I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

The moment they stepped into the passage, a scorching and violent aura surged in from all directions, pouring into their bodies.

[System notification: You have chosen the "Path of Power," and have received a blessing/curse from fate!]

[Gift of Might (Blessing): Increases all damage you deal by 20%.]

[The Price of Vulnerability (Curse): All damage you take is increased by 20%.]

Li Wu saw two different icons appear next to his status bar again.

The passage wasn't long; after walking for about several dozen meters, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a relatively spacious cave.

"Chirp chirp!"

A sharp scream rang out.

In the darkness, a hunched-over dog-headed man with a rat-like face, holding a rusty dagger, suddenly leaped out from behind a rock and pounced straight at Hua Zitong, who was walking in front!

[Kobold Fate Thief (Normal)]

[Level: LV5]

【HP: 250】

Attack Power: 42

Almost the instant she saw it, Hua Zitong moved! Instead of retreating, she advanced, slightly lowering her body, and the woodcutter's knife in her hand drew a sharp arc, striking first despite being behind!

[Heavy Chop]!

-78!

An astonishing damage number appeared above the kobold's head.

Normally, Hua Zitong's attack would only deal about 65 points of damage, but now, with a 20% damage bonus, it has directly broken through the 70 mark!

The kobold let out a scream, but the dagger in its hand still viciously stabbed towards Hua Zitong's waist and abdomen.

Hua Zitong reacted extremely quickly, twisting her body to the side and narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.

puff!

The dagger sliced ​​through her leather armor, sending sparks flying.

-46!

An equally shocking damage figure appeared above Hua Zitong's head!

Her defense wasn't low to begin with, and normally a hit from a small monster like this wouldn't cause her much damage. However, with the 20% vulnerability effect, the damage was amplified!

"Be careful!"

Li Wu's heart skipped a beat as he watched from behind, and he had already drawn his rapid-fire bow.

Instead of using the healing arrow, he directly used a control skill!

[Mud Arrow]!

"puff!"

The arrow struck the kobold Fate Thief precisely at his feet, instantly turning the hard rock into a churning mud pit. Caught off guard, the kobold's feet sank in, greatly reducing his speed!

It's now!

Hua Zitong seized the opportunity, her machete flashing, each strike deadly!

-60!

-61!

-61!

With the excellent output environment created by Li Wu's Mud Arrow, she cleanly and efficiently emptied the kobold's last health bar with just three normal attacks.

The kobold let out a mournful howl, fell to the ground, and turned into white light.

[You participated in the kill of the LV.5 Kobold Fate Thief, gaining +6 experience points!]

Your talent "Soul Devourer" has been triggered!

[You have successfully absorbed the life energy dissipated by the LV.5 Kobold Fate Thief. Luck +0.01! Intelligence +0.01!]

"Phew..." Li Wu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that their tactics were feasible.

However, before he could even feel happy, a sudden system notification froze his expression.

[System notification: Your "luck" has been stolen! Current luck value -1!]

Li Wu suddenly looked down.

Below, the golden scales of fortune showed a tiny, but visible, shift in the pointer. From the "50" in the center, it moved one notch to the left, towards the direction of "misfortune" represented by the skull!

The number below has also changed from [50/100] to [49/100]!

"This is... the passive ability of the Fate Thief!" Hua Zitong's expression also turned grim. "Even if their attacks miss, as long as they occur, there's a chance they'll steal our luck points!"

Li Wu's heart sank.

The malice of this instance was far greater than he had imagined!

They even have to constantly guard against their "luck" being stolen away little by little!

Just then, from the darkness ahead, one pair of scarlet eyes after another lit up.

"Chirp chirp!"

"twitter!"

Sharp cries rose and fell.

At least five kobold Fate Thieves emerged from different corners and surrounded the two of them!

"This is troublesome." Hua Zitong gripped the wood-chopping knife tightly.

Li Wu's attention, however, was drawn to the colorful bubbles floating in mid-air behind the kobolds.

The bubbles were as beautiful as a dream, as if countless stars were flowing inside.

Hua Zitong followed his gaze, her expression becoming even more complicated.

"Don't stare at those things," she warned in a low voice.

"What is that?"

"That's the most tempting and deadliest gamble in this casino—the bubble of fate."

Hua Zitong said, enunciating each word clearly:

"Ready... to gamble your life with your luck?"

"Gambling with your life using luck?"

Li Wu repeated the sentence, feeling both absurd and real.

His heart clenched as he glanced at the five pairs of scarlet eyes that shone even brighter in the darkness.

Five kobold Fate Thieves, approaching from different directions, were taking small, quick steps, gradually tightening their encirclement.

The rusty daggers in their hands reflected an unsettling, cold light in the eerie green glow of the moss.

There was only one before, and it only attacked once, so it only dropped a little luck value, but now there are five!

Once the war starts, even if they win, their luck will probably be completely stolen by these damned "thieves".

What happens when your luck stat reaches zero?

Li Wu dared not think about it.

"What are we betting on? How are we betting?" Li Wu's voice was low, but he spoke quickly. While keeping a watchful eye on the kobolds' movements, he also paid some attention to the colorful "destiny bubbles" floating in mid-air.

Hua Zitong did not answer immediately. Her body was already tense, and she held the wood-chopping knife horizontally in front of her, assuming a standard defensive stance.

"grumble!"

A kobold lost its patience, let out a shriek, and pounced from the side!

"Be careful!"

Hua Zitong was prepared. She spun around and sent the woodcutter's knife flying towards the enemy.

[Heavy Chop]!

-79!

The damage numbers were still considerable, but the kobold was exceptionally cunning. Just before the attack hit, it twisted its body strangely, avoiding a vital spot, while simultaneously thrusting its dagger like a venomous snake towards Hua Zitong's ribs!

puff!

-47!

Another huge damage figure!

Hua Zitong's health bar dropped instantly.

To make matters worse, at the same time the damage numbers appeared above her head, a system notification also popped up.

[System notification: Your "luck" has been stolen! Current luck value -1!]

At the same time, Li Wu also received the same notification: his luck value decreased by 1 again!

"Did you see it?" Hua Zitong's voice carried a hint of urgency.

"This is like boiling a frog in lukewarm water! If we fight a war of attrition with them, we're doomed! The lower our luck stat, the more damage we take, the less damage we deal, and we might even get hit by their continuous critical strikes!"

She swiftly forced the kobold in front of her back with a powerful strike, and said quickly, "The only way is to gamble!"

With that, she slashed at the "fate bubble" closest to her!