Chapter 16: Chapter 15: The One Percent (4)

Meya escaped unit 400, her body wrought with exhaustion.

Although Madam Lexene brought her own servant, Meya was still responsible for cleaning the entire 400 unit. Fortunately, many other tasks were offloaded to other employees, such as cooking her meals and preparing her clothes.

Within unit 400, Madam Lexene lounged on a sofa with a perplexed look. She read through the multiple reports procured by Manager Xin earlier.

“Interesting…”

She flipped another page.

“Anything that I may assist, Madam?”

Jun spoke up from the side of the room, where he prepared their itinerary.

“No.”

She languidly rose from the sofa and stretched her slim body.

“Prepare the bath, the usual. I’ll be expecting your best, Jun.”

“Yes, Madam.”

The young man bowed and departed from the room.

Who is this Little X? I have never seen this name. A traveler?

The woman eyed the report placed on the table, which displayed the roster of residents.

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In unit 401, Meya and the boy prepared to depart for the House of Amaryllis. Their excitement was barely contained, like an electric spark ready to leap into a bundle of kindling.

For the past week, they gambled at the House of Amaryllis. Each night, filled with fun and games, was more prosperous than the last.

At this time, Meya’s pool of funds already reached 34 high-rank spirit shards, an incredible feat considering that they started the adventure with only a single low-rank spirit shard.

Unfortunately, Meya knew that their time together would soon come to an end.

The boy only had three days left for his stay, which was coincidentally when Madam Lexene would be leaving as well.

34 spirit shards… I cheated the hotel out of 200 high rank spirit shards by letting Little X stay here. I’ll have to find that much money before he leaves.

Meya never truly wanted to be deceptive.

They always played passively, but their success when playing Chaos Round still shone brightly. However tonight, Meya considered a more aggressive approach.

What could possibly go wrong?

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the gambling tables, which they promptly walked towards the set of red tables. These tables were the next tier of buy in price, which was a single high rank spirit shard.

The boy trembled with excitement as the first round soon began.

Over the last couple of weeks his calculations improved drastically. Currently, he was around 80% accurate when first arriving at a table, but the longer they played he would become even more accurate, up towards 95% accuracy.

Spirit shards soon flowed like wine.

The boy no longer indicated how much Meya should bet, instead he simply gave her the percentage chance of winning. Meya’s net worth swiftly rose from 34 spirit shards to 184 spirit shards, all high rank of course.

The conversion rate was 100 high-rank spirit shards in order to obtain a single peak-rank spirit shard. Despite owning the required amount, Meya’s tower trial wouldn’t be completed until she converted her high-rank shards into a peak-rank shard.

Just a bit more and his hotel fees can be covered…

She didn’t bother considering her own trial until her debts were paid.

“Look who it is. The slut who somehow managed to give away my room this month.”

A familiar voice floated across the room, causing a small commotion among the participants. The distant sneer interrupted Meya’s thoughts.

“Senior Sun please-“

An employee stepped in to mediate but was cut off immediately.

“Shut up, fool.”

Sun Fang shifted his scrutinizing gaze back on to Meya.

“And who might your companion be? Let me guess, you’ve whored yourself out to some young master from an upper family in hopes of becoming his wife? Meya you disgust me. I could have given you all of that and more.”

It was only when Sun Fang mentioned Meya’s name that the boy realized the senile old man was referring to them.

The boy lazily glimpsed at Sun Fang, annoyed and bored.

What does this insignificant old man want? What could be more important than… this game of thrill and risk?

He didn’t spare the old man an extra thought, but Sun Fang wasn’t one to be ignored.

“Say, when did you become so wealthy? You’re just a maid. How could you be playing at the red tables? Say, hey, did that young master give you the money? Hey, did you fuck him for the money? You really did it, didn’t you?”

Sun Fang’s demeaned and prattled, causing a wave of displeasure to ripple throughout the spectators.

It was one thing to degrade a woman, but it was another thing to degrade a woman employed by the Flowering Lotus Hotel. Did Sun Fang not fear Madam Lexene?

