Chapter 93

“… How about a game with me?”

‘… He lasted longer than I thought.’

The guy I made eye contact with yesterday. I was sure he was related to the gambling den after checking his status window.

This guy might not be Jeobi, but I’m almost certain he is.

If this is just a sample gambling den, there must be at least one guy here connected to the real place.

I responded appropriately to his words. It would be weird if I seemed too welcoming.

“Well, I don’t mind. If you want to join, just join, right?”

“That’s true… but I just wanted to ask. Some people might not like new participants joining.”

‘He’s approaching carefully.’

“By the way… is the lady next to you a bodyguard?”

‘… Look at this guy.’

Definitely a professional—his emotions flashed in his eyes for just a moment, but I caught him looking at Wi Ho-yeon with a greedy gaze.

Seems like he’s not just after my money but also evaluating Wi Ho-yeon as a potential commodity.

‘… Is he connected to the black market?’

If there’s a black market here as I suspect, and even humans or other races are being traded as slaves, it’s not unreasonable for him to eye Wi Ho-yeon.

“Yeah, she is. Why?”

The guy placed a bet and spoke up.

“Well, if you have a bodyguard, are you perhaps a young master from a noble family?”

Seems like he’s curious about my status.

“That’s why I have so much money, right? It’s all because my family is wealthy.”

As if I had immense pride in my family, the guy cautiously asked.

“Hmm… I see. Well, judging by how much money you have, are you perhaps a young master from a Count’s family?”

I had to answer his question carefully.

If he misunderstood me as being from too high a family, he might feel pressured to scam me.

‘He needs to think I’m just the right target—not too high, not too low.’

I had already thought about how to answer such questions.

“I’m Dikette Bergen, the eldest son of Baron Bergen. Not a Count’s family, but a prestigious merchant family. Not the kind of family a guy like you can talk about casually.”

“I see. So you’re a young master from a noble family. My apologies for not recognizing you earlier.”

I was worried he might back off if he thought I was from a Baron’s family, but it seems a Baron’s family is acceptable to him.

‘Or does he have a backer?’

It might just be my imagination, but I thought it was possible.

“Hmm… I lost this time.”

‘This guy…’

He was deliberately losing to me. My guess that he’s Jeobi is practically confirmed.

If he weren’t Jeobi, there’d be no reason for him to lose to me on purpose. Of course, this is the result I wanted.

After a long game, the guy had lost some money.

Of course, I was the one who won, but it was within the range he intended.

Naturally, I could have played differently since I could see his cards, but I played along with his rhythm.

That way, he wouldn’t get suspicious.

Right now, my expression was that of a beginner who got lucky and won some money.

‘Look at this guy, he’s barely holding back a smile.’

From his perspective, it seems like his plan is working, as he’s trying to hold back a grin.

‘Then I’ll make you grin even wider.’

“Kuh… I guess I’m just naturally good at gambling. Right, Yoo Ju?”

“Yes, young master.”

“It’s getting late, so I’ll come back tomorrow to win more money.”

“That’s too bad. I guess I’m not having much luck today.”

I patted the guy’s shoulder and continued.

“Well, everyone has those days. Don’t feel too down. What can you do when you’re up against me?”

The guy looked at me like I was an idiot for a moment.

‘Did I overdo it?’

Honestly, if I were him, I’d have looked at me the same way.

“Anyway, see you next time.”

Saying “next time” implied I’d be back at this gambling den.

The guy gave a slight smile and nodded.

“Sure thing.”

******

It had been about a week since I started showing my face at the gambling den regularly.

Of course, investigations like this don’t end quickly, so I knew I needed patience and time, but I was starting to get annoyed.

‘How much longer do I have to keep this up?’

Obviously, pretending to be someone else in front of others isn’t easy, so it was natural that I was stressed.

Even when I met with my companions to discuss the progress of the investigation, we still hadn’t found any major leads.

I’m not sure what problem Yoo Ju is facing, but it seems things aren’t going as she expected, as she’s also quite frustrated.

“Sigh…”

As I let out a sigh, the Jeobi guy approached me.

“Is something wrong?”

‘It’s because of you, you jerk.’

Of course, the reason I sighed was because of this guy. The lack of progress made me wonder if I had taken a wrong turn.

‘Damn it…’

“No… it’s nothing.”

“Hmm… Are you perhaps not enjoying gambling anymore…?”

‘Wait, is this it?’

He seemed worried that I might lose interest in the gambling den and leave.

If he’s really planning to slowly reel me in, then me losing interest and leaving would be the worst outcome for him.

