58. Respect and Jubilation
What? Already fallen into a trap?
But that question didn’t last long, as light flashed from Joo-Heon’s body.
[＜Physical Enhancement＞ is activated.]
Joo-Heon disappeared before their eyes.
He had strengthened his body, allowing him to evade and move at the same time.
And as Joo-Heon disappeared, the subordinates gritted their teeth.
“That bastard!”
They urgently chased after Joo-Heon. Soon, their swords were aimed at Joo-Heon’s neck.
However, the swords missed Joo-Heon’s neck.
The gambling freak’s subordinates were genuinely bewildered.
“Th… this bastard dodged it?”
“Then should we just stand still and let him hit us?”
“What are you doing! Hurry up and kill him!”
The subordinates charged at him once again.
This time, they surrounded him from all sides, leaving him with nowhere to escape.
However, it was futile.
“Huh?”
“Why… why isn’t he getting hit!”
Joo-Heon dodged all of them by twisting only his upper body as if he were weaving.
It was thanks to his potential for maintaining his center of gravity.
[＜Dragon Bones＞ is activated.]
Joo-Heon’s body became as strong as a dragon’s, and his muscles were as flexible as springs.
Even when his body bent as if his back would touch the ground, he could maintain a stable posture.
However, it wasn’t simply an evasive ability.
“I guess it’s my turn to start.”
Pop.
In an instant, Joo-in’s body vanished.
His torso, which had been leaning back, suddenly shot forward.
[＜Haste＞ is activated.]
[＜Gigantification＞ is activated.]
Simultaneously, Joo-in’s fists rapidly tore through the air in all directions.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
They struck the chins of his enemies with precision.
His fists were imbued with the speed of ＜Haste＞ and the power of ＜Gigantification＞.
THUD!
Those who were hit collapsed unconscious on the spot.
At that sight, the Gambler King shouted from behind.
“Falling unconscious with just one punch! And you call yourselves my men! Get up and fight!”
What an idiot.
As expected, it was a statement befitting the Gambler King, who knew nothing but gambling.
The chin was a spot where even a single blow could rattle the brain.
‘It’d be weirder if they could get up after taking that.’
Yet, he continued to tell them to get up and fight.
It was only natural that his subordinates’ morale would hit rock bottom. There were even some who tried to turn and run away.
At that moment, the Gambler King raised his voice.
“This is an order from the Twelve Fingers of the Thieves Guild! Anyone who runs away now will have their entire family killed!”
An order from the highest executive of the Thieves Guild.
If they ran away now, they would become enemies of the Thieves Guild, which was spread throughout the continent.
The subordinates gritted their teeth and had no choice but to charge forward.
“Kill him!”
However, Joo-in merely chuckled.
These fools were walking right into his trap.
Joo-in’s body shimmered slightly.
Up until now, he had only been using his latent abilities, but that was about to change.
[＜Lightning Step＞ is activated.]
It was a combat skill he had acquired while fighting the Sword King.
His body shot forward. Then, he grabbed the hands of the charging subordinates.
“Lend me these for a moment.”
“Huh?”
SWIPE!
To be exact, he was aiming for the knives in their hands.
In an instant, two knives appeared in Joo-in’s hands.
[＜Basic Swordsmanship＞ is applied.]
[＜Dual Wielding＞ is applied.]
[＜Edmer Clan Visionary Swordsmanship (Derivative)＞ can be used.]
Whew…
Joo-in’s eyes gleamed.
Dozens of lines came to his mind.
He moved his hands along the lines of the Edmer family’s Vision swordsmanship.
In an instant, the knives in Joo-in’s hands stabbed everywhere.
“Kuaaagh!”
The charging underlings collapsed, bleeding.
The surprised gambler tried to run away.
However, Joo-in had already predicted all the situations.
[＜Lightning Step＞ is activated.]
One of the secret techniques cherished by Duke Edmer.
Unlike ＜Ghost Steps＞, it was a technique that he used again without any aftereffects, albeit with a slightly shorter distance.
