"Puhaha… Now then, dealer, let us start the game."
"Understood. The game will now begin."
"Dealer, let's get started."
Selene Whitmore's words carried light amusement, but her black eyes glinted with something colder. As the cards were shuffled, her fingers danced over the poker chips with graceful confidence. Beside her, Kael Vi-rel leaned back, pretending to relax while his eyes scanned the surroundings.
The table was full. Dim lights hung overhead, casting deep shadows across the green velvet surface. Smoke drifted lazily through the air, mixing with the murmur of conversation, the clink of glasses, and the occasional cheer or groan from other tables. The Fade Casino was alive and unaware.
Selene Whitmore had already won a few rounds just enough to catch attention. But she wasn't here to win. Not tonight.
As planned, she would lose. Specifically, to the smug, bloated ego sitting across from her: Veke Ray, a veteran swindler with greasy rings on every finger and a mountain of chips in front of him.
Kael Vi-rel wasn't here for chips, though.
He had a sub quest mission to complete.
Selene Whitmore wins a few… then loses big time to Veke Ray. That's the bait. Veke Ray sticks around to play more. Kael Vi-rel gets access to the upper lounge for the real objective.
Everything was going according to plan except one thing kept nagging at him.
"…Why are your chips so small?" Kael Vi-rel asked, before he could stop himself.
He immediately regretted it.
Selene Whitmore's head whipped toward him. Her playful expression vanished, replaced by a look cold enough to freeze fire.
"I'm not feeling well today. Leave it! I'm going to pick them all up soon!" she snapped.
Kael Vi-rel raised both hands defensively. "Yes, yes. Got it."
She huffed and turned back to the table, stacking her pitiful pile of chips like a wounded warlord. Kael Vi-rel glanced again. Honestly… it didn't look like assassins made good gamblers.
So sad.
Maybe she was unlucky. Or maybe her poker face was just too terrifying. Either way, he figured he'd help a little. Build trust. Build a bridge.
Selene Whitmore might be scary but she was powerful. And powerful allies were worth the risk.
"Let's start the game," the dealer said again for the third time running, dealing the cards.
The first round passed without trouble. Selene won by the narrowest margin, with Kael Vi-rel sending a few discreet signals. Then came her "planned" losses to Veke Ray graceful folds and feigned misreads, all designed to inflate his confidence.
Everything was balanced… until it wasn't.
"…Huh."
Kael Vi-rel froze.
A cold chill ran down his back, immediate and unnatural as he stood up.
Selene Whitmore noticed at once. "Why? What's wrong? Don't make that face. You look pale, rookie."
"I.. It's nothing," Kael Vi-rel said quickly, pushing back from the table.
"Oh? Did you lose already? Are you bad at gambling too?" Selene Whitmore sneered, clearly enjoying herself.
But Kael Vi-rel didn't respond. His eyes were locked on the figure entering the casino.
Black suit. White shirt. Porcelain-pale skin. Blood-red lips curved into a smile that didn't belong in this world.
Bento.
His heart dropped.
A member of the [Bloody Banquet], one of the most feared and deranged organizations in the Underworld. Known for their ritualistic massacres and sadistic initiation rites.
Bento was unmistakable. Beautiful and terrifying. Feminine yet wrong. Like a painting that came to life and hated you.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Kael Vi-rel's eyes drifted upward.
The casino's lights flickered once, twice then stabilized. But that was enough.
No. No, no, no.
He'd forgotten. In this game world, not everything was scripted. Some events were dynamic triggered by hidden flags, unseen variables.
And this?
This was one of those times.
> [Sub Quest: Survive Their Festival!]
[The Bloody Banquet has chosen the Fade Casino as the site of their ritual initiation. Survive until the designated safe zone opens.]
On Success: ???
On Failure: Death of Kale Vi-rel and one of the main character.
His system window flashed red.
Kael Vi-rel didn't need to read it again. He already knew the rules.
Selene Whitmore glanced at him. Her eyes narrowed. "...Hey, Kael Vi-rel."
He turned toward her, mind racing.
"Those glasses… I don't think they're ordinary. What are they?"
He flinched, just slightly but smiled it off.
"Ah… these? Just an old gift from a friend. Not enchanted or anything."
Her gaze sharpened. She held it for a beat too long.
Then she smiled sweetly far too sweetly.
"Fine. But if I find out you lied and used it to cheat " She leaned in, voice like silk over steel. "I'll gouge your eyes out myself."
Kael Vi-rel laughed, nervous. "Got it."
He adjusted the Vismora Glasses, activating the scan overlay. Information flickered across the lenses. Too many people. Too many signals.
The crowd was shifting.
People were getting up. Tables were being abandoned. Low murmurs turned to sharp whispers.
Then came the scream.
One. Then another. Then ten.
Black shadows erupted through the casino floor like spilled ink twisting, moving, attacking. They were humanoid… barely. Feral, cloaked in blood-red, bearing blades carved from bone and metal.
Chaos exploded.
A woman nearby was dragged beneath a table, blood spraying up in a fan across the velvet. A dealer screamed as a shadow severed his arm, then his throat. More figures entered behind Bento, laughing, skipping, dancing as they carved through the crowd.
Kael Vi-rel clenched the table, heart hammering.
"This… this is their initiation," he whispered. "A massacre disguised as a festival."
The Bloody Banquet didn't do quiet. They didn't do clean.
They did rituals.
He had forgotten just how random this world could be. This wasn't scripted. This wasn't fair. Out of hundreds of casinos, the Banquet had chosen this one.
> [Sub Quest: Survive Their Festival!]
[The Bloody Banquet has initiated their Rite of Blood at Fade Casino. Reach the safe zone before midnight.]
You are running out of time
On Success: ???
On Failure: Death of Kael Vi-rel and one of the main character
Kael Vi-rel's hands trembled slightly. But his mind was already moving.
He had to survive.
And Bento… Bento had already started his ritual.