“No way… that person?”
“Is the Brain Knife Outcast… at the gambling den?”
The entire Gilu was abuzz, but Ho Cheon-an, unfazed, scanned the empty gambling table and settled into a seat.
Coincidentally, it was the table where there had just been an uproar about cheating dice.
“Aren’t you going to play?”
Beginner Gamblers gulped nervously, their eyes darting around. One of the Gamblers glanced at Jijik’s subordinates.
“…Proceed!”
Jijik’s underling hesitated but then made a decision.
They couldn’t possibly chase away the Brain Knife Outcast who had easily defeated Peak Experts using brute force. Ultimately, they realized they couldn’t do anything about the Brain Knife Outcast until Jijik arrived, so it was better to keep him occupied at the cheating table.
‘Though I could stir up trouble claiming it’s a cheating game, it doesn’t matter since he didn’t come here for a good reason!’
“I shall begin!”
The rules were simple. Four people bet their money on numbers and roll the dice until their chosen number comes up.
“I bet on 6!”
The Gilu Gambler rolled the tampered dice, hoping for a 6. The die tumbled around the table and landed on 5.
“Hmm…”
The Beginner Gambler let out a groan. Even if the die was weighted to make 6 come up more often, rolling it didn’t guarantee a 6 every time. If rolling guaranteed a 6, any fool would know the dice were rigged.
“I bet on 5!”
“I’ll bet on 2!”
The other two Gamblers placed their bets and rolled the dice. Since 6 was already taken by a fellow Gambler, they figured all other numbers except 1, the opposite of 6, had similar probabilities, so they picked random numbers.
Then it was Ho Cheon-an’s turn. He rolled the dice in his hand and muttered.
“It’s going to be 6.”
At Ho Cheon-an’s enigmatic tone, the Gambler feeling uneasy flinched and opened his mouth.
“W-What do you mean? You’ve already bet on 6, so choose another number.”
“Alright. I’ll bet on 1.”
Guests watching the game, Jijik’s subordinates, and even the Gamblers at the table all turned to look at Ho Cheon-an.
Ignoring their gaze, Ho Cheon-an rolled the dice.
The moment Sa-chai-young saw Ho Cheon-an’s hand movement, his eyes widened.
‘That hand movement… that person…!’
Seeing Ho Cheon-an’s hand motion, Sa-chai-young vividly recalled that day.
How could he ever forget that scene as a Gambler?
Suddenly, the Brain Knife Outcast, Ho Cheon-an, who had been attacking the Gamblers at the gambling den.
And the Dogwi who had been hired to capture Ho Cheon-an.
It reminded him of the final stakes they gambled for massive sums of money!
Everything matched!
Sacha-young felt a shiver as he realized that the hand movements of the Brain Knife Outcast Ho Cheon-an he had witnessed that day were identical to those of the Brain Knife Outcast now rolling the dice.
Was that ancient warrior now a Peak Expert!
While Sa-chai-young was trembling at the truth about Ho Cheon-an, the die slipped from Ho Cheon-an’s hand and rolled away.
As the dice rolled, the guests speculated.
Saying that it’s a die tampered to show 6 means that it’s a die that rarely shows 1, the opposite of 6.
But choosing to roll a 1 knowing the dice are tampered to show 6?
Is it confidence that 1 can actually come up, or just mocking the cheating game?
The crowds couldn’t understand Ho Cheon-an’s intention for picking 1.
But they could clearly witness the die stopping with a 1.
“Oh…!”
“The Brain Knife Outcast has won!”
With the audience’s light gasps, the game continued. The more the game progressed, the louder the audience’s gasps grew.
“Truly impressive!”
“To predict the number and get it right…! With those dice!”
Aside from the games that ended before it was their turn due to lack of luck, whenever Ho Cheon-an grabbed the dice, he effortlessly predicted the right number, finishing the game.
