Chapter 375
“We came here to investigate, but what are we supposed to do now?”
At Chloe’s question, the group’s gazes naturally turned to Carr.
Chloe, Chelsea, and Eliana, who had been close friends with Carr since their first year, had strong faith in his information-gathering abilities.
And the first-years, too, had heard Carr’s name many times.
It wasn’t because their mentors were close with Carr.
In the early days of the semester, Carr had been the weakest and lowest-ranking among the second-years, so the first-years hadn’t paid him much attention.
But now, among the first-years, the name mentioned most often after the top students of the department, including Leo, was none other than Carr Thomas.
The reason was simple.
It was because of what the second-year mentors would say: ‘If you need information, find Carr Thomas.’
The current first-years were different from the Sunbaes.
Lumene was a survival system where those without qualifications had to leave the school.
But the first-years were given a grace period of one semester.
Even so, Lumene’s competitive system remained unchanged.
They had to get good grades and make a good impression on the professors of their respective departments.
Only then could they receive even a little more guidance than others, and only then would their chances of survival after the first semester increase.
Grades at Lumene were determined by a combination of factors.
There was absolute evaluation, but there was also relative evaluation.
It was only natural that they had to conduct their classes according to the tendencies of their department professors to make a good impression.
Besides that, it was a great help to know in advance things like the expected scope of written exam questions, practical exams, and assignments.
In that respect, Carr’s information was extremely useful, and Carr had been proving his information-gathering abilities since his first year.
With his unique friendliness, he was on familiar terms not only with students and Sunbaes but also with associate professors, and he was especially close with the staff working at Lumene.
He had been building his own information network since the beginning of his first year.
It wasn’t for nothing that Abad and Duran, the dorm heads of Noble, had picked Carr first during the resident selection.
His ability was particularly evident in the fact that Duran, who wouldn’t give the time of day to anyone without skill, acknowledged Carr despite his lack of combat ability.
For that reason, Carr was the most trustworthy in the domain of investigation.
As the entire group focused on him, Carr made a reluctant face.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“You should take command here, Sunbae.”
Juen, for her part, was very much welcoming this situation where her mentor, Carr, could become the leader.
Looking at his Hubae’s sparkling eyes, Carr said indifferently.
“Is there anything to command?”
“Pardon?”
“If this were a labyrinth or some strange situation caused by a Hero Dungeon, I’d do something.”
Carr glanced around the inside of the casino.
“This is a casino full of ordinary people. Of course, according to Leo, it seems there’s something in the basement.”
Carr shook his head.
“To get down there, we need to collect 100 million points.”
“Then do we have to wait until that event is held?”
At Betty’s question, Carr grinned.
“Not necessarily. If we know the details of the event in advance, we can come up with a plan, right? The regulars at this casino probably know what kind of event it is. So, we get information from them.”
“How are we supposed to get friendly with them?”
“Won’t we get close if we play games with them?”
Carr shrugged at Chelsea’s question.
“Aren’t we not supposed to waste these points recklessly?”
“As long as the target is 100 million points… aren’t the tens of thousands of points we have almost meaningless?”
As Eliana asked, tapping the VIP card tucked in her clothes, Chloe spoke.
“Chloe’s right. Well, we can’t use it all. But to gather information, we need to participate in the games. We also need information on the Azonia students as a bonus.”
Just as Carr said, the Azonia students who had entered Uarguela had vanished after this place.
“If we find out where the Azonia students went, it’ll be a bigger help in exploring the Hero Dungeon.”
Eliana nodded at Carr’s words.
“Well, it’s not a bad idea to enjoy ourselves as Leo said. Let’s split up and gather information.”
“The class rep already went deep into the casino by himself, so let’s get moving too. Let’s go! Austin!”
Eliana took the lead and walked ahead.
“Luke.”
“Yes, Chloe-sunbaenim.”
“You come with us.”
“Okay.”
Chloe entered the casino, taking her mentees Betty and Luke with her.
“Shall we go too?”
At Chelsea’s words, Carr stuck his hands in his pockets and followed her.
