Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Chapter 31.
“Mmph-!”
A muffled scream burst through the tightly tied cloth.
But the one who reacted to the sound was not the savior he awaited.
Sssshhh-
Giant jointed legs stepped alternately on the wall and spider silk, approaching.
Dagger-sized protrusions on each leg scraped against the wall, each making an irritating sound.
“Ugh, ughhhhhh-!”
Then, sticky, strong spider silk tenaciously wrapped around the victim crawling on the floor.
Soon, the spider's shadow slowly fell over him, now a white cocoon.
Grrrrr-
It was the beginning of a meal.
The sound of flesh and blood being torn.
A desperate scream.
But the expressions of those watching were as calm as if they were witnessing an everyday scene.
A few frowned, but what came from their mouths were not sympathetic sighs, but jeering curses.
“Ugh, I shouldn't have looked. It’s almost mealtime.”
“You’re so squeamish. Shouldn’t you be used to it by now?”
“Can you ever get used to it? Ugh, look at the guts caught on his teeth. You could use them for jump rope.”
Despite their words of disgust, their faces were full of laughter.
The miserable end of those who boasted of being contractors.
For the gang members who lived parasitically in the shadows of the underworld, there was no greater pleasure.
“Huh?”
But their giggling was short-lived.
Their rough faces simultaneously tensed with tension.
“Huh? Hey, hey. Stop laughing.”
What broke through their damp laughter was not the dying cry of the victim being eaten.
Thump.
The sound of dress shoes from behind.
Without even confirming who it was, the gang members instinctively bowed deeply from the waist.
“Welcome, Boss!”
A stout man entered, waving his hand dismissively.
Behind him, another man followed, as quiet as a shadow.
It was a man with a large X-shaped scar etched onto his face.
The expressions of the thugs froze further.
They seemed to fear the Scarred Man far more than the man called Boss.
The Boss, perhaps aware of this, yelled displeasantly.
“You bastards, why are you still loitering here when business hours are just around the corner?”
“Y-yes, sorry.”
“Hurry up and get out?!”
The gang members vanished in a flurry.
Only then did the Boss clear his throat and turn his gaze to the spider devouring its prey at his feet.
Chik-
The Boss smiled in satisfaction as the Scarred Man lit his pipe.
“Wow, it’s gotten so damn big in just a few months. When I first got it, wasn’t it just the size of a puppy? Now it’s bigger than a bull.”
“We’ve been feeding it well, haven’t we?”
“We have….”
Tsk-
The still-lit cigarette was spat from the Boss’s plump lips.
The cigarette fell rapidly through the bars.
A small ember briefly flickered on its hard, black carapace.
In that single point of light, a shadow leaped.
The spider, its legs spread wide, slammed down onto the ground and shot up.
CRUNCH-
Though it couldn’t reach the bars they stood on, its movement, leaping a full 5 meters, was not that of a normal creature.
The Boss chuckled and patted the Scarred Man’s shoulder.
But his smile held a hint of fear rather than boldness.
‘…Damn it, it’s like a monster.’
The more we feed it,
And the more its flesh swells and its black shell gains luster…
A strange sense of discomfort, nausea, and, though he hated to admit it, terror surged.
Of course, he couldn’t show it in front of his subordinates.
The Boss smoothly changed the subject.
“So, how much food is left?”
“There’s enough for two days.”
“What? That’s all? Didn’t we get that guy from the new establishment the other day? That idiot who didn’t even know his subordinate sold him out and came running in a panic!”
“That’s included. From today, we have to give it one more each.”
The Boss grumbled softly.
“Damn it, it eats an awful lot. If we starve it, they’ll say something from over there. What are we going to do….”
The Boss’s gaze returned to the ground below.
Honestly, he was curious too.
What kind of terrifying monster was it that those busy people cherished so much?
The periodic visits to check its condition.
The need to feed it contractors primarily – it was all a mystery.
‘Well, what does it matter if I know?’
…Getting unnecessarily curious about dangerous matters only leads to bloodshed.
