Chapter 120 - Open Wager.
Felix, who spoke, moved away from the corner he was sitting on before and advanced slowly through the crowd of players until he reached the stage she was on. She looked at him curiously and gave him two minutes to speak his mind.
He nodded his head respectfully to her and faced the players, who were eyeing him each with a different expression; curiosity, puzzlement, but mostly indifference.
"I just want to spice things up a bit for my fans by making this game a little bit more challenging for me." Before the players could bash him for his arrogant claim, he followed up with a smile, "So I suggest, an open wager for all to join!"
Immediately after hearing that term, Zoe's face brightened up in an instant. Meanwhile, the nonchalant players all broke their composure by gasping out loud in shock.
Never did they expect that someone would open a wager in a silver ranked game! This mechanism was used mostly on gold or above!
After seeing that he grabbed their attention successfully, Felix started informing them about the terms of the wager.
"First, everyone is allowed to join." He coughed, "Except Miss Figure. She is my GP farmer."
"F*ck you!!"
A loud feminine curse echoed in the hall. Felix merely ignored it and continued where he left, "The wager terms are simple. Everyone's points earned during the game will be the trophy, and the condition to win it is by gathering the highest amount of game points during the game. The player who does so takes everything home!"
He paused for a second and added, "However, the moment you join the wager, using the exit to win the game will not be allowed."
Felix added this term to stop those who joined the bet but focused on the exit, leaving them farming points like morons for the winner. That wouldn't be fair at all.
That's why he only limited this bet to point collection, as it would force the players to use whatever means necessary to obtain as many points as possible. So, they could emerge victorious at the end in both the bet and possibly the game if no one found the exit before the duration ends.
This would raise the total amount of points collected to a staggering amount, making the winner of the bet a rich player instantly.
Felix would be a fool to not create this wager in this game, where points were abundant unlike in his previous game where getting them was only by elimination.
"Your wager is quite interesting." The man wearing the dark business suit pushed his glasses upward his nose bridge and said, "However, you made that player a GP farmer for you. This meant you will exceed our points collected at the end of the game when she transfers her points."
"F*ck you as well!"
Everyone ignored Miss Figure's aggrieved curse and nodded in agreement.
Felix examined this man with his good-natured smile and comforted him, "Mr. Solar Mist, I never planned to count her points in the first place. So you don't need to worry about it."
Meanwhile, his hidden slits were gleaming with dreadful wickedness, as he added with a sincere voice, "This bet is as fair as it can get."
'Hmm, It seems like there is no catch in this wager. Should I take part?' Solar Mist pondered whether to participate or not.
He was not the only one doing so, as the majority stood in silence, contemplating and analyzing their chances of winning the bet.
Felix didn't rush them, neither did Zoe. They both knew that joining this wager was not a joking matter, as it was a risky sub-game in itself.
After all, if only 20 players decided to join, the amount collected by them at the end would surpass all of their GP they collected over their SG career individually.
So, they must make sure that at least they had a chance to win the bet before they dare risking all of their points.
...
After a while, Solar Mist was the first to express his desire into joining the wager by saying, "I will join only if I am able to add some ground rules to make it fair for all of us."
"Be my guest and add as many rules as you please." Felix shrugged his shoulders in a careless manner, not worried about being affected negatively by his rules.
"First, anyone who joined the bet can not rely on allies during any beast hunt."
This rule made total sense, as it wouldn't be a fair battle when some players received assistance in their points collection while others relied on themselves.
"Tsk, I guess I am out."
"Same, my abilities are supportive in nature."
"Might as well focus on the exit."
As expected a quite few players disgruntled at this rule, and gave up on joining the wager.
Some of them were planning to create an alliance to win the bet and split the pie between each other. While some had a supporting bloodline that requires an ally to reach its potential, the same as Olivia's bloodline.
Solar Mist ignored their grumbling noises and carried on composedly, "Second rule, point transferring before the game ends is forbidden."
