There was no easy and risk-free way to earn points. Right now, I could only earn twenty points every week from working as a healer. I made no points from brewing potions as I wasted so many materials in my failures. But I needed to earn a large amount of points in a relatively short amount of time. The Healing Temple would naturally not allow me to leave to the higher floors to hunt on my own. And I could not use illegal means such as stealing from the citizens of Tussock either or I would no longer be under the protection of the Healing Temple.

There was only one legal way that came to my mind that would allow me to earn a ton of points in a short amount of time: Gambling. By betting my two weeks of salary, there was a small chance of increasing my total points over a hundredfold. Stories of paupers becoming millionaires were quite common and hyped up by the gambling industry. However, the opposite was also true and far more likely to happen. The house always had an edge; whenever one gambled, they were far more likely to waste all their hard earned money.

I was no different. However, the environment of the tower was different from Earth. Many oddities could not be explained and anyone could pull off miracles. And I just happened to have an item safely stored in my storage box at the Spatial Bank that could turn the situation in my favour: The dice that changes the odds.

…

“I heard that you wanted to go out and mess around in the city?” Copperbane chuckled and sat down next to me with a large pint of ale. I had just sat down to eat my lunch after a rather exhausting morning shift.

A few days have passed since I voiced out my thoughts to Eliss. And as I expected, she reported it to the higher-ups of the Healing Temple. I knew my moves were being monitored and I suspected that part of the reason I was not being sent out to act as bait anymore was that I showed some potential as a potioneer.

“Oh? Yeah. I am tired of staying inside and studying potion-making. I need a break.” I said with a friendly smile.

“We may be able to arrange something after lunch. Where are you planning to go this time?” The dwarf took a sip and asked as he wiped off his beard.

“Just planning to have some fun. I was thinking of going to play a bit at the House of Fortune you introduced the last time we went out.” I displayed an excited expression while closely observing his reaction. I purposedly revealed my intent this time in hope that the Healing Temple would make the appropriate preparations.

The House of Fortune was the equivalent of a Casino on Earth. People went there to enjoy themselves and gamble their points while enjoying the freebies, the beauties entrancing the gamblers and the dopamine rushes from winning the pity prizes. I generally stayed away from institutions involving gambling but in this situation, I needed a quick way to earn myself some points. If I went there in peaceful times, chances were that I would never be able to leave that place if I earned a small fortune there. The house always wins even if it means using underhanded methods. However, while I was under the protection of the Healing Temple, the House of Fortune would never dare to cheat me out. They could trick a first circle creature like me, but could they trick someone like Lord Xylius if he chose to look after me like last time?

“The House of Fortune?” Copperbane blurted out in surprise.

“Yeah? Is that not possible? It aligns with the Healing Temple’s goals, right? If I win, is it not going to anger the other gamblers to death?” I said jokingly, giving them an additional reason to escort me there.

“Haha. Man. You like playing with fire but I like it. We usually stay away from that place but we can make an exception. There are quite a few bounty hunters who lie around there when they are not out hunting.”

“Then, I will wait for you to make the necessary arrangements.”

…

A few moments later, I left the Healing Temple accompanied by five other healers. We all wore the iconic healer robe and attracted a few odd looks. It was not unusual for groups of healers to leave the Healing Temple as they made occasional home visits but it was the first time they saw a human leading such a group.

“I would like to stop at the Spatial Bank before going to the House of Fortune though. It is on the way so it should be alright.” I explained to the other healers.

They were not very talkative and simply nodded their head in approval. These healers were at least at the third circle. They did not bother to hide in the shadows this time as they would need to reveal themselves to enter the House of Fortune anyway.

The Spatial Bank looked as impressive as always. I was greeted at the entrance by the same dryad I met last time. She escorted me inside a private room and handed me the black card that would allow me to access my storage box.

“It will cost five points to access a two cubic metres box.”

[A transfer request has been received. Would you like to transfer 5 Points?]

I quickly agreed and the dryad left the room, giving me some privacy. I got to work and pulled out the dice that changes the odds. Since I was already there, I also took the opportunity to refill my waterskin with the fermented wine. I served myself a glass of wine every night and slowly increased the size of my mana pool, allowing me to cast Heal twenty-six times now.

I threw the dice without hesitation; whether or not I would continue my plan or not would depend on the number it landed on. It was my last use of the dice but I believed it would be worth it.

4!

The dice landed on a 4. It was not the best possible result, but I was satisfied. The dice would increase my luck regardless of the number it landed on. In all casino games, the house always had a slight edge. As long as I had over 50% chance of winning, the law of large numbers would do the rest. Nevertheless, I was rather confident in myself as the dice landed on a number greater than 3.

I cut myself with the black card to close the storage box and left the private room. The other healers and the dryad were waiting on the other side. We headed directly to the House of Fortune after I gave the black card back.

I did not know how long the effects of the dice would last. Therefore, there was no time to waste. The House of Fortune was not very far from the Spatial Bank. It conveniently located itself so that the gamblers could readily withdraw their points at the bank.

Even at this time of the day, the House of Fortune was bustling with life. People kept going in and out. There was a large group of elves at the entrance, acting as eye candy and inviting the passers-by inside.

I attracted the gazes of the gamblers but fortunately, the healers were enough to keep them at bay.

“How many points would you like to put on your card?” One of the staff members asked at the front desk. Points could not be directly traded once inside; one needed to put a desired amount of point on a card called the fortune card. The fortune card would then be handed over to the dealer of the table the gambler wanted to play at. Afterward, the dealer would keep track of the bets and adjust the number on the fortune card. Only the dealer was allowed to change the number written on the card.

“Just 40 Points.” I replied. I directly put the two weeks of salary I saved in the fortune card. There was no minimum amount required and no cap on how much one could put on the fortune card. However, there were limits set for each game. The ground floor of the House of Fortune targeted the lower-middle class of Tussock and had entry fees anywhere from 1 to 5 points for any games. The higher floors had higher entry fees but I was not qualified to gamble there yet.

Right now, I only had one decision to make and that was to select the game I wanted to play. It was time to put my luck on the test.