Book 22 Chapter 15

Their eyes turned red with gambling

—The night of Kanghorando deepens

Baek Gyeol, not the guide he wished for, led the Cheonmu Academy delegation to the eastern entrance of Kanghorando. It was a place where people gathered to burn the night away, engrossed in gambling. It was a place that welcomed anyone with money. Of course, when the money ran out, they were usually kicked out. Kanghorando offered all sorts of gambling games. In particular, there were not only games like Mahjong and card games that required familiarizing oneself with complex rules before playing, but also plenty of games like turtle races, cricket races, dog races, and cockfighting that could be played without knowing any rules.

“Haha, we aim to be a happy casino where the whole family can enjoy themselves together at any time,” said Manager Joo of the casino named ‘Jeongjeon,’ whom they were introduced to first, rubbing his palms together.

“I assume you’ve already received the challenge. It should be enough for everyone to enjoy for a night. Then, I’ll be going.” Baek Gyeol turned away quickly, only stating his business, as if he couldn’t stand being in such a place crowded with people for even a moment.

“You’re leaving?”

“If I stay in this filthy place any longer, it will harm my body. I might even catch a disease. The thought alone is dreadful.”

“Aren’t you gambling?”

At that, Baek Gyeol made a face that conveyed how dreadful it was even to imagine.

“I have no desire to touch such dirty objects handled by countless dirty hands.”

“Then you’re not going to spend any money?”

Money, like challenges, passed through many hands. It was originally created to circulate through the hands of many people. It was unfair to criticize those who were fulfilling their purpose by doing so. Baek Gyeol’s answer was a masterpiece (?) of absurdity.

“I only use silver. And only pure silver that has been boiled in a furnace to remove impurities.”

To be so obsessive about cleanliness, there was nothing to say. He suppressed the urge to say, ‘Then how about eating mercury?’ In fact, he even had the thought of kindly feeding them mercury. But he decided to refrain. As the leader, he had to maintain his dignity.

“Then I’ll be going. Enjoy yourselves.”

Though he exuded an aura that clearly indicated he didn’t want to be held back, he decided to bother him one last time.

“Can we truly enjoy ourselves without any worries?” Namgung Sang asked the final probing question. He was asking if there was a trap. Of course, he didn’t expect an answer. What Namgung Sang wanted was an immediate reaction. However, Baek Gyeol’s reaction was anticlimactic.

“You will be able to enjoy yourselves without any worries.”

Baek Gyeol left the casino, uttering cryptic words. The men behind him were already bustling about, looking at various gambling games. As a place that advertised itself as a family entertainment venue, there were many cute and charming gambling games that women would be interested in, so the female guards also began to show interest, peeking around here and there.

“Since it was given to us to enjoy, it’s best to enjoy it.”

However, it didn’t take even a day to realize how naive that judgment was.

The human psyche is truly a peculiar thing. And the place that penetrates and maximally utilizes that human psyche is none other than a casino. Like countless paupers before them, they too started small at first.