My Favorite Game Followed Me!

Chapter 844

During the next few days, Anton thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Middle, the central section of the ship, Melinda. The Middle was considered the true heart of the vessel since it contained nearly every form of entertainment one could need to avoid boredom during the years-long voyage from the Gale Continent to the continent of Izmorta.Anton avoided the seedier parts of the Middle. Even though he was tempted, he had no desire to drown himself in shallow indulgences such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, or meaningless sex. He still possessed tremendous ambition, and he knew he would never reach his goals if he allowed himself to become a degenerate addict enslaved to his vices.

In truth, Anton understood himself well enough to recognize that he had an addictive personality—or at least, that was what he believed. That was why he had never experimented with such things back on Earth. The fact that he had easily become addicted to games, anime, and television shows convinced him that he could just as easily become addicted to drugs or alcohol. The only reason he had never fully indulged in the things he loved was because of his pitiful finances.

Perhaps he had been afraid for nothing, but Anton had never wanted to tempt fate. That was why he had not even tried weed.

Even though Anton remained wary of the darker side of the Middle, he still sampled parts of it. He tried gambling, but he found little enjoyment in it. More than likely, it was because he never won anything. He did not even experience the so-called beginner’s luck. The moment he placed a bet, he lost. Eventually, a few people began following him around and betting against him—and they won consistently. Anton had nearly accused the gambling den of cursing him.

Anton also attended a burlesque show, and to his surprise, he enjoyed it. He had expected something tacky and filled with degenerate spectators, but the performance had been surprisingly elegant. The nudity was presented so tastefully that it felt more like art than pornography. The experience impressed him greatly, though he later discovered that he had unknowingly entered the classiest risqué theater in the Middle, which explained the expensive tickets.

After the burlesque performance, Anton tried his luck at a more refined casino, thinking that perhaps a high-class establishment might improve his fortunes. Unfortunately, nothing changed. His luck remained so atrocious that he almost wished he could destroy the casino with his spells.

“Your luck is unbelievably bad, man. My cousin and I are tempted to follow you around and bet against everything you touch,” a voice suddenly said as Anton stared at the craps table in frustration.

When Anton turned around, he saw two young men approaching him. They appeared to be around his age, perhaps a few years older. The pair looked so similar, with their dark hair and blue eyes, that anyone would assume they were brothers.

Anton found it amusing that they shared the same coloring as him. If the three of them stood together, people might even think they were related.

“I’m Anton,” he said. “You’re not the first people to try that. A few others already did, and they won gold coins because of it. That’s why I switched to this casino. I thought a classier establishment might improve my luck. I even complained that the gambling den had cursed me, but the resident mage assured me that no such spell had been cast on me.”

Anton already knew that no curse had been placed on him. His magical defenses were too strong for a curse from a lower-ranked wizard to affect him, and no self-respecting Invincible Rank mage would stoop so low as to curse someone merely for losing a few coins at a casino.

The two young men looked genuinely surprised by the extent of his terrible luck. Anton personally believed that his horrible gambling fortune was the world’s way of balancing out the absurd luck he had received elsewhere—particularly obtaining the Diablo System.

“So... can we actually do that?” one of the young men asked. “Follow you around and bet against whatever you choose? We can split the earnings fifty-fifty. I’m Joel, by the way, and this is my cousin, Eric.”

Eric merely nodded in greeting.

“I’m done gambling for tonight,” Anton replied. “I want to do something else. Do you recommend anything?”

“You’re rich, aren’t you?” Joel asked bluntly.

“I’m well-off,” Anton answered calmly. “And I’m also a mage, so I’m not worried about anything happening to me.”

“Then you should try the theater on Third Street. The tickets are expensive, though, so you’ll have to buy ours too.”

“I already watched one of their performances earlier,” Anton said. “I don’t feel like seeing another one so soon.”

Joel grinned. “Then I know a hidden tavern where some of the best minstrels gather.”

Anton immediately remembered the tavern aboard the Amelia, where talented bards and minstrels performed in hopes of attracting wealthy patrons.

“Fine,” Anton said. “Let’s try that. It’ll probably be the last thing I do tonight.”

“You’ll have to pay for our food and drinks too,” Joel added shamelessly.

Anton snorted. “You two are poor slobs, aren’t you?”

The cousins simply smiled and nodded proudly, as though pleased to have found someone they could freeload off.

Anton shook his head in amusement. “Fine.”

Joel and Eric immediately brightened, and the three young men left the casino together.

The narrow streets of the Middle overflowed with life and chaos. Anton could not help but feel excited as he walked through them. He knew the thrill came from the novelty of it all. The idea that such a lively district could exist within a ship still fascinated him.

In truth, the Amelia could not compare to what the Melinda offered. Then again, the Amelia had been filled with desperate refugees fleeing the disaster caused by the Undead Coalition. The Melinda, on the other hand, carried people filled with hope and excitement, eager to begin new lives on a continent said to be overflowing with magic and wonder.

The Gale Continent had also been a land of magic and wonder, but Anton had repeatedly heard people claim that Izmorta possessed something more. He did not know what that “something” was, but the mystery itself excited him.

The small streets of the Middle were lined with countless shops, enough to make Anton wonder how such businesses even functioned aboard a ship. Where did they store all their merchandise? Did they keep everything inside spatial artifacts? Could their supplies truly last for years at sea? Then again, Anton knew the ship stopped at various locations during the journey, and trade likely occurred there.

Still, he was not a merchant, and frankly, he did not care enough to think deeply about it.

Anton glanced at the two young men leading him toward the so-called hidden tavern. He was mildly surprised that neither of them had reacted strongly when he revealed that he was a mage and confidently declared that he feared nothing aboard the ship.

There was a good chance the two opportunistic cousins meant him no harm. More than likely, they simply hoped to befriend someone wealthy and benefit from the connection.

After all, Anton had already lost a considerable amount of money at the casino without showing even the slightest sign of distress. He had only been frustrated by his terrible luck.