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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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“Hoo.”
The gambler, Jang-il, let out a deep sigh of admiration.
The newly established gambling den was incredibly clean.
He’d been feeling down because the gambling dens had disappeared after a righteous sect called Nachalbang showed up and swept away all the black path factions. But now, his spirits were instantly lifted.
“Jang-il! You’re here!”
“Good to see you.”
A fellow gambler came over to greet him.
Jang-il greeted him back and surveyed the atmosphere of the gambling den.
It was very peaceful.
“The atmosphere is great. Strange.”
“I was surprised too! I heard this gambling den was established by the righteous sect Nachalbang, maybe that’s why the facilities are so good!”
“Ah, so that’s what happened.”
It seemed that the Nachalbang, who wiped out the black path factions, had taken over the gambling den business.
“Have a seat! Whether it’s because it’s run by a righteous sect or not, it’s certainly different! It’s a world of difference from how the black path factions ran things!”
“Is it that different?”
“Of course! Now we can truly focus on fair gambling.”
“Really?”
“Don’t you believe me?!”
The gambling dens used by the lower class originally had no concept of trust. This was because they were all run by black path factions.
Those guys were too busy backstabbing each other and plotting, to run a gambling den properly. It was preposterous from the start.
The lower class gambled in these places for one reason: there was nowhere else to go.
If you opened a private gambling den, the black path factions would immediately barge in and attack you.
So, they had no choice but to frequent these low-class gambling dens, which, as expected of places run by those black path scum, were rife with fraud, violence, coercion, and extortion.
Consequently, many gamblers suffered unjustly.
A humiliating life.
“Now that suffering is over! Look over there! The Nachalbang warriors don’t extort money, and they don’t take sides! They even immediately subdue anyone caught cheating!”
At those words, Jang-il looked at the Nachalbang warriors.
Honestly, they looked like black path thugs, so he wasn’t sure, but the gambling den seemed to be running smoothly.
“Is there really no extortion? No one causing a ruckus demanding money?”
“All those guys are getting caught, so don’t worry. Now, let’s play a round.”
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
Jang-il sat down and enjoyed gambling.
‘He’s right.’
Just as his companion said, there were no disturbances throughout his gambling session. There were no interruptions, and no black path thugs came to threaten and demand money.
‘This is the first time I’ve experienced such a utopian moment.’
A time where he could fully concentrate on gambling.
Jang-il felt like this place was a utopia as he continued to gamble.
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“Hahahaha! The gambling den’s profits are quite substantial! Hey! Isn’t this bigger than the protection racket?”
“Puhhuhu, indeed. I never expected it to go this well.”
The gambling den business was a bigger hit than imagined.
Gambling dens were originally a lucrative business, with black path factions constantly fighting amongst themselves to control them. But to this extent? Was it originally this much of a goldmine?
“I hope it continues like this!”
“Keuk keuk, don’t be foolish. This is just the opening rush. People are coming to relieve their pent-up gambling urges because there’s been a void.”
That’s true, but…
“No. I don’t think it will end here, Jaemison.”
“Hmm?”
“I sent the members to conduct surveys among the gamblers.”
This guy even conducted surveys?
“I heard that our righteous business strategy worked perfectly. Many gamblers said the places run by the black path factions were hell, and this place is a utopia. Public opinion is forming that our gambling den is very clean!”
“Really…! Then if that opinion spreads further!”
“Exactly! Countless people will come from afar to gamble! Our gambling den will grow even bigger! Because we upheld the righteousness of a righteous sect!”
“Wow!”
“Screaming Demon, just how far ahead can you see…!”
Galbijong trembled with excitement, and a clear light emanated from his eyes. With such an expression, he praised me as if singing a song.
“Honestly, when you first mentioned the righteous sect thing, I was a little skeptical! I had the negative suspicion that Screaming Demon wasn’t as violent or cruel as I thought!”
What?
“But I was wrong…! The reason you talk about being a righteous sect is purely because it’s profitable! How can such a vicious and wicked person exist! To view the values of a righteous sect in monetary terms and act accordingly…! I’m thrilled!”
What nonsense.
“I will continue to follow you!”
“Yes! Just trust and follow me, Galbijong! I highly value your administrative skills!”
“I’ll do anything!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Puhhuhu!”
“Kik kik… It’s so nice that everyone is laughing.”
The three of us laughed heartily, celebrating the success of the gambling den.
If our gambling den grows and attracts more customers, we’ll naturally generate greater profits. With more money, we can expand the size of the sect and improve our martial strength.
If we ride this momentum, raising the Nachalbang’s reputation won’t be difficult.
