Chapter 374

Step— Step—

Dressed appropriately, the group finally stepped onto the stairs leading into the underground casino, the Casino of Shadows.

Vwoong—!

Watching the magically powered stairs automatically descend, Chelsea hummed to herself. "They must have a ridiculous amount of money. Just look at this entrance."

"No kidding. Check out the ceiling," Carl said, clicking his tongue.

The ceiling gleamed as if coated in gold, with what appeared to be expensive gemstones embedded like stars. Between the jewels, luminous magic lamps cast a bright glow, drawing everyone's attention.

"They're flaunting their wealth so blatantly that it actually comes off as tacky," Betty muttered.

"I agree." Juen nodded.

Chloe, leading the group, turned to Leo, who was lost in thought. "Leo, what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about this underground casino," he replied. More specifically, about Rodia's treasury hidden beneath it.

According to Laruel, the path to Rodia's treasury was a labyrinth.

This casino was built on top of that labyrinth.

When Leo had asked what was inside, Laruel had only shaken her head.

[I don't know exactly what Rodia left there either. But I do know that, like Seiren's Cometes, it was a conquest reward obtained from Hero World.]

Leo recalled Cometes, which lay dormant inside his subspace—the strongest magic staff in existence, infused with the mana of both Luna and Seiren. Since the item had been left behind by Rodia, the leader of the Heroes of Dawn, whatever was inside the treasury might be something on par with Cometes.

For now, if we want to reach the labyrinth, we need to pass through this casino.

Clunk—!

Step— Step— Step—

The stairs came to a stop. The group continued down the corridor.

Unlike the extravagant entrance, not a single magic lamp was in sight, and the only source of light came from a door at the end of the hallway.

"Welcome to the Casino of Shadows," greeted the guards stationed by the door.

"Welcome," another echoed as they opened it.

Flash—!

The bright light made everyone squint slightly. Then, their jaws dropped at the sight before them.

Beyond the doorway, the interior resembled the lobby of a grand social gathering. From the hall past the lobby, a live orchestra played a beautiful melody, and impeccably dressed attendants moved gracefully between the guests.

"This isn't the atmosphere I expected," Chloe said, tilting her head.

Having braced themselves for an illegal gambling den, the group looked somewhat relieved.

Leo approached the lobby's counter.

"Welcome, sir," a woman in a suit greeted him with a polite smile and a slight bow. "If you have any form of identification, please place it on the counter."

At her request, the group retrieved their Lumene student IDs.

The receptionist examined them carefully, then reached under the desk and placed nine small cases on the counter. "For Luke, Austin, Betty, Juen, Eliana, Carl, Chelsea, Chloe, and Leo."

She placed each student ID atop the respective cases and smiled.

Puzzled, the group picked up their cases, secured their IDs, and opened the boxes.

Click—

"A card?"

"Looks like platinum."

"Whoa, is that a diamond embedded in it?"

"Leo's card is a different color. His is black."

The receptionist smiled. "These are our casino membership cards. All nine of you have been verified as students of Lumene. Luke, Austin, Betty, Juen, and Eliana are platinum members, while Carl, Chelsea, and Chloe are diamond members."

Everyone looked intrigued.

"What are the VIP tiers?" Austin asked.

"Bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and diamond," the receptionist replied with a smile.

Eliana frowned slightly. "I have a question. Why isn't Leo listed in a tier? And why am I platinum while these guys are diamond?"

"Cadets from the Hero Academy are given platinum status by default. Higher rankings are awarded based on reputation and academic performance."

"Then why is he diamond?" Eliana pointed at Carl.

"Carl Thomas has conquered the world of the Divine Blacksmith, so he was granted diamond status."

"Pfft… Eliana, you're the only second-year ranked the same as the first-years," Chelsea teased.

"Ugh! You damn Carl!"

"Tsk, tsk! How dare a mere platinum talk back to a diamond?" Carl taunted.

"You—! Get back here!"

Infuriated, Eliana lunged at him, but Carl dodged with a smirk.

"Catch!"

In retaliation, she took off one of her heels and threw it. The shoe spun like a boomerang and smacked Carl squarely on the temple.

The receptionist, unfazed by the commotion, continued, "The reason Leo Plov has no VIP tier is that we are not qualified to rank him. Such individuals are given the King status."

Juen's brows rose. "What kind of people receive King status?"

The receptionist pondered briefly before answering with a smile. "People whose status and influence rival that of a nation's ruler."

Everyone gaped, but Chelsea and Chloe simply nodded in understanding.

"Well, he is Lumene's student council president," Chelsea noted.

"And his public standing is practically on par with the head of a heroic noble house or even royalty," Chloe added.

While the others processed this, Leo asked, "So, what are the benefits of having a high-tier membership?" He waved his card slightly.

"Each VIP tier grants access to specific areas within our establishment," the receptionist explained. "With King status, there are virtually no restricted zones."

"Really? Then can I go underground?" Leo asked.

"Underground…? But this is underground."

"I mean deeper than here." Leo tapped his foot on the floor.

The receptionist's eyes widened slightly before she smiled again. "I'm afraid I cannot answer that question. I recommend requesting a meeting with our casino master."

"How do I arrange a meeting?"

"You may pay a lump sum of 100 million points."

"Can points be exchanged for silvers?"

"Yes. The exchange rate is 1 point per 1 silver."

"Cough—?!"

"Gasp?!"

"That's… 10 million gold?!"

An astronomical sum.

Carl's healing potions sold for 5 silvers per bottle. And 1 gold equaled 10 silvers. Everyone was utterly shocked.

"Is there another way?"

"You may also earn points by participating in events hosted at our casino."

"So you're saying we have to gamble?"

"That is one way, but there are countless other ways to earn points here besides gambling. After all… this is the world hidden in shadows."

