Suddenly, the large gambling board unfolded, and the gamblers stopped their games and flocked to Ho Cheon-an’s table.
Sajeok was also thinking of joining after finishing his cigarette.
‘Is it for fun?’
The reason for the open table didn’t matter much to the gamblers. It’s just the daily money-flinging of the wealthy, after all.
‘I’m not sure if they want to see that person’s gambling skills or prove something… but they don’t seem like ordinary folks.’
If any of the gamblers fell behind, there was nothing they could do. Sajeok genuinely thought that way. In gambling, there’s so much reliance on luck, and as a gambler lives long enough, they often experience extreme luck or the opposite.
The more seasoned the gamblers are, the less they get overly disappointed or overly hopeful about luck. The one smoking inside the gambling house was just unfortunate.
‘Huh?’
All the gamblers rose from their seats to watch Ho Cheon-an’s game, but there was one who held their ground: Cheong Seo.
Sajeok approached Cheong Seo and spoke.
“No, Hyung-nim. How can you not watch such a big game? I don’t know what happened, but the famous Cheong Seo is just letting that big game go? If not, I might as well take it…”
Sajeok was talking to Cheong Seo when Cheong Seo suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.
Cheong Seo looked up at Sajeok without saying a word, but Sajeok could read the emotions in Cheong Seo’s eyes perfectly.
Fear.
Sajeok couldn’t understand what made Cheong Seo feel this way.
“You were lucky.”
“No, what the hell are you talking about? Are you saying I wasn’t caught when those gamblers were taken away?”
Sajeok frowned. Now that he confirmed that the captured gamblers had all become strange, he thought he was lucky not to be caught, but the truth was it hurt his pride that those officials left him alone.
Why did they capture all the renowned gamblers of Nangyang and leave just him behind? Was it as if he were some worthless leftover? They caught fellows with lesser fame and worse gambling skills than him and left him?
“Don’t mess with that person.”
Sajeok looked down at Cheong Seo’s arm. He was squeezing so tightly that Sajeok’s arm felt numb. Feeling Cheong Seo’s fear through his grip, Sajeok gulped.
“What is that person…?”
Cheong Seo shook his head silently. Watching Cheong Seo—unable to speak—Sajeok released his hand. Though he didn’t know the situation, it seemed that the condition of Cheong Seo and the captured gamblers was somehow related to that person.
“Hey, you!”
“Don’t worry, Hyung-nims. I don’t know what that guy did to make you all like this, but I also want to taste him a bit. If I get the chance, I’ll also repay your grudges.”
Bam!!
“Uwaaaack!”
With a clear sound, a gambler clutched his forehead and rolled on the ground. The sight startled the other gamblers into protest.
“He’s killing people!”
“Isn’t this a bit too much?”
Ho Cheon-an let the gamblers’ protests roll off his back.
“You can’t find a game worth dozens of gold coins cheaper than this?”
“Are you okay? Let me check!”
As the gamblers helped their fallen comrade to his feet, a lump the size of a thumb swelled in the center of his forehead.
“Puhuh!”
“Keugh!”
As the gamblers barely managed to suppress their laughter, the one who was hit turned red in the face and shook off those supporting him.
More embarrassment than pain!
After a laugh had passed, the gamblers began to weigh their options. Seeing how the recently fallen gambler was taken out so easily and humiliated made them think twice about rushing in without caution.
However, it didn’t take long before a second challenger appeared.
“This time, I will challenge!”
The second gambler also chose a turtle shell and lost in an instant.
Thwack!
“Ah!”
The third gambler requested a challenge with the counter dice.
Thwack!
“Uagh!”
As the third gambler also fell flat on the ground, the atmosphere among the gamblers began to change.
“To lose so overwhelmingly in the counter dice…”
“Is that even possible?”
And as the fourth and fifth gamblers, who also challenged, quickly got annihilated, no one dared to step forward to challenge Ho Cheon-an anymore.
Observing the murmuring and hesitant gamblers, the Black Cat frowned. They had come to the gambling house, reputed to have the best gamblers in Nangyang, yet not a single capable player to provoke Ho Cheon-an?
Just as things were getting sluggish.
“Alright, then let’s have a match!”
Sajeok stepped through the gamblers and stood before Ho Cheon-an.
“It seems you know a thing or two about gambling. Still, they were decent players, yet you defeated them so easily.”
“Then put down the stakes.”
Ho Cheon-an showed clear disinterest in whatever Sajeok said. All he wanted was to finish it quickly and leave the scene.
Though Ho Cheon-an was bluntly dismissive, Sajeok didn’t care, shaking his cup and continuing the conversation.
“It seems you’re related to the matter where the gamblers got dragged to the governmental office a few days ago…”
“Are you gonna play or not? If not, get lost.”
Sajeok’s eyebrows twitched. Witnessing the disdainful look from Ho Cheon-an only made Sajeok’s emotions boil.
“You should be grateful to be included in a game with stakes worth dozens of gold coins. How dare you attach conditions?”
“….Fine.”
Sajeok gritted his teeth and placed his cup and dice down. It was true that he was in an extremely advantageous position. So, he decided to ask the terms after taking all that gold.
