Ian reached out with his left hand and tapped them.
A weak flash of grey light appeared over him. His blood-soaked t-shirt and torn jeans vanished. In their place, he found himself wearing a dark grey dress shirt, a plain black waistcoat, and matching trousers.
It was perfectly tailored but offered absolutely zero physical defense. It looked like he was dressed for a shift dealing blackjack at a casino, not fighting monsters in a death game.
He felt a small, rectangular item materialize in his left hand.
Ian looked down at his Class weapon.
There was no holy staff. There was no futuristic sniper rifle.
It was a simple, sealed deck of playing cards. The back of the box was jet black with a faded golden crescent moon in the center.
A small prompt hovered over the box.
[Item: Gambler's Standard Deck (Upgradable)]
[Effect: A completely ordinary deck of fifty-two cards. Try not to fold.]
Ian stared at the small box in his left hand. He was an F-Rank Gambler with zero combat stats, a shattered dominant arm, and his only weapon was a literal deck of paper cards.
"Are you kidding me?"
A humorless laugh escaped his lips. While others were receiving powerful weapons and armor, he was receiving playing cards?
Before he could even process the absurdity of his situation, the ground violently trembled.
[Commencing Tutorial Phase 1: The Labyrinth of Forgetfulness]
[Objective: Escape from the labyrinth and reach the First Safe Zone to meet players from other fallen planets]
[Warning: The Labyrinth is a high-risk instance. Cooperation is advised. Betrayal is heavily penalized via the Karma System. Direct murder of a fellow Earthling will result in a 90% stat penalty and immediate marking]
The moment the lifeless voice finished speaking, the ground in the distance violently split apart, revealing a stone staircase that descended into pitch-black darkness.
It was the entrance to the labyrinth, a path that would either lead them to the next stage or become their graveyard.
Immediately, the Council formed a circle and started discussing a plan to tackle the labyrinth. Meanwhile, the other players simply watched silently.
After a short discussion, one man took the lead.
"Listen up, everyone!"
The Vanguard's voice echoed, easily cutting through the panic of the survivors. He stood at the edge of the descending staircase, his massive greatsword planted into the ground.
The rest of the S-Rank council stood just behind him, projecting an overwhelming aura filled with pride. However, that didn't mean they weren't nervous.
After all, until recently, most of them had been living ordinary lives on Earth. And now, they had been brought to this unknown world and granted such a great responsibility.
"It is clear," the Vanguard continued. "We have to clear this Labyrinth to reach the safe zone. So get ready! We will be entering now! Does anyone have any objections?"
"Wait!"
A voice rang out from the back of the crowd.
Hundreds of heads turned to see Ian stepping forward, clutching his shattered right arm against his chest.
His dark grey gambler's attire looked ridiculously out of place among the outfits of the other survivors.
"Is it really a good idea to go in right away?" Ian asked. "Especially without any proper advance planning?"
The Vanguard frowned. "What did you say, F-Rank?"
Ian didn't back down. He gestured toward the sky.
"The voice gave us a warning and an objective, but it didn't give us a time limit. There is no deadline to enter the labyrinth."
He looked around at the crowd of accountants, students, and chefs holding literal swords and shields.
"Most of us have never even been in a fistfight, let alone a battle to the death. We just got these weapons a few minutes ago. Shouldn't we take some time to figure out how they work? A few practice swings? Figure out how to cast skills?"
"We can take our time to come up with a proper plan. We need to analyze the benefits of our classes, understand how everyone's class works, and then figure out how to make good use of them while navigating through the labyrinth."
"After all, even though it's called a labyrinth, if the voice called it dangerous, can we be sure that we won't come across monsters right after descending?"
For a moment, there was absolute silence. Ian's logic was completely sound. It was the most rational thing anyone had said since the sky cracked open.
Then, someone in the A-Rank group snorted.
"Is this guy serious?"
A burst of laughter spread through the front lines. The newly awakened high-rankers, drunk on the adrenaline of their new stats and shiny weapons, looked at Ian with open disdain.
"Look at him shaking," a B-Rank warrior with a spear mocked. "He's terrified."
"What are you going to practice, Gambler?" another scoffed. "Going to practice shuffling your cards while the rest of us fight?"
"Coward. If you're so scared of the dark, stay up here and rot!"
The mockery quickly escalated into a barrage of insults.
The sudden influx of power had completely blinded them. They had yet to realize that this fantasy world was not a game, despite almost having died.
They thought having an A or B next to their name made them invincible heroes. They had already forgotten the bloody purge from just an hour ago.
Up at the front, Leia lowered her head. A flush of heat crept up her neck.
She felt a deep sense of embarrassment.
"Why is he doing this?" she thought.
She was standing at the absolute pinnacle of this new world, surrounded by elites, and her childhood friend was in the back, making a scene, exposing his cowardice to everyone.
He was using logic as a pathetic excuse to mask his fear.
Unable to handle the second-hand embarrassment, Leia took a step forward, her beautiful white robes fluttering.
"Ian, enough," she called out. Her voice was gentle, carrying the soothing tone of a saint, but her words were condescending.
Ian looked at her, hoping she would at least understand the basic logic of preparation.
Instead, Leia let out a soft, disappointed sigh.
"You don't have to make excuses. We know you're hurt, and we know your class isn't suited for combat."
She placed a hand over her heart, looking at him with pity.
"You don't have to be in the lead. We aren't asking you to fight. You can just stay in the back where it's safe. We will face the danger."
Her words were like sword stabbing at Ian's heart.
At the same time, the mockery towards him also intensified.
"Man, I wish I had a friend like her. Even if he is a coward, she is willing to protect him and let him hide in the back."
"That man is truly an embarrassment, using a woman to survive."
"If I was her friend, I would've been willing to stand before her as a shield even if half my body was broken. And he's crying for a single broken arm?"
"He might be trying to use sympathy to gain more benefits from her. Who knows, his arm might have healed with his awakening. He might just be pretending! Did anyone even test if his arm is actually broken?"
"Tch, should I also pretend to have my leg broken and hide in the back? Then again, I'm not a coward like him so I won't."
Although most of these insults were in hush voices, Ian was still able to hear them. And so did Leia, but she ignored these insults.