Joo-in’s body instantly grabbed the gambler’s shoulder.
“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?”
“……!”
At the same time, he kicked the gambler’s feet and knocked him down.
Thud!
And stabbed the bastard’s shoulder with the knives in both hands.
“Kuaaagh!”
Despite the gambler’s scream, Joo-in’s expression was sharp.
“You bastard. You abandoned your underlings and ran away.”
His fist struck the gambler’s head.
After a while, the casino was filled with cries.
“Oh no……. I’m dying.”
“Pl…… Please forgive me! Please spare my life……!”
The gambler who had ordered the attack, in particular, had a face that was a complete mess.
Of course, that was because Joo-in had beaten him up with special care.
Joo-in clicked his tongue at the sight and shook his hands.
“So, I told you that you’d be the ones falling into the trap.”
The Thieves Guild wasn’t very strong in the first place.
Even among them, only the best of the best would be able to fight and survive.
What’s more, the gambler was a typical scammer who only knew how to gamble.
How could he possibly defeat himself, who had learned techniques from the Edmer family, the pinnacle of knights?
Even a light technique was enough.
‘The only thing I was worried about was the demon, but I never thought it would attack me with mere back-alley hooligans.’
Actually, that’s why he was really surprised.
The demon that had been with the gambler didn’t help him until the end. Rather, it disappeared without a trace.
‘Did it really just run away? A high-ranking demon?’
At the very least, an upper-rank.
No, if it could dispel his spiritual magic, it might even be a top-ranking demon.
In other words, one of the top 10 demons might have run away?
Even if the mental system is good at bouncing back, that’s true.
‘You wouldn’t run away without even fighting like this.’
However, the gambler was still shouting without giving up.
“Haizen, you bastard! Where the hell did you go! Why aren’t you doing anything! It’s a breach of contract!”
Oh my? You even made a contract?
Of course, there were several types of contracts with the Mazoku.
A contract with a true name must be fulfilled even at the cost of one’s life.
In the case of a pseudonym, there was a high possibility of fraud.
‘But Haizen… No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem to be a real name.’
It was more likely that he was taken advantage of by the contract.
The guy who didn’t know that was having a tantrum.
“Deal with my enemy as promised! You incompetent brat!”
No matter how much he shouted, it was useless.
The guy who had already disappeared would never come back.
‘Well, I don’t know where that Mazoku went, but it’s fortunate that he’s gone.’
Of course, it wasn’t difficult to deal with.
However, if he used his strength, not only Haken or the fake boss, but other people could be in danger.
It would be difficult if the peacock, which was raised with effort, was damaged.
Anyway, now that the Mazoku is gone, all that’s left is to deal with the gambler.
“It’s noisy, so hurry up and bring the gambling house document. I’ll deal with you next.”
“You… Do you think you’ll be safe after scamming me! All the thieves’ guilds on the continent will…”
“Ah, yes. Okay. Hurry up and bring the gambling house document and a dwarf? If you don’t want to see anything worse.”
Joo-yeon’s leg stepped on the knife stuck in the gambler’s body.
Creak!
“Kyaaak!”
The gambler writhed in pain.
Only then did the guy, who felt his life was threatened, open his mouth.
“There is no dwarf! He’s already dead!”
“What?”
“He’s the one who couldn’t pay his gambling debt! It’s my business how I deal with him!”
It meant that there was nothing he could do since he was already dead.
The gambling house document was the same.
“My men have already found the document and left. You can never have what you want!”
“Oh, really?”
Joo-yeon had a look in his eyes as if he had expected it.
But then.
“Here, I brought the document you asked for.”
“Oh, good job. It was faster than I thought?”
“……!”
The gambler was shocked when someone approached Joo-yeon.
“What the… How did you!”
He was naturally shocked.
The one who handed the document to Jooyeon was none other than the casino’s manager. He was the only one who knew the location of the document besides himself.
