Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

Zaroth didn't even wait for the sun to show itself before he went to the place where they were holding beast fights.

Surprisingly, it wasn't located in the poor places of the capital like he had expected, the opposite, in fact, it was located where the most wealthy individuals were living.

Was it because they were that confident that the emperor wouldn't find them, or was it just because the rich folk were too lazy to go out of their way far from their homes?

Shifting his gaze from the map, he saw the massive building in front of him. The first thing he noticed was that it was at least twenty floors tall.

The second thing he noticed were the big words that were carved above the entrance.

"This is a bank?!" he muttered under his breath.

A bank was holding these illegal fights?
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'Actually, it makes sense,' a moment later he realized.

If there were massive fights with a lot of rich folks watching and betting, then the organizers would have to somehow explain the vast amount of money they possessed. What better way to do that than by acting as a bank?

They surely handled a vast amount of money regularly, making it easy to disguise the wealth they had acquired through the betting.

Taking a deep breath, he entered the building.

A second later, his eyes widened in surprise. This was the most beautiful interior of a building he had ever seen.

The walls were made from beautiful dark wood, was the floor was laid with sleek black stone, and atop it rested carpets that seemed to be woven by a master.

The ceiling was unbelievably high, at least 25 meters, and from it, golden chandeliers hung that illuminated the grand room.

After he recovered from the beautiful sight, he shifted his gaze to the reception in front.

Curiously, the only person in the room was the woman behind the desk. She was dressed in a white suit.

She was alone, likely because it was late at night... but it struck him as odd that there seemed to be no security at all. This was a bank, after all—where was the security?

Shaking his head off the unnecessary thought, Zaroth approached the woman as he flashed her a smile.

"Hello, are you here to create an account with us?" the woman returned his smile with one of her own. Unlike his, hers didn't seem forced in the slightest, it was clear that she was a pro.

He would have been in a pinch if it wasn't for Elysia and the instructions she had given him. Even if he knew that there were illegal activities going on here, he had to find a way to be allowed access.

Taking a deep breath, he repeated what Elysia had told him to say.

"Actually, a bird has told me that there's something extraordinary happening here, so I just had to come and see it for myself."

This was the code to show that you knew the fights were going on here.

The woman's eyes narrowed for a split second before she asked,

"And who is that bird?"

She was basically asking who had recommended him to the place. The only way to be allowed entry is if a member of the organization had recommended you.

Zaroth didn't falter as he answered, "The one that has it all yet seeks even more."

He wasn't sure who that person was, but it was likely Elysia herself, if this was her code name—or something along those lines.

The receptionist's hand trembled a little when he mentioned the name, then she clapped with her hands.

Instantly after, one of the doors to the side opened, and an old gentleman appeared in view.

"You can speak with him about the matter," the receptionist spoke as she pointed to the old man.

Zaroth muttered a quiet thank you as he approached him.

"Entry is a thousand credits," was the first thing the old man told him once they were facing one another.

'A thousand credits?!' Zaroth felt insulted. This was ten percent of all his money, and they were asking that much just for entry?!

Of course, his emotions didn't show on his face as he paid with his bracelet.

Once he did, the old man stepped aside, allowing Zaroth to enter.

The room was pretty much empty with the only exception being a staircase that led down.

'I'm supposed to go there?' he asked himself as he took a step forward, only to be stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not forget your mask, sir," the old man spoke as he handed him a half-mask with a gem in the center.

Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he took it.

'I guess this is supposed to hide my identity?' he thought as he put it on.

"Is this your first time here?" the old man asked, and Zaroth nodded in reply.

"I see, then in short, once you go down, you will be able to witness fights live, and if you wish to, you can bet on who the winner will be. Once the fights are done, you can buy a creature if you are interested. It may be the winner of the fight or the loser. Though unless you are planning to skin them for their hide, I do not recommend you buy dead beasts," the man advised.

"I see. Thank you for the explanation," Zaroth replied as he went downstairs.

*****

"How long are these damn stairs?" he muttered quietly.

It felt like he had gone down multiple floors now, and yet there was no end in sight.

'I just hope I have enough money to buy anything,' he thought. If the entrance was so expensive, he worried that the credits Elysia had given him wouldn't be enough.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Zaroth reached the bottom of the stairs where a large metal door blocked his path.

The door didn't have a handle, so the only thing he was able to do was knock.

Once he did, a part of the door slid open and a pair of eyes from the other side studied him carefully.

A second or two later, the door opened, allowing him to enter.

Immediately, the sounds of cheers and roars reached his ears, while the stench of alcohol and blood lingered in the air.

Taking a step forward, he observed the massive room, if he even could call it that.

The ceiling was high, and it seemed that there were multiple paths that he could take.

Not really sure where he was supposed to go, he went toward where he heard the most cheers.

There were a lot of people all around—some were walking with a clear purpose, others were engaged in conversation, and some were busy drinking large amounts of alcohol. But the one thing that united them all was that every single one of them was wearing the same type of mask he had.

Zaroth spent some time wandering around, studying the interior of the place.

There were multiple small arenas present, and each one had its seats almost full as the rich onlookers were observing the fights below.

Finally finding an empty spot, he sighed as he sat down, focusing on the fight that was about to happen.

Truthfully, it felt weird. He was usually the one that fought in an arena, not the one that observed them.

"Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen!" a man shouted as he entered the arena, and the whole place became dead silent as everybody observed with interest.

"On one side, we have the Nightclaw Panther, and on the other, we have the Gorehorn Minotaur. Who will win? Place your bets now!"

Zaroth held his breath as he saw the two beasts enter the arena from opposite sides.

This was certainly going to be an interesting match.