Harith walked toward Hector with his hands in his pockets, his face calm but brimming with confidence. "How about we make a bet?" he asked with a faint, slightly mocking smile.
Hector looked at Harith with a scornful gaze. This kid, who seemed unfazed, was challenging him? "You want to gamble with me? Kid, you must be out of your mind," Hector laughed loudly, and his friends joined in, thinking it was just a joke.
Himzed, sitting at a table in the corner of the room, felt a growing unease as he listened to their conversation.
With a smile that never left his face, Hector nodded. "Alright then. If you lose, your finger will have to be cut off. You understand, right?"
Harith remained unfazed. He just chuckled softly, "Heh heh, I agree..." His gaze was sharp, showing that the threat didn't faze him in the slightest.
Himzed swallowed hard, his heart beginning to race. This bet was too dangerous. Yet, Harith remained calm, his expression unchanged. "If you lose," Harith continued, "all your money will be mine, with nothing left."
Hector glanced at his friend Maron and laughed even louder. "Hear that? This kid is really confident," he said, looking at Harith with a sneer.
Returning Hector's cold stare, Harith agreed with an even more cunning smile. "Alright, kid. If I lose, all my money is yours. We just play 1 round"
Then, Hector glanced sharply at Himzed. "And if he loses," Hector pointed at Harith, "you'll lose your finger too. Isn't that fair?"
Himzed felt cold sweat trickle down his temple, his heart pounding rapidly. He looked at Harith, who was still standing tall, showing not a hint of fear.
Despite his anxiety, Himzed knew he had to trust Harith. "Alright... I accept," he replied, his voice slightly trembling.
Hector smiled with satisfaction, feeling that victory was already in his grasp.
The King and Queen cards were placed in front of Hector and Harith.
Harith took 5 normal human cards and 5 sword cards, as did Hector. 145 cards were placed in the middle of the table.
"Alright," Hector said as he brought out a pair of dice.
Whoever rolled the higher number would go first. Hector tossed the dice onto the table, and the number that came up was 4.
Harith picked up the dice and rolled, getting a 1.
Hector smiled. "Alright, I'll start."
Hector drew a card from the stack in the middle of the table, looked at it, and grinned slyly. "Poison, I attack your queen," he said, pointing his finger at the queen card.
Harith responded coldly. He then drew a card from the stack, one he had already memorized out of the 165 cards. When Hector shuffled them, Harith knew exactly which card he would pick. Harith deliberately drew a normal human card and placed it on the table, sacrificing it.
Hector laughed, then took Harith's normal human card and placed it aside.
Hector drew another card from the stack, this time getting a poison card. "Haha," Hector laughed. "Kid, I think you're going to scream in pain."
He placed the poison card on the table. "Poison, I direct this poison at your king," Hector sneered slyly.
Harith looked at Hector, then deliberately drew the wrong card from the stack. Once again, he took a normal human card, sacrificing it.
Hector laughed. "Not bad, kid." He then took the normal human card and set it aside.
Harith gazed at Hector. "I guess... I'm going to lose, the intellectual difference is just too vast... Not bad," Harith chuckled.
Hector laughed, brimming with confidence. "Kid, you're up against a gambling king. You're just plain foolish."
Hector then combined his normal human card with a sword card. "I attack your king," he said, pointing to Harith's king card.
Harith drew a card from the stack. With a swift motion, he picked a shield card and placed it in front of his king card. "Pretty good," Harith said, chuckling.
"You're quite lucky, kid," Hector remarked. He then drew a card from the stack, this time choosing defensively. He got a shield card and kept it.
Himzed watched the match anxiously, hoping Harith would win. In his heart, Himzed prayed,
I hope you can win, Harith... I hope...
Harith drew a card from the stack, this time he picked a poison-neutralizing card, having already predicted that Hector would take the top card—which Harith knew was a poison card. Harith kept the poison-neutralizing card and smiled.
Hector nodded as he touched the stack of cards. He already knew which one was the poison card, having become familiar with these cards through repeated handling. Although he could only identify the poison card, not the others. Hector then drew the top card and kept it, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Harith chuckled and flashed a sly smile. "Feeling lucky, aren't you?"
Hector raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Harith chuckled again. "Never mind." He then pulled a card from the stack, drawing the Poison Card. Harith planned to combine the poison card with the sword card. Only a protection card combined with a normal human card or a normal human card combined with armor could protect the king and queen from this combined attack.
Hector then drew a card from the stack, pulling the Spear Card.
Ah, I suppose my luck isn't great. If he has the poison, I'II have to sacrifie my human card mixed with my protection card. And If there's a second attack, then my normal human card will have to be sacrified.
Hector paused for a moment before saying, "Alright." He placed the spear card on the table. "I attack your protection card." A single spear card attack wouldn't be enough; it required another attack. Hector was just trying to weaken Harith's defenses.
Harith quickly revealed a normal human card combined with a sword and said, "I attack your king." A sly smile spread across his face.
Hector felt frustrated, realizing that he should have been more cautious from the start. He knew that every player had five sword cards. Hector drew another card from the stack and got a spear card again.
Damn it! How is that possible?!
Hector held onto the spear card and was forced to sacrifice two of his normal human cards.
Harith then revealed a sword card and the poison card, combining them. "I attack your king," he said, pointing towards the king.
Hector felt immense pressure. His hands trembled as he drew another card from the stack and got another spear card.
Damn it! Ahhhhhhhh! Why? Why?
Reluctantly, Hector sacrificed another normal human card, leaving him with only one normal human cards.
Harith chuckled, then drew another card from the stack and pulled the poison card. He attacked by combining the poison card with a normal human card. "I attack your king card."
Hector drew a card from the stack, hoping to get a poison neutralizing card. When he drew it, he got the Armor Card.
I'm a bit lucky... Combining this armor card with my remaining normal human card will require two attacks to break.
Hector combined his last normal human card with the armor, creating a strong enough defense for his king.
Harith laughed, then drew a card from the stack. He drew the spear card and combined it with a normal human card. "I attack the human card combined with the armor."
With this attack, Hector's normal human card combined with the armor was defeated. Hector swallowed hard, shocked.
"Impossible..."
Hector drew a card from the stack, hoping to get a good one. However, he only pulled an arrow card. Frustration welled up inside him.
Without a bow card, this arrow card is useless!
Hector held onto the arrow card. Harith chuckled slyly. "You're done," he said, placing a sword card combined with a normal human card. "I attack your king card."
Hector clenched his fist, then drew another card from the stack. Unfortunately, due to the extreme pressure and distraction, he pulled another spear card.
Hector gave up. "I-I've lost..."
He slumped down, his face showing deep depression, overwhelmed by stress.
"How could I lose to a kid?!"
Harith chuckled, then took all of Hector's money, as well as the money Hector had taken from Himzed.
Harith then walked over to Himzed and said, "Here's your money, and this is mine. Bye bye." Harith walked away.
Hector was left feeling deeply stressed, while Himzed quickly followed Harith out of the bar.