I quickly assessed the situation from the battlefield’s command room.

Three champions stood on the opponent’s battlefield.

In contrast, I only had two champions on mine. A 2-on-3 fight could only end one way: defeat.

【+4G】

▶ Base reward of 4 gold has been granted.

【+1G】

▶ 3-loss streak reward of 1 gold has been added.

【+1G】

▶ Interest income of 1 gold has been added.

*Current Gold: 16G

I lost the battle, but won the war.

Having secured a three-game losing streak and settled into 8th place, I earned the highest priority pick for the 2-4 Shared Selection Round I had been targeting.

<Fire Mage (★) – 2G>

<Steel Greatsword>

<Dark Bard (★) – 2G>

<Chainmail Vest>

<Brawler (★) – 1G

<Giant’s Belt>

<Guardian (★) – 1G>

<Dull Dagger>

<Slaughterer (★) – 2G>

<Cloak of Resistance>

After reviewing the options, I made my selection without hesitation.

– Player 8 has selected ‘Dull Dagger’.

“That does it.”

With this, I had gathered all the necessary materials to craft the Dice of Fortune.

One might wonder what I would have done if the Dull Dagger hadn’t appeared in the 2-4 round.

But calculating the probabilities, this method undoubtedly offered the highest odds.

I was simply choosing the best option among the many available.

【Dice of Fortune】

– Dull Dagger + Dull Dagger

– Critical Hit Chance +20%

– Upon each critical hit, attack power and spell power increase by +7.

The Dice of Fortune—the only Core Item I possessed.

Since the protagonist of this battlefield had already been decided, I equipped the item immediately.

All players made their picks, and the 2-4 Shared Selection Round concluded.

【+4G】

▶ Base reward of 4 gold has been granted.

【+1G】

▶ 3-loss streak reward of 1 gold has been added.

【+1G】

▶ Interest income of 1 gold has been added.

*Current Gold: 22G

Preparation time for round 2-5.

From here on, there were two paths to take.

I could continue the losing streak strategy, or break the streak and pivot to a winning streak.

First, I needed to check the refreshed shop to establish a solid basis for my decision.

《LV.4 Shop》

Light Bard (★) – 2G

Forest Druid (★) – 2G

Shieldbearer (★) – 1G

After checking the shop’s listings, I made up my mind instantly.

【-2G】

▶ Spent 2 gold to hire Dark Bard (★).

【-1G】

▶ Spent 1 gold to hire Shieldbearer (★).

【+1G】

▶ Terminated the contract with ‘Archer Fortri (★)’.

*Current Gold: 20G

For now, I deployed all four of my champions onto the battlefield.

<Active Synergies>

– Shieldbearer (2): Damage taken by Shieldbearers from all attacks is reduced by 10.

– Bard (2): Each time a Bard uses a skill, allies excluding Bards recover 5 mana.

Bards are typically paired with Mages who possess powerful skill effects, but the deck I was building this time was a Bard shieldbearer deck.

One might think it was an unprecedented, baseless combination.

But with a Stack-type Item like the ‘Dice of Fortune’, the situation changed entirely.

Due to the nature of Stack-type Items, it could become infinitely sustainable as long as I maintained combat persistence.

I would rapidly fill my mana using the Bard synergy, then continuously cycle my skill, ‘Solid Exoskeleton’, to hold the line with an infinite shield.

This was the core concept of the Bard shieldbearer deck I had devised.

The key point of this battlefield was the 1-Cost Champion, ‘Shieldbearer Lee Shin’—me.

Without me, it would be nothing more than a one-man carry deck that would crumble instantly.

That meant I had to maximize my own power, and the most certain way to do that was achieving a 3-star upgrade.

“Let’s go with the 48 Reroll.”

The 48 Reroll was a strategy I frequently used in the game; the ’48’ stood for level 4 with 8/10 experience, and ‘reroll’ meant refreshing the shop.

It could be described as a strategy where, at level 4 with 8/10 experience, you invested all your gold into refreshing the shop to upgrade your desired unit to 3-star.

Why use the 48 Reroll?

Because the unit I was searching for right now was the 1-Cost Shieldbearer.

As the Player’s level increases, the probability of 1-Cost Champions appearing in the shop decreases. Therefore, I would dump my gold at level 4, where the appearance rate for 1-Cost units was still relatively high.

However, in the very early game, you don’t have enough gold to roll.

So, you delay buying experience and rerolling as much as possible, until right before hitting level 5.

Being at level 4 with 8 experience was the point where you could execute the maximum number of rerolls.

When was that?

Right after the 2-7 Monster Hunting Round concluded.

It was the preparation time for round 3-1.

Swish-

I checked my status on the Device.

Player 8 / Lv.4 / HP.77 – 3-Loss Streak

“Still plenty to spare.”

Health management was a fundamental skill for any player and a reliable indicator of competence.

Health was an identical resource granted equally to all players.

An identical resource given to everyone.

There was no reason not to utilize it.

I made a bold decision.

– All champions on the battlefield, return to the champion waiting room.

I typed the message on my Device and broadcast it to the champions.

Receiving the order, the champions grumbled as they returned to the waiting room.

That’s right.

I intended to leave the battlefield completely empty, deploying no champions at all.

At least until round 2-7, that is.

Dong- dong- dong-!

The preparation time ended, and the battlefield walls crumbled.

And the battle ended instantly.

【+4G】

▶ Base reward of 4 gold has been granted.

【+2G】

▶ 4-loss streak reward of 2 gold has been added.

【+2G】

▶ Interest income of 2 gold has been added.

*Current Gold: 28G

In a way, it could be considered a variation of the Open Port Strategy.

I made this decision to save my health while pulling in maximum gold before executing the 48 Reroll.

