Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Black markets, secretive places where items that could not be traded publicly or were legally prohibited were exchanged, had existed side-by-side with humanity for millennia. Cheêck out latest novels on n/o/ve/l/bin(.)c/o/m

They so tenaciously appeared everywhere throughout history that one might even wonder about the reason why. But there was no real need to dive too deeply into it.

It’s simply because they are necessary.

Whether it was to dispose of illegally obtained goods, obtain prohibited technologies for research, or gain a higher profit, there were people who needed a place unrestrained by the law. Thus, all of these people would naturally gather among themselves to satisfy their desires, forming these black markets.

Regardless of how hard the law tried to regulate and crack down on black markets, they would always reappear somewhere.

“Welcome.”

And the black market in the Philippines, the Black Arms, was no exception.

Click!

Checking their tickets, the guard punched a hole through them and allowed them to pass and board the opulent luxurious cruise ship which seemed to be able to accommodate ten thousand passengers easily.

Climbing the stairs to board the ship, Se-Hoon slowly surveyed the passengers through his sunglasses.

This should be about... two-thirds, maybe.

At first glance, the passengers appeared to be just wealthy individuals, but on closer look, one would notice that their movements made them different from ordinary people. Their accessories, like earrings and rings, were notably not just ordinary adornments.

Intrigued, Se-Hoon observed the ominous crowd that would accompany them on board, but a stern voice from behind soon refocused his attention.

“Don’t get distracted.”

With her red hair tied up and swept to the right, the source of the voice sported a pair of black sunglasses covering her eyes, a black suit, and a black pair of gloves—the perfect look and vibes of a seasoned bodyguard.

“I was just taking a quick look.”

“Even so, you shouldn’t stray from the lady’s side.”

Rolling his eyes at the bodyguard’s remark, Se-Hoon casually shifted his gaze toward the long-haired girl in a luxurious black dress. Although a small veil attached to her wide-brimmed hat obstructed her eyes and face, her skin was so pale compared to her dark clothes and hair that she naturally drew attention.

“Why are you making a fuss when the lady hasn’t said anything?”

“I’m just telling you to behave, considering where we are right now.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Okay.”

Giving that casual reply, Se-Hoon lazily positioned himself by the lady’s side. Like that, the three of them walked past the passengers and moved further inside.

Left behind, those silently observing the trio began quietly exchanging words among themselves.

“Looks like a young master has come to play.”

“The bodyguards seem competent, though?”

“Still, they’re probably just mercenaries introduced by some middleman. That kid got the concept all wrong and can’t even act properly.”

Thanks to the long time they spent in the black market, they could easily distinguish whether someone was from the same circle or was a newbie who had come upon hearing rumors. So upon determining that Se-Hoon was the latter, they decided to find out his exact identity later and quickly dispersed their attention.

Meanwhile, the bodyguards and the lady continued moving inward, pretending to be oblivious to the attention they had momentarily gathered.

Soon, the three entered their assigned VIP cabin.

“Phew.”

And Eun-Ha, the bodyguard, instantly removed her sunglasses and sighed.

“Acting sure isn’t easy.”

Acting like a skilled bodyguard, particularly an A-rank one who seemed like they had a considerable amount of strength, meant that there were numerous details she had to consider.

Noticing Eun-Ha’s awkwardness with acting in her voice, Se-Hoon chuckled.

“You did pretty well back there, though. They should have been completely fooled by your act.”

“What about me?” Erika asked after removing her veil.

Nodding, Se-Hoon said, “You were good too. You looked just like a bodyguard pretending to be an escorted young miss.”

Before visiting the Black Arms, the first thing Eun-Ha wanted to prepare was the persona that Se-Hoon would assume.

“The Black Arms doesn’t ask for one’s identity if their credit is guaranteed, but it’s necessary to act to some extent to avoid suspicions from the other patrons.”

Since the black market’s primary patrons all had something shady about them, each patron was just as interested in finding out other patrons’ identities as they were in hiding their own.

Therefore Se-Hoon discussed with Eun-Ha and finally managed to settle on a plausible persona.

A naive young master disguised as a bodyguard, accompanied by two real bodyguards who are humoring his clumsy acting.

It was the ideal persona for him; he could take the lead and also trick others into underestimating him as a naive young fool. That was the reason why Se-Hoon was acting independently despite posing as a bodyguard and why Eun-Ha and Erika were acting as real bodyguards who were hurriedly following him.

“It seems we’re off to a smooth start.”

“Yes, it seems there won’t be any issues with our current approach.”

Agreeing with a nod, Eun-Ha then turned to look at Erika, who was standing close to Se-Hoon.

“You were amazing back there too, Erika.”

“Thank you.”

“However, walking too close to Se-Hoon might not be good, as people could make the mistake that you have a personal relationship with him.”

Noting Eun-Ha’s calm critique, Erika made a thoughtful face.

“Isn’t it also strange for a bodyguard to be too far away from the young master though?”

“All I’m saying is just that you should maintain a proper distance.”

Spotting the strange tension flowing between the two, Se-Hoon made a mildly displeased expression.

I should have told her from the start that Erika was accompanying us.

The original concept they settled on was a lord and a bodyguard, but it was later changed when he remembered to inform Eun-Ha that Erika was going to join. With one more person, the concept and the complexity of the acting increased, which seemed much to her displeasure.

They both agreed to accompany me without any complaints though, so they must trust each other somewhat...

Surely, Erika wouldn’t have agreed if she had absolutely no interest in whether he lived or died.

