The beeping of hospital monitors blended with the soft morning light filtering through the blinds.
Jack sat upright in his bed, fingers flexing, toes wiggling under the thin hospital sheets. It still felt surreal, like he was dreaming with his eyes open.
The memory of being a prisoner in his own body was a phantom chill on his soul, a stark contrast to the effortless strength now flowing through him.
Across from him, his little sister, Mia, slept curled up in the chair. Her tiny hands gripped the edge of his blanket, as if afraid he'd vanish again if she let go. Her face was peaceful in sleep, but the dried tear tracks on her cheeks were a testament to the terror they'd all endured.
Jack shifted not because of pain, but from purpose.
He glanced at the door. Muffled voices drifted in, and he recognized his mother's, pleading again.
"Please, just a few more days. I swear I'll pay it. Please."
Her voice cracked like glass.
The blue screen reappeared. It wasn't a hallucination or a dream, it was a fixture now, settled in the corner of his vision like a HUD from some twisted video game.
[Remaining Bill: $17,560]
[Debt Collection Timer: 18 Hours 42 Minutes Remaining]
No amount of recovery changed the facts. They were still in deep. He had a new body and a new trait—but they were still drowning.
[Would You Like to Make a Wager?]
Jack inhaled, not from panic, but from cold, calculated control.
"What are my options?"
[Scanning Vicinity for Viable Opponents…]
[Opponent Located: Lyle Gao | Age: 19 | Status: Stable | Room 305B]
[Current Activity: Online Poker (High Stakes)]
[Skill Detected: Cheating Hands (E-Rank)]
Jack blinked.
Two doors down. A cheater with a skill. A player.
"Cheating Hands?"
[Trait allows manipulation of virtual poker cues and input lag to increase odds. Confidence: 88%]
Jack's lips curled into a sneer. Not a real gambler. A parasite.
While his mother begged for scraps and Mia cried herself to sleep, this kid sat pretty behind a screen, stealing dollars from people who didn't know better.
Jack clenched his fist. He felt his system trait pulse gently in the corner of his vision.
[Analytical Eye Active]
"Let's take his money."
[Wager Format: Online Poker – Sudden Death (One Hand Only)]
[Jack's Stake: Analytical Eye (F-Rank)]
[Opponent's Stake: $6,000 Bank Transfer]
[Begin Match?]
It was madness. One hand. Everything on the line. His only trait.
He didn't hesitate at all.
"Yes."
The hospital faded into haze.
A new space bloomed into being—digital and infinite. Neon-blue grids under black skies. At the center: a sleek poker table hovering in midair.
Jack sat at one end, a blank avatar with no features or visible emotion.
Across from him: a red-suited figure with slicked-back hair and a smirk far too wide. Lyle Gao's avatar.
[Initializing Match…]
[One Hand – No Rebuys]
[Dealing Cards…]
Jack received: Queen of Hearts. Ten of Spades.
Playable. Flexible. But the cards didn't matter. Not really.
[Activating Analytical Eye…]
Data streamed into his vision. Not numbers but patterns. Cues.
[Confidence: 67% – Bluffing]
[Input lag irregularity detected]
[Virtual posture lean: backward]
[Micro-twitch: left eye]
He's cheating. And nervous.
The flop came down: Jack of clubs. Nine of diamonds. Ace of spades.
Inside, Jack almost smiled. Straight draw. King would seal it. But even without it, the board was perfect bait.
Lyle raised. $2,500.
Bluff. Overconfidence. Manipulating input timing. This wasn't just a game, it was a symphony of deception.
Jack typed two words into the chat window:
All in.
The other avatar froze.
[Opponent Confidence: 21% – Panic Detected]
[Heart Rate Spike]
[Physical Distance: Leaning Away From Screen]
[Likelihood of Fold: 60%]
Jack leaned back in the virtual chair, calm as the void.
Lyle hesitated, ten seconds passed. Then twenty before he finally called.
The turn revealed the Two of clubs.
Nothing. No help at all.
The river, however revealed: King of Hearts.
Straight.
Lyle flipped his cards.
It was pair of eights.
[Victory Confirmed]
[Funds Transferred: $6,000 to Linked Recipient Account]
[Opponent Memory Altered: Match Logged as Network Glitch]
Jack felt the win in his bones, not as joy or even satisfaction, but as progress.
The room around him solidified. Back to the Hospital walls, the beep of machines. Mia shifted beside him. His mother's voice went quiet.
The phone in her hand lit up.
"JACK!" she burst into the room. "Jack! Someone just—six thousand dollars! An anonymous transfer! They said the debt's covered!"
She rushed to him, crying, clutching his hand.
Jack smiled faintly. "Guess we got lucky."
Tears flowed freely now. She kissed his forehead, hugged him tight.
Behind her, the screen pulsed.
[Congratulations. You've Won Your First Real Wager]
[New Option Unlocked: Player Ranking Tier – Bronze I]
[XP Gained: 0 ]
[Current XP: 0/100]
[Bronze II Unlocks at 101 XP]
Jack exhaled slowly. He wasn't just playing anymore, he was in the system and he was winning.
But beneath the glow of victory, a seed of unease rooted itself.
Jack stared at the System window still floating faintly at the edge of his vision. His [Analytical Eye] pulsed lightly, waiting to be used again. He had risked it, 'his only edge' for one hand of cards. He'd won. Barely. But what if he hadn't?
What if the System had taken it?
What else would it take?
A line of text slid silently across his vision.
[System Observation Log Updated. Confidence in Host Decision-Making: Increased. Wager Bias Adjusted +0.2%]
The System was watching him. Learning like it had been trained for it. Adjusting.
It wasn't just a tool.
It was a dealer, and dealers don't play favorites.
Jack looked at Mia then to his mother. They had no idea what he had done… what he had risked. They just saw a miracle. An angel's gift.
But he knew.
He had bet his future. And he'd do it again.
He wasn't afraid of the cost.
Only of forgetting why he started gambling in the first place.