MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

In the Timber City Slums, there was currently a duo of beast and man happily roasting some flesh on a garbage-bin fire. On the side, a demon was frowning in obvious worry.

"You okay?" Jack chuckled at his state.

"T-that…"

"Speak freely."

"There's no way that will work! As if a couple of beggars would be able to track down someone that even managed to eavesdrop on my shop!"

Jack didn't even bother replying, only grinning as he pointed in the distance. A few of the said beggars were running over, out of breath.

"B-boss! I… we found him! He's hiding at the Lucky Golden Den!" They spat out quickly, eyes filled with expectation.

"Good job." Jack praised as he flung them a few gold coins over, rising up and gesturing the shellshocked demon to follow.

The Lucky Golden Den, eh? This was such an incredibly bold move, one that surprised even him. He would have expected the man to hide in a sewer or something instead.

Nope, he had chosen to stay in public, in plain sight. Then again, it did make sense given how peculiar the place was.

Oh well, it was time for an assassination mission!

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Tough-looking bodyguards guarded enormous golden arches.

Usually, there would have been a sea of people swarming over, but now the place was relatively calm. Actually, it was a wonder why the business was still open.

A small group appeared, all wearing glowing masks. Had anyone looked closer, they would have realized that they were all made of pumpkins.

"Welcome to the Lucky Golden Den, customers! Inside awaits incredible wonders and—"

— A wild undead appeared! —

The zombie-looking creature sprinted at the men, eager to prey on their flesh. It was a grim reminder of the ongoing disaster, yet it didn't affect the men.

"Another one?! Grab the head. There's a bounty for those creatures!" Their voice was as steady as their swords.

As if they had repeated this a million times, they rushed over, stabbing the creature in all orifices, ALL! Dark blood flew all over the place, some even landing on the customers.

"Woo!" (Sticky!)

"As I was saying, customer, welcome to —" The guard's head suddenly slid off his shoulders, yet no blood came out.

"?!?" Deadly Invisible Magical Strings?!

A slim figure came forward, smiling warmly. His blue velvet suit gave him an aristocratic look, the bodyguards bowing and trembling on his passage.

< Manager Lu > was written on a golden pin on his chest.

"I apologize for my subordinate's rudeness, soiling you with vile undead blood. Worry not. It shan't happen again." He "reassured", the subordinates resisting the urge to vomit.

"Woo?!" (Wow, a magic trick!)

The head had suddenly fallen off: amazing! The little wolf was already trying to figure out how it worked, only becoming more and more puzzled. Oh well, it would ask its master later!

Said master was suddenly reconsidering his plans. As for the assassination mission….ABORT X 1000!

As long as that guy was here, there would be no way to pull it off discreetly! Heck, he'd probably be insta-killed as soon as he made a move.

"Let's head inside." The manager ordered in a sweet tone, the party following.

As soon as they went through the doors, they all felt an effect on their mana. It suddenly turned sluggish and hard to gather. Any subtle magic would become impossible to use.

Heck, this was probably why their target had come here. The sealing formation would help him quickly recover, while being masked here was nothing out of the ordinary.

They all reacted differently.

Poor Tea Demon —> About to go insane, his demeanor incredibly stiff.

Moon Moon —> Already searching for the food.

Jack —> Observing his surroundings calmly.

The Lucky Golden Den looked even more lavish on the inside than the outside. It was an old-school casino that featured everything one would have expected.

- Enough alcohol to drown the world, turning anyone into a merry spendthrift.

- Lavish and colorful gambling tables that were inviting one to squander their entire fortune.

- Explosive maids and butlers, their outfits seemingly about to burst around the chest/arms, respectively. They were akin to devils, ushering customers down the wrong path.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Their host murmured meaningfully.

He probably meant: 'See what kind of bigshot I am?'. Chances were that he had recognized Jack's demon friend, possibly knew why they were here, and would try to exploit them.

What seemed like a simple comment was meant to get the high ground in upcoming negotiations. Jack realized that much.

Still, this establishment sure was phenomenal by City standards. Heck, it would have been a perfect Casino in the olden days, back when people still drove land cars.

But, for a modern man, it simply had too many flaws.

"Yep, it's a great third-rate Casino." Jack "innocently" replied.

His tone conveyed how "impressed" he was, the manager choking for an instant. Even then, the man kept a gentlemanly appearance.

"Is that so, Customer? May you point out a few flaws for me?"

The demon held his breath as he witnessed this exchange. He could feel the veiled threat in the man's words. Slandering would be met by a fate worse than death!

There was no way anyone would be able to point out flaws here! Would they have to fight? The Boss was in a sealed state, right? Would they be fine against the crazy man?!

"The uniforms are plain, the music horrendous, the smell downright wrong, the games boring, the drinks lacking in creativity, the building uninviting, etc." Jack sighed.

"?!?"

"Woo!" (There's not enough meat!)

The little wolf raised its head as it powerfully chimed in. The meat problem was the most important and should be resolved ASAP for sure!"

"…."

The manager, who had been ready to find fault with the youngster, suddenly became speechless. Was he simply spewing bullshit, or was he serious?

Was the man hailing from the Capital? He didn't have much information on that one. He only knew about the target he was following.

"Customer, are you perhaps comparing our place to—"

"The Capital's Casinos? No, they're third-rate too. Anyway, you should have an office, right? Why are we still standing here?" Jack complained.

"F-follow me." The manager whispered. Somehow this man gave him a bizarre feeling...