Gambling Den.
Gambling games using primarily cards, dice, and balls are held at various tables.
“Come on, place your bets!”
At one of those tables, a gamble involving wooden cups, cards, and jewels was taking place.
The customers were: Nine’s subordinate, a debtor, a certain dandy, and a boastful customer.
The game was simple.
Wager money on one of the wooden cups.
The odds varied based on the numbers and suits of the playing cards being used.
Aces paid 20 times the bet.
Jokers paid 100 times the bet.
Hit the wooden cup containing the jewel and make a big profit with the trump cards.
There were five wooden cups in total.
With four customers, if each bet on a different cup, there was a one-in-five chance of losing.
The customers’ win rate was also one in five.
Either three people would keep losing, or one person would win it all.
The table dealer aimed to bankrupt everyone.
With practiced shuffling, they made sure never to reveal the four Aces and Jokers, which offered big payouts.
If they lost money, it would be deducted from their salary.
They would go bankrupt themselves, working for free until death.
*Click, click, click, click, click.*
After shuffling the wooden cups, cards were laid out in front of each player.
Which cup held the jewel?
The cards were face down.
They would be revealed after all customers had placed their bets.
Then, the wooden cups with the highest wagers would be revealed.
“Yay, I hit it! ♪”
“Customer at Table 2 is the sole winner. You will receive the amount of money based on the odds.”
“Ah, dammit.”
Nine’s subordinate had lost all his money.
“Even if I go back to the lair now…”
There would be no lunch.
Maybe I can earn some pocket money somewhere and eat.
Main street.
Pedestrians were finishing lunch.
Carriers, and youngsters playing with friends.
“A duck… that one will do nicely. ♪”
To pickpocket, they flowed naturally with the crowd and, in an instant, snatched a coin purse from the waist.
They smiled stealthily and left the scene.
A few tens of seconds later.
The man whose waist felt strange realized he had been pickpocketed and yelled, “Thief!”
Back street.
“Let’s see… Tch, it’s rough today.”
Even though I successfully picked a pocket and escaped pursuit.
The coin purse only contained enough money for one meal.
Why didn’t they put more copper coins in it?
They cursed the man who yelled “Thief!” from behind.
“Hey old man, give me one.”
*Ping!* They flicked a copper coin with flair.
“You got it, thanks for coming.”
Dirt-cheap food.
No condiments.
A sandwich made with two types of vegetables and scraps of fatty meat meant for disposal. Eating this would make you lose your appetite for the day, and you’d only need one meal.
It was popular among those who wanted to save money, and those in debt with poor finances.
The taste changing every few days also served as a gamble, making people decide whether to go to the gambling den by wondering, “Maybe it’ll be delicious today?”
*Munch, munch.*
As usual, the food was overwhelmingly oily and bitter on the tongue.
Well, even if I go back to the lair, there probably won’t be any work for a while.
Thanks to the boss, our pocket money is substantial.
“Seriously, the boss is amazing～～♪”
“Hey there, mister～～♡”
“Won’t you do something fun with us～～♡”
Perhaps it’s because I spend my pocket money lavishly.
Recently, women who want money are coming to me.
Considering there are women from other organizations mixed in, I can’t accept their invitations alone.
It’s a shame.
She was my type.
“Ah, wait for me～～…”
***
The border line between the Sharshar Kingdom and the Tartarus Kingdom.
Colorful magic bullets flew over the walls.
“Exclusive Machine (Advent)! We’re going in!”
“The Golems are coming out! We’re deploying too!”
As if the border line was mere sand or paper, the large Golems smashed through and stepped into foreign territory.
“Mass-produced machines stand no chance against Exclusive Machines!!”
“Don’t underestimate us, barbarians!! You’re the ones who started this war!!”
The official documents were skewed to favor whichever side authored them, and unless a third party stepped in as a mediator, neither country would lay down their arms. Before a third party emerged, it was crucial to gain any advantage possible. The Commander and his staff examined reports from various battlefields, allocating supplies and reinforcements. Soldiers couldn’t be created in the fields, nor could Golems in the mountains. Time and personnel were overwhelmingly insufficient. The national power difference was fifty-fifty. Both countries were unstable due to internal unrest and natural disasters. On top of that, there was this invasion.
(The higher-ups don’t understand the situation!!)
Reputation is important. Achievements are important.
But with the country in such disarray, who knows when they’ll be cut for money?
The Commander and his staff focused their main forces on the advantageous battlefields for an early conclusion.
The rest were ordered to maintain delaying battles.
It was acceptable to retreat, but not to be outflanked.
The enemy seemed to have the same idea, and the battlefield losses were becoming too vast to bear.
“The sun is setting… no. This is a night battle! Wake up those who are resting! We absolutely must break through the enemy unit—!!”
“OOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!”
Victory for our homeland! Death to the savage barbarians!
***
Southern Tartarus Kingdom.
With the ongoing war with a neighboring country, all adult males were conscripted as soldiers. Adult females were conscripted as medics. The economy was in shambles. The Adventurer’s Guild, Magician’s Guild, and Merchant Guild had their workers, material gatherers, and chore staff largely taken to the border line, allowing them to operate only two days a week.
