Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: Episode 77. Dancing with Summer (4)
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The dealer swallowed dryly.
Gulp. The surroundings had grown so deathly quiet that the sound rang out clearly.
"......"
River.
Finally, the last card was revealed.
At this point, it didn't matter what cards were revealed.
A pot with $372,000 on the line.
And a game already locked in with four of a kind.
No matter what hands the two held—even if they somehow made a full house—it was meaningless.
However, the absurd community cards had succeeded in one thing: igniting the crowd's madness, even if they rendered hand rankings irrelevant.
The place had become a pit of raw desire.
Amid it all, the calmest ones were Summer and Dennis.
The final betting round.
Dennis spoke in a weary voice.
"All-in."
The black chips he'd exchanged for in abundance numbered a full thousand.
The dealer raked in 827 of them.
'Aaaahhh!' 'Uwaaaah!' 'Kieeeek!' Screams erupted.
All-in! All-in!
In a single hand—the very first one—two million dollars were now at stake!
"What? All-in? I don't have that many chips."
"Then die."
"You're fucking insane, you bastard."
The shortage of exchanged chips was factored in. But no loans allowed. With so much on the line, even death wasn't an option. As Summer scowled,
Yoo Ji-tae, who had been watching, asked her,
"You confident?"
Summer turned to him, her face twisted in frustration.
Wrinkle lines furrowed her brow fiercely. She looked like a wolf pup robbed of its prey.
He peered into her eyes.
Yoo Ji-tae saw nothing there.
It meant Summer had her desires under control right now.
That, in turn, gave Yoo Ji-tae his certainty.
"Got it."
Thud.
As Yoo Ji-tae placed a single card on the table, the onlookers' eyes gleamed.
A black card etched with a familiar gold pattern. That was...?
Then, one person let out a retching sound.
"D-Dungeon Free Pass――!"
A senior dealer soon arrived to verify its authenticity. 'Stamped with the Federation's official seal. It's genuine.' The murmurs grew louder.
It was the 'Free Qualification Dungeon Conquest Privilege' Yoo Ji-tae had received during his season activities.
The onlookers scrutinized Yoo Ji-tae's face. He wasn't a famous superhuman. Some there were well-versed in the superhuman world, but none recognized him.
In other words, something he'd picked up or obtained somewhere.
A card infused with special magical mechanisms. Return it to the Federation, and you'd get not just one billion but two billion won!
"Is it worth that much?"
"Of course."
Yet Dennis showed no surprise.
Summer, on the other hand, was stunned. She knew the value of a Dungeon Free Pass.
To her, this gamble was just an extension of entertainment. But for Yoo Ji-tae to offer up a Free Qualification Dungeon Conquest Privilege card meant he trusted her that much, right?
"You didn't have to go this far......"
"It's fine. Even if we lose."
"No. We won't lose. Absolutely."
Summer clamped her mouth shut and turned her head away.
The betting was over.
"Showdown!"
Finally, the results were revealed.
Summer's hand.
As someone nearly fainted at the ridiculously low numbers,
Dennis's hand was even lower than Summer's.
Summer's victory.
Screams poured out.
"Aaaaaaaaaah――!!"
"Yaaaaaa! Are you insane―?! No K, no J, not even an 8, and you go all-in!?"
"You crazy bastards! What the hell were you thinking―!?"
Shouts washed over the underground casino like waves.
As Summer stood there dazed, still reeling from the shock, the defeated Dennis scowled and asked,
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Are you fucking crazy? How did you call my raise with that garbage? Huh!?"
At his question, the commotion died down a bit. What would she say? No, wasn't Dennis's raise the crazy one? A victory in psychological warfare? Everyone held their breath, waiting for the redhead's answer.
Summer's response was bewildered.
"Uh, uh, I just... did?"
Another round of 'Aaaah!' screams erupted.
The dealer collected the over-a-thousand chips, exchanged them for a credit card, and Yoo Ji-tae retrieved the Dungeon Free Pass. Only then did Summer seem to finally grasp her victory.
Amid the onlookers' mixed cheers and gasps of shock,
"Uwaaaaaah―!"
Summer ran to Yoo Ji-tae with the brightest smile imaginable.
"I won! I won!"
As she bounced around and wrapped her arms around his neck, he finally felt his heart pounding like it might burst. Yoo Ji-tae hugged her back like a child.
Her face, stripped of its intended composure, was filled with pure joy.
"Whoa. Fuck, I was so scared! Whoa! I almost got fucked! For real!"
"You did great."
"Did I do great!?"
"You did really great."
"Really? For real?"
"Yeah."
"Then praise me more! Hurry!"
"I'm proud of you."
"Ah, fuck! This feels so good! I'm losing it! Aaaah, sex――!"
Yoo Ji-tae held her, showering her with praise one after another, while pondering deeply.
Dennis had pushed for Summer to fold. Yet he maintained a calm expression right up until the end. That composure was utterly superhuman by normal standards.
It was the temperament of a true gambler.
But Summer had it too.
It wasn't just her 'beast heart.' She knew patience. She knew how to hide her true intentions. She knew not to back down from a bet. Regardless of the outcome, Yoo Ji-tae realized for the first time that Summer could stay calm in a real showdown.
