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Chapter 26:

Grace, Arina, and Eun stepped onto the casino floor, with the prior two looking around in awe.  The decor was grand, with patterned, intricate carpeting, furnishing of crimson velvet and leather where appropriate, grand chandeliers, and with every wooden fixture carved expertely.  The overall flare gave off a baroque vibe, with various gambling machines and tables set and sprawling into the distance.

They were briefly stopped by a man in a suit and were each handed a card.  It was explained that their group’s total money was contained within these cards, and there were various kiosks strewn about that could  be used to verify their remaining money at any time.  These would be used for any and all participation in the various games.

Grace looked around, feeling overwhelmed.  There were non-contestants about as well, dressed finely in suits and dresses as they laughed and enjoyed the games.

“Regular VIP guests,” Eun plainly stated before gesturing for the other two girls to follow.

“I didn’t expect we’d share the floor with other guests,” Arina added, following with Grace in tow.

“How do you know they’re VIP guests?”  Grace asked with a hint of suspcision as the group walked past rows of various card tables.

“Who else would they be?  Random people off the streets?  They’re not going to spend the time setting all of this up just to only use it for lowly peasants like us,” Eun insisted, not turning back as she spoke.

Grace blushed faintly and nodded. “That’s a good point.  Where are we going?” 

Eun momentarily ignored the question and approached a large board near the floor’s center with a map and directory.  She scanned it before pointing down the hall and toward the right.  “This way.  We need to plan.”

With that, Arina and Grace obediently followed Eun, letting her take the lead.  Before long, they reached a hall with a door on the right side, halfway down. Grace glanced at the sign, which read ‘Mollusk Match Contestant Lounge.’

Upon entering, they were greeted with a rather modest break room with chairs, a refrigerator, and some other cooking fixtures.  Assorted magnets and decorations were stuck to the fridge as if it belonged to a busy family with kids.  Grace let out a low sigh and opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water before sitting in one of the chairs.  She was eager to earn some money and get through the round, but knew it was important to move at Eun’ pace if they wanted the best chance at victory.

Arina sat next to Grace and glanced around before taking a slow breath and sinking into the chair.  “Do we have a plan?”  She finally asked as Eun sat with a bottle of apple juice.

“Do you recall what Chul said about cheating in the casino?”  Eun promptly replied, downing some of the cold liquid before casting Arina an intent look.

Arina paused and considered the question.  What had he said?  She thought back to the explanation of match three and tried to recall.

Grace also pondered the question and shook her head after a minute of thinking.  “He didn’t mention anything about cheating.”

“Correct,” Eun said flatly.  “Considering Chul is involved, it’s with good reason.”

Grace narrowed her eyes and wiped sweat from her brow.  “Are you saying we should cheat?”

“Of course.”  Eun-ju stretched and folded one leg over the other.  “If we’re caught cheating, we might be reprimanded.  But, it’s simply not cheating if we don’t get caught,” she insisted.  “I am confident I can bolster our finances fairly fast.  Games like Black jack I can make money on for a little while, but they’ll ban me from playing after they realize I have my tricks.”

“Won’t they take our money back at that point?”  Arina reasoned.

“If one counts cards at Black Jack, they can’t take back the money you’ve already earned, and whether it’s actually cheating or not is tenuous…  Also, let’s just say I know Chul.  I know how he thinks,” Eun nearly whispered, her face contorting into a scowl.

Grace wanted to ask what her relation to Chul was, but she didn’t think that fact was overly important considering everything else happening.  “A gambler should use everything and anything to their advantage, huh?”

“Something like that,” Eun nodded.  She downed the rest of her juice before tossing it into the trash.  “If you don’t know how a game or a gamble works, they will gladly explain it to you.  I am going to take an hour to win some money and get us started on the right foot.  If you’re actually willing to follow my lead, there’s a simple task I’d like to delegate.”

Arina eagerly nodded.  “Y-- Yes!  Of course.  What do you need us to do?”

“I need you both to watch and listen.  To put it simply, I need you to be observers,” Eun began.  “Find games that pique your interest and observe as others participate.  Pay special attention to any you see other Mollusk Match contestants participating in.  We must gather intelligence and determine ways we can game the system.”

