Ashfall City was no longer a place where one could soak peacefully. With my new status as "The World's Biggest Creditor Blacklist Entry," we had to get out—fast—before the dragon cavalry turned us into nicely toasted crackers.
"We can't escape by land," Seraphina whispered while peeking through the inn window. "The city gates are heavily guarded by Dragon Knights. They're holding flyers with your face on them, Rian."
I took a look. "Why does this drawing look like a constipated sea monster?! This is slander!"
"Be grateful it looks bad," Elena snapped while sharpening her sword irritably. "That way they won't suspect the real you looks… well, slightly better."
"Only slightly, ma'am?"
"Shut it! We need a plan!"
Lila raised her hand. "I have an idea! Let's disguise ourselves as servants at the Dragon Gala! It's a huge party at the dragon palace tonight. Everyone wears masks, and they need lots of cooks!"
Lila's strategy made sense. The dragon palace sat right on the slope of the Volcano of Ash—the location of the Third Seal. Sneaking in as intruders would be hard, but entering as hired help? That was my specialty.
Two hours later, we were at a side gate behind the palace. I wore a white chef's uniform with a tall hat hiding my hair. Elena and Seraphina disguised themselves as drink servers, wearing dresses that made Elena grumble nonstop about being "too tight to swing a sword properly."
Lila? She smuggled herself in inside a laundry cart as a "secret mechanic assistant."
"Remember," I whispered to Elena. "Don't punch the guests even if they get handsy. We're here for information about the Seal, not a bar brawl."
"I'll try," Elena replied while crushing her silver tray slightly with her grip. "But if anyone touches my waist, this tray is going straight into their skull."
We entered the grand hall. The palace was built above a lake of lava, sealed with heat-resistant crystal glass. At the center stood a massive gambling table—The Magma Casino, where the Dragon Knight elite wasted money looted from everywhere else.
[System Alert: Regional Boss Detected.]
[Name: Duke Ignis, The Debt Collector.]
[Hobby: Calculating compound interest and collecting golden dragon scales.]
[Status: Currently winning big at the Roulette table.]
Duke Ignis was a massive man with reddish skin and curved dragon horns. He sat upon a throne made of melted gold coins.
"Bring me another drink!" Ignis barked.
Elena stepped forward with her tray, her face hidden behind a half-mask. As she poured, Ignis stared at her suspiciously.
"You're new, aren't you? I don't recall ever seeing a… knight—uh, I mean, waitress—with arms like that."
Elena froze. "I… do a lot of laundry lifting, sir."
"Hmph. Good. Now where's this chef who can make this so-called 'Food of Heaven'?"
That was my cue.
I stepped forward carrying a large platter. On it was my modified signature dish:
"Premium Fake Dragon Steak with Sweet-Spicy Lava Sauce."
In truth, it was just regular beef—but cooked using heat from my Black Pan, which had absorbed lava energy earlier.
Ignis sliced the meat and took a bite. His eyes widened.
"This flavor… this elegant burning sensation… I've only felt this once before—during a dinner with that bastard Astaroth!"
He slammed the gambling table, shattering it. "Hey, Chef! Where did you learn this seasoning?!"
Cold sweat ran down my back under the chef's hat.
"It's… a family recipe from my grandmother who lives in a cave, sir."
"Lies!" Ignis roared. "Astaroth always used the same secret sauce when he beat me at gambling a thousand years ago! And now you show up with the same taste—right when I'm tracking down his vessel?!"
Ignis yanked off my hat.
RIP!
My disguise was blown. My face—identical to the constipated monster on the flyer—was fully exposed.
"GOT YOU!" Ignis laughed cruelly. "Rian, the Demon Vessel! You dare walk straight into your debt collector's nest?!"
"Wait, Duke!" I shouted, raising my Black Pan as a shield. "Let's discuss this like family! How about replacing this month's interest payment with the steak recipe?"
"Fifteen trillion gold cannot be replaced by steak, you filthy pauper!" Ignis drew his massive dragon-bone sword.
"Guards! Capture them! Don't let even a single coin escape!"
Chaos erupted in the casino.
Elena stopped holding back—she hurled her silver tray into a guard's face, then pulled her greatsword from beneath her waitress dress (don't ask how it fit).
"LILA! NOW!" I yelled.
Lila popped out of a laundry cart in the corner.
"OKAY! SULFUR-FLAVORED SMOKE BOMB—GOOO!"
BOOOOM!
Thick yellow smoke filled the room. In the chaos, I noticed Duke Ignis wasn't chasing us—he was running toward a massive vault behind his throne.
