Chapter 16
The casino interior we entered glittered like a nightclub. Slot machines with flashing lights spun wildly, a little ball danced over a roulette wheel etched with numbers. Baccarat, Texas Hold'em poker, Big Wheel, blackjack, dice games, and more... dozens of them. Chips—sometimes hundreds—danced in dazzling patterns across the opulent tables.
Katrina wrinkled her nose at the madness pouring from the motley crowd.
"So. What's the anomaly here?"
"Yes... one moment."
Gold Sun mage Oswald fluttered the request form behind us as he answered.
"It says to find and resolve an unknown room that shouldn't exist according to the blueprints."
"Unknown room?"
"Yes. They gave us the blueprints, so let's take a look!"
Unlike his laid-back vibe, Oswald was incredibly diligent. He led the prickly Katrina and Luna around the casino, darting from spot to spot. It was almost impressive how he naturally approached regulars and staff, casually extracting info about facilities or setups not on the map.
"Hmm. We've checked every spot on the map and every facility mentioned by folks here, but nothing suspicious so far."
Oswald scratched his golden hair. He was right. We'd scoured the goddamn massive casino top to bottom, but no sign of a new space—not even an entrance.
How annoyingly precise.
Master, sense anything?
[Too many energies mixed together. Even I can't pick them out one by one.]
Since entering, I'd been spreading my mana wherever we moved, scanning the casino broadly. But all I caught were faint bundles of traces. One of these threads might belong to the mystery we're chasing—or some mage worshiping an outer god. But the traces were too faint for that.
Nothing else we can do? You're the greatest mage ever! You can do it!
Luna's sparkling eyes gazed at me, and I let out a deep sigh.
[Ugh... It's a huge pain and total mess, but fine, I'll give it a shot...]
Just as I started untangling the knotted mana threads, a noisy racket hit us while we leaned against the wall for a breather.
"Nyuhuhuhu. Well, well, won again, have we~?"
"Ooh! As expected of Franklin!"
A sweaty fatso and a hulking brute in a bunny mascot mask sat at the baccarat table.
...Hold up. The fatso's one thing, but a bunny mascot mask?
I blinked, thinking I mis-saw, but closing and opening my eyes changed nothing. The mask bulged like it might burst from rippling muscles...
[Argh, fuck!!!]
What's wrong, Master? Find something?
I screamed back at innocent-faced Luna.
[Found something alright! Take a look at these goddamn freaks right in front of us!!!]
"Huh? What.... Urk!"
Luna went through the same shock and dry-heaved immediately.
"Sis. What happened? You okay?"
Katrina rushed to heaving Luna, worried.
"Hek... hek... B-behind. The back..."
Luna, who'd seen what she shouldn't, lacked the strength to speak and just pointed weakly at the freak duo.
"Huh? Doesn't seem weird... Oh, wait?"
Katrina squinted at their table, puzzled, then felt off and pulled eyedrops filled with blue liquid from her pocket. She dripped one drop in each eye.
"Ha... Fine young lads, these fuckers."
Whatever it was blocked external mana interference; now glaring at the men, Katrina scowled hard.
Handsome lads, my ass. I recalled they were some cult worshiping outer gods in dotted formations. Magic world's MZ generation? Whatever, it was gross.
Katrina eyed puzzled Oswald and dripped some drops in his eyes too, breaking the mental interference.
"Nyuhuhuhut! Won again, won again!!"
No one in the casino batted an eye at these monsters. The table was tucked away enough that we'd only just reached it, but realistically, no one misses that bulk and getup.
[Mental domination.]
I brushed off the nauseating mana waves from the fatso and stated it.
Now I saw the long, thin threads extending from him, embedded in patrons and staff. So tiny and fine, I'd mistaken them for other magic residue. Guess that was the afterglow of his spell. Nearly wasted effort dispelling it.
The missing people reports? Probably these assholes' doing.
