The Gambling King's Gift

The rest-and-recovery period had ended, and the 5th Training Ground opened its gates once more.

Raon set out for the training ground for the first time in quite a while, ready to resume his regimen.

Hmm?

Everyone he passed on the way looked at him with peculiar eyes. Where once they had regarded him like a pebble on the roadside, today they stared as if they had spotted some rare creature. Mixed in among those gazes were looks of goodwill — and of hostility.

"That is the nature of humans."

Wrath, who had been nestled in the bracelet, slithered out in a lazy drift.

"They ignore the weak and revere the strong. Humans are swayed by power no less than beasts."

I've been seeing eye to eye with you a lot lately.

Raon nodded. Just as Wrath said, those looks were proof that he now possessed strength.

Of course, not every gaze was kind. There was jealousy, envy, and even raw, undisguised killing intent.

What's the Demon Realm like? Even worse, I'd bet.

"Curious, are you? Then This King shall tell you. It is a place quite unlike what humans imagine. Though of course, the weak there aren't even treated as livestock."

Wrath muttered that there was nowhere in the world where the powerless received respect.

"You did well this time. You gathered the emotion of wrath and utterly crushed that ugly brat. Even subdued his father. It has been a long while since This King was so pleased with your actions."

Is that so?

"It is. There is but one regret. You failed to kill him. When This King still resided in the Demon Realm, any who dared lay a hand on me were frozen into blocks of ice…"

No sooner had Wrath finished speaking than a message bloomed before Raon's eyes.

Wrath was satisfied — and the stats had gone up.

What's this windfall?

Raon rounded his lips. An unexpected reward first thing in the morning put him in an excellent mood.

"This damned system! Why does it only treat This King as its master at times like this!"

Wrath glared at the system message that still refused to obey him, drawing his rage ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up like a tide.

Thanks. I'm growing even faster because of you.

"Shut your mouth. Watching you look so pleased makes This King's fury surge."

Not even ten seconds after declaring himself pleased, Wrath was on the verge of exploding. A living demonstration of what a personality disorder looked like.

"Is that so? I like it, though."

"You little—!"

Raon hummed a tune as he entered the training ground, paying no mind whatsoever to Wrath's stream of curses.

"Hmm?"

The moment he stepped inside, his eyes flew wide. Someone who had no business being there was sitting on the platform.

Rimer?

The lazy elf who never showed up for dawn training and was habitually late even for morning sessions was sitting right there on the dais.

"Oh! Our lucky charm! Trainee Raon, you're here?"

Rimer spread both hands and grinned. Colorful gemstone rings glittered on his long fingers. Lavish bracelets and a necklace adorned his wrists and neck as well.

What's this?

Raon had never seen the elf wearing jewelry like that. They didn't even look like artifacts with any special power — just expensive gems.

And lucky charm?

He had no idea why he'd suddenly been called a lucky charm. He was just beginning to wonder if he'd gone mad as the price of using Sword Realm Manifestation when Burren approached from behind.

"Gambling."

"What?"

"That guy openly ran a betting pool on your duel with Rayden. Word is your odds were so high he cleaned up a fortune."

Burren scrunched his face as if even talking about it irritated him. He muttered that he wanted to gouge out the eyes that had once looked up to Rimer.

He did it again.

Raon let out a dry chuckle. So that was why he was wearing all that jewelry — winnings from gambling.

Gambling, drinking, laziness. He walked a path completely opposite to every elf Raon had ever known. In a certain sense, he was an impressive human being.

"That insolent pointed-ear bastard."

Wrath ground his teeth as he looked at Rimer.

What's your problem now?

"Just looking at him makes This King furious. If not for that wretch, your body would have belonged to me…"

Ah.

Raon nodded. In that life-or-death moment when he'd nearly been killed by the Bloodthirsty Demon, Rimer had appeared — and because of that, Raon hadn't had to surrender his body to Wrath.

Wrath had always found Rimer arrogant, but now it seemed to have deepened into genuine loathing.

Of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠course, unlike Wrath, Raon knew Rimer's true nature. Despite looking like a wastrel who did nothing but play around, he watched over every single trainee and assigned them the training they needed. Thanks to him, Raon had survived. Letting the man use him for a bet was a small price to pay.

"Pathetic."

Marta turned her head away with a cold expression as Rimer showed off the rings on both hands.

Hmm-hmm.

At the sound of a little hum behind him, Raon turned. Runaan had somehow appeared, waving her hand slightly with her usual vacant eyes.

Raon looked over the trainees gathered in the training ground. He remembered how they had cheered and roared for him here. Hearing their voices had warmed his chest like sitting before a stove in the dead of winter.

