More cards are captured along the way, with their end point right on the horizon.

They managed to claim a few more cards along the way.

Roaming Ruby, which wasn't considered a quest, but rather a way to relieve an NPC from a curse of loneliness. He had been stuck in a vicious loop of constantly moving from place to place, unable to stay a week without risking losing the gemstone and their fortune.

The Virtual Restaurant, which allows patrons to order and eat whatever they desire, with the only downside being whatever you eat being nothing more than an illusion.

The only way to obtain the card is to realise it's a scam in the first place, and force the elusive owner into secretly signing the deed of the restaurant over to the patron.

That required the whole team to work together, considering the deed and the owner spawned in the same room. Technically, it could be done solo, but that required a bit of integrity. As a team, someone distracts the owner, while someone grabs the deed and sets it up so they get to take everything.

The last card on their checklist was the Tree of Plenty.

As difficult as it is to find the tree itself, obtaining it was the opposite. It was as simple as touching the tree. There were no special requirements needed, which was strange considering the rank.

Then again, the difficulty was probably finding the tree in the first place. They had to find a tree… in the middle of the forest, where every tree happens to bear fruits, and they all look almost identical. Save for this one tree once you find it, makes it look like it should belong in a Willy Wonka Factory, and not out in the wild.

"~"

They were now on their way to their next location.

It was here where Bisky piped up, "You know where we should go next? Dorias, City of Gambling."

"No, we're going to Antokiba first. They're currently doing the Monthly Contest. And today happens to be Paladin's Necklace, the most sought out card. With this card, you'd become immune to most curses and single targeted cards that steal or damage your cards."

"Wow… OP, much."

"OP is an understatement."

"What's OP?"

"Gon, it means overpowered."

Gon got really excited about the prospect of obtaining such a rare and powerful card. He was giddy with joy at how difficult it would be to obtain it, "Then we should get it!"

"~"

Raphael and Bisky were relegated to the sidelines, since it was time for the two boys to shine.

But considering the card that was up for grabs, a tournament between players was weird. The difficulty could spike from easy to insane depending on who showed up.

While it's true that most of the current players are considered mediocre, still, it's strange to have such an important card won through this method.

There's not much of a challenge, like the game masters were probably intending.

Against Killua's and Gon's strength, via Bisky's brutally rough training, they stood no chance. All it took was a quick tug on their rope and the opposing team would be falling over from their immense strength.

If someone was going to have a chance of getting this card, they would have to steal it from the boys later, preferably when he wasn't around.

"~"

The boys were excited about their new winnings, Gon having questions about the card's description.

"What does it mean by curses? I thought you said it can block spell cards?"

"It does. Spell attacks can be considered curses, but it also does more than that. Using an example, up in the mountain forest there's a village where they're suffering from a sickness. If you use this necklace, you can reverse their disease."

"Oh, we should do-"

"But first you have to give them all your belongings, cards and jenny as well. I've already done it, so we don't need to do it again. They give you the Wild Luck Alexandrite."

"And… you've just been holding onto this card without telling us?"

"I'd give it to you eventually…" Raphael found himself frowning from the accusation, "I'll have you know I was waiting for you to get the Paladin's Necklace first. So make a couple of copies and summon one for yourself Gon, and Killua too."

"Yeah!"

"Then we're going to get the Wild Luck Alexandrite."

"Nope, we're going to Dorias to get ourselves some risqué cards."

"Risqué…?"

"The weird cards like Hormonal Cookies, Witch's Love Potion and the infamous Virility Pills. The quests are the weirdest of the bunch, and I'd love to avoid them if we could. We'll make a pit stop while in Dorias to grab some Risky Dice, which will come in handy later. Oh, if you don't want to use that, we could always-"

Gon's book appeared in front of the boy with a puff of smoke, a voice ringing out to the group, "Another player has used Contact to reach you."

"Yo. It's been a while, Gon."

"Who are you?"

Raphael gestured to his chin, drawing out a vivid image of the person's chin for them to remember.

Killua caught on far before Gon, playing into their role of being victim, "Ah, you're the guy that stole the Sword of Truth from us!"

"What do you want?"

"Up for a trade? I have #63, Virtual Restaurant and you get #17, VIP Multi-Pass. You can talk it over with your friends."

With this news, Gon turned to the others, "What do you think?"

Raphael automatically knew what they needed to do. Exploit the situation for a better card. The question now is what would that man let them get away with? Ideally, Kazsule could practically screw them over with a bad deal. With a quick wave, he got Gon to end the call.

"Is that a good deal?"

Raphael shook his head, "Killua, can you pass me a Fluoroscopy?"

The boy exchanged cards, "Fluoroscopy on, Kazsule." He hummed as he went all the way down the list, checking every B rank card they had. They had a couple of Doyens' and the witches' pills series. That was until he saw something else, "This one. Ask for 068, Doyen's Virility Pills. Say you'll offer anything else in return. This is a great test for you. If he picks any other cards, he's using a Fluoroscopy on you too."

Gon offered a nod, calling the man back. There were a few moments of silence before they received a counteroffer. He wanted a Roaming Ruby as well. They had more than enough Mimics to make the exchange.

