An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Abigail explained, "The more the merrier, right? I'm just here to amp up the excitement for everyone.

"After all, betting adds some thrill to the mix. Let's have fun with a few rounds while we watch the tournament matches. Doesn't that sound like a blast?"

She was busy counting the treasures handed over by the surrounding martial artists. Despite her pleasant words, she couldn't hide her greedy expression.

After all, she was a bookie, not running a charity. There had to be some perks involved, or else why would she be so eager?

"I'm just watching your back, kid. I don't want you to lose all those celestial stones you brought along in a bet," Dustin reminded him.

In a casino, the odds were always stacked in favor of the house against the players. Even with a slight edge, the house always won as long as there were plenty of betting rounds.

So, the casino wasn't sweating bullets about players pocketing some cash, but its biggest concern was an empty house.

But with Abigail's betting pool, the house had no upper hand. If someone had eagle-eyed observation skills and luck, they could rack up wins back-to-back.

With everyone else jumping on the betting bandwagon, just a few wins could clean out Abigail's stash of celestial stones.

After all, this was a risky move. She could either hit the jackpot or go bust.

Abigail winked and leaned close to Dustin, whispering, "Don't sweat it. I've got a trick up my sleeve. I won't be walking away empty-handed tonight."

If she was going to run this betting pool, she damn well had confidence in winning. After all, she knew taking a risk without that certainty was just plain foolish.

He smiled and said nothing. Soon, he began rallying the martial artists to place their bets.

The battle rings were cleared ten minutes later, and the second round began.

rings hosted different match-ups, the martial artists began betting

10 is a beast. Put all your

is just a scrub. Trust me, Number 14

my senior and

peers, he's undefeated. I guarantee

continued, the crowd

while others had their bet on Number 14. A select few were adamant

nobody was budging. Ultimately, most people stuck to their initial choice, while a

place their bets. Instead, they preferred to sit back

said, "Hey Ruby, listen up. Trust me on this one. Bet on Number 68. I've

was

sure about this?" Ruby narrowed her eyes

left to bet. Another loss would be tough to

"No doubt about it. That Number 68 fighter? He's got a big name in the

forging technique. He's like a human tank, practically invincible against swords

I might struggle against him. Betting on him is like

Is he that

in Group B, a notch above in

this bet's a lock!" Miles thumped his

as she pulled out her sword

Ruby, you're one brave friend." Miles gave her a thumbs-up. He then confidently placed his darksteel sword on the

swords, each valued at five celestial stones. If they won this bet, they could

helplessly. But she refrained from discouraging them. She believed

bet this time. The bustling

all the celestial stones he had just