Endless Evolution: Last Star-Chapter 620 60% too low?

"Good night!"

"Ughum!"

"I thought we could sit with Mr. Erik a little longer, but well..."

Fromund smiled bitterly as he watched Elva, Liv, and Tilda go to bed, covering themselves with their thick blankets. This time he made sure they were definitely asleep.

It was easy enough for Fromund to figure it out - he closed his eyes and focused all his senses on listening, when their breathing became even and their heartbeats became steady with no sudden spikes, Fromund nodded deeply.

Click.

He carefully closed the door and returned to the kitchen where their guest awaited him. The five of them could only manage a fraction of all the pizzas Erik had brought, and despite his high status, he was actively eating any of the variations on par with the girls.

"You know, they go to bed pretty late. Don't you think they should go to bed a little earlier while they're so young?" Erik smiled weakly slipping his hand under his coat.

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With a slight movement, he pulled out a steel flask, slowly unscrewing the cap.

"Hmm?"

Fromund raised an eyebrow looking at him puzzled, Erik tilted the flask as the amber liquid filled his half-empty cup of black tea.

"Didn't mean to set a bad example for them, but... plain tea isn't strong enough for me."

"Suit yourself."

In response, Fromund shrugged and sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.

Erik glanced at him, lifting the flask since his cup was already filled to the brim.

"Will you have some?"

The offer was only a formality, a simple courtesy, as Erik didn't think Fromund would agree.

As Erik was about to put the flask away, Fromund shrugged with a nonchalant look:

"Why not? Go ahead, pour me as much as you can spare. We're in for a long talk."

"Hah, that's the spirit!" Erik exclaimed excitedly before filling Fromund's cup.

Raising their cups to eye level, they nodded to each other and took their first sip.

Erik's face didn't change much, he only smiled pleasantly feeling the familiar and favorite taste. It was nothing new to him, but it didn't make the taste any worse.

It wasn't the first time Fromund tried alcohol, in fact, he was quite experienced at it compared to young people his age.

But...

"GHA!"

As soon as the whiskey hit his tongue, his expression contorted into a great frown, his throat was on fire and he just didn't have the strength to swallow his sip without a problem, especially as casually as Erik did.

"Damn! How much alcohol is in this whiskey? What the fuck is that?"

"Well, frankly I'm surprised you didn't get sick just from the smell of it." Erik waved his hand slowly before taking another sip.

Fromund's eyebrow began to twitch, he couldn't understand how anyone could enjoy whiskey that strong.

"About your question - there's not much here, only 60%, though if you've never tasted anything above 40% it's a serious kick for you."

Then, Erik's face spread into a kind smile filled with nostalgia.

"Hahaha, I remember now when I was in your shoes years ago. I had almost the same reaction and I didn't think I would ever try something like that. But, little by little, I only raised the level."

For a brief period, Fromund looked at his cup, wondering if he should take another sip, but he eventually gave up on the idea.

Shaking his head and gathering his thoughts, Fromund stared intently at Erik, his gaze growing colder.

"Erik Wurhen... What do you want? Why did you come to my house? I have no business with you or with the Wurhen Family, nor have I ever had any."

Fromund's voice was heavy, his aura intensified, and his face showed how earnest he was.

This caused Erik to feel purely positive emotions.

"Good, the right attitude and your wariness are understandable. However, though you have never had business with me, I have a thing with you."

"Agh...?" Fromund gave him a questioning look. It was the first time they ever spoke.

Erik placed his hands on the table, his fingers extended, the tips touching. There was nothing sly in his posture as there would be with Gladius, but it was enough to show his seriousness.

"First I want to congratulate you, and I have a gift for you."

Before Fromund could say anything, Erik pulled a large crimson coin with smooth edges out of his inner pocket, it was an octagon.

The coin looked more like an emblem, but it was a simple device with a narrow screen in the center. Right now, the coin was turned off and the screen was blank.

"Fromund, I know that you fought for a monetary reward. And... it wasn't a problem for someone of my status to find out all possible information about you while you were undergoing treatment after the battle."

This was no surprise to Fromund, but it only made him more wary of Erik. Moreover...

'What the hell is that?' Fromund thought, looking at the crimson coin, 'At first I thought it was just an emblem and something to do with his family, but it's a device. Maybe it's some kind of key, a recorder?'

"Anyway, I want to give you your share."

Fromund was caught off guard, confusion covering his face.

"M-My share? What are you talking about...? The only ones I've had any dealings with are with Zarot and Nirosh Marzo."

In response, all he saw was a sly smirk, showing how naive he was.

"Nevertheless, you did help me earn a significant amount of money. I won't torture your mind with speculation and just tell you everything as it is."

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Then, Erik pressed the crimson coin, and the screen shone brightly with a blue light, a multitude of yellow numbers came into motion, about to stop after a few seconds.

"I like to place bets, I just love it. And, your fight against Adam Vinter is no exception. I bet 300 million credits on your fight, 1 credit less to be exact, but it doesn't matter."

Gulp.

Fromund's eyes went wide. He was fighting for 125 million and would only get it if he won, at the same time, Erik's bet was more than twice or more than his reward!

'Fuck... Just how much money do the higher nobles have? Or is it not just because Erik is a high nobleman? After all, even at the top, there are many levels and the difference between them is monstrous.'

Erik's corners of his lips went up as he shook his head:

"I see you are surprised, and this bet was a considerable amount even for me. However, I couldn't contain my desire, and I knew I could make a good profit."

Feeling slightly tense, Fromund raised an eyebrow uncertainly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, because Adam Vinter had never shown his new powers before your fight and hadn't been in the Dead Lands since moving to K2-Level, more people were confident of your victory. The proportions were 40/60, meaning out of 100 people, 60 put a bet on you winning."

Before Fromund could say anything, Erik pointed to the crimson coin, the numbers stopped moving, showing the total.

"So the odds were 2.5, which means with a bet of 300 million I got this nice sum-"

Fromund's eyes lowered, looking at the blue screen with a pale face.

[450.000.000]

That was Erik's winnings for a right bet.