Ho Cheon-an’s exhibition of overcoming a cheating gambling game purely with skill resonated with those gathered at the Video Tower who loved gambling.
Gambling losers left with pale faces in quick succession.
“Hmm.”
Ho Cheon-an rose from the gambling table and searched for another game.
By now, all the guests in the Video Tower had become spectators eager to watch Ho Cheon-an gambling, with only Gambler tasked with stalling remaining at the tables.
Without hesitation, Ho Cheon-an moved to a table with other Gamblers.
This time it was a Go-Pai gambling table.
The Gamblers sitting at the table swallowed hard, determined to fight back. Already, the necessary Go-Pai cards were hidden under the table or in their sleeves, marked with symbols only they could recognize.
‘The dice may allow a skilled Gambler to manipulate them, but Go-Pai is different!’
Though the Gamblers started the game with confidence that it was a table they could fully control, their pockets were emptied in a flash.
As they stared blankly at Ho Cheon-an’s retreating figure, as if possessed by a ghost, the audience couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
“Wow!”
“Who knew the Brain Knife Outcast was this skilled at gambling!”
“Turns out his prowess isn’t just in martial arts!”
Ho Cheon-an’s feats didn’t stop there. He joined any gambling table where Gilu’s Gamblers were waiting, and he won.
With Ho Cheon-an’s progress, the audience erupted in cheers.
Those Gilu Gamblers clinging to cheap tricks and dismal skills were no match for Ho Cheon-an obliterating them with pure talent!
Watching Ho Cheon-an decimate fake Gamblers was immensely satisfying to the audience.
It felt like a sudden release easing their pent-up frustration!
Sa-chai-young trembled as he watched Ho Cheon-an demolish fake Gamblers relying on tools while basking in the audience’s cheers.
Gambling required different skills and abilities for each game.
In dice gambling, the abilities to bet and dexterity mattered.
In Go-Pai gambling, it was about predicting the opponent’s psychology while also tracking the flow of cards and memorizing their amount.
Not all dice gambling techniques were the same.
Directly matching the dice numbers with your hands and shaking them to create the numbers were entirely different skills.
Each gambling type required distinct techniques and psychological predictions as well.
That’s why professional Gamblers often excelled only in the games of their specialty.
But what was Ho Cheon-an showing now?
He was crushing Gamblers relying on tools by sitting overwhelmingly disadvantageously at any type of game with pure talent.
What could possibly lead one to reach that level?
With admiration for Ho Cheon-an’s extensive gambling skills, Sa-chai-young could only look at him in awe.
A master who had perfected all forms of gambling.
To the eyes of the old Gambler Sa-chai-young, Ho Cheon-an was… a true God of Gambling.
“Waaah!!”
“The Brain Knife Outcast has won again!”
Winning streak after winning streak. And then more victories.
Sa-chai-young, cheering for Ho Cheon-an’s continued winning spree, felt the suspicion he held turn into conviction.
‘So you did throw that match on purpose back then…!’
Someone with such judgment and predictive power wouldn’t relinquish a favorable position for a single quick battle against an opponent.
Even in the notorious match where manipulating the dice seemed impossible, someone with those skills could undoubtedly pull the desired number.
As his doubts turned into certainty, Sa-chai-young was left with just one question.
“…Why?”
Why? For what reason? Why did the Brain Knife Outcast, who had more than a hundred golden nyang at stake, choose to lose?
He wanted to know the reason.
Consumed by this impulse, Sa-chai-young strode to the gambling den where Ho Cheon-an was playing.
But just before Sa-chai-young could reach Ho Cheon-an…
Jijik showed up.
“Ho, I never expected the Hero of Sacheon to visit this humble gambling den.”
Ho Cheon-an, still focused on the gambling table, calmly opened his mouth at Jijik’s arrival.
“Your reaction makes it sound like I shouldn’t be here.”
Jijik’s eyebrows twitched.
He felt dismissed by Ho Cheon-an, who was concentrating on the game while turning his back.
