Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1014

Jenkins's respite was brief. In fact, less than half a minute after the chess demon had retreated, the damned clock once again announced the arrival of another event.

A knock sounded at the door again. Jenkins had no intention of answering, as he desperately needed to rest. But then he noticed a foul-smelling black wastewater seeping in from the crack under the basement door.

This meant he couldn't just ignore whoever was outside; not opening the door could lead to serious consequences. Yet, if he did open it... well, according to the nature of a Mysterious Realm, the greatest danger always appeared near the very end.

"Let's see just who this is..."

He motioned for his anxious cat to stay back, then staggered to the entrance. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door once more.

Outside stood a monster with teal skin, its body seemingly pieced together from bronze urns. It looked like a demon from ancient mythology or a monster from folklore passed down through the ages. It was short and stout, with frighteningly large ears and eyes. On its twelve thick fingers, it wore gemstone rings of various colors, and a foul-smelling black water seeped continuously from its waist.

Jenkins's flames instantly flared to life, enveloping the doorframe just as before. But holding back both the fleshy carpet and the seeping wastewater at the same time was no easy feat.

"Oh, long time no see."

The monster spoke in a sickly sweet voice, its enormous eyes, which took up nearly a third of its face, narrowing into slits.

Jenkins recognized the creature before him. It was the one responsible for wiping out Fini Faithford's cousin's family. When he and Fini had escaped that house, they had even lost a precious C-class Bestowal capable of storing water.

His gaze flickered to the wastewater flowing from the monster's waist. The last time they met, it hadn't gained that control over water until after it had taken one of Jenkins's Bestowals.

"Apologies, but I'm not interested in trading my family for a stroke of luck."

He said this and tried to slam the door shut, but he immediately heard the alarm clock behind him start to giggle. The door didn't budge an inch.

"No, no, no," the creature purred. "I don't want to trade luck with you either. That last dice game... it was the first time I've lost in this entire epoch."

The large-headed monster outside was beaming as it spoke. It brought its hands together, and when it parted them again, a set of golden scales materialized between it and Jenkins.

The scales spun slowly on their axis, coming to a stop with one pan extending through the doorway to hover before Jenkins, and the other remaining outside in front of the monster.

"Since you've managed to survive this long, I assume you know a thing or two about creatures like me. To be honest, I never expected this myself. I went to great trouble to escape a Mysterious Realm and enter the material world, only to be sucked back in several epochs later... I don't want to make things difficult for you. We'll have a three-round wager. You win two, and I'll leave."

"What's the wager? What are the rules?"

In truth, Jenkins didn't have the right to refuse. He truly couldn't shut the door, and the alarm clock behind him was undoubtedly up to no good.

"We will take turns placing items on the scales. The second player must offer an item of the same type. The one whose item holds greater value wins the round. The overall winner—the one who takes two rounds—gets everything. All six items wagered become theirs. These scales, in your human terms, are a B-class Extraordinary item I happened to acquire. They can measure the relative value of any two items of the same type. And I'm sure you know that a Mysterious Realm forbids lies about its rules, so I am not deceiving you."

It squinted at Jenkins and, before he could ask a question, added:

"I don't want to make things difficult for you, so you can go first."

If Jenkins started the first round, that meant he would also get to start the third. Considering that the second player always had to match the item type, the one who went first held a clear advantage.

Jenkins didn't believe the nonsense about "not wanting to make things difficult" for a second.

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After careful consideration, Jenkins summoned his holy sword and laid it on his pan. The blade was larger than the entire set of scales, but the pan held it steady, and the balance immediately began to tip in his favor.

"Oh, I don't have a weapon with me. You win the first round."

The monster opposite him conceded immediately, without a moment's hesitation. Jenkins's sword floated back to him.

"You see? I'm really not trying to make things difficult for you."

It continued in that sickly sweet tone, which only intensified Jenkins's throbbing headache. His vision began to double, and a faint buzzing started in his ears. These were not good signs.

"But I have to win at least one round, don't I? I have my pride to consider."

As it spoke, the creature gave its thick fingers a slight shake, and all twelve rings tumbled onto its pan. They had been rings a moment ago, but as they landed, they transformed into twelve gleaming coins. Their shape and size were strikingly familiar to Jenkins.

"Twelve Sin Coins—the Rings of Misfortune. Your turn."

The creature seemed absolutely certain that Jenkins couldn't produce that many Sin Coins, and it was right. The last time Jenkins had held twelve of them was on the final day of last year.

Jenkins conceded, then reached into his robe as if to find his final item for the wager. The monster outside immediately interjected:

"I must remind you, while I have no wish to make things difficult for you, I do want to win. Oh, yes, who doesn't? Everyone wants to win, and I am no exception. So please, bring out your most valuable possession."

The twelve Rings of Misfortune flew back onto its fingers. Due to its disproportionate body, the monster could only tap its fingers against its own waist, but it still produced a rhythmic thumping:

"You must be cautious, sir. If I win, I'll be able to enter the basement directly. That's one of the rules of this Mysterious Realm."

At the same time, the alarm clock behind him began to giggle once more. Jenkins was now certain: the clock and the creature at the door were working together. The appearance of this Mysterious Realm was no accident.

"So you simply must wager your most valuable item against me. I imagine you have something... something whose purpose even you don't know..."

It was still trying to hide its little objective, but it clearly wasn't doing a very good job.

Of the items he'd brought down from the second floor, everything—including the resurrection feather his cat had delivered—had been used. All that remained was the empty water glass from the washroom.

"Oh, no, no, no, I can easily beat that. I have far better tools for storing water. In fact, over the long ages, I've accumulated countless special items, and as it happens, I have them all on my person..."

That statement directly contradicted its earlier claim of "not having a weapon." Jenkins had already figured out why this creature had come for him.