"I—I lost it."
James stared at the empty system window in disbelief.
"Goddammit!" he shouted, kicking the nearest tree.
The trunk shook violently, leaves falling around him. He clenched his fists, breathing heavily. Now he understood. With his class, he could either become unbelievably strong… Or waste everything he earned.
"I need to be careful with this system," he muttered.
"If I abuse it too much, I'll just stay the same."
Weak. Powerless. The thought alone made him grind his teeth. So instead of gambling again immediately, James spent the next several hours hunting monsters. The first floor was filled with them.
Small goblin patrols wandered the fields. Strange bat-like creatures swooped through the sky. Even the harmless-looking wildlife could suddenly turn hostile.
Some of the worst were the squirrels. Mutated, ugly things with oversized teeth and glowing eyes that attacked anything that moved. James hunted them all.
The System kept announcing his progress.
[You have slain a Level 1 Monster: Goblin]
[1 skill point awarded]
[You have slain a Level 2 Monster: Mutated Bat]
[1 skill point awarded]
[You have slain a Level 1 Monster: Goblin]
[1 skill point awarded]
…
Hours later, James finally stopped near a small clearing. His clothes were dirty and torn. His fists were covered in monster blood. But he was smiling.
"Open stat screen."
The System appeared.
[Champion: James Carter][Occupation: None][Classification: SS-tier][Class: Gambler][Level: 1][Monsters Slain: 75][Exp: 95 / 100]
[Skill points: 75]
[Strength: 11, Agility: 1, Defense: 6, Mana: 10, Magic Affinity: 1, Speed: 6, Ego: Max]
[Abilities:[The Gambler][?][?][?][?][?][?][?][?][?]]
James stared at the number.
"Seventy-five points…"
He rubbed his chin. This was exactly the moment gamblers lived for. A big stack. But he had learned his lesson earlier. He wasn't going to risk everything.
"…Alright," he said.
"Sixty."
He kept fifteen points untouched.
"System," he said calmly.
"Activate The Gambler."
The screen shifted into the card table again.
[Skill points wagered: 60]
[Red] or [Black]
James inhaled slowly.
"…Red."
The card turned.
King of Hearts.
[You win.]
[Skill points: 120]
James' eyes widened.
"Okay… okay…"
The system continued.
[Gamble further?]
James hesitated for only a second.
"Yes."
The table reset.
[Red] or [Black]
"…Black."
The card slowly flipped.
7 of Spades.
[You win.]
[Skill points: 240]
James laughed.
"Oh this is beautiful."
The system waited.
[Gamble further?]
James' heartbeat quickened.
Two hundred forty points.
That was already insane.
But greed whispered again.
"…One more."
The deck shuffled again.
[Red] or [Black]
James wiped sweat from his forehead.
"…Red."
The card slowly turned. For a moment the color wasn't visible.
Then -- 3 of Diamonds.
[You win.]
[Skill points: 480]
James froze. Then he burst out laughing.
"Holy shit!"
He quickly raised his hand.
"Collect! Collect!"
The screen flashed.
[Skill points collected.]
[Well played, Champion.]
James opened his stat screen again.
[Skill points: 495]
He stared at the number.
"…Yeah."
A wide grin spread across his face. "Now we're talking."
.....
James stared at the number on his screen.
[Skill points: 495]
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
Now that was a number he liked. For a moment, the gambler inside him whispered again. You could double it. You could turn five hundred into a thousand.
James shook his head immediately.
"Nope."
"I'm not losing this."
He had already pushed his luck three times in a row. That alone was insane.
"Alright," he muttered.
"Stat distribution."
The stat window expanded.
[Champion: James Carter][Level: 1]
[Skill points available: 495]
[Strength: 11][Agility: 1][Defense: 6][Mana: 10][Magic Affinity: 1][Speed: 6][Ego: Max]
James rubbed his chin while thinking. He had already learned something important. Strength made his punches devastating. Speed let him control fights. Defense kept him alive. He started assigning points.
"Two hundred to Strength."
[Strength: 211]
"Hundred to Speed."
[Speed: 106]
"Fifty to Defense."
[Defense: 56]
He paused. That left exactly one hundred points. James leaned back slightly.
"…That should be enough for now."
The System confirmed the allocation.
[Stat distribution complete.]
A violent surge of power exploded through his body. James dropped to one knee as his muscles tightened. His heart pounded. Every fiber of his body felt stronger. Denser. Faster. Even the ground beneath his feet felt different now.
"…Damn," he whispered.
When he stood up again, even the air felt lighter around him. He opened the System again.
"Stat screen."
[Champion: James Carter][Level: 1][Monsters Slain: 75][Exp: 95 / 100]
[Skill points: 100]
[Strength: 211][Agility: 1][Defense: 56][Mana: 10][Magic Affinity: 1][Speed: 106][Ego: Max]
James nodded with satisfaction. But then something new appeared on the side of the System window. A small icon.
[Store]
James blinked.
"…Store?"
He tapped it. A new interface opened. Rows of items appeared instantly. Weapons. Armor. Potions. Utility items. Everything had a cost in skill points. James' eyes widened slightly.
"So this thing has a shop too…"
He began scrolling through the weapon section.
Basic Iron Sword — 40 skill pointsHunter's Steel Blade — 80 skill pointsTower Forged Longsword — 120 skill points
James stopped at the second option. Hunter's Steel Blade. A clean, sharp-looking sword appeared in the preview window. Reliable. Balanced. Perfect for beginner Champions.
"…Eighty points," he muttered.
He glanced at his remaining total.
[Skill points: 100]
"Good enough."
"Purchase."
The System confirmed.
[80 skill points deducted.]
[Item acquired: Hunter's Steel Blade.]
A flash of light appeared in front of him. Then a sword materialized in his hand. The blade was smooth and polished, reflecting the sunlight of the Tower's artificial sky. It felt perfectly balanced in his grip. James swung it once through the air. The blade cut cleanly, making a sharp whistle. A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Now," he said quietly, resting the sword on his shoulder. "Let's see how those goblins like this one."
....
James admired the blade for a moment, testing its balance. The steel felt solid in his hand. When he swung it lightly through the air, the blade cut forward smoothly without resistance. "Now that's more like it," he said. He opened the system again.
"Stat screen."
The window appeared.
[Champion: James Carter][Occupation: None][Classification: SS-tier][Class: Gambler][Level: 1][Monsters Slain: 75][Exp: 95 / 100]
[Skill points: 20]
[Strength: 211][Agility: 1][Defense: 56][Mana: 10][Magic Affinity: 1][Speed: 106][Ego: Max]
James tilted his head.
"…Twenty points left."
He tapped the side of the sword against his shoulder while thinking. He could add them to strength. Or speed. Or defense. The smart choice was obvious. But the gambler inside him had already started whispering. Twenty could become forty. Forty could become eighty.
James sighed.
"…Ah, screw it."
"System," he said.
"Activate The Gambler."
The familiar card table appeared again.
[Skill points wagered: 20]
[Red] or [Black]
James barely thought about it.
"Black."
The card slid forward. It began to flip slowly. James watched with a confident grin. Then the card landed.
4 of Hearts.
[You lose.]
The screen changed instantly.
[Skill points lost.]
[Skill points: 0]
James stood there in silence.
"…Huh."
He stared at the screen. Then at the sword in his hand. Then back at the screen.
"…Well."
He shrugged.
"Guess that's gambling."
At least this time, he still had a sword.