Unnecessary damage to champions inevitably led to health loss.

“28 gold…”

An awkward number. I had to adjust it.

【+2G】

▶ Terminated the contract with ‘Light Bard Larsson (★)’.

*Current Gold: 30G

With this, the interest I could earn per round increased to 3 gold.

You might wonder why I sold a 2-Cost Bard when I was planning to run a Bard shieldbearer deck.

But this point must be kept in mind.

The core of this deck was the 1-Cost Shieldbearer.

Gathering shieldbearers was the top priority; gathering Bards was secondary.

Understanding your priorities prevents your deck’s direction from wavering.

The 48 Reroll was an all-or-nothing strategy; failure would bring massive risk.

And gold was what increased the success rate.

Only with enough gold could you afford even one more refresh.

Dong- dong- dong-!

The bell signaling the start of round 2-6 rang out.

And immediately, the battle results were in.

【+4G】

▶ Base reward of 4 gold has been granted.

【+3G】

▶ 5-loss streak reward of 3 gold has been added.

【+3G】

▶ Interest income of 3 gold has been added.

*Current Gold: 40G

Round 2-7, the Monster Hunting Round.

I checked the refreshed shop, but the 1-Cost Shieldbearer didn’t appear.

Closing the shop window, I agonized over my situation.

Currently, the champions in the waiting room were just two 1-Cost Shield Bearers and one Bard.

Could I safely clear round 2-7 with this trio?

Under normal circumstances, absolutely not.

But I believed in myself.

I had undergone Body Enhancement five times, and had made the bold purchase of the 35-gold Steel Visor.

Finally, the Dice of Fortune, a Core Item, hung at my waist.

This alone wasn’t enough.

So, I had to make up for the shortfall with skill.

The skill of a player, not a champion.

I placed the two shieldbearers at the very front of the battlefield, one on each flank.

Then, I positioned the Bard champion at the very back, in a straight line with me.

The reason for this formation would become clear once the battle started.

Dong- dong- dong-!

The bell rang, and the battlefield walls crumbled.

Muscular bodies, green skin, upturned noses exposing nostrils, and sharp fangs.

“Orc warriors, I see.”

There were three orc warriors, each wielding a weapon.

Rrrooo-!

The battlefield had an absolute rule: target the closest enemy.

So the monster closest to me would come for me, while the monster closest to the shieldbearer on the opposite side would go for them.

The three orc warriors split into one and two; only one was heading my way.

I had turned a 3-on-3 battle into a 2-on-1 situation.

In an even fight, an orc warrior would be stronger than a 1-Cost Champion, but by dividing the formation favorably, I could close the gap.

Because I had the Dice of Fortune, a Stack-type Item.

Boom-!

I blocked the orc warrior’s heavy mace with my shield.

“Keuk-“

Even though I blocked it, the shock reverberated through my entire body.

Vroom-!

Gritting my teeth, I swung my shield wide.

Rrrooo-!

The orc warrior swung its mace in response.

That was when it happened.

Trickle-

The sound of dice rolling echoed from somewhere. And the situation drastically changed.

Mi-kkeul-!

The orc warrior, attempting to swing its mace, slipped and pitched forward.

As a result, it ended up slamming its own face into my shield.

Boom-!

[Dice of Fortune x1: Attack power and spell power increase by +7.]

The +20% critical hit chance effect attached to the Dice of Fortune had caused this outcome, and with the critical hit landing, one stack was accumulated.

Clang-!

Regaining its senses, the orc warrior swung its mace again, and I blocked it once more.

Vroom-!

And I swung my shield just the same.

This time, there was no sound of dice.

But I could land a critical hit through my own strength, not an item’s effect.

Flash-!

I pulled the thrust shield back to my chest and pivoted my body.

Then, I swung the shield again.

Boom-!

[Dice of Fortune x2: Attack power and spell power increase by +14.]

Thud-!

With two critical hits landing, the orc warrior pitched forward and dissipated into light.

Rrrooo-!

However, the two orc warriors that had dealt with my allied shieldbearer had already arrived right in front of me.

At the start of the battle, facing two enemies would have been difficult, but now I already had 2 stacks accumulated.

Trickle-

Boom-!

And right on cue, another stack was added.

[Dice of Fortune x3: Attack power and spell power increase by +21.]

Vroom-!

A counterattack came flying immediately.

Clang-!

“Keuk-“

I blocked it perfectly with my shield, but the orc warrior’s immense attack power prevented me from absorbing the shock completely. Thanks to that, my health was hitting rock bottom.

But it was fine.

Because I had allowed multiple attacks, my mana was now full.

<<Solid Exoskeleton (★)>>

– Grants a shield that absorbs damage for 8 seconds. The shield is applied at *48% of maximum health.

Vwoomm-!

As the Dice of Fortune stacks accumulated, my spell power rose, and thanks to that, the skill’s effect became even stronger.

Even as a mere 1-star champion, the value was approaching 50%. How high would that number climb once I became a 2-star, and then a 3-star champion?

If everything went according to plan, I would never lose on the battlefield.

【Acquired: Cloak of Resistance】

▶ Cloak of Resistance: Increases magic resistance by 15 when equipped.

【+4G】

▶ Base reward of 4 gold has been granted.

【+3G】

▶ 5-loss streak reward of 3 gold has been added.

【+4G】

▶ Interest income of 4 gold has been added.

*Current Gold: 51G

The Monster Hunting Round maintained losing and winning streak bonuses even if you won the battle.

The result of taking the risk of using only three champions at level 4 to pull in maximum interest.

I had earned an incredible profit of 11 gold in a single round.

My current level was 4, with 8 experience.

The preparations for the 48 Reroll were complete.