( Meanwhile, other rankers )
While Leo laughed like a giddy child in his lobby, there were some players who felt their guts being wrenched, as they had fallen deep into the gambling hole.
One of those players was 'Spicy Ramen' who had chosen to play 'Roulette' as his first choice game.
Initially, he had won 3 bets in a row of +5 levels each by wagering his free passes, to gain a total of +15 levels, however, emboldened by his first three wins he started to gamble with his actual level pool, putting up 10 levels at a time to try and gamble for +10 levels with each spin.
"10 levels….. black"
Spicy Ramen decided to wager 10 levels on black after watching the previous 3 spins which had all landed on red.
'The probability of having red is nearly 49.5%, but to have it twice in a row is less than 25% and to have it thrice in a row is less than 12.5%, however, to have it four times in a row is less than 6.25%.
This means that there is a 94% probability of me winning this bet' Spicy Ramen thought, as he watched the ball spin with bated breaths.
*Ching* *Cha-Ching*
No- 8 Red!
" *Ptui* " coughing a mouthful of saliva in regret, Spicy Ramen watched his +15 level gains fall to just +5 as his previous bet failed him big time.
"10 levels….. black!"
Although he had just lost 10 levels, like a true gambler he decided to make the same bet twice, because the probability of it happening 5 times in a row was less than 3%.
No- 14 Red!
" *Ptui* *Ptui* "
Spicy Ramen coughed up blood this time which he was forced to swallow back, because he had actually lost 5 levels because of his risky bet now.
His +5 level gains had now turned to -5, forcing him to keep gambling to recover his losses.
"20 levels on…. Black!!"
Like a complete degenerate gambler, Spicy Ramen tried to recover all his losses in a single bet, as he doubled down and placed a big gamble on black.
'It has to be black now…. 6 in a row is impossible–' Spicy Ramen thought, as he watched the roulette ball tumble with bated breath.
*Ching* *Cha-Ching*
No- 2 Red!
"WHAT THE FUCK—" Spicy Ramen said, enraged as he could not believe his rotten luck.
The probability of the ball falling on red 6 times in a row was less than 1.5%, yet it still happened.
"I'm down 25 levels now….. what the hell! This game is rigged" Spicy Ramen complained, as on one hand he felt a strong urge to call it a day and cut his losses at only 25 levels, however, on the other hand, he could not bear to lose close to 3 months worth of leveling hard work so stupidly.
"I can't stop now…. I guess fortune only favors the bold…." Spicy Ramen said, deciding to bet 50 levels on black, as in his head he felt like it would surely not land on red for a 7th time in a row.
"50…. Black!" Spicy Ramen said with a trembling voice, as he felt his heart beat out of his chest when he placed this bet.
On one hand, losing this single bet could kick him out of the top 10,000 rankers list and slap him down to becoming a middle ranked player, however, winning this bet would mean that his losses would be recovered and he would also gain +25 levels in profit.
Closing his eyes, Spicy Ramen began praying for the ball to fall on black, as he did not dare open his eyes until he heard the familiar sound of the ball settling on to the board.
*Ching* *Cha-Ching*
No- 32 Red!
To Spicy Ramen's utmost shock, the ball had landed on red for the seventh consecutive time, causing his eyes to widen in disbelief, and his mouth to hang open like a fish out of water.
"What... in the... name of all things holy..." he stammered, feeling a mix of anger, shock, and a profound sense of betrayal.
"Seven times? SEVEN? I can't even win a coin toss this badly!"
His internal monologue spiraled into a frenzy. 'Did the universe just decide to mess with me today? Or is there some roulette deity laughing at my misery right now?'
He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more. "I swear, if I find out who rigged this game, I'm going to—" He stopped mid-rant, realizing he was alone and probably looked insane. "Alright, calm down, Spicy. Deep breaths. Think rationally. I mean, it can't keep landing on red, right?
Right?!"
His mind raced with a thousand thoughts, each more ridiculous than the last. 'Maybe I should start betting on red just to mess with the system. No, that's how they get you. Maybe I need a lucky charm. Or a rabbit's foot. Or a four-leaf clover.
Or maybe I need to stop being an idiot and just quit.'
He looked at his remaining levels,(77) feeling a mixture of despair and a twisted sense of humor about the whole situation. "Do I cut my losses and live to gamble another day, or do I go full tilt and risk dropping to zero?" He laughed nervously, his voice echoing in the empty system room.
"Who am I kidding? I've got the luck of a three-legged dog in a pogo stick contest." He muttered self-deprecatingly, as he faced the reality about his rotten luck.
"Okay, okay. I could stop now. I could be smart about this. But where's the fun in that? No guts, no glory, right? Besides, what's life without a little risk?"
Spicy Ramen glanced back at the roulette table, his fingers twitching. "Alright, universe. You want to play games? Let's play games. But first..." He looked around the room, checking for hidden cameras or any sign of supernatural interference.
"Just in case, I'd like to formally apologize to any roulette gods I may have offended. Please, just let me have this one—" he said, praying to every deity that he remembered from back Earth as he played a final bet of 77 levels all at once.
"77….. black!" he said, feeling his heart drop to a standstill as he watched the roulette ball spin around the table.
"Well, here goes nothing. Or everything. Probably everything. But hey, at least it'll be a hell of a story." Spicy Ramen said, as he watched the ball falling to 17 black to his absolute relief.
17 black!
"I won? I won?..... HAHAHAHAHA I WON! I WON IT ALL BACK…. We are back in business baby!" Spicy Ramen celebrated as he regained 77 levels at once.
"I told you fortune favors the bold…. I told you!" he shouted to nobody as he slapped his chest in needless pride.
"Time to start playing with 25 levels at once now" he muttered, rubbing his hands as he placed a bet for 25 levels on black yet again like a degenerate gamble who was high on his first big winnings.
Unfortunately, while he had narrowly avoided going bankrupt just now, gambling in itself was not a sustainable practice in the long term, as the house always won in the end.
Unfortunately for Spicy Ramen and many other players like him, they were about to learn this lesson the hard way, since the event was 6 hours long… which was too long a time in gambling.