Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Open it.”

“I’m out.”

“Damn it, this board was also robbed.”

The tiles never stopped moving.

Noticing the staggering amount of money involved, onlookers crowded around, yet a strange silence settled over the actual gaming table.

“Three.”

“I’m three too.”

“Kuhu. I have four. This time, it’s mine.”

An amount of silver ingots, which is difficult for most people to touch for the rest of their lives, fluttered like a toy. The eyes of those who watched the scene were gradually turning red with greed.

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“I lost.”

The vagabond dressed in a red long robe threw the tiles in his hand onto the round table. He lost three silver ingots at once, but there was no regret or anger in his demeanor.

‘Idiot.’

Chae Gyu barely suppressed the smile that was threatening to appear on his face.

Even if he pretended to be calm, that vagabond was probably drying up with thirst and anxiety by now. Although the identities of those sitting at the gambling table varied widely, the emotions felt by those losing money were all the same.

It’s commendable that he didn’t show signs of nervousness. If this were any other gambling den, he might even have won a fair amount. But this place, the Pleasure Court, wasn’t so lenient that one could escape by merely feigning calmness.

Little by little, very slowly.

Like a swamp swallowing a person, this place gradually nibbles away at money.

“Five!”

“Five.”

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“It is six.”

“…Damn, why does six keep coming up?”

“I thought I was sure to win this round, damn it!”

“That guy over there is lucky. How much is he taking in one round?”

A large sum of silver ingots had accumulated in front of the man in the red robe. About half of what he had lost so far was recovered in an instant.

However, Chae Gyu, who frowned as if he was in a bad mood, felt differently. The reason is simple. This is because he lost it on purpose.

Unless you’re a fool, you can’t be unaware that the stakes are decreasing. A bold gambler might hope for a reversal right until the last silver, but most would get scared and leave the table after losing half their money.

‘That can’t be possible.’

So, it was necessary to give them a taste now and then. To keep alive the hope that one lucky hand could recover all losses.

‘Haha.’

The corner of Chae Gyu’s mouth twitched.

Gambling is done for the thrill of winning money, but watching a person fall into ruin is an unmissable part of the entertainment. In that sense, today’s table was indeed perfect.

“One.”

“I’m two.”

“Four. Hahaha. I’m sorry about this. But what can I do?”

As the tiles moved back and forth, the mound of silver ingots in front of the vagabond gradually decreased again. It wasn’t easy to lose all that enormous amount of money, but before he knew it, almost all was gone.

This is a situation that would drive an ordinary person crazy.

However, the red-robed vagabond just stared at the round table with the same indifferent eyes as before.

Eventually.

“I won.”

Chae Gyu swept up the bets placed on the round table with a triumphant look on his face. A tower of silver ingots was formed in front of him and his companions. But there were no more silver ingots in front of the man in the red robe.

“Aigo. Looks like all your stakes have disappeared.”

“I’m sorry about this, but what can I do?”

The three men laughed awkwardly.

“Got any money left? If not, it seems you’ll have to leave.”

The red-robed vagabond quietly lowered his gaze to where his bet had been piled up, and then slowly raised his head.

“No more money left.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seems you were unlucky today. Let’s play again next time.”

“There are days like that, too. Take this at least.”

The men each picked a silver ingot from in front of them and pushed it toward the man in the red robe.

Three silver ingots.

To an ordinary person, it was a huge amount of money, but if you think about the money the vagabond lost today, it was hardly worth calling money.

The corners of the vagabond’s mouth curled up slightly as he stared at the three silver ingots.

“…I have no money. But I have something to bet.”

“This place doesn’t accept anything unless it’s money.”

“You will receive it.”

“…Hmm?”

Chae Gyu frowned slightly and looked at the man.

‘Tsk, tsk. He would have been better off just losing his money and leaving.’

That was when Chae Gyu lowered his hand under the table and quietly grabbed the handle of the sword on his waist.

“Before that… I have a question.”

“…What?”

The vagabond slowly leaned back against the back of the chair. Then, he leaned back with his head hanging back.

Chills ran down Chae Gyu’s neck.

‘What?’

Confused by his own reaction, Chae Gyu was perplexed. It wasn’t like he was scared of the man in front of him, so why did his body react this way?

At that time, the vagabond’s voice pierced his ears.

“Is it fun?”

“….”

Chae Gyu, who had been flashing doubt, narrowed his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“As I said.”

The vagabond’s head slowly returned to its place. His long, unkempt bangs still covered his eyes. Because of this, Chae Gyu had no way of knowing what kind of eyes he was staring with.

“Is it fun?”

“…Crazy punk….”

Chae Gyu exchanged glances with those sitting to his left and right. So that if the man does something stupid, they can deal with it at any time.

The vagabond said.

“The bet. Yes, I have no money left. But there’s still something I can bet.”

“…What is that?”

“Life.”

The vagabond’s dark lips curled up eerily.

“…Damn it. We don’t accept anything other than money here!”

“What are you doing? Drag this bastard out!”

At that time, the vagabond lightly waved his hand. The long red robe fluttered.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I’m not wagering my life.”

“…What?”

“It’s not mine, it’s yours.”

“…You’re insane.”

“No, the lives of everyone here, and perhaps even the lives of everyone in this Hangzhou, or possibly, everyone in this entire Jungwon.”

Chae Gyu suddenly realized how bizarrely abnormal this situation was.

He isn’t the type to tolerate such nonsense normally. How many people who made a fuss after losing their bets had he encountered in this place? Normally, he would have already drawn his sword, cut off one of that bastard’s limbs, and kicked him out. Either that or cut off the head.

However….

‘Why am I silently listening to this nonsense?’