It wasn't just the Annex. The people of the 5th Training Ground were becoming meaningful to him in their own way.

"Alright, is everyone here?"

Rimer, who had been showing off his jewels on the platform like some freshly minted rich man, clapped his hands.

Raon thought it was just his usual way of gathering attention — until the instructors behind him brought out a steel chest.

Thud!

They set the chest down on the training ground, sending sand flying.

"What do you think this is?"

"Something you won gambling?"

"Oh, correct!"

Rimer nodded proudly at Burren's reply.

"Haa, you've shown off enough. How about we start training?"

"Ah, this is for you lot."

Rimer smiled and came down from the platform. He approached the chest and laid a hand on it.

"Excuse me? For us?"

"That chest?"

"What are you talking about…"

The trainees tilted their heads, looking between Rimer and the chest.

"This Gambling King here placed two bets. The first was this money! This enormous sum! These jewels! Kahahaha!"

Calling himself the Gambling King, Rimer showed off his rings once more.

"And the second…"

He snickered as he opened the chest, and a clear, soothing medicinal fragrance drifted out.

Raon narrowed his eyes and looked inside. Dozens of small wooden boxes were stacked within the large chest.

Elixirs?

Judging by the luxurious appearance of the wooden boxes and the bitter scent leaking from them, they were definitely elixirs.

"Elixirs."

Rimer immediately answered the trainees' unspoken questions.

"E-elixirs?"

"All of these?"

"There look to be over forty…"

The trainees' jaws dropped as they examined the boxes said to contain elixirs.

"That's right. And they're made with Ten-Branch Herb, no less."

"Ten-Branch Herb!"

"This many of them?"

"Whoa…"

Ten-Branch Herb was a medicinal plant whose leaves split into ten forks. Belonging to no single attribute, it could purify the body, the aura core, and the mana circuits all at once — a precious elixir ingredient. Elixirs made from it were well-balanced, expensive, and hard to obtain. Having over forty of them was more than enough to leave everyone stunned.

"These are yours."

Rimer lifted his chin high, pointing at the chest with eyes full of pride.

"There's exactly forty-three, so take one each."

"Huh?"

"F-for real? They're really ours?"

"What?"

"Hmm?"

Not just the trainees — even Burren and Marta stood with their mouths hanging open. Runaan stood there blankly, sniffing the elixirs like a puppy.

"Ah, have you kids been living your whole lives getting fooled?"

Rimer clicked his tongue and tossed the topmost elixir box to Raon.

Tak.

Raon caught it on reflex and opened it. Inside was a green bead about the size of an adult's thumb.

"It's a Ten Cloud Pill. It doesn't contain a huge amount of mana, but it's as pure as they come. It'll benefit every last one of you."

Rimer explained the Ten Cloud Pill as he tossed elixirs to the trainees.

"Where did you even get these?"

Burren narrowed his eyes as he examined the Ten Cloud Pill. Elixirs weren't something you could just buy with money. He couldn't imagine where Rimer had obtained forty-two of them.

"I won them, I told you."

"Y-you actually won these gambling?"

"Not gambling — a bet. A wager."

Rimer spun a finger and closed the now-empty chest's lid.

"Who on earth did you bet against…"

"The Lord of the True Martial Palace."

He answered as if it were nothing.

"What?"

"T-the Lord of the True Martial Palace…"

"Balder Zieghart!"

"Urgh!"

At the mention of the True Martial Palace Lord's name, the trainees' faces went ashen. Some were so startled they dropped their elixirs on the ground.

"Ahh, it's fine. They don't have the bandwidth to worry about this right now. They'll probably assume I sold them all off, so they won't come after you."

Rimer told them to relax, then instructed them to go home, take the elixirs, and practice their aura cultivation.

Ha…

Raon let out a breathless laugh. Openly betting against Balder — Glenn's own son and Lord of the True Martial Palace — and walking away with forty-three elixirs. That elf was every bit as unhinged as Raon himself.

"Thank you."

Gratitude was still gratitude. Raon thanked Rimer and bowed his head.

"Th-thank you, Instructor."

"We'll gratefully accept them."

The trainees followed Raon's lead, offering their thanks with excited faces.

"Mm. Yeah. Yeah."

Rimer waved his hand and beamed.

"I'll enjoy it."

"Thank you."

Burren erased his usual sullen expression and bowed, and Marta lowered her head as well, fidgeting with her elixir. For two people with such distinct personalities to react the same way — the power of an elixir really was something.

"Alright, everyone go home. It's not because of my hangover, mind you — elixirs are best taken right away."

Rimer clutched his chest and waved them off. Now that the showing-off was over, the hangover seemed to be catching up.

