"How am I supposed to fight these things?" James shouted as he ran through the tall grass.
Behind him, a group of goblins screeched and chased after him, their crooked weapons waving wildly in the air.
"This Gambler class is really starting to get on my nerves!"
James had entered the Tower full of determination. But reality hit him quickly. The System hadn't given him a weapon. It hadn't given him armor. It hadn't even given him a useful ability to fight with. All he could do… was run.
And that was exactly what he had been doing for the last twenty minutes. While sprinting through the field, something caught his eye.
A sword.
It was lying half-buried in the grass. James immediately ran toward it, slid to a stop, and grabbed the weapon. The blade was rough and chipped, with a jagged edge and visible scars along the metal. It looked old and poorly maintained. But right now, it was the best thing he had.
He gripped the handle tightly.
"…Alright," he muttered.
"It's time I became a hunter."
…
A moment later—
"What the actual fuck just happened?!"
James stared in disbelief. Just seconds earlier, he had turned around to face the goblins chasing him. He had taken a deep breath, tightened his grip on the sword, and charged forward.
One clean swing. That was the plan.But the moment the blade struck the thick belly of the first goblin—
Crack.
The sword shattered instantly. The broken half of the blade flew out of his hand and landed in the grass. The goblin barely even reacted. James blinked.
"…Seriously?"
The goblins screamed and rushed toward him. James didn't hesitate. He turned and ran again.
"Unbelievable!" he shouted while sprinting away.
"My luck is actually cursed!"
After putting some distance between himself and the goblins, he finally slowed down and opened the System.
"System… open."
A blue screen appeared in front of him.
[Welcome, Champion James Carter.]
"Open inventory," James said.
The screen shifted.
[Inventory: Empty]
James stared at it.
"…Empty?"
His eye twitched.
"Empty?!"
"How am I supposed to kill monsters if I don't even have a weapon?!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the screen flickered. A new message appeared.
[Would you like to gamble for it?]
Two options appeared beneath it.
[Yes] [No]
James didn't even pause.
"Yes."
Immediately, another message appeared.
[Skill points: 0]
James frowned.
"Wait… what?"
Then the System continued.
[Awarding you 5 skill points.]
James' eyes lit up.
"Finally—"
The message changed.
[You are now… in Debt.]
James froze.
"…Excuse me?"
Another window appeared.
[Starting the game…]
[Red or Black]
[Current skill points: -5]
James stared at the screen.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He had been inside the Tower for less than an hour. And somehow— He was already in debt.
.....
[Red] or [Black]
The screen shifted. The blue system window dissolved and was replaced by something completely different. A card table appeared in front of James as he ran. A polished wooden surface, illuminated by soft light, with a full deck of cards slowly spreading across it.
"Uhm…" J-ames muttered while sprinting through the field.
The goblins were still chasing him.
"…Red."
He chose hesitantly. One card from the deck slowly slid forward and began turning over. James glanced behind him while the card rotated in the air. Three goblins were still gaining on him.
"Come on… come on…" he muttered.
The card finished turning. Ace of Hearts.
[You win 5 skill points.]
James grinned.
"Yes! That's what I like to see!"
A new message appeared.
[Skill points: 5]
[Gamble further?]
[Yes] [No]
James didn't even slow down.
"Yes."
The table refreshed instantly. A new card slid forward.
[Red] or [Black]
James wiped sweat from his forehead while jumping over a fallen tree branch.
"…Red again."
This time he sounded far more confident. The card slowly turned. For a second, the color was hidden. Then
[8 of Diamonds.]
[You win.]
[Skill points: 20]
James almost laughed.
"Let's go!"
The goblins were still chasing him, but now his confidence was rising fast. The system presented another choice.
[Gamble further] [Collect]
James stared at the screen for a moment. Twenty points was already far more than he had expected. But the gambler inside him immediately started whispering.
Forty… eighty… one sixty…
He shook his head.
"Not now."
"I still need to get out of this mess first."
"Collect," he said firmly.
The screen flashed.
[Skill points awarded to Champion.]
[Well played.]
A warm sensation spread through James' body as the points were transferred. He could already feel the power waiting to be distributed. Behind him, the goblins were still screaming and chasing him. James glanced over his shoulder and smirked.
