Chapter 247

A gloomy underground gambling den. A middle-aged man sitting in a corner lowered his head.

“……I’m done for.”

A pair of glasses—an item imported from the Western Regions—rested on his nose. Until a few days ago, they would have easily cost dozens of silver nyang. But not anymore.

The lenses, which were said to magnify objects several times over, were cracked all over like a rice paddy in a drought.

Two men were watching the middle-aged man from a distance.

“Is that him? Is he really the one…?”

“That’s Kwak Cheolyung. No doubt about it.”

“Good heavens. I never thought I’d live to see one of the legendary Dogons in person.”

The two men, one with narrow, birdlike eyes and the other with a goat’s beard, were ordinary gamblers of the sort one could find anywhere.

As they watched Kwak Cheolyung deal the bone tiles again, the goat-bearded man asked, “But what happened to him?”

As his question suggested, Kwak Cheolyung was in a pitiful state.

His complexion was haggard, and his beard had gone untrimmed. His silk clothes were filthy black with grime and torn in several places.

They said he had spent his entire life roaming from one gambling table to another and amassed an enormous fortune.

But now, he looked like nothing more or less than a gambler who had lost everything.

“Did something happen?”

“It did. Something very serious.”

The narrow-eyed man nodded. Unlike the goat-bearded man, who had arrived in Henan late, he knew exactly what had happened to Kwak Cheolyung recently.

“What was it? Don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me.”

“He lost a gamble.”

“Winning and losing are common in this business, aren’t they?”

“They are. But what if it was a game worth a thousand silver nyang?”

“Gasp! A thousand silver nyang!”

The goat-bearded man’s eyes widened.

That was enough money to live in luxury for the rest of one’s life—or even enough for three generations to live like kings.

He clicked his tongue regretfully, lamenting that he had never seen such a massive game, and asked, “It must have been the biggest wager since the founding of the country. Who was his opponent? A-Gwi? Or Jjak-Gwi?”

“My friend, I knew you were hard of hearing, but you really are completely out of touch with recent news. A-Gwi had his wrist cut off by a fellow called the Qingcheng Mountain Guillotine a couple of months ago, and Jjak-Gwi disappeared a long time ago.”

“Then who besides those two could possibly have beaten Kwak Cheolyung?”

“The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi.”

“Who?”

“Jin Taekyung of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. He’s the Fire King’s Disciple.”

The Fire King was one of the Ten Kings and a Supreme Peak master whose reputation resounded throughout the world. There was no reason for such a man’s Disciple to gamble with a Dogon.

The goat-bearded man thought for a moment before crying out as if in a groan.

“Dodo!¹ He played Dodo at the Star-Array Grand Banquet.”

“Correct.”

The Star-Array Grand Banquet’s betting games were considered the greatest gambling matches held anywhere under heaven, and were therefore called Dodo.

At last, the goat-bearded man understood what had happened and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. Kwak Cheolyung did something stupid. The odds on the preliminaries may have been high, but he should have considered that meant they were dangerous, too.”

“Do you think he bet without thinking? He must have been confident for his own reasons.”

“What did he bet on, and against whom?”

“The Iron-Water Divine Dragon taking first place in the preliminaries.”

“I suppose he’s strong, since he’s the Seafaring King’s Disciple, but I don’t think he’s quite that good.”

The narrow-eyed man shook his head.

“He seems to have gained some insight recently. I heard one-tenth of a cliff was blown away by the Iron-Water Divine Dragon’s Ship-Breaking Fist.”

“……Is that even possible?”

He had heard rumors of Murim masters breaking apart the earth and cleaving the sky, but he had never imagined it could be to this extent.

Just as the goat-bearded man was struggling to contain his astonishment, another unbelievable statement followed.

“What’s so impossible about it? Immediately afterward, the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi even brought the cliff down.”

“……!”

The goat-bearded man asked haltingly, his eyes as wide as plates.

“Y-You mean he collapsed a cliff?”

“That’s right. According to the witnesses, it came down with an enormous roar.”

“…….”

The goat-bearded man did not answer. Instead, he stared at his friend with distrustful eyes.

“Isn’t that just a wild rumor?”

“Everyone else, myself included, dismissed it as a wild rumor at first. A person made of flesh and blood bringing down a cliff with his bare hands—it didn’t seem possible.”

“Exactly.”

“But what can we do when it’s true? Kwak Cheolyung sitting over there is living proof.”

“Why would Kwak Cheolyung be proof…? Ah. He must have lost a thousand silver nyang.”