“But isn’t this casino illegal?”
Juen pouted.
“Then won’t the dealers use tricks or something?”
“I don’t think so.”
Carr shook his head.
“Even if it’s illegal, it’s impossible to build a casino of this scale using only dishonest methods. It’s something that requires trust.”
“That’s funny. To think they’re talking about trust in a place like this.”
The corners of Juen’s lips curled up.
Meanwhile.
Eliana stood with her arms crossed, staring intently at the spinning roulette wheel.
“How do you play this?”
“You don’t know?”
“Of course not. How would an elegant lady like me know something like this?”
“I kind of thought you would have done this a lot, Eliana-sunbae.”
“What on earth do you take me for?”
Eliana’s eyes narrowed.
Then she approached a nearby exchange counter and traded her points for chips.
“Let’s just dive in and see.”
Clack- clack- clack-
Eliana, carrying a tray of stacked chips, stood before the roulette table.
“A cute young lady has entered. This is no place for a young girl like you.”
A middle-aged man who looked like a nobleman said, puffing on a cigarette.
Eliana smiled brightly at the middle-aged man and said.
“Mister, can you tell me how to play this game?”
“It’s not difficult. You can simply bet on black or red. You can bet on a specific section. Or you can bet on a single number. You just place your chips where you want to bet.”
At those words, Eliana, who let out exclamations of “Ooh- ooh-,” placed a single chip on a betting square next to the giant roulette wheel.
“The class rep’s eye color is red, so here!”
A moment later, the ball that had been rolling spectacularly on the roulette wheel landed in a red pocket.
“Ooh, ooh. So this is how it works.”
“The little lady’s luck isn’t bad. Then again, it’s easy to get it right.”
The middle-aged man chuckled, looking at Eliana.
But he didn’t doubt for a second that her clear, innocent face would soon transform into one flashing with despair and desire.
Because that’s what a casino was.
‘Watching such an innocent girl become corrupted is one of the pleasures of this place.’
As if they felt the same, other customers besides the middle-aged man also watched Eliana with shady eyes.
But…
“The class rep and I were in class 5, so I’ll bet between 1 and 18.”
A win.
“The class rep is 16, so I’ll bet between 13 and 24!”
A win.
“The class rep is…”
A win.
Although it was a simple rule of basically matching black and red, roulette was a game where the casino’s odds of winning were high.
And yet, even as she gradually lowered the probability and increased the payout, Eliana’s winning streak continued.
“The class rep is…”
‘Who the hell is this class rep!’
Everyone gulped at the mention of “class rep” that kept coming from Eliana’s mouth.
The surrounding customers, who had been anticipating Eliana’s tearful face, began to murmur.
“Wh-what is with that girl?”
“And what’s with this ‘class rep’?”
“No way. She’ll lose it all and cry soon enough.”
“The class rep is number one, so I’ll bet on 1!”
Finally, Eliana reached for the highest payout in roulette: betting on a single number.
Everyone around her scoffed.
The probability was 1/36.
If she succeeded, she could make a profit 36 times her bet, but it had to be seen as impossible.
Especially since this girl had been winning continuously, right?
Before long, Eliana was the only one playing at this roulette table.
While everyone was anticipating Eliana’s distorted face.
Whirrrrrr-
The roulette wheel began to spin.
Tick-tick-t-t-tick-
“The player has won.” (T/N: For once Eliana is not useless here lol)
Ch-whirrrrrr-!
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the roulette ball landed in the number 1 pocket, and Eliana instantly won a huge victory.
“I’ll earn 100 million in no time!”
Eliana smiled brightly, and the roulette customers, their mouths agape, said to Eliana.
“Th-the goddess of luck!”
“She must be the goddess of luck!”
“Goddess! Where to next? Please bestow your grace upon us!”
As long as one frequented a casino, one was bound to squander a huge amount of money there.
Even for nobles, money has its limits.
Like most gambling addicts, everyone here was aiming to strike it rich at the casino.
And they gambled while creating all sorts of silly superstitions.