Although he had no intention of going easy at the start, Sajeok was fully fired up now as he clenched his fists.
“I wager twenty-five bets. The game is a gamble. You go first?”
“You start.”
Sajeok immediately began the gambling game without a word.
“Oh, at last, Sajeok is stepping in.”
“Nangyang’s top gambler is finally…”
“That arrogant punk! Let’s put him in his place!”
Has the right player finally emerged? The Black Cat’s eyes sparkled as she focused on Ho Cheon-an’s reaction. What was the gambling skill Ho Cheon-an was most known for? It was certainly gambling cards.
Unlike the peak expert Tang Do-gyeong, who toyed with Hwang Gold Clan within hours when he visited Outcast Inn daily, Ho Cheon-an’s gambling skills still had more shortcomings, but compared to the gamblers who had stepped up until just now, this level was different.
The Black Cat recalled the words Sajeok had spoken earlier and quickly understood the situation.
‘Didn’t they say Hyeok Gi-rin’s older brother gathered gamblers to take Ho Cheon-an on? Many were called, but it seems something happened afterward.’
The Black Cat analyzed the events she heard from Hyeok Gi-rin regarding the royal palace with the current situation. If indeed all the top gamblers from Nangyang had been mobilized then, the reason only deadweights remained now was explained.
‘Then this person is the only hope.’
Sajeok’s presence made sense. He’s a master of gambling. Since he was personally orchestrating matters at the royal palace, he must have been working through the eunuchs or fellow classmates and had likely analyzed Ho Cheon-an’s gambling technique as well.
‘As a gambler, no one states that this is anything but gambling for them.’
With peak expert Tang Do-gyeong, and also the peak expert Yeo Il-ye who had perfectly deceived countless spectators in front of the Hwang Gold Clan, if they had encountered that information, it would be common sense to think that there was no chance of winning in a gambling contest.
Thus, they left the masters of gambling alone, despite their superb skills.
‘Ultimately, is there only this person in the gambling house who can draw out Ho-senpai’s true intentions?’
With the eager expectations of everyone, Sajeok’s technique progressed to a peak and eventually paused.
“Of course! Every time I see Sajeok’s gambling skills, it’s top-notch!”
“From the middle onwards, I couldn’t take my eyes off!”
The gamblers who watched Sajeok’s gambling burst out in exclamations. That was the power of Sajeok’s gambling. Even knowing they should focus on the dice, they unintentionally got swept away by Sajeok’s passionate hand gestures and focused even more on Sajeok mixing the cup instead of following the dice’s whereabouts.
Hyeok Gi-rin muttered unconsciously.
“He’s quite similar.”
“Indeed.”
The Black Cat agreed with Hyeok Gi-rin’s assessment. Although Sajeok’s gambling had a different feeling than Ho Cheon-an’s, the direction was similar. Ho Cheon-an’s gambling maintained an atmosphere of tension. The constant changes and the rolling dice kept people from letting their guard down.
Despite knowing someone pointed towards the moon, they couldn’t help but focus on the extending hand; Ho Cheon-an’s gambling was exploiting that. With a temptingly delicious bait, Ho Cheon-an repeatedly executed bold moves in between.
Though Hyeok Gi-rin couldn’t comprehend anything about gambling due to his lack of understanding, the Black Cat instinctively grasped it while watching Sajeok’s gambling. This gambling skill was on par with Ho Cheon-an’s usual level.
If gambling had levels, at least in this gambling game, both Sajeok and Ho Cheon-an were of the same tier.
The Black Cat, too, had missed a chance at Sajeok’s gambling.
‘I don’t know how much difference exists between the ability and skill of the two, but… at least someone capable of competing with Ho-senpai has appeared.’
The Black Cat concentrated all her attention back onto Ho Cheon-an, thinking now was her chance to witness Ho Cheon-an’s true self.
When the surrounding cheers and noise quieted down, Ho Cheon-an tossed a die.
“Left.”
Sajeok’s expression hardened. Ho Cheon-an carelessly reached for the left cup and knocked it over, revealing the dice within.
“No way…?”
Was it a coincidence? Did he really see it?
The gamblers stirred uneasily. They fully understood the significance of being in the first round of gambling. Did Sajeok hold back his moves, or had Ho Cheon-an indeed observed all of Sajeok’s tricks?
“I believe I’ve shown everything that needed to be shown, so at the next attack, I’ll wager twenty bitcoins to finish this off, so do your best.”
At Ho Cheon-an’s declaration, sparks flew in Sajeok’s eyes. Gambles, compared to other games, had roughly defined rules. Whether ten or twenty, you could wager however much you wanted. Other gambling games primarily went through a betting process, allowing both parties to control the stakes, but not in gambling.
“The one with the big mouth here doesn’t seem to be aware the words you just said apply to you as well.”
Ho Cheon-an snorted and shuffled the dice in the center cup contemptuously. To signal the start, he raised the cup high, confirming that the dice was indeed inside it, then with one hand, he grabbed cups from both the center and the left to switch their positions.
Then he took the center cup and the right cup in one hand and rolled them halfway.
