There were so many things on school grounds that most people didn’t even know existed. The unsanctioned underground fighting pits, the Nexus Field, a hidden portal chamber... and now, apparently, a casino.
Axel shook his head in disbelief. He thought the school had reached the limit of absurdity, but as usual, he was wrong.
Even more surprising was Kinsey. She seed to know about all of these hidden corners, all the secret places Axel had only ever heard rumors of. Kinsey was smart, resourceful, and secretive. Now Axel found himself wondering what it had to do with Frostfall.
As they walked down a narrow path, Kinsey described as the route to the casino, Axel ran a few thoughts through his mind.
"Frostfall."
The na had co up in passing more than once, always with a mix of respect and fear. The world wasn’t just run by governnts like that global confederation called the United Nations anymore.
Everything had changed after the first war. Control had shifted into the hands of the powerful families.
The Ferns were one such family, pyromancers who ruled the Empire of Pyro. Fire was devastating, visible, absolute. But Pyro wasn’t the only power that ruled the planet.
Four other empires were equally formidable.
There was Glowborne, ruled by the Lightburns, who wielded pure photokinetic energy.
Astra, whose family line had the rare gift of cosmic manipulation, perhaps the most dangerous of them all.
Cerebral, controlled by the Vaxs, a family of mind controllers, and finally, Frostfall, dominated by Forsen Frost, the most powerful cryokinetic alive.
Kinsey was a cryokinetic.
’Holy shit! Is she related to the Lord of Frostfall?’ Axel wondered.
He rembered the conversation back at the table with Rick, who had claid that Forsen Frost had two daughters. Kinsey’s last na wasn’t Frost, which made the connection confusing. There was more here than he realized, and he couldn’t ignore it.
"We’re here!" Kinsey’s voice broke through his thoughts.
"While we’re in here, do not speak to anyone. They know one thing," she said. "Exploit. They’ll do whatever it takes to exploit you."
Axel smirked as he stepped past her.
"If anyone’s going to exploit anyone," he thought, "it’ll be ."
Both of them stepped through the door and inside, another door stood at the far end.
Above it was a simple sign that read "Casino."
"Really? Just stamp the word "casino" on the wall. Subtlety at its finest. These humans are idiots," Aurora said to Axel.
"Why just place a large casino sign up at the door? Wouldn’t it attract unnecessary attention?" Axel asked.
"Here’s the thing. Unlike the underground pits, the casino is actually sanctioned in a peculiar way. The Oval Academy actually sanctioned it, though it wasn’t officially approved by the Oval Corp. Just think of it as a way for the employees of the Oval Academy to make so money," Kinsey explained.
She turned around and walked up to a terminal, pushed a few buttons, and the door opened.
Behind the second door was a room larger than what one would expect, filled with students and officers alike, all moving between tables, terminals, and holographic screens.
In one corner, a group of students bet on virtual gas that flickered with colorful light.
Next to them was another group rolling dice across a table. Nearby, another group played blackjack. The cards were floating in holographic projections.
The entire space was buzzing.
Axel’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the whole scenery.
"Welco to the casino," a voice called out behind them.
Axel and Kinsey turned around simultaneously. An attendant stood before them. He looked to be a student.
"Thank you, Mick," Kinsey said, returning the greeting with a relaxed nod.
"Why bring soone in today?" the young student asked.
"We’re looking for easy money."
The attendant raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. Instead, he asked Kinsey, "What ga would you like to play today?"
Kinsey turned to look at Axel as she redirected the question to him.
"Uh... I... I don’t know how to play any of these gas," Axel admitted.
For a mont, Kinsey stared at him as if she’d just discovered he’d landed on the moon once.
"Seriously?" she said.
Axel shrugged. "These gas are from the old world. I didn’t even know people still played them. The only ga I actually know how to play is VR."
"All our VR pods are full. If you plan to wait, it’ll be at least forty-eight hours. Otherwise, pick another ga," the attendant said.
Axel’s eyes scanned the room. The dice-rolling caught his attention. It looked simple and straightforward. It also looked like there was enough room for him to apply a little strategy.
"Okay, I’ll start with dice," he said, reaching for his device.
---
Over at the dice-rolling table, Kinsey stood beside Axel, along with five other students in uniform, who were curious to see how the newcor would play.
Axel noticed how they studied him, trying to gauge his skill.
The rules were simple: roll two dice. Predict whether the combined total would land within a certain range, and win accordingly. Start small, observe patterns, then exploit. Axel rolled first, keeping his mind sharp and his strategy fluid. His first roll yielded a total of seven. He won ten CNT.
Not much, but enough to test the waters.
Over the next hour, Axel played cautiously at first, gradually increasing stakes, analyzing how the dice rolled, the slight irregularities in the table, the rhythm of the croupier’s toss. Using probability, observation, and a subtle touch of intuition, he began to predict outcos more accurately.
The stack of CNT in front of him grew. Ten beca fifty, fifty beca a few hundred, a few hundred beca thousands. The other players watched in disbelief as he doubled, tripled, and sotis lost, only to recover smarter on the next round. Even Kinsey was left surprised.
"I thought you said you didn’t know how to play?" she asked once.
Axel smiled. "I’m a fast learner."
"Well, your Intelligence stat is at 22. Of course you can adapt quicker," Aurora told him.
By the ti Axel decided to cash out, his initial five thousand CNT had grown to thirty thousand.
< [Greed Task Progress: 91,000/100,000 CNT] >
Axel couldn’t help but smile at his progress.
The other students who had watched him play whispered accusations under their breath, so stepping closer angrily.
"Cheating!" one snapped, pointing at Axel.
"I didn’t cheat. I’m just that good."
"No way you could roll like that," another said.
Axel leaned back calmly, letting them rant on. Kinsey, though slightly amused, said nothing.
"Co on, guys," soone said calmly. "There’s no way he cheated."
Axel turned around in his seat to acknowledge the speaker. He had striking green hair and pale blue eyes. He carried a warm smile on his face. One that would make the girls go crazy. He stopped right next to Axel.
"What is the Shadow Imp doing in a place like this?"
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