality Mana Stones as a loan at once.
“Sure. Let’s sign the contract already.” Harry rubbed his hands together. With 500 Medium-Quality Mana Stones, he would be quite happy with gambling away without a care.
Both brothers were taken back, they didn’t expect to reel in such a big fish so easily. Thinking about it further, Moris felt that this was a little odd so he decided to place another condition.
“To be honest, I can bump up your loan by 50 Medium-Quality Mana Stones if you agree to spend at least 80% of your loan on our casino. It’s a little restrictive but in hopes of a stable partnership, we hope you agree.”
“That’s it? Sure, no problem at all!” Harry accepted everything without missing a beat. The contract was immediately created using Moris’ mana. It was a special type of skill that binds one party to another based on the contract. The price of breaking it would be decided by both parties.
During the negotiation phase, both parties would be going over the details. Harry didn’t see anything wrong during the process except for the end. While they were about to sign it over, Moris used his mana to forcibly change the contents.
The first change was to increase the interest by 10% to 100%. This change was already insane enough. The second change was even more absurd, the time limit of a month had been reduced to a single day. Doubling your money in a single day was completely insane, almost impossible.
As for Harry’s skill, Sage, this was child’s play. If Moris was a Peak 9 mage that resonated with mana then Harry would be a being that mana would willing to serve. It took half of Moris’ mana to change the conditions but it only took a single drop for Harry to change the conditions as he wished.
100% interest? Hahaha, that’s cute. Let’s change it to 100000%. Now to change a simple clause. In the case that the loaner would be unable to pay, the lender would have to compensate the loaner instead. Let’s add another one too, why not? For every Mana Stone that the loaner loses in the casino, the lender would have to compensate the same rate as the interest. That’s good enough. I just wanted to have some fun but… alas you forced my hand.
Harry was nodding along. This was a good contract.
Harry and Moris both signed it while grinning both ear to ear. This was a good contract. It truly was. As Moris signed it, he felt something odd, it was as if, this contract was much… heavier than normal.
It just must be the number of Mana Stones being lent. This is the biggest loan I’ve given out thus far. I must be overthinking things. Moris was in fact not overthinking anything. The reason it was so heavy was because the clauses within were much more severe than anything he had ever done.
Moris took out a spatial ring and gave it to Harry. “This spatial ring has 550 Medium-Quality Mana Stones. You can keep the spatial ring as a gift from me, hahaha. Have fun.”
Harry grabbed it like a giddy little schoolboy wanting to go out and have fun.
“Oh, where’s my manners? Richard, go accompany our friend here. Show him around to have the best time of his life.” Moris’ odd phrasing had a slight tint of arrogance. With the contract sealed, Harry’s fate was sealed. Little did he know just how badly he had messed up.
“Yes, brother. Let’s go, Harry, I’ll show you around the casino. There’s the usual casino games but also a lot of things we learned from the otherworld. Heh, not to brag but I come from a 3rd Phase world. It’s a grander scale than anything you must’ve seen before.” Richard bragged confidently in front of someone who was a native of the peak Phase world. If he knew then Richard would’ve probably ran away without caring about the consequences.
To be fair, Harry wasn’t intentionally hiding his cultivation level. It was a Rank 5 through and through. Richard, on the other hand, was a Medium Rank 8, a very formidable person. With the second wave coming about, those who came from a higher Phase world would regain a fraction of their strength quite easily.
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Even though Richard wasn’t a prodigy, he still had some decent progress in those years he was away. And although he only played around when he returned to Earth, Medium Rank 8 was still a formidable strength. This was something the world considered as the bare minimum to be able to form a guild. Of course, it would be nothing more than a no-name guild with barely any presence as those guilds with Peak Rank 10 powerhouses are soon to break through to Low Rank 11.
Seeing Harry only be a Rank 5 meant that he came from a weaker background from him. And even if he was even more talented, the gap between them was heaven and earth. The thing was that Richard was correct, just not in the way he expected.
If not for Cain’s system taking away their strengths then Harry would’ve already been a Peak Rank 20 as soon as the second wave came.
