“Uhm.”
As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt it.
Today’s condition is at its peak.
Ah, indeed, people need to rest well.
Today, I gave up on training, took a walk in the fresh morning air, had a light meal of somen, and headed towards the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
After finishing the familiar bodyguard checks at the pavilion, I stepped onto the long stairs leading to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, recalling the nine months spent in the Demon Sect.
For three months, I searched for martial arts texts in the secret place and focused on matches with Wi Seoryeon.
Now that I’ve adapted to the Demon Sect life, calls from Wi Ji-cheon came, and after that, a new schedule was added to prepare for the Brain Crystal.
Weekly matches with Wi Seoryeon. For such matches, I had to train consistently even during normal times, and at night, I had to clock in at the underground gambling den.
Today is the day that marks the end of that schedule.
As I stepped on each stair, I reflected on each passing day.
I discarded it.
I let go of all thoughts unnecessary for the competition.
What kind of expression would Wi Ji-cheon have if he wins against me? He might burst into a broad smile and rejoice.
Perhaps at that moment, the ominous aura surrounding Wi Ji-cheon would lighten a bit.
I shake off such emotions.
As I was reflecting on each day, Wi Seoryeon’s face also came to mind.
The once dry and rough expression of Wi Seoryeon has improved a lot.
Well, it feels like a fierce crow that looked as if it would peck my eyes out could now be imagined as a satisfied crow dozing in a nest overflowing with sparkles.
Unbeknownst to her, Wi Seoryeon often expressed her regret that this competition was coming to an end.
Whether I gain the Brain Crystal or not, I knew full well I’d be entangled in another ill-fated relationship with Jeong Cheol.
From Wi Seoryeon’s perspective, she might be hoping for me to lose and not obtain the Brain Crystal.
If Jeong Cheol finds out about my situation now, using the position of Wi Seoryeon’s guest for protection would be beneficial.
If that happens, Wi Seoryeon would be able to maintain a situation like this for a bit longer.
Though the beginning wasn’t good, I was honestly grateful for Wi Seoryeon now.
Both in martial arts and gambling aspects, she supported me in every way.
I had received many considerations from Wi Seoryeon, both consciously and unconsciously.
I wiped that fact from my mind as well.
Now, I thought of the Black Cat, who had become almost a friend, playfully.
The Black Cat.
The Black Cat’s martial arts progress is still sluggish. To be fair, just gathering ten martial arts techniques is quite impressive.
After all, it wouldn’t be something that could be done in just a day or two to combine ten martial arts into a proper form.
I wonder if the Black Cat is aware of this.
The Black Cat was satisfied with life in the Demon Sect.
What if this weren’t the Demon Sect?
Would the Black Cat have felt comfortable wandering outside?
Even though I handed out the military currency I won from the underground gambling den, the Black Cat didn’t stop going outside.
It was proof that she was enjoying life in the Demon Sect in her way.
No, regardless of proof, I had never seen the Black Cat move around so actively on her own.
When talking with me, she would sometimes slander Wi Seoryeon, but still, seeing her enjoying gambling every day, it seems she has accepted Wi Seoryeon internally.
It’s not like she’s doing that hospitality gambling without reason.
The Black Cat isn’t the type to just put up with something she dislikes.
The Demon Sect might be one of the few places where the Black Cat can feel at ease.
Even that thought was wiped from my head.
Jeon-ip, O Gyeong, Sak Hwi, Cheon-jung, Kang So, Gong Bok.
I erased the faces of the gamblers I mingled with for five months in the underground gambling den, leaving only their hands in my mind.
Pat.
When I stepped on the final stair, nothing other than the competition filled my mind.
It seems I wasn’t the only one who ‘cleaned up.’
The Heavenly Demon Pavilion was quiet as a mouse. The tribesmen to serve the Heavenly Demon were absent, and so were the Hidden Bodyguards, whose presence had been faint lately.
Passing through the corridor, I opened the door to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.
Inside, I could already see the Heavenly Demon sitting at the gambling table, waiting for me.
“You’ve come.”
“Have you been well through the night?”
I sat across from the Heavenly Demon.
There were items for gambling. Dice, cups, and gambling cards.
