Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Among them, the red-haired girl, who was Ryu's close friend before her death, shouted the following words to her.

If you feel confused, don't overthink it! Just be honest with yourself!

I always feel that the "blessing" bestowed by that goddess, still imprinted on my back, is still causing me a dull ache.

Then, she silently closed her sky-blue eyes.

Faced with that emotion that had sprouted deep within her heart and could no longer be deceived, Ryu couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

○

Late night──

Above, the sky was a deep indigo, and the moon looked down upon the city surrounded by majestic city walls.

In the short time since the change of days, Ryu was walking alone in the alley.

"The Abundant Mistress" had closed, and the post-closing cleanup was complete. Seele returned to her lodgings, and Anya and the others, who lived in the bar's staff dormitory, were probably asleep as usual. Only Ryu didn't return to her bedroom; she tiptoed out of the bar.

She wore a long hooded cloak and a long skirt, dressed like a flower girl from the slums, and hurried past the dwarves and orcs who were fast asleep drunk by the roadside.

Even though most shops were already closed, the bustling area and the red-light district transformed Orario into a city that never sleeps. Many bars in these alleyways remained open, their magical lights attracting laborers and adventurers seeking alcohol.

With her hood pulled low, Ryu arrived at a bar nestled deep in an alley, a place where even the noise of the main street couldn't reach her.

"..."

She walked down the descending stairs and pushed open a weathered wooden door.

The scene that followed was typical of a shabby bar. There were skinny chienthropes making a huge scene, a scantily clad Amazonian laughing as she slapped away unwanted hands, and several demi-humans sitting shoulder-to-shoulder around a wooden table, emitting hoarse laughs. Something was burning, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke.

It was immediately apparent that the bar was filled with adventurers, or people who didn't work in legitimate professions. The armored men, who seemed to be regulars at the bar, expertly raised their bottles and drank heartily, each with a different woman in their arms.

Describing this place as a gathering place for thugs and hooligans is an apt description.

"What……?"

Liu walked into the bar openly and brazenly, under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Drawing all eyes to her, Ryu walked towards a group of men gambling at a table deep inside the shop, their table covered with gold coins and several playing cards.

"You look unfamiliar... What are you doing in a place like this, little elf sister?"

The first to speak was a tall human male with a sword hanging at his waist.

The man looked up and saw the long ears, so distinctively elven, that couldn't be hidden by the hood, and the man's handsome features. A wicked smile crept across his face. A pair of demi-humans, resembling adventurers, stood on either side of him. Since the man before him had subordinates, he must be the leader of this bar.

Have you ever heard of Anna Kretz?

As Karen and the others were leaving, Ryu asked Hugh where he had been gambling.

He initially drank at a bar near the main street, but after losing several rounds in a row and being unable to turn back, he mentioned that he was taken into a bar in an alley.

As for the bar that Hughie mentioned, it's this one.

"...What? Do you know that girl? Hmm?"

The man's smile deepened as if he had discovered something interesting.

Meanwhile, the adventurers under her command set up a formation at the bar entrance, blocking Ryu's retreat.

"That girl is truly top-notch; it's unbelievable that she's just an ordinary girl from a poor family. Ah~ I really want to taste her! Hahahaha!"

"Please tell me where she is right now."

"Ah~ Let me think... But I can't provide information for free, right?"

Everyone in the bar stared intently at Ryu, their faces contorted with lewd grins.

So the man, who had been leaning back in his chair, leaned forward to ask a question.

"Little sister, do you know how to play cards?"

He pulled a card from the pile of cards on the table and announced loudly:

"You dared to come here alone, which means you're quite confident in your skills, right? I don't advocate violence, so you'll play a gamble with me. My stake is the information you want, and as for you to gamble with money... or you can use yourself as the stake."

"..."

"I gambled with that stubborn old man and then asked him to transfer his daughter to me."

The man seemed to realize that Ryu was an adventurer or someone skilled in a similar field, so while setting up a defensive line, he pulled her into his area of ​​expertise.

After making eye contact with the man who looked up at her, Ryu nodded in agreement.

"no problem."

She placed the purse full of gold coins on the table and sat down in the chair opposite the man.

The next instant, a noisy commotion erupted around them.

The adventurers who had come to join the fun began to stir.

"But if I win, you'll have to tell me the truth."

"Okay, it's a deal, but of course, you have to beat me in the bet, little sister."

In the blink of an eye, the area around Ryu and the man's seats was crowded with people. Some wanted to watch the game, while others wanted to prevent the beautiful fairy from slipping away.

Ryu is trapped in a cage called the human wall, but he remains calm and composed as he confronts the gang leader.

"What are the rules of the game?"

How about poker?

The man made this suggestion while shuffling the cards, and Liu readily agreed.

For races living in the lower realms, the common card game usually refers to "cutting the cards".

There are fifty-three cards in total, with each suit representing a sword (symbolizing struggle), a bountiful harvest, currency (symbolizing wealth), and a chalice (symbolizing blessing). Each suit has thirteen cards, plus the Joker card, making up the complete deck. Legend has it that this game originated in "ancient times," with a primitive form reportedly existing back then. Another theory suggests it was passed down from the time of the gods' descent.

Poker is one of the most representative games of card cutting.

The rule is to collect cards from the deck and then compare the values ​​of the cards in your hand.

