[Do you want to exit the hidden gambling round?]
The Fire Thief's prompt still hovered, waiting for Guan Tong to make his final decision.
The Life-Hunting Demon stayed silent, its body continuing to hide in the darkness.
Guan Tong did not rush to decide. He carefully recalled everything that had happened since he entered the gambling space, replaying the other game scenes he had just seen.
The Life-Hunting Avatar played the kind of “big-or-small cards” with him, the card faces containing things humans could not know; whether one won or lost was determined solely by the Life-Hunting Avatar.
And the Fire Thief did not interfere with that.
Combining the Hidden Rule and what the Life-Hunting Demon’s main consciousness had said a moment ago, Guan Tong formed a hypothesis.
Inside the Life-Hunting gambling space, wins and losses were manipulated by the Life-Hunting Demon, but it could not force humans to start the official gambling round.
In other words, it could first let human participants win three rounds in a row, or have them win two and lose one, to lower their guard.
Then, by reading the participants’ memories, it could discover their deepest desires and, before the official round began, present highly tempting stakes tailored to those desires, luring the humans who were hooked on winning to keep playing.
Because it could read memories, it knew the obsessions deep inside people like Adam, Silver Fox, Fang Qian, and what they wanted most.
Thus, once the official round started, all previous stakes would become void. To satisfy the “stake matching” rule, human participants would have to put up their most precious things... abilities, items, Mind Power, even their lives.
Just like in the scenes where Silver Fox staked her life—this was the Life-Hunting Demon’s ultimate aim, harvesting participants’ life force through the game. No wonder it called itself Life-Hunting.
Realizing this, Guan Tong knew that if he chose to stay to save others, no matter what gambling round the Life-Hunting Demon forced on him, it would inevitably cheat.
The Life-Hunting Demon had shown him those scenes to threaten him with others, but it had also inadvertently given him clear information: once human participants were tempted into the official round, they would be certain to lose.
If I choose to stay, I will definitely lose.
If I choose to leave, Adam, Silver Fox, and the others might very well lose their lives.
What should I do?
Guan Tong frowned, wavering.
The Life-Hunting Demon did not urge him to hurry. Perhaps because it knew Guan Tong’s memory, it seemed confident that Guan Tong would choose to stay and open the game with it.
Guan Tong stared into the darkness ahead, as if locking eyes with the Life-Hunting Demon.
He wanted to save people, but that did not mean he was willing to pay the price of throwing his own life away. Especially once he lost the round, not only could he not save others, he might well be finished himself.
And from every angle, the Life-Hunting Demon would cheat, so he would definitely lose.
Guan Tong was not a fool who would step into a guaranteed-death trap.
Unless... there was a way to make sure...
After a long silence, Guan Tong spoke: “If you can guarantee the fairness of the game, I will participate.”
The Life-Hunting Demon’s voice held a trace of delight. “Of course, my gambling rounds have always—”
“I am not talking to you.” Guan Tong cut it off. “I am speaking to the Fire Thief. I do not trust you, demon. I know you will cheat.”
Life-Hunting Demon: “...”
Guan Tong finished without mercy, then raised his head and stared into the void above.
Fire Thief, I know you can hear me. The Life-Hunting Demon cannot violate your rules. If you can limit it so it cannot cheat and make this game fair, I will choose to play. Otherwise, I will choose to exit.
He said it with absolute seriousness, not joking or negotiating.
If the Fire Thief would not back him up with its power or did not respond, Guan Tong would certainly withdraw.
Seconds passed and the Fire Thief’s prompt did not appear. That was not surprising; the rules it had issued never changed, so why would it intervene temporarily because of Guan Tong’s request?
Then there was nothing more to consider.
Just as Guan Tong was about to keep his word and exit, the Life-Hunting Demon spoke.
“Human, you have successfully angered me. Fire Thief, I agree to the human’s request.”
After its deep voice fell, a change happened abruptly.
A red ring of light descended from above, shrouding the darkness opposite the card table.
At the same time, the Fire Thief’s prompt sounded in Guan Tong’s mind.
[The Life-Hunting Demon’s main consciousness has been restricted, it will be unable to cheat in this gambling round.]
Did that actually work?
Guan Tong had proposed this plan but had not placed much hope in it. Instead of receiving a reply, the Life-Hunting Demon had spoken and then the Fire Thief had exerted power.
No...that might not be right. It was very possible that the Fire Thief’s willingness to exert this extra power required both me and the Life-Hunting Demon to apply simultaneously.
Or in the Fire Thief’s view, humans and the demon executing the rules exist equally; it will not favor either side.
[The hidden gambling round is officially open. This round will be conducted only once, and participants will automatically exit the gambling space after it ends.]
A scroll made of some unknown material unfurled and covered the card table. The words “Stake Contract” were written across it.
A white hand reached out from the darkness and pressed on the scroll. The Life-Hunting Demon first put down its stake: a paper talisman with writing and a golden die.
