“Hoo.”
Gambler Jang-il gasped loudly.
The newly established gambling house was exceptionally clean.
Recently, some righteous group called Nachalbang had appeared, wiping out all the black forces, causing the gambling houses to disappear and leaving him in a gloomy mood, but that feeling vanished in an instant.
“Jang-il! You’ve come!”
“Good to see you.”
A fellow gambler greeted him.
Jang-il returned the greeting and surveyed the atmosphere of the gambling house.
Very calm.
“The ambiance is quite nice. It’s fascinating.”
“I was surprised too! I heard this gambling house was created by the righteous group called Nachalbang, and maybe that’s why the facilities are so excellent!”
“Ah, so that’s how it is.”
It seemed that the Nachalbang, who wiped out the black forces, had taken over the gambling house business.
“Well, sit down! It surely feels different since it’s run by righteous folks! It’s a whole different world from what the black forces used to do!”
“Is it really that different?”
“Of course! Now we can truly focus on fair gambling.”
“Is that really true?”
“Do you not believe me!”
Originally, gambling houses frequented by the lower class had no sense of trust. They were all run by the black forces.
Would those who were busy backstabbing each other and plotting vile schemes manage a gambling house well? That was simply unrealistic.
The reason the lower class gambled in such places was simple: there were no other options.
If a private gambling house were to open, the black forces would immediately come in with blades.
So they had no choice but to frequent such lowly gambling houses, which, run by scummy black forces, were filled with scams, violence, coercion, and extortion.
As a result, many gamblers suffered undeserved pain.
A shameful life.
“Now that pain is over! Look over there! The warriors of Nachalbang do not extort, nor do they favor anyone! If they catch fake gambling, they subdue it immediately!”
At that, Jang-il looked at the warriors of Nachalbang.
Honestly, they looked just like the black forces, so he wasn’t sure, but for the time being, it seemed the gambling house was running smoothly.
“Is there really no extortion? What if someone tries to demand money?”
“Those types are all being caught, so you can rest easy. Now, let’s go for one round.”
“Alright. Let’s give it a try.”
Jang-il sat down and started to enjoy the gambling.
‘This is real.’
Just as his companion said, there was no disturbance during the gambling at all. No interruptions, and the black forces didn’t come to threaten him for money.
‘This is the first time I’ve had such a leisurely time.’
A time fully focused on gambling.
Jang-il felt like this place was paradise and continued gambling.
—
“Ha ha ha! The profits from this gambling house are pretty decent! Hey! Isn’t this bigger than our protection fee business?”
“Indeed! I didn’t think it would do this well.”
The gambling house business was booming beyond imagination.
Gambling houses were indeed lucrative enough for the black forces to fight over. But this was beyond expectations. Was it always this sweet?
“I hope it stays this way!”
“Don’t be foolish. This is just the initial special. It’s likely that people came to make up for the gap in gambling.”
That’s true.
“No. This won’t end here, Jaemi Son.”
“Hmm?”
“I sent out scouts to conduct surveys among the gamblers.”
Wait, did this guy even run surveys?
“I’ve heard our righteous business is very well received. Many gamblers say that the places run by black forces are hell, and this place is paradise. A public opinion has formed that our gambling house is exceptionally clean!”
“Is that really true…! If that opinion spreads more widely!”
“Exactly! A multitude of people will come for remote gambling! Our gambling house will grow even larger! We’ve restored the dignity of the righteous!”
“Wow!”
“Jalgu Nachal, how far ahead do you see…!”
Galbijong trembled in excitement, and a bright light radiated from his eyes. With that expression, he sang praises.
“To be honest, I was a little skeptical when you first mentioned righteousness! I had negative doubts thinking Jalgu Nachal wouldn’t be as brutal as he seems!”
What are you saying?
“But that was just my worry…! Your mention of righteousness was solely because it could make money! How could someone so cruel and wicked exist! To view the value of righteousness in terms of wealth…! I was thrilled!”
What the heck is he talking about?
“I’ll follow you from now on!”
“Yes! Just trust and follow me, Galbijong! I hold your administrative abilities in high regard!”
“I’ll do anything!”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“Pu hee hee hee!”
“Hehe… It’s great to see everyone laughing.”
The three of us celebrated the success of the gambling house with hearty laughter.
If our gambling house grows even larger and accommodates more guests, then naturally, greater profits will arise. With more money, we can expand the scale of the rooms and enhance our martial strength.
If we ride this momentum, it wouldn’t be hard to elevate the reputation of Nachalbang.
