A full week had passed since Walter achieved his first hybrid armor.
While Walter remained locked inside Training Room Three—pushing himself through what Mr.Pendelton had called the “final stretch”—Daniel and Elric waited in the main hall of Reito’s mansion near a humming row of vending machines.
The mansion was quiet this time of day. Most of the students were either resting or buried deep within their own training sessions.
Elric leaned against the wall, casually eating a sandwich he had just bought from the machine.
Elric: Dude… is Walter seriously still in there?
He took another bite, chewing slowly as he stared down the hallway that led toward the training wing.
Daniel stood beside him, leaning against the vending machine with a relaxed posture. In his hands he casually rolled a pair of ivory dice across his knuckles, letting them click rhythmically against each other.
Daniel: Well… I haven’t known him long, but the Walt-man definitely got something serious going on.
Elric shook his head.
Elric: Well, as long as I get my turn soon I don’t really care.
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
Daniel: Hey now… that’s a bit insensitive, ain’t it? We’re supposed to be a team.
Elric sighed and took another bite of his sandwich.
Elric: Listen… I haven’t exactly had the best luck when it comes to teamwork.
Daniel chuckled softly.
Daniel: Well, when it comes to luck, everyone here seems to have been dealt a bad hand.
Elric smirked faintly.
Elric: A bad hand, huh?
He swallowed his food.
Elric: Yeah… you could say that again.
Daniel stopped rolling the dice for a moment, staring at them thoughtfully.
Daniel: Elric, my man… listen up.
He flicked one die into the air and caught it again.
Daniel: When it comes to life, it’s all the luck of the draw. Some people are born with wealth, power, and connections. They breeze through life like the world was built just for them.
He rolled the dice again.
Daniel: And some people are born with nothing. No money. No safety. No future. Society looks down on them before they even get the chance to stand up.
Elric leaned back against the wall.
Elric: Well… I guess that puts me on the more fortunate side.
He glanced over at Daniel.
Elric: What about you, man? Which side are you on?
Daniel smiled slightly.
Daniel: Neither.
Elric blinked.
Elric: What?
Daniel: I ain’t on either side.
He spun the dice across the back of his hand.
Daniel: The only side I’m on… is the side of Lady Luck.
He tossed the dice once more and caught them without even looking.
Daniel: I was born in the slums of Sundown City.
Elric’s chewing slowed.
Daniel continued.
Daniel: And not just anytime either. I was born there during the worst time possible.
Elric straightened slightly.
Elric: Sundown City?!
He shook his head.
Elric: That place is a nightmare. How is that not unlucky?
Daniel shrugged casually.
Daniel: Well sure, when you look at it like that it sounds bad.
He tapped the dice against the vending machine.
Daniel: But that’s because you can’t see it the way I do.
A small grin appeared on his face.
Daniel: By the time I was five years old, I was already making money.
Elric nearly choked on his sandwich.
Elric: Five?!
Daniel laughed.
Daniel: Oh yeah. I was doing it all, man.
He counted on his fingers.
Daniel: Singing in the streets. Performing tricks. Stealing wallets. Running scams. Swindling drunks.
He spread his arms dramatically.
Daniel: Man, I was out of control.
Elric stared at him.
Elric: Sounds like you were just a criminal.
Daniel grinned wider.
Daniel: Maybe.
He tossed the dice again.
Daniel: But I always won.
Elric frowned.
Elric: How?
Daniel caught the dice and held them tightly in his fist.
Daniel: Because I grabbed hold of luck itself.
He slowly opened his hand.
Daniel: I didn’t know what it was back then… but now I know it was my Aspect.
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Elric listened closely now.
Daniel: If the cops chased me, they somehow always lost sight of me.
He flicked one die into the air.
Daniel: If I bought a scratch-off ticket from the convenience store?
The die landed in his palm.
Daniel: I won the biggest prize every time.
He leaned back casually.
Daniel: No matter what came my way… luck always landed on my side.
Elric stared at him, impressed.
Elric: Wow…
He shook his head slowly.
Elric: No wonder you survived that place.
He took another bite of his sandwich.
Elric: So what happened after that?
Daniel leaned back against the machine.
Daniel: By the time I was eleven, I had made enough money to move my whole family out of the slums.
Elric’s eyes widened.
Daniel: We bought a nice house out in Hivernia.
He smiled faintly.
Daniel: And when I turned sixteen… the old dean himself came knocking.
