Gambler Sequence

"Master Cavo, wanna play cards? The kind where you risk your life?"

On the second floor of the library, next to a small table, the man in the black cloak exuded an increasingly aggressive aura.

But the bearded old man opposite him remained calm and composed. He adjusted his glasses, casually turned a page of the book he was reading, and said unhurriedly, "No. I prefer chess to poker."

Two breaths later, the bearded old man closed the book and said calmly, "Your Transcendent ability is indeed quite interesting. Such a difficult sequence to advance in, I never expected it to have been passed down."

This nonchalant response instantly dispelled the tense atmosphere that had just filled the air.

It was just like two old friends greeting each other.

"Hey-hey."

Upon hearing this, the cloaked man's expression changed instantly. The excitement and fierceness in his eyes faded away like a receding tide, replaced by a bright smile, as if nothing had happened.

His eyes gleamed, and he exclaimed, "Master Cavo, you are even stronger than the legends say!"

Despite this, the cloaked man showed no fear whatsoever.

It was as if even if the person in front of him was the top of the legendary "Ten Great Legends", it would be an honor to gamble one's life with him.

The cloaked man licked his lips, revealing an exaggerated, clown-like smile, and said, "I originally wanted to make a bet with you, and even if I died at your hands, I would be satisfied. But now it seems the time is not yet ripe."

The bearded old man calmly said, "Twenty years ago, your teacher, Olato K. Kand, came to City of Radiance to have tea with me. He once told me that the greatest strength of the 'Gambler Sequence' isn't its Transcendent abilities, but rather that you can never guess what cards they're holding. However, your lineage's habit of gambling with your lives isn't a good thing."

Only after saying this did he shift his gaze from the gold-embossed book cover in his hand and look directly at the cloaked man opposite him for the first time.

If any outsiders were present, they would likely be utterly astonished by their conversation. The "Oratu K. Kand" that Cavo mentioned is none other than the most insane of the "Top Ten Legendary Demon Hunters," the "Gambling Demon"!

The cloaked man smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "Yes, this was the last time the teacher lost a bet, and he lost his life."

The bearded administrator's wise eyes seemed to see through everything as he said, "Your abilities are indeed interesting, but do you really think I can't keep you here?"

"To be praised by Master Cavo himself as 'interesting' is something I can be proud of."

The cloaked man was not displeased at all; on the contrary, he readily admitted that he was inferior in skill.

His expression remained unchanged as he continued, "I have never been so arrogant as to believe that I could possibly make a move against Grand Magus like you, who, even if the other 'Ten Great Legends' were to come in person, might not be able to gain an advantage, with such meager skills in this library."

The tone of the voice emphasized the word "library".

The bearded manager raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at him, and said calmly, "The highest card in a deck isn't the King or the Ace, but the unpredictable Joker. So, are you planning to use your Joker Card here?"

"As expected, no amount of cleverness can fool Master Cavo."

The cloaked man sighed slightly, rubbing his forehead, and shrugged helplessly. "But since you don't intend to play cards with me, I won't reveal my hand this time."

The bearded manager took a sip of his black tea and said, "What if I insist on letting you stay?"

The cloaked man shrugged, his expression calm, and said, "Master, you wouldn't do that."

Between two intelligent people, there's no need to say much; the verbal battles have already been fought many times.

"."

Upon hearing this, the bearded administrator glanced at him again.

The wrinkles on his aged face deepened, and he said with a sigh, "On the path of the 'Gambler Sequence,' you've gone further than your teacher. But, you like to gamble on everything; aren't you afraid of losing?"

"Losing means paying with your life. But to gamble against someone like you, winning or losing isn't important."

The cloaked man tilted his head and smiled, his tone revealing a gambling frenzy that seemed about to burst forth again.

It's as if two completely different personalities reside within this guy's body: one is insanely hysterical, and the other is inhumanly calm, with these dual personalities alternating back and forth.

In the blink of an eye, the madness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a calm tone as he said, "But you've heard my story, haven't you considered my plan? Didn't you build the City of Radiance to change the world? Now you see, without you, the City of Radiance is no different from any other city."