“Do you mind? I’m entertaining a guest at the moment. If you have a quarrel with how the hotel does business, then please raise it to my manager.”

Meya spoke curtly before turning away from him.

The host of the table, in charge of dealing the orbs and moderating the game, was lost. Should he continue the next round? Or should he wait patiently?

The host started the next round and silently prayed the problem would go away.

High percentage… bet.

Meya placed 70 high rank spirit shards as her stake—an easy win.

“Whoa, whoa, I didn’t realize you had that much money. You just bet 70 shards without batting an eye? I tell you what, Meya. Come sit at the purple table with me, and we’ll make a bet between ourselves. Mere spirit shards isn’t enough to entice this hero.”

Sun Fang refused to give up his harassment.

“Not interested.”

Meya didn’t even turn in his direction when responding.

“Don’t be like that, perhaps you might be an employee of the hotel, but it looks like your little lover isn’t…”

As soon as he said this, Sun Fang’s previous threat rang clear in her mind.

Meya here, can spend the rest of her life watching her back.

However, now it seemed that he was changing the target of his threat to her companion.

Many around the table understood his implications and clicked their tongue in disgust, but nobody dared to voice their disapproval. After all, this was a world where strength reigned supreme, and Sun Fang’s wealth was a type of strength.

The host was once more caught in an impasse. Should he start the next round, or wait?

He didn’t have to debate for long as Meya got up herself. A dark look cast shadows across her face as she steadily made her way to the purple table followed by the boy.

Meya is angry? I’ve never seen her mad.

The boy glanced sideways at Meya and remained silent.

The couple sat opposite of Sun Fang, who continued to devour Meya. His gaze was a mixture of desire, deceit, and arrogance.

After Sun Fang managed to tear his eyes away from Meya’s beautiful frame, he inspected the young boy next to her. He actually couldn’t determine if it was a boy or girl due to the cloak and bunny mask, but he assumed.

“What are the stakes and how should we bet.”

Meya spoke up first.

The host of the purple table was much more experienced and waited before starting the next round. Upper class individuals regularly made their own bets. Situations that the host knew not to interfere with.

“We’ll both start with 50 high rank spirit shards, the first person to run out loses, otherwise we’ll see who has the most after one hour.”

It was a simple gamble, and the host secretly nodded in approval as he knew that it was difficult to walk away with winnings after an hour of gambling.

“The stakes… hmm.”

Sun Fang pretended to think before his lips formed a crooked smile.

“If you win, then I’ll leave you two alone and will forget everything that’s happened. If I win then… Well, despite being spoiled goods, I still want a taste. I’ll have you if I win.”

The spectators were secretly shocked at Sun Fang’s bold claim.

“Senior Sun, isn’t this a little much?”

Another esteemed individual spoke up on Meya’s behalf. It was unknown if that person was simply trying to curry favor with the Flowering Lotus Hotel or truly felt concern.

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Meya bit her lip and secretly eyed the boy next to her. She could easily decline his stakes, but that would potentially put the youth next to her at risk. At this point, she felt she owed quite a bit to him for teaching her how to properly gamble.

Unfortunately, she had no idea what was going through the boy’s mind, or how powerful he was on his own. In the boy’s case, there was little to fear from Sun Fang, but he was also clueless as to what kind of threats were delivered.

In fact, the boy wasn’t even sure what the stakes were on both ends.

In his mind, it was a pointless game of words and he simply thought that they should just gamble with spirit shards. The thrill of winning more spirit shards was much more exciting than whatever they were talking about.

The boy nodded towards Meya as if to give her approval. She was shocked that the boy easily accepted, but she thought about it more.

Since when has Little X ever lost in gambling anyway?

She mistook his ignorance for confidence.

“Whatever you say. If you go back on your words then Madam Lexene will be seeking answers from you, Sun Fang. After all, the House of Amaryllis is also owned by her. Our generous host is our witness.”

Meya agreed to the almost one-sided bet, causing a round of gasps from the audience.

The host nodded and immediately began the first round of the high stakes bet.

