“Ah!”
“Two!”
“A comeback… but not quite.”
Ho Cheon-an’s victory. Feeling the thrill of a thrilling round with the stakes of gambling on the line, Hyeok Gi-rin exclaimed.
“That’s truly impressive. It’s my first time watching gambling, but I can still sense that it’s remarkable.”
“That’s true.”
Black Cat agreed with Hyeok Gi-rin’s statement. However, as she listened to Hyeok Gi-rin’s awed voice, a hint of worry crept in. What if Hyeok Gi-rin developed some fantastical notion about gambling from witnessing what the two of them were displaying?
With such thoughts lingering, Black Cat turned to Hyeok Gi-rin, only to find his expression tinged with sympathy.
Why does Hyeok Gi-rin wear such a face?
“Hyeok Gi-rin, Great Hero…?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just… um. It seems like Senior Ho has put in far more desperate effort than I thought.”
“…Desperate effort?”
Hyeok Gi-rin’s words made a corner of Black Cat’s mind itch. Why did Ho Cheon-an choose to create a situation like this instead of getting to know Dogwi? She instinctively felt that Hyeok Gi-rin’s words were tied to the answer.
“What do you mean? Please explain a bit more.”
“Hmm… It’s just a feeling, but… Senior Ho looks more at ease in this precarious and tense situation, almost like a fish in water.”
Black Cat blinked. It was nonsensical. How could a person be more natural in a crisis or extreme situation?
Yet… if that were true…
It could explain Ho Cheon-an’s current demeanor.
The game continued. Dogwi placed the dice while Ho Cheon-an shook the cup. Ho Cheon-an wagered a total of twenty-five and lost.
The wager, which had barely increased to 40, dwindled back to 15.
And then the next round.
“I’ll bet nine on six.”
“I’ll take it and bet the rest on three.”
Another thirty wagers gained.
“I’ll bet nine on one.”
“I’ll take that. I won’t bet more.”
He caught up with twenty wagers.
Although Ho Cheon-an had a clear edge, the atmosphere had begun to tighten. The number of wagers kept flipping with the stakes, but the overall odds felt balanced at 5:5.
‘I see.’
Watching that scene, Black Cat realized.
It wasn’t that Ho Cheon-an’s skills had improved.
It was just that Dogwi’s had declined.
And she sensed that the decline wasn’t due to a lack of Dogwi’s ability but rather a natural phenomenon. No matter how adept a gambler is at concealing their expressions and managing their psychology, they are still human. Even knowing there’s a way through a thorny path, it’s only natural to hesitate or falter while traversing a stormy mountain road.
In extreme situations, everyone experiences a diminishment of their abilities. That’s why people fear such moments. No one in a weary body and decaying mind can surpass their best.
Yet how did Ho Cheon-an act?
He did not hesitate to increase the stakes even on the brink of failure. He continued to drive the game to the edge, untroubled by the prospect of being driven off a greater cliff. Even if he stood on a high pole, balancing on the edge, Ho Cheon-an would push the game beyond that.
Black Cat acknowledged that Hyeok Gi-rin’s analogy of him being like a fish in water was spot on.
‘A situation like this doesn’t faze him at all.’
Black Cat touched upon the essence of Ho Cheon-an.
What kind of person was the veteran Ho Cheon-an of the Martial World?
How did he enjoy this Martial World? A regular gamer would attach negative traits that they must overcome, desperately trying to break through.
Why did Ho Cheon-an willingly attach those negative traits, though unprompted?
That behavior was precisely what illustrated Ho Cheon-an’s essence.
Aggressiveness!
Despite being able to repeat the play he wanted like other veterans, Ho Cheon-an constantly challenged himself anew. Starting from lower depths, he climbed to the peak, and upon succeeding, began the climb from an even lower point.
Ho Cheon-an pursued a sense of achievement more actively and aggressively than others, which led to his starting point being ever lower.