But then, Eliana, who possessed incredible luck, had appeared.
Eliana looked at them as they flocked around her, praising her, then pondered and spoke.
“By any chance, did any Azonia students come here recently?”
At those words, a beastman raised his hand.
“Yes! They were here looking for information about the Hero Dungeon and Hero Hunters!”
“Oho.”
‘Hero Hunter?’
Eliana’s eyes narrowed.
The Hero Dungeon was understandable. Even Lumene had come to investigate the Hero Dungeon.
But Hero Hunters?
Eliana had also heard from Leo and Carr that this casino served as an information guild.
‘Could it be that a Hero Hunter has appeared in this country?’
If so, she had to be even more vigilant.
“Then one more thing. I heard an arena opens here. Does anyone know what you fight against for the highest prize money?”
“If you’re talking about the arena… the champion’s payout is the highest recently!”
“The champion?”
“Yes. It’s a rabbit!”
“……”
‘What do you mean, a rabbit is the champion?’
Eliana’s expression turned strange.
“Goddess! The next bet!”
Just then, a person said with an anxious face.
At those words, Eliana crossed her arms.
‘I’ve run out of things related to the class rep.’
After a moment of thought, Eliana put on a smug expression.
“Number 1. Because I’m the number one Magic Swordsman in our year.”
“…Isn’t there the young master?”
“Do you see him as a Magic Swordsman?”
Eliana glared at Austin.
“Number 1!”
“It’s number 1!”
The gamblers around them began to bet on number 1.
Whirrrrrrrrr-!
The roulette wheel spun.
Tick- t-t-tick-
And the roulette ball rolled into number 24.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
“Wh-what is this!”
Cries of despair echoed.
“Hmm. I guess it doesn’t work since it’s not related to the class rep.”
“I’m pretty sure if it were related to you, Eliana-sunbae, even the goddess of luck would run away.”
“Wanna die?”
While she was bickering with Austin, the staff had already loaded the massive amount of chips Eliana had won onto a cart.
Once all the chips were loaded, Eliana pulled the cart towards the exchange counter and said.
“Austin, you don’t know the class rep’s three sizes or anything, do you?”
“…I do not.”
“Should I go ask? If I play my cards right, I think I could really earn 100 million.”
The customers could only stare with empty eyes at the backs of the two as they left, chatting nonchalantly.
***
“Hero Hunter?”
“Yeah.”
In a room accessible only to King-class members, Leo sat in a curtained-off booth, his eyes narrowed.
Ar, sitting across from him with her legs crossed, folded her arms.
“I’ve found the Hero Hunters who use ‘Transformation’ that the Lewellin Shadows spoke of before. I came here to get information related to them.”
At those words, Leo was lost in thought.
Cherna Lewellin.
As Chelsea and Abad’s aunt, she was a mage who operated as a Lewellin Shadow.
She, too, was a skilled individual who had buried countless traitors and Hero Hunters in the darkness.
And during the winter break, even though there was no full moon, she had defeated a Hero Hunter who used Transformation and had summoned Dobberman Calles, the student council president of Azonia, and Ar, who had inherited Arron’s Transformation ability.
‘Back then, they said that Hero Hunter had a Fake Brave, right?’
Arron’s beloved sword, which seemed to have been obtained through the Hero Record.
It was clear they were using Transformation through that sword.
‘It’s possible Tartarus is using Arron’s Hero Record.’
A murderous intent filled Leo’s eyes.
In that instant, Ar’s tail shot straight up.
Just as Ar narrowed her eyes in reaction to Leo’s killing intent.
Knock, knock-
A knock was heard at the entrance.
“I heard the student council president of Lumene was here, so I came to say hello.”
Leo looked toward the entrance.
And seeing the man there, he tilted his head.
“Who are you?”
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Delean Evern.”
Delean gave a gentle smile.
“I’m a Lumene graduate. Your Sunbae. I came because I have a proposal for you.”
“What is it?”
“The labyrinth in the basement of this place, would you like to cooperate in conquering it?”
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