Chapter 91

So, the ongoing game ended, and I joined in.

‘Hold’em poker, huh…’

Including me, there were four participants.

“First, let’s pay the entry fee.”

“…Alright.”

I paid the entry fee as the man said. It didn’t matter what I did anyway.

The dealer gave each of us two cards to start, but honestly, it didn’t mean much to me.

‘It’s all visible to me anyway.’

As the game progressed, one of the men spoke up.

“By the way… that guy today, he’s getting worse and worse.”

“Tell me about it. Hmm… well, since a new participant came in his place, it’s all good, right?”

Listening to their conversation, it seemed there was someone who always came to the gambling den.

“He was a lunatic anyway. Talking nonsense about being a former executive of a large clan, who would believe that?”

It’s a common story. People with nothing always want to inflate themselves.

‘…Maybe I’ll lose a bit first.’

I didn’t want to rush from the start.

Honestly, I didn’t plan to win much money, but their attitude annoyed me, so I thought I’d take some from them.

‘And… I mustn’t lose sight of my original goal.’

I didn’t come here to gamble. My goal was to find someone with connections among the people in this gambling den.

At first, Wi Ho-yeon questioned my plan to investigate by going to the gambling den, but since she trusted me and followed silently, I had to achieve something and return.

“Fold.”

“Huh… this young man has no guts.”

Seeing them laugh and scoop up the chips after I folded, if I weren’t the one losing money, I’d have been furious.

Wi Ho-yeon looked at me with trembling eyes as I lost money.

She doesn’t know my abilities, so all she sees is me losing money.

“Uh… young master… the money…”

“Hey… don’t worry, Ho-yeon. Don’t you trust me? In the end, I’ll win, that’s what I’m saying.”

Despite Wi Ho-yeon’s protests, seeing me continue to participate, the guys started smirking and talking.

“Yeah, yeah, the bodyguard shouldn’t question the master. The master is confident, right?”

‘Do they see me as a sucker?’

Well, if I were them, I’d probably see me the same way.

After all, right now, I just look like a reckless young rich guy wasting money.

As the game continued, I kept losing money, pretending to be driven by stubbornness to continue.

After several games, the gold piled up in front of them was no small amount.

They couldn’t even hide their joy anymore, their smiles reaching the sky.

Unable to stand it, Wi Ho-yeon pinched my side and whispered in my ear.

“…Lee Yun-seong. You should stop gambling…”

It seems she thinks I’m getting addicted to gambling.

It’s good that my act fooled them, but the problem is Wi Ho-yeon seems to have fallen for it too.

“The money you’ve lost so far… it’s quite a sum. We came here to investigate, not to gamble.”

Glancing at Wi Ho-yeon, she was looking at me with a stern gaze.

‘Hmm… honestly, I did enjoy it a bit…’

Actually, watching them laugh was fun, so losing some money seems to have caused a misunderstanding with Wi Ho-yeon.

“Haha… Ho-yeon. Don’t look at me with such worried eyes. There’s a method to this madness.”

“But young master…”

Seeing Wi Ho-yeon continue to worry, one of the guys spoke up with a sly face.

“Huh… young man. Actually, in gambling, it’s not just money you can bet.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hmm… I don’t know if you have more money, but if you want to continue, we can make a concession…”

“……”

The guy glanced greedily at Wi Ho-yeon and continued.

“How about betting the bodyguard for a game?”

‘Ha…’

“Huh? We’ll even raise the stakes for you.”

‘This bastard…’

Instantly, my rationality cooled. The guy had the audacity to touch my territory.

“….No, that’s enough. I have more money, so let’s continue. Just raise the stakes.”

“Are you sure? My offer is quite good…”

“Ah, forget it. Are you in or not?”

I cut him off with a disgusted expression and provoked him, making his eyebrow twitch.

“Haha… ignoring my kindness. Don’t regret it.”

Wi Ho-yeon looked at me with worried eyes, but it didn’t take long for that look to turn into shock.

As the game continued, money piled up on my side, and theirs dwindled, as expected.

The gap between me, who could see the cards, and them was impossible to bridge.

“Shit, shit…! How is this possible?!”

It’s the truth of gambling; everyone feels good when they win, but can’t control their excitement when they lose.

‘It’s not for nothing that they recommend gambling to drug addicts on Earth to quit drugs.’

How many families on Earth have been ruined by gambling?

Dreaming of striking it rich, jumping into gambling, and burning out like moths to a flame—there are always such people everywhere.

If you want to make money from gambling, run a gambling den. That’s the structure of this world; the house always wins.

‘I’ll make sure you can’t come to the gambling den from today.’

It’s absolutely not because they tried to mess with Wi Ho-yeon.

“Pfft… gambling is so easy. Ho-yeon, see? When I do it, I do it right?”