‘I can’t end up like Regan.’
All that mattered to him was the gold that would let him enjoy this amazing city.
The Boss turned and waved at the Scarred Man.
“Anyway, I’ll handle the negotiations with them. You just focus on managing that thing. They said they’d be visiting again soon. I’m leaving.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Left behind, the Scarred Man stared down at the ‘feeding area’ below, lost in thought.
Just then, the second meal was being dropped through the chute.
“Ughhhhh, ughhhhhh!”
Beyond the darkness, the sacrificial victim, facing glowing eyes, let out a muffled scream.
But bound at the limbs, escape was impossible, let alone resistance.
Moreover, the impact of the fall made movement even more difficult.
The spider monster slowly approached.
Watching the futile struggles, the Scarred Man nudged his subordinate standing beside him.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Boss!”
“Give me a knife.”
Taking the knife, the man closed one eye as if gauging the distance—
Wheeeeee-
Without hesitation, he threw it.
The blade, flying in a steep parabola, instantly severed the restraints binding the ‘meal’ and stuck into the ground.
It was truly ghost-like skill.
“?”
Soon, the crying stopped.
Only the sound of frantic running feet filled the space.
“B-Boss?! Is that okay….”
“Shut up.”
His yellow eyes darted around busily.
At the end of his gaze was the ‘meal’ desperately running towards the dagger.
He muttered, putting a cigarette in his mouth.
“…Yeah, this is it.”
In truth, even if they were contractors.
Unless they were of a certain high rank, they couldn’t possibly face a monster over 3 meters long with such a flimsy dagger.
Everyone present, even the man running to retrieve the dagger, knew this.
Only the Scarred Man, watching with a strange anticipation, seemed unaware.
And as expected….
“Ah, ah…”
The ‘meal’ gave up resisting.
“You have to struggle to the end. What’s the point of acting like this.”
The man, watching the dagger rolling uselessly on the ground, clicked his tongue and beckoned to another subordinate.
“Knife.”
The thrown knife again sped in a steep curve.
Just one beat before the spider’s fangs pierced the victim’s abdomen.
It precisely grazed the victim’s neck.
Grrrrrrr-
By the time the spider began its meal, the victim was already dead.
“……”
It was then that a subordinate, who had rushed over, whispered something to him.
“Bring them.”
News arrived that a contractor had visited the new establishment.
“All in.”
A brief silence fell over the table.
“Wh-what?”
“I’m betting everything.”
“Hah, you crazy….”
At those words, the opponent’s eyes darted frantically.
Once to the pile of chips stacked on the table.
Once to the cards held in each hand.
The final destination was my eyes.
A gaze that dug in relentlessly, as if trying to read something.
But it was useless.
[Operating Heart Calming Technique]
[Status ‘Calm’ is granted]
Not a single tremor could be read.
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King is flustered by the unexpected use]
“Th-this….”
The confident gaze began to waver.
The amplitude and frequency accelerated, and soon the opponent sighed as if the ground had caved in.
“…Fold.”
Charrrr—
This made it 13 consecutive wins.
I reached out and swept up the opponent’s chips.
The chips stacked on the table were about 50 gold.
A considerable sum, nearly 5,000 in Korean Won.
There were twelve spectators gathered at our table, which had become the biggest game in the establishment.
I flicked a 1-gold chip towards them and grinned.
Woooooosh- A thunderous cheer erupted.
…Of course, it was Ryan, who pretended not to know me, who had snatched the gold.
Could he really afford to lose a million won?
He smoothly hyped me up.
“God of Gamblers! He’s a God of Gamblers!”
As if hoping for more tips, people echoed him.
“A God of Gamblers has appeared!”
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King gazes at you with a very complex expression]
[Red Street Pillar cheers]
[Addict Saintess also glances around and cheers]
The game? It didn’t matter.
The opponent? It didn’t matter.
Whether dealer or customer.
Whether a hustler or an honest player.
Today, I was an invincible gambler.
