CURRENT LOCATION: Entrance to Sedurja Mountains, Exit from Muriel Town.
GOAL: City of Irvine.
"Referee, how many more hours until we make it?" Yakou asked for the millionth time.
"We've finally exited Muriel and are now heading toward the Sedurja Mountains. After we cross them, we'll reach Irvine. Approximately two days."
"Oh man..." Yakou sighed deeply.
"You know, that's the millionth time you've asked him that, Yakou. Just bear with it a little longer."
"At least tell me a story or something..."
"Oh sure, I guess it's about time. My spirit wanted to know how I won one of the gambles I played, but I just kept dismissing her since she's a bit annoying… But I'll tell you exactly what happened, so try to visualize."
"Oi, Ken, I brought you into this world… Do not be mistaken. If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will take action." Lilith said, her face full of intensity.
"Why are you shaking, Ken?"
"Hahaha, don't worry about it. Anyways, the game was called Bindu…"
"Really? That's incredible! You practically had the whole table in your hands. Although I'm still not sure about some stuff. You see, in my world, we don't have any of those… But in the end, you said you didn't participate, yet you were still a part of the gamble. You couldn't earn any coins or actually bet them?"
"Yes, before leaving the game space, I asked the referee a final question. 'Can I play without betting any coins or having any effect on the game, just as a ghost or whatnot, to fill in the spot and learn the game?' He agreed to let me have one game. And that's all I needed. So when everyone said 'Duel,' I just said 'Deul.' Instead of 'Duel,' it practically sounds the same, and the mouth movements are the same. No one really notices, so it was perfect. That's why I could control the game I was never really playing it, more like overseeing it."
"And say, what's that cane for? I heard your friend Allen mention something about blindness, but you aren't blind."
"Well, I'm pretending. I just thought there would be no one at the warehouse, but when I saw you, I figured you had no chance of doing anything to hurt me in the games, even if you knew the truth. So I just fought you. You can tell a lot by a single glance—whether a person is smart or not. Some can even tell how much smarter they are and what types of intelligence they excel in. One can learn many things just by looking at someone. That's one of my greatest assets—reading people."
"So, what's our plan for the gems?"
"Well, the chances of at least one gem spawning in Irvine are insanely high. There are a few reasons for that. First, a lot of players are gathered there, which increases the chances. Second, it's the third-largest city, so that's why we're going there. And the third reason is that Irvine is mostly in the middle, surrounded by smaller areas. We are currently at the Sedurja Mountains, which, behind them, lies Muriel at the edge of the map. To the right is the Turnakal Jungle. If you ask me, that looks like the worst place to find a gem. But you see, the point is, a lot of people prefer to migrate to Irvine in the off chance they get a gem. Everyone will know where they are, and it'll be hard to escape, so you'd rather be in Irvine, where there are more escape options."
"That's good reasoning, but of course, we need luck as well…"
"That's right. Also, I'm not really planning on getting the gem. If I do, great. But if I don't, that's fine too."
"But how exactly are we planning on getting the gem?"
"Well, the first thing we need is another ally just one. Any more than that would be too much. Secondly, when a gem spawns in a random player, they're likely to get attacked. You can't die in this world but you can kill, causing the gem to randomly reappear in another player. This continues until someone manages to escape. So, players will try to force the person with the gem into a duel. If the person with the gem accepts and gets teleported to the game space, the other players can just decline the duel, taking the 10% coins and a 24-hour penalty. But that makes it so, once the player returns from the game space, they'll be surrounded by enemies. There are a lot of ways to deal with it, but getting the gem is risky. That's why I want an ally to take it. That way, if anything goes wrong, I won't be the one who dies by accident."
"And are you planning on keeping that blind persona?"
"Yes. It'll be difficult, but rewarding. Trust me on that."
"Seems like a lot of work…"
"To be honest, yeah. But not much can be done; that's just how it is… Let's get some rest and start planning tomorrow."
"Shouldn't we find an ally first? Maybe in one of those lodges?" Yakou pointed to a couple of houses up in the mountains nearby.
"No, no, it's fine. After all, it's only for the ceremony. After that, it's every person for themselves."
"Anyways, get some sleep, Yakou. I'm going to sleep as well." I covered my eyes.
"Sure, sure." Yakou said as he lay down.
Two hours later...
"Ugh, gosh, I can't sleep," I thought to myself.
"So can't I, with you murmuring all along," Lilith said, her voice cutting through the silence.
"Oh, Lilith, you're awake? I mean, can you even sleep?"
"When you sleep, I sleep. That's how it is for me!" Lilith said angrily.