Guan Tong remembered that golden die; the Life-Hunting Avatar had one in its palm. The Life-Hunting Demon’s main consciousness had also used it to enter this gambling round.
When Guan Tong stared at it, the stake details appeared.
[Stake 1: Exemption from the stakes lost by people related to the current participants; Stake 2: One drop of primal blood]
The first stake was what the Life-Hunting Demon had proposed earlier, and it was the main reason Guan Tong would participate in this game. The second stake, as Guan Tong had suspected, was the medium mentioned earlier by the Fire Thief that the Life-Hunting Demon would use for its main consciousness to replace the avatar and descend.
“Human, place your stake.”
The Life-Hunting Demon’s deep voice was unusually cold. As it had said, Guan Tong’s request for Fire Thief intervention had clearly angered it.
Guan Tong took out the item [Hourglass of Time] and placed it on the scroll.
This almost instantly infuriated the Life-Hunting Demon.
“Are you joking with me, human? You want the value of a worthless trinket to equal my primal blood?”
This time-freezing item that Yelanka had given him was one of Guan Tong’s most precious possessions. Hearing the demon call it trash stung.
“That’s not my fault.” Guan Tong said calmly. “I can’t see the effect of your ‘primal blood.’ How would I know what stake equals its value?”
The Life-Hunting Demon said softly: “The only thing on you that could equal its value is that book.”
Guan Tong felt a chill. “That book” was naturally his [Wordless Book], almost the source of all his power.
If the Life-Hunting Demon could view his memories, then it would know about the existence of that item.
Could this creature have been after the Wordless Book from the start? Did it know something about the book’s origin?
Guan Tong concentrated and the [Wordless Book] appeared in his palm.
“Yes, that’s it...”
Though suppressing itself, the Life-Hunting Demon could not hide its desire for the item from its tone.
Guan Tong did not immediately place the [Wordless Book] on the scroll. Instead, he addressed the Fire Thief.
“Is what it says true? Are the two really equivalent?”
The Fire Thief did not reply, seeming to imply consent.
The Life-Hunting Demon, growing impatient, snapped: “Nosy human, with its restraint aura I cannot lie.”
Guan Tong looked at the red ring of light enveloping the darkness across the table and understood it was the Fire Thief’s “restraint aura,” limiting the Life-Hunting Demon from lying and cheating.
He put the [Wordless Book] on the scroll and the Fire Thief’s prompt sounded.
[Both sides’ stakes are not equal]
Guan Tong frowned slightly. Could the value of that “primal blood” be so great that even his [Wordless Book] could not match it?
[The Life-Hunting Demon must add a new stake]
Only then did Guan Tong realize.
It wasn’t his stake that was insufficient; it was the Life-Hunting Demon’s stake that was lacking!
The demon seemed a little surprised as well, murmuring, “Could I be wrong, but...”
It did not voice its speculation, which left Guan Tong a bit regretful. He suspected this creature might know more about the [Wordless Book] than he did; it would have been valuable to learn more.
After a moment, the Life-Hunting Demon’s white hand reached out again from the darkness and placed another golden die — another drop of primal blood — on the scroll.
[Both sides’ stakes are not equal]
[The Life-Hunting Demon must add a new stake]
“What? Two drops of primal blood still aren’t enough?”
Its voice turned angry, mixed with disbelief.
But the Fire Thief’s will was not to be questioned: if the stakes were unequal, the game could not begin.
The Life-Hunting Demon had no choice and placed three more golden dice on the scroll at once.
“Five drops of primal blood in total. Fire Thief, you better understand their value. And don’t forget, that book hasn’t truly been activated, its value isn’t so high!”
The Life-Hunting Demon said this viciously—more like a bluster than a real threat.
Yet Guan Tong’s heart leaped: the Wordless Book hadn’t truly been activated? What did that mean?
[Stake values are equal, the game can begin]
Life-Hunting Demon: “Alright, human, now we can—”
Guan Tong suddenly said: “Wait, I haven’t placed all my stakes yet.”
Life-Hunting Demon: “...what?”
Guan Tong pressed his hand onto the scroll, and his words, without hesitation, carried a hint of madness: “I will stake my life as well.”
If he lost the gambling round and lost the [Wordless Book], Guan Tong felt that would be no different from dying outright.
Lose the Shadow, lose the ability to move the shelter, lose reserve Mind Power, lose the Mental Stability Anchor...with all those gone, even if he somehow survived and left the round, what could a plain high Mind Power Ascendant do?
He did not have a super talent for martial ways. He could not, like Shi Jingyi, carve a new path for himself. What he relied on were the [Wordless Book] and the derivative powers he had developed from it.
And though he had not said it out loud, the Life-Hunting Demon’s use of his friends and people he cared about to threaten him had crossed his bottom line. His silence had not meant he lacked anger.
If the round had to begin, then he would gamble everything he had.
Guan Tong stared into the darkness opposite the table, his expression unusually strained. “Life-Hunting, I stake my life, you stake yours. Let the Fire Thief witness it; whoever loses will be completely erased by its power!”