"Wake up, wake up."

Liu Zheng was slapped awake by a series of rapid, stinging blows.

He opened his eyes to see Niutou's large face filling his vision.

"Big shot, you should brush your teeth after eating," he said instinctively.

"Never seen you brush yours either," Niutou retorted with an eye roll.

"Hurry up, we're running out of time."

It extended its broken horn and hooked Liu Zheng up to his feet.

"Did we get the money?" he asked while stretching his limbs.

He felt no different than before selling his flesh - perhaps the emptiness only affected him when completely butchered into an empty shell?

"Here." Bullhorse opened its mouth and spat out a wallet.

Liu Zheng picked it up and opened it to find a thick stack of bills printed with patterns he couldn't decipher.

"Where to next?" he asked.

"You still need to deliver takeout, so we can't hit the entertainment venues," Bullhorse said regretfully.

It had cooked that pot of rat-person soup specifically for tonight's activities, but this kid just wouldn't follow the usual script.

"Making money comes first," Liu Zheng comforted.

"True. Let me think what you can actually do." Bullhorse fell into deep thought.

"No boxing matches for sure - even a flyweight could knock you out with one punch," it first ruled out.

Liu Zheng didn't argue.

With his current strength and speed, he could win championship belts effortlessly in the real world.

But in this bizarre realm, he could only bully the security guards at residential compound gates.

"Smuggling's out too - I'm going on vacation in a few days, no time to find buyers."

"Treasure hunting won't work either - you clearly have no eye for quality."

Bullhorse proposed several schemes only to shoot them down one by one.

"Forget it, let's go." It strode toward a particular door.

"Going where?"

"To gamble, of course," Bullhorse replied.

-----------------

"So many people," Liu Zheng marveled at the bustling crowd in the gambling hall.

Though, there were hardly any actual humans.

Besides himself, the most humanoid creature was a demon with goat horns and a tail.

The other customers could only be described as... creatively designed.

If these things showed up in the real world, they could star in twenty or thirty horror movies with designs to spare.

Noticing Liu Zheng's scrutiny, the demon politely raised its glass in greeting.

"Don't mess with that one," Bullhorse warned.

"Is it dangerous?" Liu Zheng obediently looked away.

"Won't start fights, but it's the high roller here. If it sets eyes on you, that money won't last through one round," Bullhorse explained.

"Then why bring me to gamble?" he asked incredulously.

He thought Bullhorse had some guaranteed winning strategy.

This was it?

"Duh, besides gambling and robbery, what else makes you rich overnight?"

"Then why not just rob someone?" Liu Zheng asked seriously.

With their combat skills, robbery would be ridiculously easy.

"You want to die, I don't. But I'm not completely unprepared either."

Bullhorse opened its mouth and spat out an iron box.

Liu Zheng took it but stared at Bullhorse's large mouth instead of opening the box.

"What?" it asked irritably under his gaze.

"Just curious how much stuff you can pull out of there," Liu Zheng said.

"None of your business. Now open it," Bullhorse urged.

He opened the iron box to reveal a playing card.

Joker - the clown card. Usually two in a deck, called the big and little kings in the real world.

"Name: Lucky Joker Card"

"Type: Item"

"Quality: Fine"

"Effect: When holding this card while dressed as a jester, luck increases. Effect scales with costume authenticity."

"Can be taken out of dungeon: Yes"

The jester on the card wore blood-red lipstick with an intensely genuine smile.

"Where am I supposed to find a jester costume?" Liu Zheng said exasperated.

"Already prepared." Bullhorse shoved its hoof into its mouth, digging around until it pulled out a garish jester outfit and a multicolored fool's cap.

"You had this ready all along, didn't you?" He watched its performance with a twitching lip.

"Duh, you think I'd just throw money away?"

"Then why all that fake analysis earlier?"

"Got to follow procedure, otherwise how would you know I'm reliable?" Bullhorse shrugged.

Under its watchful eye, Liu Zheng changed into the jester costume.

The clothes were loose enough to wear over his vest.

"What about the makeup?" he pointed out the flaw.

"Easy." Bullhorse suddenly thrust its head forward, using its broken horn to slice Liu Zheng's tentacle.

Blood gushed out.

"See? Lipstick acquired," it said triumphantly.

"If we win money, I'm beating you eighty percent to death," Liu Zheng said expressionlessly.

"As long as you help me earn my retirement fund, ninety percent death is acceptable," Bullhorse replied indifferently.

"Heh." He dipped his finger in blood and painted a bright red smile on his face.

"'Lucky Joker Card' activated," the system prompt immediately sounded.

"Where should I start?" Liu Zheng asked, scanning the surroundings.

The gambling hall wasn't large but had complete facilities - all the gambling equipment he recognized was present.

Though recognition was the extent of his knowledge.

"You're a lucky jester now, so start with luck-based games obviously."

Bullhorse nudged him toward a pachinko machine.

This type of machine was distinctly Japanese in the real world, popular to baffling degrees.

Whether in Tokyo, Osaka, or even low-population Hokkaido, pachinko parlors could be found everywhere.

Especially among middle-aged and elderly men who would rush in early to claim their favorite machines, sitting all day with lunch boxes and cigarettes.

Liu Zheng had never played proper pachinko, but he'd experienced the elementary school special edition back home.

A wooden board, some nails, glass marbles, and a boss smoking on a folding stool.

He'd lost considerable pocket money to those.

"Hey you, get us some chips," Bullhorse shouted.

Soon, a half-person-high slime oozed over.

"Mushi dishi, wabi babu?" it made indistinct sounds.

"Give it the money," Bullhorse told Liu Zheng.

"How?" Liu Zheng asked.

The thing didn't exactly have hands to receive anything.

"Just throw it in," Bullhorse replied.

He let the wallet drop onto the slime's body.

The wallet slowly sank into the slime's form before disappearing entirely.

Liu Zheng noted with surprise that its body only appeared transparent.

"Guji guji, puru puru."

After more gurgling sounds, the slime wriggled away.

In its place remained a pile of mucus-covered chips.

"What did it say just now?" Liu Zheng asked while collecting chips.

"Said the casino's running a promotion today - get one thousand chips free with ten-thousand deposit," Bullhorse explained.

"Then we can't lose?"

"Dream on. Look at your chips." Bullhorse gestured with its muzzle.

Liu Zheng looked at the chips in his arms - black, red, yellow, and white chips.

Black worth 1000, red worth 100, yellow worth 10, white also worth 1000. Follow current novels on NoveI[F]ire.net

"The white ones are complimentary - can't cash them out. They only get converted if you win, you think the casino's stupid?" Bullhorse said.

"Oh." He picked up a yellow chip and tossed it into the pachinko machine's slot.