The Big Score
Wait, that's not right. 'This is the perfect amount for now.' Truthfully, after installing Stulite as the figurehead boss, I'd considered opening a second illegal gambling den to run on the side. But 'It'd take too much work.' If I went that route, I'd have to monitor Stulite every single weekend and periodically drill some sense into him. The hassle wasn't worth it. My original goal had been to pull off one big score, and I'd already achieved that to a degree. No point getting greedy. Besides, now was the perfect time to make that one big score count.
Jackpotting and snatching half of Sweet Dessert's assets? That was big, sure, but it still felt small compared to what I could earn going forward. The nobles' pockets were stuffed with unimaginable wealth just for their entertainment. On top of that, they had plenty of cash ready for chip exchanges. To make the report airtight, I'd already left every liquid asset I could operate with at the tax office. Everything else had to be cleaned out.
"Alright, everyone. Take out everything you've got. Now."
I spoke in a calm, leisurely voice as I deliberately strolled through the nobles with my guard down. 'If I move too fast, they'll stall for time.' There were idiots like Pestford among them, but there were also nobles who were already racking their brains for a way out. If I acted rashly in front of those types, they'd figure out why I was in a hurry and start causing trouble to buy time for the security forces to arrive. So I had to project complete ease. 'As defenseless as possible.'
I covered one eye with the blindfold to show my vision was limited, and turned my back to them, radiating the confidence that they could take me down anytime. If some brave noble actually moved, convinced they could overpower me—
"Do you know where you are?! Do you even know who I am?! Take this!"
"I didn't say to throw punches."
Wham!
The noble kissed the floor after a direct conversation between my fist and his face. 'Two effects from this.' First, it planted the fear that resistance would end the same way. Second, it made them realize that even though we could kill them, our target was money. By showing we were resolving this as peacefully as possible despite having the power to slaughter them all, I forced the nobles to move quickly and obediently. That was exactly why I'd shown an opening on purpose.
'Everyone here can be subdued.' There was no need to worry about some hidden powerhouse. I'd already thoroughly checked for that the moment I first entered the gambling den.
Clink-clink-clink-clink. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The violent atmosphere that had frozen everyone instantly melted away, replaced by the sound of bundles of cash. I completely ignored the worthless chips that couldn't be cashed out immediately. 'They'll be useless once the place gets shut down anyway.' In this time-attack situation where the security forces could arrive at any moment, I had no intention of scraping together every last coin like it was building a mountain from dust. Just grabbing the thick stacks of cash was enough. Getting greedy and clashing with the security forces would be far more dangerous. 'Especially if there are any knight aspirants among them.'
Occasionally there were guards who still trained relentlessly while dreaming of becoming knights, so I had to avoid them at all costs. If things dragged on, the chances of getting caught increased dramatically. Speed was everything. I swept the remaining bundles of cash that hadn't been exchanged for chips into my dimensional pouch. It was a good thing Pestford had chosen such a high-quality one— no matter how much I stuffed inside, there was no end in sight.
'With this much, I can at least make the minimum preparations.'
The robbery ended there. Anything more was pointless, so I immediately left the gambling den. There was only one entrance and no emergency exits, so escape was the top priority.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
As the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little. The moment I slipped out after taking just enough, I heard the sound of security forces' footsteps in the distance. Even though their armor was mixed with iron, they ran without any heavy sound. They were clearly on a completely different level from ordinary guards.
"There it is! That's the gambling den location the tax office reported!"
"Don't let a single person out!"
Just beating up all the nobles inside would guarantee at least one rank promotion, so of course they were fired up. 'Shouldn't the security forces be paying me instead?' I delivered Pestford, knocked out Stulite so he couldn't cut ties, left the guards unconscious, and had the nobles too terrified to even think about escaping. No matter how I looked at it, I'd done 99% of the work while they were just handling the remaining 1%. Yet here I was, the one who had to run. Something was definitely wrong with this picture.
Creak-creak-creak.
While I was lost in these miscellaneous thoughts, the tree let out a pained scream, unable to bear my weight. After training at high intensity all week, my body had grown accustomed to 200kg, but other objects hadn't. Even when I tried my best to walk without making loud thuds, the weight itself never changed.
—You must never release Infinite Orbit until it fully settles into your body. No, you must not release it no matter what until I say so.
The moment I became aware of the weight, Akasa—no, my master's words immediately surfaced in my mind. He whispered it every chance he got, like brainwashing, so of course it came to mind.