"The Seal!" Seraphina whispered. "The Third Seal isn't in the volcano—it's inside Duke Ignis's vault!"
"Why would it be there?!"
"Because Ignis used it as loan collateral!" Seraphina snapped. "He won't release the Seal until Astaroth's debt is paid!"
We chased Ignis through a secret corridor leading to the palace's core. There, in a chamber surrounded by molten lava, stood the Third Seal.
Unlike Eira's frozen door, the Third Seal was a Giant Slot Machine made of obsidian.
"Welcome to the Third Seal," Ignis panted. "Its true name is The Seal of Greed. And there's only one way to open it: win the Jackpot using your luck."
I stared at the slot machine. "So… the fate of the world is decided by gambling?"
"Exactly!" Ignis grinned. "Astaroth sealed his power here with a wager: whoever gets three Golden Skulls wins the key. But in a thousand years—no one ever has!"
He sneered. "If you lose, your soul will be sucked into this machine as interest payment."
Elena grabbed my shoulder. "Rian, don't do this. It's a trap. We can destroy the machine."
"No, ma'am," Lila said while examining it. "This is causal magic. If we break it by force, the volcano will erupt instantly."
I stepped forward, my hands shaking. I'd never won a lottery in my life. Forget jackpots—I'd never even won detergent from a bottle cap.
"System…" I whispered. "Do you have a Luck Coin?"
[Ding!]
[Gacha: "Desperate Gambler's Luck" available.]
[Cost: 5 Gacha Tickets (all remaining tickets).]
[Warning: Failure will result in deletion of your "Secret Recipe" folder.]
"That's a huge risk!"
I pressed the gacha button in my mind.
[Rolling…]
[Congratulations! Item obtained: "Slightly Bent Ancient Coin."]
[Description: Once owned by a beggar who always won at marbles. Grants +99% luck for one spin. Side effect: intense craving for canned crackers afterward.]
I inserted the coin into the giant slot machine.
"Everyone… step back," I said, trying to look cool despite my trembling knees.
I pulled the lever with all my strength.
CLING! CLING! CLING!
The reels spun at blinding speed. Casino music echoed throughout the chamber. Duke Ignis stared wide-eyed. Elena held her breath. My Black Pan vibrated with excitement.
First reel: GOLDEN SKULL.
Ignis flinched. "Impossible! That symbol only appears once every hundred years!"
Second reel: GOLDEN SKULL.
"NO WAY!" Ignis screamed. "YOU'RE CHEATING!"
The third reel slowed…
Tick… Tick… Tick…
The Golden Skull appeared halfway—then began sliding toward a Banana.
"NO! NOT THE BANANA!" I screamed.
Suddenly, my Black Pan jumped out on its own and slammed into the side of the machine.
CRACK!
THUD!
The impact forced the reel to stop.
Third reel: GOLDEN SKULL.
[JACKPOT!!!!!!!!]
Deafening victory trumpets blasted. Millions of fake gold coins erupted from the machine, burying Duke Ignis as he screamed in despair.
From the center, a small drawer opened, revealing a blazing key shaped like fire.
[Third Seal: Successfully Unlocked.]
[Status: Astaroth's Gambling Debt has been declared PAID via Jackpot.]
I collapsed to the floor, exhausted.
"I… I'm rich?"
[System: No. Those coins are magical tokens that will disappear in 10 seconds. But your debt is cleared.]
"Well… at least I'm not being chased by debt collectors anymore."
But our victory was short-lived.
As I grabbed the flaming key, the entire chamber began to shake violently. The lava surged.
"Rian! Look!" Seraphina shouted.
The slot machine cracked apart, and a massive black shadow—shaped like a wingless dragon—emerged.
The Eternal Hunger was beginning to manifest now that its Seal had been taken.
"RUN!" Elena ordered.
We fled the collapsing palace. Duke Ignis was buried beneath his own gold, still lamenting his lost interest profits.
Outside, the sky had turned blood-red. In the distance, the Fourth Seal beneath the sea began to glow.
"Three down… one left," I muttered, clutching the burning key.
Elena looked at my hand—now bearing two marks, Ice and Fire.
"Rian… have you noticed something?"
"What?"
"Your Corruption Meter."
I opened my status window.
[Corruption Meter: 1.50%]
[Warning: 'Astaroth' personality synchronizing with your gambling habits.]
"Huh?! So gambling makes me more demonic?!"
"Seems like it," Seraphina said worriedly.
I stared at my Black Pan.
"Buddy… don't let me play slots ever again, okay?"
The pan responded with a soft ting—somehow sounding exactly like a jackpot machine.