“Ha ha ha ha…!”
“Ho ho ho ho!”
Gilu’s laughter echoed endlessly.
“Welcome!”
Gilu’s gatekeeper and Jeomsoi greeted the martial artist guest with respect.
The martial artist guest, Jeon-ip, spoke to Jeomsoi.
“Are there many members of the Eye Law Society gathered today?”
Jeomsoi replied with a cheeky grin, “Many are evaluating their insight, you see.”
Jeon-ip nodded and glanced at the first floor.
Typically, the first floor of Gilu, known for indulgence in drinking and singing, had a gambling area in the center.
Watching someone else gamble could be quite the entertaining activity.
The Dae-seong-ru was pretty spacious even for Gilu in the Black Dragon Castle, so it was common to see many engrossed in gambling from the center.
Among them were martial artists as well.
“Tsk tsk, what fakes they are.”
Jeon-ip mocked them and walked down to the basement.
The gatekeeper guarding one of the basement doors accepted the military currency handed by Jeon-ip, then politely bent forward to open the door.
“Damn it!”
“Uhhaha! This round is mine!”
At first glance, the games in the basement seemed no different from those on the first floor.
However, there were two differences.
“Damn! I thought today was my lucky day, but I’ve lost everything!”
“Khahaha! I may not be as skilled as you, but luck seems to favor me!”
One was that everyone gambling in this basement was a martial artist.
The other was that what piled up in the bets was not gold or silver, but military currency.
Jeon-ip surveyed the table and thought.
The Heavenly Demon Sect had its unique set of systems in place.
The Heavenly Demon Library, where numerous martial arts were gathered.
The ranks needed to browse the martial arts in the Heavenly Demon Library.
The military currency used to level up such ranks or to browse martial arts temporarily.
Among them, military currency was the driving force behind the actions of the martial artists within the Heavenly Demon Sect.
They could obtain military currency by performing their duties or accepting requests from the request office.
Military currency was a unique currency that circulated among martial artists.
Those who wished to gamble with that military currency gathered in underground gambling halls like this one.
“This place is truly the realm of real gamblers!”
Jeon-ip, a martial artist who enjoyed gambling, nodded in satisfaction.
In fact, it was quite noticeable for a martial artist to indulge in gambling.
Once a martial artist entered the game, suspicions often arose about whether they would use martial skills. If they won, they would often be accused of secretly using their martial arts, and if they lost, they’d be mocked for being unable to defeat even a common person despite mastering martial arts.
At the same time, they were forced to rely solely on physical abilities to counter others’ gambling techniques, while employing their own would make them a target of open criticism.
However, this place was different; here, martial artists could train their insight or polish their techniques through the use of dice or gambling cards.
“Tsuuup!”
Tstststststst!!
A martial artist engaged in a game of gambling mixed with some chanting to disturb the opponent’s sight.
“Ha!”
Cha cha cha cha!
Another used the tricks of the ring to confuse their opponent while mixing gambling cards.
It was a true training ground where martial skills were practiced openly, with participants providing rewards to each other while refining their martial skills with each betting round.
Practicing martial arts while gaining military currency — was there a better way to grow stronger?
Moreover, they could unleash all their abilities without any inhibition and taste the very essence of gambling.
“Truly, it’s a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone situation. How could I sever ties with the Eye Law Society or the Handcrafting Society!”
After rationalizing this to himself, Jeon-ip examined the martial artists gambling closely.
Choosing an opponent wasn’t an easy task in this underground gambling hall.
The opponent’s level, their techniques, their mastered martial arts.
There were countless factors to consider.
“Damn it!”
A martial artist suddenly stood up in frustration. The one shaking the dice in their cup chuckled while gathering military currency.
That guy looks appropriate.
The stakes seemed to match his wallet, and his martial skill level appeared to be just about manageable with his gambling skills.
“Brother Officer, let’s have a round together.”
The opponent, seemingly intent on sizing up Jeon-ip, stared at him unwaveringly.
Jeon-ip patiently awaited the opponent’s judgment.
In underground gambling, scouting out your opponent is basic etiquette.
People are naturally inclined to want to face weaker opponents while avoiding stronger ones.