And the further he aimed, the more substantial the rewards needed to rise, and the greater the risks he had to accept.
No.
He had to overcome the risks.
If a path exists, then the danger is no problem.
Black Cat understood that Ho Cheon-an was likely thinking in this way as he set up his next gamble.
A person can slip on a tightrope, but knowing that they are still better off, they create that environment.
Because without overcoming risks, you cannot ascend. You cannot reach your destination.
If there’s a road, you walk it.
If you can ascend, you do it.
“I’ll take it. Ten more wagers.”
“…I’m dead.”
Black Cat once couldn’t understand Ho Cheon-an. The ability to give realization was far too dangerous. If she possessed that ability, she thought she would keep her mouth shut for life.
‘Senior Ho will continue to grant realizations to others, won’t he?’
Ho Cheon-an was someone with much knowledge and skill, but was there an asset as great as the ability to instill realization?
Black Cat understood Ho Cheon-an would not misuse that great asset of realization.
Dogwi was gradually crumbling.
Ho Cheon-an relentlessly pushed Dogwi into an extreme environment, and Dogwi, faced with such pressure, could not help but falter. Sympathy surged within Black Cat for Dogwi. How could someone looking up at the heavens while standing on the edge of a blade retain their wits?
Black Cat watched Ho Cheon-an’s back as he gambled. The stakes had begun to pile on Ho Cheon-an’s side.
“I’ll bet seven on four.”
Watching that back, Black Cat felt Ho Cheon-an growing distant. Having set his sights on gambling, he had become a true gambling god. Now that he was focused on martial arts, how far could he ascend?
‘If he doesn’t stumble…’
If gambling can be regarded as a path of ascension, might martial arts lead to the divine realm? As that notion crossed Black Cat’s mind, she smirked. Ho Cheon-an’s condition was quite serious. He had to use seven spiritual medicines just to carve a path to the peak.
Was that all? Even upon reaching that peak, there was no guarantee that means to overcome the next step existed.
Even knowing all this…
For some reason, Black Cat felt Ho Cheon-an would reach it, and thus, she could only smile.
‘I made a commitment to join him.’
She thought she was meant to be the receiver but ended up in the giving role.
Ho Cheon-an was to continue running atop the blade. After all, he had already given Hyeok Gi-rin realization. Surely, in Ho Cheon-an’s estimation, it was deemed safe. And even if it wasn’t safe, it was a decision made out of necessity.
Black Cat could not ascertain how Ho Cheon-an became such a veteran through the game of Martial World. But she succeeded in understanding Ho Cheon-an’s essence.
While she may think it’s dangerous to say, her instincts and temperament were pushing Ho Cheon-an on.
‘Senior, you will continue to choose options to climb higher, won’t you?’
Yet can the affairs of mankind ever go according to human intent?
Ho Cheon-an, being human, will make mistakes, and even without blunders, slips will happen.
So someone must be ready to catch Ho Cheon-an when he stumbles.
‘Is it too difficult alone?’
Black Cat looked at Hyeok Gi-rin. Engrossed in the unprecedented experience of gambling, Hyeok Gi-rin was lost in the game’s chaos between Ho Cheon-an and Dogwi.
If Hyeok Gi-rin hadn’t shared his impressions of Ho Cheon-an, could he have grasped Ho Cheon-an’s essence?
As she pondered that question, Black Cat made a firm resolution.
Just as her unspoken resolve solidified…
“I’ll bet four on six.”
“I’ll add ten more on three.”
“I’ll accept that.”
The atmosphere of the gambling table surged towards its climax. Ho Cheon-an had 70 stakes, while Dogwi had 86.
Should Ho Cheon-an win this round, he would achieve a comeback from being on the brink since the start.
Black Cat believed this round would determine the victor and felt that even with Dogwi maintaining his composure, the ultimate winner would be Ho Cheon-an.
