CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER154-TRADITIONAL GOD

Now that Daniel had confirmed Charles was indeed a devotee of a god,

he finally understood how the man had managed to enter the abyss so effortlessly.

After all, with a god behind him, something like traversing the abyss was hardly an obstacle.

At the center of the casino, Charles let out a frustrated roar:

"Damn it! Why did I lose again?!"

"One million chips—just like that, gone?!"

At this point, Charles seemed to have fully entered the mindset of a feverish gambler, not even acknowledging Daniel’s hand tapping his shoulder.

He just couldn’t understand it.

It was supposed to be a 50% chance of winning. So why was he always losing?

Of course, from Daniel’s perspective, this was all just surface noise.

In truth, one of Charles’ hidden attributes was slowly rising.

[Law of Lucky Conservation: Misfortune accumulates latent luck. The user may activate stored luck at will for a guaranteed favorable outcome.]

So that was it.

Charles was intentionally using this ability to stack luck—losing now so that when the time came, he could make one all-in play and win it all back... possibly with interest.

Daniel couldn’t help but marvel. The powers bestowed by gods were, without exception, absurdly broken.

Even Ally had held back during their previous battle.

Meanwhile, Charles—unsurprisingly—lost yet another game.

But this time, instead of continuing to gamble, he turned to Daniel with a wry smile and greeted him.

"Hey there, human. You know... you really gave me a scare earlier."

Daniel remained silent, simply staring at him.

Seeing Daniel’s blank reaction, Charles gave a sheepish cough.

"Ahem... That was just a joke, okay? No hard feelings!"

"If I’m not mistaken, you’re Daniel, aren’t you?"

"I just saw a news feed about you—something like... oh, right! You took down a Silver-rank World Boss, didn’t you? The whole world is cheering for you now!"

He leaned in slightly, voice dripping with mock sympathy.

"But honestly? Your accomplishment wasn’t that impressive. If Her Grace, the Luck Goddess, would just grant me a bit more power, I could easily pull off the same thing."

"Don’t you think these ignorant masses are a bit... boring? Not to mention foolish?"

He didn’t bother asking Daniel how he had entered the abyss.

In Charles’ mind, he’d already figured it out.

"Word is, you’ve built a ton of Infinite Divine Temples throughout the abyss kingdom. This so-called Infinite God of yours... I’m guessing it’s not a traditional god, is it?"

Daniel nodded, looking casual and unconcerned.

"That’s right. And?"

On the surface, he appeared relaxed. But inside, Daniel was already prepared to activate [Time Stream] at any moment if things went south.

Charles paused, seemingly caught off guard by the casual answer.

"Huh. I guess it’s not that big of a deal... but don’t you think you should be more discreet?"

Daniel gave a faint smile.

"This isn’t the surface world, is it?"

"True, this is the abyss. You can speak freely here."

"However... aren’t you worried that I might spread this information?"

"And if you do, what then?"

"Well, I mean... I could..."

Charles trailed off, his words left hanging as he raised his head and looked squarely at Daniel.

"On second thought... it probably wouldn’t change anything."

He was fully aware of Daniel’s current standing among the human race.

Let’s be honest—

Even if Daniel didn’t worship a traditional god, the humans wouldn’t dare touch him.

The man had made monumental contributions to humanity.

Unless he did something truly unforgivable, no one would lay a finger on him.

Besides, worshiping a non-traditional god wasn’t the same as following an evil god.

Having come to that conclusion, Charles dropped the subject.

Daniel, on the other hand, smoothly shifted the conversation.

"Charles, this visit of yours to the abyss seems a bit earlier than usual."

"Sarko told me you came here specifically to find me. So, what do you want?"

Charles casually gathered his chips into his bag, gave a light chuckle, and replied,

"Oh, it’s nothing too complicated. I just want to strike a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?"

"Well, my request is quite small, really. As a merchant, I live for deals. But before we dive into the details... wouldn’t you like to know what kind of reward I’m offering you?"

Daniel frowned slightly, growing impatient.

"Can you just get to the point?"

"My apologies. It’s a habit of mine. I’ll try to stay focused."

"I came to offer you something... the location of the Artist."

Daniel’s eyes widened slightly, and a chill ran down his spine.

The Artist?

According to his earlier conversation with the Human Emperor, this so-called "Artist" was almost certainly the culprit behind the annihilation of the gnome race.

"That’s right. The Artist," Charles said with a sly grin.

"Don’t tell me you’re not even a little curious about their creations? Don’t you want to control those kinds of... devastating masterpieces?"

"So, what do you say? Interested in my deal now?"

Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"And what do you want in return?"

Charles’s smile broadened.

"Simple. I want... your life."

"You want my life?" Daniel scoffed.

Without hesitation, he summoned his Spirit of Skills and launched an attack.

He held back slightly—he wasn’t aiming to kill Charles, just to warn him.

But Charles, still wearing that relaxed grin, effortlessly parried the blow.

"Lord Daniel, you really are as impulsive as they say."

As he spoke, Charles raised one finger, and in the blink of an eye, the entire space around Daniel froze—time and air locked in stillness.

"Even here in the abyss, I stay informed about what happens on the surface."

"Your battle with Ally? I watched the whole thing."

"Magnificent performance, truly. You’ve earned your title as humanity’s brightest star."

"But when it comes to manipulating space, it seems you’re a bit outmatched by me."

Just as those words left his mouth, Charles suddenly felt two cold blades pressing against his neck.

His instincts screamed.

To his left... and to his right...

Two Daniels had appeared—each with a sword resting gently on his throat.

"Let’s cut to the chase," Daniel said calmly.

"What’s your real purpose?"