The necessary things caught my eye.
“This is the final competition.”
“Yes.”
The Heavenly Demon and I exchanged glances for a moment.
Since it’s the last day, it might not be bad to chat about various topics.
However, we both silently began gambling.
This day’s competition. Both the Heavenly Demon and I had sharpened ourselves for the sake of this moment, ensuring our bodies and minds were in top condition.
I want to compete at my best.
We shared such thoughts and immediately moved into the match.
“We will compete in three categories today: Gambling, Dice, and Gambling Cards.”
“Yes.”
“We will wager 300 items per person, totaling 600 items, and each will stake as many items as desired in their chosen category. For example, if you gamble 50 in the Gambling and I gamble 100, we will compete in Gambling until one side runs out of items and then move on to the next category. Although the categories change, the stakes accumulate. If you win, the money you won and your bet will carry over to the next game.”
“I understand.”
The Heavenly Demon spread out the dice, cups, and gambling cards.
I distributed 100 items each to the Dice, Gambling, and Gambling Cards.
In contrast, the Heavenly Demon allocated 125 items to the Dice, 125 to Gambling, and 50 to Gambling Cards.
Looking at Wi Ji-cheon’s distribution, I deemed it a rational judgment.
Gambling Cards require a profound understanding of martial arts among all gambling forms. A single mistake can affect the game continuously. Once the flow is lost, it’s incredibly hard to turn things around.
For lower-ranked players, Gambling Cards involve a lot of luck, but for higher ranks, it’s pure skill.
The rules set by Wi Ji-cheon meant that the more stakes placed on a low-chance Gambling Cards game, the more pressure would accumulate for the next gambling category.
For instance, let’s say I won against Wi Ji-cheon in the Gambling Cards.
If Wi Ji-cheon, like me, wagered 100 on each game and lost in the Gambling Cards, what then?
The basic stakes of 100 items from the previous game, the preserved stakes of 100 items from the earlier round, and the 100 items I won from Wi Ji-cheon.
So, my stakes would total 300, which means the next game would be 100 against 300.
To avoid such a scenario, Wi Ji-cheon bet only 50 items in Gambling Cards.
Betting 50 means that even if he loses, the next round would be 250 against 125. Although losing is unavoidable, a ratio of 1 to 2 is certainly more favorable than 1 to 3.
If the Heavenly Demon were to choose, he would likely start with Gambling Cards.
That would be the best choice to avoid his least confident category.
“I’ll roll the dice to determine the order and choose the category.”
Wi Ji-cheon and I each rolled three dice, and the one with the higher total was Wi Ji-cheon.
And, just as I expected, Wi Ji-cheon made the same choice.
“I’ll start with the Gambling Cards.”
Wi Ji-cheon began shuffling his cards. Although it’s generally favorable to go second in Gambling Cards, the unspoken rule had become that Wi Ji-cheon usually took the lead.
The competition based on our fortunes continued for two rounds.
The revealed cards numbered eight. That was sufficient for truly starting the competition.
At that moment, Wi Ji-cheon began to use his technique.
Martial Arts Gambling Technique.
Tap. Tap. Ta-tak. Tap. Tap.
The irregular rhythm of Wi Ji-cheon’s hands shuffling the cards was dazzling. No, rather than dazzling, it was chaotic.
The manipulation of Qi was out of sync with his hand movements.
This made it challenging to decipher the Martial Arts Gambling Technique Wi Ji-cheon was executing.
Being able to perform the Martial Arts Gambling Technique added a significant variable that made it hard to see through the opponent’s technique.
Along with the variables of Qi manipulation, there were instances where the techniques that could only occur during the Qi manipulation added layers of complexity that were far richer than typical gambling.
He could pretend to perform a regular technique while secretly engaging in the Martial Arts Gambling Technique, creating a double deception, or feign the Martial Arts Gambling Technique to elevate his Qi while actually executing no techniques at all.
What’s worse is that the higher the practitioner’s level of the Martial Arts Gambling Technique, the harder it becomes to detect the manipulation of Qi.
If you can’t fully trust your own senses, you’ll continuously be under mental pressure.
Wi Ji-cheon continued using his techniques without restraint.
