The Gambler's Reckoning
The thick iron door, ten centimeters of solid steel, groaned as it slid open with a heavy metallic screech.
“This is our office. Please, come inside.”
“Quite the bleak setup you’ve got here.”
It was a bunker roughly the size of the casino above. At my mocking tone, Davy replied smoothly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Our line of work can get dangerous from time to time. There’s no harm in being cautious, is there?”
Well. I wasn’t sure you could really call a room built entirely of reinforced steel and layered with multiple defensive spells an “office.”
It looked like it could withstand a direct missile strike.
“Still, I must admit I was surprised. To see through my skill in a single glance.”
“My eyes are just a little better than most people’s.”
“That’s not something you can spot just by having good eyesight.”
“You already picked my pocket once. Now you’re trying to dig up my personal information too?”
“Hahaha, I merely wanted to suggest we play another round sometime.”
“We’ll see after I watch you play.”
So you want to expose my tricks, do you?
That gambler’s spirit of his hadn’t faded one bit.
Although my Thousand Eyes had seen right through him, Davy’s sleight of hand was world-class. As the contractor of Hermes—one of the twelve Olympian gods—his dexterity was impressive enough to have earned the favor of the deity who governed deception, travel, and messages.
If the bastard had used his Blessing from the very beginning, even I might not have caught it.
“We’ve kept your chips safe for you, sir.”
“Twenty million dollars. I counted every last one.”
“Please don’t worry. Our reputation is our top priority.”
“That’s rich coming from someone who cheats at cards with player skills.”
“That’s simply part of the rules, isn’t it?”
“He never loses an argument. His tongue is smoother than oil.”
Even after I’d shaken his mentality during the card game, he’d already regained his composure. As expected of a gambler who would become famous in the future—and Hermes’s contractor.
“Sir, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but—”
“What, are you going to tell me now that not just anyone can use the Black Market?”
“Hahaha. I don’t know how you learned of the Black Market, but to use it, you need a recommender.”
“You’re right here. My recommender.”
“I’m merely a low-ranking employee. I don’t have the authority to recommend anyone to the Black Market.”
“Then hand over the twenty million dollars.”
“Haha, that would be rather difficult.”
Davy snapped his fingers.
The moment he did, players poured out from the shadows cast throughout the bunker.
“With my authority, I can only concede ten million. Please understand.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll have to make you understand with your body.”
The sword drawn from its sheath gleamed faintly as it caught the bunker’s dim lighting.
“I won’t take your life. Just be satisfied with ten million dollars.”
“How kind of you. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you understand, sir.”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant.”
I was thanking him for moving exactly as I’d expected.
The bunker door had been firmly shut. The moment it closed, a barrier had activated. It was a defensive shield so sturdy that even I would need some time to break it.
This place had just become a prison that trapped every single one of them.
I rolled my neck, cracking it loudly.
“Now I’m going to make you understand.”
“What the hell does that—”
“It means this.”
I immediately lashed out at the nearest player.
The Black Casino maintained far stricter security than an ordinary casino.
Since its customers were players, regular guards simply couldn’t handle any incidents that might occur.
The same went for the guards Davy had summoned. When I examined them with Thousand Eyes, every single one was at the Gold rank.
Just how many people did he think he could “make understand” with this kind of force?
“Guhk!”
The guard I’d grabbed by the collar let out a dry cough.
I hadn’t even used the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts, yet he’d left himself wide open and was subdued in a single strike.
“P-please, Mr. Yu Jinho, sir.”
“I knew it. You’ve already finished investigating me.”
“Your name is well-known, but you’re still only Silver rank. Do you really think you’ll be able to walk out of here alive after this?”
“Shouldn’t you be the ones worrying about whether you’ll make it out alive?”
As I answered calmly, the guard I was holding activated a skill.
Snake Slash
His arms writhed like they’d been dislocated. The guard swung the blades in both hands at bizarre angles.
Attacking even while his throat was being held. He had guts, I’d give him that.
Or maybe it was the absurdly high salary giving him courage.
Metallic scales covered his entire body.
Sparks flew through the air. The guard’s blade bounced sideways, deflected by the powerful friction and flames generated on impact.
Metal Reflection Gauntlets. Thanks to the option that reflected impact, I didn’t feel any shock at all.
“Th-this is…”
“Count yourself lucky.”
Through sparring with my guild members, I’d grown somewhat accustomed to my increased strength. If I hadn’t controlled my power properly, I might have accidentally drawn blood.
“What the—gahhhk!”
I lifted the guard I was holding by the collar into the air and hurled him to the opposite side of the room.
He flew in a perfect arc before slamming into the iron wall with a thunderous crash and collapsing, head lolling.
“I didn’t kill him. Though it probably hurts enough that he’ll wish I had.”
“……”
The other guards swallowed hard. They surrounded me with clear tension on their faces.
“You seem very confident in your own abilities.”
“You trust your fingerwork too, don’t you? Same thing.”
“Very well. Since it’s come to this, I suppose I must join the fight as well.”
Davy, who had been standing in the back, raised his staff. It was shaped like two snakes coiling around each other and rising upward—almost identical to the Caduceus, Hermes’s holy relic.
Messenger God's Blessing - Confusion
The two snakes stared directly at me.
