Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Casino (3)
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After leaving the pawnshop, we ventured deeper into the casino proper.
The space grew even more dazzling and bizarre the further in we went.
It wasn't just filled with gaming tables.
There were shops where you could exchange chips for all sorts of strange items or services, a hotel section lined with luxurious rooms, the entrance to a swimming pool with faint water sounds and blue light spilling out, and even what looked like a club blasting loud music.
This place didn't feel like a mere casino—it was like a small world unto itself.
No wonder so many people were trapped here without trying to escape.
"...Look over there."
The people moving through it were a study in extremes.
Some strutted into the club decked out in priceless jewels, while right next to them, by a pillar, a ragged man lay collapsed on the floor, begging for just a single chip.
It was a space where success and ruin coexisted in raw, naked form.
"...Kinda pitiful. Should we share some of our chips?"
Han Sora, ever the soft-hearted one, asked sadly as she looked at the fallen man.
But Seo Ji-hyun shook her head coldly.
"No. We don't know if he's just a beggar, some entity with ulterior motives, or part of a trap. Avoid unnecessary contact. Don't forget what kind of place this is."
"...She's right. Once we return, we'll report to the company, and the higher teams will rescue people like him."
The team leader nodded in agreement.
Han Sora bit her lip at Seo Ji-hyun's firm words but said nothing more.
I felt sorry for the man on the floor too, but I agreed with Seo Ji-hyun and the team leader.
In the end, we ignored him and spotted a poker table deeper inside.
All the seats were conveniently empty.
"Poker... doesn't seem bad."
Seo Ji-hyun said, eyeing the table.
"If the four of us sit down and play poker, we can avoid big losses and finish 10 rounds quickly."
"Sure..."
We took our seats at the empty table.
The dealer checked us over and began shuffling the cards.
We planned to knock out 10 rounds as fast as possible and get out.
Thud.
But just as he was about to deal, a man suddenly plopped down in the last empty seat.
Without a word, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Suddenly, we were playing a five-handed game with a stranger.
I glanced at the intruder, a twinge of unease creeping in.
Something felt like a variable had been introduced.
"Let's begin."
With the dealer's cue, the poker game started.
My teammates and I played mechanically, focused solely on burning through 10 rounds fast and leaving.
None of us were poker pros, so we awkwardly followed the dealer's instructions after getting our cards.
No reading opponents or bluffing—we had no margin for that.
But the guy who'd just joined? He was different.
"Half."
"...I'm out."
He was slick.
He handled the cards with expert finesse, bet precisely without a flicker of expression, like he could read our hands.
As rounds went on, chips flowed his way. We traded some among ourselves, but overall, we kept losing to him.
Winning wasn't our goal, so we bet small, but still, steadily losing chips wasn't pleasant.
This round, I focused on his hands.
'...Huh?'
He was cheating.
With simple but lightning-fast sleight of hand, he'd stash cards in his clothes, then swap them out while pretending to adjust his outfit or shift in his seat.
Bold as brass, breaking the casino's rules.
I could see why the dealer hadn't noticed.
His moves were too quick, and the dealer up close wasn't a pro—just some regular forced to work here.
"Hold on."
After a few more hands, Seo Ji-hyun hit the brakes first.
She set her cards down and fixed the man with an icy stare.
"You're cheating."
His face stiffened at her sharp accusation.
"What nonsense! Got proof? I'm just lucky!"
He barked, but his voice trembled faintly.
"No. Your eye movements and the way you slip cards into your clothes. It's clear cheating."
As Seo Ji-hyun countered, our table's dealer quietly pressed a button under the table.
The dealer, who'd seemed utterly emotionless till now, swallowed hard and tensed up.
At that moment, black smoke oozed from the shadows of the casino hall, coalescing into two dealers.
They wore the same uniforms as our dealer, but blank white masks covered their faces.
'...Monsters!'
I checked the map, saw two red dots approaching, and gripped my empty sheath.
The masked monsters surrounded the man in an instant.
"W-What! Get off me!"
He tried to resist, but they roughly pinned his arms.
Then they mechanically patted him down.
Moments later, one pulled several hidden cards from his sleeve and waistband, tossing them onto the table. Undeniable proof.
"Th-This is... a mistake! Just a joke, I swear!"
He pleaded desperately, but the masked monsters ignored him.
They gripped him tighter without warning and started squeezing.
Crunch, crack!
"Argh... Aaaack!"
"W-What are you...!"
His body twisted unnaturally under the monsters' strength.
His skin cracked like porcelain, then crumbled away entirely.
In his place piled a glittering heap of poker chips.
"...!"
We team members, myself included, watched the horrific scene, forgetting to breathe.
The man had turned into chips in seconds.
But the real shock came next. The ragged beggar from earlier rushed in, greedily scooping up the chips from the floor.
Others caught on and swarmed, grabbing chips too.
Even our table dealer nonchalantly kicked a few fallen chips under the table toward his pocket with his foot.
"Mine!"
"Back off!"
They didn't shove or attack—rules prevented that—but their greedy faces and gleaming eyes burned with murder.
"What the hell..."
"No way..."
The masked monsters just watched impassively, making no move to stop it. As if it were routine.
We were speechless, frozen.
The penalty for breaking rules was immediate and brutal.
And we'd seen with our own eyes the effect this casino had on people.
"..."
The dealer casually shuffled for the next hand, but none of us could bring ourselves to play.
That's when it happened.
The two masked monsters that had turned the man into chips slithered toward me.
Without warning, they clamped my arms from both sides.
"...Huh?"
I tensed reflexively but held back, unsure of their intent.
"Target: Kim Minjun. Rule violation detected."
A flat, emotionless mechanical voice emanated from behind the masks.
"Facility damage record confirmed. Initiating punishment procedure per regulations."
[Target: Kim Minjun. Rule violation detected.]
[Facility damage record confirmed. Initiating punishment procedure per regulations.]
'Facility damage? No way... the doorknob back then?'
My mind raced.
Either way, the situation was dire. They planned to turn me into chips like the cheater.
"Wait, there must be some misunderstanding..."
I tried to protest urgently, but the monsters showed no sign of listening.
They yanked my arms with immense force.
But...
The monsters froze mid-motion.
They pulled with all their might, but my body didn't budge, rooted to the floor.
I could almost sense their bewilderment behind the masks.
'No choice.'
In a pinch, I raised the sheath at my waist holding the Returning Sword.
Without hesitation, I swung it at the white mask of the monster gripping my left arm.
Thwack!
Clatter.
The sheath was heavy and solid.
With a dull thud, the mask shattered, chips bursting out like blood, and the monster collapsed into a pile without even a scream.
It too became a glittering heap of chips.
"...?"
The one on my right arm hesitated in shock.
I didn't miss the opening and swung again.
Crack!
The second monster's mask exploded, scattering chips across the floor.
"..."
It all happened in a flash.
A heavy silence blanketed the lobby once more.
I'd just turned two casino monsters into chips with nothing but my sheath—no sword even needed.
The nearby beggars picking up chips froze mid-motion, eyeing the monsters' chips warily and keeping their distance from me.
No—they started backing away.
Team leader Park Cheolwoo, Han Sora, and Seo Ji-hyun, looking somewhat accustomed now, sighed in relief.
"Phew... close one."
"Scared me... good job..."
I panted roughly, staring at the sheath in my hand.
They'd said its hardness varied by user—mine was damn sturdy.
Silence lingered a beat, then we snapped into action.
"Pick up... the chips?"
"Y-Yeah... better grab 'em quick and get outta here. Just in case."
Park team leader nodded at my question.
Seo Ji-hyun was already scooping them up before I finished speaking.