Chapter 1019: What Did You Just Say? (Part 4)

The room was filled with the intense aroma of gambling.

"Open up."

"He's dead."

"Damn it, I've been cleaned out."

The gamblers were spinning the tiles without a moment's rest. Even the bystanders had gathered, realizing that the stakes were enormous, but an eerie silence hung over the gambling table where the tiles were being shuffled.

"Three."

"I've got three too."

"Huh, I've got four. This time, it's mine."

Almost unimaginable amounts of silver coins changed hands as easily as if they were toys. The onlookers' eyes, watching this spectacle, gradually turned red with greed.

"I lost."

A man in a red silk robe threw the tiles he held onto the table. Losing three sets of silver coins in one go didn't seem to bother him, and there was no hint of regret or anger in his demeanor.

"What a fool."

Chae Gyu struggled to suppress a laugh that threatened to surface. Outwardly, the man in the red robe appeared composed, but deep down, his blood was probably running dry, and his mouth must be parched. The emotions of those losing money in the gambling den varied greatly, but the feelings of disappointment and frustration were universal.

He's becoming restless, but he doesn't show it. That's admirable. In a different gambling den, he might have won back a decent amount. But at least this Pleasure Garden is not a place where one can easily escape with just feigned composure.

Little by little.

This place devours money like a swamp engulfs people.

"Two!"

"Five."

"Damn it. Why is everyone getting two and five?"

"I thought it was a sure win, darn it!"

"That guy is lucky. How much is he taking in a single round?"

A pile of silver coins piled up in front of the man in the red silk robe who won big on the high stakes table. In an instant, he had recovered about half of the money he had lost. But Chae Gyu's inner thoughts, hidden behind his haughty expression, were different. The reason was simple: he deliberately lost this round.

Unless you're an idiot, you would know that your betting money is dwindling unless you're playing with scraps. It's true that a guy with guts might go for a last-minute reversal until his last betting money runs out, but most people get scared and walk away after losing half of their money.

'That can't happen.'

So you need to show some promise from time to time. If a good hand comes along, you can recover the lost money in one shot, so the hope is not completely lost.

"Hehe."

The corners of Chae Gyu's mouth twitched. Gambling is a pleasure in itself, but watching a person plunge into ruin is an equally irresistible amusement. In that sense, today's gambling table was truly a perfect spectacle.

"I've got one."

"One."

"Three. Hehehe. What should I do about this?"

The tiles moved back and forth in the man's hand, and the mountain of silver coins in front of him began to decrease little by little. It didn't seem easy to lose all that enormous amount of money, but when he regained his composure, he realized that he was almost reaching the bottom.

A common man would lose his mind in such a situation.

But the man in the red silk robe, who appeared as indifferent as ever, continued to gaze at the table with a nonchalant look.

Eventually,

"I won."

Chae Gyu, with a triumphant look on his face, swept up the stack of gambling stakes on the table. In front of him and his colleagues, piles of silver coins had formed. But in front of the man in the red silk robe, there was no more silver to be found.

"Oh my, it looks like the gambling stakes have disappeared."

"What should I do about this?"

The three men laughed as if nothing had happened.

"Do any of you have any money left? If not, you should probably leave now."

The man in the red silk robe quietly lowered his gaze to the stack of gambling stakes in front of him, and then slowly raised his head.

"I have no money left."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seems like you're having an unlucky day today. Let's meet again next time."

"Those days happen. Take these and go."

The men each pushed one of the silver coins in front of them toward the man in the red silk robe.

Three silver coins.

To an ordinary person, it would be an enormous sum, but considering the money the man had lost today, it was hardly worth calling money.

The corners of the man in the red silk robe's mouth twitched slightly as he stared at those three silver coins.

"...I have no money, but I have something to wager."

"Here, if it's not money, we won't take it."

"You'll take it."

"...Huh?"

Chae Gyu looked at the man with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Tsk, tsk. It would have been better to leave with just losing money."

It was when Chae Gyu was about to grab the handle of his sword at his waist, which was hidden under the table.

"Before that... let me ask you something."

"...What?"

The man slowly leaned back on the chair and stretched his legs behind him. Chills ran down Chae Gyu's spine.

"What is it?"

The sudden change in himself left him perplexed. He wasn't particularly afraid of the man sitting in front of him, but why was his body reacting like this?

Then the man's voice penetrated his ears.

"Are you enjoying this?"

"..."

Chae Gyu, who was on guard and alert, opened his eyes wide.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just as it is."

The man's head slowly turned to look behind him, and his long, unkempt bangs still covered his eyes. Because of that, Chae Gyu couldn't see what kind of eyes the man was using to scrutinize him.

"Are you enjoying it?"

"...You're crazy..."

Chae Gyu exchanged glances with the people sitting on either side of him. Just in case the man attempted any tricks, they needed to be prepared.

Then the man spoke again.

"It's about the gambling stakes. Yes, there's no money left. But there's still something to wager."

"...What is it?"

"Life."

The man's grim lips dried up, making a sinister smile.

"...Damn it. They won't accept anything other than money here!"

"What are you doing? Don't drag this guy out!"

At that moment, the man in the red silk robe casually raised his hand. The red silk fluttered.

"It seems there's a misunderstanding. I'm not talking about putting my life on the line."

"...What?"

"Not mine, but your lives."

"...You're insane."

"No, it's the lives of everyone in this place. Furthermore, the lives of everyone in this town, and perhaps even the lives of everyone in the middle district."

