I don't want to conquer witches anymore.

Ta-da!

At that moment, Duke recalled many painful memories.

For example, getting nine Black Keys and one Projection Magic in ten consecutive pulls; getting only weapons and no characters in ten consecutive pulls; getting the must-have character after 300 pulls; getting random characters from every pull but never that one reskinned version of the same character...

Duke's lips began to twitch. He was increasingly convinced that his scam system was directly ported from some low-quality mobile or web game. Judging by the name "Witch Conquest System," it might even be an 18+ money-grabbing web game produced by some international website starting with the letter D.

Thankfully, only the lottery system was implemented. If the pay-to-win system had been implemented as well, Duke's heart would have truly stopped beating.

He stared at the gashapon machine on the simple interface of the lottery system and used his only single-draw ticket.

"Although I was an unlucky person in my past life, I can now be a transmigrator who has successfully traveled to another world. I should have some protagonist luck, right? May I get a miracle in a single pull and pull some good items!"

Should I use a single draw ticket?

【Yes. 】

After a burst of cheap-looking light and shadow effects, the gashapon machine emitted a blue light, and at the same time, the system notification sounded.

[Item: Mixed Berry Cake, already generated.]

[Item Name: Mixed Berry Cake]

[Item Description: Girls can never resist the temptation of sweets, remember, never!]

[Item Effect: Greatly increases the user's favorability.]

"Could this be the legendary... heat cake?!"

Duke's expression suddenly became incredibly subtle. This thing was no weakling at all. Most of the system's item effects were quite accurate. Since it said it could "significantly increase favorability," the increase must be really large. After eating a cake, it was not impossible for strangers to become close friends. But... this thing seemed to only be used to win over witches?

For Duke, who no longer wanted to pursue witches, it wasn't exactly the same as not getting anything good, but it felt like he hadn't gotten anything at all.

"And this lottery system isn't full of things like this, is it?" Duke muttered to himself. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that, given the system's nature, this possibility was not small at all. He helplessly closed the system interface and sighed, "The road ahead is long and arduous!"

Although his hopes of turning his life around with the system's new features were dashed, and he even had to avoid this damn system tricking him back into the path of conquering witches, Duke was in a much better mood than when he had just experienced social death earlier today, and the reason was simple.

Today's "Statues" game made him realize that he's still the same person he used to be—the one who actively seeks thrills when life is too mundane, a daredevil who calmly walks the line between tension and danger. In just one day, a month of lazy living felt like a lifetime ago.

"I'll try out another witch game tomorrow," Duke said slowly, exhaling. "Before I go to sleep, I should get some exercise, it's been a while."

He is too weak now. Only when he is strong enough will he be qualified to solve puzzles in most witch games.

Information that can be released now:

[Name: Duke]

[Level: 7.]

[Occupation: Rogue (Thief)]

[Basic Attributes: Strength 8, Agility 14, Constitution 9, Intelligence 16, Perception 11, Charisma 18.]

[Skills: Quick Hands, Performance, Stealth, Intuitive Evasion.]

[Items: Pinocchio's Heart, Space Anchor, Lucky Dagger, Mixed Berry Cake, Miscellaneous Package.]

……

The next day, Duke yawned as he pushed open his door. His enthusiasm seemed to last only one night before he reverted to his usual lazy state. Like a couch potato who vows to start working out tomorrow but starts drinking sugary drinks the next day, he slept until the morning before finally deciding to leave his room.

"Hi."

As soon as Duke pushed open the door, he saw Amber wearing a witch's hat and a maid's outfit. Her amber eyes narrowed into two crescent moons as she smiled and waved at Duke.

Good morning, Mr. Duke.

Chapter Ten: Public Enemy

Good morning, Mr. Duke.

"Boom-"

Duke instinctively closed the door.

"I must be doing it wrong."

He muttered to himself for a few seconds, then reopened the door. The scene outside remained unchanged; Amber was still standing there, only her smile had become slightly stiff as she repeated her lines with a forced grin: "Good morning..."

"Boom-"

Duke closed the door again.