[Red Street Pillar smiles with a smug expression]
And all these victories were thanks to a deal made about two hours ago.
“Pillar Servant.”
[Red Street Pillar smiles as if he knows what you’re about to say]
To find Eddie, visiting the gambling den where he disappeared was the priority.
Of course, being a mere customer was meaningless.
I needed to provoke a need to be dealt with immediately.
“Let’s make a deal here. How much?”
[He flamboyantly draws a ‘7’ twice in the air]
I paid immediately.
[‘77’ Karma is offered to the Red Street Pillar]
[Current Karma: 343]
To the Stigma etched on my collarbone, an image of a skull tossing cards and dice was added.
Simultaneously, a skill was added.
Ting—!
[Passive Skill ‘Bad Dexterity’ has been added]
[Acquired Skill: Bad Dexterity]
Rank: Rare
Type: Passive Skill
Description:
In almost all acts classified as ‘immoral,’ your hands move with uncanny dexterity.
Effect:
Grants a strong bonus to all criminal actions.
Critical Hit Chance +1%
From then on, it was smooth sailing.
Mixing the Heart Calming Technique with the Pillar Servant’s hand skills, there was no one in the neighborhood-level gambling den who could match me.
I played around with the customers before starting to fleece the dealers, and finally, the gamblers hired by the establishment stepped forward.
‘They must be the ones who fleeced Eddie’s subordinates.’
When they used sleight of hand, I countered it and took their money even faster than I did the regular customers.
In just two hours since entering.
My starting funds of about 15 gold had multiplied more than tenfold.
This side income would be extremely useful in the future.
‘Then, shall I start calling them now?’
I yawned, opening my mouth wide.
“Huuuum.”
Pretending to be tired, I got up from my seat, and a clatter was heard from a corner of the establishment.
A group of burly men rushed over.
Though they wore rather nice suits, they couldn’t hide their thug-like demeanor.
As they approached, the dealer I had been playing cards with instinctively flinched.
It seemed they had beaten him up quite a bit.
But they didn’t seem to pay any attention to the dealer.
‘Bingo.’
They were only looking at one thing.
The Knight King’s Stigma, located beneath my deliberately rolled-up sleeve.
Their eyes sparkled as if they had found treasure.
“Customer.”
“……”
“Wouldn’t you prefer to move to a better seat? Our boss would like to properly entertain you…”
The man, reciting his lines like a script, looked flustered when he saw me already standing.
I nodded readily.
“Let’s go. I was getting bored anyway.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“But first, I need to use the restroom.”
Before he could reply, I sauntered towards the restroom.
And before the other gang members could follow me in.
I handed the bag of chips to Ryan, who was waiting.
“Have fun.”
Ryan looked at me with a displeased expression, then sighed deeply.
“…Be careful.”
.
.
.
What happened afterward was entirely as expected.
They made a show of continuing the game, leaving one hustler at the table.
And soon.
The drugged drink was served, and a cigarette laced with narcotics was placed between their fingers.
After a few more rounds, the men revealed their true intentions.
“Mmm…”
“Oh my, are you feeling tired? Would you like to take a nap in the room inside?”
Their tone was polite, but their eyes held the complacency of looking at prey caught in a trap.
I blinked my heavy eyelids and leaned back in my chair.
“I suddenly feel tired… Is it travel fatigue?”
As I slumped in my seat, a smirk spread among the men.
And then-
“There, it’ll sting a little~.”
A cold sensation entered my neck.
A syringe.
I collapsed onto the table and muttered in despair.
“Y-you despicable bastards….”
.
.
.
How much time had passed?
It probably hadn’t been long.
But the dull sensation spreading beneath my skin quickly subsided, and my mind became clear again.
Ting—!
[The effect of ‘Perdian Awakening Herb’ is manifesting]
[The effects of anesthetic drugs are rapidly decreasing]
[Addict Saintess smiles]
“Move them.”
A cold command reached my ears.
I relaxed my body comfortably.
Now, it was ready.
If I just lay still, these guys would take me to Eddie themselves.