NOVEL NEXT WORLD Quietly slipping out of the alley, I sprinted straight towards the Outcast Inn.
BAM!!
As I burst through the inn’s door, all the outcasts who were spending their time turned to look at me in unison.
But I didn’t care about the men’s stare. I let out a sigh of relief only after crossing the threshold of the inn. Well, I wasn’t sure if it was a relief sigh or if I was just out of breath.
“Senior Ho, looks like luck wasn’t on your side with gambling today?”
“The grace of my rushing footsteps rivals that of the legendary ‘Silent Wind’.”
“Did you go visiting some gambling den today before you escaped here?”
The outcasts, drinking from their cups in the middle of the day, chuckled. My life in the marvelous martial world had been eight years, and I had already been an outcast for seven. There were quite a few faces familiar to me.
Especially, my character here at the Outcast Inn was quite defined.
The gambling-obsessed fool. A guy who makes money just to throw it all at the gambling table.
And unable to win at all, he keeps coming back to the inn to gamble, only to lose repeatedly and end up having to go outside to gamble.
That was probably how the outcasts perceived me here at the Outcast Inn.
In the male-dominated society, those who are obsessed with their hobbies and act like fools are the number one target to befriend.
But as a guy who’s obsessed with gambling and keeps throwing my entire wealth away, I might be someone with a favorability score of zero among men.
The outcasts seemed eager to raise a cup and share stories while I was suffering, and one by one they gathered around.
“Miss Yeo Il-ye has appeared.”
As they began teasing me, the laughter vanished from their faces.
“I barely shook her off, but who knows what that insane woman will do next? Let’s not spread rumors.”
“Ha, that girl…”
“Lady Luck smiles upon us.”
As I pushed past the outcasts patting my shoulder, I made my way to the center of the inn. There stood Yu Sa-yeon, the owner of this Outcast Inn, a middle-aged woman with quite a story behind her name.
She was indeed a person with a lot of sorrow behind her, but aside from that tragic backstory, she also held a monopoly over all the service industries catering to outcasts in Sacheon, wielding a kind of monopolistic power that made her a leech sucking the life out of the outcasts.
I could tell you just how detestable she was, and despite knowing the sorrowful tale of how she came to run the Outcast Inn in this region, I would still want to punch her face if I ever became an expert.
“Oh my, look at all that sweat. Alcohol?”
“That’ll do.”
In this uncivilized Central Plains martial world, drinks that are not alcoholic are all served warm by default. For a manly-man like me who insists on only drinking iced Americanos, having to drink hot tea while sweating buckets was an unthinkable travesty.
After downing a cool cup of alcohol, I felt at least a bit refreshed.
“So, Miss Yeo Il-ye has appeared?”
“Indeed. We managed to shake her off, but we should be cautious of what she might do next.”
“Seriously, that crazy blender is a real nuisance. Can’t just get rid of her.”
From Yu Sa-yeon’s perspective, as the practical leader of the Sacheon outcasts who runs this inn, there couldn’t be anyone as troublesome as Miss Yeo Il-ye. Not only could she easily mess up a well-off outcast’s life, but she’d also turn them into a complete idiot, leading them to retirement.
The outcasts typically dealt with most of their needs within the Outcast Inn.
If the number of outcasts decreased or their economic activities were hindered, it would directly lead to reduced profits for Yu Sa-yeon.
It made perfect sense that her forehead would crease with worry upon hearing the news of Miss Yeo Il-ye causing trouble for outcasts again.
But now, with her newfound understanding, I wondered if we could handle her here at the inn. If she’s reached the Peak Stage, I doubt anyone among the outcasts here could match her.
Yu Sa-yeon rubbed her forehead, but honestly, she had no sharp solutions. It’s impossible to act directly, and even if she complained, a complaint from the head of an inn would hardly carry weight against a member of the Nine Great Sects known throughout the martial world.
“Anyway, I’ve delivered the message.”
“Hold on, Ho Cheon-an. Even if you say that, you can’t just pop in and leave with just that single detail! I need to know something to come up with countermeasures.”
Yu Sa-yeon tried to keep me around to dig deeper into the situation, but I had nothing more to say. After all, this world was merely a game, and I was a seasoned player who had practically rotted here for ten years. How could I tell her that I ended up as Ho Cheon-an after being chosen as the reincarnation truck delivery target, only to encounter Miss Yeo Il-ye and receive a realization?
Plus, if I mentioned that ‘realization,’ she might just decide to kill me.
“Sorry, but it seems I’ve become the primary target of Miss Yeo Il-ye. I need to find a way to survive, so I can’t stick around for long.”
“…Alright, that makes sense. Just in case, let me know your destination.”
That was sensible of her.
If something were to happen to me or if anything occurred here at the Outcast Inn, we might need each other. I could at least let her know where I was heading.
“Just say where you’ll be.”
“To the gambling den.”
Yu Sa-yeon looked at me with a gaze that screamed trash.
Why? What? Why?
* *
Dogwi proclaimed himself the best gambler in Sacheon.
Though he lost one ear after using tricks at a gambling table in his youth, he stuck at it for fifteen years, competing fiercely to keep his place among big and small gambling grounds.