Grace thought hard, considering Eun’s ploy.  They were supposed to cheat whenever and wherever possible, as long as they didn’t get caught?  She knew it wouldn’t be nearly as easy as it seemed on the surface.  “We need to think of ways to give ourselves the most advantages on whatever gambles we choose to participate in, huh?”

Eun sighed and stood up with another nod of her head.  “There are clocks all over.  We will reconvene in this room two hours from now, at 2:15PM; is that understood?  Watch, think, and look for chinks in the casino’s armor.  Do not spend a single cent gambling without me to oversee the two of you.”

Grace winced but ultimately conceded and nodded her head.  Even if Eun appeared somewhat condescending, she knew it would do no good to cause a fuss or put up a fight.  “Understood.”

Arina followed in-suit.  “Yes; we’re putting our faith in you.”

The three girls stood and walked out of the room, heading back toward the main casino floor.  After exiting the hallway, Eun turned back toward them.  “Don’t stay glued together.  Split up, cover ground, and don’t waste time.”

Grace and Arina watched as Eun walked off.  Once she had disappeared into the crowd, Arina turned to Grace with a look of mild concern.  “Do you think we can trust her?”  She asked Grace gently.

“We’re in this game as a team.  Eun wants to win as much as we do, so there’s no point in worrying,” Grace replied, placing a reassuring hand on Arina’s shoulder.

Arina blinked and blushed, shifting her eyes away. “That’s a good point.”

As much as Grace hated the idea, she knew it would be best to split up as suggested. “ I suppose I’ll head-- err, that way,” she said as she pointed toward the right.  At the end of the hall, she saw various slot machines and other gambling devices strewn about.

Arina took a slow breath and then smiled brightly.  “Let’s do this!  We’ll cover a ton of ground and win this game!”  She exclaimed with peppiness.  Staying optimistic was one of the things she strived to be good at.

Grace nodded.  “See you in a couple of hours then…  Let’s see what we can find.”  WIth that, the girls separated and Grace made her way down the extravagant casino floor. After a couple of dozen yards, she turned back and saw Arina disappearing into the crowd as she moved animatedly. ‘I wish I had some of her energy sometimes,’ she mused before wincing upon recalling the times she involuntarily began to sluggishly, her limbs not obeying her as they should.  She quickly thought those troublesome thoughts from her mind, knowing they would do nothing to aid her.

'I need to figure out a way to help us-- to help my group.  What do I even know about gambling?’ She glanced around the room, watching as well-dressed individuals laughed and drank while gambling.  Many would cast her looks and talk not-so-disecretly.

“Oh my.  That’s the one who tried to stand up to Lucious,” an elegant woman in a red gown said dramatically, putting a hand over her mouth.

“I don’t think it did her much good,” the man next to her laughed, the woman quickly joining in and enjoying the joviality of the banter.

Grace winced, turning away from the couple.  She would simply have to expect such banter and behavior around her; there was no avoiding VIP guests being complete assholes when considering what passed as entertainment for them.

With another sigh, she approached a row of slot machines and looked them over carefully.  Many were fully mechanical, without any electronic components, whereas others had digital interfaces.  In the walled off city she grew up in, there was a single casino, along with plenty of propaganda going on about how it was a place to let loose and help stimulate the economy.  She had a passing familiarity with various card games, slot machines, roulette wheels and the like.

‘Digital would be easier to cheat patrons with, huh?’ She asked herself as she slowly walked down the row and shook her head.  If they needed money, slot machines likely weren’t their best bet.

She moved further down and found a row of-- something else.  She honestly wasn’t sure what these machines were.  The device appeared to have a lot of pegs, flippers, and moving bumpers.  Her curiosity piqued, she approached a patron from behind, staying a safe distance as she watched him put a card in the slot.  Seconds later, he turned a crank and balls began to spew up from the top and trickle down through the pegs, most missing the goal and cascading down a slide at the bottom.

