Chapter 48: A Whale Has Arrived
Just standing outside, the roars and deafening shouts were enough to make one’s scalp tingle. Now, inside the ruins, the sound was like thunder, almost knocking one off their feet.
Bloody scenes played out repeatedly, the gamblers in the stands clutching their money bags, until finally…
“Yes!!! I won, I won!!! Hahahahaha!!!”
A crazed gambler excitedly jumped up, tripped, and fell into the arena, his leg immediately seized by a Rotting Troll, its teeth tearing through flesh and bone.
“Aaaaaah! Help me! Help…”
A sickening ripping sound echoed through the arena, followed by the gambler’s lower body disappearing into the troll’s stomach. The troll’s powerful regenerative abilities quickly healed its wounds, and moments later, it left the arena with the challenger.
The bet was settled, the winner decided, no need for a fight to the death.
No one cared about the foolish gambler’s demise.
The winners, those who had bet on the troll, were still lost in their euphoria, who would care about an insignificant death?
Some were heavily in debt, some were perpetually unlucky, and others had been lured by the promise of quick money, only to become trapped in the gambler’s dilemma.
Simply betting for the sake of winning, for the thrill of victory.
The arena was filled with such people, but Lena was the exception.
“Miss, the next match is about to begin. Care to place a bet?”
A staff member wearing a rabbit mask pushed a cart past Lena. Instead of food, the cart held stacks of gold bars.
“On the left is Taylan, a recent champion and the current defender. I recommend betting on him. Although the payout is smaller, it’s still a win. Perfect for a noble and beautiful lady like yourself to test the waters. After all, it’s a game, and everyone wants to win, no one wants to lose everything, right?”
The rabbit-masked man spoke smoothly, recognizing Lena’s noble aura, clearly a wealthy young lady here for amusement.
Such whales were to be treated with special care…
Rich and ambitious, believing themselves clever, but easily swayed with a little persuasion, they were the biggest spenders among gamblers.
The rabbit man rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming. “What do you say, Miss? A small bet is no big deal, it’s just for fun. Even if you lose, it’s just like feeding the coins to a dog, nothing to worry about… And if you win, it shows your good judgment, right?”
“Makes sense.”
Lena nodded, casually flipping through the challenger’s information for the next match.
The rabbit man smiled, thinking he had hooked a big fish. “So, how much would you like to bet, Miss? One hundred gold coins? I suggest starting with a small amount…”
If she bet big and lost, it might scare her away.
There were many such people, overconfident, then unwilling to continue after a painful loss, a classic example of turning back from the brink.
Playing the long game was the mark of a seasoned angler.
The rabbit man urged, “Have you decided, Miss? The game is about to begin.”
“Mm, I’ll bet on her,” Lena said, pointing to the right side of the table.
“What?”
The rabbit man followed Lena’s finger, his expression turning serious. It was the challenger.
“Is there a problem?” Lena asked calmly. “I prefer a challenge. She suits my taste, both in appearance and odds. I believe it will be an exciting match.”
“If you insist, Miss, I won’t object.”
The rabbit man maintained a polite facade, but inwardly, he was cursing Lena’s entire family.
Greed would be her downfall. Such people were easily fooled, but also quick to learn from their mistakes.
Seeing the big fish about to escape, the rabbit man grew anxious, determined to let Lena win a round.
Only after tasting victory could one become addicted to the thrill of gambling.
Win first, then lose, lose again and again, then become addicted, forgetting the initial intention of stopping after breaking even, borrowing money, placing all hope on the arena.
One might get lucky and win, even recoup all losses, but by then, one would have become a true gambler, unable to escape the vicious cycle, ultimately losing everything in a final, all-in bet…
This was a daily occurrence in the arena, the foundation of its operation.
The principle was simple, and many understood it, but why did people still fall for it, still gamble away everything? That was the question…
The rabbit man was confident. “How about this, Miss, as a welcome gift for newcomers, I’ll give you a complimentary gold coupon worth one hundred, which you can use to bet on either side.”
One gold coupon was equal to one hundred silver coins, which could be converted to gold coins accordingly.
The rabbit man’s intention was to let Lena play both sides, to keep her entertained.
A fish needed constant bait to stay hooked. To ensure Lena wouldn’t swim away, the rabbit man had even resorted to giving her a gold coupon.
This should work…
Wait! What are you doing?!
As if sensing the rabbit man’s gaze, Lena paused, her hand holding the gold coupon. “I want to bet on her…”
“One to one thousand, you dare bet everything at those odds?!”
That was… a hundred gold coins!
Lena was throwing it away like it was nothing?
The rabbit man was shocked and wanted to dissuade her, but then something even more terrifying happened…
“No way, wait a minute!”
“Hmm?”
Lena tossed her money bag onto the cart. Judging by its size, it contained at least a thousand gold coins.
“A total of one thousand four hundred and eighty-seven gold coins. I just brought this much for fun.”
For fun? Who brings over a thousand gold coins for fun?!
What kind of deity was this, paving the way with gold?
His own salary was only ten gold coins a month, considered high among the staff, yet this rich young lady casually took out an unimaginable amount of wealth.
This was beyond his pay grade.
The rabbit man suddenly realized that this beautiful woman with gray hair wasn’t someone he could handle, so he excused himself and decided to report to the arena manager.
He discreetly signaled towards the corner of the arena:
Whale alert!
Send help!!
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