CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35 "HOUSE OF CARDS"

[Your balance is eight million, three hundred sixty-eight thousand coins (8,368,000).]

Ray’s eyes were on his current balance after selling four cars, and the remaining balance, which he earned from a previous mini-game and some leftover balance from buying the magic gun in the first mini-zone.

He had never seen such numbers in his life, and if he hadn’t been wearing the onyx mask right now, others would have seen his crazy expressions.

Then came the deducting of 15% for Tusk and his team. 10% was the promised amount and an extra 5% from his side for such a smooth transaction and sales of his cars.

[Deduction 1,255,200]

[Your remaining balance is seven million, one hundred twelve thousand, eight hundred (7,112,800).]

"Crazy numbers!" Shawn’s eyes glowed in dollar signs when he saw how much they had received. It was way more than they had expected.

Tusk and others had the same reactions on their faces. One look they gave to the one million coins and a second on Ray, who was moving towards them.

"Is this to your satisfaction?" He asked, while letting them grasp the reality.

Tori nodded; she was the first to accept the reality, while Tusk’s eyes were still glued to the screen in front of him.

Then, taking a few more seconds, Ray spoke, "I’m leaving and might challenge the next mini-game soon."

"Is this for us? No-No, is this even real?" Kael asked with widened eyes.

Ray simply nodded, "It is real. This is what I had promised to you."

Tusk genuinely thanked Ray, "You might not understand our situation, but we have struggled so much in our real life, and this game was our only hope. However, we wouldn’t have expected to earn this much so soon."

"This is all thanks to you, sir. Here or in real life, if you ever needed my help, then please let me know." Tusk bowed genuinely, while his tone was sincere.

Tori, Kael, and Shawn followed and thanked Ray, who simply smiled behind his mask. "This is business; I didn’t do much. You helped me, and in return, you earned what you deserved."

"That car is for you, but make sure you stay within the boundaries of the ruined city and keep raising your level." He pointed at the modified car he gave to them earlier.

Then he took his leave, "See you guys soon; wait for my text."

Ray didn’t tell them that his life outside isn’t different than theirs. However, just like how their life changed because of this game, so did his life, and he felt relief in his heart to see them smile.

He got on his armed truck and began looking for the closest level 8 mini-game. It didn’t take much time when he found one within 30 miles towards the north.

(There was a mistake in the last Chapter where I accidentally wrote this safe zone as the level 8 safe zone, in place of level 6. So quick reminder that this is level 6, and the one he is looking for is the level 8 safe zone.)

The crowd was still present, waiting to witness what the masked car dealer was going to do next, and when they heard the rumble of the engine, they began to disperse to give way.

"Look, the car dealer is leaving." "Where could he be going? Wish we could follow him."

"Wait! His subordinates are still here, let’s go and ask them."

As Ray left, the crowd began to surround Tusk and his team to learn further about Ray, hoping they could get something from this info.

Oblivious to the pressure Tusk and his group were facing from the crowd in the level 6 safe zone, Ray soon reached the next mini-game.

However, to avoid commotion, he stopped mid-way in a serene place, where no one noticed his truck. Then, he simply chose to remove his mask, as well as store the truck inside his pocket dimension.

"With this, I can avoid unnecessary attraction." After changing his attire, replacing it with the modified jacket created from leather armor, he continued his journey on foot.

The safe zone was less than an hour from his place, and he chose it so he can get rid of his alt personality, from Ray the onyx mask armed car dealer to only Ray with no achievements on his name.

He prefers to remain anonymous. His goal wasn’t to become famous; his goal was to be rich and stay away from unnecessary commotions as much as possible.

After taking some 30 minutes of time, he reached the next safe zone. It was already dark outside, and as he got closer, he found an extravaganza place, shimmering with light while the whole safe zone was giving the vibe of such atmosphere.

As he expected, no one bothered to even look at him. While moving towards the mini-game portal, he found many players talking about his car sales and other trending topics which are mostly related to him and car deals.

There was no line or procedure to enter and challenge the game in this one. All you have to do is enter the portal, and that’s all.

Ray didn’t give much thought and entered to found himself in a world of a casino.

There were woman wearing bunny outfit serving the guest, many man in suit were hosting the games on different tables. ’What is this? A casino?’ Ray thought when a notification popped up, clearing his doubts.

[Welcome to the House of Cards.]

[Win big or Lose big]

You have been invited to the House of Cards. Win three out of five rounds to win the game.

You’ll have to use coins to play every round. Winning a round will double the coins which are invested by the player, and losing means losing the invested amount.

After the five rounds, the losing player can rejoin the game unless he is left with nothing to lose. Warning: Losing will still reset your level, and you’ll respawn at the last mini-game you have cleared.

Ray’s eyes darted towards the notification, then the huge hall filled with tables and players who were playing cards.

However, it didn’t feel like a mini-game; players were enjoying their time; they can still win, even after losing once.

’This is different.’ He thought.