From Noble mtl dot com
“I’m sorry, sir. But I have to live, don’t I?”
“What have I done for you…!”
“Done for me, my foot.”
When did he tell his subordinates to extract someone’s organs?
The manager, who had been saved by Jooyeon, glared at Gambler coldly.
Of course, the persuasion of the blacksmith gnome, who moved at Jooyeon’s command, also played a part.
Jooyeon’s eyes, looking at Gambler, sharpened.
“That’s right. I told you not to make them work overtime and to pay them generously.”
Trying to kill his subordinates for a few bucks.
Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing.
“So, is the dwarf the only one left?”
“I told you the dwarf is dead!”
Jooyeon let out a hollow laugh at Gambler’s outburst.
“Do you think I’d believe a thief like you? You must have killed him. Since you have a purpose, you must have kidnapped him. Where are you hiding him?”
“Heh, you don’t believe me. Then go ahead and look for him…”
That was the moment.
“Master Jooyeon! We found the dwarf you told us about!”
“……!?”
Hakken came in through the casino’s front door.
“It was surprisingly difficult to find him.”
Gambler’s eyes widened.
There was no way that guy could find the dwarf.
However, Gambler, who looked beside Hakken, doubted his own eyes.
“hehehehe. This is important, right?”
A familiar face was bowing next to Hakken. It was the pickpocket who had his life mortgaged with a slave contract, or rather, a special agent of the Thieves Guild who pretended to be a pickpocket.
“So, how about the bonus…”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that stingy. Let’s say this time… I’ll give you a hundred million gold.”
“Oooooh!”
The special agent’s eyes sparkled.
Now the remaining debt was 8.9 billion gold!
At that sight, Hakken whispered to Jooyeon.
“Is it okay to give him that much? If he pays off his debt quickly, he’ll run away that much faster.”
“Well, I wonder.”
There is a reason for all the amounts set.
He just gave him a lot because it was the first piece of information.
‘Even a whip needs a carrot to work.’
Anyway, Jooyeon already knew the location of the dwarf before he came to the casino.
Even so, I came to the casino to attract their attention and secretly rescue the dwarf.
‘I also intended to test my current abilities.’
But then, the special agent strangely watched Jooyeon’s expression.
“Excuse me, but, Jooyeon-nim?”
“What. I’m busy right now. I have to beat this guy up first.”
“That…… As you ordered, I found the imprisoned dwarf. There was a strange old man…… We rescued him together, but…… That is……”
“……?”
Jooyeon tilted his head.
The special agent was acting so cautiously.
“What’s wrong. Who was there that you’re hesitating like this?”
“That is…… The old man who was with him…… He said his name was Cheonsugwan-nim, the Grandmaster?”
“Huh??”
Why is that human there?
Only then, Jooyeon, who noticed something, looked at the gambler.
“Did this punk lock up my teacher as well?”
The gambler was sweating.
“Looks like I need to hit you some more. Haken?”
“Yes. I have brought you the club, Jooyeon-nim.”
“Now…… Wait a minute! Wai-i-i-i-t!”
Jooyeon thought as he beat up the gambler.
I don’t know why the demon is hanging around the hero’s allies.
But it can’t be for a good reason.
Well, I’ll hear the details later, but this is an unexpected gain.
My original goal was to only get the dwarf.
“So where is that man now?”
“He is locked in the basement.”
Jooyeon’s heart suddenly pounded.
Aside from the former duke, it’s my first time meeting a comrade from my previous life.
I wondered what he would be like.
Of course, that wasn’t the only thing I was curious about.
‘Why the hell did that demon disappear?’
There’s no way a high-ranking demon like that would run away from me out of fear.
Just then, Jooyeon was about to go outside.
Swish.
A black shadow appeared in the most secluded part of the casino.
It was definitely the demon that I thought had run away from my power.
However, there was no murderous intent in the demon’s eyes.
“Ah, that must be the Demon King who disappeared.”
It was reverence and joy.