Surviving the Magic Academy With Just Intelligence Stats-Chapter 37: Let’s Make A Bet

Meihua stood her ground as the monstrous spider queen loomed before her. With calm determination, she activated her suite of analytical abilities in rapid succession:

[Statistical Analysis](A) - Enhances the user’s ability to process and analyze large sets of data in real-time. The user can instantly calculate probabilities, identify patterns, and predict likely outcomes based on available information. This ability proves particularly useful in combat situations by analyzing enemy attack patterns or in gambling scenarios by tracking card distributions. The processing speed and accuracy scale with mental strength.

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[Combat Calculator](B) - Enables rapid calculation of trajectories, angles, and forces during combat situations. The user can instantly determine optimal positioning, predict bullet paths, and calculate the most efficient movement patterns. While this ability doesn’t enhance physical capabilities, it provides perfect theoretical solutions that the user can attempt to execute within their physical limitations.

[Risk Assessment](B) - Provides the ability to instantly calculate risk factors in any given situation. The user can process multiple variables simultaneously to determine the probability of success or failure for potential actions. This includes analyzing environmental factors, participant capabilities, and various possible outcomes. The analysis becomes more accurate with more available information.

[Variable Processing](C) - A foundational ability that enhances the user’s capability to track and process multiple changing variables simultaneously. The user can maintain awareness of up to 20 different changing factors at once, updating calculations in real-time as situations evolve. While not as flashy as other abilities, it provides crucial support for the user’s other analytical skills.

As her skills synchronized, the battlefield transformed before her eyes. What had been chaos moments before now appeared as clearly defined paths of possibility, each action branching into countless potential outcomes. More importantly, she finally began to grasp the true nature of her Calculation talent. Previously, her attempts at path calculation had only revealed dead ends, showing her inevitable doom. But now, for the first time, she could see it - a golden thread of possibility leading to survival.

Without hesitation, as the spider queen’s massive limb rocketed toward her, Meihua closed her eyes. In the fraction of a second before impact, her eyes snapped open, revealing an otherworldly sight. Numbers cascaded through her irises like falling stars, accompanied by an intricate dance of mathematical symbols that seemed to defy the laws of reality themselves.

"Let’s make a bet," she declared, her voice carrying an unnatural calm. The world seemed to freeze at her words, the monster’s attack halting mid-strike. Holographic chains erupted from the ground like ghostly serpents, their ethereal forms gradually solidifying into gleaming golden bindings that wrapped around both Meihua and the spider queen, rooting them in place.

As the chains settled into position, a massive beam balance materialized beside them, its ancient bronze arms suspended in perfect equilibrium. The air beside it darkened and twisted, coalescing into a hooded figure that seemed to absorb the very light around it. The being’s skeletal hands gripped an obsidian scythe, its blade catching what little light remained and reflecting it back as absolute darkness. Though its face remained hidden in the shadows of its hood, Meihua could feel its hollow gaze fixed upon them, as if weighing more than just their physical forms.

She then pulled her hands apart, preparing to invoke her ultimate skill:

[Fate Wager](S) - A powerful ability that creates binding conditions in probability-based challenges. Upon activation, the user can select one participant and declare a single condition tied to a simple probability event (coin flip, dice roll, etc.). The severity of the condition must be proportional to the user’s current mana, with more severe effects requiring exponentially more mana. For example, binding a 10% HP loss might cost 100 mana, while a 50% HP loss would cost 1000 mana. The mana cost is deducted immediately upon activation, regardless of the outcome. Conditions cannot exceed what the user’s current mana can support, making instant-death conditions nearly impossible due to astronomical mana requirements. Once activated, the condition becomes absolute and will execute automatically based on the outcome.

Between her separated palms, a single coin materialized, hanging suspended in the air. Unlike the Flame Serpent they’d faced earlier, this spider queen possessed only basic animal intelligence, operating purely on instinct. Yet Meihua knew that understanding wasn’t required - the moment she’d activated her skill, the monster had already become bound as a participant.

"I’ll be heads," she announced to her uncomprehending opponent, gently plucking the floating coin from the air, "and you’ll be tails." Her lips curved into a knowing smile as she continued, "If it lands on heads, you’ll lose 50% HP."

The ancient beam balance creaked ominously, its bronze arms tilting sharply toward the spider queen’s side. The hooded figure’s shoulders slumped visibly, its grip on the obsidian scythe loosening in apparent disappointment. The monster’s condition alone clearly failed to satisfy whatever cosmic scales governed these supernatural wagers.

But Meihua wasn’t the least bit surprised about this. She knew well that her current mana reserves couldn’t possibly support such a powerful condition. But that limitation didn’t matter - she’d discovered a hidden aspect of her skill, a loophole in the cosmic contract, or maybe it wasn’t a loophole at all but a feature. But that didn’t matter at the moment. While she lacked the mana to enforce the monster’s condition, she could balance the equation by offering something of equal value for her side of the wager.

"But if it lands on tails," she declared, her voice steady despite the weight of her next words, "I’ll die."

The effect was immediate and dramatic. The beam balance swung back into perfect equilibrium with a resonant ring that seemed to vibrate through reality itself. The hooded figure straightened, its excitement palpable even through its concealing robes. Its skeletal hands tightened eagerly around the scythe’s handle as if already anticipating a potential harvest.

A maniacal laugh bubbled up from her throat as she observed the balance. Of course she’d awaken a skill like this, after all, talents are an extension of one’s true nature. The coin in her hand began to glow with an otherworldly light, confirming that the bet had been accepted. She smiled, it was to be expected. There was no way that the life of the bearer of a Mythical ranked talent wasn’t worth at least 50% of a B ranked monster’s HP.

"Let’s see who’s in luck today," she proclaimed, her eyes glinting with dangerous amusement as she launched the coin skyward, its glowing form spinning through the air like a miniature star.

A/N - And here I thought she was normal. Time to find another love interest ig