No matter, Ho Cheon-an continued talking while playing.
“When I was out there gambling, I spent quite a bit of time here in the Video Tower. Seems Sacheon City has changed. I can’t see any familiar faces that have been guarding this place for years.”
“Hahaha. You mean those old Gamblers who only asked for large sums of money? They were all useless, so I got rid of them.”
As Ho Cheon-an laid down his hand, he said.
“Then it makes sense that you’re getting cleaned out like this.”
The faces of the Gamblers defeated in front of Jijik turned pale. Ho Cheon-an swept up all the money laid out on the table and shook his pockets.
Clink! Clink!
The audible clinking from his stuffed pockets, which seemed ready to burst at any moment, made Jijik’s face harden.
“It’s getting late, so I should head back.”
Watching Ho Cheon-an’s blatant declaration, Jijik gritted his teeth internally yet couldn’t afford to rush in.
Jijik, who hurried to assess the level of the Brain Knife Outcast, found that Ho Cheon-an’s skills were indeed not low.
Though he had an unsophisticated posture with a hefty money pouch resting on his left shoulder, there were no openings to take advantage of at all.
If a confrontation occurred, there was no assurance of winning.
‘If I act recklessly, I’ll just take the blame.’
A fight with the Brain Knife Outcast alone would lead to losses. It would be trouble if he lost; even if he won, it wouldn’t be easy to achieve a complete victory, and should he get injured, he would immediately become a target for Shisik or the cart.
Having made his calculations, Jijik smiled like a great person and signaled his subordinates.
“Hahaha. Since I’m here as a mere guest, I will treat you as a guest.”
“Much appreciated.”
As Ho Cheon-an was about to pass Jijik and leave Gilu…
“Oh, right. I had something to tell the Master of the Video Tower.”
Everyone’s attention turned to Sa-chai-young. Caught off guard by the sudden focus, Sa-chai-young gulped.
“Do you remember a Gambler named Dogwi?”
“How could I forget the one who became the protagonist of the largest game in my gambling house, in Sacheon City?”
“Haha. That’s right. I met him by chance while wandering the world.”
“This world is both vast and small. So, how is Dogwi doing?”
“I heard he was working hard to hone his gambling skills with a specific target in mind. A well-sharpened person, quite pleasing to see.”
Did Ho Cheon-an’s tone suggest something? Sa-chai-young widened his eyes at Ho Cheon-an and slowly opened his mouth.
“…I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Since my Video Tower has become lackluster, I thought I’d throw in my two cents about recruiting a good Gambler. It seems there’s little meaning in that now since I don’t know where he may wander in this vast world. Forget what I said.”
With those parting words, Ho Cheon-an swiftly left.
Jijik glared at Sa-chai-young as Ho Cheon-an’s figure disappeared into the distance.
“Didn’t I tell you to keep your head down in my upper level? Why did you come down?”
“…I merely wanted to have a chat to mitigate our losses since the Gilu Gamblers were losing.”
“Hmph!”
Jijik scoffed.
“Looks like you still haven’t let go of your lingering attachment. Look at that Brain Knife Outcast. In the end, all he’s managed to do in my domain is take small change and be satisfied!”
Sa-chai-young didn’t refute Jijik’s claim and closed his eyes. Seeing this, Jijik assumed that Sa-chai-young had given up in despair and smirked with satisfaction.
“Bring me all the Gamblers who lost to the Brain Knife Outcast today and those fools managing this place! How dare they tarnish my name! They need to pay for it!”
“Yes!”
After Jijik left Gilu, his loyal subordinates began rounding up the Gamblers that had been defeated.
Sa-chai-young watched the scene with detached interest before returning to his upper level.
He extinguished all the lights and lay on his bed. Sa-chai-young remained awake until all the ruckus outside died down and the noise from Gilu faded away.
In the early dawn, Sa-chai-young slipped out of Gilu and walked toward the Outcast Inn.