No matter how well Dogwi held on, the gambling table inevitably progressed toward extreme conditions over time. Even if Ho Cheon-an’s aggression stopped at this very moment, the concentration burned off each round would be immense.
In a war of attrition, it was a setup where Ho Cheon-an, used to scraping the bottom, would inevitably win.
The cup opened up, and gasps filled the surroundings.
“Ah!”
The number on the dice was four. Both sides miscalculated. It was evidence that both skills were wavering.
They had exchanged dozens of moves with their utmost effort, yet both were showing signs of diminishing focus.
Dogwi thought.
‘It seems I still have a long way to catch up to you.’
Dogwi treated Ho Cheon-an as a worthy opponent, aspiring to outdo him, constantly studying his gambling prowess, thinking Ho Cheon-an hadn’t truly tasted defeat in what felt like an eternity.
That’s why he concentrated fiercely on mastering his mind. After all, a giant usually dwarfs in their own foothold.
But Ho Cheon-an wasn’t just a giant. He was a mountain. No matter how much pressure he faced, he wouldn’t budge an inch.
The game carried on. Although Ho Cheon-an held the upper hand, Dogwi was not collapsing without a fight.
Yet there was no way to turn the tide of the skewed flow, and soon the end neared.
“I’ll bet.”
Dogwi wagered three, while Ho Cheon-an bet two. The dice showed two, and Dogwi lost fourteen stakes to Ho Cheon-an.
Dogwi was left with 28 stakes.
It was Dogwi’s turn to throw the dice. Suddenly, he spoke up.
“What if I asked…”
“What?”
“If I were to wager all my remaining stakes, would you put up all your own?”
The other gamblers murmured. What kind of ridiculousness was this?
Ho Cheon-an stared intently at Dogwi and then chuckled.
“Would I do such a thing?”
“Hahaha! It seems so.”
Dogwi placed the dice, and instead of shaking the cup, Ho Cheon-an paused to look at Dogwi. Shaking his head, Ho Cheon-an blended the dice thoroughly and then set the cup down.
“I’ll wager four on three.”
“I’ll take that and wager it all on one.”
Dogwi smiled broadly and Ho Cheon-an closed his eyes.
Before tossing the dice, Dogwi had inquired if everything could be wagered, and Ho Cheon-an sensed the implication.
A spectacle of betting everything on an opposing die. A single extended finger and the number it held.
One.
‘That’s an unconventional choice for a gambler.’
He placed one, and having hinted he would before even doing so, it was tantamount to a declaration of surrender.
Still, Ho Cheon-an concentrated hard and shook the cup. Dogwi thought Ho Cheon-an didn’t grasp his meaning, arriving at that conclusion through earnestness in his last effort.
Dogwi simply laughed heartily.
“I have lost.”
With that proclamation, an uproar ensued outside. Some gamblers marveled at the marvelous match, some lamented the last choice, others pondered the psychology behind their tactics, and some cat sighed deeply while a Taoist princess clapped vigorously.
Dogwi was simply satisfied. Although he regretted losing to Ho Cheon-an, what could he do? His skills fell short.
Dogwi reflected on that day; just like that, he returned home dazed after losing. Days passed before he could collect his thoughts.
Once he regained his senses, an overwhelming embarrassment filled his mind.
He had simply been toyed with from the beginning.
Did he merely get played? Was he even saved by the semblance of victory? Afraid of dying, lured by gold, he couldn’t confront Ho Cheon-an right then about what he had done and was left frozen.
That’s why the duel meant so much. Ho Cheon-an no longer pitied Dogwi nor saw him as a target for charity. He treated him simply as a fellow gambler with whom to decide the winner until the very end.
Dogwi lost but was content. Therefore, he raised his hand, peering skyward, and said,
“I think I’m finally catching up a bit. Next time we meet, I will surely win.”
Ho Cheon-an shook his head and waved a finger, and Dogwi chuckled.
Tap!
With a clear sound, the minor uproar at the gambling house in Nangyang came to an end.
