Chapter 49: Black Market (2)

Alex clenched his molars so hard they could have broken, but he had no intention of attacking. It was an obvious decision, after all—a Necromancer wasn’t a class designed for close combat. Moreover, his authority allowed for nothing but negotiation; engaging in combat required approval from higher up.

“Before you leave, I’ll ask you one last thing. Did you know from the beginning which organization I was a part of?” Alex inquired.

“I had a hunch. Though, it was more obvious than when there were two of you. The effort to appear natural was quite noticeable.” There was a time they focused too heavily on grand external designs that they missed the finer details. This had made it easier to spot traps.

“Like before, you’re adept at withdrawing just the license fee.”

“Well, as long as you guys keep falling for it like suckers, I can’t help but continue.”

It’s like being force-fed cake—you can’t help but chew if it tastes good.

“I simply acted naturally,” Jinhyuk replied with a faint smile, while Alex’s face contorted even more.

“It would be unwise to provoke us too much. While dealing with this annoying enemy takes priority, afterwards, we will seek reparation for this affair from you.”

“If by the annoying one you mean the masked guy?”

“That’s correct.”

“I wonder, at your level, what can you do about him?”

“Ha! Until just recently, you acted as if you’d never heard of him. What’s the point of saying that now?”

Alex let out a scoff, finding it absurd. But as Jinhyuk continued, Alex had to overturn all the assumptions that had underpinned his plan.

“He wore a mask engraved with runes and had contact with a major guild not long ago. Of course, you were also present.”

Alex’s eyes shook violently, and he swallowed dry saliva. Could it be? ‘Does he truly have a connection with the masked man?’ The uploaded footage had edited out parts about the mines, information that outsiders could not possibly know. ‘This means his words are true.’ Of course, there was another possibility: that the two were the same person. However, Alex could not even fathom that the masked man and Jinhyuk were one and the same.

Likewise, learning how to conquer the ‘Corridor of the Fallen Ones’ on the first floor required players to maintain level 1. Naturally, the masked man must also be level 1. However, Jinhyuk, standing right in front of him, was estimated to be level 20 from the ball held a few hours earlier. The level gap between them was a massive 19. ‘It’s impossible to close such a gap in only a few days.’ Therefore, they were different people. Alex was certain of it.

He was unaware that Jinhyuk had orchestrated all this. ‘The more poorly informed they are, the more certain they become of the information they have.’ Jinhyuk’s lips curled up. He had assumed the mine guys would also know about strategies to conquer the Corridor. They possessed a wide range of information and flashy artifacts, so they should have gathered at least fragments of the information.

However, knowledge of the existence of the Trial Tower’s underground first floor… ‘Only I in this world know that.’ An insurmountable gap in information, a privilege that only those who had enjoyed pain over a long time could attain. Alex took a deep breath.

“So, to obtain information about that person, we should endure Mr. Kang Jinhyuk’s antics to some extent, is that what you mean?”

“That’s right. And who knows? Since I’m in competition with that guy, maybe later I might provide useful information for you guys.”

“I… understand. I suppose I’ll be satisfied with that for now.”

Alex nodded reluctantly. Good. This should establish a not unpleasant relationship with them.

“Ah, and just a word of caution…”

Jinhyuk spoke lastly.

“Yes?”

“If you can’t handle just ‘Cheonyuseong’ and are already having trouble with the masked man, it would be prudent not to meddle with me. If you’re thinking of forcing information out of me with threats of assassination or torture, think again.” At least, “I’ll be much more troublesome than them.”

***

After those events, the plane sailed smoothly through the air once more. It was near evening by the time it landed at Las Vegas Airport. Alex was nowhere to be seen, and Jinhyuk switched off his concern for the man. There were more pressing matters to deal with than worrying about him. Only about four hours remained until the auction started.

‘I need to gather some starting capital first.’ He needed dollars, and a considerable amount at that. ‘I’ll need at least 200 times what I have now.’

He could ask Han Sangjin for money, but if he started digging into the source of the funds, it could lead to complications later. ‘The most fearsome government department I know is the tax office.’ Therefore, the only option was to use the money he had.

Exchanging the Korean won in his wallet amounted to just around 4,000 dollars. Of course, this wasn’t nearly enough; the minimum bid at the auction house started at 50,000 dollars. Then, “I’ll summon the world’s memory.”

Jinhyuk called up the skills he had saved. What he needed was an ability that could merge with ‘Eye of Truth.’

‘I had planned to synthesize it with a spirit-based ability later, but right now, I have no choice.’ Spirit-based abilities could mitigate side effects even when overused. On the other hand, dark attribute abilities offer great efficiency but come with the downside of potential side effects. Safety versus efficiency. It was a choice between the two, and under the current circumstances, Jinhyuk chose the latter.

[‘Eye of Truth (SS)’ is fusing with ‘Bloody Demonic Energy (S)’.]

[The fusion is successful!]

[You have acquired the skill ‘Eye of Greed (SSS)’!]

With a bright light, the two skills merged into one.

[Eye of Greed]

Difficulty of Acquisition: SSS

Description: An advanced version of ‘Eye of Truth,’ it grants immunity to all types of barriers and not only allows the user to peek into the status window of the opposition but also to interfere with their inner thoughts through ‘Shared Vision’ and ‘Mind Reading.’ However, using Bloody Demonic Energy’s nature frequently can corrupt the user’s personality, and ‘Shared Vision’ and ‘Mind Reading’ can only be activated once (the effect will last for one hour) against targets with a lower level than the caster.

