Chương 13: The Awkward Luck King

You could have heard a pin drop in the living room. Astonishment flickered across every face.

"You… you're serious?" Tessa spoke first. If Ryan wasn't lying, she'd have to look at him in a whole new light.

"He probably is." Serena, normally a woman of few words, suddenly spoke up.

"And if I'm not mistaken… the Ryan in front of us—his game ID is 'Big Gunn,' isn't it?"

"What?!" The others started as one, staring at Ryan in disbelief.

"Before I logged off, I checked—across the entire Nine Provinces server, fewer than ten players have hit Level 8 total, and one of them goes by 'Big Gunn,'" Serena analyzed.

"His name is Ryan Gunn. If he's not lying, that's the only ID that fits. So I'd guess he's telling the truth—and that he's the player setting the forums ablaze right now: Big Gunn."

"Um… is Serena right?"

"She is. Sharp read—I'm Big Gunn." Ryan said it plainly, his eyes on Serena.

"I didn't expect anyone to figure out who I am from a single sentence. Impressive."

"Standing out from a billion players—now that's impressive," Serena said evenly.

"But this works out well for the studio's growth. Wouldn't you agree, Roz?" Rosalind nodded. Even now, she could scarcely believe that Ryan was the very Big Gunn the forums had hyped to the heavens. It lent the whole thing a dreamlike quality. Could he be the benefactor Heaven sent to help me through this? From charging in at that critical moment to save her, to joining the studio and becoming one of the rarest existences in Heaven's Descent—could it all be the quiet workings of fate?

"Roz?" Tessa looked at the dazed Rosalind, a rare smile surfacing on her face.

"I take back what I said earlier. This time, you just might pull it off."

"Indeed." Serena nodded.

"You can do it, Roz!" Faye cheered.

"Thank you, everyone!" Rosalind's eyes brimmed with grateful tears. Without these sisters' help, she alone could hardly have held on.

"This… what's actually going on?" Ryan was thoroughly at sea. Whatever these people said, he couldn't follow.

"Here's how it is. Roz's father betrothed her to Edwin Shaw, but Roz refused and ran away from home. Then one night she nearly came to harm—which you already know about," Tessa said gravely.

"If that were all, fine. But on top of it, her family froze her bank accounts, hoping to back her into a corner and force her to give in. With us sisters here, though, how could we let Roz suffer? So we put our heads together and decided to pool our efforts, build a studio, dive into Heaven's Descent, and carve out a name. Once we have capital of our own, no one can rein her in."

"I see…" Understanding dawned on Ryan. He'd dealt with Rosalind in his last life too, and back then her temperament had been nothing like this—nor had he seen these sisters around her. Pairing that with the sheer hatred Rosalind bore Edwin Shaw now, he could guess at part of the truth—though it was only a guess; the full story, he didn't know.

"So… that makes me the studio's number-one hired blade?" Ryan raised a brow. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"Exactly. With your fame and strength, if we run the studio well, we'll get on track fast—and then we can help Roz make her wish come true." Tessa nodded.

"Fine. But don't shortchange me on pay."

"Don't worry—the studio gives you a 10% cut!" Serena said.

"That high?!" Tessa's brows knit.

"10% isn't high. At his value, others would offer 20%." Serena pushed up her glasses.

"Then it's settled. Give me 20%." The corner of Ryan's mouth curled as he said it bluntly.

"You're robbing us blind!" Faye objected at once. Serena's face sank, and for once a flicker of vexation showed—if she hadn't run her mouth, Ryan wouldn't have had the leverage. But now…

"Just each of us taking what we need. Honestly, I need the money too." Ryan sighed. Truthfully, gathering one billion Azure Coin in three months would be no easy feat—but with the studio's operation behind him, it was different. Mutual benefit, both sides winning, would only mean more money in the end. For him, on top of selling gear and items, he'd skim a share off the studio.

For the studio, they could leverage his fame to expand, run a guild, and develop all sorts of in-game ventures—enormous commercial potential. The 20% might look steep, but for both parties it was a sure profit.

"Let me say something," said Rosalind, who had been silent until now. Everyone turned to her.

"For me, if Ryan hadn't shown up in time that night, I might already be dead. And for the studio—without him, making a name for ourselves in the early game would be all but impossible." Rosalind's voice was firm.

"So to me and to the studio both, Ryan is a savior. And he just said himself that he badly needs money. So… I've decided to give him a 50% cut. I hope you sisters can understand." Silence fell over the room again; everyone sank into thought. Ryan was deeply moved. That Rosalind would make so large a concession was more than he'd anticipated. Tessa and the others wore complicated expressions.

Of course they wanted their sister to profit more—they knew all too well how powerful the forces behind Rosalind's arranged marriage were. But since she herself had said it, as her sisters, they could only support her.

"I think it's fine—but it's only a cut of the profits. To avoid any trouble, the studio can give him at most 20% in equity. That's the final concession." Serena pushed up her glasses, her tone grave. No matter what, they had to keep ownership of the studio firmly in Rosalind's hands; otherwise, if something went wrong down the line, all their hard work could come to nothing. Call it guarding against the worst.

"That works. I only need the money." Ryan nodded and said sincerely to Rosalind, "Miss Lynn, thank you for being willing to help me."

"Just call me Rosalind. This is mutual help, after all—you don't need to thank me." She smiled gently.

"Right?"

"Right." Ryan smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll help you, Rosalind."

"Mm." … Back online, Ryan added the studio members' game characters as friends and pulled everyone into a chat group. RoseWhisper: Whoa, it really is Big Gunn! StillNightChill: Mm. VioletCloudSong: Everyone push for Level 10! DriftingSnow: Let's go, everyone! WispCloud: Okay. Big Gunn: … Your names are all so poetic. Ryan glanced at his own decidedly out-of-place ID and frowned. DriftingSnow: Hurry and level—we can't fall behind at the starting line!

If anyone needs help, just say so and we'll figure it out together. RoseWhisper: I'm almost out of money for potions… can anyone help? VioletCloudSong: I'm low too, only one gold left, or I'd share some. StillNightChill: None here. DriftingSnow: Sigh, the early game's so rough—gold's scarce, and the studio's startup funds don't let us buy gold in bulk. How about this: I'll go round up a few gold and hand them out. Big Gunn: No need. I've got some gold here. Let me send a packet.

Ryan pulled out twenty gold, selected the lucky-split option, and tapped send. RoseWhisper: Ryan, you little gem! Big sister loves you! Watch me snag Luck King! But three seconds later, Faye spoke up again: What's with this packet? I only got a dozen-odd silver! Did you stuff a single gold in here? Cheapskate… hmph! A single gold? I clearly put in twenty! Ryan frowned, opened the system notice, and his mouth twitched. System: [Ding! Fortune smiles upon you! You drew 19 gold and became this round's Luck King! Keep up the good work!] Damn it. Should've kept my itchy hands off my own packet. Drawing from the packet he'd sent himself—and walking away as Luck King, no less. Mortifying indeed.