Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 166 - 165: The Unpredictability of Fate

Chapter 166: Chapter 165: The Unpredictability of Fate

Leon cast a slightly puzzled glance at Tassie, quickly catching on, then turned to examine the card the female-faced Sphinx had drawn.

The Impermanence Card was famously renowned—of course, he’d heard of it before.

The precise abilities of the Impermanence Card in this world were unknown; in any case, in the guidebooks, the Impermanence Card was categorized as a Divine Artifact, capable of altering the fate of its wielder. Its immense power and unpredictability gave it the potential to drastically shift the course of a campaign.

"So the reward for conquering this dungeon is drawing a card?" Leon murmured to himself.

"Correct," replied the female-faced Sphinx. "It can change your destiny."

"So, do you want to draw a card?" the Sphinx asked.

Without hesitation, Leon considered for only a moment before shaking his head and refusing decisively. "No, I’m not drawing."

"Why refuse?" Tassie interjected. "Do you even know what the Impermanence Card is?"

"Oh, I know. Precisely because I know, that’s why I’m not drawing." Truth be told, Leon was somewhat tempted to take a chance, but as someone deeply against gambling’s traps, he refrained. His aversion to mobile games—gacha systems in particular—stemmed from this. "My fate is something I choose to control, not the result of cards."

"But what if the destiny you draw is precisely your natural destiny?" Tassie posed a rather philosophical counter. "Although the Impermanence Card claims to alter fate, in reality, any event can change one’s fate, and no one can entirely decide their fate."

"An individual’s fate must indeed rely on their own efforts, but it also has to consider the trajectory of history... that much I understand." Leon smiled faintly. "But don’t you think the Impermanence Card’s traps far outweigh its benefits?"

To Leon’s memory, a standard set of Impermanence Cards contained at most 22 cards. The rewards were sparse, while the drawbacks were massive—practically designed to be a nightmare. The risk far outweighed the reward.

Granted, with excellent luck, one might increase their core stats or gain a treasure coupled with a significant amount of experience.

But if luck turned against you—well, that was when things got interesting.

A curse that permanently reduced your saving throws? That wasn’t so bad—just a dip in combat effectiveness. But what about having your psyche twisted by malignant magical forces, leading to a drastic behavioral shift? Chaotic turning into lawful, good becoming evil—the mere thought was terrifying.

What about vanishing altogether and being trapped in some spherical other-dimensional prison? Or having your soul pulled from your body and confined within some object? How was that any different from outright death?

"The impoverished have nothing to lose, so they can go all in—roll the dice, because anything’s possible. But what reason does a wealthy person have to bet it all, especially when the losses outweigh the wins?" Leon reasoned aloud, spotting Tassie’s eager expression. "Wait a moment—you can’t actually be thinking of drawing a card, are you?"

"Of course I am." Tassie nodded resolutely.

"Didn’t I just say it lacks any reasonable payoff and is more trap than reward?" Leon sighed. "You’re not particularly obsessed with wealth, gemstones, or castles. Surely intelligence boosts mean little to someone as brilliant as you—your magic studies wouldn’t be hindered by being one or two points short."

"I don’t care about those things," Tassie replied. "I just want the experience."

Leon froze for a moment, then sighed, knowing full well why Tassie wanted to draw. It wasn’t greed—it was more along the lines of that age-old philosophy: ’To hear and understand the Tao by morning, even death by evening is acceptable.’ Truly fitting for a Storage Dragon.

"Well then, go ahead and draw one just for fun," Leon suggested tentatively.

"No, I want to draw three," Tassie stated firmly.

Leon hesitated, reluctant to speak but ultimately choosing to respect her, offering his blessing instead. After all, it wasn’t as though Tassie would face death just because she couldn’t defeat whatever embodiment of death she might encounter.

As long as she didn’t die outright—even if her body or soul were imprisoned—Leon would find a way to save her. And if her intelligence dropped? Well, Tassie was already bright enough that losing a few points wouldn’t be catastrophic. To him, even a less sharp Tassie might seem a charmingly uncomplicated beauty. If her alignment morphed from evil to good, that might even be an improvement in his eyes.

"Give me the cards," Tassie demanded, not even waiting for the female-faced Sphinx’s consent. She wasn’t exactly the picture of ladylike refinement, with past escapades like robbing merchant caravans under her belt. She simply reached out, grabbed the cards, and started rummaging through them.