'Alright, time to head out for real.'
I turned and headed straight for the inn I'd scouted beforehand. It was time for a pleasant settlement.
+++++++++++++
The first thing I did after unpacking at the inn was check my achievements.
[Righteous Thief]
You have thoroughly exposed the illegal operations of the gambling den. Furthermore, you have ensured that both those involved in the illegal activities and those who enjoyed them will face the judgment of the law. However, considering that your actions were ultimately motivated by self-interest and that most of the gambling den's funds have flowed into your own pockets, it cannot be considered purely righteous. While you did deceive villains multiple times to perform a righteous act, the fundamental motivation stemmed from personal greed. Therefore, only half of the [Righteous Thief] achievement is recognized.
Half-recognized achievements cannot take effect. We hope you will continue to perform more admirable deeds and truly become a righteous thief in the future!
'As expected, getting the full [Righteous Thief] achievement is difficult.'
I'd already guessed the result, but seeing it confirmed still left me feeling disappointed. If I'd gotten the full thing, it would've been a huge help in raising the early-game Lee Seokhyun. 'Still, I gained a lot.'
The results I'd achieved in such a short time were no joke, so there was no point moping over a missed achievement. From entering the gambling den in the early hours between Saturday and Sunday, changing disguises three times, cleaning it out, and escaping—all in less than a day. The profits I'd made were beyond imagination. I'd even obtained a high-grade dimensional pouch that was superior to the small one the Ant Cave warden used. It was an absurd haul.
"With this much money, I can probably buy about half the materials."
On top of that, I now had enough to purchase the highest-grade elixirs, allowing for a proper early-game boost. 'The only downside is I can't buy them right away.'
If I went around spending money like an idiot just because I'd earned it, I'd look like some sudden big shot and draw suspicion. Especially now that the tax office was probably hearing Pestford's complaints about being completely cleaned out. I had to be careful. 'If I were a noble, I could just say I had money at home, but as a commoner, that's not an option.'
A commoner suddenly showing up at an auction house with bundles of cash and buying everything? And at the exact moment an illegal gambling den just happened to get robbed? There was no way to avoid suspicion. 'Given how quickly the security forces moved, they must've contacted the White Blade too.'
If those guys got involved, I'd have to prove my soul was clean to show I had nothing to do with it as an academy cadet. That would put me at a disadvantage, so the most appropriate action right now to avoid suspicion was just one thing.
'Let's just prepare to go to the academy.'
Sprawling out and sleeping.
+++++++++++++
Once the first week at Mirinae Academy passed, the cadets' true natures began to show. The kids who had been quiet under the pretext of adapting gradually revealed their original personalities as they grew accustomed to the environment. Among them, the imperial family members were especially prone to this, and in this cohort, Velos was exactly that case.
Velos Velon, the fifth prince of Sceria, was someone born with a diamond spoon in his mouth and completely wrapped in a sense of entitlement. He believed most situations could be resolved with money and power, and in reality, he'd resolved many things that way. So this time as well, Velos planned to solve his problems using the generous support he'd received during his weekend visit to the empire.
'I want to receive customized sparring on a regular basis too.'
The advanced magic course with Professor Lee Hwaryeong was excellent, but he couldn't give up the true taste of close combat. However, double-majoring in martial arts was impossible since his schedule was already packed with magic classes. But that didn't mean he could give up. After thinking it over, Velos found the perfect solution to this situation.
'I can just ask a commoner.'
Even though Mirinae Academy didn't skimp on material resources for its cadets, human greed knew no bounds. The more money, the better, and commoners had fewer opportunities to handle large sums, so they would naturally be swayed. If he offered a lot of money and asked for some time on weekends for bare-handed sparring and feedback?
'They'd have no choice but to accept.'
With the mind of a seventeen-year-old, he thought there was no more meticulous plan than this. Velos immediately ran to Lee Seokhyun and made his proposal.
"What are you talking about? I've got tons of money."
It was beautifully shot down.
"Oh, now that I think about it, you said you'd give me something in exchange for that bare-handed sparring last time, right? I'll take one Forenta branch."
And right there on the spot, he even got shaken down for pocket money.
'Huh? What went wrong?'
The plan had been perfect. Was this what they called getting robbed blind? Velos suffered this indignity first thing in the morning, and everyone in S-class who witnessed it thought the same thing internally.
'Our class rep really is something else.'