‘Right, if you think about sunk costs… if you’re really Jeobi, can you just let me go like this?’

From his perspective, he wouldn’t want to lose someone who spends money lavishly, has a pretty bodyguard, and seems like an empty-headed fool.

They probably have quotas to meet, and the bigger the fish they catch, the better their performance.





If that guy hadn’t caught me, it would have been a total bust, but in the current situation, I thought it was worth taking a gamble.

“Hmm… It feels like something’s missing. It’s fun, sure, but…”

As I blurted out that I no longer had much attachment to the gambling den and seemed to have lost interest, the guy stayed silent for a while before cautiously opening his mouth.

“….. Well, then.”

“Huh?”

“… What if there’s a more exciting place?”

‘Bingo.’

It felt like I was getting rewarded for all the nonsense I’d been through so far.

That guy’s words were enough to bring me joy.

“A more exciting place? Does such a place exist?”

Unable to hide my excitement, I answered his words with a question, and I could see the corners of his mouth rising.

He probably thought he had hooked me with my reaction.

In reality, I was genuinely excited, so I understood his reaction.

From his perspective, he probably thought of me as a golden goose.

After all, he must have seen the contract money I received from the clan and the compensation from the Hwashin Clan.

‘Anyway, based on what he said, my guess seems to be almost correct.’

For now, I focused on his words. I could express my joy later.

“That’s right. Well… It’s like a VIP zone. It’s still a gambling den, but it’s more refined, a place for noble people like you, Lord Diket. Gambling, drinks, women—it offers similar things to what’s here, but the quality is definitely different.”

“Such a place exists?”

“I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.”

“Is that so? Then where is it? I’ve been living in Silan, and I’ve never heard of such a place…”

“It’s not a place just anyone can be invited to, so it’s not well-known. If you’re okay with it, would you like to visit today?”

‘Yeah, it’s not a place just anyone can get into. Only rich idiots would go there.’

While thinking to myself, I accepted his offer.

“Sure.”

The guy nodded and opened his mouth.

“Then follow me.”

As I followed him, he slowly led us to a place out of sight of the others in the gambling den.

After passing through several corridors, what appeared before us was a passage leading underground.

It was quite well-hidden, and the presence of security suggested they took safety seriously.

A man on guard duty looked at us and spoke.

“Who are these…?”

“Ah, new guests. They’re from a noble family, so I’m personally escorting them.”

“Ah, I see.”

The guard’s eyes seemed to say, “Just another rich guy.”

Anyway, as I continued to follow Jeobi, I glanced at Wi Ho-yeon, who seemed slightly tense.

From Wi Ho-yeon’s perspective, as my bodyguard, moving to an unknown location like this probably didn’t sit well with her.

I noticed her hand subtly reaching toward her waist, as if preparing for something bad to happen.

‘Well… I’m not exactly fearless either…’

After all, there was no guarantee that following a guy wouldn’t lead to a “You’ve been kidnapped” situation.

‘But even though we’re heading underground, the passage is surprisingly well-decorated. Is it to ease our guard?’

It seemed designed to prevent people from feeling on edge while heading to the so-called VIP gambling den.

It felt like they were trying to convey that this wasn’t a dangerous place.

“We’re almost there.”

After following the guy for a while, what appeared before us was a lavishly decorated door.

*Creak—*

The guy opened the door and spoke with a smile.

“Here we are. This is Silan’s largest entertainment district. Welcome, guests.”

Even though it was underground, the scene before us was on a completely different scale from where we had just been.

For starters, there were a lot of people, and the facilities, design, and even the appearance of the people gambling were different.

‘… There’s too much to take in.’

While there were employees in suggestive outfits at the previous gambling den, the level here was even more intense.

Here and there, men were accompanied by women, and sometimes women were accompanied by men.

After checking the status windows of several people, I saw a lot of wealthy adventurers and successful businessmen.

In terms of stats, there were even people who seemed to be affiliated with large clans.

“Here, you can buy chips with cash and enjoy yourself. With chips, you can do anything. Literally anything you want. For now, you can relax in the lounge before joining any games. If you need more details, just ask at the information desk.”

“Got it.”

I answered the guy and headed to the lounge. I wasn’t planning to start gambling right away.

After all, now that I was here, I could take my time with the gambling.

‘…Huh?’

As I sat on the sofa, trying to get a feel for the place, I spotted someone I never expected to see and was completely taken aback.

‘What the…?’

The woman also seemed to notice me as she passed by, stopping in her tracks, her eyes trembling uncontrollably.

‘Why are you here?’