As extravagant as it was, the scene was much more closed in than Harry had expected. The current state of events was that a crowd was currently watching a multitude of monsters running along a track. Given that they were all similar in build and aspects, it was relatively fair.
Watching the race unfold on a transmission device revealing events like a projector, the gamblers were unable to use mana to cheat others by analyzing which beast had the best physical condition. It was an enigma as to what the results would be.
Given that this involved a lot of money, not even Moris could afford to singlehandedly run everything. This was a joint collaboration of many casinos ensuring that nothing unruly was to occur. Given this being staked on the reputation of so many casinos, it was impossible for the casinos to rig the races as this would result in all their business failing.
There were many areas with their own respective luxuries. Richard’s lot was only allowed to those from within his casino. Comparing the treatment, it turned out that Moris’ casino was one of the better-off ones. There was a complementary message chair that Harry wasted no time in relaxing in.
As for how the casinos made money out of this, they all had their own rates and prizes that were different from one another. Strictly speaking, it was still a competitive environment. Make the prize pool too high and the casino will lose out money but make the rates too low and the casino won’t even get any plays. Harry was forced to only gamble using Moris’ casino rates since this was the one he was currently affiliated with. He was unable to get the rates from other casinos, to do this, he would have to physically go to that specific casino.
“And… the champion of this race is Number 8, the Speedy Frog!” A voice excitedly announced the results. This came along with a wave of gleeful jumps and anguished cries. Some people won while others lost, it’s just how it was. “Followed by Number 9, Speedy Speed, and by Number 14, Speedy Speed Speed.”
“They aren’t really creative with the names, huh?” Harry eased into his seat. This was one of the better experiences after getting to Earth.
“It’s not really up to us. They are all private steeds that we rent out.” Richard explained. Surely, there was no way for them to lose out on anything at all.
“How does…” Harry started melting into his chair. “This work?”
“It would be better for you to check the exchange rates.” Richard took out a small tablet that was powered by mana. As expected, society was quickly returning as electricity was replaced by mana. Every technological advancement humanity had made thus far was being recreated at breakneck speed.
Harry clicked on this tablet and was surprised.
“Guessing the first-place winner is a 1:2 cash out. That’s a lot of money. Hoh, guessing the first two and first three have a 1:4 and a 1:9 cash out respectively. That’s wild.” Harry was amazed at how generous Richard actually was. If he didn’t see Moris’ true nature during their contract then he would’ve felt bad.
“As to be expected, making one mistake will invalidate your bet. Unlike those other casinos that are afraid of people’s bravery, you are allowed to make as many bets as you wish. But note that you are only allowed to bet a maximum of 100 Medium-Quality Mana Stones per outcome.” Richard internally snickered.
There are 20 racers and they are switched out every other round leading into unpredictable results. Even the longest customers would struggle to figure out which one would win consistently.
“Heh.” Harry took out 300 Medium-Quality Mana Stones. “Ok so, Number 1, Number 2, Number 3, in that order.”
Richard had never heard of something this absurd before. “Pardon?”
“Oh, you didn’t understand. Alright, let me make it clearer. Number 1 is first place, Number 2 is second place, Number 3 is-”
“No, no. What I meant was, why are you… betting 300 Medium-Quality Mana Stones?” Richard really wanted to ask why Harry would literally say that. It was as if Harry wasn’t even trying. Richard did want to screw Harry over but this was too easy that even he felt bad.
Harry tried to escape the chair but it was as if there was calling for him back. He was unable to. It was shameful but even the strongest man has his weakness. “100 for the three-sequence, 100 for the two-sequence, and 100 for first place. It couldn’t have been that hard to figure out. Hop on to it.”
Richard accepted the payment and threw it to a worker beside him. He felt no reason to keep watching on. Richard took his leave but not before ordering this worker, “Tend to his needs. If you do, I’ll increase your pay and promote you to a showgirl.”
“But sir… I’m a guy.” Elliot was holding the 300 Medium-Quality Mana Stones in hand still confused.
“Eh? Really?” Richard squinted his eyes and shrugged. “Whatever, just deal with it. The benefits still apply.”
“But I’m a… guy.” Elliot wanted to talk some sense into his boss but for some reason, the world was dead set on thinking he was of the opposite gender. He looked down and pulled on his tight-fitting clothes. “I shouldn’t have listened to my companion. Work off the debt real quick, she said. It’ll look good on my resume, she said. Tch.”
Elliot placed the Medium-Quality Mana Stones and gave them to the counter to be registered. After finishing the transaction, Elliot took out one of the drinks that were complementary for the people here and went to that person who was currently being consumed by the chair. For some reason, he was enjoying it. He placed the bottle on the table in front of him.
“Sir, here’s… Harry?” Elliot couldn’t help but mutter out.
A head popped out from within and without missing a beat replied. “Elliot? Woah, what are you doing here? And… why are you dressed like that?”