Grace peered around and found a sign denoting that these were indeed, ‘pachinko’ machines, something Eun had mentioned previously.  “Pachinko, huh?”  She approached one of the machines and sat in front of it, getting a better look at the strange device’s inner machinations.  It appeared that the goal was to get balls down onto a series of circular plates near the bottom of the machine’s display.  There were three plates, with each one more difficult to reach.  On the final plate, there was a red-ringed hole that she assumed to be some type of jackpot.  To be honest, she didn’t fully understand it.  There were holes you wanted to hit to get a ‘bonus’ and otherst that would net you no money?

“Interested in pachinko?”  A man’s voice chimed from behind Grace.

Grace turned to see a well dressed bald man with a short, dark goatee.  His black suit matched the others most employees could be seen wearing.  “I suppose.  I don’t know if I’m going to play any, but I’m just scoping things out.  It doesn’t seem like a practical way to make much money,” she insisted.

“You’re right about that.  If you have the finesse, you might make some money, but there’s always a limit.  If you have a proper winning streak after many hours, you might find yourself falling behind those other contestants if they’re risking more,” the man said innocently, clasping his hands behind his back as he cast Grace a curious look.

‘What’s his deal?’ Grace mused, finding something strange about this one.  Was he leading into something?  “I have the feeling that you might have a suggestion for me.  Would that be the case?”  She asked skeptically.  It wasn’t like she had to do anything she didn’t want to; she could simply return to Eun and Arina with more information in a while.

“But, of course!”  He laughed and flashed a wide, toothy grin.  “Come right this way; I’ll show you something quite interesting.”  With that, he turned and walked off.

Grace hesitated before sighing and chasing after him.  She was led off the floor and into a hall with an elevator.  The man passed the security clearance and they ascended up a single floor before stepping out into a smaller, but still large and quite grand room lined with massive slot and pachinko machines.  The first shing she noticed upon stepping in was a fat, slobbish atron sitting in front of a pachinko machine with an open briefcase of cash.

“Another three packy cards,” he demanded, reaching down as he grabbed a big wad of cash.

“Right away, sir,” the nearby employee said curtly, taking the money as he shuffled off. 

How much money was that?  She saw wads of hundred dollar bills, but there was no possible way for her to see how much this man was spending on pachinko.  As she followed behind her guide, she found herself deep in contemplation.

“Perhaps you’d be interested in a machine like this,” the man escorting her said, breaking her out of her state of deep thought.

She snapped back to reality and turned to face the largest pachinko machine she had ever seen.  It was made of gleaming silver metal, with a deep purple flourish.  The ‘face’ of the machine resembled a stylized black panther, with piercing red eyes.  Her immediate thought upon seeing it was, ‘Lucious??’

“This machine pays out one-hundred percent if you hit the jackpot.  As of now, that’s $137,000 in cash,” the man said oh-so-innocently.

Grace’s eyes widened in shock.  That was several times their total money; that would certainly be a massive boon for them.  “Are you serious?”

“Oh, yes…  But, at $10 per ball, you stand to lose quite a lot if things don’t go well.  ‘The Nightstalker,’ isn’t always kind to patrons, you see.”

Grace took a deep breath and crossed her arms, staring at the intimidating pachinko machine.  “Ten bucks a ball, huh?”  She winced, but the cogs in her head were already turning.  Was there a way they could use this to get ahead?  “Mister.  Can you teach me everything you can about how you play pachinko?”  She quickly asked, staring at him with determination.

“But, of course!”  He laughed, more than happy to oblige.

Chapter 27:

Grace listened carefully as the man explained how to play pachinko.  In short, money was ‘put’ into the machine using a prepaid card.  Once done, you hit the play button and start the game.  Once done, you turn the round lever to shoot balls up through the top of the tray while controlling the speed in which they’re dispensed.  It was important to get as many balls through a hole at the tray’s bottom, which leads to a series of plates where varying levels of ‘reward’ can be earned depending on which holes the balls land in.

Getting balls into non-jackpot holes can reward you with more balls, which can be redeemed for money or spent, and also grant you spins on a slot machine displayed near the center of the tray.  All in all, Grace gleaned that the gains from anything other than the jackpot were marginal at best and likely wouldn’t be of much interest to them.  The real prize was getting a ball through the jackpot hole on the final plate, which would reward them with the entire $137,000 reward.