Chae Gyu realized suddenly that this situation was extremely unusual. He was not one to tolerate such nonsense. How many troublemakers like these had he encountered in this place? Normally, he would have already drawn his sword and cut off one of this guy's arms, or even his head. 

But now...

'Why am I silently listening to this nonsense?'

"Let me ask you."

The man slowly opened his mouth.

"What is the value of your lives?"

"..."

"Because your lives are what allow you to enjoy life in such a decrepit place, right? So I'm asking, what is the value of those lives? That way, I can receive the money."

Beside Chae Gyu, his friend Yeom Ho could not hold back any longer and burst out.

"How dare this guy act so arrogantly! Why would he receive my life? How... why would you accept that..."

And at that very moment,

The man raised his hand lightly. Immediately, Yeom Ho's body was sent flying over the table as if pulled by some unseen force.

"What?!"

This sudden, unnatural scene froze Chae Gyu for a moment.

"Kudang tang tang!"

The stacks of gambling chips and silver coins scattered in all directions. However, Chae Gyu's eyes were not fixed on the silver. In fact, he couldn't even look in that direction. The man in the red silk robe had lifted Yeom Ho's face, which had fallen to the table, with his hand.

"How...?"

Sweat trickled down Chae Gyu's back.

"Telekinesis?"

The explanation seemed to make sense. But it still didn't fully explain what he was seeing. Otherwise, how could one explain pulling a person with their energy? Especially someone like Yeom Ho!

Failing to understand the situation unfolding before him, Chae Gyu became bewildered.

Amid Chae Gyu's confusion at the unfolding situation, the man in the red silk robe made a slow gesture and pulled Yeom Ho, who was in his grip, towards him.

"Why should I accept it?"

A sly smile appeared on the man's dark lips.

"The reason is quite simple. Right now, your lives are nothing more than collateral. The only reason all of you in this middle district can continue living is that the sect still permits your existence."

"Shut up... Sh-shut up..."

"But it's a shame. No matter how I look at it, the value of your lives seems to be worth less than a penny. Such cheap and useless lives..."

"Ahhhh!"

Yeom Ho's body began to show blue veins on his skin. He trembled in pain as if countless needles were being jabbed into his entire body. In that moment, Chae Gyu distinctly witnessed it. The flesh exposed from Yeom Ho's clothing seemed to wither and crack, like a dried-up field in a drought.

'He...'

Meanwhile, the man casually brushed his front hair aside with one hand.

"Uh..."

Chae Gyu unconsciously took a step back.

The man's two eyes, revealed as he brushed his hair aside, were an eerie shade of red. Not just any shade of red, but it seemed as if they were filled to the brim with blood.

His rough lips, pale skin, and crimson irises exuded a sinister presence that Chae Gyu had never felt before.

"Ahh..."

Yeom Ho, who had been convulsing, finally went limp. 

With a thud, Yeom Ho's body, which had shriveled and twisted like a mummy, collapsed helplessly onto the table. Instead of money and playing tiles, the table now held a chilling and pitiful corpse that was growing cold.

"Uh..."

"Lowly creatures."

The man's demeanor suddenly changed for a moment.

A bone-chilling aura emanated from him as he slowly stood up. Just facing him was enough to make one's breath catch in their throat, as if their blood was rushing in reverse.

"Wh... who...?"

Chae Gyu asked with trembling lips, barely able to get the words out. 

Defiance? Resistance?

These were not even options.

It was a matter beyond discussing differences in strength. The indescribable difference in power left him frozen like a mouse before a venomous snake.

"Who are you?"

The man in the red silk robe slowly lowered his head.

"It's difficult to answer. I am one without a name."

"…."

He sneered while twisting the corner of his mouth.

"When you think about it, all of this might be nothing more than a desperate struggle to obtain a name."

Simultaneously, a bloody gleam flowed from his two eyes.

Chae Gyu didn't understand his words in the slightest, but there was no need to understand. After all, people don't need to concern themselves with what happens to them after they die.

Chae Gyu's body was drawn toward the man's hand.

"Gak!"

The man who had grabbed Chae Gyu's throat stared directly into his eyes.

"A death so glorious compared to your insignificant worth. Isn't that right?"

"Mad..."

Crack!

His entire body withered and shriveled, and he couldn't even manage to choke out his last breath. Chae Gyu's corpse collapsed to the ground, its bones twisted and the life within it extinguished.

Astonishment, disbelief, and above all, immense fear overwhelmed the gambling hall. The man gazed coldly at those who had frozen like mice before a snake and opened his mouth as if speaking to himself.

"Building mountains with corpses..."

"...Uh..."

"As vast as creating a sea with blood, killing, and killing, and killing..."

Thud.

He took a step forward.

"The whole world will come to know about what happens here. Yes, the entire world."

"Uh-uh."

Someone's terrified moan broke the silence and spread throughout the gambling hall.

With eyes spewing a bloody light, the man raised one hand.

Giiiiing!

The dark aura emanating from his fingertips pierced the ceiling of the gambling hall like an obsidian blade.

"The Second Coming of the Heavenly Demon!"

The man's eerie scream reverberated as if it were about to explode.

"Your insignificant lives will be our cry, the plea we send to the one who has been reborn somewhere in this world!"

Kwaaaaaaaah!

The entire narrow alley of Hangzhou was suddenly filled with howls, screams, and cries, like a fanatical cult that had not been heard in a hundred years.