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Our business was going smoothly, but that doesn’t mean there were no problems at all. As expected, all sorts of troublesome people popped up, and we resolved those issues with violence.
“Kwaaak…! P-Please spare me! I was wrong!”
A lower merchant pleaded on his knees.
“Shut up!”
“Aaaaaaaaagh!”
I mercilessly beat him as tears streamed down his face. I stepped on his back with my foot and struck him with a club.
This guy, not only did he not pay us protection money, he bragged about being under the Nachalbang’s protection. He not only freeloaded off the public order we created, but also stole our authority.
Such people are subject to punishment.
If we don’t punish them harshly, our business will crumble from the ground up.
“Keuhuk!”
After beating him for a while, I called for a Mun-do.
“Mun-do! Take him away!”
“Mun-do! Taking him away!”
Since he’s just a lower-class citizen, there’s nowhere he can complain about receiving this justified violent treatment. We’ll just take him away and use him for labor.
This is how we protect and manage our business.
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“Jaemison, I just got back. That arrogant bastard was using our name. I taught him a lesson.”
I looked for Jaemison after returning.
“Keuk keuk, good job. We need to eliminate those kinds of people early on. I had a similar situation. Someone was caught cheating at the gambling den, so I mediated.”
“How did you mediate?”
“I arranged for the victim to personally cut off the perpetrator’s hand.”
“Perfect!”
A gambling den is a kind of battlefield.
If someone uses inhumane methods in war, they must pay the price. This is not cruelty. It is noble precisely because it is just.
The severed hand will be displayed in a corner of our gambling den.
“This incident will further enhance our gambling den’s reputation… keuk keuk.”
“Excellent.”
We don’t need to focus on business expansion right now. Just by managing things strictly and establishing a solid foundation, our growth rate will increase.
So, I devoted myself to the Nachalbang, earning a substantial income, while training in martial arts with Serin and assisting Ha-yeong with her research.
“Haaap!”
I underwent intense training to become more proficient in controlling my demon energy and to be able to fight coherently even after using both Demon Fury Slash and Ghost Flash.
“Khaa!”
I could feel my martial arts prowess increasing day by day.
With my special power combined with rigorous training, there’s nothing to worry about.
“Hey! I got the core!”
“Wow! You got it! Thanks, Ha-yeong!”
“With money, you can get anything.”
Ha-yeong handed me a small box. Inside, I saw a small core. That’s right. We accumulated a lot of money running the sect. Naturally, some of it is mine.
“Hehehe, you’re absolutely right. Wow, now that we have money, we can just buy and eat demon cores.”
“That’s how sects are. Many martial artists in sects and clans use their capital to acquire and consume elixirs and such.”
It’s just that it’s now demon cores.
“Let’s eat it. Ha-yeong, get it ready.”
“Okay.”
I consumed the core with Ha-yeong’s protection.
Saaaaa.
As always, it was a strange sensation. I didn’t feel anything special, but I could sense my internal energy increasing slightly.
“Kyaa! With a little more internal energy, I could probably use Demon Fury Slash three times!”
“Heheh, if you pressure your opponents by using Demon Fury Slash three times in a row, almost no one will be able to withstand it.”
“At the same skill level, that is.”
“By the way, Geun-hyeop, since you’ve just consumed the core… don’t you feel invigorated?”
Why are you asking that again?!
Anyway, such peaceful days passed on.
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A dark forest.
A gloomy aura suddenly arose, causing the animals and monsters to stampede in terror.
At the center of this aura stood a woman in blue.
Seeming lost in thought, she stood still with her arms crossed. Then, she chanted an ominous spell and completed a mysterious gesture with her hands.
The moment her hands touched the ground.
Paak!
A pale white hand burst forth from the ground.
The hand frantically clawed at the earth as if trying to crawl out of hell.
“G, uhk. Uhhhk…!”
Finally, a grotesque mummy writhed its way out onto the surface.
“Aaah, Aaah! Aaaaaah!”
The mummy cried out in anguish as it emerged from the earth.
It should have been overjoyed to be out of the grave. Resurrection. For the dead to return to life is a miracle unlike any other in this world.
But unfortunately, it hadn’t been resurrected.
“Aaaaaah!”
The woman in blue watched the mummy wail in anguish before speaking.
“Are you awake?”
“…”
“Shihaeseon. Tell me what you saw.”
The empty eyes of the mummy, called Shihaeseon, turned towards the woman.
“F-Four Heavenly Maidens…!”
Something more terrifying than death.
The fate of the Daoist who wanted to transcend life by becoming a celestial being was truly horrifying.
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