‘It’s likely near impossible to get a ball into that hole,’ Grace mused, leaning in close to inspect the plates.  She wasn’t an expert at pachinko by any means, but there could be something here worth investigating.  With a sigh, she looked at the attendant and asked, “Would it be okay to inspect the balls?”

The man nodded and grinned.  “Yes, just one moment,” he replied before walking away.  He returned in less than a minute, handing Grace three pachinko balls, each marked with a small red dot.  “These are identical to the balls you’ll find in each pachinko machine; the red dot merely denotes that these ones in particular can’t be redeemed.  They’re used for testing and what not.”

Grace nodded and accepted the small metal orbs, rolling them between her fingers and inspecting them closely. Dense, smooth, cool, and metallic.  What else had she expected, though?  That much was obvious.  “What are these made of, anyway?”  She half-heartedly asked while holding one up to inspect under the light.

The attendant briefly hesitated before replying, “they are made of steel.”

Steel, huh?  Did it even matter?  Grace sighed and scratched her head, leaning back as she stared up at the ceiling while deep in contemplation.  She recalled what Eun said about cheating being acceptable as long as they weren’t caught during the gamble. It seemed likely that Chul would have deliberately left holes in the defenses of some of these games, allowing intelligent and crafty contestants to exploit these flaws for great gain.  Or, maybe she was just hoping that was the case.

Ultimately, the purpose of ‘Casino Night’ wasn’t for Chul to make tons of money; it was to test the contestants and deem who was worthy of not receiving punishment.  The twelve challengers didn’t have money of their own; everything in their pockets was lent to them by the SOU government.

While there were real VIPs gambling, the casino was most likely a nice little bonus for them while the struggles of each contestant was the main course.  ‘Chul isn’t looking to make money off of us.  He’s judging us on whatever qualities he deems important.  Whatever qualities make a winner in his eyes,’ she reasoned, touching her chin as her eyebrows scrunched.

Unfortunately, most of her reasoning was pure conjecture.  All she had to work off of was her knowledge of past matches and what Eun told her about Chul.  Her working theory that many, if not all of the games had baked in methods of cheating to be exploited had no real ground to stand on.  Perhaps Eun just meant they could cheat if the opportunity arose just as it potentially would in any casino.

“Thank you.  I’ll consider playing, but for now, I need to confer with my teammates before making any decisions,” Grace said gently, offering the attendant a warm smile.

He nodded.  “Of course, Miss Grace.  The pachinko machines aren’t going anywhere, so please take your time,” he offered with a slight bow.

After taking her leave, Grace wandered the casino floor, deeply lost in thought.  She couldn’t help but contemplate everything she learned and what her next move should be.  Pachinko was one thing, but she couldn’t return to Eun with only a single item of investigation; she needed more.

She wandered by some roulette tables and nearly left before stopping in her tracks and doing a double take.  A quick glance confirmed Ruby was at one of the tables with the wheel already spun.

“Twenty-nine black,” the dealer exclaimed after the wheel stopped, resulting in cheers of victory.

Ruby looked at Grace with a wide, sly grin.  “Oh, hello!  I hope you’ve managed to make some money; you don’t want to fall too far behind,” she said innocently.

Grace winced, noticing the air of superiority surrounding Ruby.  She wished she had shown up sooner to watch her game in progress; it seemed she won, but how?  Random chance?  Was there a way to guarantee a win at roulette?  The gears in her head immediately spun.  “We’re doing just fine,” she plainly replied before looking over the roulette table, inspecting it as closely as possible without getting any closer.

“I can’t say I blame you,” the red-head laughed, brushing the soft curls from her face.  “Observing and attempting to imitate the top contenders is a valid strategy after all.  Unfortunately for you, we’re moving on.”

Grace briefly grimaced before forcing a neutral visage.  “I’m investigating all available options; you just happened to be here,” she said plainly.

“Oh, that’s good, then,” Ruby retorted. She gestured for Gina and Edith to follow, both of whom remained silent.  Gina flashed Grace an angry stare while Edith kept her eyes averted to the ground.  “For what it’s worth, you won’t learn anything.  I’d suggest giving up on the idea of winning at roulette; you don’t have what it takes to uncover the game’s secrets like I did.”  With that, she walked off with her cronies in tow.