The martial artist who had just won a considerable amount in the previous round seemed to regard Jeon-ip as a suitable challenge, nodding in agreement.
“Alright, how many dice shall we use?”
“Let’s go with two.”
The martial artist nodded and placed two dice into the cup.
“Today is going to be a long one.”
Jeon-ip judged that the gambling skills of the opponent in front of him were about half of his own. However, the opponent had an edge.
After all, they had just been gambling with that cup and those dice until moments ago.
Being accustomed to the gambling tools didn’t hold much importance in general gambling, as only the true masters managed such delicate control over variables.
But in this underground gambling hall, even that was a vital element.
Shhiiissh! Shhishishish!!
An eerie sound echoed, unbelievable for merely shaking a cup.
Jeon-ip calmly reinforced his focus and observed his opponent’s movements.
The opponent felt Jeon-ip’s gaze but still lowered the cup.
A scouting round.
They were simply testing Jeon-ip’s skill level without making any changes.
“Eight it is.”
“Hmm.”
Upon lifting the cup, he saw a six and a two.
After receiving military currency from the opponent, Jeon-ip held the cup and began imagining the game’s outcome.
“I’d observed that guy earlier while gambling, so I’d say I’ve scouted enough. I might as well go strong on the first round.”
While thinking so and about to shake the cup, someone behind him took a deep breath.
Jeon-ip frowned. The gambling hall was inherently noisy, and especially this underground gambling hall was chaotic with the sounds of martial arts being displayed, but that breath seemed to break the thread of concentration.
Jeon-ip sighed, circulating his inner qi to regain his focus.
Habitually glancing at his opponent’s face before shaking the cup, Jeon-ip realized the opponent’s mouth was agape, and their eyes were trembling.
They were staring elsewhere.
A gambler looking away during a game?
Curious, Jeon-ip followed suit and turned his head.
And he couldn’t help but exhale sharply.
“Eek..!”
At the entrance of the underground gambling hall stood the Heavenly Demon himself, a symbol of the supreme being of the Demon Sect, and a mark of having mastered Heavenly Demon Arts.
His jet-black hair seemed to absorb light itself.
And those red eyes seemed to stir a sense of dread in the hearts of all.
The Heavenly Demon.
Not just one, but two!
It didn’t take long for the martial artists to freeze in place upon hearing that startled gasp.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Ho ho ho ho ho!
The noise from the upper level turned faint as the underground gambling hall fell silent.
Gulp!
Someone swallowed hard.
The Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon watched the frozen martial artists, then spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he had just come out of a room with a lit lamp.
“Do not worry about me; continue with your business.”
The martial artists in the underground gambling hall fell momentarily into chaos.
However.
“J-Jonmyung!”
Someone shouted in acknowledgment, setting the tone for the atmosphere.
“Jonmyung!”
“Jonmyung!”
Jeon-ip turned his head back and squeezed his eyes shut.
‘I’m dead…!’
Gambling wasn’t prohibited in the Heavenly Demon Sect.
The transfer and trade of military currency weren’t forbidden either.
So, technically, the martial artists in the underground gambling hall weren’t doing anything wrong.
Yet, why were they sneaking around, engaging in gambling while disguising it as the Eye Law Society or the Handcrafting Society?
Because they had something to hide.
The Heavenly Demon Sect prioritized honing martial skills above all.
In such a place, revealing martial arts to gamble and losing the driving force like military currency that nurtures a martial artist’s growth?
Who would believe that such behavior respected and revered martial arts?
Though the existence of the underground gambling hall and the martial artists gambling within it may not be a problem according to the Demon Sect’s rules, it was undoubtedly conduct subject to condemnation within the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Yet here they were, gambling in the presence of the Heavenly Demon!?
Were they expected to use their mixed skills right before the Heavenly Demon?
Jeon-ip trembled at the mere thought.
The frozen expressions were not only his own; who could possibly gamble in front of the Heavenly Demon?
“Hmmm.”
The Heavenly Demon’s brow furrowed as he surveyed the hesitating martial artists. Their faces paled even further at his scowl.
Wi Seoryeon stepped forward on behalf of the Heavenly Demon.