In fact, the situation was slightly different from what I anticipated.
Wi Ji-cheon wagered 50 items in Gambling Cards. So, I thought he designed the game to quickly forfeit if the odds were against him.
Yet, Wi Ji-cheon was launching considerable pressure from the start.
“I’ll bet three items.”
“I’ll take it.”
My first card was 7.
Connecting numbers led to a poor combination from my initial set of cards.
The only possible pair for 7 would be its multiples.
Still, I accepted.
I needed to see as many cards as possible to create a combination for my next attack.
My follow-up card was 9, and Wi Ji-cheon’s first was 6, and the follow-up was 31.
The numbers now revealed added to 11.
While the numbers were sufficient for deploying a technique, the arrangement of my cards wasn’t favorable at all.
Six out of the eight cards revealed from the last game were clustered together, serving Wi Ji-cheon’s defense.
In Gambling Cards, the maximum number of cards you can switch at once is one.
The reason is simple; unlike modern cards, Gambling Cards are quite thick.
While the cards used in gambling tables are manufactured thinner, they still remain thicker than one ordinary gambling card.
That’s why you can’t freely manipulate the order of the Gambling Cards.
If you attempted to shift two or three of those thick cards at once, it would become immediately apparent.
With the techniques resulting in the shuffled cards, we each held our initial cards.
If I wasn’t deceived by Wi Ji-cheon, his first card would be 11, and his follow-up card would be 26.
And my follow-up card is determined at 30.
I reached for the first card I hadn’t seen yet.
The first card I held was a Gambling Card that had never been revealed yet.
Knowing that I could pick desired stakes, I was free to play.
If a poorly arranged number surfaced, I could simply forfeit, and if the result looked good, I could compete.
The number I held was 21.
That was a number good enough to compete.
“I’ll wager two.”
“Two received, and one more.”
“I’ll take it.”
Wi Ji-cheon revealed his card first. The numbers were 11 and 26. Just as I expected.
Did I bring something to this round?
Thinking like that, I checked my follow-up card.
…Fifteen.
My follow-up card I expected to be 30 turned out to be 15.
Upon revealing the cards, without a moment’s hesitation, Wi Ji-cheon swept the items towards himself. Seeing his calm demeanor, I realized I had misjudged.
Setting the number of items wagered to 50 indicated that Wi Ji-cheon was acknowledging his disadvantage and aimed to wrap up the Gambling Cards segment quickly.
That would be the sensible judgment.
However, the reality was the exact opposite.
Wi Ji-cheon did not set the stakes to 50 items to evade the competition.
He set it at 50 because he had the confidence that he could win with just that many items in the Gambling Cards segment.
Tap. Tap. Ta-tak. Tap. Tap.
With an indifferent expression, Wi Ji-cheon shuffled the cards with the same rhythm once more.
Watching Wi Ji-cheon’s hand movements, I realized.
This match.
I had taken a hard hit from the start.
*
Gambling Cards.
In matches among experts, understanding the composition of cards is key.
In that sense, Wi Ji-cheon had continued to hold the advantage over Ho Cheon-an.
Wi Ji-cheon could clearly see through Ho Cheon-an’s calm facade.
“He must be flustered.”
Wi Ji-cheon objectively compared Ho Cheon-an’s gambling skills with his own. No matter how talented Wi Ji-cheon was, surpassing Ho Cheon-an with only six months of effort was a tall order.
Yet at this moment, Wi Ji-cheon indeed had the upper hand against Ho Cheon-an.
The reason was simple.
He had analyzed.
Recalling the six months’ worth of competitions, it was unavoidable that Ho Cheon-an had to keep showing his gambling techniques. And Wi Ji-cheon had concealed his growth.
It was unavoidable for Ho Cheon-an’s techniques to be exposed.
Tap, tap, tap.
Wi Ji-cheon meticulously tracked Ho Cheon-an’s dazzling hand movements. So extravagant were his movements and countless techniques that even Wi Ji-cheon couldn’t be entirely certain he was following correctly.
“You, too, are someone seasoned in the gambling arena. Surely you’ve been analyzed countless times.”
Tap.
Once Ho Cheon-an finished shuffling, Wi Ji-cheon picked his initial card.
