Martial Online.



The House of Gambling was a luxurious building in the northern-west corner of the Street of Gambling. It was the largest, brightest, and tallest building on the whole street.

It was impossible to miss such a building with its grandeur and commanding presence.

It had become a symbol of wealth and opulence in the city.

Its five floors, adorned with intricate architecture and shimmering glass windows, showcased the building's elegance and sophistication.

All floors were designed for different gambling purposes.

The basement had fight rings for the underground fighting.

The first floor had floating screens where one could watch fight rings and death races. That floor also had card tables and roulette wheels for traditional casino games.

The second and third floors had private VIP rooms for high-stakes gambling and exclusive parties.

The fourth and fifth floors had more exotic typed gambling games. It was only possible to enter those floors with invitation.

As the red-cloaked figure stepped through the entrance, he came across a room filled with the sound of clinking glasses and lively chatter.

The floating screens showed bloodied men trading punches in an intense underground fighting match.

A curvaceous woman in a red dress leaning against her arm with a glass of wine in hand. She sat at the corner table that was surrounded by a lush red sofa.

Her laughter occasionally echoed throughout the room as blood spilled on the floating screens.

There were elegant women in dresses and well-dressed men in suits all around her, engaged in intense conversations. 

'Hmm, truly a gambling den.' Ambrose looked towards the ceiling, which was adorned with red lights. It made the building look like a place filled with secrets and hidden desires.

He then began looking for the place of registration and soon found a butler-looking man standing near a grand staircase, holding a clipboard.

The sign beside him said "Death Race Registration," and the line in front of him was nonexistent.

Even though it's a popular and easy way of gaining fame, most people would rather stay behind to watch the exciting race.

"I want to register!" Ambrose stopped in front of the butler-looking man with a small smile.

"Hmm?" The man looked at the red-cloaked figure and pointed at the sign. It also had different rules that one needed to follow to be able to participate in the race.

That included having a bounty of over 15,000 silvers, a 1000 silver entry fee, and being able to ride a horse.

"I've got all of them, sir." Ambrose replied confidently. He took out a pouch of 1,000 silvers and handed it over to the race official.

"What is your name?" The race official asked and hovered a pen in front of the clipboard.

"Ambrose."

"We'll check your bounty. If everything is in order, we'll bring your race token. Stay on the first floor so we will be able to find you."

"Alright." Ambrose then watched as the race official whispered something to a young woman, who left to check his bounty and retrieve his race token.

'Thank God I brought more silver this time.' Ambrose straightened his sleeves and went to look around the first floor.

He then stopped in front of the floating screens and saw people cheering for the fighters they gambled on.

There was a wall with a board with odds and bets put on different fighters. 

'Hmm, that screen shows the two fighters and their bounties.' Ambrose's eyebrow jumped in surprise. 'The bounties are indeed the thing that determines a person's worth in here.'

***

[WANTED]

[DEAD OR ALIVE]

[Rank: Brown]

[Name: Ryan "Skull Puncher" Wicked]

[Reward: 15,679 silvers]

VERSUS

[WANTED]

[DEAD OR ALIVE]

[Rank: Brown]

[Name: Aarush "God's Mistake" Sharma]

[Reward: 18,701 silvers]

***

'Based on bounties, Aarush is favorite.' Ambrose glanced at the board and nodded thoughtfully.

The odds were heavily in Aarush's favor.

However, a few risky ones had bet on Ryan's victory.

'However, the one who is better at unarmed combat will win.' Ambrose thought to himself and wondered how the fight would go.

At that moment, a hand tapped his shoulder.

He turned around to see the young woman standing with a golden token in hand.

"Here is your race token." She handed it over to him and said. "Because of your bounty of 19,999 silvers, you will start in 6th place."

"6th, meaning I have the 6th highest bounty?" Ambrose asked to make sure.

"Yes, sir." The woman then grabbed the edges of her skirt and bowed gracefully before leaving to continue her work.

'There are five people with higher bounties than I in the race.' Ambrose rubbed his chin with a small smile.

...

In a random underground tunnel, several young men had gathered in front of an ancient-looking door.

"Where the hell is this leading?" One of them asked, looking around in confusion.

"Maybe another trial?" Another suggested while raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm..." A clean-shaven player traced his finger across the strange symbols.

"I wonder if we have to solve a puzzle to unlock the door."

"This has a keyhole." The clean-shaven player crossed his arms. "There is a key somewhere for this door."

"Great." Another player said it sarcastically.

It was nearly impossible to find a specific key for some random door in the middle of nowhere.

They were lucky to even find this underground tunnel, and they were very excited about what they would find.

Their excitement turned into disappointment as they found nothing except a locked door.

Lalala—suddenly, a strange woman's singing filled the air, coming from nowhere.

They looked around, but they couldn't see the singing woman anymore.

They began feeling a sense of fear, as they expected it to be some kind of singing ghost woman who had come to kill them.

"Hello travelers. Are you in need of a key?"

Their bodies shuddered, and they jumped backwards with eyes almost flying out of the sockets.

A strange, wrinkled man with a long beard had appeared out of thin air, now standing in front of the ancient door. He wore a brown cloak with a tree-made cane in his hand. His eyes were gold in color and looked like a sea of gold.

"Who-who-who the hell are you?" The clean-shaven player stumbled and clumsily drew his weapon.

The mysterious figure chuckled. "My name is Nirvana, and I heard some lost souls in need of help."

"B-boss, he might be a Quest NPC!" A player whispered.

The clean-shaven player frowned and pointed at the door with his sword. "You have a key for that?"

"Yes, I definitely do." Nirvana raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A brass key appeared out of nowhere and landed on his palm.

The players gulped and looked at each other in excitement.

"T-then, where does that door lead?" The clean-shaven player asked with a hint of excitement.

"Hehe." Nirvana chuckled and inserted the brass key into the keyhole, then twisted it clockwise and pushed the door open.

Darkness and a stagnant stench engulfed the room, making it nearly impossible to see or breathe.

"This door leads to the underground city, Warhaven." Nirvana said and threw the brass key towards the clean-shaven player, who caught it clumsily.

"W-Warhaven?!" The players exclaimed.

"B-boss, we might be the first players to have found it!"

"Haha, this is amazing!"

The clean-shaven player looked at the key and then pocketed it. When he turned back to Nirvana, he had disappeared!

The other players were left stunned and confused.

"Warhaven..." The clean-shaven player gulped and asked. "Shall we go?"

The players exchanged glances before smiling.

"Yes!"