Elric nearly dropped his sandwich.
Elric: The dean scouted you?!
Daniel nodded proudly.
Daniel: Said the way luck bends around me was more than coincidence.
He flicked the dice again.
Daniel: Been enrolled ever since.
Elric whistled softly.
Elric: Not many students get personally scouted.
He looked Daniel up and down.
Elric: He must’ve been really interested in you.
Daniel tipped an imaginary hat.
Daniel: What can I say?
He smiled confidently.
Daniel: I am a man of luck after all.
At that exact moment—
The heavy doors of the training hall suddenly opened.
Walter stumbled out.
His shirt was torn to shreds. One of his eyes was swollen into a deep purple bruise, and he looked completely exhausted.
Daniel blinked.
Daniel: Whoa there! Walt-man, what happened to you?!
Walter swayed slightly.
Walter: I finally had a breakthrough…
He winced.
Walter: But it hurt a lot more than I thought it would.
Elric walked closer, examining him.
Elric: Yeah, we can see that.
He gestured toward Walter’s face.
Elric: What actually happened? You were in there for days.
Walter rubbed the back of his neck weakly.
Walter: I’ll tell you all about it…
He yawned.
Walter: …when I wake up.
Walter collapsed forward.
Elric quickly stepped in and caught him.
Just then, Mr. Pendelton stepped out of the training room behind them holding a glowing holographic tablet.
Mr. Pendelton: Mr. Fortuna.
He adjusted his glasses.
Mr. Pendelton: You’re up next.
Daniel cracked his knuckles.
Daniel: That’s my cue.
He pointed at Elric.
Daniel: Take care of the Walt-man, will ya?
Elric adjusted Walter’s weight on his shoulder.
Elric: Yeah yeah, I got him.
He waved Daniel away.
Elric: Just don’t take as long as he did.
Daniel chuckled.
Daniel: Don’t worry.
He tossed the dice once more.
Daniel: I won’t be long.
Daniel followed Mr. Pendelton back into Training Room Three.
The chamber had already reset itself.
The environment was now nothing but a pure white void stretching endlessly in all directions.
Daniel rolled his shoulders.
Daniel: Alright, teach. I know how this goes.
He smirked.
Daniel: So go ahead and lay it on me.
He cracked his neck.
Daniel: What are my flaws?
Mr. Pendelton didn’t hesitate.
Mr. Pendelton: Your over-reliance on personal sacrifice.
Daniel shrugged.
Daniel: C’mon now.
He waved his hand dismissively.
Daniel: I only pay the price if I mess up. That’s the whole point of gambling.
He grinned.
Daniel: High risk. High reward.
He spun one of the dice again.
Daniel: I use my Aspect to grab hold of luck itself. The odds of me losing are incredibly low.
He raised a finger.
Daniel: The only thing I paid in that match against the Walt-man during the midterms was a measly five years of my life.
Mr. Pendelton’s expression darkened.
Mr. Pendelton: A measly five years?
His voice sharpened.
Mr. Pendelton: Son, if you had miscalculated during that fight you would have lost two ribs and three fingers.
Daniel blinked.
Mr. Pendelton continued coldly.
Mr. Pendelton: In that condition, you wouldn’t even qualify as a student anymore.
Daniel scratched his head.
Daniel: So what exactly are you trying to say?
Mr. Pendelton crossed his arms.
Mr. Pendelton: Stop maximizing every gamble.
He stepped forward.
Mr. Pendelton: In extended battles your strategy makes you weaker, not stronger.
Daniel listened carefully now.
Mr. Pendelton: If you had been one of the students fighting Nulthira, you would likely be dead.
He pointed directly at Daniel.
Mr. Pendelton: You sacrifice too much just to stay alive.
Daniel sighed.
Daniel: Alright alright… so what should I do instead?
Mr. Pendelton adjusted his glasses.
Mr. Pendelton: Right now your Aspect behaves like a suicidal high-roller.
He gestured with his hand.
Mr. Pendelton: Massive payouts.
Pause.
Mr. Pendelton: But every win chips away at your life.
He stepped closer.
Mr. Pendelton: If you want long-term strength, you must transition from self-sacrifice gambling…
His eyes sharpened.
Mr. Pendelton: …to probability manipulation using external stakes.
Daniel nodded slowly.
Daniel: Got it.
He cracked his knuckles.