“Kay,” Grace shrugged, offering a brief wave before turning away from them.  She had put up with too much shit to let Ruby’s haughtiness get under her skin.  When Ruby’s gang was out of sight, she closed in on the roulette table and circled around, resolving to not waste much of her time.  She figured Ruby wanted Grace to waste her time trying to uncover some hidden mechanism for victory.

“Please let me know if you have any questions,” the dealer said warmly, offering her a smile.

She nodded to him before stepping away from the table, shaking her head with a sigh.  Instead of potentially wasting her time, she decided to mention the incident to Eun; it would be best to let a gambling expert decide whether or not there was an actual trick to winning.

Arina hesitantly stood somewhere near what she assumed to be the back of the casino, though she knew there were additional floors.  She grabbed her arm nervously and looked around, trying to uphold her end of the deal.  In spite of the fact her transformation had made her more aggressive, she wasn’t immune to feeling overwhelmed; if anything, the mood swings further exhausted her.

‘I have to come back with something useful,’ she reminded herself as she clenched her jaw and let go of her arm, standing straight.

“Hello Miss Arina,” called a female voice.

Arina turned and saw a female attendant dressed in a nice black suit ensemble with a pencil skirt.  “Oh, hello.  Can I do something for you?”

“We’re here to offer assistance to all patrons,” the woman said with a smile.  “Are you having trouble deciding which games to challenge?”

Arina breathed slowly and scanned the room in front of her,  seeing multiple tables setup with VIP guests playing poker.  To the right, there were dealers hosting dice games of some kind.  “I suppose so.  We’re still working on our plan.”

“I would be more than happy to help,” she said curtly, bowing her head slightly. “Is there a particular type of game, challenge, or wager you’re seeking and not finding?”

The tanned young woman paused and pursed her lips, carefully digesting the attendant’s words.  What was she seeking?  Games that could be exploited?  She had the distinct feeling that she wasn’t nearly as well suited for this type of challenge as Grace and Eun were. “Is there anything that doesn’t require much gambling experience?  Maybe, err…”  She scratched her head and shifted her weight, trying to find the right way to articulate her thoughts.  “Anything where someone inexperienced won’t be at a severe disadvantage?”

When Casino Night started, she was brimming with confidence, driven by a fiery, almost primal sense of determination and loyalty to her team.  After separating from Grace and Eun, the unwavering flame within her gradually dwindled; she didn’t want to be the weak link in the group.

The female attendant touched her chin.  “Hmm…  I think I can help you,” she said after a moment of contemplation.  “Come with me.”

“Sure; thanks,” Arina replied as she followed the woman, lost deep in thought.  They walked down a discrete corridor, which was almost hidden in a wall amongst a sea of slot machines.  The attendant used a badge and a retinal scanner to enter through the secure door with Arina, and led her into an elevator which required the same security protocol.  With that, they stepped in and she quickly entered a series of numbers into a keypad affixed where one would normally find the floor buttons.

‘Whhhirrrr!’ The elevator softly hummed as they descended downward, adrenaline surging through Arina.  What was up with all the secrecy and high levels of security?  She had to remind herself that she had already seen the greatest depths of depravity during her time competing in Mollusk Match.  She thought of Lucious and recalled what Grace told her about the sadistic predator. ‘We’re already in hell; why am I getting worked up?’ Perhaps ‘hell’ was too strong a word.  She had met Grace here after all; there was no way an angel would wind up in such a place.

“What kind of games-- or gambles, or whatever, are on the floor we’re headed to?”  She asked cautiously, glancing toward the well-dressed woman.

“I suppose you could say that we’re headed to a floor of bets and wagers; something more in line with what you requested,” the attendant curtly replied.  “Due to the nature of these betting games and the resources they require, they are kept on one of the basement levels.”

‘One of them?’ Was this casino made specifically for Mollusk Match?  She assumed that was the case initially, but seeing how busy, massive, and intricately constructed the facility was, there was no way this facility only existed for the sake of the competition.  In all likelihood, the casino would stick around to facilitate the interests of the privileged elite who were allowed to participate without the additional caveat of competing in a series of sadistic games with their humanity on the line.

