Knock knock knock!
Seo Jun-Ho was laying on the bed watching TV when a courteous knock came from the door. When he opened the door, a gentleman wearing a full suit bowed his head at him.
“Hello. I am the general manager of this hotel, Raul Pamalta.”
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I have come to deliver a certain item on the behalf of Mister Shim, the Korean Player Association’s president.”
“Ah.” The auction invitation. Seo Jun-Ho held out his hand, and the manager smiled as he gestured with his finger. Then, the employees that were waiting behind him appeared with a suit, shoes, and a watch.
“Mister Shim said that he’d like you to wear all of this when you go to the auction. Even your shoes, necktie, and watch have all been prepared.”
The gift was sudden, but it made sense. Considering that the auction was invitation-only, it would only make sense if they had a dress code. Seo Jun-Ho nodded and accepted the invitation, and the manager bowed at 90 degrees and disappeared.
“Hm, but the fashion’s a little…..”
He couldn’t tell what the material was made of, but the suit had a faint purple hue that screamed ‘expensive.’
“…Wait, it’s not just the suit. The shoes are made of dragon leather.”
Seo Jun-Ho quickly called Shim Deok-Gu.
– Hello? Oh, you got it?
“Yeah, just now, but isn’t it too much?”
– Too much? That’s the bare minimum so that people won’t look down on you.
“…I mean, I’m just going to an auction, why would they look down on me?”
– You’ll understand later. Also, that suit’s made of silk from a silkworm queen. It costs about 1.5 million won per suit.
“Wow.” Seo Jun-Ho looked at the suit with new eyes.
– From now on, if people look down on you, it’ll affect my own image.
“What are you saying?” Seo Jun-Ho didn’t understand, but a chuckle came from the other side.
– You’ll understand later.
“…That’s no fun. Anyways, thanks for the clothes. Do you want me to buy any souvenirs?”
– Nah. Just get me some liquor from the duty-free shop.
“Aight.”
Seo Jun-Ho hung up and carefully put the clothes in the corner of the room. He checked the date.
‘The auction opens the day after tomorrow.’
There were only two days left before blood would be spilled all over the city.
“…Well, it’s according to plan.” Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes glinted coldly.
***
No city changed as much as Las Vegas from day to night. During the day, it was a busy city like New York, but when night fell, the LED signs of the casinos and clubs glittered, incessantly tempting tourists.
Seo Jun-Ho looked up at the brightest building among them.
“MGM Grand Hotel.”
Tomorrow night, the auction would open in the hotel’s Grand Garden Arena.
‘Mayweather and Pacquiao had their match here. Though kids these days might not know.’
Today, he was just planning to check the hotel out. He was wearing a casual suit, and the first thing he noticed when he entered the hotel was the casino.
“A casino.”
He had never been to one before. Obviously, he never went to a casino as a kid, and when he became an adult he was too busy hunting monsters. It piqued his curiosity, but when he got close to the entrance, an alarm went off. Right away, a few male Players wearing suits approached him.
“Huh? Mr. Seo Jun-Ho?”
The person at the front recognized him as the former’s eyes went wide.
‘Do I know that guy?’
Even after seeing his face, Seo Jun-Ho didn’t recognize the man. As he tilted his head to take a closer look, the man laughed heartily. “Haha! It’s okay if you don’t remember. We didn’t meet for long.”
“Where did we meet?”
“Why, we meet at Insa-dong with Princess-nim.”
“Ah!” He exclaimed, finally realizing who it was. It was the Player that had been escorting Gong Ju-ha. Seo Jun-Ho shook the man’s hand in a friendly gesture. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. I’m Seo Jun-Ho.”
“No worries. I wouldn’t have recognized me either. I’m Ha In-Ho of the Goblin Guild.”
A princess and a servant, they were a match made in heaven.
Ha In-Ho looked around. “I didn’t know that we would meet in a place like this.”
“I heard that huge auction is about to happen here, so I came to take a look.” Seo Jun-Ho remarked.
Ha In-Ho grinned at that. “Really? Actually, my team came down to the 1st floor because of the auction as well. We received a commission from the hosts to act as security.”
It was the Goblin Guild, after all. At such a big auction, they needed someone with that level of skill and reliability.
“Ah, were you thinking of entering the casino?” Ha In-Ho asked.
“Yes, but the alarm went off.” Seo Jun-Ho shrugged.
Ha In-Ho laughed as he responded. “You may know this, but Players are very different from normal people.”
“That’s true.”
“After the world changed, the casino industry suffered huge losses because of Players.”
“Because they used their physical abilities and special skills to cheat?”
“Exactly. It started with x-ray vision, then mind reading, then foresight, and et cetera…there are so many skills you can use in a casino.” Ha In-Ho casually started to lead Seo Jun-Ho somewhere. “So, their solution was to separate casinos for normal people and Players.”
“So…There’s a casino made specifically for Players?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.
“Bingo. You catch on quick.”
Ha In-Ho opened a large hardwood door with a clack. At first glance, it didn’t seem much different from the outside, but Seo Jun-Ho quickly realized what was going on.
“They’re all Players.” The hundreds of people in the room were all Players.
“Yes. This is a casino for Players. You’re allowed to use your skills however you wish because the dealers are also Players.”
“But…doesn’t that mean that higher-level Players are at an absolute advantage?”
A higher level meant higher stats and a better understanding of one’s skills. But Ha In-Ho looked a little embarrassed as he slowly pointed towards somewhere.
“That’s…not strictly true. The skills you use in combat are quite different from the skills you need in games.”
“Nooooooo!”