Sun Fang started off confident. Although he wasn’t amazing at gambling, he had been gambling for decades and had a wealth of experience. He knew that winning was pointless against the house and was an expert at mitigating losses.

However after half an hour passed by, he quickly realized that something was off.

Meya’s initial funds of 50 high rank spirit shards skyrocketed to over 300 high rank spirit shards. His own stash was sitting at 60 high rank spirit shards, which could be considered good.

“Y-you’re cheating!”

Sun Fang exclaimed from across the table.

“Me? How?”

Meya responded in a coy voice. She knew she was going to win this bet by a landslide, even though the time wasn’t even halfway through.

“Host, she must be cheating! How could she have won so much?”

“Sir, this is a gambling house. This young woman has been gambling, with exceptional luck I must add. It’s her risk to place the bets and she is rewarded as such.”

The host gave a curt reply, it was clear that he wasn’t a fan of Sun Fang.

“Fine then!”

The next round started, and Sun Fang bet all 60 high rank spirit shards.

“I refuse to believe that my luck is any worse than hers.”

He glared at Meya from across the table.

Meya didn’t increase her stake because the chance of winning was low. The round ended, resulting in Sun Fang’s win.

“See? How could a lowly whore be blessed with luck in comparison to me. Even my birth is more lucky than she’ll ever be.”

Sun Fang proceeded to bet all 120 high rank spirit shards, while Meya bet the minimum.

Sun Fang won once more, netting him 240 high rank spirit shards.

“Hah! If I just do this again, then I’ll be able to taste you tonight. I promise not to be gentle.”

Sun Fang roared with laughter and bet all 240 high rank spirit shards.

At this point, the boy figured out what the stakes were.

Apparently, if Meya loses then she has to give herself to Sun Fang? How could I have been so stupid?

He foolishly let Meya accept such a one-sided bet earlier. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret.

On the other hand, Meya simply bet the minimum once more as her odds of winning were quite low. The round ended, resulting in Sun Fang’s win once more, netting him 480 high rank spirit shards.

“Wow, he’s insanely lucky.”

“Truly, if I had his kind of luck…”

“Not only that, but it looks like he’s passed that young lass… Does that mean?”

The spectators couldn’t help but murmur amongst themselves at the spectacle. The host sighed and lamented. It was always the worst kind of people that would have these streaks of luck.

Sun Fang laughed hysterically.

“Seeing that I’ve won, tonight I’ll have to give you a pet name. Look forward to it!”

He said with a wide smile.

“Sir, there are still fifteen minutes left to your bet. Please be patient.”

The host interjected and began the next round.

This time, Sun Fang bet the minimum to preserve his lead. On the other hand, Meya bet 250 high rank spirit shards.

Both players won, but since Sun Fang only bet the minimum, he was easily passed by. Veins bulged on his forward once he realized that he was going to lose once more.

“Don’t think this is enough for me to give up!”

Sun Fang once again placed his entire pool into the betting zone, all 490 spirit shards.

Meya simply bet the minimum. After all, the odds were atrocious.

The round ended and Meya lost her bet. However Sun Fang… also lost his bet! He currently had zero spirit shards, which meant Meya won.

Not only did Meya not have to worry about Sun Fang’s wrath, but she was also walking away with a hefty payout!

“What…”

Realization dawned on the old man. While 490 high rank spirit shards couldn’t be considered as life altering, they were still a massive sum to him.

“Hoho! Congratulations on winning young lady!”

“That was most impressive. I applaud your luck as well.”

People around the table praised Meya for securing her win.

She gave her signature dimpled smile before turning to the boy next to her; then in front of everyone, gave him a giant hug.

Cheers rang out around the table from everyone but one individual—Sun Fang.

The man’s face warped like someone had twisted a knife into his gut.

Not only did he just lose 490 high rank spirit shards when he could have simply walked away, but now he had to watch this scene of affection. Sun Fang stalked off into the distance while fuming.

Despite the jubilant atmosphere, the boy was quite annoyed.

Can we start the next round already?!