12.
The number was on the lower side but was usable in many combinations.
“I’ll wager two.”
Wi Ji-cheon fiddled with his 12 card, thinking.
“Just as expected.”
“I’ll take two and raise two more.”
“I’ll take, and I’ll raise two more.”
“I’ll take, and I’ll raise one more.”
As Wi Ji-cheon observed Ho Cheon-an claiming his follow-up cards, he thought.
“You are undoubtedly an outstanding gambler, enough to claim ‘the best under heaven.’”
Having invited all the notable gamblers to the Demon Sect, he’d seen both their techniques and skills, but none compared to Ho Cheon-an.
Ho Cheon-an was indeed someone whose gambling skill warranted the title of the best.
“I’ll take, and I’ll raise two more.”
However…
“You’ve never stood atop that peak.”
Merely possessing exceptional skill doesn’t equate to bearing the weight bestowed by the title of the best.
To reign is to become a target.
The person becomes an unspecified number of aspirations for others to surpass.
It is to expose oneself on high ground while fending off those rushing to challenge you.
That is the trial one must endure to be called the best.
“You claimed to be the best under heaven before my eyes for six months.”
Thus, for six months, Wi Ji-cheon set his sights on Ho Cheon-an.
It wasn’t merely each displayed technique and judgment during a single round that he aimed for.
He observed the person named Ho Cheon-an himself.
“I’ll take, and I’ll raise four more.”
This round was full of variables.
Though it was true that Wi Ji-cheon was aware of more cards and their positions, he still hadn’t secured an absolute advantage.
Moreover, Ho Cheon-an’s technique just employed was something remarkable, so the composition of the cards might differ significantly.
Even if he considered the techniques he might have been deceived with, there was no clear way to declare one side had high chances of winning.
Betting heavily on this round was perilous.
However, because of that, Wi Ji-cheon responded to the challenge.
“You thrive on such razor-thin margins.”
What Wi Ji-cheon saw in Ho Cheon-an had always been like that. The moment you take your eyes off, you’re pulled into a space where tumbling down isn’t far-fetched.
It was the same now.
“I’ll take and raise five more.”
Ho Cheon-an boldly upped the stakes to fifteen.
A significant match hovering on that razor-thin edge.
As if the ground was his domain, he relentlessly pressed against Wi Ji-cheon.
Then Wi Ji-cheon took another step toward the extreme, further than Ho Cheon-an pressing from behind.
“I’ll take and raise five more.”
Ho Cheon-an, who hadn’t hesitated to wager until now, hesitated for a moment. Observing Ho Cheon-an’s reaction, Wi Ji-cheon thought.
“You aren’t the only one who is used to treading on a knife’s edge.”
As if the dangerous precipice was only Ho Cheon-an’s domain.
The peak of the Demon Sect.
To become the Heavenly Demon, Wi Ji-cheon lived while treading on the knife’s edge against the odds.
It wasn’t a place where a common person would ever dare venture in a lifetime.
“…That’s fine.”
Wi Ji-cheon and Ho Cheon-an both picked their follow-up cards and revealed them.
Ho Cheon-an’s cards were 7 and 2, totaling 9.
Wi Ji-cheon’s cards were 5 and 6, totaling 11.
If someone capable of assessing the card exchanges sat there, they would undoubtedly be astonished.
7 and 5 are some of the lowest cards in Gambling Cards, and predicting that a lower number would enter as a follow-up would have seemed implausible.
Their combination, in fact, made for a low total value even worse than the midpoint of 16.
How could they carry such low cards into such high-stakes play without awe?
However, there was no audience present, and the only sound filling the Pavilion was heavy silence.
Shhh.
Only the noise of Wi Ji-cheon drawing in the items broke the stillness.
As he tidied up the items with a relaxed touch, he mused.
“Alright, what will you do now?”
The knowledge of the Gambling Card pile was under Wi Ji-cheon’s control. Ho Cheon-an had attempted a bold gamble to counter that, but it had ultimately failed.
So, what move would Ho Cheon-an take next?
Ho Cheon-an’s next move was simple.
“I’ll go all in.”
Ho Cheon-an shoved all 61 items forward.
