[B3]Chapter 184: A Game Not Yet Over

The white-robed man reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a set of gleaming daggers, their blades shimmering with deadly mana. Without a second thought, he hurled them at Theo, each one crackling with lethal energy as they sliced through the air.

Time seemed to slow as the daggers raced toward their target, the mana sizzling with deadly intent.

But Theo didn’t flinch. His eyes narrowed, watching the incoming attack with calm detachment, almost as if he were bored by the whole ordeal. There was no panic in his stance, no urgency in his movements.

Rather than dodging, Theo stood his ground. The daggers struck him head-on, tearing through his clothes with violent force.

For a moment, it appeared as though the attack had landed directly. But when the flurry of projectiles ended, the only signs of impact were a few faint scratches. The daggers, meant to pierce and tear, had done little more than graze his skin.

This was due to his incredibly high defense. His body had been fortified beyond ordinary means, making even deadly attacks like this seem insignificant.

The white-robed man’s grin faltered, his confidence draining as he watched his attack fail miserably.

"Impossible," he muttered under his breath.

He had expected Theo to crumble under the weight of his assault, to at least show some sign of injury, but the young man stood tall, unharmed and utterly nonchalant.

Theo’s lips curled into a slow, amused smile, a spark of mischief flickering in his eyes. He tilted his head slightly, as though pondering the effort his opponent had just made.

The white-robed man’s face twisted in frustration, realizing too late that the opponent before him was far from ordinary.

From her position, Liliana watched the exchange, her earlier worry fading as she observed Theo’s calm response.

The white-robed man’s attack window closed, his chance to strike having passed.

As it became Theo’s turn, he knew the white-robed man stood dangerously close to victory, now at the ninety-fifth tile. The armored man had clearly shifted tactics, allowing the white-robed man to advance smoothly—likely to force either Theo or Liliana to face each other. And that was something Theo couldn’t allow. He wasn’t about to let the trial pit them against each other.

It was time to show the armored man that the game was far from over. In fact, Theo was just getting started.

He turned to glance back at Liliana, who was watching him with her usual composed expression, though a flicker of curiosity danced in her eyes. Their gazes met, and Theo smiled at her, a soft, reassuring smile that hinted at something unseen.

Liliana couldn’t tell why, but there was something hidden behind that smile, something far more enigmatic than it appeared.

With a calm resolve in his eyes, Theo turned back to the die, placing his hand on it. However, this time he let his hand linger a bit longer.

The die began to spin, but something was different. The air around it seemed to hum with a strange energy, and the roll was unlike anything that had happened before. The numbers blurred as the die spun wildly, until, finally, it came to a stop.

Six.

Theo had broken his curse. For the first time, he rolled a six.

He walked to the ninety-first tile, coming to a halt just four tiles behind the white-robed man.

“You cheated!” the white-robed man accused, the sudden break in Theo’s streak clearly rattled him.

Theo’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “You didn’t say that when I kept rolling ones, but now that I finally get a six, you’re calling foul?” He spoke in a hurt tone. “Anyway, it’s time I repay you for those mana-infused daggers you so generously hurled at me.”

He was aware of the four-second attack window he had been granted, but he waited patiently. His calm demeanor didn’t falter as the pressure around him began to wane.

Just as the moment arrived, Theo reached into his Golden Vault and pulled out several small crimson orbs. He threw them into the sky, where they glimmered as they arced through the air.

In just four seconds, four dozen crimson detonator pearls filled the sky, positioned perfectly to rain down upon the white-robed man.

The white-robed man’s eyes narrowed, his body tensing as he watched the crimson detonator pearls rain down from above. But before he could react, a blinding flash of lightning seared his vision, followed by a deafening explosion.

One blast after another tore through the air, each resounding boom adding to the chaos. He barely registered the pain at first, but when the heat and force struck his body, it was undeniable—he was caught in the heart of the blast, helpless against the onslaught.

The shockwaves rattled the entire arena. Just when it seemed as though the white-robed man’s end was inevitable, the armored man intervened. His hand hovered briefly, and summoned a dark shield that enveloped the unfortunate man, protecting him from further damage.

Theo, watching the blatant unfairness, sighed. The moment the shield appeared, he let go of the remaining detonator pearls as he chose not to unleash any more. He had already made his point.

Moments later, the white-robed man’s battered figure vanished from his tile, reappearing at the start. His robes were in tatters, his skin scorched and blackened from the blast. Though the armored man’s shield had saved his life, the damage had already been done. He was a shadow of his former self, groaning in pain, his arrogance shattered.

Liliana, taking in the scene, recalled Theo’s words: “I’ll say this only once—he won’t reach the ninety-sixth tile. One way or another, he will fail.”

And now, she was witnessing the truth of those words. Theo had ensured that the white-robed man wouldn’t succeed, demonstrating just how far he was willing to go.

But one question disturbed her thoughts: ‘How had the boy manipulated the die?’

The endless streak of ones couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. It felt deliberate, as if he had been purposefully rolling ones from the very beginning.

‘If he could control the die, why hadn’t he simply rolled a six from the start and won the game outright?’

Liliana had no answer, but she knew she would find out soon enough.

Her turn came, and she cast the die without hesitation. It stopped at five, moving further ahead. Her mind, however, remained preoccupied with the enigma that was the whitish-cyan haired boy.

Groaning in pain, the white-robed man struggled to move as his turn arrived. His hand, trembling from the earlier blasts, tapped the die weakly. The die spun and eventually settled on two.

Then, it was Theo’s turn. He stepped forward to roll, but just as his hand reached for the die, the armored man’s voice rang out once again, cold and commanding.

“Wait…”

Theo paused, his fingers inches from the die, and turned to look at the armored man with a nonchalant expression.

The armored man’s voice echoed through the air, “Tell me… how did you manipulate the die?”

Theo’s gaze remained calm. “I didn’t manipulate anything. I was just unlucky before,” he said with a shrug. “Seems like all my luck decided to show up at once.”

A low rumble, almost like a dark chuckle, came from the armored man. “That’s not the case,” he said. “Luck doesn’t change like that. But I am willing to offer you something for your secret.”

Theo raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not fully interested.

The armored man continued, “I will give you a protective artifact. It will allow you to cast the shield you saw earlier—the one that saved your opponent.”

Theo’s face remained indifferent. “I don’t need it,” he replied casually, waving the offer away as if it held no value to him.

The armored man’s eyes flickered with a mysterious glint behind his helm. “Then perhaps you would prefer something more… offensive.” His hand hovered for a moment, and a small vial appeared in the air.

“This is a cursed poison,” the armored man explained, his voice almost a whisper. “A single drop on your blade, and it will kill your opponent swiftly. Use it wisely, and no one will stand a chance against you.”

Theo glanced at the vial before shaking his head, “I’ll pass. I have no need for poison—I’m a peace-loving man.”

Peace-loving?

The armored man nearly wanted to strangle Theo for such an outrageous, shameless lie. Even the white-robed man, still recovering, began coughing in disbelief, his blood boiling at the absurdity. If Theo were truly peace-loving, the white-robed man wouldn't have been in such a dire state.

Finally, Theo spoke again, “I’ll tell you the secret, but only if you let her”—he nodded toward Liliana—“leave first with the Thornwood Wardstone.”

The armored man tilted his head, contemplating Theo’s request. His gaze shifted back toward the tiles, the finish line now just five steps away. If Theo rolled a six, it would all be over.

The armored man’s grip tightened ever so slightly, realizing that if Theo crossed the line, he’d lose his last chance to keep him here... and the secret would slip through his grasp.

After what felt like an eternity, the armored man nodded. “Your demands shall be met…”