Bringing along Harry to a simple card game, Richard decided to play along with him for the time being. Why not have fun while stealing everything Harry had under his nose?
While he’s having the time of his life, so am I! Hahahaha! Richard unintentionally laughed and let out a snicker.
“I’m sure you’ve learned how to play blackjack before, right?”
Harry, had never heard of this particular game before. “I haven’t.”
“I guess you were too young to learn back then. Nevertheless, the game’s simple. You’re given a pair of cards and the goal is to try to get a total of 21. Try your best to not go over it otherwise, you lose.”
“Seems pretty simple enough. There’s another gambling game that’s similar to what I’ve learned. You try to fill an object with a precise amount of mana, the closer person wins. It’s usually between people who are similar in skill so it’s close.” Harry rejoiced those days. He used to win against every single person who battled him but ever since that fateful he lost.
A hot-headed girl bringing along a seemingly unappealing person entered that gambling den and brutally won against everyone, even against cheaters. If not for Harry’s helper then he would’ve lost against Helena. Unfortunately, not even her help was enough to win against Cain. What a day it was. A memory that he would never forget.
“That seems quite… fun. I’ll tell my brother all about that. Hopefully, we’ll add something like that in the future. Come by again sometime in the future and you can tell us just how close we are to the game.” Richard spouted out pleasantries and started commencing the game.
Since it was still early on, letting Harry win a bit wasn’t too bad. He didn’t influence the results at all and just played along normally.
“Deal the cards.” Richard ordered the dealer as he started giving everyone on the table a pair of cards. Richard wasn’t playing as he was just observing Harry’s play. There were currently five people here with a measly bet of 10 Medium-Quality Mana Stones each. Even though it was only against the house, this was still a large sum.
This bet might’ve seemed to be quite inconsequential but keep in mind that 1 Medium-Quality Mana Stone was equivalent to 1000 Low-Quality Mana Stones. Society at large was still using Low-Quality Mana Stones to trade with. High-Quality Mana Stones were only available to guilds and as for Peak-Quality Mana Stones, it was a complete luxury. Not even Epitome’s guild leader had a Peak-Quality Mana Stone in his hands… yet.
The dealer’s current wage was 1 Medium-Quality Mana Stone for an entire month’s work. This was even considered as a relatively above-average wage as well. A single round of gambling with five players was equivalent to 50 months of working for the dealer. This number was truly amazing.
It was no wonder that Cain would be unable to sell any at all. People just weren’t rich enough. Though sooner or later, those brave enough are bound to seek out the Dungeon and take the riches hiding beneath.
“Hit.” Harry randomly said that in the middle of the first round.
“Uh, Harry, I know it’s your money but don’t you think you shouldn’t get a card.” Richard had his mind set on stealing Harry’s money but he was just acting completely insane right now.
“Why?” Harry currently had a jack and a queen in his hand. Getting another card was just not worth it.
“It’s just too risky.”
“I live for risk! Give it.” Harry raised his hand and taunted the dealer. Seeing that he was so adamant about it, the dealer sighed and gave Harry the card. It was an ace.
“21! Yeah, that’s what I thought! Money, money!” Harry yelled out with such excitement. This such a thrilling scene. It had been such a long time since he gambled.
Richard couldn’t help but praise Harry’s works. “That’s… amazing.”
The next round was even more absurd. Richard ordered a worker to call for someone to tend to Harry. A complimentary drink and a beautiful maiden to accompany him. It was only right for Harry to enjoy his time before sinking into the depths of depression.
“13, huh? I stand.” Harry shrugged his shoulders. The dealer currently had 12, as it stands, this was a completely insane way of playing.
Richard felt no point in pushing Harry. If he got joy from winning in extremely precarious situations then who was he to deprive him of that?
The dealer took another card from the deck and placed it in upfront of Harry. It was another jack. The dealer’s total was 22, a bust. Harry won again. The other players won and lost. The losers were immediately drawn into Harry’s game.