“Having declared to obey, you’d think at least one person would act… does this mean you’re rebelling?”
The faces of the martial artists, already pale, turned utterly white. Jeon-ip’s body quaked at the sound of Wi Seoryeon’s voice behind him.
‘Ah, my life ends here!’
Rebellion!
In the Heavenly Demon Sect, to oppose the will of the Heavenly Demon meant no place among them.
Those who defied the Heavenly Demon faced only the heaviest punishments or exile!
While he didn’t know why the Heavenly Demon personally came to crack down on the underground gambling hall, there was no mistaking that the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Maiden intended to punish those within this hall.
Wi Seoryeon and Wi Ji-cheon had arrived merely to observe the martial artists gambling.
But ordinary martial artists who had only looked up to the Heavenly Demon all their lives could only imagine one intention behind the presence of the Heavenly Demon.
You shalt be shown your crimes and receive your just punishments!
“Cough…!”
Tears streamed down Jeon-ip’s face.
What mattered wasn’t the charge but the Heavenly Demon’s intent.
In the Heavenly Demon Sect, the word of the Heavenly Demon was law.
If he commanded the hands of those wretched ones to be severed, Jeon-ip would lose his hands, and if he demanded the martial skills of those who dared campaign such wicked gambling be nullified, their abilities would vanish as well.
Or perhaps, it was not just the hands that could be at risk, but their necks as well.
How could he not shed tears?
Holding back tears, Jeon-ip shook the cup.
‘If the conclusion is already decided… let me accept it stoically!’
Having come to terms with the outcome his mind had conjured, Jeon-ip moved his hands.
If he was destined to be expelled or die in the Heavenly Demon Sect after gambling, he’d like to leave a last-ditch effort.
Clank!
The underground gambling hall fell utterly silent, even the noise from above was heard clearly. In that hush, Jeon-ip’s shaking of the cup rang clear.
“Hooh.”
Jeon-ip’s shaking initiated the gamblers in the underground gambling hall to awkwardly resume their games.
Clank. Clank. Clank. Shhhhhh!
As Jeon-ip’s shaking grew increasingly flamboyant and rapid.
Because he sensed the presence of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Maiden moving behind him.
Being aware that the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Maiden were observing him naturally sent Jeon-ip’s heart racing.
Logically speaking, this was madness.
The situation was created by the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Maiden, who found these martial artists distasteful for employing martial skills to gamble.
By any interpretation, the outcome looked grim.
Wouldn’t it be better to stop even now?
Jeon-ip’s rationality whispered that, but his hands did not cease their movements.
He had no idea how to articulate the current emotions in his heart.
Was it defiance against the wrongdoing of mixing martial arts into gambling?
Or perhaps the desire to show off the skills he had honed before the Heavenly Demon, as an expression of pride?
Or maybe it was a refusal to leave any regrets on what could be his final moment?
Jeon-ip’s chaotic feelings surged forth, transmuting into action through his hands.
And as he reached a peak in his technique…
Smack!
The cup was placed atop the gambling table.
Feeling the presence of the Heavenly Demon and Heavenly Maiden behind him, Jeon-ip breathed heavily, as the opponent, appearing as dead as a doornail, stammered out.
“Seven… I bet on seven.”
With trembling hands, Jeon-ip opened the dice.
Six and three.
He had brought forth the desired sum with the desired numbers in his gaze.
Under normal circumstances, the probability of rolling the intended combination in one shake would be roughly 30%.
He succeeded in executing a challenging technique, but Jeon-ip felt nothing in his mind.
His emotions were simply in a state of overwhelm.
The opponent’s gamble commenced.
Unable to withstand the gaze of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Maiden, the opponent fumbled and dropped the dice from the cup. Jeon-ip understood their blunder. Just the presence of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Maiden behind him was enough to crumple the confidence of the opponent, blocking their breath.
With their trembling hands, the opponent barely managed to mix the dice, and Jeon-ip could read the numbers.
“Six.”
Four and two.
The Heavenly Demon and Wi Seoryeon stood silent behind, and Jeon-ip, entranced, grasped the dice and initiated the next round.
Another match went by.
Then another.
Jeon-ip felt as though he were possessed by a spirit.