At the center was Yoo Ji-tae's unwavering trust and support, but she was the one who pulled it off.
Tonight's gamble had been incredibly positive. This experience would linger in Summer's memories forever. No matter what future gambles came, she'd recall this moment to steady herself.
But the situation wasn't over yet.
"You motherfuckers! Stop right there!"
As they gathered their cards to leave.
Perhaps because they'd lost millions in a single hand. Suddenly, burly men in black suits rushed in with guns drawn.
There were seven of them. Yoo Ji-tae and Summer could tell at a glance they were Dennis's men.
Ten billion won. Enough to make any Harlem gang go all out.
Bang bang bang bang―!
A deafening roar of gunfire shattered the air. The underground casino's chandeliers crashed down.
"Uwaaah! These crazy bastards are at it again!"
"R-Run! Hide under the tables!"
Chaos erupted.
Gamblers jostled and tripped over each other. Tables toppled. Startled dealers pulled shotguns from somewhere to fight back, but tatatang―!! Sharp replies sent them crumpling.
Kyaaaah! A woman's shrill scream pierced the gunfire. 'Police! Call the police―!!' A hoarse shout mixed in.
In the midst of it, as Yoo Ji-tae moved,
"Yoo Ji-tae!"
Summer grabbed his arm.
It was odd.
Her face was flushed with excitement.
"Let's run away together!"
"What are you doing? Let go."
"You're my slave! You have to listen to me...!"
Then Summer started tugging his arm insistently.
Why was she acting like this? Why run now?
Then Yoo Ji-tae recalled an American drama Summer had watched with Winter around last year. Scenes of protagonists fleeing amid gunfire after underground gambling... Maybe that's what she was thinking of.
This Red Dragon hatchling suddenly felt like a little kid. All that talk of her beast heart and gambler's calm seemed comical.
Always so mature, pretending to be grown-up. Bleeding and striving so hard that he sometimes forgot.
Summer was only seventeen now.
"Hurry, hurry! Let's run...!"
With that in mind, Yoo Ji-tae decided to play along with the kid.
Dodging people and leaping over overturned tables toward the exit, the moment he opened the door, gun barrels were aimed at him.
Three right in front. Here to block their escape.
Tatata tang―!!
As rifles spat fire, Yoo Ji-tae shielded Summer, taking the bullets with his body. Over a dozen S-rank body protections absorbed the kinetic energy, bullets dropping harmlessly. He snatched a rifle, gripped it like a club, and swung.
They were thugs risking their lives for a measly two billion won. Unable to use magic in Las Vegas—Paradise, they'd set up shop here. Guns for that reason. Against a skilled superhuman fighter, they were laughable.
Clang―!
One thug's head cracked. The other two reached for triggers in shock. Then a foot flew in. Pow! Summer's side kick. Jaws shattered, heads snapped. Bodies tumbled down the stairs.
The last one, an especially huge brute, tried to block with his body. Panic in his eyes, knowing it wouldn't work. Yoo Ji-tae grabbed his throat. Gurk! His body lifted.
A casual toss backward, and the 340kg muscle pig superhuman rolled pathetically down the stairs.
"Grab them―!"
Even so, gang members fired wildly, trying to catch them.
Some even brought a truck. As the mad chase began, Summer and Yoo Ji-tae veered sharply; the truck overcorrected its drift in pursuit.
Without mana, evasion was impossible. In that moment, the truck barreled toward them.
Right in front of the casino building.
Boom!!!
A massive explosion rocked the air.
Yoo Ji-tae, holding Summer, leaped 20 meters high without mana.
"Kyahahaha! You crazy bastards―!"
Princess-carried in his arms, gazing at the inferno below, Summer laughed until she was breathless.
With that, the crisis seemed resolved. Superhuman police appeared in the distance; panicked thugs scattered.
"Oh...! Whoa, look at that...!"
But Yoo Ji-tae's landing spot was the terrace of the casino's sixth-floor ballroom.
"Wh-what are you guys!?"
"Oh my!"
A couple passionately French-kissing against the railing in champagne-fueled bliss jumped apart in surprise.
Inside, under dazzling lights, people tangled in dances. The building was well soundproofed. Whatever happened outside, they were lost in their revelry.
"Slave. Dance with me."
"What?"
"Hurry...! I'm so fucking hyped right now! If not now, we'll never dance again?"
He hesitated briefly. What kind of dance? She was that drunk on the thrill.
But conditions weren't ideal. Yoo Ji-tae in neat shirt, slacks, and shoes was fine, but Summer wore a t-shirt.
"Dress code doesn't match."
Then Summer eyed the kissing woman.
"Unni. Sorry, but can I borrow your dress?"
"Uh, wha?! What are you—!"
No thug around.
That night was utter chaos.
In the end, in the borrowed dress, Yoo Ji-tae and Summer danced under the chandelier lights. But Summer wasn't a drama heroine; even as the mood ripened, she couldn't dance.
So Yoo Ji-tae kept stepping on her feet. 'Hey, hey, stop.' Eventually, he got a bit annoyed. Then Summer burst into breathless laughter again.
It was that kind of dawn.
Until dawn broke and day came.
Laughter never stopped pouring from Summer's lips.