The Impermanence Card could alter the fate of those drawing from it. However, for its effect to trigger, the individual drawing the card had to verbally declare their intention to draw and specify the number of cards they intended to pull. Without this declaration, the deck’s magical power would lie dormant.

This meant that under normal circumstances, one could safely possess the Impermanence Card deck, casually flipping through it, or arranging the cards without triggering its effects.

Leon gathered close to watch, noticing the deck contained both good and bad cards. He briefly entertained the idea of discarding the bad ones, but it was apparent there’d be no shortcuts or loopholes like that. Each individual card had its own distinct use, and only assembled together could the deck function in its traditional manner.

"Small bets are entertaining; big bets harm the soul. Are you really certain about this?" Leon couldn’t help but try to advise her again. After all, Tassie was undoubtedly his most important companion in this world.

"I am," Tassie said seriously, holding the Impermanence Card deck. "I’ll draw three cards."

She drew her first card, raising it high. After a long pause, she slowly turned it over, gave it a sidelong glance, furrowed her brow slightly, and said, "Flames."

"What’s the effect of Flames?" Leon knew of the Impermanence Card but wasn’t familiar with the specific effects of each card.

"An immensely powerful devil will see you as their nemesis. They will seek to break your will, ruin your life, savor your suffering, and eventually kill you. The enmity will persist until either it or you perishes," the female-faced Sphinx explained.

"No big deal," Leon chuckled. "The likelihood of a Pit Fiend appearing on the Material Plane is minimal. And a Nine Prisons Lord? Even less so."

The Sphinx said nothing, her thoughts unreadable to all.

The female-faced Sphinx possessed an aura of unfathomable mystery. Immune to all attempts to detect her emotions or read her mind, she could refuse any divination spells targeting her. Any attempts to probe her intentions or decipher her true feelings met with inherent disadvantage.

"A formidable devil, huh? Best to stay careful," Tassie muttered, less confident than Leon yet still self-assured. Her words were more of a passing remark.

She then drew a second card. Almost immediately upon pulling it, her clothes disintegrated, leaving her standing completely exposed, her perfect form now bare.

"Eagle Claw!" Tassie ground out through clenched teeth. "Is my luck truly this terrible?"

The Eagle Claw card’s effect dissolved all magical items worn or carried. And, by sheer misfortune, Tassie’s specially attired magic equipment had been tailored for this dungeon raid.

"At least put on some clothes," Leon grumbled, retrieving a spare garment and tossing it to Tassie. Though the Sphinx was female, Leon couldn’t stand for her seeing Tassie like this. His possessiveness burned fiercely. "I warned you against drawing. Now look where it’s gotten you."

"And what good does rehashing that do now?" Tassie shrugged while slipping on Leon’s shirt.

Typically fond of dresses and long robes, wearing male clothing now gave her an unexpectedly compelling charm.

"One card left," Leon reminded her.

"I’m starting to regret this." Having drawn two terrible cards in a row, even Tassie began to waver. However, she knew that declaring her intention to draw a specific number of cards would enforce the drawing process. If she stopped now, the remaining card(s) would automatically activate later after a brief delay.

"You’ve already drawn two bad cards, which should mean the deck’s worse luck has been spent. Something good’s bound to come," Leon encouraged. "Believe me, you’re due for a reversal of fortune."

"Ha." Tassie laughed dryly. Still, she pulled the final card. The moment she saw its face, her eyes gleamed brilliantly.

"Good card or bad?" Leon pressed, frowning.

"Comet. That’s a good card," the female-faced Sphinx commented. "The next time you face an enemy, defeat them alone, and a fortunate event will occur."

"Got it," Tassie nodded solemnly, preparing to return the Impermanence Card deck to the Sphinx. However, a hand suddenly intercepted her, snatching the deck right from her grasp.

Tassie glanced at Leon as he stole the deck, assuming his earlier resolve had wavered and he now wanted to try his luck. She laughed, "So, you’re about to take the gamble yourself?"

"No, I have no intention of drawing cards—especially not after watching your streak of bad luck," Leon replied with a shake of the deck. "Isn’t this our dungeon reward? Why give it back to her?"

Tassie caught onto Leon’s intent.

"Return it to me. That belongs to me," the female-faced Sphinx declared, evidently aware of Leon’s intention as well.