This time, before Duke could even open the door, the witch outside began banging on it and shouting:

"If you're so capable of seducing a witch, then open the door if you dare!"

Duke: "???"

Upon hearing the commotion outside the door, Duke immediately panicked. Everyone in the floating city knew his reputation. If Amber's reckless antics attracted a few onlookers and escalated the situation, his peaceful life would be gone forever.

He quickly opened the door, pulled Amber inside, and slammed the door shut, not caring whether anyone saw it.

"Boom-"

As Duke pulled her into the room, Amber felt her heart begin to race. Only then did she realize the risks of her impulsive action—she would soon be alone with Duke in a small room! The true and false rumors about Duke immediately flashed through the elven girl's mind.

Jokes like "glare at someone and they'll get pregnant" are one thing, but many of these rumors are quite elaborate. For example, Duke once had three dates in one night. First, he had a candlelight dinner with a witch in the early evening, just as the moon was rising, and enjoyed a wonderful first half of the night. When the moon reached its highest point, he was already in another witch's boudoir, beginning a romantic night. Finally, Duke managed to satisfy the great witch before the moon set, and then rushed to the highest point of the floating city to meet the witch Cecil, with whom he watched the romantic sunrise.

Amber blushed and her heart pounded when she heard the story; she believed at least a third of it.

Why one-third? Because the story was told by her best friend Cecil.

cough!

In short, the rumors about Duke, which are so detailed that they are accurate down to the minute, make it hard to tell whether they are true or false. However, without exception, these rumors all emphasize Duke's stamina during the wonderful nights he spent with the witches.

Is it really that long-lasting?

Amber covered her slightly flushed face.

"..." Duke glared at Amber, who was staring blankly. Although he didn't know what she was thinking, he could tell from her expression that it wasn't anything serious. He asked impatiently, "Why are you here?"

Amber pouted and said with a hint of resentment, as if blaming a lover:

"If you don't come looking for me, then I'll have to come looking for you."

Before Duke could react to her words, Amber chuckled and then said, slightly more seriously:

"It is my principle not to thank my savior in person. Thank you for saving me, Mr. Duke."

Duke looked into Amber's earnest eyes. He liked the girl's amber eyes and the sincerity he saw in them.

“I mean…” He paused for a moment, then managed to squeeze out half a sentence to change the subject: “How did you know I live here?”

This was the house he rented before his accident, but it had always been used as a warehouse, so theoretically no one should know he lived here. Even during the days when Cecil and her friends were chasing him, they never found this place, and Duke really couldn't understand how Amber knew about it.

"Hey, Mr. Duke, didn't you know? The adventurers have already put a bounty on you. I heard they'll give you 100 gold coins for beating you up and dumping you at the Adventurers' Guild gate. Right now, all the information brokers in the city are hoarding information about you. I got it from an information broker I know well, and the information fee isn't cheap."

"???" Duke's face darkened. "Why? What did I do to offend anyone? Why are they putting a bounty on my head?"

When he suffered a social death a few days ago, at most a few witches chased after him. Most of the adventurers just watched the show, and many even admired him in private. What happened today?

"Because you cleared the 'Statues' game, the adventurers didn't get the 'newbie perks' anymore," Amber said with a grin. Duke felt there was a hint of schadenfreude in her smile. "The newbie adventurers are furious, and now that you're back on the newbie leaderboard, they probably think you cheated again, right? This time it's really stirred up a lot of anger."

The Floating City Newcomer Ranking includes adventurers who have been in the Floating City for no more than three months. The ranking is totaling fifty players, and climbing the ranks isn't too difficult; anyone who can independently complete any witch game can make it onto the list. All members of the Newcomer Ranking receive rewards corresponding to their ranking, settled monthly.

As the saying goes, "one radish, one hole," Duke, an adventurer with a proven history of "cheating," is naturally questioned by many adventurers for reappearing on the list. Not to mention that the game he cleared this time was a "newbie perk" game called "Statues," so it's no wonder he's angered everyone!

And there's one thing amber didn't mention.

