57. Let’s Stretch a Little for Once
The man who suddenly appeared.
Not only his impression but his intimidating presence was no joke.
The spectators who had been intoxicated by Joo-yeon’s victory instantly froze and backed away.
“That man, is he one of the [Twelve Fingers]?”
“Yes. The Thousand-handed Avalokiteshvara…”
It was the appearance of the president who had only been rumored to exist.
The manager hurriedly ran up to him and bowed his head.
“P-president! Th-this is a d-disaster. That bastard took all the money from our casino…”
“You incompetent fool.”
Thud!
As the president struck him, the manager collapsed on the spot.
“Take this useless bastard away and strip him of everything he’s worth.”
“Yes, boss!”
Even so, the situation didn’t look good.
The gamblers from each region were averting their eyes and keeping their heads down, and the chips in front of Joo-yeon were the military funds he had gathered for his grand plan.
On top of that, behind Joo-yeon was the Gnome who was in charge of the forge.
The president’s gaze, who had kidnapped the Dwarf, could not help but rise.
‘He intends to pay off his debts with that money.’
If this happened, it would be impossible to create the Great Sword.
If that happened, the demons would no longer support him.
‘Then my ambition…’
Could collapse just like that.
But what made him the angriest was something else.
“Are you finally showing your face, punk?”
It was Joo-yeon who was snapping his fingers at him.
The president glared.
“Who are you?”
“You don’t need to know. How about a game?”
“What?”
“I’m still short on money. Let’s play big this time. I’ll bet this casino and your neck.”
At that provocation, the president burst out laughing.
“Heh, I don’t know who you are, but don’t think you’ll get out of here alive after doing something like this in my casino.”
He shouted with a murderous glare.
“Set the table!”
At the boss’s command, subordinates sprang out from all directions.
They created an empty space between Joo-Yeon and him.
“Everybody back off! The boss is going to step up himself!”
“Anyone who doesn’t back off, drag them out!”
In an instant, the table was set.
There was only a table where only the two of them faced each other.
On Joo-Yeon’s both sides, fierce-looking men guarded their seats. As if they would cut off your fingers if you were caught fooling around.
Joo-Yeon burst into laughter.
‘Look at these guys?’
It wasn’t something they had done for a day or two to surround him so that he couldn’t escape.
‘Are you trying to scare me so that I can’t show my skills?’
But it was nonsense.
Joo-Yeon would not succumb to this level of pressure.
But something caught his senses.
Swish!
He felt a sense of confusion subtly seeping into him.
It was a subtle energy, as if it was teasing his mind.
‘I knew you wouldn’t just come out, but it looks like you’ve prepared quite a lot.’
Others might not know, but Joo-Yeon could see it clearly.
The black fog that was spreading out subtly.
And in that black fog was a man with strange eyes.
Joo-Yeon narrowed his brows when he saw the figure.
‘A demon?’
It was certain when he saw the black horns.
Thanks to that, Joo-Yeon immediately noticed his tricks.
‘Then is this ＜Illusion＞ and ＜Confusion＞?’
It was a kind of spiritual magic that demons often used.
＜Illusion＞ was a magic that showed the enemy the appearance they wanted, and ＜Confusion＞ was a magic that weakened their mental strength for a certain amount of time, causing them to lose their judgment.
‘You’re trying to make me lose no matter what I bet.’
If those two magics were cast, he wouldn’t be able to make the right choice.
All the cards he saw with his eyes would be fake, and in a state where his judgment was weakened, he wouldn’t be able to bet properly.
But he was too foolish.
‘If you’re going to use something like this, you should have done it more secretly.’
How dare he show off, believing in his own concealment.
The magic he was using so confidently did not work on Joo-Yeon.
Thanks to the string and wooden stakes wrapped around his body.
[The effect of the Blessed Barrier is activated]
[The effect of the Blessed Wooden Stake is activated]
[Temporary barrier has been formed]
[Strong resistance occurs in front]
[Hidden/Concealed enemies have been detected]
Of course, Joo-Yeon wasn’t just going to stand there and defend.
He interlocked his fingers under the table.
‘Reflect.’
Then, light burst out.
Woosh!
It was the might of ＜Reflect＞.
Just a moment ago, it was the power that made the Gamblers fall for their own tricks.
It was no different for the Demonkin.
Clang!
The black shadow that was lunging at Joo-Yeon was repelled.
＜Reflect＞
‘The Saga of Balentino.’ Even in that game, it was the ultimate skill that could only be acquired after completing all the achievements.
With that skill, any spiritual magic would return to its original caster.
As proof of that, dark clouds and lightning appeared around the Demonkin’s head.
‘Well, well. Looks like it’s a spiritual Demonkin.’
No matter how strong its resistance was, there was no way it could block the magic that was ＜Reflected＞.
The more specialized the spiritual Demonkin was in charming and manipulating humans, the greater the blow.
But then, something surprising happened.
Pow!
‘……!’
The Demonkin had dispelled the spiritual magic that Joo-Yeon had reflected all on its own.
Normally, even if it was reflected back to it, the creature wouldn’t have been able to do anything about the ＜Illusion＞ and ＜Confusion＞.
Joo-Yeon looked at it in surprise.
‘It doesn’t look like it has any magic defense items?’
In that case, did it dispel it with its own abilities?