He didn’t really care for all the excitement around him. His source of thrill and entertainment came from winning or losing in the next high stakes gamble he could make.

Seeing that they now had a healthy amount of high rank spirit shards, he didn’t hesitate to have Meya bet with bigger numbers.

Very quickly, Meya exceeded 1000 high rank spirit shards. Due to exhilaration of winning and her extreme faith in the boy, she neglected to recognize the beginning signs of a gambling addiction forming within him.

“Ma’am, we’ll need you to come this way to verify a few things.”

Two men stood behind them at the table.

They had been watching the high stakes gambling for a while now. Although it happened rarely, it was policy to vet anyone that exceeded 1000 high rank spirit shards in winnings. Even the two guards were dumbstruck when this finally happened.

“Of course, of course.”

Meya smiled gently and got up from her seat, naturally she was aware of this rule.

“I’ll be right back Little X; they just need to confirm I’m not cheating the game and to exchange the funds.”

Meya’s excitement reached all new highs, she would finally be able to come into possession of a peak rank spirit shard!

She wasn’t worried about the hotel cheating her out of her winnings or even being falsely accused of cheating, mostly because the house’s reputation was on the line.

The boy nodded and watched as she walked away.

A downcast aura radiated outward, and while some would assume it’s because his escort had left him alone, they could not be any more wrong.

It was because this entire time he had been gambling with Meya as the medium. Now that Meya was gone, he would have to watch everyone else around him gamble while he couldn’t participate.

“Young master, will you be joining us?”

The host gave a formal smile towards the boy.

Just as he was about to shake his head no, he remembered something crucial.

Don’t I have my own money? I can just use that!

He fumbled through his pouch of holding and procured 17 high rank spirit shards. These were spirit shards he obtained earlier by exchanging the 1700 mid-rank spirit shards for.

He placed his bet of ten high-rank spirit shards as the buy in price and the round began.

However, much to his dismay, the chance of winning was exceedingly low. Losing his starting bet of ten high-rank spirit shards, he was left with only seven, which was conveniently not enough for him to play again.

Once more an aura of depression stabbed the players around him, but a voice soon interrupted his mood.

“Young man, you’re from the hotel aren’t you? What room token do you have?”

One of the guests sitting at the table asked him after seeing that he only had seven high-rank spirit shards.

The boy took out his purple room token, causing the speaker to retain his surprise.

“Impressive, you know that based on the room token you can borrow from the house? With the purple token you can borrow up to 10 times the amount. So you could borrow up to 70 high rank spirit shards.”

A light bulb went off in the boy’s mind once he heard this news. He looked expectantly at the host who nodded to confirm the information.

“I’d like to borrow 10 times this amount.”

He placed all seven spirit shards down.

“Right away, young master.”

In mere moments, a pile of 77 high rank spirit shards were in front of the young boy and the next round soon began.

Fortunately, it was a round with a very high chance of winning. He bet all 70 of the shards, which caused others to shoot him strange glances.

To these experienced players, betting your entire stash was not the ideal way to play the game. Most would rather play the game for a long amount of time, so they bet sparingly and only when the orb combination was perfect.

Much to their surprise, the boy won the round.

He gave the 70 borrowed shards back to the host with a beaming smile.

“Thank you for the help.”

He thanked the other player for the valuable information. That person had truly saved him from a boring time. It wasn’t the end of the world to step down to the lower table, but the boy really liked the atmosphere of the purple table much better than the red tables.

It was almost like living as a higher existence compared to the masses before.

“Ahh, think nothing of it.”

The man waved his hand and wiped away some cold sweat. If that young boy had lost all of those borrowed spirit shards then he would have felt somewhat responsible.

A tumultuous hour passed by.

The boy consistently won round after round while simultaneously mitigating his losses. To the astonishment of the other players, his net worth crept higher and higher all the way until he reached 780 high rank spirit shards.

“This is insane. He’s better at this game than that young lass before!”

“I wonder if they have a secret between them…”

“Do you think they really were cheating?”

“How could they be cheating when they’re playing so openly!”

