The Primal Hunter Chapter 1230 - A Lucky Man

It wasn’t as if their presence was necessary to her. Honestly, when had her Dragonflight ever actually supported her? Their involvement in her life had been strictly limited to attempts at controlling her behavior and stifling her independence. Her relatives were the worst offenders, constantly dictating her every move throughout her childhood. Then, just as she reached maturity, her parents had the audacity to kill themselves, claiming their sacrifice was entirely for her benefit.

To Yrelstromoz, such a sentiment was repulsive. She had never requested anything from them. They were simply obsessed with seeing their daughter carry on the pointless Legacy they had squandered their own lives pursuing.

She had been forced to live out her parents’ ambitions from the start. Whenever she hinted that reaching S-grade or pursuing peak Cultivation meant nothing to her, they simply ignored her. They were far too immersed in their own delusions. Besides, they didn't even truly know her; seeing them once every ten years was a generous estimate.

They were obsessed with their Paths and a futile chase for power—a Path Yrelstromoz found no reason to replicate. Power was already hers. As a True Dragon, she was a pinnacle existence within the multiverse. Her current strength was more than sufficient to wander the world as she pleased and live exactly how she desired.

She refused to be enslaved by meaningless traditions or expectations born of the past. Instead, Yrelstromoz lived for the moment, basking in the liberty she had secured through her own natural talent and personal choices. The vast, unexplored world lay before her like a canvas for her whims, populated by lesser beings who existed merely for her amusement.

Her recent execution of a dog from the United Tribes had been a calculated move to finally get the Dragonflight off her back. The plan had worked perfectly; she was officially exiled and had enjoyed a long period of solitude.

Yrelstromoz was aware she had provoked some powerful people, so keeping a low profile was only logical. She also found a certain irony in proving that, if she chose to be, she could be a peaceful dragon—even when surrounded by prey. It was delightful to imagine her aunt and those other elderly fools, who risked their lives for nothing, fuming because she had suddenly turned over a new leaf after her departure.

Regarding the United Tribes, she didn't view them as much of a threat. They possessed some formidable members, certainly, but would they actually dare to challenge a True Dragon? She doubted it. If they truly intended to hunt her, they would need someone of a significantly higher level, at which point she assumed the Lumenflight would step in. Despite no longer being a member, she remained a daughter of the faction, and those old fossils were fanatical about protecting their own.

Ultimately, cutting ties with the Lumenflight had been a masterstroke, and the sense of freedom she felt while traveling was beyond anything she had known. Most recently, she had arrived at a small planet famous for its tourism, and her time there had been quite pleasant.

The resort featured a massive complex offering various forms of entertainment. She frequented the local bars and casinos, even if the spirits were far too diluted for a B-grade to truly enjoy. Then again, if the alcohol were potent enough for her, it would mean the place catered to B-grades, which wouldn't make it a very good hiding spot.

According to her scans, the strongest individuals present were around peak C-grade. They were decent, perhaps, but their specific level within the C-grade rank didn't matter to her. Ending their lives with a single strike remained a simple task, and thus far, she hadn't met anyone who could survive even a subtle attack from her.

Fine, she was supposed to be lying low, but certain idiots still insisted on pestering her while she was trying to relax. Men, in particular, loved to approach her. It was understandable, given her noble stature, but she could only look upon such inferior creatures with loathing. Punishing them for their insolence felt only right.

To her annoyance, today seemed to be no different. Yrelstromoz was sitting alone at a card table, enjoying a successful streak, which meant the dealer wouldn't have to suffer a "unfortunate accident" like the one who had cleared her out the day before.

A man approached and took the seat right beside her, initially ignoring her presence. He placed a substantial pile of chips on the table and looked toward the dealer. “Let’s hope the heart of the cards is in my favor today. I’m feeling fairly lucky.”

“I can only wish the gentleman luck,” the dealer replied with a professional smile while distributing the cards. Judging by that short exchange and his clumsy handling of the cards, Yrelstromoz suspected this human was a novice at gambling.

He was likely one of those fools who believed they could outsmart the house without breaking the rules. Unfortunately for him, there was no bypass for the system skills that allowed the casino to ensure cheating was impossible, even if a god sat at the table. Only the cardholders could see their hand, and the cards were only "revealed" after being dealt. Card counting offered little help, as the casino used infinite decks and true random generation, making it effectively useless.

Yrelstromoz sat out for a few rounds, prepared to watch the newcomer get stripped of his wealth... but that didn't happen. He sat there with a simple grin, winning one round after another. Even when the dealer managed a win, his losses were minimal.

“I guess I am really lucky today!” the human laughed, requesting another card from the dealer, only to land another twenty-one.

Yrelstromoz squinted, her curiosity piqued. There was something unnatural about the ease of his victories, yet her sharp senses picked up no sign of cheating or hidden skill activation. She leaned back, maintaining a relaxed posture while her mind became sharply focused, tracking the human with increasing interest.

Perhaps it was genuine luck, or maybe there was more to him than he let on. Regardless, Yrelstromoz decided to remain at the table a while longer to see exactly how far his fortune—or whatever it was—would take him.

After several more wins, he finally turned his attention to her. “Is the lady not playing?”

Yrelstromoz scrutinized the human, only then noticing that his eyes were abnormal for his species. They possessed a predatory, bestial quality, likely a result of some skill. Other than that, he seemed unremarkable, aside from his strength, which placed him in the mid-tier of C-grade. It was decent for a lesser race, but still pathetic in her eyes.

She met his look with a slight smirk. “Sometimes it’s more entertaining to watch than to play. But I suppose if you’re going to keep winning like this, maybe I should join in and try my luck as well. Who knows, maybe it’s contagious.”

