Han Yu is the instance BOSS of the casino, and he knows this very clearly.
He knows that his world is nothing more than an instance, and that he himself is just the BOSS of a game instance.
He is even only half of the instance BOSS—the half that still retains reason.
The world is noisy and tedious. It doesn't matter what identity you hold; everywhere is the same.
The Life and Death Casino is a miniature version of the world, where greed and desire are magnified without limit, and human nature is completely manipulated.
He dislikes humans as a species—completely ruled by desire, murky and ugly.
But after the young man entered the casino, everything he had known and believed before was overturned.
It turned out that not all humans are ugly. It turned out that such beautiful beings can exist among them.
Han Yu watched the young man gamble with a gun, watched his wild and unbridled demeanor, and his heart began to race, his blood surging through his veins.
So beautiful—so beautiful that the entire Life and Death Casino became nothing more than his backdrop.
For beings like theirs, all individuals share perception, like a vast, interconnected web.
But after the young man arrived, they began to develop selfishness, began to hide their own perceptions, unwilling to share them with others.
Han Yu should have been angry. He should have eliminated that individual, because this was practically a betrayal of their race.
But he didn't. Because he, too, had grown selfish. He, too, was unwilling to share his perceptions with anyone else.
The racial nature he had once prided himself on crumbled before the young man.
They seemed no different from humans—also selfish creatures, also unable to escape the grip of desire.
And even more than that—they embraced it willingly.
Han Yu knew that some of the people who came here were players, and that after completing their tasks, they would leave.
And that young man was clearly a player.
Han Yu had never interfered with players coming or going, but at this moment, he couldn't accept the young man leaving, nor could he accept never seeing him again.
He wanted him to stay.
He had never gambled before, but now he wanted to gamble with the young man—with the young man's departure as the wager.
If he won, the young man would be his.
But he never fought a battle without preparation. Since he was going to gamble with the young man, he would go all out to win.
He began dressing in the casino's most popular maid outfit to get close to the young man, and started watching every one of the young man's bets with serious attention.
The young man was too clever. After just a few meetings, he began to suspect Han Yu's identity. Han Yu knew the young man was testing him, and he let himself be tested, just as the young man wished.
But what he didn't expect was for the young man to enter Area Two of the Life and Death Casino, nor did he expect him to meet that fool.
Han Ze—just like him.
They both came from split incarnations of the same person. Han Yu had inherited reason and intelligence, while Han Ze had inherited overwhelming combat power.
Han Yu had always looked down on Han Ze. After all, a brainless Han Ze was nothing more than a brawling fool—he'd even forgotten his own identity as the instance BOSS and gambled just like any ordinary bettor.
Yet it was precisely that fool who met the young man and earned his favor.
Yes, favor.
The moment Han Yu learned that Han Ze could receive a kiss after winning a bet, he wanted nothing more than to kill him.
He could clearly feel that the young man kept him at a distance, yet he didn't push Han Ze away. They were incarnations of the same person, yet he and Han Ze were worlds apart.
Han Yu was burning with jealousy.
Why? He was nothing but a brainless idiot—why did he deserve the young man's special treatment?
Because he was stupid?
Or because Han Ze didn't pressure him?
Ha. He would make the young man understand that he had no choice but to choose him.
In the final gamble, Han Yu showed no mercy whatsoever. He wanted to win.
This was the first time in his conscious existence that he had ever wanted something so desperately. He would not allow himself to lose.
And yet, he lost.
The young man was too ruthless—ruthless to others, and just as ruthless to himself.
The moment the young man's blood stained him red, Han Yu's heart nearly stopped.
He realized then that there was something even more terrifying than not being able to keep the young man—he was terrified of the young man dying.
He lost.
But he hadn't lost completely. In this wager, no one would emerge the winner.
He couldn't keep the young man—but Han Ze, who now possessed his full power, could.
Han Ze was only brainless—that was why he didn't understand love or possessiveness. But he had never been any different from Han Yu.
After all, he and Han Ze were split from the same existence.
If Han Yu harbored such twisted love for the young man, there was no way Han Ze could be pure and innocent either.
After losing the final gamble, Han Yu transferred not only his power to Han Ze, but also all of his memories.
It didn't matter who kept the young man—he only wanted him to stay.
And yet, he lost again.
This time, it was a complete and utter loss.
That fool Han Ze chose to let him go.
Even with all the memories now in his possession, he still chose to set him free.
Han Yu couldn't understand it. They were split from the same person—how could Han Ze be willing to let him leave?
He truly couldn't figure it out.
How could he be so willing?
But none of it mattered to him anymore. The young man's presence was gone from the instance, and would never return.
Han Yu found it all unbearably tedious. He turned and walked into the depths of the maze, letting it swallow him whole.
Without the young man in the world, there seemed to be no point in staying awake.
If there was a next time, he would not lose again.