“Five thousand.”

“What?”

“What do you think it feels like to lose money in a game you were certain you’d win?”

“C-Could it be…?”

“Is Kwak Cheolyung any different? In the end, he’s just as crazy about gambling as anyone else.”

The narrow-eyed man looked at Kwak Cheolyung with pity.

The disheveled man was staring blankly at the tiles in his hand.

“On that day three days ago, when the Iron-Water Divine Dragon gave up on the Star-Array Grand Banquet and returned to the Yangtze, Kwak Cheolyung completely lost his mind.”

“Did he keep playing Dodo?”

The narrow-eyed man nodded.

“After the Iron-Water Divine Dragon, Kwak Cheolyung chose Jong Sam of the Hunroe Leg. He bet on him receiving the highest score in the leg-technique assessment.”

“That Supreme Peak master who was said to have no equal in kicks throughout Guangxi?”

“Yes. Though by now, he probably has quite a few equals. One of his legs was broken.”

“Don’t tell me that was the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, too?”

“Are you starting to understand? That’s right. The two of them got into a minor dispute and agreed to exchange one clean blow each before calling it even. But one kick from the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi supposedly broke Jong Sam’s shin.”

“H-How?”

“I don’t know. They say he gave it a casual kick, and the shin snapped with a crunch.”

“…….”

“And even though the Hunroe Leg struck first, the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi apparently only scratched his calf a few times before finishing the fight. After that, there was probably…”

The stories that continued to pour from the narrow-eyed man’s mouth about the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi were nothing short of shocking.

The Kunlun Sect’s Kunlun Cloud Dragon, said to have the finest lightness technique among all the young prodigies under heaven, leaped five jang straight up from a standing position—only to fall with Jin Taekyung’s foot planted on his face.

The Beggars’ Sect’s Successor Beggar became furious when he could not close the gap between himself and Jin Taekyung during the movement-technique assessment. Unable to contain his anger, he grabbed Taekyung by the back of the neck and was beaten like a dog.

“The fifth assessment was mechanisms and formations. Everyone believed that this time, the Zhuge Clan’s Lesser Family Head would take first place, but…”

The goat-bearded man, who had been listening with a vacant expression, cut him off.

“It was the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi again, wasn’t it?”

“You got it right.”

“But seriously, how? What kind of freak is he to be proficient in mechanisms and formations, too?”

“No. He’s just proficient in martial arts. Since the ignorant bastard didn’t know what anything was, he simply smashed his way through everything and passed.”

“…….”

“Anyway, the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi took first place in the preliminaries, and Kwak Cheolyung, who bet on someone different every time, was left completely penniless. I heard he sank all the money he’d earned into it, then even mortgaged the estate and land where he’d planned to retire to borrow from loan sharks… Tsk, tsk.”

The narrow-eyed man looked at Kwak Cheolyung with sympathy.

In front of the legendary Dogon, who had once amassed a tremendous fortune, only a few silver nyang remained. And those were probably his entire fortune.

“Whether you earn it or lose it, it all happens in one shot. Isn’t that right?”

Only then did the goat-bearded man come to his senses and lick his parched lips.

“Five thousand silver nyang. Whoever won that must have hit the jackpot.”

“He really struck it rich. Why else would they call him the Gold-Faced Young Master?”

“The Gold-Faced Young Master? Did he bet on the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi?”

The narrow-eyed man nodded.

“He has incredible foresight. He must have won tens of thousands of silver nyang in this Dodo alone. Why else would he go around wearing a mask made of gold?”

“Good heavens.”

“They say he’s still a young man who hasn’t even turned thirty… I suppose people who are destined for greatness really are destined for greatness.”

“Damn it. Some of us don’t even have a proper house at this age. Hoo…”

The two men let out a deep sigh.

At that moment, someone stood up with the sound of a chair scraping across the floor.

Kwak Cheolyung staggered out of the gambling den. The only thing in his hand was a few iron coins he had been given as a consolation handout.

The Star-Array Grand Banquet was a long race that lasted at least half a month and, at most, a month.

Once the three-day preliminary assessments ended, the applicants were given one day of free time. That applied to me, too.

“Ahem. Ahem!”

“Youngest! Youngest!”

“Captain! Captain!”

“……Oh, please.”

Don’t. Don’t shout in a place this crowded. I’m already dying from all the attention, and now you’re making everyone stare even more.

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

I hurried toward the group as quickly as I could.

As if he had been waiting for me, Jin Wikyung’s bear-like bulk came charging forward with his arms spread wide.

