Gantz left the tunnels in a dubious mood; while he was frightened, he felt relieved to be out of that macabre place.
— "Those eyes were haunting. Besides, what was he doing in that area? Could he be the owner of that strange room?"
Mixing into the crowd, he decided he had more important things to think about; finally, the day of reckoning was approaching.
In his apartment, he took out all the purchased equipment, organized it properly, and checked if everything was functioning correctly.
— "This won't kill a church priest, but that's not the goal anyway. I just need a quick, strong enough strike to prevent Olete from defending himself. Mages can be extremely difficult to deal with when they have the upper hand, but caught by surprise, it's not much harder than killing a normal person."
Looking at the weapons, he felt a fascination and proximity to the objects that he had never felt before. He ran his hands over the magic pistol, his fingers sliding along every curve and groove.
— "This pistol was manufactured with low-quality metal, probably from a mine further south in the Dwarven lands. The smell of paint and metal indicates a cheap lacquer, mixed with some metals to give a certain shine and impression of quality."
He disassembled each piece at an abnormal speed, laying every part out on the table.
— "Magic trigger with a mana lock." He picked up the red trigger and observed the encrusted runes. "Runes fabricated by magic equipment—not made by professional hands, but by a machine that mimics the method, as if they were capable!" He grunted, setting the object aside.
— "The barrel is smooth, without rifling, which indicates high-intensity magic bullets that also make tracking difficult; definitely illegal equipment built in some clandestine factory. The grip is lined with wood on the sides." Gantz ran his fingertips over the varnished wood and then caught its scent.
— "Every wood has its characteristic smell and grain. This is from the north, likely from a land with poor nutrition, cut at a young age, probably grown artificially using magic."
He reassembled the equipment, and when the last latch clicked back into place, he shivered.
— "This is so incredible! It's as if these aren't other people's memories, but mine—a part of me." He looked at his hands, smiling as he felt his heart race from the adrenaline. "After all this is over, maybe I should invest in working as a crafter."
Despite his anxiety, Gantz had to wait two more days before Vincente took him to the tunnels. They both had to walk for at least two hours before stopping at a yellow brick wall. Vincente knocked on certain bricks, and a door emerged. Gantz made sure to memorize the order and the bricks before following. Unlike the rot of the outer tunnels, the refreshing scent of lemon permeated the entire environment inside. The yellow brick walls didn't have a single smudge and even looked new; the floor was lined with red carpet, and the walls held beautiful ancient paintings.
They proceeded to a restaurant. The place was full of people—all employees—wearing fine suits and looking well-dressed. They remained there for several hours until the party began. It was likely past midnight when everything reached its peak.
Vincente and Gantz were responsible for guarding the kitchen. Both were leaning against each corner of the door, sitting on stools, noticing that the kitchen staff was thinning out but not returning as frequently. They glanced at each other for a moment, and Vincente smiled.
— "I think it's time. Let's go!"
Gantz simply followed Vincente down the dark corridor before he opened the black curtains leading into the hall.
The light was intense and blinded Gantz for a moment, but the smell hit him first—a faint scent of sweat, but heavily laden with pheromones, instantly reminding him of when he slept with Melinda.
When he opened his eyes, he was met with a scene he would likely never forget: dozens of naked people, their skin glistening with sweat. But what caught his attention most was a woman being lifted by her thighs while an Orc penetrated her with force; her breasts bounced rhythmically while her face, pressed against the green creature's chest, seemed lost in pleasure. Most of the women were in the same situation, merely changing positions. Gantz noticed one thing: all the men were employees.
— "Are they all employees?"
— "The men, yes," Vincente replied.
— "And where are the noblemen?"
— "Noblemen? They aren't part of this party. They're more reserved than their women. There are only their daughters and wives here. Come on! Let's enjoy some noble flesh, my friend!" Vincente looked at Gantz and found his expression strange. "What's wrong?"
— "No, nothing. Let's go! Let's have some fun."
The two separated as Vincente grabbed a dark-skinned noblewoman and began to exchange kisses.
Gantz walked on thoughtfully, ignoring the moans from the surroundings. Suddenly, he bumped into something and fell onto something soft. The smell reminded him of something. Getting up and sitting on what seemed to be a red sofa, he found two young girls, at least twenty years old, looking at him. They seemed like clones of each other.
He looked them up and down: small but full breasts, large nipples that covered most of the breast's skin, a belly divided by well-defined muscles, and white skin that turned rosy as it descended toward their private parts.
— "Hey, are you just going to stare?"
— "Miranda? He just fell!"
— "So what? He looks like he wants to devour us! So come on already, I feel like I just stepped out of a bath, I'm so wet!"
Gantz laughed at the joke; they laughed with him. They looked at each other for a moment, and sparks seemed to fly around them. The noisy environment felt far away as they talked amidst the chaos.
— "Why are you hiding here?"
— "It's our first time, and we're still getting used to it."
— "Your sister seems quite used to it already."
— "She's always been anxious like that."
Gantz smiled as the other sister unzipped his pants and pulled them off by force. Miranda looked embarrassed.