He looked as pathetic as ever, but no one said a word against him. Today, Rimer was the trainees' hero.

"Thank you!"

The trainees offered their thanks once more and left.

"You stay."

Just as Raon was about to follow them, Rimer — his face turning a shade of green — caught him by the shoulder.

"You don't look well, Instructor."

"Ugh, I went a bit hard last night."

Come to think of it, it wasn't just Rimer — the other instructors' faces were equally green. They must have drunk themselves into a stupor together.

"Give that back."

Rimer pointed at the elixir box in Raon's hand.

"Yours is this one."

He pulled a new elixir box from his coat and opened the lid. A bitter fragrance even richer than the Ten Cloud Pill wafted out.

"This is…"

"A pill made with two Ten-Branch Herbs. Originally this was meant for Rayden, but you ended up taking it. The world really is a strange place."

"Are you sure it's all right to give this to me?"

"You made me rich. Looks like I had a talent for gambling after all."

Rimer shook both hands again. The rings and bracelets clinked together with a distinctly luxurious sound.

That won't last long.

Watching him, Raon was certain Rimer would gamble all that wealth away again soon enough.

"The Ten Cloud Pill is an efficient elixir. You can absorb fifty percent of the mana it contains. But the pill itself doesn't have much mana. For someone like you, who possesses aura of two attributes, it wouldn't even register."

Rimer lowered his voice so no one else could hear when he mentioned the two attributes.

"This one has about twice the mana of a regular Ten Cloud Pill, so you'll be able to grow both your frost and your fire."

"…Thank you."

Raon bowed his head. Rimer could have simply given him an elixir, yet he'd gone further and shown this extra consideration. All Raon felt was gratitude.

"Go on. See you tomorrow."

Rimer waved.

"Instructor. Please don't drink too much."

"Oh, you're worried about me? You're about ten years too early, kid!"

He clapped Raon on the shoulder and walked toward the head instructor's office.

"Hmm…"

Raon fidgeted with the box containing the Ten Cloud Pill as he watched Rimer's retreating back.

So this is what a master is…

In his previous life, the one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had raised him was an instructor. Their relationship had been nothing more than that of a handler and a dog — or a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tamer and a wolf. The man had felt nothing for him, and Raon had carved only one thing into his heart: the will to kill him.

I thought this place would be no different.

House Zieghart was infamous even across the continent. Raon had assumed they would raise their trainees like dogs. Instead, they had raised them as human beings, preserving each child's individuality.

Even the children who had failed the trainee selection exam hadn't been discarded — they were still training at the 6th Training Ground. Contrary to his expectations, House Zieghart was an astonishingly human place.

Rimer, in particular, was less an instructor than a true master. Thanks to him, Raon had accomplished so much, and grown so much faster.

Raon bowed once more toward Rimer's receding figure, then left the training ground.

After a three-hour nap in the instructor's office, Rimer headed to the Lord's Palace around lunchtime.

"It's been some time since you last visited."

Roen beamed as he opened the door to the Audience Chamber.

"Yes. It's been a while."

Rimer grinned and raised all ten fingers. Roen offered a faint, uninterested smile and entered the Audience Chamber.

"Hmph…"

Rimer's lip jutted out in disappointment that Roen hadn't even acknowledged his glittering jewels. He let out a small sigh and followed him inside.

Glenn was as he always was. Seated upon the jade throne he had built himself, he looked down upon the world with a bored expression.

"I greet the Patriarch!"

Rimer bowed, raising not only all ten fingers but his wrists as well.

"The older you get, the more pathetic your antics become."

"Huh…"

Rimer stood up, squinting as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard.

"Come on, when your subordinate wins some money, you could at least praise him. I finally fleeced a mark after all this time."

"That mark is my son, and you want me to praise you?"

"Getting fleeced by me now means he won't fall for a real swindler later."

"You talk a good game."

Glenn tilted his chin with a chilly gaze.

"So what brings you here today?"

"I distributed Ten Cloud Pills to the children."

"I expected as much, but you really do hand over elixirs like that without a second thought."

"How should I put it. The kids have grown more than I ever expected. I found myself wanting to feed them even one more thing. Is this what it feels like to be a parent?"

Rimer snickered, and Glenn watched him with a peculiar look.

"My teaching is tremendous, of course, but the trainees have been through all sorts of things and grown stronger than any previous generation."

Glenn seemed to agree, giving a slight nod.

"Which is why I have a proposal."

"A proposal? I left all the training to you, didn't I?"

"Because it isn't about training."

The playfulness drained from Rimer's voice, replaced by a deep, burning heat.