“Youngest! My wonderful little brother!”

Whoosh! Grab!

The moment his bear paw locked around my upper body, Hyuk Mujin grabbed the back of my hand and rubbed his cheek against it.

“Ohhh, Captain! First place in the Star-Array Grand Banquet! The pride of the Jin Family of Taiyuan! The beacon of Shanxi Province! Our Captain! My lord!”

“…….”

Jin Wikyung is my brother, so I’ll let it slide. But what the hell is wrong with Hyuk Mujin?

I did my best to hide my bewilderment and asked, “Are you out of your mind?”

“Yes. I’m insane! I’ve gone insane over your strength!”

“Are you seriously crazy? Let go. Aren’t you going to let go?”

Whack! Whack! Whack!

Even after I struck him three times on the crown of his head at lightning speed, Hyuk Mujin did not budge.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain, but he refused to let go of my hand.

“Thank you! Thank you for hitting me!”

“……Are you into that kind of thing?”

I had only heard about it. That there were people who felt pleasure from being hit.

I had wondered why he had not left even after being hit by me countless times. But now that I considered the possibility that he was one of those people, a chill ran down my spine.

“Respect-Your-Preferences Fist!”

Thump!

Hyuk Mujin, struck precisely in the temple, collapsed onto the ground.

At the same time, something that glinted brightly slipped from inside his robes and landed on the floor.

“Huh? A gold mask?”

What is this now?

Is it a prop used for that kind of play?

With a serious expression, I tucked the mask into my robes.

That dangerous bastard Hyuk Mujin. This mask is confiscated for life.

Not a chance.

As I steeled my resolve, I noticed someone I had momentarily forgotten.

“Ahem. Cough, cough!”

“Do you have a throat problem?”

Jeok Cheongang, who had been staring at a distant mountain and repeatedly clearing his throat, flinched.

“W-What nonsense are you talking about?”

“You’ve been coughing this whole time.”

“Ahem!”

Watching Jeok Cheongang act distractedly, as though he wanted to say something but could not bring himself to do it, made the corners of my mouth rise on their own.

“I did well, didn’t I?”

“……”

“I got perfect scores in all five assessments. Unanimous first place overall. At this point, that says it all, doesn’t it?”

“Ahem. Don’t get so pleased with yourself over something so minor. Anyone could do it, so don’t make a fuss.”

“I heard it was the first time in the history of the Star-Array Grand Banquet.”

“It’s only the preliminaries. Have you forgotten what this old man told you? The world is vast, and there are many masters.”

“I beat three of the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes.”

The Iron-Water Divine Dragon of the Yangtze River Channel League. The Kunlun Cloud Dragon of the Kunlun Sect. And finally, the Divine Marvel Dragon of the Zhuge Clan.

The Beggars’ Sect’s Successor Beggar was a master comparable to them, and the Hunroe Leg was a Peak master who had already made a brilliant name for himself throughout Guangxi.

Their backgrounds and specialties were all different, but the five of them now shared one thing in common.

“I beat them all.”

“That…”

For a moment, Jeok Cheongang was at a loss for words. Then he shook his head again and again.

“Pathetic weaklings.”

“I’m the strong one.”

“There you go, acting cocky again.”

“Could you just tell me I did well? I raised your honor—Old Master, no, Master—and the name of the Fire Gate Clan.”

“You still have a long way to go!”

He spoke sternly, but the corners of his mouth were twitching.

It was obvious that he was barely holding back laughter.

Even if I had not heard the Sound Transmission that Jin Wikyung sent me the next moment, I could have guessed as much.

—Don’t let it bother you too much. It seems he already went and bragged about you to the higher-ups to his heart’s content.

“Ahem!”

As if he had overheard us, Jeok Cheongang cleared his throat again at the perfect moment and spoke with an artificially stern expression.

“Do not get cocky just because you defeated a few nobodies. Compose your body and mind and prepare for the main event. Understood?”

He was right. Only the preliminaries had ended. The main event, where the true masters would reveal themselves, had not even begun.

Among those who had survived the sieve of the preliminaries, there would be quite a few masters comparable to the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes—or even stronger than them.

I had already encountered several such people while watching the preliminaries.

The world really is vast.

If someone had not revealed their true ability in the preliminaries, that meant they were both strong and clever.

I grinned and gave Jeok Cheongang a fist-and-palm salute.

“I’ll keep it in mind, Master.”

“That boy. Ha ha. Ahem!”

Even the wrinkled corners of Jeok Cheongang’s mouth held an unmistakable smile.