Ashe had no idea the Substitute's working conditions had taken a sudden turn for the worse. At the moment, he had something far more urgent to deal with.

After easing his mental burden with Iger, the cult leader quickly pivoted to his most pressing priority, pulling cards.

He needed to draw a soul-healing item immediately. Without one, he couldn't enter the Virtual World to fulfill his contract with the Hero Commander, and his operators' progression would stall. He didn't have enough points to trigger a first-purchase double bonus, but this wasn't the time to worry about maximizing profits. If he refused to spend when it mattered, there would be no way to clear the sudden event that was the Empress's Challenge.

In the past, whenever he needed to spend, Ashe would usually drag Iger along as a "luck sacrifice" to boost his odds. But now, he had a better option—the Book of Gospel.

Gambling technically didn't exist in the Gospel Kingdom. Under the Book's watchful eye, all gambling...