"~"

The trio left to make the exchange with Kazsule, Raphael watching them from afar. The man seemed to stop and linger, making some small talk with Gon before leaving. Once they left, Raphael rejoined the team.

"So what did the man ask you?"

"He wanted to know if we were still playing with you. When we told him no, he looked disappointed."

"He's probably still salty about losing the Sword of Truth. Considering he knew every card you had, he most likely saw you still had the Sword of Truth, which means, he knows he has a fake."

"Still… that interaction was boring." Killua muttered under his breath, "I wonder why he didn't attack us, considering he knew we had the Sword of Truth?"

"Paladin's Necklace. Every player and their grandmother knows about that card. When you gave him the copy, the only reason he never suspected foul play is because of that necklace. Had we used a Fake card, it would've transformed back. When making a deal, if someone tries to scam you, always make sure Gon holds the card before they get away. They'll probably try to pass the card to someone who doesn't have a necklace. Be aware of this possibility. In any case, we should grab those dice and start exploiting Dorias' gambling mechanic."

"It was still nerve racking. He could've attacked us to steal the real Sword of Truth."

"Again, unlikely due to your necklace. He may have the upper hand in terms of knowing the mechanics, but he's not about to waste cards on a chance."

Killua gave a nod. He could understand Raphael's point of view, but that doesn't mean he wasn't disappointed. Even if that man knew what cards they had, after all their training, they might stand a chance during a spell casting battle with their selection of cards "Still, it's a little boring. We could've made off with a few extra restricted slot cards."

"You also could've gotten junk spell cards, or wasted spell cards because he prepared his defences in advance. You never know with these kinds of battles. That's why if you intend to trade with someone you don't trust, also make sure you have protections and countermeasures in advance. That being said, are you guys ready to continue?"

The two nodded with enthusiasm, ready to continue playing this game.

"~"

The entered a large building, Raphael rolling the Risky Dice between his fingers. This is where they get to try their luck and hopefully win some of Doyen's or the Witch's series of cards. Maybe a couple of Fledgling Eggs if they can get real lucky.

Multiple players were already gambling in the casino, with the ones in the know, were already racking up plenty of great cards "It's a lot busier than I expected." The teen shifted his eyes across the multiple slot machines, trying to find a spot that wasn't as crowded, "Let's go find a spot that isn't as crowded."

"What does slot machines have to do with prizes?"

"Gon, it isn't so much about the prizes, but rather the chance to skip certain cards. If we can farm out the witch and Doyen sets here, we don't have to do those ridiculous quests. But there's a decent chance to get up to S Rank cards, if you know how to play with the system."

The group found a set of machines unoccupied, "Perfect. So normally you have about a 0.01% chance, 0.00782% chance if you want to be technical, to win at least a D rank. However…" Producing the Risky Dice, he rolled it into the small tray connected to the machine.

Pulling the lever, the machine chimed, connecting a series of sevens together.

A tray popped out, a restricted slot card in the tray "And voilà, we have a… Fledgling Gambler, which is a little on the nose, but you get the gist."

Fledgling Gambler

043 B - 30

Warm this magic egg in your hand for three hours a day for one to ten years, and you will become a top gambler when it hatches. The stronger your desire during incubation, the sooner it will hatch.

The idea was a bit worrying to some degree for Gon. There was the whole issue with one side of the dice having a skull on it. Did rolling that side mean certain death, "What about the skull?"

"Very bad luck…"

"Define, very." Although Killua wasn't as concerned as Gon, it was still a 1 in 20 chance. They should know what the worst outcome would be should they get a bad roll.

"It depends on…" Raphael hesitated for a moment, "Exactly how many people are rolling the dice at the same time as us, and when was the last bad roll?"

"So all the dice are connected?"

"Yup, if someone rolls bad luck, and then the next roll is yours, and it's bad luck. You're looking at a Looney Tunes moment. The lever snaps, the machine breaks. Anything to that degree."

"And the person who got a bad roll before us?"

A loud explosion caught everyone off guard, except for the one explaining "It would be that. Death…"

Killua snatched the dice off the bench, "Well then, we'll just have to not get a bad roll. Considering there are nineteen sides that are considered successful rolls, I like our odds." The boy rolled the dice before anyone could stop him, landing on one of the many successful sides with no bad luck in sight, "Score!" He pulled the lever, earning his first card from gambling, "Rainbow Diamond! Nice!"

"Now Killua, even though the chances are real low, that doesn't mean you should-"

The boy rolled the dice again.

Raphael sighed, "Just… stop him if he goes overkill. We just need to get a couple of those cards I mentioned. There should be about six in total, but as long as we get four of them, we can stop wasting time here."

"What are you going to do?"

Raphael produces his own dice, "Aiming for the S Rank Witch's Rejuvenation Potion. You can't win S rank cards on the slots. You gotta go with the roulette tables. I'm talking about bidding in the singles. If I can guess the right number after ten rolls, it's an S Rank. But because the tables are monitored, I gotta do this one as discreetly as possible. If they catch my roll, my luck is negated. And I can't keep betting on the winning number because that will look suspicious. So wish me luck."