“Hmmm.”
“Ho.”
Wi Seoryeon and Wi Ji-cheon merely gasped at times, simply observing the game as spectators.
Every moment full of tension as they awaited the Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon’s cold orders, or the emergence of famous troops within the Heavenly Demon Sect, or the probable immediate execution of a judgment.
Yet, time passed and nothing happened.
“Things on that side seem interesting. My lady will go check it out.”
“Do so.”
Jeon-ip was perplexed upon hearing the conversation between the two women behind him!
‘Really… did they just come to watch the gambling in the underground hall?’
As thoughts sprouted in the minds of the martial artists in the underground gambling hall, they slowly began to exhibit their true techniques.
Swish!
Shasha! Shashasha!
Upon witnessing the Heavenly Demon’s attention shift towards another game, the martial artists in the underground gambling hall began to showcase their techniques.
Whether military currency decreased or increased in front of them, their expressions remained unbothered; more and more, they started to be conscious of the Heavenly Demon!
Shhhiiish!
Boom! Clak!
The only sounds that filled the silent gambling hall were the collision and rolling noises.
Wi Seoryeon and Wi Ji-cheon traversed through the deserted underground gambling hall.
The two reappeared at Jeon-ip’s back.
“Many fascinating techniques indeed.”
“Indeed.”
At the words of the two, the underground gambling hall fell silent in an instant.
“I intended to grasp the atmosphere of the gambling hall in its entirety, however… well, I suppose I should be satisfied with merely observing the techniques.”
“I think so too. It might be better to bring in some people.”
Jeon-ip shuddered, glued to the nonsensical conversation pressing upon his senses.
He felt the weight of their gazes bore into the back of his head!
“You there, what is your name?”
Jeon-ip accidentally leaped up and shouted.
“Chun-se! Chun-se! Ch-Chun-ip here!”
“Report to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion by tomorrow morning.”
Now… what did you say?
Jeon-ip turned instinctively towards Wi Ji-cheon.
“J-Jonmyung!”
However, just as he glanced at Wi Ji-cheon, he caught a glimpse of the overwhelming aura of power emanating from him, causing him to unthinkingly respond.
Wi Ji-cheon and Wi Seoryeon exited the underground gambling hall, leaving only those words behind as if their business was concluded.
After the two Heavenly Demons departed the underground gambling hall, silence lingered for a while.
How much time passed?
The manager appeared, shaking all over.
“Th-The Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Maiden have left. Did anything happen in here?”
All the martial artists in the gambling hall turned their gazes to Jeon-ip. Jeon-ip, dazed, surveyed the surroundings and then glanced at his opponent.
The opponent met his gaze and startled, swiftly retrieved a pouch from within and hurled it onto the gambling table.
Clatter!
As the pouch opened, military currency came tumbling out.
“Take this! I have nothing to do with any of this!”
“No…!”
What do you mean, nothing?
Jeon-ip understood that the opponent was keen to avoid any connection with the Heavenly Demon who was summoning him.
However, he also shared the uncertainty and fear of what the Heavenly Demon truly meant and what might happen when he was called.
Yet to witness them attempt a clean getaway left him astounded.
“Ugh, I can’t hear it! I’m not involved in this!”
As Jeon-ip opened his mouth in disbelief, the opponent shut their ears and screamed, suddenly unleashing their lightness skill to escape.
A short silence followed.
Bang! Crash!
“Take this!”
“Just make sure it doesn’t backfire!”
All the martial artists threw their military currency into Jeon-ip’s gambling table and fled en masse.
Jeon-ip stood there with his mouth agape, dumbfounded by the vanishing martial artists at the entrance.
“Then… I guess I’ll be leaving too!”
He locked eyes with the manager, and upon seeing the fear on the manager’s face, the latter stepped back and vanished as well.
Jeon-ip looked at the heaps of military currency piled up on his gambling table and chuckled. Had he ever amassed this much military currency in life?
Just because he would be summoned to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion the next day, he gathered this much military currency.
Tomorrow… the Heavenly Demon Pavilion… summoned…
Jeon-ip felt his consciousness slipping and murmured.
“What the hell…”
And then he simply toppled over, fainting.
