Henry's brow furrowed as he stared at the new mission panel. For a moment, he thought he read it wrong.
[New Mission Unlocked]
[Mission: Capital Building Part 2]
[Objective: Go to a betting place and use Opportunity Intuition to win a bet]
Reward: Skill Level Up
He reread it three times, and the words didn't change. There it was, plain as day. Betting. As in gambling.
His mouth twitched, not quite a frown, but definitely discomfort.
"…You've got to be kidding," he muttered to no one in particular, slumping back into his chair. The warm morning light filtering through the window suddenly felt colder. For a system that prided itself as a tool to help him rich, it was quite an unexpected task. Why would the system even suggest to do something that's known for robbing people of their wealth? That seem counterintuitive.
Still, the quest was there, glowing in the panel like the previous ones. The system didn't offer explanations, and it definitely didn't offer choices. When it issued a mission, then it meant it.
Henry rubbed his face with both hands and sighed. "If you said so."
After a moment of quiet deliberation, he clicked open the Opportunity Intuition skill tab
[Opportunity Intuition (Lv. 1)]
[Guides user to an available opportunity. Usage: 1 time per day. May offer vague or indirect guidance. Intuition grows with use.]
"Great," he mumbled. "So I have one shot. One gut feeling, and I'm supposed to use that in a place designed to take people's money."
He stood up, walked across the room, and poured himself a glass of water. As he drank, he glanced over at his trading dashboard. His portfolio looked fine. No immediate spikes or crashes. No alerts from Market Pulse.
"I trust you won't fail me."
A few minutes later.
Henry stepped out of his apartment and into the noisy, sun-drenched streets. The concrete buzzed with the midday heat and the distant hum of traffic. He walked briskly, hoodie over his head despite the sun, trying to hide the weird mix of shame and curiosity boiling in his chest.
He wasn't a gambler. He'd never even bought a lottery ticket. It wasn't something born out of his moral or anything, just a rational conclusion after considering his circumstances. There's no point in risking his money to an arbitrary chance of winning big money. If he were to gamble and lose, then that's it, he'd be in much more predicament than he already was.
Most of gambling resulted in capital loss — and Herny knew this.
That being said, Henry must follow the quest given by the system. This will be the best chance of proving whether he can truly rely on it or not. He keeps walking through the street before eventually, he found himself standing in front of a nondescript corner building with flickering neon signage: "Lucky Seven Betting Lounge".
He knew this place, but never stepped inside. It's the kind of place with old stools, dusty slot machines, and half-awake staff. When he stepped in, the door jingling behind him.
Inside, the air was thick with cheap cologne and cigarette residue. Half a dozen guys hunched over screens or scratched betting slips. Televisions buzzed with horse races, fight promos, and a scrolling list of numbers and odds.
Henry took a deep breath. His heart was racing. The atmosphere of the place was heavy. He could see the fervent-yet-lifeless faces of those who got addicted to gambling—their eyes filled with nervous anticipation. After calming himself down, he whispered under his breath, "Alright, system... let's see what this so-called 'intuition' can do."
He opened the skill panel and tapped [Use: Opportunity Intuition].
For a moment, nothing happened. Then a subtle warmth crawled up his spine and settled behind his eyes. The same sensation he'd felt when Market Pulse activated. This time, however, it wasn't tied to data or numbers.
It was something akin to a pull. Like a gentle nudge that guides his attention.
Henry's gaze drifted across the room — past the flashing poker machines, past the football odds, past the line of greyhound races — until it landed on a small digital display showing an upcoming boxing match.
Name: Reggie "The Hammer" Holt vs. Andre Carlin
Odds: Reggie 1.4 | Andre 3.2
A whisper passed through Henry's mind. There was no words—not even a single voice. Just a sharp lurch in his gut. That one, it called to him.
"Reggie's the favorite," he muttered. "But that pull wasn't toward Reggie…"
He looked again at Andre Carlin's name. According to the odds, he must be underdog of the match. His odds was a little concerning, but the intuition tugged again.
Henry walked to the counter.
"I wanna place a bet," he said, trying not to sound like a nervous teenager buying beer with a fake ID.
The woman behind the register barely looked up. "Name and amount?"
"Uh… Andre Carlin. Hundred bucks."
She raised an eyebrow. "You sure? That guy's only won two fights this year."
Henry swallowed. "I'm sure."
The ticket printed. His hands trembled just a bit as he took it.
Three Hours Later.
Henry sat alone in a corner booth, watching the small wall-mounted TV with wide eyes. The match was on, and he saw it with a burning anxiety. It was part worry of losing his money, and another part excitement from the chance of getting his money doubled.
It actually made him aware of the reason why people can get hooked so easily by gambling. The surge of feeling that came was somehow a little fun. Maybe it caused by adrenaline rush? Well, whatever it is, it probably feels exhilarating to those who had little to no excitement in life.
When the match started, Andre Carlin started off slow, just like everyone expected. But then — in round three — everything shifted. Reggie overextended. Andre ducked. Uppercut, then counter hook.
The crowd on the screen roared. That was an unexpected outcome to the match: knockout by the underdog.
Henry stared in silence—his eyes widened. He was stunned as the announcer screamed.
"ANDRE CARLIN WINS BY KO! UNBELIEVABLE UPSET!"
His betting ticket trembled slightly in his fingers. A second later, the system chimed:
[Mission Complete: Capital Building Part 2]
[Reward Granted: Skill Level Up – Opportunity Intuition (Lv. 2)]
[New Usage: 2 times per day. Expanded detection radius. Reduced cooldown.]
He didn't even notice the people clapping or groaning around him. He just leaned back and let out a long breath.
It worked. Maybe he could trust the system, after all