Seo Jun-Ho turned at the sound. It came from a woman who was holding her head between hands. An elegant frame and wavy red hair. She was someone whom you would never be able to forget despite meeting only once.
“…Isn’t she with you?”
“Our Princess…has no talent for games.” Ha In-Ho looked at Gong Ju-Ha with the look of a parent looking at their child that played games instead of studying.
“Then, we’ll be going back to our patrol.” Ha In-Ho said to Seo Jun-Ho.
“Thank you for taking me here.” Seo Jun-Ho replied.
Ha In-Ho waved goodbye, and Seo Jun-Ho started to walk around.
‘A Player Casino…’
He planned to check out what games they had to offer first. Most people would go to a casino to play roulette, slots, baccarat, poker, blackjack, and so on. But this place didn’t have those kinds of games.
‘Rather than a game of chance or wits…it’s gambling based on a Player’s skills.’
It would be more accurate to call it a game center than a casino. Though, based on the chips that were being passed around, it was merely another casino.
“I-it was definitely number two! Is this a scam?” Seo Jun-Ho walked toward Gong Ju-Ha, who was vehemently denying the truth. The scam she was talking about was a game where you had to guess which one out of the three cups contained the ball underneath.
“Is it fun?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.
“I already lost 10 million won, do you think I’m having…huh?”
Gong Ju-Ha instantly recognized him as she turned around. Her expression quickly softened, and her eyes went wide. “Wow, it’s Mr. Snake Head!” she exclaimed.
“…It’s Seo Jun-Ho.”
“What’s up? Did you come all the way here because you wanted to become my subordinate? I’m touched!”
“Of course not.” Seo Jun-Ho looked at her with an absurd expression and took a seat.
“Ahaha, it’s a joke, a joke. So what brings you here?” Gong Ju-Ha asked.
“I will participate in the auction tomorrow. I had some time so I came to look around the casino, and Mr. Ha In-Ho brought me here.” Seo Jun-Ho responded.
“Ah, I see.” She pointed at the band on her left arm and shrugged. “Well, let me know if anything happens. I’m the captain of security here.”
“…” Seo Jun-Ho didn’t bother asking if it was okay for her to gamble during work hours.
“Oh, I heard that Korea became a Special Safe Zone thanks to you.”
“I was lucky. The Shadow Brothers did most of the work.”
“In this industry, luck is also a skill.”
Seo Jun-Ho smiled faintly and nodded. “Thank you. Anyways, is this game hard?”
“Ugh! Don’t mention that.” She sullenly glared at the dealer. Having nowhere else to look, he innocently looked at the ground. “His hands are really fast. I heard that he was active on the 2nd floor but retired and became a dealer.”
“You don’t know who he is?”
“How would I? They’re all wearing masks.” Just as she said, all the dealers wore pure white masks and matching gloves. It was easy to tell why.
‘To hide the dealer’s identities and skills.’
Seo Jun-Ho raised his hand, and a waiter brought him chips to trade. He only bought about a million won worth of chips. A chip was equal to a hundred thousand won and he pushed out 10.
“You’re going all-in? This guy’s hands are really fast. It would be better to bet higher after you get used to it…” Gong Ju-Ha remarked.
“Did you lose 10 million after doing that?”
“…”
Seo Jun-Ho refuted her with facts. Gong Ju-Ha could only turn away, looking hurt.
‘She’s sulking.’
But because of that, it was quiet now.
“Shall I start?” The dealer asked.
“Yes.” The dealer flipped the cups to show him that the ball was in the middle and started shuffling them. Seo Jun-Ho looked surprised.
‘…He’s super fast.’
The dealer’s hands left afterimages as he mixed the cups. There were only three cups, but it looked like there were six.
Tap! 𝐞𝗻𝐨𝘃𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝗺
The dealer was finally done shuffling the cups.
“Please choose.” The dealer’s voice was confident.
“Oh, I got it.” Gong Ju-Ha seemed to have cooled off as the cups were shuffled. She advised Seo Jun-Ho. “I think it’s the one on the left. I think I really got it this time. Oh, should I bet now…?”
When she continued to think, Seo Jun-Ho turned to her. “I think it would be best if Team Leader Gong stopped gambling from now on.”
“Huh? Why?”
Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t bear to finish the sentence after seeing her innocent face that was tilted to the side.
‘Because you really suck.’
He picked the cup in the center.
Next to him, Gong Ju-Ha muttered that it was the one on the left and Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t help but laugh. The dealer flipped the cup in the middle to reveal the ball.
“Congratulations.”
The dealer stacked 10 more chips to Seo Jun-Ho’s pile and pushed it toward him. Seo Jun-Ho managed to double the amount he had in no time at all.
“W-wow! What is this? Is this the so-called beginner’s luck? It really was the middle!” Gong Ju-Ha exclaimed like she was the one that won, and gave her two cents again. “But you should stop. You’re supposed to stop gambling after you win.” She looked bitter as she added, “…Of course, I couldn’t stop because I didn’t win.”
“What’s with that sob story?” He was about to get up when two new Players sat next to them.
“Hey, Bones. Wanna play against me?”
“Don’t call me that.”
Seo Jun-Ho watched them from the corner of his eyes and sat back down.
‘…Why are they here?’
He had never met these two before but he ironically knew them better than anyone else.
‘The Watchdogs.’
He’d seen them in the fiends’ memories. The skinny man and the delinquent woman were sitting right next to him.
1. Boxing match between the two world champions that happened in 2015. The hotel and arena are a real place
2. The characters ‘Gong Ju’ and ‘Ha In’ from their names mean princess and servant respectively. ‘Gong’ and ‘Ha’ are real surnames