Chapter 38: The Fundamental Vow (2)

I looked at the sobbing chick before me.

This kid, quite the oddball, I must say.

First off, the name’s a hoot.

How can a person’s name be Chick?

Though it seemed like some also called her Jinari as a nickname, I, out of respect for personal names, plan to keep calling her Chick.

Nonetheless, this girl with her pink hair was beautiful.

A beauty not commonly seen on TV or monitors.

And to think, she’s the daughter of a family wealthier than a chaebol, looking a bit older than Jamsuni,maybe a high schooler.

Here was this precious young lady, sobbing in front of me.

“Ugh, why, why am I in a place like this?”

“So, why did you tiptoe after me into the bathroom? Hey, Chick, calm down and step outside. I’ll be out in a jiffy.”

To be in a men’s restroom with such a distinguished young lady.

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like a situation that could easily lead to a sentence of five years or more.

“Hey, hurry and get out.”

After pushing Chick away, I entered a bathroom.

But soon after, Chick peeked in, looking at me.

“Are you a real pervert?!”

“No, no, I’m not.”

Only after keeping an eye on the chick like that, I able to finish up in the bathroom.

Afterward, as Chick waited for me right next to the bathroom, I asked her.

“So, how much longer will it take to eliminate Cheonsu?”

“It’s not something that can be simply pushed through with force anymore. It’s become a political issue now.”

“A political issue?”

Seeing how she keeps elaborating, it seems I won’t get the answer I’m looking for.

I looked at the chick with a disappointed expression.

“Just tell me how long it will take.”

“About 6 months...”

“6 months?”

Six months. By then, Cheonsu would have figured out everything that happened in the lab.

Even though Kirieon caused a mess and destroyed the lab, it seemed nothing would be impossible to find with superpowers.

Moreover, since Cheonsu split his twenty subordinates who came to the lab in half, it’s unlikely he’d give up investigating the incident.

“Ugh...”

What a headache.

Seeing me distressed, the chick spoke up.

“Why do you want to get rid of Cheonsu?”

“It’s personal grudge.”

“Personal grudge, huh. That’s a serious matter. May I speak my mind honestly?”

“Go ahead.”

I looked at the chick.

The pink-haired beauty looked up at me and said,

“You’re honestly a powerful being, you acknowledge that, right?”

“I suppose I am quite formidable.”

That’s considering a fight without superpowers, of course.

Hearing my words, the chick nodded.

“How about this then? Somehow create an opportunity to meet Cheonsu. Then, capture him and force your demands on him.”

“Force my demands? You don’t mean...”

“Make him swear a vow.”

The chick’s expression suddenly turned icy.

“No. If your goal is to kill Cheonsu, seize the opportunity to do so immediately. I can handle any followers or the ensuing legal and political issues alone.”

“To kill Cheonsu.”

Honestly, in a close combat, I might be able to defeat Cheonsu.

It’s likely he wouldn’t stand a chance against my unique superpower techniques. But that’s not the problem.

Killing someone with my own hands.

Cheonsu might deserve to die, but to kill him myself?

The thought suddenly made my heart heavy.

So, I decided to change the subject.

“So, how are we going to meet Cheonsu?”

“How about causing a disturbance as a form of revenge at ‘Big Hand,’ the largest of Cheonsu’s businesses in Hongdae, after losing money there? Surely Cheonsu wouldn’t dare to ignore me, the esteemed Jin family’s Fengchu(Phoenix).”

“I see. But where is it? Big Hand? I think I’ve heard of it.”

“Right, it’s the second-largest gambling establishment in Seoul.”

A gambling establishment?

Was gambling legal in our country?

Now that I think about it, I heard some underworld types are openly running drug operations too.

Even the police can’t touch their drugs.

I pondered for a moment.

Then, after organizing my thoughts, I spoke.

“Causing a scene at Big Hand is a bad idea. A rat like Cheonsu will only slip away even more.”

Then, there’s no way he’d confront threats in front of his subordinates fair and square. To catch such a rat, one would need to disguise oneself as a fool and snatch him up in an instant.

It seems like the best time to strike is now, when he hasn’t even started investigating the lab incident.

But how to make use of this timing?

Lost in thought, the chick chirped in from the side.

“Or maybe hiring someone with great craftsmanship or a pianist could be a strategy. I’ve heard Cheonsu likes such people.”

“People with great craftsmanship, huh.”

This is getting complicated.

Why does Cheonsu like such people?

Does Cheonsu mean ‘a thousand hands’?

Argh, this is frustrating.

I’m not good at this brainy stuff.

In times like these, a direct approach is best.

“Ah, this won’t do. Chick, you got some time today?”

“Ti-time? I’m here because I have time, I came to meet you. I’m usually busy, you know. I’m not the kind of easy woman who just shows up when asked.”

I looked at the chick and said,

“Then let’s scout out this place called Big Hand today.”

“Today? Well, it’s evening, prime time for the gambling establishment to be bustling. But to be out late with a man... Hmm.”

“If not, I’ll manage on my own.”

“Manage on your own? You wouldn’t be with another girl, would you? Uh, who, who said I couldn’t do it. Hmph.”

The chick stepped out onto the street and flicked her hand, and a car that looked incredibly expensive silently pulled up beside her.

I believe even without options, that car would be worth several hundred million.

“Get in.”

“Yes.”

And so, I was off to Big Hand, a gambling establishment in Hongdae, in a car that made no noise even at 100 km/h.

***

“Wow, this place is no joke. It’s got style.”

Big Hand was almost like a hotel-level massive casino.

The hotel was beautifully decorated with ornaments and gardens, and from the upper floors, it looked like wealthy people were enjoying expensive food; it could very well be a real hotel.