Despite the bitter cold of a winter dawn, a good number of people were already waiting in front of the Outcast Inn to place requests. Sa-chai-young silently joined the line at the back.
To sneak out of Gilu quietly, he wore his pajamas, which were far too thin to withstand the winter chill.
Shivering, Sa-chai-young chattered his teeth and endured.
“You’ll freeze to death if you keep that up.”
“True. You’ll have to wait another hour and a half for them to take in requests, so wouldn’t it be better to wear something warm and come back?”
Somewhere amidst the ten or so people waiting, someone handed a warm stone to Sa-chai-young, who then leaned on its warmth while waiting for the door to the Outcast Inn to open.
Creeeak!
Finally, the doors of the Outcast Inn swung open.
“Look, it’s nothing but a sure thing for our turn at this point, so let’s just let this person in first.”
“Agreed. At this rate, he’s going to freeze to death, huh?”
“T-Thank you.”
The shivering Sa-chai-young stumbled into the Outcast Inn. The sight of him in pajamas in the dead of winter shocked the intermediaries, and they hurried to seat him, catching him off guard again.
“Wait, is that you, Master of the Video Tower?”
“Why have you come to this place dressed like this?”
“W-well, I wanted to… place a request.”
After waiting for an hour and a half through the brutal cold of winter.
Sa-chai-young thought countless thoughts.
Sacheon Outcast No. 28, the Brain Knife Outcast known as Ho Cheon-an.
That Ho Cheon-an had already become a hero in Sacheon City.
Would someone like that accept a request from the Gilu’s master to protect the Gilu?
If he did accept such a request, he could be subjected to gossip and criticism instantly.
With so many people desperately needing help, it would be absurd to abandon them for the sake of filthy money to protect the Gilu.
Given the skyrocketing popularity, there would also be plenty of people envious of Ho Cheon-an, who would seize any opportunity to take him down.
Who among Sacheon City wouldn’t want to request the Brain Knife Outcast? The citizens had been plagued by difficulties due to the Outcast Faction.
If he would help resolve their troubles, he could pick and choose requests from wealthy notable figures willing to pay!
No matter how much he thought, Ho Cheon-an had no reason to agree to the request.
Still, Sa-chai-young waited to place the request.
“Protect the Video Tower from Jijik.”
“Such…”
The intermediaries wore troubled expressions. All of them showed reluctance, yet Sa-chai-young remained firm.
[Do you remember the Gambler named Dogwi?]
He recalled the conversation he had exchanged today with the Brain Knife Outcast vividly.
[He’s been honing his gambling skills diligently with someone as his target. He was quite a sight to see, tuning himself sharply.]
Perhaps the tone of that conversation suggested something to him, prompting Sa-chai-young to steel himself.
Why did the Brain Knife Outcast willingly accept defeat and give up over a hundred golden nyang?
He had sacrificed all that wealth to save a Gambler named Dogwi.
[He could very well be wandering the vast world now, so it was all meaningless chit-chat for me.]
A Gambler he saved while giving up over a hundred golden nyang, yet he neither took him under his wing nor exploited him. Ho Cheon-an was merely satisfied that Dogwi had survived and thrived.
‘The Brain Knife Outcast, no, Ho Cheon-an… is a man who cares deeply about gambling.’
If that’s the case…
If Ho Cheon-an loves gambling…
Would he not recognize the heart that had endeavored to create a space for Gamblers?
Wouldn’t he understand the frustration of seeing the den he had diligently tended to filled with cheap cheating tools and amateurs?
Thus…
Just as he had saved Dogwi by sacrificing over a hundred golden nyang, perhaps he would also save the Video Tower, transcending mere personal gains.
Sa-chai-young thought so and resolved to stake everything he had for the gamble of a lifetime.
The stakes were the Sacheon Outcast, no, Ho Cheon-an.
“If you protect the Video Tower from Jijik, I will give you all my wealth.”
