Chapter 50

Chapter 49. Black Market (2)

Crunch.

Alex clenched his teeth so hard they might crack, but he had no intention of attacking.

It was only natural.

Necromancers were not built for close combat.

Most importantly, the authority given to him was limited to persuasion alone; any combat-related actions required approval from higher-ups.

"Before you go, I have one last question. Did you know from the beginning? About where I belonged?"

"I had a rough idea. Still, it was better than when we were a duo. Your efforts to appear natural were quite noticeable."

Back then, he was so preoccupied with grand external designs that he overlooked the finer details.

That's why he immediately noticed the trap.

"You did it again... You're really an expert at just taking the deposit and running."

"Well, what can I say? You guys kept falling for it, so I couldn't help but continue."

Forcing cake into someone's mouth.

As a human, one can't help but chew delicious food.

"I just acted naturally."

Jinhyuk smiled.

In contrast, Alex's face contorted even more.

"You shouldn't provoke us too much. Right now, we have a troublesome enemy to deal with, but after that, I will demand a price for this from you."

"Are you talking about the masked guy?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. At your level, what can you do about him?"

"Ha! You acted like you'd never heard of him until just now. Even if you say it now..."

Alex let out a derisive laugh, finding it absurd.

However, the moment Jinhyuk continued speaking, Alex had to overturn all the assumptions that formed the foundation of his plan.

"A masked man with runes on his mask, who recently made contact with a large guild. Of course, you were there too."

"..."

Alex's pupils dilated.

Cold sweat broke out, and a dry swallow passed through his throat.

Could it be?

'Could he really know the masked man?'

The uploaded video had the parts about the mines edited out, so no third party could know.

'In other words, what he said is true.'

Of course, there is another possibility.

The possibility that the two are the same person.

However, Alex never imagined that the masked man and Jinhyuk were the same person.

It was impossible.

To tackle the corridor of the fallen ones on the first floor, a player had to maintain level 1.

Naturally, the masked man's level would also be 1.

But Jinhyuk, standing before him, had been estimated to be level 20 after the ball a few hours ago.

The level gap between the two was a staggering 19.

'It's impossible to close that gap in just a few days.'

Therefore, they were different people.

At least, Alex was certain of that.

He didn't know that this was all part of Jinhyuk's design.

'People who know a little tend to be confident in the information they have.'

Jinhyuk's lips curled upward.

He thought the mine people would know how to tackle the corridor.

Given their broad range of information and the impressive artifacts they possessed, they would have found some clues.

However.

The only person who knew about the existence of the first underground floor of the Tower of Trials...

'Is me alone in this world.'

An information gap that could never be breached.

A privilege only those who had enjoyed pain for a long time could obtain.

Finally, Alex let out a long sigh.

"......Huh. To get information about that guy, I guess I'll have to endure your games, Mr. Player Kang Jinhyuk."

"That's the idea. And by the way, do you know? Since I'm in competition with him, I might share some useful information with you guys later."

"I... understand. For now, I'll have to be satisfied with this."

Alex reluctantly nodded.

Good.

This seems to have established a not-so-bad relationship with them.

"Ah! And one more thing out of concern..."

Jinhyuk spoke again.

"Yes?"

"If you can't even handle a mere Chanyuseong and are flustered by the masked guy, it's best not to mess with me."

If you think you can extract information through assassination or torture, think again.

At least.

"I'll be much more difficult to handle than those guys."

***

After the series of events, the plane resumed its smooth flight through the sky.

After a while.

They arrived at the Las Vegas airport, just as evening was setting in.

Alex had disappeared without a trace.

Jinhyuk dismissed him from his mind.

Right now, he had more important matters to attend to than worrying about the kid.

There were about 4 hours left before the auction started.

"I need to gather some capital first."

He needed dollars.

As many as possible.

"At least 200 times the amount I have now..."

He could ask Han Sangjin for money, but if he started asking about the source, it could become a headache later.

"Among the most terrifying government agencies in the world, the tax office is the scariest."

So, the only option left was to use the money he had.

The won in his wallet would only convert to about 4,000 dollars.

Of course, this was far from enough.

The minimum bid at the auction house started at 50,000 dollars.

Then.

"I will call upon the world's memory."

Jinhyuk summoned the skills he had stored.

What he needed was the ability to fuse with 'Eyes of Truth.'

"I was planning to fuse it with elemental abilities later, but I have no choice now."

Elemental abilities act as a buffer to mitigate the side effects of overuse.

On the other hand, dark attribute abilities, while efficient, come with side effects.

Safety and efficiency.

He had to choose one.

Given the current situation, Jinhyuk chose the latter.

['Eyes of Truth (SS)' and 'Blood Magic (S)' are fusing.]

[The fusion was successful!]

[You have obtained the skill 'Greed's Eye (SSS)'!]

Woo!

The two skills merged into one with a bright light.

[Greed's Eye]

Acquisition Difficulty: SSS

Description: An advanced version of 'Eyes of Truth,' it is immune to all types of barriers and can peek into the opponent's status window. Additionally, through 'Shared Vision' and 'Mind Reading,' it can interfere with internal aspects. However, due to the nature of Blood Magic, frequent use can contaminate the user's personality. 'Shared Vision' and 'Mind Reading' can only be activated once against a target of a lower level (the effect lasts for 1 hour after activation).

