Wizard's Gamble

"Cheap Galleons! Cheap Galleons...! Please, gentlemen and ladies! Anyone will do, look at my gold coins, oh dear!"

An ugly old man solicitously called to the apparitions of the wizards who had appeared there, but none of these hurried people, wearing masks or veils, paid him any attention.

That's quite normal. If someone is fooled by a fake Galleon, or even shows the slightest interest, they're basically a "fat sheep" with "fat sheep" written on their forehead, and will definitely be the focus of attention for other wizards who come looking for fun.

However, although no one paid any attention to the old man, no one went looking for trouble with him either. He had been hawking his wares here for several days, and the worst he had ever suffered was being bumped into. With a cry of "Ouch!", the old wizard immediately leaned back, lying flat on the spot, determined to extort at least 10 Galleons from that blind fool before letting him go.

Before the old wizard could even begin his performance, he saw a pale and gaunt face, devoid of any color or expression. The person's eyes were large and bulging, as if they might leap from their sockets at any moment.

The old wizard immediately shut his mouth. This wasn't because he was intimidated by Gerald's imposing presence, but because he instantly recognized the man as a desperate criminal.

Every wizard who comes here, even an old man like him who has one foot in the grave, will not forget to wear a mask to conceal his identity.

Whenever a guy shows his true face, it's either because he's drunk his enemy's compound potion and is afraid of causing trouble, or he's a madman full of resentment who's no longer afraid of entering Azkaban...

Not wanting to cause trouble for himself, the old wizard chuckled twice, wriggled back a few times, stood up, and ran away.

This unusual behavior, however, served as a reminder to Gerald. His rusty brain suddenly realized that he was drawing too much attention, so he waved his wand and conjured a mask.

Like the other wizards, Gerald walked quietly forward, following his heart, and entered a casino with a sign that read "Pippi's Pet Shop". As soon as he entered, countless noisy sounds assaulted his eardrums, and a thick, indescribable stench almost brought tears to his eyes.

The gamblers' muttered curses and maniacal laughter mingled together, a frenzied and frenzied atmosphere. A shrill voice cried out:

"The eighth match! This showdown will be between the ever-victorious venomous unicorn 'Fat Fat' and the most popular eight-eyed giant spider 'Six Six', and the rising star of the arena, uh, an adorable three-headed puppy 'Bull Bull'!"

Before the host, wearing a deformed mask, could finish speaking, a sharp, angry roar suddenly rang out from Gerald's right rear. Two wizards drew their wands and began arguing for some unknown reason. A flash of light illuminated the entire arena, and several spells flew back and forth, red and green hues dancing wildly.

The gamblers around them just shouted excitedly, as if it were all entertainment.

"Oh, gentlemen, gentlemen! Don't be so undignified!!" the host shouted. "Separate them up! If they're going to die, let them die outside the castle—hey! If you don't want me to feed Liu Liu, stop right now!"

Two burly wizards charged forward, tearing the two seemingly crazed wizards apart with spells and sheer strength. One of their masks fell to the ground, and someone in the crowd let out a gloating shout:

"It's Williams Copperpot from the Transportation Department!"

The surname sounded familiar. But Gerald had important business to attend to. He squeezed to the more crowded side and discovered that the building's interior was a completely different world. Beneath a wide pit that clearly defied architectural principles, there was a magical arena filled with an unknown liquid and emitting a foul stench.

Three young magical creatures were suspended at three different points in the arena. The announcer clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to him. Even his ugly mask couldn't hide his wicked smile.

"Is everyone ready?" he called out cheerfully. "My good regular customer, the ever-winning Mr. Yellow Cloak, which little beast would you like to bet on?"

His "humor" elicited a burst of laughter. Gerald glanced at the man in the yellow cloak, who was humbly waving his hand, clearly not intending to set an example for everyone.

"Place your bets! Place your bets!" A wizard in a top hat was already impatient. He shoved a handful of Galleons onto the table. "I'm betting on the Poisonous Horned Beast! My dear Fatty has never lost! Say thirty Galleons, thirty!"

"Don't be silly, it's only because it hasn't encountered the giant spider's venom! You'd better pray your docile, fat bastard reacts quickly, otherwise the spider will have already won before he even decides to attack!" the gray-robed wizard sneered, pointing at the giant spider in the arena. "I'm betting twenty Galleons on it!"

On the other side, a short wizard started yelling nervously, saying he "hated spiders" and "hated dogs." If people hadn't been able to vaguely see that his face beneath the mask was distorted and contorted from excessive use of dark magic, perhaps someone would have pulled out their wand to shut him up.

Overall, the number of people betting on the Venomous Horned Beast was similar to that of the Eight-Eyed Giant Spider, while the Cerberus was an extremely rare bet. There was also someone who inexplicably pulled out several Galleons to bet on the host.

No one paid any attention to the madman. As gold coins flew into the host's pocket, the spell that had been hanging the three magical creatures was broken.

The deathmatch has begun!

The laughter and jeers from the crowd noticeably increased, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the arena, hoping that their chosen beast would tear its opponent to shreds.

Actually, it's quite difficult to tell whether betting or fighting is more animalistic.

The Venomous Horned Beast is a relatively gentle magical creature, while the Eight-Eyed Giant Spider prefers to live and hunt in groups, and the Cerberus is even more so—judging by its size, it might not even be weaned yet.

Had the wizards not insisted that they fight to the death, who knows how long this contest would have dragged on. The host almost immediately drew his wand and used a whipping spell to force the three magical creatures into a state of rage and panic.

The eight-eyed giant spider moved first, rubbing its two pincers and quickly slithering back and forth across the area, making the three-headed dog whimper in fear. Spiders don't roar, but they can spray sticky webs, and after a few whooshing sounds, the three-headed dog and the venomous horned beast slowed down.

However, the size and speed of the venomous horned beast should not be underestimated. Although it is not yet an adult, when it finds its target and begins to move, both the spiders inside the arena and the wizards outside are startled by its swift movement and terrifying pounce!

The giant eight-eyed spider, its many legs twitching, leaped up in a strange posture, dodging the venomous horned beast's first attack. Its enormous black eyes gleamed, and without warning, it raised its two pincers, spitting out a stream of venom!

"Look! Cerberus has seized the opportunity to unleash its fury!" A wizard, who had been frowning the whole time and clearly had bet on Cerberus for an upset, excitedly pointed to a corner of the arena. Cerberus, its three heads swaying, charged recklessly and swiftly towards the eight-eyed giant spider!

Just as the battle was about to be decided, the light and shadow in the arena suddenly changed. All the wizards went black, and then they heard an extremely terrifying scream—a scream that was piercingly mournful and grew farther and farther away…!

With an ominous "thud," the scream turned into a groan of pain, but thankfully the person making the noise fell silent after a few seconds.

The shadows have dissipated.

Even the most reckless wizard didn't have time to complain, because the outcome of the battle was already decided.

For some reason, the bookmaker himself decided to enter the game. The host fell headfirst into the arena. He was covered in the horns of a venomous beast, his skin dripping with the venom of an eight-eyed giant spider, and a three-headed dog was biting his calves, tossing his corpse around.

There was a few seconds of silence on the field.

Then someone started clapping. Judging from their position, it must have been him who kicked the host off the stage.

Gerrard smiled stiffly:

"I won! I won!"

"The wizards will prevail!"