"Think we found the culprits...?"
Luna whispered to the group.
"Mm. Perception block this strong? Plenty to lure in normies with no magic resistance."
"Hmph. Was gonna kill 'em even if innocent."
Consensus reached—handle quick. True to her alchemist guise, Katrina spread her reagent bag on the floor. Glass vials clinked, revealing countless potions.
She pulled a round flask of red liquid.
"What's that reagent?"
"Hehe. You'll see."
Katrina uncorked it and sprinkled into the air. The red liquid didn't fall—instead, it wriggled midair, forming a red evil spirit.
"Go on."
She jerked her chin arrogantly at the freaks. The spirit screeched with murderous intent and lunged.
"Nyuhuhuhu! Now we're rich, rich!"
"Kuhahaha! Yeah, yeah... Wait."
Fatso missed Katrina's attack, but Furry sensed the malice, kicked the table, crossed arms in an X, and charged the spirit.
"Uwooo!! Hold strong, my body!!!"
The red spirit raged at the repulsive lifeform, slashing wildly with sharp claws. Each gash birthed writhing red leeches, rotting flesh fast.
"Wh-what's happening...?"
Now grasping it, fatso flushed beet red.
"Y-you...!! Daring to scar cute Arnold's body! Everyone, attack!!"
At his command, every soul in the casino froze mid-action and charged us blankly.
"Nyuhuhut! Think you can take all these civilians unscathed?"
"Nah."
"Then dispel that wicked spell now! I might even forgive you..."
"Why bother not hurting 'em? Just pin it on you bastards."
Katrina flashed a flask of mystery liquid.
"Uh... huh?"
Fatso froze, unprepared; Luna seized the gap, raising shadows to subdue patrons harmlessly.
"Y-you tricked me!!"
Not really tricked. Look at Katrina grumbling while packing reagents.
Thud-!
Then the wrecked muscle furry plummeted from midair.
"D-damn! Hey, Arnold! You okay?"
Arnold looked far from okay. Rotting blood oozed from gashes; massive muscles blackened, useless.
We subdued gasping Arnold and now-targetless fatso, then interrogated the freaks.
"Oi, you shits. What balls you got pulling this crap?"
"Wh-what'd we do?! Winning pocket change at the casino ain't a crime!!"
Fatso wailed innocently.
"Ha. Pocket change my ass. Cut the crap—talk missing persons."
Katrina prodded him with her sharp heel.
"Oof..."
"...?"
"N-no, nothing. But missing persons? No idea what you're on about..."
Katrina frowned at fatso's sudden flushed, submissive shift.
[Ugh...]
I knew the truth and could only despise these fucks more.
"A-anyway, missing persons? We really don't know. We just hit the casino now and then for small wins."
He looked genuinely wronged. Katrina, puzzled, was about to press for details when—
Crack-! Drip-!
Odd noises from the downed furry. The cheap mask writhed, bulging. Polluted muscles swelled through gaps, regaining vigor.
The real change hit the head. Buttons melted around the eyes, birthing a rabbit's blood-red gaze. The mouth—exposing the man's face—sprouted long, sharp front teeth.
"Phew. Been ages since I took a real hit. Anyone else would've dropped dead."
The 2m muscle rabbit—now a true furry—glared arrogantly down at us.
"But failing to kill me only makes me stronger! Round two! Come at me, you rookies...?"
Mid-dramatic line, a massive fissure cracked open under us and the rabbit.
"Eh...?"
"Huh...?"
Before the suction pulled us in, fatso's gaze pleaded at Katrina. She averted hers coolly.
"Uwaaaah!! But my line's not done!!!"
The rabbit's wail cut off as the rift swallowed us whole, vanishing contentedly.
"Huh...? What just happened..."
"Why am I standing here?"
"Fuck my hand! Who touched my cards!!!"
Luckily for bystanders, a few missing people and brief mass amnesia got swept under the golden frenzy quick.