The players were in an uproar, which only caused the boy to become even more excited. The next round began, and as usual the boy started off with the minimum.

Orbs were passed around, and much to the boy’s surprise he recognized this pattern before!

92..95…99% There’s more than a 99% chance of winning this round. The only way I could lose is if someone drew harmony, but we just saw a harmony orb two rounds ago, so the odds are even lower than usual.

The boy did mental calculations at blinding speeds.

“Host, I’d like to borrow 10 times this amount.”

The boy pushed in all 780 high rank spirit shards, which caused the host to become speechless.

In front of the host was a young boy, who originally had barely enough to buy in at the table and was now asking to borrow 7800 high rank spirit shards. It was an insane amount of money for any one person to command.

“Er, yes… Just a minute young master.”

He swiftly pulled out an employee token and whispered some words.

A few minutes squeaked by, and eventually, two guards came forth, acting as witnesses for the table.

The host nervously made eye contact with the guards and nodded towards the young boy. The guards looked in the youth’s direction before revealing two suitcases that were full of spirit shards.

“Borrowing 7800 high rank spirit shards. May I confirm your room number, honored guest?”

One of the guards spoke up.

The boy extended his room token outwards, and after just a moment the guard nodded.

“Then, best of luck young master.”

He placed the suitcases down and stood off to the side. He would need to see the end of this gamble for security reasons.

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At the Flowering Lotus Hotel, Madam Lexene conversed with Manager Xin.

“So you’re telling me, that you do not know who is staying in unit 401?”

“I apologize for my negligence, Madam Lexene.”

She bowed her head.

“Then where is the guest now?”

Madam Lexene shifted her weight to one leg and placed her hand on her hip.

“I apologize, but I do not know. I will start searching for the guest, please forgive me.”

“Find the guest. I must meet this, Little X.”

“Of course, Madam-“

A voice interrupted Manager Xin at that moment.

“Manager, who is the guest staying at unit 401?”

A shaky and deep voice came from the other end of her employee token.

Madam Lexene outstretched her hand towards the manager. Manager Xin handed over her employee token with a sinking feeling.

“This is Lexene. Speak.”

“M-Madam Lexene! Um, it’s nothing to trouble you, but the guest at unit 401 borrowed a large sum of money at the House of Amaryllis.”

Once Madam Lexene heard this, she stared at Manager Xin with a raised eyebrow.

“And? Why does that matter?”

“W-Well you see, he lost the bet…”

The man spoke carefully and hesitantly.

“So? Have his background cover his losses then.”

She snapped back to the man.

“Er, we… he doesn’t have a background. He’s alone.”

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Manager Xin made eye contact with Jun, who was standing towards the back. He closed his eyes and nodded before speaking up.

“Madam Lexene, I’ll go on ahead to the house and find the guest.”

“No, we’ll go together.”

She didn’t give the man a single chance to slink away before turning her attention back to the token.

“How much debt does he owe us?”

“…7800 high rank shards…”

The reply came out after a small pause.

“Thank you, detain him. I’ll be on the way.”

She handed the token back to Manager Xin without waiting to hear the reply.

“Who is he?”

She asked with narrowed eyes.

“I’ve never met him…”

Manager Xin knew that the situation wasn’t looking good and she continued.

“But I can ask arou-“

A whiplash to her face interrupted her, like a lightning infused snake.

Madam Lexene backhanded the woman, leaving red marks across her cheeks. Jun closed his eyes and looked away. It was moments of powerlessness like this that he hated the most.

“Manager Xin, I’ve seen the books. I know that unit 401 was shortchanged and was practically rented out for free. I also know that Meya snuck the name Little X onto the roster. Tell me, just who is this Little X and why does he deserve such privilege.”

Manager Xin maintained her silence and simply bowed her head lower.

“Forget it. I’ll be back. Let’s go Jun.”

Madam Lexene strode by the servile woman, who simply remained with her head bowed.

Manager Xin knew no words could save this situation. At this point, she prayed that Jun would think of something.

It’ll be fine… as long as he doesn’t sign a contract.