The Greece Antagonist

To be on the safe side, Luo En opted for a stable and conservative opening, as usual.

On the contrary, Hecate, once she made her move, immediately displayed an aggressive sharpness, with almost every step in the ensuing moves being a cutthroat exchange of pieces.

Wow, such an aggressive strategy...

Moreover, the expert way she placed her pieces showed that this was not out of temporary impulse, but a linked strategy of offense.

Clearly, to wipe away the humiliation of her previous defeats in chess, this gambling Goddess must have spent no small amount of time practicing in private, developing her own style, evolving into her complete form.

Facing this battle-ready stance right from the opening made Luo En feel an enormous pressure, and he immediately cast down his gaze, focusing intently on the tense chessboard, moving his pieces methodically.

Under her wide-ranging attacks, he tried his best not to make mistakes, adopting a strategy of slow, slicing attacks, like using a soft knife to cut meat, making progress with each step.

Gradually, Hecate also started to feel the pressure, her brows knitting together unconsciously as she moved faster and faster, reducing the response time she left for her opponent.

It was a known fact that human reaction and computational power couldn't match that of the deities, and now Hecate was self-taught and employing the tactics of applying extreme pressure.

This time, it was Luo En who was sweating profusely.

"Time's almost up, haven't you figured it out yet?"

Hecate pointed to the nearly empty hourglass on the table and urged with a smile from the side.

"If you don't move now, you're going to lose."

With no time to think it through, Luo En, forced into a corner, had no choice but to move his chess pieces with a heavy heart.

But as is known, the likelihood of making mistakes increases significantly when rushed.

Soon, Luo En found himself in a completely passive position, forced into a brutal exchange of pieces with the fiercely attacking Hecate.

Even though he was extremely careful and continuously tried to regain the initiative, Hecate didn't give him the slightest chance.

After a stalemate of half an hour, Luo En had lost all control of the board, his pieces almost completely shaved off, leaving him no option but to knock over the "King" piece, representing the outcome, and raise his hands in resignation.

"You win..."

Having secured a victorious start, a satisfied smile spread across Hecate's stunning face as she elegantly extended her hand forward.

"So, where's my due?"

Luo En thought for a moment, rolled up his sleeves, and took off a string of Rune Stone bracelets from his wrist, tossing them to the other side.

Receiving her spoils of war, Hecate's lips curled in delight, and she looked playfully at her debtor, asking "kindly."

"That was a close one just now, do you want to continue?"

"Another round!"

Luo En, with a dark expression, agreed to the challenge through gritted teeth.

Where there's a crying child every night, there's no constant loser in gambling!

After all, wasn't he burdened with the experience of thousands of years of competition, couldn't he turn the tables before running out of chips?

I refuse to believe it!

Having made up his mind, Luo En rolled the dice again according to procedure, choosing the order of play, and faced the Goddess of the Underworld Moon once more.

Tasting victory, Hecate still adopted her previous exchange tactics and extreme pressure strategy.

Faced with waves of successive offensives on the chessboard, stronger than the last, Luo En racked his brains and held on persistently.

But Hecate, after years of refinement, had a playing style that was constantly updated, and not so easily dealt with.

No matter how stubborn Luo En was, he still managed to crash continuously in the following rounds, his pieces grinded and beaten on the board repeatedly, and he could only stiffen his neck and stand firm.

"Another round!"

"Sorry, but you've already lost seven rounds in a row, why don't we settle the debts first?"

Hecate pressed the chessboard, gently reminding him with a smile.

A bet's a bet.

To have a chance at turning the tables, Luo En had to pay the gambling debts he had incurred.

After rummaging through his belongings, two Encrypted Rings, a bronze dagger, and a crystal necklace were taken out as collateral.

These were pretty much all of Luo En's possessions accumulated over the recent years.

But even so, it still wasn't enough.

Three items were still missing…

After a moment of hesitation, Luo En seemed to steel his heart, first undoing his coat and shirt, and finally stripping off his trousers, to finally make up seven items for the stakes.

Hecate patted the spoils carefully stacked next to her with satisfaction, her captivating eyes playfully sizing up the victim across from her who had lost everything but his underwear, her smile becoming ever more radiant.

At that moment, a cold breeze blew through, causing some of the gamblers who were a bit over their heads to sober up and start thinking about beating a retreat.

"I mean, being naked in the temple of the Goddess Hecate, that seems a bit out of line. How about we…"

"Don't worry, she won't mind."

The rightful owner of the temple waved her hand generously, not minding this so-called "great disrespect," and instead eagerly rolled the dice first, declaring the start of a new round of the game.

As a deity representing "a certain game," "randomness," and "joy," the discomfort of others was undoubtedly a pleasure for her.

——Especially when it came to the opponent who had once defeated her with trickery.

Facing the Goddess's assertive invitation, Luo En, unable to break free from his seat, braced himself for another round of battle and started a new game.

Then, without a doubt, he lost another round.

As the dust settled, Hecate propped her chin in one hand, her smile brimming as she watched the other side, eagerly awaiting for her opponent to remove his last piece of modesty.

Luo En, like a wronged little white rabbit, trembled as he spread his hand to reveal the item for settling the debt.

Hecate's smile froze as she looked at the slightly curled silver hair on the table.

——A single hair?

"Aren't you being a bit too shameless?" the Goddess of the Underworld Moon, acting as the creditor, could hardly keep her composure, her veil barely concealing the grinding of her teeth.

"I've lost, and I'll pay with what I have, but what I pay is for me to decide."

Luo En ran a hand through the silver hair that fell over his forehead, calmly restating the conditions set before the game started, the feigned humiliation on his face replaced by an innocent smile.

"I am paying the gambling stakes entirely by the rules. You shouldn't slander my good name out of thin air."

"You'll meet all the requirements, but you never give what people really want!"

Hecate's brow furrowed with a cold laugh, piercing through the facade of the nefarious character.

Probably from the very beginning, this fellow had never planned to fulfill his promises honestly.

Under Hecate's disdainful gaze, Luo En spread his hands and blinked earnestly.

"If you think this game is unfair, how about we call it off?"

"..."

After a brief silence, Hecate bit her silver teeth and hatefully tossed her dice.

"Continue!"

Hmm, he's taken the bait.

Luo En's lips curled up in pleasure, a smile of unsurprise spreading across his face.

Because that's what gambling addicts are like.

To them, it doesn't matter whether they win or lose.

The greatest punishment is not allowing them to continue gambling.

And if they continue without restraint, even the cleverest of gamblers will eventually lose everything they have.

Besides, as the dealer, it seemed like he had plenty of chips.