After Radish finished speaking, the [Iron Rope Card] immediately took effect.
One of the ropes behind Radish instantly gained a metallic sheen.
As for the other one...
It activated behind "Robin."
Seeing this result, Phantom sighed.
"Truly... money flows to those who already have plenty!"
"Why didn't I get even one?"
Li Hua adjusted his glasses.
"From a probability standpoint, this makes sense."
Li Hua explained seriously.
Phantom shrugged helplessly.
"Fine, fine..."
He looked resignedly at Ka the Octopus.
"Seems fate should remain in one's own hands—I'll have a dessert, please."
"Coming right up!"
Ka the Octopus replied cheerfully.
Having observed several previous rounds and summarized the patterns, Phantom's turn went even more smoothly than Li Hua's.
"The dessert prepared for you is called [Walking Cane]."
"May your magic earn universal admiration while remaining forever unbroken, esteemed Magician."
The dessert served to Phantom was a cane-shaped cake.
Almost immediately, Phantom utilized his basic ability as a 『Magician』.
A Magician's ability allows them to convert an object into a [Temporary Prop] as a [Magic Prop], which can then be stored in their prop space and bound to them for the duration of this dungeon.
The conversion requires physical contact—the more complex or powerful the prop, the longer the contact needed.
But Phantom didn't even need to touch this cake to complete the transformation.
When he retrieved the cake from his [Prop Space], it now had ten numbered candles (0 through 9) stuck into it, along with the words "Happy Birthday."
Phantom sighed at the sight.
"I knew it... This is just cruel!"
With a snap of his fingers, a small flame flickered to life between them.
He then lit the candle marked "5."
The moment it ignited, the number 5 candle burst into dazzling sparkler-like flames, from which a card suddenly popped out.
Phantom turned the card over—it bore the image of a pitch-black pair of scissors.
He frowned. "Hey, Octopus... What's the difference between this black scissors card and the previous two?"
"Don't tell me this one's meant to kill us all."
Ka shook his head with a smile. "Not at all! It simply cuts five random ropes in play... completely at random!"
"Whose ropes get cut... is entirely, entirely uncertain!"
Ka explained cheerfully.
Phantom nodded.
"Ah, got it."
He then began enjoying his cake.
Soon...
Phantom finished his dessert.
He picked up the card and declared:
"I choose to use this random card now."
As he spoke, Phantom revealed the black [Scissors Card].
Li Hua's expression changed slightly as he moved to stop him—
But it was too late.
"Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!"
Four consecutive snapping sounds rang out as ropes belonging to Li Hua, Robin, and Fish were severed!
Li Hua lost two ropes in one go!
Instantly, the 『Gambler』 who had just returned to the safety line of three ropes was back down to only one!
Fish was equally unlucky, unable to suppress a curse.
"Damn it, Phantom! I just renewed my ropes!"
Robin's ropes were protected by the [Iron Rope Card].
But she still lost one—clearly, without Radish's card, she would have lost two!
The sudden imbalance from her first rope breaking startled the 『Painter』.
However, with three ropes remaining, she quickly steadied herself.
Watching everyone's precarious state, Mosin-Nagant glanced at Lin Yu, who was watching with amused interest.
Seeing the other still silent, Mosin-Nagant gritted his teeth and spoke:
"I'll take a dessert, please!"
At his request, Ka the Octopus enthusiastically began preparing.
"The dessert prepared for you is called [Prey Encyclopedia]."
"May every hunt bring plentiful rewards, esteemed Hunter."
A thick book stood on the plate, its pages open to the table of contents.
Mosin-Nagant pondered for a moment.
"How to apply a 『Hunter』's ability to this..."
He murmured, then...
Mosin-Nagant closed his eyes.
He drew a dart from his pocket and threw it blindly at the book.
"Pretty clever thinking..."
Lin Yu remarked admiringly.
Under the influence of the 『Hunter』 ability, even with closed eyes, Mosin-Nagant could land the dart on the book.
However...
Even with enhanced "accuracy," he couldn't control where exactly it would land.
Mid-flight, the dart's trajectory suddenly twisted unnaturally before embedding itself in a specific page number on the contents.
As if "sucked" toward it.
Opening his eyes, Mosin-Nagant wasn't surprised as he flipped to that page.
The book was exquisitely crafted—though made of sugar, its pages turned effortlessly.
That page depicted four animals:
Elk, python, wild boar, and buffalo.
While others were confused, Mosin-Nagant's expression sharpened.
He drew a dagger from his waist and stabbed it straight into the elk's heart on the page.
The elk actually appeared to grimace in pain as a blood-red liquid oozed from the wound.
The liquid dripped onto the plate, solidifying and coalescing into a card.
Ignoring the card for now, Mosin-Nagant continued cutting the sugar book with his knife.
He chopped it into small pieces, spearing them with his knife to eat.
Only then did he pick up the card from the plate.
"What does this mean?"
The card depicted scissors and a knotted rope.
Ka applauded.
"Congratulations! You've obtained the [Rope Exchange Card]!"
"This card's function is..."
"Randomly cut one rope and reconnect another!"
As Ka explained, Mosin-Nagant didn't seem entirely pleased.
Li Hua, however, sighed in relief.
"At least in terms of total rope count... it's neutral..."
He muttered.
Mosin-Nagant turned to Li Hua.
"『Order』's Game Master... This card seems useless to me. Should I use it now?"
"I get the sense you're planning something—so I'll do you a favor and let you decide when to use it."
After some thought, Li Hua said, "No need to rush..."
But Lin Yu suddenly interjected:
"I think... now would actually be the perfect time to use it."
He cut off Li Hua with a smile.