As soon as the notification ended, time and space shifted within the gambling realm.
Ethan saw a flash of white light, and in an instant, he was back just a few seconds earlier.
Roy, completely unaware of what had happened, was still seated confidently on his throne, waiting.
The card was already placed on the gambling table.
"Go ahead and guess. There's no point in stalling," Roy urged, seeing Ethan hesitate.
"What's the rush? I guess... it's the Ace of Hearts," Ethan calmly said.
"You...!"
Roy was dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief.
"How is that possible? How did you know?"
"Just lucky, I guess," Ethan smirked, offering no explanation.
He wasn't sure if "Try Again" would work in this space, but he had taken a gamble.
And now, it seemed his bet had paid off.
"The game is over!"
The voice of the rule embodiment echoed again.
"The winner is Dustwalker. The loser is Roy. All wagers go to Dustwalker. Do both parties wish to continue the game?"
As soon as the voice finished, the *Branch of the Tree of Life* and the two skill books materialized in Ethan's inventory.
Roy watched helplessly, unable to do anything.
Ethan didn't waste time on him. He immediately pulled out the two skill books and learned them.
**Ding! You have learned *Shadow Concealment*.**
**Ding! You have learned *Shadow Leap*.**
**Due to the influence of *Twin Shadows*, *Shadow Concealment* has been enhanced.**
**Shadow Concealment: When in a shadowy environment, you can effortlessly enter stealth mode and become hard to detect.**
**Casting Condition: Must be in shadows.**
**Cooldown: 30 seconds.**
...
**Shadow Leap: You can freely enter the shadow realm, enabling spatial jumps.**
**Casting Condition: None.**
**Cooldown: 1 minute.**
"I've learned two new skills!"
Ethan couldn't help but smile, looking at his new abilities.
These skills were originally for rogues, but thanks to his high agility and shadow talent, he could also use them.
"Alright, the game's over. I'm leaving now," Ethan said, preparing to exit the game.
"Wait, don't you want to bet again?"
Suddenly, Roy stopped him.
He couldn't accept losing.
This was supposed to be a sure-win situation, yet he had been completely flipped.
Not only did he fail to obtain the *Eternal Fire*, but he also lost an epic item and valuable skills.
Desperate to reclaim his losses, Roy was determined to win it all back.
"Sure," Ethan agreed without hesitation.
He wasn't going to pass up another chance to win easily.
"But... do you have anything else to wager?"
"Of course I do! Over the years, I've won plenty of valuable items,"
Roy said as he pulled out a short sword.
"I don't want gear. I want skill books," Ethan refused.
While equipment was useful, skills were far more valuable to him right now.
Skills could be used by his shadow clones, while gear could only be equipped by him.
"Fine. Skill books it is."
Roy shot him an annoyed look, then fished out a skill book from his inventory.
"This is *Flame Jump*, an escape skill."
"I know, but it's not enough."
Ethan shook his head. *Flame Jump* was a magician's skill, similar to *Shadow Leap*.
Although it was rare, it wasn't nearly as valuable as two epic items.
"I've got more!"
Roy gritted his teeth and pulled out several more skill books.
Ethan quickly scanned them and found two that suited him:
*Shadow Strike*, a swift assassination move with a high agility requirement,
and *Hat Trick*, a unique space storage skill that allowed you to stash items in a magical hat, much like a storage ring in fantasy novels.
Ethan mentally tallied up the value of all three skill books and shook his head again.
"It's still not enough. These only equal about one epic item."
"This is all I've got!"
Roy was furious. He was already pushing his luck, but Ethan was still demanding more.
"Well then, I guess that's that," Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. Then, with a mischievous smile, he pointed around the room.
"Why don't we use this rule space as collateral?"
"Dream on!" Roy snapped.
There was no way he would bet his rule space. It was his most prized possession.
Even if he lost everything, he would never gamble that.
"I'm just joking. This space might be great, but it's not suited for me," Ethan smirked, knowing Roy would never agree to that.
He just wanted to irritate him a little.
"Then what do you want? Just say it already!"
Roy was losing his patience. All he wanted was to win back his losses.