“I would like to ask.”

The vagabond slowly opened his mouth.

“How much are your lives worth?”

“….”

“Isn’t it because of those lives that you can joyfully throw your existence into the gutter like this? That’s why I’m asking. How much is those lives worth? Only then can I take that money.”

Ghost Seeing Sorrow (???(鬼見愁)) Yeom Ho (??(廉昊)), who was sitting next to Chae Gyu, could not stand it anymore and shouted.

“How dare this damn guy make such a scene! How much my life is worth! Why would you take it….”

It was at that moment.

The vagabond lightly raised his hand. Then Yeom Ho’s body, who was screaming, flew over the round table. As if it were being tied up somewhere and dragged away.

‘Huh?’

That sudden and unnatural sight made Chae Gyu freeze in an instant.

Kudangtangtang!

The tiles and silver ingots scattered around the round table bounced and scattered in all directions.

Despite the hard-won money scattering everywhere, Chae Gyu’s eyes did not follow the silver ingots. No, they couldn’t. Because the vagabond’s hand was grabbing Yeom Ho’s face, which was turned over on the tabletop.

‘H- How…?’

Sweat trickled down Chae Gyu’s back stickily.

‘Telekinesis?’ (????(隔空攝物)/Lit. Grabbing through the air)

It is a sight that cannot be explained otherwise.

But even that interpretation made no sense. Moving an object with internal strength was something only those who had reached a profound level of mastery could do.

But how can one attract a person with internal strength rather than an object? And someone like Ghost Seeing Sorrow Yeom Ho at that!

While Chae Gyu was perplexed, unable to understand the situation unfolding before his eyes, the vagabond in a red long robe pulled Yeom Ho, who was in his hand, towards him with a slow hand gesture.

“Why am I taking it?”

A sinister smile painted the man’s black lips.

“The reason is all too simple. Right now, your lives are merely mortgaged. The reason all beings in this Jungwon can live is because the cult still permits your lives.”

“Kkeuu…. Kkuooh….”

“However… it’s a shame. At a glance, your lives seem not worth more than a penny. Such cheap and useless lives.”

“Keu… euaaaaaak!”

Bright blue veins began to sprout all over Yeom Ho’s body. He was shaking and writhing in pain as if numerous needles had been stabbed all over his body.

And in that moment, Chae Gyu clearly saw it.

The flesh on Yeom Ho’s body, exposed outside his clothing, shriveled up like a paddy field parched by drought, cracking and splitting.

‘This….’

Meanwhile, the vagabond calmly and slowly turned back his bangs with his other hand.

“Ugh…”

Chae Gyu unknowingly stepped back.

The eyes of the man who flipped his hair back were terrifyingly red. Not just tinged with red, but as if filled to the brim with blood.

The dark lips, pale skin, and blood-red eyes gave Chae Gyu an eerie feeling he had never felt before.

“Keuaah…”

Yeom Ho’s twitching body finally went limp.

Tong.

Yeom Ho’s body, shriveled up like a mummy, sprawled hopelessly over the tabletop. What was placed on the round table instead of the money and tiles that had been passed around was a miserable chillingly cold corpse.

“Ah…”

“Worthless beings.”

The vagabond’s demeanor changed in an instant.

As he slowly stood up, a bone-chilling aura flowed from him. Just being in his presence made it hard to breathe, and it felt as if the blood in one’s body was surging backward.

“Who… who are you…?”

Chae Gyu trembled and barely asked.

Rebel? Resist?

He couldn’t even begin to entertain such thoughts.

It was an issue before even discussing the difference in strength. An indescribable gap in class had frozen him like a mouse in front of a viper.

“Who am I.”

The man in the red robe slowly shook his head.

“Difficult to answer. I am one without a name.”

“….”

He twitched the corner of his mouth and sneered.

“If you think about it, all of this might just be a struggle to gain a name.”

At the same time, a crimson light flowed from his eyes.

Chae Gyu didn’t understand the words at all, but he didn’t need to. People don’t need to worry about what happens after they die.

Chae Gyu’s body was sucked into the man’s hand.

“Keuk!”

The man grasped Chae Gyu’s neck in an instant and stared directly into his eyes.

“Compared to that worthless life of yours, this is an honorably glorious death, yes?”

“Cra… Crazy….”

Kwadeudeuk.

The bones of his entire body were crushed and twisted.

“Keu… euaaa… aaargh….”

Chae Gyu’s corpse collapsed to the floor, unable to even properly utter his last words. His corpse was so horrific that every bone in his body seemed to be twisted.

Astonishment, disbelief, and, above all, fear oppressed the gambling den.

As if delivering a monologue, the man coldly surveyed those frozen stiff like a mice before a snake and opened his mouth.

“Building mountains out of corpses…”

“….”

“If you kill and kill and kill enough to create a sea with that blood….”

Step.

He took a step.

“Eventually, everyone in the world will know of the events unfolding here. Yes, everyone.”

“…Uugh.”

A groan of terror, let out by someone, spread throughout the silent gambling den.

With blood shining from his eyes, the man raised his hand high.

Giiiiiiing!

A jet-black energy, like a pitch-black blade, shot from his fingertips, piercing through the ceiling of the gambling den.

“The Second Coming of Heavenly Demon, Myriad of Demon Advance!”

The man’s ear-piercing howl rang out as if it were going to explode.

“Your worthless lives will become our proclamation. Our scream is sent to Him, who has reincarnated somewhere in this world!”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The densely packed buildings in Hangzhou’s back alleys exploded like fireworks all at once.

It was a scream and also a howl. It was the evil fanaticism that reverberated throughout the world for the first time in a hundred years.