"What did you think it was then?" Aria asked with a curious and confused look on her face.
"Anything, but not a colosseum…" Rudy sighed. "This is a gambling tournament, right? Don't tell me the contestants will fight here while the viewers bet on who will win."
"I have heard that it used to be like that in the old times, but not anymore," Maria responded.
'If it was, I would have won in a second.'
"Well, technically, anything can be considered gambling the moment someone bets on it," Ruby shrugged.
"Let's go now. You have become quite famous in the underworld, so they might come to you if they realize you are here," Maria muttered.
She dragged Rudy to the entrance of the tunnel where the 'Under Blades' troops were handling the security.
'So that's the one Lilim talked about…'
They were wearing full-body suits and hard masks on their faces. It was impossible to even know if the person under the mask was a male or a female, but not for Rudy.
He could see through them easily.
'I should remember the faces of all the guards just in case. Since their identity is a secret, I can use it against them and blackmail them into exposing their identities. But I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that.'
Rudy and Maria were standing in line with several others, waiting for their turn.
'Hmm… they are using advanced devices to check them. I am not really surprised as I know the source of the advanced weapons in the underworld. And one of my main purposes to come to the underworld was to find that supplier.
I cannot find that person during the tournament week. I doubt that person would be available. Most of the streets were empty, and everyone has gathered here. To be honest, I have my own theories on how the supplier has futuristic devices, but let's save it for later.'
[What is this?] the guard asked a man in his early twenties.
'Hmm?' Rudy scanned the man and found a razor-sharp knife in his pocket. 'If I remember correctly, no weapons are allowed here.'
"What are you talking about? I don't have anything!" the man said in an arrogant tone.
[There is a knife in your left pocket. Take it out before I take you out.] Even the voice of the masked guard was indescribable as a male or a female.
The man took out the knife from his pocket and said, "This? This is just a knife. What's wrong about it?"
[Weapons are not allowed. You can submit it here and claim it once the event has ended.]
"Hey, Hey, do you know who I am? And this is the underworld. Why would someone be afraid of a knife?" the man scoffed out loud.
[Submit the knife and claim it once the event has ended.]
"Whatever. I am not doing that. This knife is my lucky charm.]
[Submit the knife and claim it once the event has ended.]
"Did you not hear what I just said?! This is my lucky charm! Oh yeah, I have this knife for self-defense! What if someone tries to attack me inside, hah?! I need a weapon to protect—"
The man stopped speaking when he noticed his knife was missing— no, his arm was missing.
A second later, blood came gushing out of his severed arm.
"Aaargh! My hand! My knife! What did you do?!" the man yelled.
[I submitted your knife on your behalf. You can claim it once the event has ended.]
"Don't fuck with me!"
Two guards came and carried the man somewhere.
"...wow," Maria muttered.
'No one could have seen what happened, but I did. The guard snatched the knife from the man's hand and then cut his hand in less than a second. They are trained, alright. Lilim wasn't kidding about that,' Rudy uttered inwardly, completely impressed by the Under Blades.
A few minutes later, Rudy and Maria's turn came for the checking. They weren't carrying anything with them other than their cards, so they didn't have to worry about a single thing.
Maria was ahead, so her check-up ended before Rudy.
[You can go,] the other guard said.
Rudy walked past the first guard, but he was stopped the next second for some reason.
Rudy turned around and asked, "What's the meaning of this?"
'This guard is a girl.'
The guard pointed her finger at Rudy's crotch and said, [You are hiding something in your pants.]
"I am not."
[Then what's the bulge for?]
'I made out with Maria the entire way here, so it's natural to have a boner.'
"I am just nervous and got a boner," Rudy nonchalantly uttered with a straight face.
[...]
Rudy shrugged his shoulders and said, "If you don't believe me, then you can put your hands under my pants and check it for yourself."
[...]
'Heh.'
"I will take my leave if there is nothing—"
[Wait.]
'Are you kidding me?!'
The guard inserted her hand in Rudy's hand and took a feel of his snake.
'Damn, these guards are scary. What the fuck?!'
After touching his snake and boulders, the guard said, [You may go now.]
"Err… I would suggest washing your hands."
After saying that, Rudy walked away with Maria.
[That person…]
"Are you okay?" Maria asked Rudy.
"Hmm?"
"That guard touched your…"
"Oh, it's alright. It's their job to do check-ups, so…"
'Still, I said it as a joke. I never expected her to truly do it. But even then… her reaction behind the mask didn't change, and she was wearing gloves, so I couldn't feel her hands.'
Rudy's ears twitched as he heard people talking as he passed.
"Hey, look at that."
"Isn't he that mad gambler who won against Roid?"
"Yeah, he is the one."
"And why is the Mafia princess with him?"
"Could it be that the mad gambler is playing as a representative of the Ross Syndicate?"
"That's crazy!"
"Yeah. The Ross Syndicate got too much money. If they are funding him, then it's no wonder that he is betting so much money without any care."