—
Our business was running smoothly, but that didn’t mean there were no issues at all. It goes without saying that all kinds of troublemakers were boiling over, and we solved those issues through violence.
“Kraah…! P-please spare me! I was wrong!”
A lowly merchant was prostrating and begging for mercy.
“Shut up!”
“Aaahhh!”
I ruthlessly beat him while he cried. I stepped on his back and struck down with a club as I inflicted violence.
This guy didn’t pay the protection fee and bragged about being under the protection of Nachalbang. Not only did he take advantage of the order we established, but he also stole authority.
People like him deserve punishment.
If we don’t harshly punish such individuals, our business will collapse from the ground up.
“Khak!”
After beating him for a while, I called for Mondo.
“Mondo! Take him away!”
“Mondo! We’re taking him away!”
Since he was from the lower class, there’s nowhere for him to complain about receiving this justified violence. We can just take him away and utilize him as labor.
That’s how you protect and run a business.
“Jaemi Son. I just got back. That cocky brat was using our name. I taught him a lesson.”
I found Jaemi Son after returning.
“Hehe, good job. We need to eliminate those types early. The same goes for me; there was a guy caught cheating at gambling, so I mediated.”
“How did you mediate?”
“I prepared so the victim could directly cut off the culprit’s wrist.”
“Perfect!”
The gambling house is like a battlefield.
If in war, inhumane methods are used, then one naturally has to pay the price. This is by no means cruel. It is only noble because it is just.
The severed wrist will be displayed in a corner of our gambling house.
“This incident will surely elevate our gambling house’s reputation further… Hehe.”
“Very good.”
For now, we don’t need to focus on expanding the business. We can just maintain tight management like this and lay the groundwork for growth.
So as I dedicated myself to Nachalbang while raking in vast sums of money, I practiced martial arts with Serin and aided Hayoung in her research.
“Haap!”
I trained rigorously to master my energy and to be able to fight while using Spirit Strike and Ghost Spirit One Sword simultaneously.
“Ha!”
I could feel my martial art level rising day by day.
With special strength added to rigorous training, there’s nothing to worry about.
“Hey! I brought the elixir!”
“Wow! You got that! Thank you, Hayoung!”
“If you have money, you can get anything.”
Hayoung handed me a small box. Inside was a small elixir. Yes, while operating the rooms, I amassed a lot of money. Naturally, some of it is mine.
“Hehe, that’s right. Just like that. With money, I can buy elixirs and enjoy.”
“Originally, sects are like that. Many warriors from the sect and clan use capital to procure and consume elixirs.”
It just changed into an elixir in this case.
“Let’s try it, Hayoung. Get it ready.”
“Okay.”
With the support of Hayoung, I consumed the elixir.
—Saaah.
It was indeed a mysterious feeling. I didn’t feel anything special, but I could sense that my inner strength had slightly increased.
“Wow! If I accumulate a bit more energy, I could use Spirit Strike three times in a row!”
“Hehe, if you apply pressure by using Spirit Strike three times consecutively, there will be almost no one able to withstand it.”
“Only among those of equal skill, of course.”
“But Geunhyeop, since you just consumed an elixir… don’t you feel a surge of power?”
What? Are you asking that again?
Anyway.
Thus passed those peaceful days.
—
In the dark mountains.
Suddenly, an ominous energy surged, causing beasts and demons to panic and stampede.
At the center of that energy stood a blue woman.
As if contemplating something, the woman stood with her arms crossed and began reciting a sinister incantation, completing her spell with unfathomable gestures.
The moment her hand touched the ground.
—Pahak!
A white hand shot up from the ground.
The hand emerged as if it were crazily trying to crawl out of hell, frantically tearing at the earth to free itself.
“Ugh, uugh…!”
Before long, an abominably grotesque corpse wriggled its way out of the ground.
“Ahh, ahh! Aaaaah!”
The corpse emitted a wretched cry as it surfaced from the earth.
If it had risen from the grave, it should have been joyous. Resurrecting a dead person is, quite literally, a miracle that would never again occur in this world.
But sadly, it was not truly resurrected.
“Ahhhhh!”
The blue woman gazed at the wailing corpse and asked, “Are you awake?”
“…”
“Shigae-seon, explain what you saw.”
The empty eyes of the corpse, referred to as Shigae-seon, turned towards the woman.
“S-Sasaennyeo…!”
Something more terrifying than death.
For a sage who wished to transcend life and become an immortal, that was truly horrific.
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