"Am I… dreaming…?" The first word that came out of his mouth was the exact same thing his body was radiating… he was shocked as fuck by the fact that so far this life is nothing like the others.
If, like the odds and everything within the world is working for him to make everything easier, because the card he just got was one of the rarest in the game.
Not just rare but an overpowered card that influences the whole way you play. With that card in your pocket you can be more aggressive, you can be more cocky, more ambitious, because you know even if you die you will live… you can define your own death with it, though it has a catch.
It doesn't change the circumstances of the death or the way the player dies. It literally just snaps you back in time to the moment right before you died. Whether it's a torture session, a car crash, a bombing, a gunshot, or anything else, it puts you right back there and from that point on, it's your will that decides what you do next.
An overpowered card but it needs a clever player to be able to use it right, because if not it's worth nothing.
"System… does the card work on the Gamble too?" César asked a very important question.
[System: The One Will, Two Lives special card applies to anything that results in death. If a player dies during a System Gamble, the card will automatically activate.]
"Which means… it doesn't put me back to the gamble, but before I accepted the gamble, yeah?" César asked because it wasn't clear… because if it puts back to the moment he was ready to pull the trigger then it's worth nothing in that scenario.
[System: Since the Gamble is a System feature, if you die during it, you will be returned to the moment before you accepted it. However, in any other situation not directly tied to the System, you will be sent back to just before your death.]
The moment he heard it he felt that fire in him, the enjoyment he never felt before even when he had millions… and it's only his second card after the Heal, which means there are three more slots left.
Heal treats every wound while One Will, Two Lives brings you back from death… the perfect combination of cards, the perfect combination that can be used to start conquering the world of Sandria.
I can't be reckless in this life…
It was clear to him that being reckless wasn't an option, because if he died, he would lose the greatest advantage he had over everyone else. He needs to hold onto that card until the very end, until he builds the family, until he makes his name, and only uses it when death is truly upon him whether by betrayal, by the feds, or by his enemies.
I need to make money… from that point I need to make connections with a higher up and maybe bribe someone, and that is the point I can build up a cartel, but how?
His own question reminded him that this jackpot world is actually his greatest disadvantage.
In every life the table was set, everything was ready, everything was fixed, and the only thing people cared about was money, power, influence and secrets. Anyone could be bribed, but most importantly everybody had something they could sell, and everybody had something they were willing to give up if the price was right.
That was how life always worked for him. That was how the world looked, that's how Sandria was designed as a criminal underworld game.
It didn't matter who the person was, rich or poor, friend or stranger. If they needed something, if they wanted something, if they were desperate enough, they would take the money. That was the rule he knew. That was the rule he trusted because it never changed.
But for the first time, it wasn't so simple… and the reason for it is that Sandria became peaceful.
There are no favelas, no chopped up bodies everywhere.
Instead, it is the complete opposite of how this country is supposed to function.
People laugh, enjoying their lives, not worrying about going outside and getting shot or kidnapped… and that hit him the most.
Sandria was supposed to be a mess, and in that mess he was born to rule it. But if there is no mess, and the only warzone is the one he brings with him, then it feels strange.
Strange to be the one who creates the danger. It feels strange to be the one who causes the suffering for others, the one who destroys families and lives.
After all the bullshit he went through, the torture, the death, the murders… the humanity and the morals are still in his heart.
He had no problem killing those who killed, bribing those who bribed and so on, but to be one that destroys a peaceful city is on another hand.
Fuck me… when did I become sensitive, this whole shit was designed to destroy it. He whispered as he bowed his head down and closed his eyes… just to think a bit about it, but the thing is… he needs to act.
[System Notification: Taste of Blood: Time remaining to complete the challenge is 24 hours. If not completed one special card will be deducted.]
"Huh." A faint smile spread across his face as he looked back up. "Gave me one of the rarest cards just to push me into what needs to be done… manipulation at its finest." He shook his head as he slowly stood up and pulled out the gun from the bag. "Well… I chopped up people, I even skinned a couple… morality and humanity are nothing but an imagination of—"
"Skinned? Is that a gun?" A sudden sweet voice came from the opposite side of the alleyway from the darkness… but it was strangely absurd… because the voice was sweet, high-pitched, and obviously young.
And as he looked, slowly she was there… a child in ragged and dirty clothes but with long curly hair, looking at him.
[Trial Notification: Handle the witness. She must not talk.]
"Ohh fuck me…"