Chapter 123: Blind Betting

Words : 1220 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 123: Blind Betting The venue was packed to the teeth. Apparently, unlike the mechanics, who only had one crazy freshman examinee, it was the complete opposite for the mecha pilots. This was their ticket to getting their dream military careers, and almost no one wouldn’t jump on the chance to get a headstart. "Isn’t the exam virtual? How come there are so many spectators? Will they be able to watch our exam too?" Luca was wondering why there were so many people in the stands, considering the type of exam they’d be having. "Yeah, but exams would be projected here, and I heard it was common to have small bets placed on the examinees." Ollie shrugged as he explained, and Luca was curious about this betting. "Are they betting with money?" Luca whispered like he was talking about something from the underbelly of the society. Now, Ollie realized why Luca was suddenly being hush-hush about things. Was his brother interested in betting? You bet he was. At first, he wanted to protect his money, but when his ears caught a few loose words from the people who won big in the past years, Luca’s heart trembled. Was it possible to get back the money that Ollie paid for when he took the exam? Luca considered his options after looking at the betting board before eyeing his companions. Xavier noticed the little chipmunk’s intense gaze and gave up pretending not to notice. "Yes? What is it?" "Xavier, you’re going to pass, right?" "Mn." Xavier could only offer a curious agreement and wondered if the chipmunk had doubts about his abilities for him to be asking like this. Then Luca looked around before asking Xavier to lean closer. "Can you win first place?" Luca asked with shifty eyes, hoping that people wouldn’t hear his plans. "First? Why?" That was surprising. Why was he asking about First place? Luca nodded before confessing, "I wanted to bet on you getting the first place." "Oh?" Xavier was surprised that the little penny pincher was open to the idea of betting. "You sure you want to bet when there’s always a risk?" Xavier verified in case this one missed the main point. "I don’t want to risk it, so I’m asking if you could win first place." Luca’s eyes were clear, and he was dead serious. Kyle, who had no choice but to overhear everything, wondered how it was even possible to ascertain such an outcome by merely asking a question. What if Luca asked other idiots who thought they were big shots? They would likely tell him that they would definitely take first place and then lose him his hard-earned money. Thankfully, he asked their Captain. Because he definitely could. Now the problem was, would the Captain start his lecture about the disasters of gambling? Kyle was slightly nervous as he watched out for arguments while deciding to follow Jax’s betting streak, as always. His personal wealth was practically earned this way. Trust Jax to make the weirdest yet most accurate predictions. Just don’t ask why, or you’ll likely scare yourself with his ’logic.’ Kyle was telling himself this as he added 1 million Star coins under Luca’s name, as Jax had done. Just close your eyes and click. Now, Ollie, with his gossipy senses, saw just what Kyle and Jax were doing and felt that these two were such supportive people who knew how to recognize greatness. Maybe this mushroom wasn’t too bad after all. Ollie thought this as he changed their classification after seeing them vote right away for his best brother. Such good people with good senses. Ollie thought as he himself placed 10 million as a bet for Luca to enter the top 10. If Ollie had actually been given a choice, he would have wanted to vote for Top 1 but didn’t after he had overheard Luca’s plans of forcing Xavier to win first place. He was a good and cooperative brother, so he would vote for the next best thing. Meanwhile, the mountain giant and the little chipmunk had a pseudo-stand-off as the chipmunk rattled off amounts that would make a person cry. In pain. Yeah. Xavier wondered how risky he was planning on being that he had to ask him for confirmation. Was he betting his entire fortune and wanted to make sure it was safe? Admittedly, that made Xavier think differently, but he liked the idea. So when Luca said he was going to initially bet 10,000, Xavier almost stumbled down the aisle. But Luca probably realized it wouldn’t make a dent in Ollie’s examination fees and reluctantly allocated 100,000 Star coins for today’s risky business. Xavier’s labor would just be good for 100,000 Star coins. The mountain giant sighed, and Luca thought he was probably angry at the thought of spending 100,000 on gambling. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Usually, he would’ve started his tirade about the destructive effects of gambling, but that amount just made him feel like he was being doubted. So, Xavier decided on a path of no return. "You want me to win first place so you can guarantee your bet, right?" Luca nodded earnestly, glad that Xavier was fast on the uptake. "Then put in 100 million, and I will win it for you." Xavier decided that if he was going to do this, he should at least be worth the risk of 100 million. Luca’s knees buckled at Xavier’s words and wondered if he had heard the wrong thing. But Xavier clarified that he meant it when he said 100 million. The little money grubber was practically turning red in distress and wanted to say no because that was outrageous until Xavier sighed and told him he would reimburse the money in case he failed to secure the top 1. "Really?" Luca wanted to make sure. "Have I failed to fulfill a financial obligation to you?" Xavier asked, wanting to remind Luca that he wasn’t one to make things up. Right. The benefactor was very consistent and has not failed to pay up. In fact, the account that he watched and guarded before going to sleep continued to increase in value at such an alarming rate that Luca and D-29 really thought they were witnessing organized crime every night. So, Luca gulped and bet on Xavier for first place with a very rattled heart. The rest of the audience saw these bets, and many people thought the kids were too full of themselves. Although some, who were seasoned gamblers assumed that it was just some rich kids doing dares. But they couldn’t be more wrong, as these gaggle of people were out here trying to take away everyone else’s money. Their bets signaled the bets of everyone around them. Some favored the students with prominent backing, while most went the transferees or suspended seniors. Yes, suspended seniors. The exam wasn’t just for freshmen or sophomores. There were juniors and seniors who needed to take the exam to regain their Guild benefits. This year was particularly heated because several known seniors were suspended due to fighting and anger management issues and were finally here to take back their privileges. So just how could these noobs think of getting the first place?

Chapter 123: Blind Betting

Comments (0)