A ringing echoed in my ears. My vision blurred and I lost my sense of balance. Even though both feet were planted firmly on the ground, the world felt like it was shaking violently.
“Subdue the customer.”
Davy’s voice boomed like it was coming through a massive speaker, amplified dozens of times over. It was a debuff on par with the curses cast by the seventy-two demons.
No—considering the ability was a Blessing, it was actually a tier above.
The guards closed in carefully. They had seen with their own eyes that ordinary attacks couldn’t penetrate the Metal Reflection Gauntlets.
That was exactly why I had deliberately let the first guard’s trick land. I wanted to show them clearly that half-hearted attacks would be useless.
I concentrated my internal energy into my right leg and stomped down on the bunker floor with all my strength.
Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts - 10th Form
White Marsh Dominance Kick
The multiple layers of barriers shook dangerously from a single kick. I read the vibrations created by the White Marsh Dominance Kick.
Even though my five senses were distorted by Hermes’s Blessing, I could still perceive them.
The essence of the Caveman had synchronized with and strengthened my Senses. My five senses, now several times more sensitive after assimilating the Caveman’s essence, combined with the Ultrasound obtained from the Big Bat’s essence, allowed me to read the vibrations perfectly.
Can’t see properly? No problem. I could simply listen to track their movements.
“Glacial Spike!”
“Wind Blade!”
They were using magic in an enclosed space. As expected, they only cast spells specialized for close-quarters combat. Did they really think they could steal my breath with this?
Thorn Missile
Thorn-like projectiles the size of a thumb shot forward. This technique was created by fusing the essences of the Thorn Boar and the Night Knight. As long as I had the will, I could generate them from any part of my body without prior preparation.
The thorns collided with the spells in midair. The spells the magic-type players had cast with confidence were all blocked by the barrage of thorns.
Brain Lightning Art - Lightning Net
I quietly raised my latent energy. The lightning that shot from my hand transformed into a net, wrapping around several guards.
“Ughhhhhh!”
“Gahhhk!”
The guards convulsed with grotesque screams. Even the magic-type players who had cast the spells moments ago were caught in the net.
“Haaaaah!”
The remaining guards charged at me desperately. Hermes’s Blessing was still scrambling my senses.
“Please don’t die.”
I adjusted my strength as I neutralized the guards. Their arms and legs might have bent in the wrong directions, but that was better than dying, wasn’t it?
“Davy Smith.”
“Wh-what the hell is this…”
“How about you cancel that pathetic blessing first before we continue this conversation?”
I clenched my right hand into a fist.
Messenger God's Blessing has been dispelled.
“I thought I was going to die.”
“How unfortunate. If I had known that, I would have held on longer.”
“No. I meant all of you.”
If I hadn’t controlled my strength, I would have had to clean up several corpses. Since I still needed to use the Black Market, spilling blood like this would be troublesome.
Davy’s face turned deathly pale as he finally understood my meaning.
“Shall we try having a proper conversation now?”
“Th-that’s still difficult. Our credibility is—”
“Your credibility was so overflowing that you cut the amount I was supposed to receive in half?”
“Sigh… I didn’t want to say this, but this facility was also designed to contain people like you.”
“You were planning to lock me up and starve me to death?”
“It’s one of our negotiation methods.”
These Black Market bastards really did love using bizarre methods to “persuade” people.
In that case, I would respond in kind.
Instead of answering Davy’s nonsense, I slowly walked toward the iron door.
“That door will not open without a specific mana pattern and key. No matter how strong you may be, sir…”
Monstrous Strength
User's Strength +600% damage applied.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out. A massive hole had been punched through the center of the multi-layered barrier-covered iron door.
Tsk. I had planned to blow the entire door away, but it only ended up with a hole.
“Right. Go on with what you were saying earlier.”
“You said you needed a Black Market recommender, correct?”
Davy bowed politely at the waist.
After a bit of commotion, I managed to obtain a letter of introduction from Davy Smith.
“Sir, I beg you—please refrain from causing any more trouble.”
“We’ll see how you behave.”
A recommender was essentially a guarantor who would vouch for my identity. There was a saying that you shouldn’t even give guarantees to friends or family. This guy had just given me his guarantee.
“Still, it was a cheap price to pay. Don’t you think?”
Davy glared at me.
“What? If you have something to say, say it.”
“It’s nothing, sir.”
“I’ll drop by often, so don’t look so sour.”
Although he had been helplessly crushed by me, Davy was still quite influential within the Black Market. I had managed to create a connection much faster than in my previous life.
Now that I had a sponsor who could prove my identity at the Black Market, all that remained was to present the card I had received from the Association President…
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
When I headed up to the surface, Davy quickly followed after me.
“Are you worried I’ll cause more trouble?”
“Not at all. I simply came out because I was concerned something might happen to you on your way, sir.”
“You really can’t be honest, can you?”
The moment we returned to the casino floor—
“Waaaaaah—!!!”
A tremendous cheer shook the entire area.
“M-manager! This is a serious problem!”
One of the guards came running in a panic and whispered something into Davy’s ear.
The person who had turned the Black Casino upside down.
“Hehehe, gambling really is such fun, isn’t it?”
Nyx had piled up a mountain of chips and was flashing a seductive smile.
Just what the hell did you do while I was gone?