Meruem, once again, stepped into the game room.
The blind girl, however, seemed not to have rested at all; she just sat there, unmoving. Or perhaps she had simply taken her seat in advance, waiting for his arrival.
Without overthinking it, Meruem walked straight to his position. As he approached, he casually asked Shaiapouf, who stood beside him.
"Has that woman not rested at all?"
"No, when I brought her to the game room..."
Shaiapouf's words trailed off as he stopped speaking because the Ant King had already seen the answer for himself.
"Hoohoo."
The blind girl sat in her chair, her eyes tightly shut, her mouth hanging open without any restraint.
Snot and drool ran unchecked down her face, and she occasionally let out soft snores.
"How unsightly..."
Even Meruem couldn't help but furrow his brows at such a display. "Not a shred of intelligence or dignity can be sensed from her."
"How is it that someone like her can continuously produce such exquisite, ever-flowing moves in Gungi? How can she push this game to the highest realm of beauty?"
Unable to bear it any longer, he called out loudly: "Wake up! It's time to start!"
"Ah, h-hai...! Yes!!"
The girl scrambled up, wiped her face briefly, and resumed her match with the Ant King.
And, as expected, Meruem once again failed to win a single game.
Thus, he began to seek other ways to disrupt the blind girl's rhythm.
"Let's make a bet."
He spoke calmly.
"If you win, I will grant you anything you desire."
"On the other hand, if either of us loses... We will give up an arm."
This was now a life-or-death game, where an arm was the price of failure.
Of course, risk and opportunity always come hand in hand. If the blind girl truly won, Meruem would not hesitate to keep his word.
Naturally, he had a strategy in mind.
By leveraging desire and fear, he intended to break his opponent's rhythm; desire could cause one to lose oneself, and fear could make one hesitate.
Both were crucial factors that could impact a normal person.
However, just as Meruem prepared to use such psychological tactics to win…
"He has already lost his composure himself."
In front of a large screen, Lan and Ging Freecss watched while eating apple pie.
"He no longer thinks about winning purely through skill or an honorable and direct battle. Instead, he resorts to these little tricks."
"This proves that, in truth, he is the one who has been affected; his own rhythm is starting to falter."
Meruem's focus had clearly shifted in the wrong direction.
However…
"If it were a normal person, they might actually be affected by his words."
Lan looked at the screen, watching as the blind girl momentarily froze, as if deep in thought after hearing Meruem's challenge.
With a smile, he remarked: "But this time, he chose the wrong opponent."
The blind girl, after hearing Meruem's words, did indeed sink into contemplation.
Eventually, she even seemed slightly distressed as she ruffled her hair.
"I don't really have anything I want... But..."
The foolish-looking girl sniffled.
"Can we change the bet? Instead of my left arm..."
She asked earnestly: "Can we use what I usually bet with instead?"
"... What did you say?"
Meruem was momentarily stunned.
"What do you want to bet?"
"... My life."
The blind girl grinned and spoke these words with unsettling calmness.
That sentence alone sent a ripple of shock through Meruem.
He had assumed that wagering an arm would be enough to introduce fear into his opponent's heart.
But her resolve…
"Actually, every game I play, I bet my life."
"In my life, there is only Gungi; besides it, I'm useless at everything else."
"You could say that I was born for Gungi. Even after becoming a professional player and winning the national championship, my earnings were incredibly meager."
"It was only when I finally had the chance to represent my country in the world championship and won that I ever saw a large sum of money for the first time."
"To be part of the national team means I must keep winning in elimination rounds."
"In other words, I can't afford to lose a single match."
"My family has twelve members in total; they all rely on my tournament winnings to survive."
"If I don't win the championship, all the family's burdens will fall upon me."
"Among players, there is a well-known saying: 'The king of Gungi, once defeated, is just an ordinary person.' of course, Your Majesty, you are a king, not a player."
"But for me, if I lose, then I lose my reason to live. That's what my parents have told me since I was a child..."
"That's why, from the day I decided to become a professional player, I also decided that if I ever lose, I will end my own life."
Meruem sat silently, listening to her words.
His emotions were complex and indescribable.
"But that brings up another problem."
The blind girl continued.
Subconsciously, Meruem responded:
"What is it?"
"If I lose, I become useless trash."
"And offering the trash to the supreme leader... Seems rather disrespectful."
She was genuinely concerned about this point.
"That's not something I would mind."
Meruem replied.
"What matters is, if you win against me, what would you want?"
"Well... aside from Gungi, I don't really think about much else."
"So, if I win, I'll decide then."
"I see..."
Meruem quietly gazed at her.
"She truly has no desires at all?"
Realizing this, he couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle.
"... Life itself, huh..."
His eyes suddenly snapped open.
"It turns out... The one whose resolve was lacking was me!"
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