Elliot blushed and tried to cover his body with his hands but it wasn’t enough to hide his embarrassment. “Ever since the Eye of Magic got disbanded because our guild master died, it’s been a little rough.”
Eye of Magic? What’s that? As someone who didn’t need to worry about the outside world, Harry was quite uninformed. Cain and Nue were of the same vein. Cain was far too busy filling up the store with equipment. On the other hand, Nue was being Nue.
“Really?” Despite not knowing that guild, Harry offered his sincerest apologies.
“Yeah. Don’t worry though, I’m almost back on my feet!” Elliot proudly thumped his chest and showed off a vibrant smile. If Harry didn’t know that it was a guy then he would’ve immediately melted from the cuteness. Now, however, he could keep his composure after knowing the truth.
“You seem like you’re doing good for yourself. Already a Low Rank 10. I’m actually amazed that-”
Elliot immediately reached out and stopped Harry from speaking any further. He immediately whispered in a hurry. “How did you find out?”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
In cases like this where Harry didn’t want to seem too weird, there was one person that he could always rely on. “M-My master, Cain, told me when I was sent here. Yeah, haha.”
Within Cain’s Little Shop, Cain was back down under the shop continuing on to hone his craft. All of a sudden, he sneezed. “Is someone talking behind my back? Must be those from the otherworld.”
“Really?” Elliot’s mind immediately recalled that Cain was the one who created that sensational sword that shocked the world. Although he had kept quiet ever since there was no doubt that Harry came from an extremely high background.
If only I actually pushed on last time then I could’ve had a better relationship with him. Nevertheless, it’s not too late right now.
To put it into context, after Harry bragged that his master, Cain, created the sword, they actually didn’t immediately go back to the store. They decided to travel around first while Elliot was gathering the bravery required to ask Harry an extremely troublesome favor. In the end, he waited too long and the sword had been sold. Elliot went back and was considered to have failed the mission.
“What did he tell you to do? Oh, if it’s confidential then don’t worry about it.” Elliot was still skirting around the issue. He didn’t want to rely on Harry so suddenly. Besides, he really wasn’t that troubled. He was just about to finish his debt and could finally be free to do as he wished.
Harry gestured for Elliot to come closer and whispered. “I’m actually here for Dominion’s guild leader. He owes us money. But don’t tell anyone that.”
“Oh…” Elliot felt a bit more uncomfortable after hearing that.
Harry connected the dots and tried to remedy the situation. Because right now, he seemed like a lowlife that was using his master’s money to have fun by himself. “I haven’t gotten to actually collecting it yet! This is just my personal wealth right now. In fact, I don’t think my master minds if I spare you some money.”
“Oh, I can’t impose on you like that. I’d rather have us hang around after I settle my debt. I only have 50 Medium-Quality Mana Stones left to settle with. After I finish my shift here, I’ll go slay some monsters and get more money that way.” Elliot proudly said. It truly had been a very troublesome series of events but he could finally get his life back on track.
Harry felt something odd about this. It just might seem like a complete coincidence but he knew better than that. Elliot was someone he considered a person he would care for. Now that he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it meant that there was something troublesome that Harry could turn fortuitous.
“It’s just a hunch but did you make a deal with Moris, by chance?” Harry’s tone was still light and playful but there was a lethal tinge of malice within them.
“Actually yes, the deal was pretty fair in all honesty. If I fail to pay the required amount on time, I will have to work for him until I pay it off. Who knew that I’d randomly get stuck in the Dungeon for so long that the deadline actually passed?” Elliot was recalling that unfortunate event that led him to this specific scenario.
“Moris?” Harry patted Elliot’s back. He inserted an unnoticeable sliver of mana into Elliot’s body. This sliver quietly and silently swam through his veins and entered his heart. Within it was another purplish entity silently waiting for the time for its awakening.
The once tiny blue sliver of mana wriggled into the presence of this giant being. Its purplish eyes slightly opened and saw the minuscule being trying to interrupt its slumber. It snickered and opened its mouth, intent on devouring this fool.
Chomp.
Before it could even realize what had happened, its entire body had just been consumed by this sliver of mana. It then went into its place and hid away, slowly integrating itself into Elliot’s body. Over time, this would slowly increase Elliot’s talent and mana affinity.
“Don’t worry about it. I know him. As you can see, I’m a pretty big customer of his, as you can see.” Harry needed to try and persuade Elliot to get out of this mess. Although the contract was already nullified, he didn’t want to overburden Elliot at all.
“I’m not that fragile you know.” Elliot crossed his arms but all that did was have an onlooker from another casino to whistle. Elliot gave him a death glare but all that did was rile him up even further.
“Tell you what. For the rest of the day, hang around with me. That’s pretty doable, right?” Before Elliot could respond, Harry immediately pushed it. “As a customer of this casino, I think it’s your duty to serve me. So, sit down, listen up, and cheers.”