Although not many people saw Duke and her leaving the game room together, the adventurers still spread the word, and new rumors about Duke emerged—such as "he played the game by living off the witch" and "the witch cut the beginner's bonus game to boost her gigolo's sales!"

Duke asked, trembling, "Then... will I still be able to claim the game rewards?"

“I suggest you don’t go to claim it for a while.” Amber gave him a regretful look. “There are probably ambush set up by adventurers outside the prize redemption shop. Going there would be like walking into a trap.”

Duke's face was ashen, his mentality was exploding, he was extremely hungry, he racked his brains, and then a brilliant idea struck him. He slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "You know teleportation magic, don't you? Just take me to the award ceremony and then bring me out, right?"

"Aren't you afraid of rumors about us?" Amber blinked. "Although I don't really mind."

"What are you afraid of!"

Duke made the decision.

Social death is like a paper tiger; it's nothing in the face of a massive crisis like not having enough money to eat!

That very day, news of Duke heading to the prize redemption shop with the little witch he had just slept with spread like wildfire, causing a frenzy throughout the floating city. For the first time, witches and adventurers united closely. The amount of Duke's crowdfunding bounty increased tenfold overnight, reaching an astonishing 1000 gold coins—a figure that was only one-fifth of the reward he received for completing the "Statues" game.

It is reported that after learning about the reward amount, Du became emotional and told his female companion that he wanted to sell himself for money, but his female companion persuaded him to stop.

Chapter Eleven: Ex-Girlfriend Number One

Ten years ago, the floating city suddenly connected with many mysterious otherworldly spaces, each with its own strange "rules" that operated in ways the witches of the floating city couldn't understand. Several particularly unusual otherworldly spaces even made legendary witches sense danger.

If these otherworldly spaces are left unchecked, these strange things that only exist in the floating city will eventually spread to the whole world, and by then it will be too late to find a solution!

Moreover, the rules of these alternate dimensions were far too bizarre. Faced with these strange rules, the witches were powerless and could only act according to them, feeling constantly restricted. Therefore, after a period of research, they remained at a loss as to how to deal with these alternate dimensions. Just then, the highly respected potion-making witch Eve came up with a brilliant idea:

They falsely claimed to be holding a game festival, offering huge bounties to attract most of the continent's elite to conquer these games. Incidentally, this would also boost the floating city's tourism industry and local economy—a win-win situation—the witches won twice! They were ecstatic!

Thus, the witch game began.

However, ten years later, the decline of the Witch Game has gradually become apparent. Although adventurers continue to flock to the floating city, only a small number of players are truly capable of completing the Witch Game. The persistently high casualty rate when attempting large-scale games leaves the witches of the floating city with a face full of worry every day.

At this rate, even if we have a lot of elite adventurers, we'll eventually run out!

Just then, a young adventurer named Duke appeared in the witches' field of vision.

The knocking interrupted Carol's reverie.

She is the renowned Time Witch, the current lord of the Floating City, and one of the only four remaining legendary witches, currently one of the strongest beings in the Floating City and even the entire continent. Yet even such a powerful figure can only helplessly remain in her office, lamenting her inability to do anything about the increasingly dire situation.

"Please come in," she said helplessly, then looked surprised upon seeing the visitor. "Eve? What brings you here?"

"I've come to visit you." Eve, still dressed in a white lab coat, walked into the office and sat down opposite Carol with perfect ease. She asked curiously, "What's wrong now? You look so worried you're about to get wrinkles."

Carol was shocked and quickly cast a spell to conjure a magical mirror. After carefully examining her reflection for three or four seconds, she said angrily, "No way!"

“Just kidding, my Carol is an absolute beauty, how could she have wrinkles?” Eve said jokingly. After chatting with her friend for a few minutes, she finally got to the point: “I met your boyfriend.”

That's right, the current lord of the Floating City was once one of the five ships that Duke was on, and even the ship that first came into contact with Duke! If Carol hadn't been careful when she contacted Duke, using the "alias" of another witch, no one would have known that she was her (including Duke), otherwise this would have been the most influential scandal in the Floating City in the past ten years.

"...What happened to Duke?"