"Little sister, how much money do you have in your purse?"

"Five hundred thousand falies."

Upon hearing Liu's reply, the man couldn't help but whistle.

He shuffled the cards with practiced ease, his face beaming as he squeezed out the ugly crow's feet around his eyes.

"Let me make this clear first: if you want to continue gambling after you've lost all your money... then, as I just said, you'll have to use your own body as the stake."

"..."

"I once sold several elves like you to the red-light district. Oh, please don't make wild guesses, okay? Since you've lost so much money that you can't pay your debts, you can only resort to sex, right?"

The man's gaze roamed brazenly over Ryuna's slender neck and her flawless, fair skin, even greedily licking his lips. The vulgar laughter of the surrounding audience gently brushed against Ryuna's delicate ears.

Threats are used to induce the opponent to waver; the psychological warfare of gambling has begun.

Poker is a game where how you brag is more important than your own hand.

Even a mere bluff can be a deadly weapon.

The leader of the thugs forced a fake smile and began dealing the cards.

"Let me also make a statement."

"Hey, what's up?"

Facing her opponent who was about to finish dealing the cards, Ryu lowered her hood and slightly narrowed her sky-blue eyes.

"If you dare to cheat, I will not let you off easily."

The next instant, Ryu drew the small katana from his waist.

With a speed that others couldn't even see clearly, he swung the blade onto the table.

"--Huh?"

After a loud "thud!" echoed through the bar, the area fell silent.

The man stared in disbelief at the knife blade, which was stuck in the table just inches from his fingers, and broke out in a cold sweat.

His hand trembled slightly, and the playing card hidden in his palm fell onto the table.

"If you dare to do it again, I'll cut off your finger."

After making a chilling declaration with a calm tone, Ryu pulled the shojitsu back from the table. The man's face instantly turned pale.

"I advise you to be careful—I tend to go too far."

Faced with Ryu's words and sharp gaze, everyone around him gasped.

This is actually just bluffing.

Ryu's personality isn't that cruel; she wouldn't do something so outrageous in a game like this.

But the effect was remarkable. Both the man and the surrounding thugs were no longer at ease; they were all terrified and sweating profusely. In their eyes, Ryu was an unfathomable figure.

Now that her opponent has lost his composure, Ryu can simply enjoy the game with a calm mind.

She calmly assembled her hand while avoiding letting others see her cards.

Because Ryu knew all too well that in any gamble, someone whose mind is shaken at one point is easily prone to becoming suspicious.

"gourd."

"...!?"

Staring at the deck of cards spread out on the table, the man stared in disbelief and crushed the cards in his hand.

Ryu has won nine straight. In this one-sided situation, the bar was completely silent.

The man's dozens of gold coins, which he had used as chips, were long gone. In contrast, the gold coins that Liu had seized were piled up into a small mountain.

"This...this is impossible!? You must be cheating...!!"

"Don't accuse me unjustly. If you hadn't given up voluntarily, you would have won money in several games."

The man got so angry that he stood up from his chair and started cursing. Liu, on the other hand, calmly stated the facts.

As an elf with a strong sense of moral purity, Ryu is particularly bad at boasting. If we set aside warnings and threats, she is completely clueless in this regard.

In that case, how can Ryu win? The method is simple: just face the game with sincerity.

Sincerely accept the cards, sincerely assemble the deck, and embark on the challenge with genuine eyes.

Most opponents are intimidated by Ryu's unwavering, serious expression—an impeccable mask (poker face). This is because their boasting has no effect on Ryu's facade. Furthermore, when she shouts "Raise!", all her opponents look as if a knife is held to their throats.

Ryu sometimes thinks that gambling is a lot like the "skills" and "wits" of adventurers. However, in terms of the latter alone, Ryu has engaged in dozens of real and feint exchanges in fleeting battles, so she can see through almost all the bluffs in gambling.

To Ryu, the boasting of this novice adventurer was no different from the lies of a child.

By using a counter-strategy, victory can be easily achieved.

Moreover, after the man's cheating was exposed by Liu, he seemed very uneasy.

"You bitch, who are you...!?"

"My name is nothing special... I just happened to know a frenemy who helped me get started."

In addition, she made good use of her experience in related missions when she was in the Astrea Familia.

Back then, infiltrating and searching casinos engaged in illegal activities was commonplace. Sometimes it was to shut down bookmakers who harmed ordinary people, and sometimes it was to gather intelligence on leaders of rival organizations. Whether one wanted to disguise oneself as an ordinary gambler or establish a relationship with the bookmaker, it was necessary to first gain a level of trust that exceeded the standard—that is, to use "skills" and "wits."

The person who taught Ryu the tricks of gambling was a companion from the Astrea Familia.

This little girl, who always had a sly smile on her face, semi-forced Ryu to learn the secrets of gambling. After several infiltrations and searches, Ryu naturally became quite proficient in gambling.

"I won. Please provide the information."

Sitting in the chair, Liu looked up and uttered those words. The man turned red with anger and clenched his teeth tightly.

He gave a look to his bewildered subordinates, and the next instant he roared.

"Brothers, kill this woman!!"

After the man gave the instruction that he intended to renege on his promise, the adventurers immediately drew their weapons.

—In the end, it still turned out like this.

Ryu, who initially intended to let the matter drop, sighed and got up to fight the thugs who were attacking.

One minute later.