Countless gamblers had thrown down challenges at Dogwi, calling him the best, but they all left as dirt.
One day, while Dogwi was busily practicing his tricks, someone entered.
“Ho, what brings you here?”
It was a familiar face to Dogwi: Jang Yi, the manager of the Video Tower.
If you ask where the best gambling house in Sacheon is, most gamblers would point to the Video Tower. While there are many bustling gambling establishments in Sacheon, none are as sincerely dedicated to gaming as the Video Tower.
First off, the owner of the tower, Sacheon Outcast, used to be a gambler himself and had a philosophy about it.
Naturally, big gambling houses will pull all sorts of tricks at the tables.
The Video Tower was no different.
But instead of using mechanical devices, the Video Tower solely relied on the gambling techniques of its players to take the customers’ money. Because of this, the Video Tower had never been embroiled in major controversies after its operations. Since nothing physical was used, there was no evidence, and true gamblers regarded such skills as part of the game.
So why would the manager of the Video Tower come directly to visit Dogwi?
Though it might seem trivial to say he’s the manager of the Video Tower, in truth, Jang Yi had the power to command hundreds of courtesans, gamblers, and others in the tower with just a flick of his wrist. With a single shout, he could fire several of them without issues.
The fact that Jang Yi, who could summon dozens of gamblers with a wave of his hand, visited Dogwi’s place directly was a huge deal.
“Nothing much, but please sit.”
Dogwi pointed to a seat with a wave, but Jang Yi didn’t budge. Dogwi was puzzled, but his eyes widened when he saw Jang Yi bend halfway forward.
“This guy here. Master of the Video Tower.”
‘Master of the Video Tower?’
The owner of the Video Tower, who makes over a thousand gold pieces in a single night, actually came to meet with a mere gambler? In person?
“Are you the gambler Dogwi?”
“That would be me. What brings you here?”
“Hey, you!”
Jang Yi seemed ready to grab him by the collar and force him to his knees, but Sacheon Outcast raised a hand to stop him.
“I like your guts. A gambler’s eye, I see.”
Jang Yi had easily bent over, but Dogwi stood tall against Sacheon Outcast. Jang Yi was merely a manager, but Sacheon Outcast was a gambler. Dogwi, who took pride in being the best in Sacheon, would never bend before another gambler.
“I came because I hear you’re the best gambler in Sacheon. I want to give you a task.”
“How urgent must it be to come at this hour?”
“Offer you a hundred gold pieces.”
Dogwi froze.
“Tonight, if you can clean out one man, I’ll give you a hundred gold pieces plus half of whatever he loses.”
Dogwi swallowed hard.
He was the fifth son of a poor farmer, and if all three generations combined, his family numbered twenty. By the time those twenty had sold all the rice harvested for the year, they would barely have a gold piece to show for it.
But a hundred gold pieces in one night? Plus half of that guy’s winnings?
“I’ll need some details before agreeing.”
“Of course. There’s a bastard named Ho Cheon-an; I want you to wipe him out. He’s been frequenting my gambling tower for several years, and he’s never won a single bet. Although he’s been a serious gambler, he always ends the night with just enough left to buy a bottle of liquor, so I’ve left him alone until now.”
As Sacheon Outcast spoke, he drank from his cup as if to suppress angry thoughts.
“But that bastard has gone completely insane today and is cleaning out all my gamblers! Not a single one is spared! He’s already won over a hundred gold pieces!”
Gamblers are absolutely essential to any gambling house. The act of merely ripping off a sucker is just a tiny part of what they do.
The main role of gamblers is to entice people to enjoy gambling. They create nail-biting matches that heat up the gambling atmosphere and ensure that big spenders don’t lose their interest by providing them appropriate wins and losses…
Or they luck out by snagging a huge win, ripping off those who threaten the gambling house’s profits. They are tasked with maintaining the atmosphere of the gambling house.
Since a gambler’s role can encompass countless variables, there’s no reason for gambling houses not to hire professional gamblers.
But where does a professional gambler get his funds to gamble?
Of course, it comes from the pockets of the tower’s owner.
‘Is he out of his mind?’
When customers gamble with each other, it’s none of the gambling house’s business. They can simply profit off selling beverages and their cut from the exchanges.
However, if the gamblers start losing to the customers, it translates directly to losses for the gambling house.
Targeting gamblers specifically to rip them off is essentially an attack on the gambling house itself.
Whether it’s robbing or taking the gambling capital from esteemed gamblers, it’s detrimental.
“I want that bastard gone! That lunatic insists on proving his strength only with gambling skills! My pride as a gambler won’t allow this!”
With a fiery glint in Sacheon Outcast’s eyes, Dogwi swallowed hard.
“You can take all the money you want. Just ensure you wipe that brat out! Once he leaves the tower broke, I’ll handle the rest!”
Dogwi deliberated, but he had already reached a conclusion.
He had long been waiting for a big game like this.
“I’ll do it.”
“Good. But remember this,”
Sacheon Outcast looked at Dogwi.
“If you fail to take him out, you’ll have to appease my wrath with your remaining ear and hand.”