Taking action to dispel the awkwardness, Se-Hoon quickly interjected, “What’s our next move? I’d like to find out more about Immortal if possible...”

Breaking the tension, Eun-Ha shifted her gaze and replied, “Since he should be attending as a guest, it wouldn’t be wise to ask around directly. For now, our best course of action is to look into auctioned items and guess where he might appear.”

Slightly disappointed, Se-Hoon finished looking over the catalog. Unable to find anything particularly striking, Se-Hoon made an odd expression.

Nothing’s really standing out.

Was Immortal here just for a casual visit, or was he interested in an item that hadn’t been listed in the catalog yet? Wondering if he missed anything, Se-Hoon fell into deep thought and began examining the catalog again. A short while later, the door to the room opened and Eun-Ha, having finished her adjustments with Erika, stepped into the living room.

“Did you find any suspicious listings?”

“Hmm. From what I saw, there isn’t anything that stands out. They all seem quite ordinary...”

“Hmm.”

Upon hearing that Se-Hoon hadn’t found anything, Eun-Ha mused over something for a moment before suggesting, “Then it might be worthwhile to check out the private auctions held among the guests.”

There were three different ways items were being traded at the Black Arms.

The first was through the open market that was overseen by the hosts; the second was through an auction open only to those with verified credentials; and the third was through private auctions held by the guests who simply rented a space.

“Those tend to start as soon as we arrive at the island, so we should start by finding out what items are being sold off right away.”

“Right. But where do we start looking for them?”

Putting her sunglasses back on, Eun-Ha replied, “Downstairs.”

***

There were two casinos on the cruise ship heading to the Black Arms: the regular casino used by ordinary travelers, and the VIP casino hidden further within.

Beep-

Confirming the VIP card Se-Hoon placed against the panel inside the elevator, the floor indicator changed to display the word ‘VIP’ and started moving silently. The elevator moved down and then intricately sideways, navigating through the spatial magic deployed within the ship’s hull.

Passing the time, Se-Hoon observed the faint vibrations.

Ding!

With a clear ring and a sudden stop, the doors opened and revealed a casino decorated lavishly in red and gold.

The opulent scene vividly gave off the impression that money was being spent like water. And indeed it was; the stakes at each table were astronomical, with the lowest chip value being a whopping one million won.

“Tsk. I’m not getting any luck today.”

“Argh. Take it all, take everything.”

Se-Hoon’s eyes sparkled at the glimpse he got of the financial scale of the Black Arms. Every bet ranged from hundreds of millions to tens of billions of won per game.

“Captain, let’s hurry inside!”

“Calm down. We have plenty of time...”

“Come on, let’s get moving already. The lady wants to look around too.”

Continuing his feigned act as a naive young master, he strode into the depths of the casino, with Eun-Ha and Erika sighing and dutifully following behind.

It seems we’ve made the right first impression...

Confirming that the wary glances at them had significantly diminished, Se-Hoon calmly surveyed the surroundings. While everyone was casually gambling and chatting with each other, it was clear—from the conversations, gazes, and gestures at each—that the atmosphere was different at several tables.

“I used to be able to do this all day long. But my body isn’t what it used to be.”

“Is that so? There’s a nice place I know on the island; I could introduce you if you want. It’s not a bad place to take a day off.”

As they spoke, they subtly signaled each other with several taps on the table and chip movements disguised as bets, giving introductions and starting their bargaining and transactions.

I’m getting the gist of it.

Thanks to Eun-Ha briefing him about these signals, it was easier for him to distinguish them. The task now was to identify any big players among them with his keen observation.

However, just as he was about to survey the casino further, his ears picked up on something.

“Ah, ah.”

A familiar, smug voice reached Se-Hoon’s ears.

“Where did all the gamblers go? Isn’t this just matching pictures? Why is it taking so long?”

“Ugh...”

Reacting to the taunt, a middle-aged man grimaced and fidgeted with his cards laid out on the floor, making it clear that he was hesitating whether to bet more. Seeing that, the young man across from him, with jet-black hair and brown skin, smirked.

“You think the patterns will be erased if you do that? Your fingerprints would probably wear off first.”

Click- click-

The young man twirled two red chips impressively in his hand, and soon, the sound made the middle-aged man tremble and shout, “Just shut up, will you!”

Being a VIP allowed in the VIP casino of Black Arms, the middle-aged man was no ordinary person. His rising anger unleashed waves of ominous mana and murderous intent toward the young man still twirling chips across the table.

“Hmm.”

Wham-

The young man had flung one of the chips, shattering it without a trace.

“...!”

Feeling threatened, the middle-aged man flinched, and the young man snickered.

“Whoa, calm down. It’s just a game.”

With a gentle smile, the young man propped up his chin and skillfully flipped two cards between his fingers, revealing the Ace of Clubs and the Queen of Clubs. And among the five cards revealed on the table, the King, Jack, and Ten of Clubs made up three of them.

“A Royal Flush...”

Facing a Royal Flush—a consecutive sequence of Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of any matching suite—the highest hand possible, the middle-aged man dropped his cards in despair.

In contrast, the young man’s eyes, glistening with a silver hue, twinkled with a satisfied glow.

“Albeit an already won game.”

The young man was clearly having a good time mocking the defeated man, showing the same villainous aura that Se-Hoon had gotten very familiar with before he regressed.

Convinced by the sight, Se-Hoon’s eyes widened in recognition.

...The Frost Dog?

The young man was Amir Singh, the last of the Three Dogs.