"Prince of Shadows!"
Ethan's pupils contracted sharply.
He was no stranger to that title.
In his past life, he had been killed by that very god.
Even now, the memory of that battle was still fresh in his mind.
Both of them were masters of the shadow domain.
However, the Prince of Shadows was a myth, while Ethan had only reached the level of a legend.
As a result, Ethan was utterly crushed in the fight, unable to put up any resistance.
"What's wrong? Do you know Bilal?"
Roy noticed Ethan's strange reaction and asked curiously.
"Of course. Who wouldn't know the Prince of Shadows?"
Ethan didn't deny it.
After all, the Prince of Shadows was still a god, even though he didn't have as many widespread followers as the other major deities.
Yet to rogue players, he was still someone to revere.
"That's true."
Roy nodded, giving Ethan a once-over before smiling and saying,
"Adventurer, how about a little gamble?"
"What do you mean?"
Ethan frowned, unsure of Roy's intentions.
"It's simple. You've probably already realized that I'm a gambler, and I've taken a liking to something you have."
Roy spoke as he pointed at the *Eternal Fire* hanging around Ethan's neck.
Ethan looked down at the pendant and immediately understood.
Roy wanted to gamble for his *Eternal Fire*.
To be honest, Ethan was averse to gambling.
In his previous life, gambling had cost him everything—his family, his life.
But this was also an opportunity.
If Roy wanted the *Eternal Fire*, Ethan had his eye on the dwarven artifact Roy possessed.
As for whether or not he could win, Ethan didn't dwell on it too much.
If he won, great. If he lost, it was just a failed quest.
With that thought in mind, Ethan made up his mind.
He pretended to hesitate for a moment before finally saying,
"I'll gamble with you, but you have to put up something of equal value."
"Of course. I'm a gambler, and I play fair."
Roy smiled slightly, pulling out a small piece of wood, saying,
"This is from the Tree of Life, an epic-grade item. I won it from a dwarven merchant."
"Dwarven!"
The moment Ethan heard that, he knew this was the item Keke Luo was searching for.
However, he didn't immediately agree. He scrutinized the wooden branch for a moment before shaking his head, pretending to be dissatisfied.
"Even if it's an epic item, it's still just a crafting material. It's not on par with the *Eternal Fire*, is it?"
"Hmm..."
Roy frowned, considering it for a moment. Then, he took out two skill books.
"How about I add these two shadow skills? With your shadow talent, you meet the learning requirements. This is my final offer."
Seeing the two skill books, Ethan's breathing became shallow with excitement.
The skills were *Shadow Concealment* and *Shadow Leap*—one for invisibility, the other for teleportation—both top-tier rogue skills.
And with Ethan's shadow talent, he could learn them right away.
"Deal! I'll take the gamble!" Ethan agreed.
"Hahaha, the game is on! No turning back now!"
The moment Ethan agreed, Roy burst into excited laughter.
Suddenly, a system notification rang in Ethan's mind.
**Ding! You have accepted Roy's challenge and will now enter the Rule Space—Roy's Gambling Table.**
**Note: In this space, no skills may be used.**
With a wave of Roy's hand, an illusory portal enveloped both of them.
The scenery around them changed instantly. The circus was gone, replaced by a massive gambling table.
On the other side of the table, a luxurious throne appeared.
Roy was now seated there, smiling smugly at Ethan.
"Foolish adventurer, welcome to my casino!"
Ethan's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Roy to possess a rule-based artifact.
No wonder Roy had been so willing to bet an epic item and two skill books.
Perhaps from the very beginning, he knew Ethan was targeting him.
Still, Ethan wasn't overly worried.
Rule-based artifacts were troublesome, but once you figured out their rules, there was always a way out.
This was clearly a gambling table, meaning the game would follow the rules of gambling.
And as long as that was the case, it wasn't certain who would win and who would lose.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan calmed himself down.
He looked across the table at Roy and sneered,
"It's just a gamble. It's not like you're guaranteed to win!"
"Haha, with my *Thousand Trick Hands*, this is my domain. That *Eternal Fire* is as good as mine!"
Roy chuckled, pointing to the gambling table.
"Pick a game. I'll warn you now—don't waste time. In this Rule Space, no one can leave until the gamble is over."
"Don't worry, I want this over even faster than you do."
Ethan's gaze landed on the gambling table.
It was covered with cards, dice, mahjong, roulette, a spinning wheel, and even a revolver.
To be honest, if they were on Terra, Ethan would still feel confident betting against Roy.
After all, Ethan was no stranger to gambling himself, and he knew a few tricks.
But this was a game, and Roy had the *Thousand Trick Hands* talent, the top-tier ability for gamblers.
If they competed in skill, Ethan would lose for sure.
Given that, it was better to keep things simple—leave it all to luck.
Ethan looked up at Roy and asked,
"You're confident in your gambling skills, right?"
"Of course!"
"In that case, let's play something unique."
"Like what?" Roy asked, intrigued.
"Simple. You draw a card from a deck, and I'll guess its face. If I guess wrong, you win. If I guess right, I win."
"Haha, are you crazy? With this game, you'll lose for sure!"
Roy couldn't help but laugh. Did this adventurer think they were still in the outside world?
This was Rule Space. Ethan couldn't use any skills like *Inspect*.
Without any hints, unless he could predict the future, there was no way he would guess correctly.
"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Ethan taunted.
"Why would I be scared? Fine, we'll play by your rules."
Roy slapped the table in a show of confidence.
As soon as he spoke, a powerful pressure filled the space.
A gigantic face appeared overhead—it was the embodiment of the rules.
The face watched over Roy and Ethan, then spoke slowly:
**"The game has been decided: Guess the Card!"**
**"Drawer: Roy. Stakes: The Branch of the Tree of Life, the *Shadow Leap* skill book, and the *Shadow Concealment* skill book."**
**"Guesser: Dustwalker. Stakes: The *Eternal Fire*."**
As the voice finished, all other items on the gambling table disappeared, leaving only a deck of cards.
Roy didn't hesitate. He picked up the deck, shuffled it a few times, then randomly drew one card and placed it on the table.
"Guess."
"I guess... the King of Clubs."
"Haha, you're wrong! It's the Ace of Hearts!"
Roy laughed triumphantly, flipping over the card to reveal the Ace of Hearts.
The giant face above them spoke again:
**"The game is over. The winner is Roy. The loser is Dustwalker. All stakes will go to Ro... Ro..."**
"Hmm? What's going on?"
Roy froze, looking up at the embodiment of the rules in confusion.
By now, he should have received Ethan's *Eternal Fire*, but nothing happened.
At the same time, a notification rang in Ethan's mind.
**Ding! *Try Again* has been triggered. Time and space are rewinding.**
**Friendly Reminder: Your memory will be preserved during the rewind.**
"It finally triggered! This time, I'm winning!"