MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin



Floating above the car of his latest victim, Adam watched on as the loud and blistering sound of gunshot resonated in the surroundings and immediately after… the windows of the car cracked ever so slightly before being splattered by blood, brain matter, and bits of chipped off bones from the skull.

'Huh… So the window was actually bulletproof? That's pretty interesting.'

He muttered absent-mindedly in his mind while verifying with his ocular powers that Williams was indeed dead for the count. He had to be sure here, after all, there were many tales about people surviving even a gunshot to the head.

'Well. He is deader than dead, it seems.'

He chuckled, laughing at his own dry joke. He had not even stepped foot inside the car from start to finish. All he did was project one of his illusions and let it do the dirty job for him.

'With this, there will be no trace of my presence at the crime scene.'

What the world would think happened here was a man who decided to kill himself after feeling the pressure of the Mafia on his neck. Adam had thought of a different way of ending the man on his way here. Things such as road accidents or perhaps even stopping his heart and making it so that it would seem like a natural death owing to a heart attack.

However, in the end, this was the easiest and most plausible way that he settled on which he deemed would bring the least amount of attention to the world.

Shuri will not doubt the reasonings behind his death and there will be no one left in the world who would dare to hurt her.

—As for torturing Williams in the process? The goal of doing something like that was to simply see how much his mastery over dreams and illusion had increased till now.

He had been able to find the greatest fear of the man fairly easily and materializing them had also been quite easy for him, It was definitely far smoother than before, but there was also a reason behind him being able to gather Williams' fears of death so effortlessly.

Since few people in the entirety of the world, and perhaps in the entirety of existence, understood what it meant to die more than him.

'How much Karma did I get?'

[Karma Obtained: 300]

[Total Karma: 3833]

It was a nice number. A very nice number indeed. He hadn't really paid attention to how many Karma points he had obtained during his passionate night rendezvous with Shuri, but he initially had 3333 points after the whole debacle and failure of that fateful night.

'This is still far from the earlier 10K points.'

He needed 100K points for the next major upgrade of his chakra pathways. It was very important for him because once he was able to open the Heart Chakra, he would be able to have access to physical enhancement-type skills and his survivability, without dying once or twice while facing powerful enemies, would increase tremendously.

Of course, when he talked about survivability, he talked mainly about dying much less often during mortal combat.

Fighting a supernatural creature while being unable to properly reinforce his body was a pain in the ass per his thought procedure. It was only thanks to the psychic shield that he was able to naturally pull up and strengthen that he had not simply gotten blitzed by all his enemies from the start. It was really a boon for him, saving him from needless deaths.

'Well. My work here isn't finished yet.'

Opening his mental list, he erased Williams' name from it and started to fly again into the distance.

At the end of the day, Williams was not the only danger to Shuri's life. There were other people who were much more dangerous and would not stop even after his death to get what they were owed.

Matters of money were too important for people to let go of after all.

Here, Adam could take the road of a pacifist and calm things down before they could combust. However, he now believed that it was better to simply erase potential threats before they went beyond the scope of his anticipation.

This was a crazy world where a random gang leader of a backwater place of no significance whatsoever could be the priest of a satanic cult and have the capability to single-handedly nearly cause the end of the world after sacrificing his wife and child to 'The Devil' himself.

This was the kind of crazy world where just walking randomly in the streets would allow you to meet a vampire serial killer and rapist who also happened to be summoning a Devil Prince on this world and causing a Calamity Class event.

The concept of impossibility did not exist in this realm after all and even the most anecdotic event could actually happen at any time and any place.

'Let's end this and go over to the next thing of priority on the list.'

He wanted to sleep today. The nightmare last night had cut a rare moment of peaceful sleep short and woke him up before he was able to get his fill. Though he was showing no signs of sleepiness right now.

This meant that he would most likely not be able to sleep tonight either.

'Ugh… I should try asking Medusa for a potion that would let me sleep peacefully for a change.'

Surely she had some sleeping pills laying somewhere in her lab, right?

He thought idly as he flew towards the Sin City— Las Vegas.

———

[Las Vegas, The Bellagio Casino]

In the heart of Las Vegas, amidst the neon-lit streets and the vibrant cacophony of life, stood a palace of opulence and extravagance known as The Bellagio Casino. This architectural marvel loomed with a grandeur that commanded attention from all who approached its hallowed doors. Its facade, adorned with shimmering glass panels and cascading waterfalls, beckoned visitors into a realm of untold riches and unbridled entertainment.

As one crossed the threshold, the air itself seemed to transform, imbued with a heady mix of anticipation and excitement. The interior of the Casino unfolded like a labyrinthine maze, a labyrinth that promised unparalleled experiences at every twist and turn. The gentle chimes of slot machines harmonized with the clinks of champagne flutes, creating a symphony of sound that enveloped the senses.

The main gaming floor sprawled like a tapestry of fortune, bathed in soft hues of gold and ivory. Glittering chandeliers dangled from the high ceilings, casting a warm, ethereal glow upon the elegantly attired patrons who mingled with carefree abandon. The clatter of roulette wheels blended harmoniously with the exultant cries of winners and the stoic silence of those who lost their fortunes, as though the very air itself held the echoes of hopes rising and dreams shattering.

—Currently, a scene that was more than just a bit surprising was unfolding inside the dreamlike architectural wonder.

On top of a large table, a game of Blackjack was taking place in full motion.

For the old men of this casino, they could recognize every big name on this table… all except for one of them, and this was why the scene that was happening was all the more frightening.

"Heh… Seems like I was lucky once again. I won."

Murmurs of exclamation and awe filled the room as they observed the massacre that was going on as all the big players were getting slaughtered by a random newbie.

It wasn't even as if the young man was showing exceptional skills. But he would always know when to Call, or fold, as if he was an oracle or a mind reader.

Just now, he had won a bucket load of chips and while he had started the game with only one thousand dollars, he was already approaching the million mark with the accumulation of the chips and wealth.

For a casino of this magnitude, one million dollars in cold hard cash was truly nothing much. Especially in these modern times. But what mattered here wasn't the amount of money itself but the ease with which it was obtained. That too by a random newbie, no less.

"So… Guys, should we start another game?"

Looking at the sucker— nay, players surrounding him, Adam had a quiet smile on his face as he proposed a new game.

He totally sucked at Blackjack.

He only knew the basic rules of the game.

But did that really matter to someone like him?

He could see the cards and could read their emotions.

Losing had never been an option in the first place.

'I am so fucking stupid.'

Adam realized that he had ignored one very easy source of money until now.

One that far surpassed being a gigolo or even a criminal.

That was— gambling.

Even as he played a new game and read the cards of the people facing him, Adam could already see the heavy debt he owed to Medusa, vanish under the snow.

Using the 'Eyes of Truth' for the Lotto.

Using 'The World' for horse races.

He could also use those skills in casinos and the like.

In the first place, wasn't his luck supposed to be EX class already? Why did he never think about the game of luck until now?

'Such a waste of time. But it has just been one month till I awakened. It isn't too late, I suppose.'

He didn't even need to fear entering some blacklist.

After all… He could simply change his appearance whenever he wanted.

'Should I give up becoming King of the Underworld and just become King of Gambling instead?'

This was a very tempting thought.

———