So, this building I saw on the way here was Big Hand.

“Hmm, is that so?”

But then, the chick beside me suddenly spoke up.

With a haughty expression, she snorted and opened her mouth.

“The flooring, the chandeliers on the ceiling, even the artworks hanging there are barely first-rate, scraping the bottom of the top tier. How should I put it? It’s like a nouveau riche who has lots of money but can’t access the real deal tried to decorate? It’s a bit low-level.”

Seeing the chick like this suddenly reminded me of someone.

The tyrant of Louisville who makes me want to give a flick on the forehead every single day seems to be standing right before my eyes.

In that moment, the chick hardened her expression and whispered,

“However, the quality of the troops inside is definitely first-rate. The souls of the officer-level personnel, excluding the spirit fighters, seem blurred. They must be skilled enough to hide their abilities with negative energy. And the lower-ranked troops are all carrying talismans.”

I too glanced at the security forces.

They all carried things like bells, dolls, or small wooden figurines.

How do they fight with such things instead of knives or guns?

Truly a curious era.

“Even in my family clan, lower-ranked troops are only provided with guns and armor that have runes inscribed, yet here, all the troops are equipped with talismans.”

I could feel the chick was extremely tense.

She was even shivering a little.

So, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

This would let her know I’m beside her and maybe calm her down a bit.

But the chick was startled.

“Peep, peep!”

“Don’t worry too much. Today, we’re just here to look around.”

“Why, why are you touching my body without permission?”

“Ah, sorry. You were shivering all of a sudden.”

I was about to hastily remove my hand.

But then, the chick moved closer, maintaining the contact with my hand.

Her face turned incredibly red in that moment.

“Th-this is because the chick inside my heart moved on its own, I never once thought that your hands are big or warm or that I liked being stroked. Ah, you understand, right? As the esteemed Fengchu of Jin family, I know what chastity means.”

Chick, are you rapping?

Quite the fast talker, peeping away.

“It’s the issue with the chick inside your heart again, huh?”

“Ye-yes.”

“I didn’t come here with the intention of doing anything either. Today is just for reconnaissance.”

I’m not here to try and do something either.

Seeing is believing.

Just came to see what kind of place Cheonsu’s crew has.

And with that, we entered Big Hand Casino.

***

Big Hand Casino was a dazzlingly lavish gambling establishment.

First off, in the center was a huge piggy bank shaped like two hands, and beside it, a massive model racetrack and a giant roulette.

Next to that, an endless row of slot machines stretched out.

“So this is Korea.”

Overwhelmed by the spectacle, I couldn’t help but comment.

The chick, with a look of acknowledgment about the scale of the place, surveyed the surroundings.

Then, her gaze fixed on one spot.

She pointed past the giant roulette wheel with her finger.

“That must be where the real players gamble.”

“The real ones?”

“I mean the true powerhouses, not the ones with underdeveloped spirit abilities.”

Really? Should I take a look from afar?

I casually made my way towards the area the chick was pointing at.

She scurried after me.

“That must be the place.”

“What kind of place?”

“Where limbs are on the line. I found out about it while doing some research.”

The chick chirped as she followed me.

“I heard you can bet on anything there. Not just money and real estate, but also talismans, someone’s rights, and even their own lives.”

“That’s insane.”

“If they end up bankrupt, they have to cut off their right hand and offer it to Cheonsu to leave.”

Cheonsu really is a piece of work.

I nodded and casually glanced over.

Dozens were clearly placing bets on something.

And there was a faint smell of blood in the air.

What on earth happens there?

As I was looking over, a man in a suit approached me.

“Welcome, guests.”

“We’re just looking around.”

“From what I can tell, one of you is a master of negative energy, skilled enough to completely conceal your abilities, and the other seems to have a noble divine beast lineage. How could we not welcome you as our guests?”

I looked at the man in the suit, not hiding my irritation.

“We’re just looking around.”

“But looking around in a casino usually means searching for something to bet on. If that’s the case, it’s our duty to recommend some betting options.”

The man in the suit bowed exaggeratedly and pointed towards the piggy bank in the center of the gambling hall.

“If you’re lucky enough, you could walk away with fifty billion in cash hanging there today. But that’s just the beginning. If you’re truly fortunate today, you could even take over the entire casino.”

“Who would believe that? This casino is Cheonsu Crew’s stronghold. Are you saying you’d wager your headquarters as the stakes?”

At the chick’s comment, the man in the suit bowed again.

“Yes, betting is all about staking everything you have to take everything from someone else. Of course, you would need to wager something of equal value. Perhaps, those delicate hands of yours.”

What’s with this man in the suit and his creepy gaze?

I shielded the chick behind me and retorted,

“I’ve heard a saying, the house always wins. In this day and age, there’s no way the owners of this gambling hall haven’t rigged the game.”

“I was waiting for you to say that.”

The man in the suit dramatically pulled out some cards from his jacket.

They were transparent, allowing both the front and back to be seen through.

The card he was holding was the Four of Spades, crudely drawn at that. I could draw that too if that’s all it took.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Have you ever heard of Black Snow?”

“I know. That card, resistant to abilities, seems to have something in common with Black Snow.”

“Yes, these cards cannot be peeked at by either us or the guests. Unlike Black Snow, the content on these cards is drawn with the dark arts of the Heavenly Demon cult and cannot be altered. It resonates with eyes and ice, lowering the temperature, I vow.”

The man in the suit shuffled the transparent cards.

“This game, played with these cards, is true gambling. No spirit power can influence this game. You can only rely on your luck and skill to enjoy this game.”

After hearing this, I turned to the chick beside me.

“Jinari-nim.”

“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally?”

“Lend me some money.”

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