Chapter 57: The Gamble for Existence

The air felt heavy, the lights in the casino flickering as if the entire place was holding its breath.

The Fate Card hovered above the table, glowing with a golden hue, distorting the space around it—as if something unseen was watching, waiting for the final move.

P01 tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his smirk deepening. "At last, the final round."

His voice was calm but laced with amusement. "This time, we're not gambling memories or time. This time, we're gambling… your very existence."

Noya's fingers clenched into fists, her breathing uneven. "Existence?"

Ah Rong's whole body tensed. His mouth opened, but no words came out. He felt like a rat thrown into a high-stakes game, and the one smiling at them from across the table—P01—wasn't even treating them like players.

Lin Han gritted his teeth, staring P01 down. "What happens if we lose?"

P01 let out a soft chuckle, his fingers flicking the Fate Card. The golden surface shimmered, revealing eerie inscriptions:

"The winner has the power to rewrite a fragment of 'history.' The loser will be completely erased from reality."

Noya's breath hitched. "Erased? What do you mean by that?"

P01 laced his fingers together, his gaze steady. "It means the loser won't die."

"They simply… will have never existed."

"Every trace of them will vanish. No one will remember them. The world itself will forget they were ever real."

Lin Han's stomach twisted into knots.

This was worse than death.

P01's smirk never faded as he casually waved his hand, and three cards appeared on the table, golden runes swirling around them in whispered incantations.

"Same rules." P01 said. "But this time, it's all or nothing."

"Each of you will draw one card."

"If any of you draws lower than a 5, that person will be erased."

Ah Rong's breath caught in his throat. "Tiu leh?! That's not fair!"

P01 shrugged. "Since when was fate ever fair?"

Noya's fingers trembled, sweat forming on her brow. She knew—this was it. If they lost, they wouldn't even have the luxury of regret.

Lin Han's hands were damp with sweat, but he forced himself to move.

He picked up a card.

Noya and Ah Rong each took one as well.

The golden glow of the cards intensified. The inscriptions burned brighter.

The cards flipped open.

Lin Han: 6

Noya: 8

Ah Rong: 4

Time froze.

Ah Rong's pupils dilated, his hands shaking violently as he stared at his card. "No… No, no, no, this can't be right…"

Ah Rong's body started turning translucent.

His hands trembled as he reached out—but his voice was already fading.

"Don't!" Noya lunged forward, trying to grab his arm.

Her fingers passed right through him.

Ah Rong's shadow was already gone.

"Lin Han!" Noya screamed, panic rising in her voice. "Do something!"

Lin Han lunged for the Fate Card, desperate to break the rules.

But P01 simply lifted a hand.

The cards on the table vanished.

"The game is over," P01 murmured, his tone mockingly gentle. "No one can break reality's rules."

Lin Han's fists trembled with rage. He couldn't stop it.

Ah Rong's body was now almost fully transparent.

His mouth opened, trying to speak, trying to cling to something, anything—

But the next second—

He was gone.

No scream. No explosion of light.

Just… nothing.

As if he had never been there at all.

Lin Han's chest rose and fell rapidly, his eyes frantically scanning the room.

But Ah Rong was gone.

Not just physically—his presence was erased.

His chair was missing. The sound of his voice no longer echoed.

Even the air felt different, as if something vital had been ripped away.

And then Lin Han noticed something even worse—

Noya's face was blank.

She blinked once, then twice, before slowly turning to Lin Han, confusion settling into her features.

"Lin Han… was there really three of us?"

His blood turned ice-cold.

"W-What?"

Noya pressed a hand against her forehead, frowning. "I… I feel like something's missing, but I can't remember what."

P01 rested his chin on his palm, watching Lin Han with quiet amusement.

"See? Isn't this far worse than death?"

Lin Han's fingers dug into the table so hard that his nails almost broke the wood.

He remembered.

He remembered Ah Rong's voice. His swearing. His panic. Everything.

But the world didn't.

Even Noya—**who had been beside Ah Rong this entire time—**couldn't recall him anymore.

P01's voice was soft, almost mockingly kind.

"This is what it truly means to lose a game of fate."

"You know someone should exist."

"But the world itself has erased them."

Lin Han's heart slammed against his ribs.

He understood now.

This game… was never meant to be won.