By the time Raphael had finished explaining everything, Killua was already on his fifth roll. He should probably be worried, but Gon was here. He was sure Killua and Gon wouldn't go overboard gambling, since they enjoyed doing quests and hunting for the cards through normal means.

"~"

Raphael bounced from table to table, playing a wide range of bids with and without the dice. His end goal was to at least get lucky, on one of his bigger bids. He may be able to get away with it three times at most. It didn't help that lucky rolls can be fickle, so he might not get an S Rank, but rather an A Rank card when it comes to those types of rolls.

In the end, he was unlucky, getting two A Rank cards and one S Rank.

Pre-Order Vouchers

029 A - 20

Write the name of any commercially available product on a voucher and you'll be guaranteed to get it regardless of its scarcity (You still have to pay). A book of 1000.

Golden Dictionary

012 S - 10

Each day you will find a word glowing gold. You should learn those words because they will come in handy the next day.

Imp's Wink

018 A - 18

You will experience the most amazing ecstasy when she winks at you. She can appear multiple times. Be warned, it can get addictive.

He found Gon beside Killua, the gambler's eyes sunken in from continuous rolls. Exactly how many times has the boy rolled the dice… and how many of them were close to failing? "Gon, how long has he been like this?"

"Ah… two hours?"

"One hour and thirty-six minutes… make that thirty-seven."

"Okay… how many times has he rolled?"

"One-hundred and twenty-two…" The boy rolled again, "Twenty-three…"

"Killua…" He hesitated to ask this while the boy was on a gambling spree, "How many times did bad luck show up as a chance?"

"Four…"

This wasn't good. When he left Gon, Killua and Bisky to gather cards at the slot machine, he never expected Killua to have a gambling habit he was unable to break. Or was it something that he said that kept Killua in this perpetually gambling state?

How many cards had they gotten from this spree?

Or better yet, why did Killua refuse to give up?

He continued to look into the boy's sunken eyes, searching for answers he knew he wouldn't get unless he asked, "Is he by chance… addicted to gambling?"

"Shut up!" Killua was quick to argue, already rolling the dice once more, "I can stop whenever I like! So, leave me alone." He pulled the lever, the sevens flashing before his eyes. It was a bad roll, at least for him. He's already gotten the Roaming Ruby, "Shit roll!" He rolled again.

Raphael dreaded to think of what Killua had become. A monstrous, frail gambler still seeking cards. Even if he was getting doubles, possibly triples or quads at this point. How could he get his friend to stop?

Better yet, why hadn't Gon stopped him at all, "Gon, how many cards has he gotten from this spree?"

"Not including doubles, we're at fifty-two."

"Fifty-two?!" He was gobsmacked at the possibility of Killua getting lucky enough to get at least thirty-seven on his own via gambling, without rolling a single fail in that time. To top it all off, he gained all of that in one-hundred and thirty rolls at this point, "Seriously, do you get a thrill from near-death experiences or something?"

"No! I don't…"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL ROLLING?"

"Because I haven't got them all!"

"You're not going to get all one hundred cards through this system." When Killua refused to stop, Raphael grabbed the boy's hand, stopping from rolling once more, "I said stop!"

Now he was just pissed. Killua was acting like a toddler refusing to listen to his parents, "I stop when I-"

The teen started tugging on Killua's body, trying to rip him out of the seat. He latched onto the machine out of desperation, claws digging into the side. Marks ripped through the machine, "I can't waste a roll!"

"No! Come on, you addicted little child. Let go."

"No, just one more time." Killua was on the verge of tears, desperately trying to get one more roll in, "No, I want to keep going!" He was too stubborn to give up now. The boy was merely one card away from completing the series of cards Raphael asked them to gather, "I just need one more card."

"Fine, you want one more card?" Raphael swiped the dice out of Killua's hand, rolling it onto the tray in front of the boy. There was a long pause as the two watched it linger on bad luck before it rolled one more side over, "There!" He pulled the lever, uncaring with what came out.

Killua's heart raced as he looked at the bad luck, one face away from being an actual roll. Had that been his roll, Raphael would've had to suffer the consequences of every successful instance.

While Killua was distracted, his mind racing at the possibility of his friend dying just because he wanted another chance to get the last card he needed, the teen was handing him his next card.

Doyen's Virility Pills

068 A - 20

A certain part of your anatomy will get very frisky. Both endurance and frequency are enhanced. One vial contains 500 pills.

This wasn't the card he wanted. Killua had already gotten this before. He didn't have time to comprehend the situation, not when Raphael finally wrenched him away from the slot machine, his claws ripping through the machine, destroying it in the process.

Raphael carried the boy out of the gambling hall in his arms as though he were a giant, fluffy kitty. It didn't matter the looks he got, nor the fact he was limp in his grip. All that mattered was he got Killua far away from the place that acted like a dangerous addiction.

While this happened, Killua felt apprehensive of the possibility of his friend failing the dice roll, just because he wanted to keep going… They could've lost Raphael, because he wanted to get a single damn card.

A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me.