“Done.”
“Y-You…!”
“Is he insane?”
Several gamblers burst out angrily at Ho Cheon-an’s indifferent mixing of the cups. What was that about? Even the distances between the cups were unevenly and irregularly placed. While there weren’t rules against arranging the cups neatly, at the very least, common courtesy applies when actions are performed while someone is watching!
However, the one who should have felt the most insulted—Sajeok—did not explode in anger.
Sajeok remained still, staring at the cups.
‘It was there for sure.’
Though he desperately didn’t want to admit it after such insincere mixing, there was indeed a blind spot in Ho Cheon-an’s hand movements.
Had he not held two cups with one hand, the blind spot wouldn’t have occurred. If the movement had been quicker, it would merely be a simple gap, but by mixing the cups slowly with just one hand, that gap became a blind spot.
The center and left cups were mixed up, and thus so was the center and right cup. Both actions created a blind spot, which consequently meant the dice could be in any of the three cups.
Sajeok laid down three bets and declared, “It’s the left.”
Ho Cheon-an shrugged and merely gestured, while Sajeok watched Ho Cheon-an’s actions and grabbed the left cup.
Ho Cheon-an’s flippant demeanor was nothing to nitpick in gambling. As long as there’s no direct harm towards others with threats or insults, most psychological provocations or pressure are allowed at the gambling table.
Mixing the cups with one hand was genuinely the least he could do. And it was a useless, dead hand anyway. The more he revealed his true intentions, how could he manage to play with only one hand in a gambling scenario? He had just passed the first round with that dead hand, so in a sense, Sajeok had lost in the strategic contest.
Sajeok confirmed it by placing a bet on the left. Making a blind spot and skillfully mixing up the cups were two different issues. He needed to confirm if Ho Cheon-an could only create blind spots or if he had the capability to exploit them as well.
If Ho Cheon-an couldn’t move the dice inside the cups, then the dice should be under the left one.
“Nothing?”
“Did he really move it?”
The gamblers widened their eyes in astonishment. There was indeed no dice under the left cup. Despite Ho Cheon-an’s careless movements mixing the cups, the die had actually swapped at various intervals.
Incredible skills! Although Ho Cheon-an had thoroughly defeated five gamblers, the gambling technique he displayed now was a whole level apart.
Sajeok had no choice but to accept that Ho Cheon-an possessed equal skills, or perhaps even better.
‘This will drag out longer than expected.’
Sajeok thought as he tightened his grip on his cup. Having shown some tricks to gauge his opponent’s level in the first round, he resolved to go all out starting this round.
“Chahaaap!”
With an intense cheer that made even listeners involuntarily tense up, Sajeok began to move his cup.
His movements were as fiery as if his hands and the cup were ablaze!
‘This feels like fire juggling.’
The Black Cat felt a mystical sensation, like a performance of acrobats twirling torches before her eyes. Is this the kind of level top gamblers can reach? The cups Sajeok was mixing now possessed something beyond mere gambling technique.
Martial artists put their soul into their techniques, calling it ‘Martial Soul.’
Then this gambling technique that Sajeok was revealing right now contained ‘Gambling Soul!’
The actions of Sajeok even captivated the Black Cat, who had intended solely to watch Ho Cheon-an’s reaction. Forgetting to search for the dice within the cup, she got swept away by Sajeok’s movements, focusing on his fervent spirit. She became entranced by his gracefulness akin to a dance.
Tap!
‘What the…’
The Black Cat couldn’t help but smile wryly. Right up to the moment the cup stopped moving, she merely stood there, captivated. Feeling a sense of amazement at Sajeok’s moves, she shifted her gaze back to Ho Cheon-an.
“Oooooh!”
“Could this be the hand of Nangyang’s top gambler!”
“That guy can’t deny this is beyond him!”
“You’re truly the best gambler!”
Sajeok smiled at the exhilarated reactions around him, withdrawing his hands from the cup. Somehow, today seemed to be a day where his skills were shining. It was indeed a rare occurrence. How long had it been since he faced such a worthy opponent?
‘Though that recent guy was decent, the vibe of a primary matchup feels different.’
Ho Cheon-an didn’t show a hint of agitation, but Sajeok was confident. He had seen no indicative movements revealing he was tracking the dice, yet he was utterly cautious and gave it his all.
This arrogant fellow was saying he would end it this round? The words he’d spoken would turn to strangle him instead.
Sajeok was convinced that Ho Cheon-an wouldn’t be able to identify the position of the dice and was also sure that he wouldn’t be able to risk a high bet like he promised. A gambler of that caliber wouldn’t act recklessly without confidence.
In the end, only Ho Cheon-an’s face would end up embarrassed. Just as Sajeok was grinning to himself over such thoughts,
“I wager twenty bets. Center.”
A cold voice cutting through the heated atmosphere.
Ho Cheon-an knocked over the cup containing the dice that had just dropped from Sajeok’s hand.
Inside that cup was indeed the dice.
The gamblers who had been hyped up just moments before went silent, and Sajeok was struck with shock.
And then.
Bam!
That clear sound resonated through the chilled silence.
