ALS and DKB had each taken a side of the viewing platform and were loudly discussing something while gathered around a large sheet of paper.
That sheet listed the upcoming monsters that would appear in the arena, along with the odds for each one.
Argo led the group down from the platform to a spot closer to the arena.
After finding a table and sitting down, she gestured for everyone to lean in and then lowered her voice.
"In the upcoming match, two monsters will fight in the arena—but according to my quest description, one of them is going to cheat…"
"!"
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.
Akimi frowned and asked, "Cheat? How? I thought SAO didn't allow monsters to use things like stimulants directly. Are they expecting the monster to be smart enough to pull tricks?"
"Mhm~ I don't know either," Argo shrugged.
Then she pulled out a parchment—one that could be collected at the betting counter—and pointed to the odds chart on it.
"These are the monsters for the first match."
Two names were written on the parchment: "Bouncy Ster" and "Rusty Ly."
The odds were 1.64 for the former and 2.39 for the latter, and these numbers refreshed every ten seconds.
Kirito stroked his chin and said, "Ly is a dog-type monster, and Ster is a bouncy mouse-bug, right?"
"Correct, Kiri-bou," Argo gave him a thumbs-up and continued, "My quest client suspects that the dog-type monster is going to cheat, so they've commissioned me to uncover the trick. That means you and Aki-bou need to stay sharp."
Everyone nodded seriously upon hearing that.
A few minutes later, accompanied by the clang of gongs, a booming voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Ladies alemen——! Welcome to the most important area of the Voluptia Grand Casino——the Monster Arena!"
At the topmost platform of the viewing area, an NPC in a white dress shirt, red bowtie, and white gloves spread his arms and shouted:
"The first match of the night is about to begin! Betting will close in five minutes—get your wagers in while you still can!"
As soon as the announcer finished speaking, several NPCs hurriedly rushed toward the betting counters—most likely, the two major guilds had already placed their bets.
The current odds were 1.61 and 2.41.
If luck was on their side, and the odds continued along this pattern, winning five all-in bets in a row would earn them the 100,000 chips they needed.
Kirito looked at the betting booth, clearly tempted.
He whispered, "Hey, can we go place a bet? I mean, we already know which side is going to cheat, so it's practically a guaranteed win, right?"
"Hey, hey! Kiri-bou, don't you dare!" Argo immediately stopped him.
"If you place a bet on this match while the quest is active, it'll automatically count as a quest failure!"
"Ugh…" Kirito was stunned for a moment, then sighed and said, "Alright, alright."
With a scraping, grinding sound of stone moving, two openings appeared on the left and right sides of the arena floor.
At the same time, the announcer NPC's excited voice rang out again:
"Now then, entering first for our opening match… the steel-plated insect! The Ultra-Bouncy Ball Bug!"
From the left exit, a creature slowly crawled out—about 80 centimeters long, covered in a blue-black shell with a metallic sheen.
It was the ball bug known as Ster.
"And its opponent… the red beast with jaws that can crush steel—The Reddish Wild Hound!"
A low, growling "grrrrr" came from the right exit, and then a dog nearly two meters long, reddish-brown with black spots, slowly emerged from the shadows.
Both of these monsters appear in the latter half of the seventh floor, and were notoriously troublesome enemies during the beta test.
The ball bug had strong individual combat ability, while the wild hounds often appeared in packs of two or three.
Compared to the ball bug, the wild hound's strength was just slightly above average, and in a one-on-one fight, it stood almost no chance against the bug.
That's exactly why its odds were much higher—if someone managed to rig the fight so the hound won, anyone who bet on it would win big.
But at a glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Akimi and the others couldn't figure out how the hound might be cheating.
Once both monsters had entered the arena, the announcer resumed with perfect timing:
"So, who will be the victor of tonight's first match? Let's find out together! Now—let the first battle… begin!"
As the gong sounded again, the reddish wild hound darted toward the ball bug with impressive speed, then began circling it leisurely, trying to find an opening in its defenses.
After just over ten seconds, as the tension in the arena mounted, the wild hound suddenly launched its attack.
It circled to the ball bug's side in two swift steps, and before the bug could turn around, the hound sank its jaws into one of its legs and violently yanked, tearing the leg clean off.
The ball bug's HP immediately dropped by nearly 10%.
It let out an enraged screech and began thrashing its body wildly, trying desperately to avoid the hound's continued assault.
But the more agile wild hound quickly repositioned itself and tore off another of the ball bug's legs.
As the hound gained the upper hand, the surrounding audience platforms erupted with cheers and shouts, some excited, some anxious.
The announcer enthusiastically called out, "Excellent! The wild hound lands two consecutive successful attacks and has taken the advantage!"
Just then, the ball bug suddenly curled itself up, pulling in its head, antennae, and remaining legs, forming into a tight ball.
It then compressed forcefully like a rubber ball and—bang!—launched itself high into the air.
It slammed into the iron cage ceiling above, sparks flying from its shell, then ricocheted in another direction.
After bouncing several times between the ceiling, floor, and cage walls, it crashed directly into the wild hound's abdomen.
The incredible speed from the ricochet gave the hound no time to react.
It was sent flying across the arena, its HP dropping by nearly a third.
"There it is! The ball bug's ultimate move—!" the announcer shouted with extreme excitement.
"Is the wild hound completely helpless against this?!"
As he spoke, the ball bug repeated its maneuver and slammed into the wild hound again.
After this second hit, the hound's HP was reduced to less than a quarter.
"Wait… is there really cheating going on here?" Kirito asked with some doubt as he stared at the hound's pitiful state.
At that moment, the ball bug began preparing for its final strike.
Its body compressed once more, and after ricocheting off the surroundings, it launched itself at the hound like a cannonball.
Just as everyone believed the match had been decided… something unexpected happened.
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