Her voice was casual, but her focus was intense, hunting for any tell that might reveal his secret. It wasn't often she met a human who carried such an air of mystery, and that alone made the night far more interesting.

“The more the merrier,” the human chuckled as she entered the game for a few hands... only to find herself losing once again. Meanwhile, he continued to win, causing her frustration to grow as she searched for any hint of his method.

Even the dealer appeared startled, though not yet suspicious. They relied on their skills and believed cheating to be impossible. It shouldn't have been possible, yet this man continued to defy the odds through sheer luck.

“Fortune really is in your favor, huh?” she asked him, tilting her head slightly.

“I have been known to go on lucky streaks,” the human replied with a casual smile. “How about you? Do you come to these kinds of establishments often?”

“Yes,” Yrelstromoz answered, her irritation with the human rising because of his informal tone. Even though she was concealing her B-grade status, an inferior creature like a human should instinctively sense he was speaking to a superior being.

“Well, I hope things go better for you, usually. Oh, hit,” the human said, barely looking as he took another card before staying on a fourteen—which somehow led to the dealer busting.

“Not like winning consistently is a viable strategy,” he remarked while gathering his winnings. “The casino’s got the math down, and they make sure to always come out on top. It’s genuinely all a scam that just preys on the psyche of its customers. Hence why I don’t feel too bad when I’m the one ripping them off.”

Yrelstromoz narrowed her eyes. “You say it’s a scam, yet here you are, seemingly being the scammer.”

“Maybe I am,” the human laughed, shaking his head. “But even if I were, no reason to feel bad about it. It’s pretty fucking despicable for those far more powerful than others – such as the casino in this case – to exploit and make use of others. Oh, not calling you out; you’re just working here and at least consistently extracting some money from this horrid place.”

The last comment was directed at the dealer, seemingly an attempt to avoid offending her. The human’s behavior continued to grate on Yrelstromoz, especially as he kept winning while he talked, all while her own Credits slowly dwindled.

“Isn’t it only right for those superior to take advantage of those below them?” Yrelstromoz countered, still trying to grasp how the man literally could not lose.

“I guess it’s inevitable that some advantage will be taken, but that doesn’t mean one should wantonly take advantage,” the human shrugged. “Purposefully causing suffering or making their lives worse just for your own entertainment is just pathetic.”

Yrelstromoz couldn't suppress a scoff as she shook her head. “Those sound like the words of someone who knows they’re inferior.”

“Oh, no, quite the opposite,” the human chuckled. “They’re the words of someone confident and powerful enough to never seek conflict with those weaker than himself. Someone who aims only to punch up and find a challenge.”

She didn't even bother to reply, seething with rage after losing another hand despite holding a twenty. To make it worse, the human kept talking.

“How about you? I can tell you’re decently powerful in your own right, and I reckon that means you’ve also conquered your fair share of challenges to overcome your own limits,” the human asked, his tone so informal she had to ball her fists.

A lowly human had no concept of what it meant for a True Dragon to transcend their limits. He had no idea of the risks she would have to take to continue her Path once fully grown—risks she flatly refused to take. Only fools would do something so reckless.

Glancing at the human, whose death she had already decided upon, Yrelstromoz narrowed her eyes. “Why are you even talking? Who are you to take such a friendly tone with someone like me?”

“I was just trying to make pleasant conversation and see what kind of person you are,” the human replied, looking her straight in the eye.

“Why?” Yrelstromoz sneered. “Do you think you have anything to gain from me? Are you so bored that you strike up a conversation with anyone you meet? Also, why come to this table in the first place when I was clearly alone for a reason? Wait, I know... You want to fuck me, don’t you?”

“Can’t say the thought ever even crossed my mind,” the human shrugged, completely unbothered. “As for all your other questions, I guess you can say I already got what I wanted out of this little talk. Well, I did hope for one more definitive thing, but we can’t always get everything we want.”

The human looked away, standing up to stretch. “Alas, seeing as the situation has turned hostile, I believe it’s high time for me to cash out.”

He looked down at her while the dealer nodded, activating a small magic circle on the table that converted his chips back into Credits.

“I wish you luck today, and I hope you end up finding it as enjoyable as I do... and will,” the human said with a smile. After confirming the transfer, he began to walk away, with Yrelstromoz staring at his back.

Watching him leave, she sneered. This inferior creature had dared to annoy her, speak to her as an equal, and now thought he could simply walk away with the final word?

Truly, the arrogance of a weakling from a lesser race. Because he had reached C-grade, he imagined himself untouchable. He had no idea how fragile his life truly was. It would take so little to end him. She had done it many times before, even to those stronger than him, and her method never failed. She only needed to use her favorite skill—one of the few she had personally refined and upgraded. It was a beautiful skill that always brought her satisfaction in moments like this.

Pointing a finger toward him, she smiled, silently bidding the irritating human goodbye. A beam of concentrated light shot from her fingertip, moving far too fast for any of the weaklings nearby to see. It possessed enough power to vaporize the brain and soul of a peak C-grade instantly, leaving behind almost no evidence.

With malice, she watched the beam streak toward the back of his head... but her grin vanished as her eyes went wide. At the exact moment the beam fired, he leaned slightly to the side, dodging the attack completely. It was as if he had anticipated it before she even moved.

While she was still reeling from the failure, the human slowly turned back toward her. Their eyes met once more, and his voice resonated inside her head via a telepathic message.

As his words echoed in her mind, a cold shiver ran down her spine. For a split second, she considered launching a full-scale attack, but before she could even commit to the thought, the human had vanished, completely slipping past her detection.