The bearded administrator said, "Your point of view is not wrong. But your perception is too extreme, and I cannot agree with it."

He lost interest in continuing the conversation and gave him the hint to leave, "Please leave before you ruin my reading mood."

Listen, the cloaked man's pupils contracted slightly, like a venomous snake that had been threatened, a conditioned reflex to the sense of danger.

A moment later, a smile suddenly appeared on his lips. He decisively gathered the playing cards from the table and said, "Oh, that's a real shame. In that case, I'll come find you to play cards again next time."

"At that time, I will also come and experience your chess skills, Master Cavo."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cloaked man turned around and went downstairs without any hesitation, leaving the library.

They left with absolute decisiveness.

Beside the small table, the white-bearded administrator remained calm and didn't glance at the table again.

He picked up a book again and began to read it carefully, just like countless other peaceful days.

Beside him was a piece of animal skin inscribed with strange characters.

If Rein were here, she would naturally recognize the secrets written in "Coleman Language" on the animal hide, which records an ancient legend about the "coming of the Black Tide".

When Rein finished reading the book and was about to leave, he saw that the bearded librarian was still sitting at the small table reading, while the cloaked man who had been playing cards had already left.

"See you tomorrow."

He casually waved goodbye to the old man, whom he only knew by nodding acquaintance.

In the afternoon, he planned to return to the laboratory as usual. He would take the steam train back to the Fifth District, passing through familiar streets and alleys, and then descend to the lower levels.

Just as Rein reached a crossroads, Bazel, who had been lurking in the shadows, suddenly appeared and blocked his way.

The werewolf, with his keen senses, said solemnly, "There are seven people hiding in the alley 800 meters ahead. I think you'd better not go down."

Upon hearing this, Rein immediately stopped in his tracks, a bad feeling rising in his heart. He muttered, "Something might have happened in the lab!"

This alley is rarely frequented, so it's unusual for seven people to appear at the same time, especially since they were hidden out of sight.

The more this was the case, the more Rein wanted to get back to the experiment as soon as possible, and suggested, "Let's take another route."

With Bazel around, they easily evaded the hunters lurking in the shadows.

Then, following the pipes, they took another route and arrived near the laboratory entrance.

From a distance, it looked exactly the same as always, with no difference whatsoever.

The words "Poisonous gas inside" on the yellow painted sign were still shiny.

This was recently repainted by Karl.

Even after the traces were cleaned up, a faint smell of poison still lingered in the air. Clearly, the intruder had triggered the poison gas device in the laboratory.

Bazel sniffed the air and said, "There are five people in the lab, including a Fourth Tier expert, but Dr. Ilubeck is no longer there. Judging from their stealth methods, they should be professional intelligence agents."

If the user is a Fourth Tier expert, the poison gas equipment in the laboratory is indeed not very useful.

"People from the Blackwater Platform of the Oma Empire?"

The first thing that came to mind for Rein was the threatening words spoken by the elder of the Winst Family when he left yesterday.

Fighting is prohibited in the "City of Radiance," provided one is not caught or is tacitly approved by law enforcement.

This fifth district is the territory of the Winst Family.

He couldn't help but worry about his teacher, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Those guys from the Winst Family, they're playing dirty tricks now."

The worst-case scenario still happened.

Although neither the people of Omar nor the people of City of Radiance dared to kill such a sensitive figure in the scientific research community.

But who knows, if that hot-tempered old man gets angry and insists on fighting to the death.

Bazel raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rein beside him, saying, "Those guys are probably waiting here for you to walk right into their trap. Don't do anything stupid."

Rein rolled his eyes in annoyance, which was his response.

Although he was indeed very concerned about the old man's situation, he had lived two lives after all, so how could he be the kind of reckless person who would rush into a trap on a whim?

But now that the teacher is gone is a fact, he, as the disciple, naturally has to find out what's going on.

After thinking it over, Rein decided not to act rashly.

He decided to go up to the nineteenth block first to visit "Karl's Mechanical Repair Shop".

Thank you so much for the generous donation from 'Chenyu G'!