"Alright…"
He opened the stat screen while running.
"Let's see what twenty points can do."
....
"Open stat screen," James said aloud while still running.
The System responded instantly.
[Champion: James Carter][Occupation: None][Classification: SS-tier][Class: Gambler][Level: 1][Monsters Slain: 0][Exp: 0 / 100]
[Skill points: 20]
[Strength: 1, Agility: 1, Defense: 1, Mana: 10, Magic Affinity: 1, Speed: 2, Ego: Max]
[Abilities:[The Gambler][?][?][?][?][?][?][?][?][?]]
James kept running as he stared at the screen.
"Alright… let's see."
He quickly began assigning points.
"Ten points to strength."
"Five to defense."
"And five to speed."
The System confirmed the allocation.
[Stat points distributed.]
[Strength: 11][Agility: 1][Defense: 6][Mana: 10][Magic Affinity: 1][Speed: 6]
[Skill points: 0]
Immediately, James felt it. A surge of power rushed through his body.
His muscles tightened, growing denser and heavier with strength. His breathing steadied. The fatigue from running seemed to disappear almost instantly. Even the pain from his old injuries faded slightly.
James slowed down. Then stopped. The goblins behind him screeched loudly as they closed the distance. James cracked his neck.
"Yeah…"
He clenched his fists, feeling the strength in his arms.
"…this feels a lot better."
Slowly, he turned around. Five goblins were charging toward him, their ugly green faces twisted with hunger. James raised his fists. No sword. No armor. Just his hands.
"…Come on then," he muttered.
"For my first hunt…"
.....
James charged toward the goblins.
With a burst of speed, he leapt forward and jumped clean over the three in the front, breaking their formation. He landed behind them smoothly.
"…Whoa," James muttered.
He could feel the difference immediately. His body felt lighter. Faster. More responsive.
"This much speed… from just a few points?"
The goblins spun around, screeching in confusion. The first one lunged forward, stabbing wildly with a rusty dagger. James sidestepped the attack effortlessly. The second goblin swung a crude club toward his head.
James raised his arm and knocked it aside. Then he moved. He jumped slightly into the air, twisting his body in a quick spin before driving his fist forward. His punch slammed directly into the goblin's side. Right into its liver.
The sound that followed was sickening. The goblin's body folded inward from the impact before being thrown several meters back, crashing into the grass.
It didn't move again. James stared at his own fist.
"…Holy shit."
The System appeared.
[You have slain a Level 1 Monster: Goblin]
[1 skill point awarded]
The remaining goblins froze. For a moment, they stared at the corpse of their companion. Then panic set in. They turned and ran.
"Hey!" James shouted.
"Oh no you don't."
With his new speed, catching them was easy. He chased them down one by one. The second goblin barely made it ten meters before James caught up and smashed it into the ground.
The third tried climbing a tree. James pulled it down by the leg and ended it with a punch. The last two didn't even manage to scream before they met the same fate.
A few seconds later, the field was quiet again. Five goblin corpses lay scattered in the grass. The System appeared again.
[You have slain a Level 1 Monster: Goblin]
[1 skill point awarded]
[You have slain a Level 1 Monster: Goblin]
[1 skill point awarded]
[You have slain a Level 1 Monster: Goblin]
[1 skill point awarded]
[You have slain a Level 1 Monster: Goblin]
[1 skill point awarded]
James wiped his hands on his pants.
"…That was easier than I expected."
He opened the System again.
"Stat screen."
The blue panel appeared.
[Champion: James Carter][Occupation: None][Classification: SS-tier][Class: Gambler][Level: 1][Monsters Slain: 5][Exp: 5 / 100]
[Skill points: 5]
[Strength: 11][Agility: 1][Defense: 6][Mana: 10][Magic Affinity: 1][Speed: 6][Ego: Max]
James nodded slowly.
"Five more points already…"
Before he could assign them— The screen flickered. A new message appeared.
[You have obtained skill points.]
[Would you like to gamble them?]
Two options appeared beneath the message.
[Yes] [No]
James stared at the screen. Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"…Now you're speaking my language."