Even Joo-Yeon, the veteran, could sense that it was quite strong.
It wasn’t just any ordinary Demonkin.
‘At least a high-level Demonkin.’
It might even be one of the Demon King’s direct subordinates.
If that was the case, then it would definitely counterattack.
And to think that such an enemy would appear right from the start.
‘This is totally a sh**ty game.’
Of course, that wasn’t something Joo-Yeon, who possessed the ultimate skill ＜Reflect＞, should be saying.
However, the creature’s reaction was strange.
Swish.
It was as if it had been frightened by Joo-Yeon’s counterattack and had retreated.
It wasn’t the behavior you’d expect from the usually aggressive Demonkin.
“Is it possible that the mental demons possess bodies?”
Come to think of it, there were mental demons who cherished their bodies in the ‘Valentino Saga’ too.
Should I say they’re timid or sinister?
Just then.
Thud!
A middle-aged man, no, the boss of the casino, who had been stomping his foot hard, stepped forward.
“Did I tell you who I am?”
“Who are you?”
“I am the great Taoist Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, a comrade of the hero, and the Gambling Ghost, one of his twelve disciples.”
[Gambling Ghost]
He was a man who was crazy about gambling, as his name suggested.
He was so good that he even won a bet against a high-ranking demon.
That’s how he was able to make a contract with the demon.
“Even among the Taoist’s disciples, no, even Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara himself can’t beat me at gambling anymore.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Let’s have a match. If you beat me, I’ll give you this casino.”
“What if I lose?”
“You’ll naturally become my slave! I’ll make you pay for ruining this casino.”
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
The Gambling Ghost smiled invisibly.
The hardest part about gambling was getting your opponent to sit down at the table.
That difficult task had just been completed.
Joo-in, who was unaware of this, tilted his head.
“What game are we going to play?”
“Let’s keep it simple. A dice game. Whoever rolls the highest number wins.”
Joo-in didn’t know it, but the table had already been set.
Nod.
At the Gambling Ghost’s gaze, his men moved.
They burned a hallucinogen that prevented him from coming to his senses and played a jarring noise that got on his nerves.
‘This is my territory. Everything is as I will it.’
The Gambling Ghost pressed a button on the floor.
Clank!
Then, a faint electric field that was invisible to the human eye circled the table.
With this, Joo-in’s dice were as good as the Gambling Ghost’s.
The iron pieces inside the dice would ensure that only the top face, 1, would appear.
Joo-in smiled, whether he knew it or not.
“A single round?”
“Of course. If you’re a man, go for it with confidence.”
“I like that.”
The corners of the Gambling Ghost’s mouth turned up slightly.
But he never let his guard down.
“If it’s someone who defeated the others, this much won’t be enough.”
The gambler discreetly sent a signal to the demon behind him.
It was the usual signal he used when gambling fraudulently.
“Cast an illusion on him. And make it chaotic so he can’t use his skills.”
He even made the demon use mind magic on top of the Dream-Bewildering Grass and Confusion Sound Wave.
If they got caught in the demon’s ＜Confusion＞, the gamblers were supposed to self-destruct.
“I don’t know what kind of guy he is, but I’ll make him work like a dog under me.”
It wasn’t just to use him as a subordinate.
From Noble mtl dot com
According to the intel his subordinate brought from the Duke’s household, Joo-in was the hero of this era and close friends with the Sword King.
He was planning on using him to solidify his position on the continent.
Of course, the gambler was someone who had survived until now through caution.
He never underestimated Joo-in.
“I’ll use the secret technique I learned from Grandmaster Cheon Su-gwan.”
It was a skill he had never shown to anyone until now.
It was something he had learned after stealing Grandmaster Cheon’s vision.
– Grandmaster Cheon’s Secret Technique
＜Substitution＞
Clack!
With the gambler’s sleight of hand, the dice in the cup changed in an instant.
The dice had iron pieces inside them, just like Joo-in’s.
The only difference was that these dice were made to always land on 6.
The gambler slammed the cup down with a smug smile.
Thud!
“Now, let’s gamble! I’ll play fair and square!”
The gambler and Joo-in opened their cups simultaneously.
But the gambler’s face soon crumpled.
He couldn’t help it.
All of his dice showed 1.
On the other hand, all of Joo-in’s dice showed 6. The gambler wasn’t the only one who was shocked.
“A disciple of Cheon Su-gwan lost?”
“Isn’t he the most skilled gambler in the Duke’s Commandery?”
“The Gambler King lost. This is absurd!”
The gambler grabbed the dice with trembling hands.
They were definitely the dice he had tampered with.
“This can’t be… No, wait! Haizen! What the hell were you doing?!”
No matter how much he called, the demon Haizen didn’t answer.
“He must have cheated! There’s no way I could have lost otherwise!”
Joo-in let out a hollow laugh at his outburst.
“What is this guy saying now?”
It seems like my allies, the demons, have betrayed me too, but that gambling freak didn’t seem to accept defeat.
“What are you all looking at! Hurry up and attack them!”
At his command, the gazes of the people in the gambling den changed.
Before long, the customers had all left.
They all approached Joo-Heon.
However, Joo-Heon smiled as if he had known this would happen from the start.
“That’s what thieves do.”
He didn’t even need to use .
Joo-Heon snapped his fingers as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“You’ve already fallen into a trap.”
What?