"Well... give me two more items: one short sword and one top hat, both at the purple-gold grade."
"Deal!"
Roy agreed without hesitation.
Although purple-gold items were rare, he was willing to bet them to get his epic items back.
He produced a short sword and, reluctantly, took off the hat on his head and placed both items on the table.
After taking a deep breath, Roy said,
"Let's start."
The gigantic face hovering above them had been waiting for this moment. As soon as the stakes were set, it declared,
**"The game has been decided: Guess the Card!"**
**"Drawer: Roy. Stakes: *Flame Jump*, *Shadow Strike*, *Hat Trick*, Fanged Fish Dagger, Roy's Top Hat."**
**"Guesser: Dustwalker. Stakes: *Eternal Fire*, Branch of the Tree of Life."**
Once the rules were announced, Roy began shuffling the cards again, taking extra care this time.
After a long moment, he flicked his thumb, sending a card flying into his hand.
"Go ahead and guess!"
"Put it down," Ethan said, eyeing the table warily. "Who knows if you'll swap it out?"
"I'm a gambler, not a cheat," Roy grumbled, though he placed the card on the table as instructed.
Ethan didn't care for his excuses.
"I'm guessing it's the Ace of Spades."
"Hahaha, you're wrong! It's the Ace of Spades—wait, what?"
Roy flipped the card with glee, only to find the Ace of Spades staring back at him.
"Oh, looks like my luck isn't that great today," Ethan sighed with exaggerated disappointment.
Just then, the system notification chimed again:
**Ding! *Try Again* has been triggered. Time and space are rewinding.**
**Friendly Reminder: Your memory will be preserved during the rewind.**
Time rewound once again, and the card was back on the table, just as before.
"Well? Hurry up and guess already! You're stalling again!"
Roy impatiently urged, unable to wait any longer.
"I guess... it's the Ace of Spades."
"..."
Roy was utterly speechless, frozen in shock.
How could this be happening?
Twice now, Ethan had guessed correctly.
How was it possible for someone to be so lucky in a game entirely reliant on chance?
Once could be attributed to pure luck, but twice? That couldn't be a coincidence.
Roy's mind raced. Could Ethan have some kind of ability that was influencing the game?
No, that wasn't possible.
This rule space was akin to a god's domain, imbued with a fragment of divine power.
There was no way anyone could interfere, not unless they had something that surpassed god-tier power.
But how else could he explain what just happened?
"Do you... have a power that's above god-tier?" Roy asked cautiously.
"What power? I'm just lucky. Today my luck stat is +7. Why else would I dare gamble with you?"
Ethan's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm facade.
Roy was perceptive, quickly catching on to the strange situation.
The ability to manipulate time and space, even within a god's rule space, did indeed seem like a power beyond gods.
But Ethan would never admit that.
If certain evil gods caught wind of his ability, he'd be in serious danger.
"Well then, a deal's a deal. All the wagers are mine now,"
Ethan said as he scooped up everything from the table, stuffing them into his inventory.
Looking at Roy's dazed expression, Ethan smirked and asked,
"Feeling unsatisfied? Want to go again?"
"No!" Roy shook his head firmly.
He may be a gambler, but he wasn't a fool.
He knew when to cut his losses.
After today, it was clear he couldn't win against Ethan.
But that didn't mean Roy was giving up.
He would find a way to reclaim what he'd lost.
Looking at Ethan, Roy said,
"Dustwalker, right? I'll remember you. Once your lucky streak runs out, I'll come for you."
"You're welcome anytime," Ethan replied with a smile.
Then he chose to end the game.
A flash of white light enveloped them, and they were both back at the circus.
**Ding! Player Dustwalker, two of your items have made it onto the leaderboard. Would you like to reveal your ID?**
As soon as they returned to the real world, Ethan received another system notification.
"Yes," he answered, then quickly turned to leave.
He didn't want to stick around long enough for Roy to change his mind and try to kill him.
There were no true safe zones in *Godfall*.
While towns were free from monster attacks, crazed NPCs could still attack players.
After putting some distance between himself and Roy, Ethan finally made his way to an inn and felt a sense of relief.