"Mhm, I don't know... I just have a lot of thoughts in my head that I can't wash over…"
"I'm bored anyway, so tell me something."
"You know, Lilith, you wanted to know about Bindu, right? I didn't tell Yakou the full story."
"Sure, sure, tell me even though I don't really care anymore. But I do wanna know why you saved that Allen guy."
"Allen Whittaker, the guy I left for the news station plan? The reason I saved him was because he reminded me of someone. I'm not sure who... someone who cared for me when I was dreaming. I see an old man like Allen in my dreams. He fed me, took care of me, and the last thing I saw of him was me being taken away... he couldn't do anything because of his age. That's why I took pity on Allen, even though I shouldn't have... it's a shame." I said nonchalantly.
"That's... I... didn't know... I mean, usually we... woah. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Anyways... all I'm looking for in this world is someone who cares about me, who helps me when I need it. Someone. That's my wish," I said quietly.
"Now I feel really bad for being a nuisance, but—"
"There's a 'but'? Oh, come on, Lilith, you know better," I interrupted.
"Hey, you cut me off! Yer schmuck!" she retorted.
"What the hell is a schmuck?" I asked, confused.
"Gosh..."
"I'm going to sleep. This was nice. Thanks."
Six hours later…
"Ken, wake up!" Yakou called out urgently.
Slowly, I stirred, hearing some people shouting nearby.
"It looks like they're playing a game, Ken."
"This is great actually, can you lend me some coins, Yakou?"
"Yes, sure!"
"Referee, we would like to raise the stakes to 500,000 Coins."
"Alright, do both sides agree to this?"
"Yes," we both replied.
The referee announced, "Alright, the bet has been raised to 500,000 coins. Since the player Ken does not have that much money, he will be betting his life on the oasis. We've determined his existence surpasses 500,000 coins."
"Well, thank you, referee," I blushed a little before chuckling.
"Alright, Yakou, get off the carriage. Let's make a quick buck."
Yakou quickly got off, I followed behind him.
"It seems that the player Yakou left the carriage first. The winner of the gamble is Ken! Ken will earn 500,000 Coins! Would you like to play again?"
"Later, later…" I replied. "Let's go, Yakou. See what's up with those shouts."
"Say, Lili, I have a question… If I were to bet 1,000,000 coins on a simple yes-or-no game with a 100x payout, would I actually receive all the winnings? If so, I could just become a billionaire instantly."
"No, you idiot," Lili scoffed. "There's a limit. You can't win more coins than what actually exists. If the payout exceeds the total available coins, the person who placed the higher bet has to cover the difference with their disqualification, if they're even worth that much. That's how it works here."
"I see… So that means you can never earn more than the total existing currency of 50.005 billion coins."
"No, silly. You can earn more, but as of now, you can't. Here's how it works."
"There are two conditions. First, in a gamble where one player bets 1,000,000 coins and the other bets themselves, the player wagering the coins has to decide if the opponent is worth that amount. The referee also has to approve. The referee determines a player's worth based on their achievements and other factors. That's the first condition."
"The second condition isn't really a condition, but it's important. The game or rather, the Game Master can technically generate infinite coins, but that wouldn't be fun, now would it?"
I interrupted. "Sounds fun to me."
"Don't interrupt me." Lili shot me a glare before continuing. "Anyway, after the ceremony, a game economy will be implemented. Here's how it works: When you enter a gamble, the system calculates the average number of coins all players have and compares it to the total economy of the Oasis. This percentage determines the multiplier."
"For example, if all players in a game hold 1% of the total economy, the max multiplier is 1.1x. If they hold 10%, the max multiplier is 2x. And no matter how much you gamble, the multiplier cannot go above 2x even if you wager more than 50% of the economy."
"What exactly is the max multiplier?" I asked.
"It works like this. If you bet 1,000,000 coins and your opponent bets themselves, the referee assigns them a value before the game starts. Let's say they're judged to be worth 1,000,000 coins. The gamble proceeds as normal. However, if the referee decides mid-game that their value has dropped, the multiplier drops with it."
"For example, if someone intentionally loses and their worth is reassessed at only 100,000 coins, the payout calculation changes. If the max multiplier was 2x, it now drops to 0.2x (because 100,000 is only 10% of 1,000,000). That means the winner would only receive 200,000 coins instead of the full 2,000,000."
"This system prevents people from throwing games to manipulate payouts. You can only bet what you actually have, and even if you somehow accumulate millions, you still have to pass the first condition. And even then, you'd receive far less than the max multiplier. To abuse the system, you'd need a lot of people willing to sacrifice themselves, and let's be real, who would agree to that?"
"That," she finished with a smirk, "is the perfect economic system."
"Are you on autopilot or something?"