Daniel: So what’s first?
Mr. Pendelton took a fighting stance.
Mr. Pendelton: First, you fight me without using your Aspect.
Daniel groaned.
Daniel: Seriously?
Mr. Pendelton: Once you succeed… we move to the next step.
Daniel sighed and stepped forward.
They both took their stances.
Without warning—
Mr. Pendelton lunged forward.
His strikes were terrifyingly precise. Every punch, every movement controlled and efficient.
Daniel slipped and blocked several attacks, weaving between them before launching a quick jab toward Pendelton’s ribs—
But suddenly—
An invisible force slammed into him.
Daniel was hurled across the floor, rolling violently before skidding to a stop.
Daniel groaned.
Daniel: Hey! What the hell was that?!
Mr. Pendelton spoke calmly.
Mr. Pendelton: My Aspect.
He pointed upward.
Mr. Pendelton: It allows me to summon a giant version of myself that only I can see.
Daniel sighed dramatically.
Daniel: Just my luck.
Daniel rushed forward again, attempting a leg sweep.
Mr. Pendelton jumped cleanly over it—
And the invisible giant slammed its fist downward.
Instinctively—
Daniel summoned a glowing die in midair.
It spun rapidly.
Three.
Energy surged through his body and he barely dodged the attack.
Mr. Pendelton sighed.
Mr. Pendelton: You failed.
Daniel scratched his head sheepishly.
Daniel: Sorry… instinct.
Mr. Pendelton gestured sharply.
Mr. Pendelton: If you can only win by wagering everything… then you are already losing.
He pointed again.
Mr. Pendelton: Get up.
Daniel groaned but stood.
Mr. Pendelton: Again.
Two hours later.
Daniel unleashed a flurry of punches while Mr. Pendelton calmly dodged them.
Suddenly—
The invisible giant swung.
Daniel blocked instinctively—
But the force launched him across the room.
He smashed into the far wall, spiderweb cracks exploding outward across the surface.
Mr. Pendelton nodded.
Mr. Pendelton: Good.
Daniel slid down the wall.
Mr. Pendelton: You’ve stopped relying on your Aspect.
Daniel pushed himself back to his feet.
Mr. Pendelton: Now we move to the next step.
Daniel walked back over, breathing heavily.
Daniel: Alright teach…
He wiped sweat from his forehead.
Daniel: While we were fighting… I had an idea.
Mr. Pendelton raised an eyebrow.
Mr. Pendelton: Let’s hear it.
Daniel smirked.
Daniel: Take a defensive stance.
Mr. Pendelton crossed his arms in a guard.
Daniel conjured a glowing playing card.
He flicked it into the air.
It spun slowly…
And landed.
Ace of Hearts.
Energy surged faintly around Daniel.
Mr. Pendelton adjusted his glasses.
Mr. Pendelton: Interesting.
Daniel rushed forward and threw a powerful right hook.
The strike slammed into Mr. Pendelton’s guard, forcing him to slide backward several feet across the floor.
Mr. Pendelton straightened.
Mr. Pendelton: Stronger than your normal punch.
Pause.
Mr. Pendelton: But weaker than when you wager your life.
He looked at Daniel.
Mr. Pendelton: What did you do?
Daniel grinned proudly.
Daniel: Like you said earlier…
He twirled another card between his fingers.
Daniel: I always used to wager myself.
He shrugged.
Daniel: Years of my life. Body parts.
He tossed the card aside.
Daniel: This time I wagered something else.
Mr. Pendelton narrowed his eyes.
Mr. Pendelton: And what exactly was that?
Daniel smiled.
Daniel: Simple.
He gestured toward the card on the floor.
Daniel: If the card lands face-up, my next hit gets a boost.
He shrugged again.
Daniel: If it lands face-down…
He stretched his neck.
Daniel: I get slightly slower.
Mr. Pendelton nodded slowly.
Mr. Pendelton: Good.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Mr. Pendelton: Now we’re getting somewhere.
He stepped back into his stance.
Mr. Pendelton: I hope you can maintain that approach.
His invisible giant raised its fist.
Mr. Pendelton: Because I’m about to increase the difficulty.
Daniel rolled his shoulders.
Daniel grinned.
Daniel: Bring it, teach.
He tossed the dice into the air.
Daniel: Remember—
The dice landed perfectly in his palm.
Daniel: Lady Luck is always on my side.
End Chapter