Eye of Greed. Despite the risk of losing humanity from excessive use, the skill boasted an overwhelmingly powerful ability incomparable in terms of efficiency.

‘Not bad.’

Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction. Basic preparations were complete. It was time to go rake in the money. In the city of Las Vegas, where the night is more dazzling than the day.

***

At the ‘Luxor Hotel’ casino in Las Vegas, security manager David was completely overwhelmed by the sequence of events.

“Sir, the manager, he’s already lost over a million dollars.”

“We’re replacing the dealer for the fourth time, but it’s impossible to do anything.”

“There’s no problem on the security camera, and the barrier that suppresses all unique abilities and skills in the casino is functioning properly.”

Security staff reported with rigid expressions.

“What in the world is happening? Where is the trick, if it’s neither ability nor skill? Does that mean we have an inside man working with him?”

Bang! David smashed his fist onto the CCTV monitor. A customary-looking Asian guest. This man was the source of the whole commotion.

‘Coming with just 4,000 dollars and making over 100,000 dollars in an hour?’ If it was just the slot machine or roulette, it’d be unthinkable. The game was poker, a skill-based gamble where, in the end, if a sucker stays at the table long enough, the house wins.

But the Asian man survived. And more than that, he thrived.

‘Blasting his way through experienced dealers.’ He mocked as he took every big game, as if he could see through the cards on the table.

‘What kind of trick is he pulling?’ It’s not a unique ability or skill. So, there must be an insider among us. That was David’s conclusion.

“Prepare to change the dealer again. This time I’ll pick personally.”

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk was fully engaged in winning money at the poker table.

‘Damn it. Can’t lose this one. By any means, I need to win.’

‘Mind Reading’ allowed him to hear the dealer’s inner thoughts, while ‘Shared Vision’ offered a clear view of the dealer’s hand. All that remained was to bet at his leisure.

‘I can’t lose even if I wanted to.’ The casino’s barrier was no match against ‘Eye of Greed’s’ immunity. It was as if it were a skill optimized for gambling. If he had enough time, he could probably rake in money from every casino in the world.

‘Well, I’d probably end up on the blacklist next time, making that impractical.’ It didn’t matter. He only needed urgent money this one time.

“Call. I have a Two Pair of tens,” Jinhyuk slid a pile of chips forward. The dealer bit his lip, then reluctantly exposed his hand.

“…Two Pair of tens win. Congratulations.”

There was nothing the dealer could do except admit defeat once even his last resort bluff had been seen through.

“Good heavens…”

“How many dealers has he thrashed now?”

“It’s the fourth already. Damn, I’ve been in casinos for ten years and never seen anything like this. Never.”

“It seems he’s raked in quite a lot. At least a million dollars, no?”

“Insane. He’s hit the jackpot. But shouldn’t he be leaving soon? The greedy ones usually end up losing even their shirts.”

“That’s fool’s talk. That man is perfectly controlling his pace. At this rate, maybe the casino might need to shut down.”

“Hahaha! That’d be something to see.”

Observers expressed their amazement, already captivated by Jinhyuk’s dazzling skills.

Swoosh! Jinhyuk collected the chips and stacked them by color again. Another 200,000 dollars added. Yet, ‘It’s not enough.’

The wary dealers wouldn’t take the bait easily. As time passed, the bets just didn’t grow large enough. With only 30 minutes left, that’s when it happened.

“Let’s change the dealer one more time.”

A gaunt man with pale skin appeared. His face, with deep dark circles under his eyes, looked as if it only had skin draped over the bone. However, more than his grotesque appearance, it was the aura emanating from his body that was striking.

Oh, look at this? Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed. ‘They plan to use an Awakener as a dealer?’ It seemed they must have tampered with the barrier somehow to allow themselves to use abilities. He had expected the casino to pull some tricks to recover their losses…

How cute. Thinking of showing off tricks in front of ‘Eye of Greed.’

Jinhyuk pretended not to notice as he feigned ignorance.

“Let’s shuffle.”

The dealer held a new stack of cards.

Whir! A stream of magical energy began to flow from his fingertips.

[Michael Padrone activates Lv3 ‘Cunning Deception’.]

Shuffle-shuffle-shuffle!

The cards mixed rapidly. One by two, the spades and hearts flipped and turned in a frenzy.

Along with that, Jinhyuk’s eyes also began to move.

Five, six…

Finally, the shuffled deck was set in front of the dealer and Jinhyuk. However, Jinhyuk didn’t flip the cards over.

Instead, he tapped his fingers on the table, aggravating the dealer.

“Aren’t you going to check your cards?”

Eventually, the dealer cautiously asked.

“Check?”

“Yes. Don’t you need to check them before placing a bet?”

Hm.

“You’ve tampered with three skills just by what I’ve seen, so do I really need to check the cards?”

The dealer’s voice trembled thinly. It’s one thing to cheat with cards, but did they not offer proper acting training? Does your face need to give away everything when you’re hit where it hurts?

“Enough, go tell the hotel manager or security team to come down. Right now.”

As Jinhyuk uttered these commands, that’s when David appeared with a team of security personnel.

“What’s this filthy Eastern rat demanding from me? And what’s this about skills? Scams? Are you out of your mind? You should know you’ll be leaving in an ambulance today. Got that?”