65 Identity 2 - Winner? (2/2)

”If your gonna act like a dog, I'll treat you like a dog.”

With that statement, she forced the leader to sit back down with a red face when she realized she was playing the fool.

But for some reason, Veil was smiling from her humiliation as she licked her lips, Han then warned Stigma that his sister was an sadist that liked to tease people even in combat. Between his sister and the captain, Veil was the last person he wanted to pick a fight with, he didn't look back but Stigma took his words to heart after looking at his blank eyes.

Normally, lotteries have a rule where participants have to choose random numbers on their own, which makes it impossible to earn a win, but some lotteries will use pre-chosen numbers such as now.

This event follows that concept but will only use ten set patterns, if they go by that logic, the Top had printed over multiple copies for the lower rank prizes but choose to have limited copies for the higher prizes.

Forcing every participant to buy their chances from a low return.

In any case, there may be time where multiple winners may appear, so Stigma checked each ticket and there were doubles from his pile, so his guess was correct. That would also mean that other participants have the same chances for them to earn the top prize.

The event prizes didn't seem to interest him, so Stigma went back to eating and only looked up when their numbers were called, the sibling did the same thing but the leader was looking at the stage with great zeal as she chomped of a steak bone without noticing.

'....I fear that any man, who would ask her out for a night visit, would lose his dignity after one go...maybe lose his manhood if he wasn't careful...'

Halfway through the event, Stigma was bored so he went back to his 'training' by exercising with his body or using the glass bottle filled with water and oil method.

The events procedures is as follows, the commentator would pick a piece of paper from the bowl and slowly read out the number, at the same time the assistance will place the corresponding number using the wooden boards, those with the number responds and cheer out their numbers while the rest watch from the sideline with red faces.

When he looked over at some of the wagons parked nearby, about five archers were standing by each watching the crowd. He wasn't the only one to see that as Hans and Veils saw it too, but the leader was to focused on the event to even care so he dropped it.

So far, like he had expected there had been multiple winners from the lower category and among them Stigma had been called in four to five times. Veil gave away her tickets so she told Stigma and made him pick out a book for him to read later on.

Since none of the prizes in the catalog were anything special he picked out a two books bundles like Veil asked him to do, but he also picked three bags filled with small elemental stone which was good deal for him later on.

Unfortunately the leader was repeatedly gritting her teeth, she was so close in winning and everytime she was about to win she bit a piece of the bone without much thought, causing the attendant's face to go pale from how powerful her jaw strength was.

They agreed beforehand, whoever won a prize would have the decision in selling what they earned, but with both the sibling giving away their tickets so Stigma and the leader were the only ones participating.

So far, Stigma was the only one winning from their group.

The bags Stigma chose were each capable in fitting a small watermelon, Veil told him that just one of them alone was enough for a thousand gold coins if they sold the stones altogether. Yet all the tickets that were taken were from Stigma's pile, so the leader could not get a cut, causing her to play with a serving knife in a dangerous manner.

”...Leader, you want one bag?” The leader looked back at Stigma, but only sighed from looking pathetic.

”No, it's your win, I'm not so petty as to make my subordinate give away his earnings.”

'I'm your subordinate?'

”Huh? But I heard you destroyed a bunch of loan shark gangs for not giving you any money.” She then waved her finger from side to side and her eyes gave away a dangerous glint.

”No no no, you misunderstand, the agreed to lend me the money but refused to give me anymore. So I gave them a 'good' reminder, who agreed to lend the money in the first place. Remember that Winners get everything.”

'What kind of logic is that for Winners!?!?! Wait what about paying them back!!!!' When he looked at the sibling, Veil mouthed 'give up' and Han was looking away.

Eventually, Stigma won a few more times and chose the same thing, a bag filled with elementals stones or some books, the weapons were a good find but they lacked efficiency because of the size difference but he chose a large shield. He found some booze and precious stones and gave it to the siblings as a form of thank you for taking care of him, which they took with a blushing expression, but he didn't find any bag of money for the leader.

After the second category began, the leader finally won five times in a row but she only picked out the valuable looking ones.

Unfortunately Stigma pointed out the items were suspicious when he examined them using his skill and the leader found out the items were only gilded or were shined with oil to appear like new silver when she scratched them, she went completely berserk when the attendant told her they had very little value and almost had the archers shoot at her was a disturbance.

When appraisers examined the items they apologized for the misunderstanding, but the one ones who provided the items denied such accussassion and were charged with fraud and thrown in jail when the guards discovered they never had such items, eventually they were forced to pay for the items actual price range in each category as punishment.

The 'Winner?' was gaining compensation for being tricked and a riot was about to begin, so they would begin investigation after the event for the inconvenience.

Luckily the leader agreed to the procedure so the archers stopped pointing their arrows at her. But at the same time Stigma noticed that each archer had the same skills in archery which made him believe they had the same teacher.

His eyes wondered for a moment then he noticed someone from the private tents was wearing a gauntlet with slash marks on it, but that wasn't what made him look. When he saw the bearers name he somehow received a small headache and a gnawing sensation was trying to make him remember when he saw the name: Jaculus.

'Jaculus...Jaculus...why do I feel I know that name...'

”Your amazing Stigma! To actually find out they were fakes is a great skill! As expected of my subordinate! I became a winner in life for gaining him! Ha ha ha”

”Yeah, how did you find out they were fake, do you have some knowledge on appraising?”

”If you are, then come appraise some my bought jewels, I want you opinion on them.”

Their questioning was relentless, but Stigma found a good enough reason to explain it and get away with him picking the items like jewelry or the high quality booze. He only used his 'Essence Reader' skill as an experiment to find out if he can see the status of an item, he tried it before but it showed nothing.

His curiosity heightened about his skills changes and wanted to check the status on the item from the market, the name and quality of the item was written. So when he tried it on the lottery items, most of them were trash like a golden statue, the reason the name was completely different.

[Name: Iron statue

Rank: Normal

Effects: None

Attack: 100]

He can't say he has a flowing text inside his head or they will think he is crazy. So he remembered the leader's cultivation training was related to her blood flow, so why not the one that increases his vision or senses.

It wasn't the whole truth, but Stigma wasn't lying about his skill's effects, he did notice the skin had a difference surface than normal so he went with that excuse.

When they asked about the skill, he only told them that he only learned about it recently, but he can only tell clear details from a certain distance. It was impossible for him to tell the obvious difference if it was beyond sight of range.

”Can you tell anything else, what about a person's difference.”

He made a excuse that humans give of an aura and the archers he saw had the similar skills based on how they positioned themselves and how they circulated their Zen. When they asked for the details, he only told them he can't because there was not enough to tell from, but he told them they were at least Cultivators.

....

They were going to ask more about the issue, but the last prize on the first category had already been taken, an ornament armor with the wind element enchantment. Most were about to leave when they remembered the last event, the Black Box event.

About ten people had won a black box and were enraged or confused when they saw the contents were not the same, some had nothing but old ceramics pots or some had a bag filled with money. The black box event was like a wild card event, so the ones with the black box may winners who won a prized item, since only half of them had any actual value.

Stigma was one of the winners(?).

But the content was.....'confusing', when others looked at this prize out of curiosity, they immediately lost interest and walked away to try and bargain from other winners.

The three thought the same, but comforted Stigma as he was a still a winner for gaining a prize, but in Stigma's eyes he actually won big from how powerful the aura of the item was giving of.

[Name: Horn of the Armored Spider

Rank: Rare

Effect: Contains the lingering spirit of a voracious predator

Attack: 100

Defense: 200]