No one disapproved of this rule, as it was simply common sense. No one wanted players to transfer their points to one player to bump him ahead of others. Or in worst cases, transferring points to avoid losing them after realizing that the bet was lost!
"Third rule, the moment the game ends, the bet ends as well." He clarified, "In other words, if someone found the exit in the first 10 minutes unexpectedly, the player with the highest points before that, will win the bet."
This was exactly what Felix feared would happen. He wanted to win the bet, but at the same time win the game. However, he wouldn't be able to focus on finding the exit while hunting any beast he saw and opening any chest he found to collect points.
Meanwhile, those who did not participate with them in the bet would have their eyes locked only on finding the exit and emerging as the champion.
That being said, Felix was only worried about some players finding the exit by chance, as for those smart players who truly could do so by relying on their abilities? He was not concerned about them one bit. Simply because they were going to join the bet with him!
He was confident that not a single hardcore player within the hall would miss such a juicy opportunity to earn a massive amount of points at once.
Hell, they could even give up on the championship and focus on the bet wholeheartedly. After all the wish had limits, meanwhile that staggering amount of points could buy them items and products from the prize pool far exceeding what the wish could provide. Not in the quality of course, but in quantity.
Felix knew exactly how to spend those game points if he managed to win the bet. He already had the perfect use for them. And It didn't have any relation with spending them in the prizes pool.
"That's all I have to add."
Calm and collected, Solar Mist fixed his black tie while standing as straight as a light pole, not speaking anymore. Felix nodded his head and thanked him for improving the wager even further.
"Alright, I believe you had enough time to think about it." Zoe looked at them and requested, "If you plan to join the bet, ascend the stage please."
"Can I pass through please?"
A delicate short girl with long yellow bangs covering her eyes and wearing only a homemade dress made out of green leaves, passed through the crowd of players while requesting shyly.
The players opened a path for her to walk through instinctively while gaping at her in disbelief.
"What the hell, Birds Call, the princess of Maganda tribe was next to me all along?!"
"She is too short to be noticed I guess." A man jokingly said after seeing her height that didn't reach even 1, 50 cm. Unfortunately, the expected laughs did not greet him, but only looks of condolence and pity.,
"Shit, you should not have said that brother." The players near him immediately retreated away, creating an empty circle around him.
"What the do you mea..."
Before he questioned what's going on with them, the same shy cute voice interrupted him. However, this time there was a hint of threat in it.
"Did you just call me short Mr. Sandstorm?"
Sandstorm laid his eyes on Birds Call, who was smiling gently in front of him with her eyes hidden behind her bangs.
A bit scared, he gulped inaudibly and denied her accusation, not daring to answer her truthfully. He wasn't stupid to not realize that he offended her greatly by his joke.
"Sigh, couldn't he just take a knee and beg for forgiveness? Why lie to her?"
"If before he had a chance to survive her rage, now he is totally screwed."
"Do you think she will nail him to a cross and parade him n.a.k.e.d, like the last offender?"
"I doubt it; Princess Bird is quite imaginative on her punishments."
"I bet 100 GP that she will cleave him in half in real life."
"300 GP here, that she will bury him within a hive of crimson devil ants."
"That's quite extreme don't you think?"
"She already did so before."
"I take your bet."
Now totally scared shitless, cold sweat dripped from Sandstorm's chin, as he listened to the murmurs of the players around him.
'Who the hell did I mess with?!' He questioned fearfully in his mind while gazing from above at the little thing in front of him. She didn't even reach his waist!
"Mr. Sandstorm, I will pay you a visit later in real life."
Princess Bird smiled cutely, exposing two small fangs, and passed right beside him. Suddenly she stopped one meter behind him and said softly, "Oh, and don't die before then."
She soon continued moving forward, walking towards the stage that was already packed with 8 players standing near each other with varied expressions; indifference, coldness, arrogance, playfulness, confidence, and more.
Mr. Sandstorm dropped to his knees with a deadpan expression, not knowing to this point who did he offend.
The only thing he knew was that she was not messing around with her threats. The piteous looks he was receiving from those near him verified it even further.