Before Elliot said anything, he was already by Harry’s side with a drink in his hands. Someone wanted to correct his behavior but Richard already gave out the order to accommodate Harry as he wished. Elliot relaxing for the time being didn’t seem to severely affect the casino. Actually, it made some people take grander risks to try and catch his attention.
“Oh, it’s starting. Watch the money, roll in!” Harry started laughing and took a huge gulp of alcohol. Elliot took this opportunity to join in. Feeling a bit more loose, Elliot started drinking a bit more, causing his face to flush red.
Being a bit more honest, Elliot faced Harry. “Why did you gamble 300 Medium-Quality Mana Stones on Number 1, Number 2, and Number 3.” He saw that the current sequence of racers is Number 15, Number 18, and Number 9. Number 1 and Number 3 were in the middle of the pack. To make it even worse, Number 2 was dead last.
Harry pointed at the screen. “Have some faith! Watch!”
Elliot turned his attention towards the screen and watched on. Seeing 300 Medium-Quality Mana Stones disappear so quickly was actually a little painful for him. As someone who had to work for scraps, he struggled to make ends meet. As it turns out, being a part of a guild that had once tried to kill countless others did not make it favorable in the eyes of other guilds.
Trusting in his friend, Elliot watched the show. Even if it turned out badly, this was quite entertaining.
Number 18 seemed to have a determined outlook to actually get first place. Pushing himself even further, he took greater strides, bigger than the ones he usually took. During such an intense finish, he reached out further than he ever could.
“Number 18, Water Horse actually took first place! Hahahaha! Everyone’s neck and neck, right now! This seems like it’s going to be a photo finish.” The announcer’s energetic voice seemed to be quite infectious as the entire arena started to roar out in excitement. This was quite the twist.
But talking about twists, there was something that no one expected suddenly occurred. Number 18’s leg… mistepped. This one mistake with his immense momentum forced him into a ball, tumbling forward. Like a domino piece falling down, it knocked down another.
Number 18, Number 15, Number 9, and the rest of the racers all fumbled into this one giant web of a disaster. Since every racer was so close to one another, they all got tangled in the worst case possible. Except… for Number 1, Number 2, and Number 3. And as to be expected, they won in that order. Harry’s insane gamble actually paid off just like that.
Within a heavy atmosphere, one person laughed out loud the hardest. Harry slapped his knee and shouted. “I’m rich! This is it! I can’t even count how much that is!”
“It’s actually-” Elliot tried to explain the exact rates but he was stopped by Harry.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s gamble a bit more. Say, I have a bit of extra money, why don’t you play with me?” Harry was enjoying his time here. A worker appeared right beside him with his winnings.
“Eh? I’ll just lose you money.” Elliot wanted to refute but Harry was just far too insistent. After going back and forth, they finally settled that Elliot would only gamble 50 Medium-Quality Mana Stones.
“Go, on. Who do you think will win the next race? No pressure, just go with your gut.” Harry leaned and felt like a king. This was exactly what he had been missing ever since he was in his home world. Of course, this massage chair was replaced with muscular men which ruined the experience.
“Alright. I think it’s them. I’ll only bet 3 Medium-Quality Mana Stones, alright? One for each sequence.”
“Sure.” Harry nodded and let Elliot do his bet first. Then immediately bet 300 Medium-Quality Mana Stones again on the same sequence that Elliot guessed. The maniacal laughter he gave out irked Elliot.
Elliot raised his hand and started punching Harry’s chest in a weak manner. He was agitated from the fact that Harry would lose so much money because of him.
From the outside, one of the gamblers stroked his chin and looked at Elliot and Harry. “Damn. What a lucky guy. I’d pay for a cutie like that to do it to me.”
“You called.” A man with firmer muscles than any other person that he had seen before said in the lowest voice possible.
“I… uh… Ahem, I was just joking.”
Harry snickered and the next race started. As expected, it initially didn’t seem like he was going to win but due to a sudden twist of events, it just miraculously turned out that he won… again.
“See, Elliot. You’ve got to put more trust in yourself! I feel bad so you should get half my winnings. You won it after all.” Harry wasted no time and gave Elliot 2250 Medium-Mana Stones. He decided to eat the tax but it didn’t really matter to him.
In such a short amount of time, Harry had earned a little more than 6 High-Quality Mana Stones. Life was just that easy after all.
“My, oh, my. I don’t think this thing’s doing you justice.” A seductive voice appeared from behind Harry and started massaging his shoulders. She gestured for Elliot to leave with the Mana Stones and get out of her sight. No matter what Elliot was still considered as a worker here as such he was required to follow his superior’s orders. Harry couldn’t even reach out to Elliot as he was stun-locked by his greatest weakness.
“How about you and I go somewhere more private?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Harry wasn’t shameless, his opponent was just far too powerful for him to handle.