Splash.

The fat guy fell into the water. Unlike the eight Skeletons before him, because of his heavier weight, he actually made a bit of a splash.

But soon, his entire body looked like it had been thrown into an asphalt mixer—he tumbled a few times and disappeared, without a scream, without any blood.

He just vanished like that, as if water merged into the sea, making everyone’s hearts skip a beat.

As expected.......

Although it was never clearly stated, the Slime had never explained what would happen if someone fell.

But death clearly had already become the final price any of them might pay.

Thinking of this, those ranked higher actually felt a strange sense of gratitude—luckily, the First Player ahead of them still had some way to survive.

If Lu Ce had fallen early on, the rest of them probably wouldn’t have made it either.

“What a pity. Turns out the hardest thing in life is recognizing whether that sudden surge in your heart is courage... or stupidity.”

Lu Ce stood on the edge, looking at the churning Black Sea below, spreading his hands and smiling as he spoke.

He’d just realized—the moment he put on the Lust Mask, it somehow gave him a bit of a philosopher’s aura.

The guy lost his bet, and honestly, Lu Ce hadn’t pulled any strings. He wasn’t even qualified to.

He only hoped he could raise the stakes of this Game, make things more uncertain—only then would it be fun.

If the guy had actually won, Lu Ce wouldn’t have cared either. So what if he created a dumb*ss with the most Stars? It’s all just play.

It’s all for fun!

Still... whether that guy behind the scenes had a hand in this, who knows......

As he thought about it, Lu Ce glanced toward the distant Slime.

At that moment, it was standing quietly. Despite the drama unfolding, it was completely calm.

“Hey! Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Lu Ce shouted at it from afar.

Slime: ?

The Slime trembled, then looked at Lu Ce with a bunch of question marks over its head, completely speechless.

Weren’t you the one who told me not to talk?!

【Ah, well done! This Game is getting more and more exciting!】

【I hope everyone......】

Right then—something unexpected happened!

Lu Ce suddenly felt a gust of wind blow past him. It was a fierce gale—definitely not natural sea breeze.

And after being here for so long, he could still tell the difference between real wind and this.

He turned his head and saw the guy who had drawn Number Three earlier—the one who voluntarily asked to switch spots with him—was already rushing forward.

Blue currents wrapped around his entire body. He looked like he was soaring on clouds, silver lightning crackling around his feet—clearly using some kind of supernatural power.

That was a Special Ability he’d gotten in the Game.

But up till now, he’d never used it in any previous Game, and no one even knew who he was. Who would’ve thought he’d suddenly strike now?

No warning at all—he just shot out like a lightning bolt.

Even the people who’d been watching closely didn’t have time to cry out in surprise.

At that moment, Number Three’s eyes gleamed with a sick light. He’d already made it to the twentieth tile!

Thanks to the fat guy who helped eliminate the wrong option earlier, he now stood on a solid platform!

I! Am! Going! To! Win!

His eyes were bulging like he wanted to pop them right out of his sockets.

In the casino-like atmosphere, in the face of massive rewards, human nature gets amplified to the point of destruction. His face now twisted into something no longer human.

To others, he looked fast as lightning. But in Lu Ce’s expert eyes, the guy was still too slow.

In the final leap toward victory, Number Three was just one step away from clearing the Game—when suddenly, his body twisted and lost balance.

It was like a race car speeding out of control, about to fly off the track.

He looked down—and saw a blade tip bursting out from his groin, skewering him straight through!

All his momentum vanished in that instant. His body jerked sideways and missed the final platform by just a bit.

The Sharpened Blade had flown in from behind and caught up with him mid-motion.

“Didn’t they say players couldn’t be harmed?”

That was the only thought left in Number Three’s head. Then, without a sound, he fell—just as pain flooded his senses, he dropped into the water.

Fortune Favors the Bold... but the bold fall just as hard.

Trying to snatch a reward from Lu Ce’s hand—well, gotta admit, it took guts.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Behind him, Lu Ce slowly applauded, his tone cold as he said:

“Amazing.”

“So now die.”

He didn’t really care about winning or losing. Right now, he was Lust—not Greed. Winning didn’t mean much to him.

But that didn’t mean others could snatch it from him!

Looking back at the crowd behind him, everyone instinctively stepped back, avoiding his gaze, afraid to confront him.

Then, straightening his collar, Lu Ce walked the final two steps without any resistance and arrived at the goal.

He pressed the button lightly.

Boom!

A thunderous sound erupted. The entire gambling ship lit up brightly, and a voice screamed at the top of its lungs:

【Nice! Congratulations to our 20-player Game! The first successful player has emerged!】

【Let’s give a warm celebration!】

It was the Slime itself, screaming like a maniac. The voice was so loud it gave everyone a fright.

The crowd glared furiously, but the Slime didn’t care—it kept shouting.

【Now beginning reward settlement!】

【Total Prize Pool: 8 Two-Star bets, 6 Three-Star bets, 5 Four-Star bets! Total of 54 Stars!】

【Based on a 70% share, that’s 38 Stars!】

【Subtracting the nine-point debt from “Sin” for temporary usage of Torture Devices, after clearing all dues, there are 29 left—making him the First Player!】

The Slime went full suck-up mode like some corporate lackey after a big win, clapping and cheering like crazy—the whole scene was intense.

On Lu Ce’s chest, a colorful Star glowed. Beside it, the number “29” was displayed.

It represented his current Star Count.

Li Wei stood in the crowd, feeling weak all over, stiffly frozen in place.

He scanned the crowd, trying to spot the previous number one. At that moment, Xie Antong was also looking at him.

Their eyes met briefly, and Xie Antong’s lips twitched as she quickly looked away.

“What a stupid pig, just rushing to die......”

She’d been winning all night, scheming carefully, and then “Sin” just ended it all in one move. Damn it, Li Wei, you’re too damn good!

Meanwhile, Lu Ce wasn’t stopping—he kept walking forward and said:

“Give me some lights... aim the spotlight right here.”