‘Well, what are you going to do?’
I looked at the casino staff with a smile.
It’s a well-known fact that casinos tilt the game in their favor. However, cheating in the game itself was something no one could forgive.
To think I’ve gotten such a big weakness in my hands.
I quickly pulled out my smartphone from my pocket.
“No, no. You can’t use smartphones here!!!”
Ding-
But as I was about to take out my smartphone, I heard a familiar bell sound from behind.
It was the unique bell sound I often heard as the son of a shaman.
“What are you doing right now?”But the bell did not ring anymore.
Because the chick had grabbed the wrist of the man holding the bell.
“The power, what kind of power.”
“Why are you using divine power? Did we do something wrong?”
“That, that’s. Just a moment, please, just a moment.”
At that moment, the casino staff started frantically moving as if they were on fire. Yet, they dared not attack the chick.
“Almost, at this rate, almost a candidate for Cheonji. You’re practically a semi-immortal psychic.”
“Damn, why is such a monster suddenly here.”
“What does the boss say? No, when did we last contact the boss!”
In that instant, the man who had been extinguishing the invisible fire on his body raised his hands to his lips and then shaped his fingers to mimic a smiling mouth.
“The embodiment of one’s own soul’s form, the activation of principles using one’s own soul’s principles, and the miraculous resonance that synchronizes one’s own soul with surrounding objects.”
Seeing this, the chick took a stance.
“The clapping that resonates with the hand, Cheonsu is here.”
The man’s hands moved as if controlled by someone.
But the movement was natural.
Both hands frantically grabbed the man’s chin and tongue, producing some words.
“We-, we invite you- to the VIP round-.”
“VIP round, you say. Why should we enter there?”
“Rest assured-. If you come to the VIP round-. You will be able to further realize- your fundamental vow-.”
The Fundamental Vow? I’ve heard of it before.
It’s said to be the foundation of psychic abilities.
“An opportunity to deepen your understanding of the Fundamental Vow? Could the rumors actually be true?”
I hurriedly clung to the chick.
And I asked,
“What rumor is that?”
“It’s said that Cheonsu knows how to increase the enlightenment of the Fundamental Vow, thereby gaining the support of the Cheonji.”
“That rumor- is true-. You- pledge- to reassure- these people-.”
The moment the hands holding the man’s tongue and jaw went down.
Right after, the man exclaimed,
“I pledge, resonating with liquor and alcohol, to elevate or dispel intoxication. If you go to the VIP round, you will definitely gain a deeper understanding of the Fundamental Vow, even if just a little.”
“To understand the Fundamental Vow even a bit more...? And definitely? That’s impossible. There’s no way there’s a training method here better than our family’s.”
The chick’s breathing began to quicken.
It was clear to see how excited it was.
Is realizing the Fundamental Vow such an exciting matter?
After all, this was all bullshit to meet Cheonsu.
If Cheonsu was in the VIP lounge, then I had to enter.
After setting the mood, I spoke to the casino staff who was being manipulated.
“Lead us to the VIP lounge.”
“As you command. Boys, escort our guests. It’s VIP time.”
And so, we were led behind the blackout curtains of the hidden casino, to the secret casino hidden even further behind.
The Fundamental Vow. What on earth is it that has the chick this excited?
As the curtains were drawn back, a new world was revealed.
It was a quiet and eerie world.
To be more precise, it was a giant grid of black and white, filled with a chill.
The floor shone in white, with black lines stretching horizontally and vertically, and at various points along these paths, individuals were looking down at the white floor.
The distance between these people was roughly over a hundred meters.
And there were dozens of such people.
This place, just the place itself, was larger than Big Hand Casino.
What exactly is this facility for?
I couldn’t help but swallow my saliva.
“This isn’t a casino.”
“No, it is indeed a casino.”
The response came from a man.
A sturdy man wearing silver sunglasses.
I had seen this man’s photo on the internet before.
“Cheonsu.”
“Pleased to meet you. May I have your name? That lady there must be Fengchu of the Jin family, Jinari.”
“It doesn’t seem like we’re on a first-name basis yet.”
Upon hearing that, Cheonsu cracked a smile.
“Actually, I think so too.”
“...”
Cheonsu was keeping a distance from us.
Just far enough for conversation to be possible.
The implication of this distance was clear.
Cheonsu was wary of us.
To think I came to this suspicious place to subdue the damn Cheonsu, only to find he was already on guard against us.
Yet, Cheonsu merely continued with a gentle smile.
“However, if our conversation goes well, perhaps you’ll share your name. Follow me. As the owner of this establishment, I will help you deepen your understanding of the Fundamental Vow.”
I glanced at the chick momentarily.
The chick looked up at me with a look of desperation.
“I, I desperately need the enlightenment to become stronger.”
“Is that so?”
Right. The chick had almost been assassinated by its own family.
It seemed natural for such a creature to seek strength.
Still, something felt off.
Where is this feeling coming from...?
I suppressed that feeling and followed Cheonsu.
Seeing us follow, Cheonsu began to speak.
“After the day of my psychic awakening, as soon as I looked at my hands, I vaguely realized what my Fundamental Vow was. Right after that realization, I stopped by a bookstore to buy an anatomy book.”
Cheonsu looked down at his hands.
“The major bone, minor bone, capitate bone, hook bone, triangular bone, pea bone, the bones of the hand wrist, starting from the lunate bone to the bones that form the base, middle, and tip of the fingers, I drew thousands of sketches following them.”
There was a hint of laughter in Cheonsu’s voice.