"No, it's just how we're supposed to say it."
"So, can Bindu be played after the ceremony since the rules allow for an insane multiplier?"
"No, it won't, silly. And if someone tries to present a similar game, the referees will reject it. That's all there is to it."
"I see, I see… This is quite intriguing. So, how much am I worth? In coins, of course."
"I wouldn't know. I'm not the one who measures that. Ask a referee."
"Well, perfect timing there's a referee right over there."
"Ken, you know you walk really slowly," Yakou said.
"I do? Well, I was talking to my spirit, so that's probably why. Say, do you talk to yours?"
"Oh, to Suruza?"
"Suruza… That's his name?"
"Yeah, Suruza is a very nice spirit. We talk about martial arts techniques and all kinds of things."
"Don't you talk about the games? Ask questions?"
"Ehh, not really. It's boring, anyway."
"Well, that's… uh… can't argue with that. Anyway, it seems each spirit is somewhat similar to us, yet mine is more like an annoying child."
"KEN, IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT ME, THIS WILL BE YOUR END!"
Yakou tensed up. "There's a dangerous aura above you, Ken!"
I waved him off. "Oh, don't worry, Yakou. It's just my spirit. She threatened my life, but I don't mind."
"You're way too relaxed about that."
I smirked. "Anyway, Yakou, I'll be acting blind, so follow my lead."
"Sure, sure."
As we arrived at the gaming area, a massive board stood before us, a 100x100 grid covered in colored dots.
I casually swung my cane, deliberately hitting one of the players.
"Oh, sorry. Did I hit you?"
"Yeah, you damn bastard! Get yourself together, I'm trying to focus!"
I tilted my head slightly. "Sorry, I'm blind. I can't see..."
The man turned, scanning me from head to toe like a machine.
"Whatever, man. Just don't do that again."
"Say, what game are you playing?"
He sighed. "Ugh, you're so annoying."
Before he could brush me off, a woman nearby chuckled. "Don't mind him. He's just losing a bunch."
"Hey, shut up, will you?" the man snapped.
The woman ignored him and continued, "Anyway, we're playing Daipo Daipo Dei. Each of us has a colored dot and starts at a different location on the 10x10 board. We can move one square at a time in any direction. If you capture an opponent, you gain an extra dot. The last one standing wins."
"That sounds simple enough."
"There's a catch, though. After capturing someone, you get an extra turn. That means strategy is key you can team up, but you can never fully trust anyone. It's fun. We all bet some coins on the game, and since we're heading to Irvine City soon, losing a bit isn't a big deal."
"That sounds cool. Yakou, why don't you give it a shot?"
Yakou hesitated before leaning in to whisper, "Ken, I'm not good at games, ya know… Maybe you should play?"
I smirked. "Aren't you a true warrior, Yakou? A great general needs tactical prowess as well. Lead your dots to victory."
Yakou's demeanor changed instantly. His eyes sharpened as he stepped forward.
"I'll play," he announced.
His voice carried a weight that made the entire table stop and look.
"Who's this guy?"
"Woah, he's huge."
"Holy motherf-"
The woman from before remained calm. "Sure, you can stand next to me. Just wait for the next round."
Moments later, the referee spoke.
"This round is over. The winners are the Purple Dots. Moving on to the next round, we have a new player Mr. Yakou who will be playing as the Green Dots. Now, let's decide on a bet."
One of the players chimed in. "Hmm, I think we should do 10,000 coins. Since we have 10 people, the winner will get 100,000 coins!"
"Woah, that's a lot, but it's not bad. I'm in."
"Yeah, let's do 10,000."
Yakou suddenly spoke. "10,000… I see. You all may bet 10,000. But I shall bet 100,000. To become a great general, one must trust in oneself."
The table went silent.
"Huh?! Are you crazy? 100,000?! You're nuts!" the woman exclaimed.
One of the men laughed. "Yeah, let's do it! We're just betting 10,000, right?"
The referee nodded. "It has been decided. Everyone will bet 10,000, except for Mr. Yakou, who will bet 100,000. Let the game begin!"
A nearby player smirked. "Hey, good luck, Yakou. You're confident. And you, blind guy, just watch… oh, wait"
I chuckled. "Yeah, thanks. I'll just imagine the game."
The woman beside me turned with a grin. "By the way, I'm Nika. What's your name?"
"Ken. And good luck against Yakou. He seems pretty serious about this."
Nika's grin widened as she thought to herself. "Hah! No problem. I'm a genius, after all. I invented this game. I have a surefire strategy. I'll take that 100,000 easily!"
But Yakou stood there, completely still. His presence alone was overwhelming.
Like a true warrior.