“Haaaaaa…”
The Guild Leaders, Vice Leaders, secretaries, and escorts gathered for a strategy meeting. However, due to a shortage of personnel, all their plans were unexecutable, resulting in a gradual drain of money and time.
“Haaaaaa…”
Once again, they let out deep, futile sighs, implying the questions: “What are we going to do? What should we do?”
*Knock, knock!*
At that moment, a member of the Merchant Guild appeared to deliver an urgent report.
“A large monster in a fishing village? What are the local adventurers doing!?”
The Guild Leader of the Adventurer’s Guild immediately confronted the messenger.
“Which district? Hmm, it would be regrettable if we couldn’t obtain the dried goods from there.”
Next, the Merchant Guild Leader grumbled about the loss of profit.
“You two are being cold.”
The Magician Guild Leader admonished the two.
They moved to address the large monster.
It had ravaged the fishing village and the nearby farming village almost to destruction.
“That’s strange.”
“What’s strange about it? Even if it’s large, it’s not that intelligent, is it?”
They were enemies of humanity, created by the Maze Lord. Their materials were valuable, but they were beings that should be destroyed unless they evolved to a state where they were weak enough to be harmless.
“The fields were not ravaged.”
“That’s… isn’t it because they knew they could achieve Existence Evolution by killing living humans… they understood that?”
Though it was strange, it was a common occurrence among occasionally intelligent individuals.
“No, the person who told me this information escaped unharmed by fleeing into the fields.”
This is strange, isn’t it? They deliberately let a human they could have killed escape. Is there some intention behind it? Did they have a bad memory of fields? Regardless, the information reached this point.
“We will gather personnel for its subjugation.”
“I shall provide a Cart service for the materials, at a discount ♪”
“This is an emergency situation, isn’t it? Well, I suppose. Please take a few of my disciples if it’s convenient.”
The Guild Leaders cooperated, quickly dispatching a subjugation force to prevent further damage.
Then, three or four days later, a report came in: the large monster could not be subdued and was driven eastward… towards the battlefield where they were at war with the neighboring country.
“…The quality has declined.”
“The material transport cart was a waste of resources.”
“We need to reconsider our disciples’ training methods.”
They reassessed the remaining personnel, reviewing their training programs.
The large monster that headed east.
A body with slimy, slimy tentacles.
It bore the same epithet in both lives: “Lord Vegetarian.”
“Hapichu, God of Harvest and Gourmet. My revenge is complete. But I am still lacking in power. Please protect this frail me. I am grateful for the blessings of harvest and the pursuit of gourmet food. I will surely spread them. Please, grant me your divine protection, Hapichu.”
Lord Vegetarian, in a trance-like state, continued to smash through obstacles like trees, rocks, and buildings with its tentacles.
“Kyaa, Gaaah!”
The unfortunate civilian houses that stood in its path.
The lookouts outside heard the commotion, but never in their wildest dreams imagined their own homes would be targeted. They were crushed by the ceiling and tentacles, unable to escape the rubble, and eventually suffocated due to the delay in rescue.
*clang! clang!*
The elders of the village took up weapons. Large monster migration. Natural disasters. Demon King’s attack.
When bad things happened, it was enough for the elderly to die.
Thanks to the fast-moving women who took turns informing the nearby villages, they were able to work with the neighboring villages to maintain vigilance. Information spread further, and the alert level of human settlements rose in the wake of Lord Vegetarian’s passage. However, damage still occurred.
“Die! Sinners who do not give thanks for the bounty of the earth!”
*Nuovovo! Bubaah!*
When excited, their speech devolved into incoherent sounds. Lord Vegetarian saw a flow of people ahead. Reinforcements for the war. It trampled them mercilessly.
“Why from behind—”
*Squish! Bechan!*
It tore through the rear and flanks. With Existence Evolution, more skills were being acquired.
“Tentacle Mimicry”
It could transform its tentacles into anything it knew or had absorbed.
“Gluttony”
Consuming anything healed its body and injuries.
“Volume Conversion”
It could change the size of its main body or tentacles by a factor of 10, down to one-tenth.
Currently, using “Tentacle Mimicry,” its entire body had transformed into the hardest alloy. Just before impact, using “Volume Conversion” to its maximum 10x size, it crushed those who were defending or evading.
“Ooooh ♪ I feel it ♪ Something hot through my body ♪”
Lord Vegetarian, filled with joy at the signs of further evolution, shattered the border line and damaged several enemy Golems.
“St-stop—”
“Cap-tain—”
*Bobvabol! Nyururu♪*
“Eat this Support Device (Back Weapon)!! Wh-what? Eating soldiers and recovering from injuries? Wh-what the—”
*Bekon! Dosun!*
The Golem’s arms were battered by a barrage of tentacles, causing it to fall backward, and its cockpit was crushed. Lord Vegetarian, having shaken off the pursuing units, successfully entered the Sharshar Kingdom.