“You’re pretty lucky, huh?” This man wore a similarly exquisite set of clothes like Harry did. He did not look poor at all. Losing this just meant that he would have to go home sooner than he normally would.
“I guess I am.” Harry smiled.
The next game was a little more absurd than the last. When the dealer showed the cards, Harry’s hand was an ace and another jack. He immediately got 21, an immediate victory. Harry was on a victory streak.
“Hahahaha! 30 Medium-Quality Mana Stones just like that!” Harry’s joyful outburst was immediately interrupted by Richard.
“Harry, it’s actually 29 Medium-Quality Mana Stones and 700 Low-Quality Mana Stones. The casino takes a 1% tax on all the winnings. We are a business after all.”
“1%? Wow.” Harry couldn’t believe such… kind words. Never before had he seen such a generous casino. Back where he used to live, those bastards took 20% for everything he won. Compared to them, Richard and Moris seemed like complete saints.
Richard felt a little unsteady. 1% was a pretty big amount after all. It was usually half of what other casinos would have. Furthermore, the percentage would decrease the more the person won. But for their casino, it was a straight 1% for every stage.
“This place is great!” Harry continued on to the next game. As expected, the next round, and the next one after that, then even more rounds continued. After 10 whole rounds, there were 10 victories and 10 losses. Richard now felt that there was something odd about Harry. He couldn’t just keep winning all day.
Looking at the girl with an exotic-looking drink in her hands, Richard finally got everything ready. The next plan was to seduce Harry into gambling more and more until he lost. The bigger the bet, the faster he would lose it all. Once he felt the sense of defeat, he would be even more agitated into making worse decisions. It was a simple plan.
Or that was the plan at least.
“Hi, mister.” A girl wearing a very revealing tight latex outfit appeared before Harry. He tried to turn his head but something unexpected happened. A small earthquake shook the place, forcing the drink she had on hand to fall directly on Harry’s head.
He closed his eyes as the girl immediately panicked. “Ah! I’m sorry! I’ll get right to-” She took out a small cloth from one of the compartments on her clothes but the chandelier above started cracking. It unceremoniously fell on the table that Harry was playing on.
Richard wasted no time and brought the girl away. The other players and dealer reacted just in time and jumped back. Unfortunately, Harry wasn’t as lucky. He was crushed under this unsuspecting chandelier.
“What the hell is going on?!” Richard screamed out. “Get cleaned up, I’ll deal with this.” The girl followed her superior’s order and ran off. She was scared of the consequences of this mistake.
Grabbing ahold of the chandelier, he took it away to the side where it revealed Harry looking quite battered. His clothes were a mess but fortunately, he wasn’t harmed in any way.
“Harry, are you alright?” Richard grabbed Harry and guided him out of this wreck. Merchandise like him couldn’t be hurt without his permission. Harry’s going to be working for him for a long time, him dying here would severely hurt his profits.
“I’m fine. What’s with this place suddenly collapsing? Ha. Ha.” Harry tried to act surprised but he was the type to lie easily. He knew exactly what happened. He was just gambling normally but as it turned out, problems just had to intrude. “Regardless, how about we get to a safer place? That’s enough of a warm-up for me. I want to try and gamble bigger.”
Richard was relieved. Fortunately, this wasn’t enough to harm him. “Alright, we can go to a higher stakes table. Have you ever heard of horse racing? I think we can enjoy that one this time around.”
“Horse racing? I think I’ve heard of something along those lines. What’s the maximum bet?”
“This time, it caps out at 100 Medium-Quality Mana Stones. The thrill of not knowing who will win will surely let you enjoy gambling to its fullest.”
Harry sighed. “That sounds fun. But first, can I get another set of clothes? I reek of alcohol.”
“I can get that arranged.”
Within this casino, it was at the forefront of integrating numerous gambling methods into one place. With the help of mana, this idea could be implemented in a realistic way. As such, there was a teleportation portal that would quite easily let people travel through a faraway land within the blink of an eye. With two beacons, even a Rank 7 could set this up with relative ease. Yet teleporting on one’s own required a much, much higher cultivation rank. Not even people from a 2nd Phase world could do this.