Everyone swallowed dryly at the dangerous-looking smile.

Carl crossed his arms. "The funding we received was 2,000 gold per person… That's nowhere near enough."

Saying that, he glanced at Chelsea and Juen.

"What are you looking at?" Chelsea asked.

"Can't we borrow some wealth from the rich ladies?"

"You think ten million gold is someone's pet's name?"

At Chelsea's retort, Carl scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess not."

As everyone mulled over the situation, the receptionist spoke up. "VIP customers receive 10,000 points for platinum status, 20,000 for diamond, and 50,000 for king status."

Their eyes widened.

"Can we exchange that for cash and leave?"

"Of course."

Hearing the receptionist's cheerful response, they all clicked their tongues. Just by entering this place, they had effortlessly gained money that ordinary people could never touch.

"Wouldn't it be an option to ask other students for help?"

"That's possible," Betty admitted, "but I doubt they'd agree. In this place, the master of the casino is the law."

"Let's go inside and think about it. I'm starving," Eliana said, eyeing the buffet in the hall.

"Yeah, let's eat first and talk later!"

sep

The buffet was filled with luxurious dishes. Attendants bustled around, offering fine wine and champagne to the students.

Eliana reached for a glass, but Chloe narrowed her eyes. "We're students. No alcohol."

"Oh, come on! We're already here! Don't be so uptight!"

When Eliana protested, Chloe's tone turned sharper. "No. We're here on a mission."

With no choice, Eliana put down the wine glass.

"Juen."

"Tch, you're such a goody two-shoes."

Juen had been about to sneak a sip of champagne when Betty caught her.

Just then, Leo and Carl returned from the casino floor.

"Wow. The place is definitely a gambling den," Carl muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Look. There's no one in the hall."

Despite the setting being one that nobles would love, the hall was completely empty.

"Everyone's in the casino, gambling."

Carl clicked his tongue. "Judging by their status, most of them are high-ranking, but their eyes are completely gone. Whatever you do, don't show them your cards. They'll start begging you for money."

Remembering the old noble who had pestered him for a loan, Carl grimaced. It had been an unsettling experience.

"So, did you find a way to earn points?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." Carl crossed his arms.

"What is it?"

"The arena."

"What?"

"This casino has an arena. If you've got some strength, you can earn money there."

"Oh, that's easy. We're Lumene students," Eliana said, sounding pleased.

"Not at all."

"What?"

"There are rules in this casino's arena. First, no mana usage. They put mana-restraining cuffs on you."

Eliana hesitated.

"You also don't know who you'll be fighting. It could be another guest… or a monster. And people die in there pretty often."

A tense silence followed.

"What else is there?"

"There's a labyrinth escape relay and chess."

"For chess, we've got Chloe," Chelsea pointed out, glancing at her.

Chloe was Lumene's chess champion.

"Since this is the underground world, there's bound to be something dangerous lurking," Leo said, folding his arms. "Let's investigate the casino first. If it comes down to it, giving up is also an option."

I could always infiltrate later on my own.

As a Lumene student, he had come to explore the Hero Dungeon.

But there was no Hero Dungeon here.

That meant he could cleanly withdraw and shift his focus to the suspicious Monster Forest.

For Leo, Rodia's treasury wasn't an immediate priority.

At his words, the group nodded.

"Let's meet back in the hall in an hour," Leo said.

Luke raised his hand. "Senior, what about the points?"

"If they're necessary for gathering information, don't hesitate to use them. Otherwise…"

Leo glanced toward the casino floor.

"Try playing the games."

"Hey, Leo! Are you seriously suggesting gambling?"

The students were visibly taken aback.

Leo smirked. "Since we're here, experiencing different things isn't a bad idea."

"Wow, you sound like some shady old man," Chelsea teased.

Leo chuckled and ruffled Chelsea's hair. "I see it as studying the darkness of the world—as heroes should."

sep

After parting with the group, Leo wandered through the casino. Under dazzling lights, various games were underway. Cheers and agonized cries echoed across the floor.

This was a place where one could glimpse the true nature of humanity.

Step— Step—

As he walked, Leo suddenly lifted his gaze.

Someone's watching me.

From the magical stones embedded in the ceiling, he felt a presence.

They were likely surveillance stones.

Through them, someone was keeping an eye on him.

Normally, detecting a gaze through magic was nearly impossible, but Leo's senses were far sharper than most.

Continuing forward, he stopped in front of a door.

A black door with a golden crown symbol.

Beastkin guards stationed at the entrance blocked his way. "This area is restricted to King members only."

Leo pulled out his card.

Upon confirming it, the guards bowed and opened the door.

Inside, under dim lighting, faint silhouettes flickered in and out of view. There were barely any signs of movement.

"Welcome, sir." A clear voice rang out.

This voice…

There was a subtle hostility in it.

Turning his head, he saw a girl with a black rabbit-ear headband bowing.

"I am Rabbit, assigned to serve you here."

As she lifted her head, her attire seemed odd. She had deep blue eyes reminiscent of a lake and pure white hair, which made the black rabbit ears stand out even more.

But what stood out most were the cat ears peeking through the headband.

The girl, dressed like a black rabbit, stiffened when she saw Leo. Like a broken cat, she opened and closed her mouth in silence.

Leo asked, "What are you doing here?"

At his question, the girl—Aru—immediately tried to run.

Leo reached out and grabbed her tail.

"You're not supposed to grab a lady's tail like that!" Aru screeched, her fur bristling.

"So, what are you doing here?"

Clutching her tail protectively, Aru hesitated before puffing out her chest. "I'm working!"

"Why?"

"To pay off my debt!"

"……" Leo let out a deep sigh.

There was only one kind of debt in a place like this.