Before long, the elevator stopped and the door opened.  Rather than another hallway,  Arina stepped into a masterfully constructed  lobby-- or lounge room of some kind d, with dim lighting, leather furniture, and large monitors on the walls.  In one corner, a bartender served drinks likely more expensive than the entirety of Arina’s savings prior to getting stuck in Mollusk Match.   She cautiously stepped onto the floor and looked around, shocked by how large the space was.  The scent of smoke suddenly filled her nostrils and she put her hand over her mouth, stifling a coughing fit.

“Apologies!  Smoking is allowed here, you see,” the attendant said with a laugh.  “Please feel free to look around.  When you’d like to leave, or if you have questions, you can ask one of the attendants on this floor.”

“O-- oh, yeah, okay,” Arina stammered with a slight nod, not turning to watch her leave.  As the attendant said, clouds of cigar smoke haze clearly lingered in various spots where the dim lighting refracted.  Not knowing where to start, she approached an area with leather furniture situated before one of the monitors.  VIP guests quietly chatted while drinking and chuckling amongst themselves, occasionally turning their focus to the screen.

For the first time since arriving, it dawned on Arina to check what they were actually watching.  She sat on a lounge chair and peered up curiously.  Clearly displayed were a mixed group of men and women wearing gray tracksuits, each with a competition number tagged to their chests. They appeared to be in varying states of duress.

“Race one of ten will start in five minutes.  Please make sure your bets are in,” a bald male attendant said to the group, carrying a tray of drinks as he carefully served the patrons.

‘Racing?’ Arina mused, folding one leg over the other.  The pit in her stomach told her the ten contestants on the screen would be subjected to something utterly heinous.

“Oh??  I thought that was you!”  A familiar voice chimed as Uma stepped into view next to Arina.  “I’ve been here maybe fifteen minutes longer than you; I didn’t expect to see someone else show up,” she said with a wide grin, flopping into the chair next to her.

Arina had initially felt hostile toward Uma, but she was honestly relieved.  Having another contestant around, and one who wasn’t purely antagonistic, gave her a bit of reassurance amidst the sea of VIPs who often cast her strange looks and laughed.  “It’s good to see you,” she smiled, deciding it would serve her well to be cordial.  “Do you know what’s going on exactly?  What are these races-- we can bet on them?”

“I only learned a few minutes ago myself,” Uma replied, staring at the screen with a slight frown.  “Ten racers, ten races.  After each race, a contestant is eliminated and the next race will proceed with one less competitor.  The sadistic bast-- err, VIP guests here bet on who will win, lose, etcetera,” she sighed, putting her hands behind her head.

Arina winced, not even remotely shocked to hear that.  “What happens when they’re eliminated?”

“What else would it be?”  Uma snorted.  “They’ll turn into animal freaks-- just using a more outdated concoction than whatever they’re filling us with.  Compared to them, we have it pretty damn good.”

Arina sighed as well, her heart racing as she tried to keep her breathing under control.  She took a slow breath and looked at another monitor further down the lounge to the left; they appeared to be watching a group of contestants competing in a gameshow reminiscent of Mollusk Match’s first match. ‘They’re running multiple games at once?  Geez.’ She grimaced and shook her head, starting to feel clammy.  “Even if I wanted to place bets down here, it’s not like I can waste my group’s money without talking to them first.”  Anxiety swelled within her as she considered the depths of depravity the SOU government gladly reveled in.

“Actually, there’s a way for both of you to make money without having to ante any up yourselves,” the bald attendant said calmly, stepping over to stand before them. 

“What are you talking about?”  Arina quickly snapped with a twinge of frustration in her voice, trying to repress her mounting unease.

 “Apologies for eavesdropping, but I would like to share the details of a VVIP-sponsored deal only available to the Mollusk Match contestants.”  His visage contorted into a sly smile as he looked between the girls, with Uma simply keeping her arms crossed and flashing a bored look.  “Depending on the wager, you can make between $1000 and $10,000 a round.  All you need to bet is a small sliver of your humanity-- a drop in the bucket compared to what you experience upon losing an actual Mollusk Match game.”

END

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