Wi Ho-yeon was also looking at the situation in disbelief.

She was staring blankly at the mountain of money piled next to me.

“Shit, shit… one more time, just one more time…!”

‘Idiots.’

Uncertainty.





Seeing them betting something solid just to win, it’s almost laughable.

They probably won’t realize that fact until the day they die.

“Hmm… I might just take the money and leave…”

“What the hell?! Where does that even exist?! Are you kidding?!”

“Hey, calm down a bit. Why are you so worked up?”

“This…!”

‘Well, I guess this is enough.’

There was no point in gambling anymore. I had already scanned the status windows of the guys in the gambling den while playing.

“Here, take the money.”

I threw the money pouch at them, and they scrambled to catch it.

“What… what?”

They probably couldn’t understand why I was giving some of their money back.

Honestly, I hadn’t planned to return it, but when I provoked them earlier, the look in their eyes convinced me.

‘…If I leave without giving it back, I’ll get stabbed.’

I won way too much money.

I had planned to win just enough, but those guys provoked me, and I ended up going overboard.

Since I returned a significant portion of what they lost, nothing should happen if I leave the gambling den now.

‘Even if I didn’t return it, Wi Ho-yeon would probably handle it, but there’s no need to cause a scene.’

Causing a scene is the last thing I want. The goal is investigation, and making a scene would defeat the purpose.

“Just take it. You’re seniors, after all. It wouldn’t be right for me to take everything.”

“Ha… haha! Y-yeah. Th-thanks.”

They left the gambling den. If they take today as a lesson and stop gambling, that’d be great, but…

‘People don’t change that easily.’

They’ll probably be back at the gambling den tomorrow.

‘If they were going to change, they would’ve done it by now.’

“Alright, Ho-yeon. Let’s head back.”

“…Huh?”

Wi Ho-yeon looked at me like she didn’t understand. From her perspective, it made no sense to go back since we hadn’t even started the investigation.

“Well… we can take it slow.”

“Ah… yes. As you wish, young master…”

As we left, I glanced at a man leaning against the wall, smoking.

He noticed me looking and briefly met my gaze.

After a quick eye contact, I walked out of the gambling den like nothing happened.

‘First… I’ll meet Yoo Ju.’

“Ugh, I can finally breathe. Why were they smoking so much… the air was terrible…”

“I agree, young master.”

Wi Ho-yeon must’ve found the air in the gambling den suffocating too.

She doesn’t smoke, so being there must’ve been torture for her.

When we got back to the inn, I saw the group gathered at a table on the first floor.

‘…Is Yoo Ju not here yet?’

We had agreed to meet back at the inn late today to report on our investigation progress.

“Ah… you’re here, Yoon Seong, Ho-yeon.”

“Yes, Jae-hyo. Did the investigation… make any progress?”

“Hmm…”

Judging by Jae-hyo and Ho-won’s reactions, it didn’t seem like they had much success.

It’s only been a day since we started the investigation, so it’d be strange if we had any results already.

“Honestly… we didn’t find out much. I don’t even know where to start with this investigation.”

Jae-hyo is one of the top fighters, but that’s only for expeditions and battles. There’s no guarantee he’d excel in something like this.

Especially since this case involves drugs and the underworld, it’s no surprise Jae-hyo and Ho-won are struggling.

Ding-dong –

The sound of the door opening caught our attention. Yoo Ju had returned.

“Ah… everyone’s already here. I’m a bit late, aren’t I? Sorry.”

“No, Yoo Ju. Ho-yeon and I just got here too.”

‘…Why does she look so happy?’

Yoo Ju’s mood seemed subtly different from usual. It’s hard to describe, but she seemed a bit excited.

‘Did she make progress?’

“Anyway… since everyone’s here, let’s discuss today’s progress.”

Jae-hyo, with a slightly self-deprecating expression, spoke to Yoo Ju.

“Well… starting with us… Ho-won and I didn’t find anything. Honestly… we don’t even know where to begin with this investigation.”

Despite having been active in this world for a while, it seems they’re feeling down about not making any progress.

Yoo Ju, sensing Jae-hyo’s frustration, comforted him.

“It’s only the first day of the investigation. It’s normal not to have any results yet, Jae-hyo.”

“…Thank you.”

“Yoo Ju, did you make any progress?”

“Ah… no. I didn’t have any results either… but there’s something I need to tell everyone.”

I thought Yoo Ju looked excited when she came in, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

‘…Then why was she so happy?’

“Actually… I had a planned route for the investigation, but there’s been a problem. This investigation might be harder than I thought. I’m really sorry to everyone… we might even have to cancel this request…”

‘…What?’

Just when we started this request, Yoo Ju seemed confident. But now, after just one day, she’s reacting like this?

‘Did something go wrong?’

It seems like something’s gone awry on Yoo Ju’s side.