“And then, adding the muscles of the hand, the carpus, I again drew thousands of sketches. It seems like I spent about a year just drawing hands like some kind of shut-in.”
Cheonsu continued,
“My understanding of hands did increase. However, it was nowhere near enough compared to the enlightenment of the masters you see on TV or NewTube. So, do you know what I did?”
“What did you do?”
“I cut off my biological father’s hand to study it. I researched in detail how it originally looked, how it moved, how the veins and muscles behaved when alive…”
“...”
“Why, do I seem like a madman to you? Haha, uhahaha.”
Hearing that, I had no choice but to stop in my tracks.
This guy, he’s an absolute madman.
But Cheonsu’s words did not stop.
“If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha; if you meet a patriarch, kill the patriarch; if you meet an arhat*, kill the arhat; if you meet your parents, kill your parents. Only then can you achieve enlightenment.”
Cheonsu looked at me and smiled.
“You, too, possess high enlightenment, yet do you scorn such truths, Yoo Hajin?”
“You...”
“Look down.”
Only then did I realize what appeared to be the white floor was actually the ceiling of some studios. The people looking down were actually gazing into a studio.
And those studios were pristine hells.
The kind of hells where games often called death games unfolded.
“I told you, this place is a casino. I’ve let them participate in these games under the condition of erasing their debts and giving them new identities. If they survive, they get a new life; if they die, they become a noble part of others’ enlightenment.”
To my immediate right, a log game was taking place. However, instead of water, the logs hovered over what seemed like hydrochloric acid. People were pushing each other off the increasingly shorter logs in a desperate bid to survive.
A woman almost fell, and a man tried to save her, but both ended up falling together. They dissolved in agony in the horrific liquid.
Above them, an old man in Hanbok stared intently at the scene.
“That customer possesses the principle of acid. Even at his age, he had achieved no more than semi-immortal enlightenment until he joined us. Now, he’s nearing the enlightenment of the earthly immortals by realizing his Fundamental Vow.”
I looked to the left.
There, naked men and women were being chased by wolves.
The wolves mercilessly devoured them.
Some men threw the women following them to save their own lives. Screens on the ceiling dispassionately displayed the survivors’ time.
Above that ceiling, a woman smirked as she watched. Cheonsu pointed at her and said,
“You know her, right? As someone who possesses the spirit of a wolf, she’s realizing what a wolf truly is. She had a surge of enlightenment after seeing a wolf devour a pregnant woman.”
Cheonsu then turned back to me.
“So, what do you think? For some reason, the esteemed Yoo Hajin, whom we respect, if you become our client, we can set up such a casino for you. It’s only natural to do so since the esteemed one personally asked. And, because you’re friends, I can set up a casino for Miss Jinari as well.”
I was too shocked to speak.
That human lives could be trampled upon for the sake of enlightenment.
This was, this was outrageously infuriating.
Why am I so angry?
What lies deep within my fundamental vow?
Struck dumb by shock, Jinari spoke up in my stead.
“Shut it. I won’t become stronger through such means.”
“Oh? Lady Fengchu. If you don’t gain enlightenment, it will be you who dies, won’t it? I heard that after the head of the Jin family appointed you, the youngest granddaughter, as the heir, most of the Jin family has been plotting your death.”
“I, I won’t gain enlightenment through such means.”
Jinari took a stance, trembling and tears welling up in her eyes, but she never relaxed her posture, ready to fight.
“When you saved me, I realized something then.”
Jinari looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t want to betray that realization.”
“Is that so? Then shall we see what the hand of a phoenix looks like?”
Cheonsu spoke after taking off his silver sunglasses.
“It was a recent event.”
Alongside his words, a video appeared next to us. The video showed a boy protecting a young girl. Suddenly, a man approached and brutally broke the boy’s leg.
After twisting the broken leg in a 360-degree turn, making the boy scream in agony, the man ordered him to strangle his own sister.
As the man attempted to break the boy’s other leg, the boy, in a panic, began to strangle his sister.
Cheonsu laughed while watching the video.
“This video is filled with so much enlightenment. Look at that hand. Look at the tremble at the fingertips. Affection, betrayal, love, end, hatred, despair, resignation - it’s all there in those fingertips. Only because they were pure siblings who loved each other could such a video be made. Really, if their parents hadn’t been in debt, I wouldn’t have been able to gain this enlightenment. I’m very thankful.”
And then, Cheonsu looked at Jinari and said,
“And with that video, I gained the enlightenment to manifest the Fundamental Vow. Miss Jinari. Still want to challenge me?”
“Ah, peep. Ah, ah!”
“Such a stupid bitch.”
Cheonsu sneered and formed a hand sign.
“Manifest the One-Mind Hand.”
As soon as Cheonsu finished speaking, Jinari’s hands suddenly moved, mercilessly strangling her own throat.
With tears streaming down her face, Jinari looked at me and managed to say,
“Sa... ve... me...”
At that moment, I realized where my anger came from.
Yes, this was my Fundamental vow.
My fundamental vow was filled with such monsters.
“Yes, I think I’ve slightly realized what my Fundamental Vow is.”
“Eh? You’ve just now realized your Fundamental Vow? Nonsense. So what is it? Manifestation? Resonance? Activation?”
“Ganglim*.”
My head felt as if it was ablaze with white fire.
I felt dizzy, as if someone else was awakening within me.
Without knowing, I performed a hand gesture and uttered words unknown to me.
“Heavenly Descent, negative eye.”
– – – The End of The Chapter – – –
[TL: Arhat: In Buddhism, an arhat or arahant is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved Nirvana and liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth.
Ganglim: It means god or sacred thing descends from heaven.
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