Greed's Eye.

While it had the side effect of potentially losing one's humanity if overused,

it boasted an overwhelmingly superior ability in terms of efficiency.

'Not bad.'

Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.

With the basic preparations done,

it was time to gather money.

In the city of Las Vegas, where the night is more vibrant than the day.

***

Las Vegas 'Luxor Hotel' Casino.

David, the head of security, was at a loss with the continuous bad news.

"Sir, we've already lost over a million dollars."

"This is the fourth dealer change. We can't do anything about it."

"There are no issues on the security cameras. The barrier to block unique abilities and skills is also functioning properly."

The security staff reported with grim faces.

"What, what's going on here! If there's nothing wrong, how do you explain this?"

Bang!

David slammed the CCTV monitor.

A single East Asian guest here.

This person was the cause of all the trouble.

'He came with just 4,000 dollars and won over 100,000 dollars in an hour?'

If he had just played slot machines or roulette, it would be unbelievable.

The game was poker.

A game of skill, where the longer a sucker stays, the more likely the casino will win.

But the East Asian man survived.

No, he wasn't just surviving.

He was on a rampage.

Mocking the experienced dealers.

'The win rate isn't high.'

It's just a little over 10%.

But the problem is that whenever he wins, he takes the entire pot.

As if he can see all the cards on the table.

'What trick is he using?'

It's not a unique ability.

It's not a skill.

Then, there must be an insider working with him.

That was David's conclusion.

"Prepare to change the dealer again. This time, I'll personally select."

At the same time.

Jinhyuk was raking in money at the poker table.

[Damn. I can't lose this time. I have to... I have to win.]

Through 'Mind Reading,' he heard the dealer's inner thoughts.

At the same time.

[J One Pair]

Through the shared vision, he saw the dealer's cards clearly.

The rest was just betting based on the situation.

'I can't lose even if I want to.'

No matter how strong the casino's barriers were, the 'Greed's Eye,' with its immunity, couldn't be blocked.

It was almost as if the skill was optimized for gambling.

If he had enough time, he could sweep all the money from every casino in the world.

'Well, I'll be blacklisted next time, so realistically, that won't happen.'

It didn't matter.

He only needed the money this time.

"Call. I have a pair of tens."

Jinhyuk pushed the chips forward.

The dealer bit her lip and reluctantly revealed her cards.

"...Pair of tens wins. Congratulations."

Having been outsmarted even with his final bluff, all he could do was admit defeat.

"Goodness... How many dealers have been destroyed?"

"Already the fourth. Damn. I've been in the casino for 10 years, and I've never seen anything like this."

"He's raked in a lot. At least over a million dollars?"

"Crazy. It's like winning the lottery. But shouldn't he leave soon? He might end up losing everything, including his clothes."

"That's for the fools. This man is perfectly controlling his pace. If this continues, the casino might have to close."

"Haha! That would be a sight to see."

The onlookers gasped.

They were already captivated by Jinhyuk's skillful play.

Ching!

Jinhyuk gathered the chips and stacked them by color.

This added 200,000 dollars.

But.

'It's not enough.'

The cautious dealers weren't easily taking the bait.

As a result, time passed, but the betting amount didn't increase much.

With only 30 minutes left.

But right then.

"Dealer, let's change one more time."

A pale, emaciated man appeared.

Dark circles under his eyes, and skin hanging off his bones.

However, what was more striking than his deformed appearance was the aura emanating from his body.

Hmm.

Look at this.

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

'Using an Awakened as a dealer?'

They must have tampered with the barriers to allow the use of abilities.

He had expected the casino to try something to recover their losses, but...

How cute.

Trying to show off in front of the 'Greed's Eye.'

Jinhyuk pretended not to notice.

"I'll shuffle the cards."

The dealer took a new deck.

Woo!

Magic power gathered at his fingertips.

[Michael Padro activates Level 3 'Cunning Sleight of Hand'!]

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

The cards mixed rapidly.

One, two.

Overlapping, the clovers and hearts danced wildly.

Jinhyuk's eyes followed the movements.

Five, six...

And finally.

The shuffled cards were placed in front of the dealer and Jinhyuk.

But Jinhyuk didn't flip his cards.

Tap, tap!

Instead, he tapped the table, annoying the dealer.

"Are you not going to check your cards?"

The dealer finally spoke cautiously.

"Check?"

"Yes. You need to check to place a bet, right?"

Well.

"Seven times in total. I saw him use three different skills. Do I really need to check the cards?"

"Wh-What do you mean...?"

The dealer's voice trembled.

This guy is good at card tricks, but his acting skills are terrible.

Does he have to show everything on his face when he's caught?

"Enough. Call the hotel manager or the security team manager. Right now."

Jinhyuk ordered.

At that moment.

"Who does this dirty East Asian think he is, ordering people around? And what? Skills? Fraud? Are you really crazy? You'll be carried out in an ambulance today. Got it?"

David appeared with security guards.