“Did someone among the guests… put in a request for the Video Tower?”
Ho Cheon-an, looking at the flustered Sa Chae-yong, burst into a playful laughter.
“To be honest, it’s all water under the bridge now, but it really gave me quite the headache. The fact that clients, not even the Master of the Video Tower, asked for help to find the Video Tower itself was a headache, and… some thought they could just throw a massive sum of money and run after confusing the request processing. Just thinking about it wears me out.”
Ho Cheon-an sighed dramatically.
“There are rules for requests at the Outcast Inn. You write the request details and the intermediary confirms the terms and sets the price with the client. After that, the outcasts agree to the job, and when it’s done, the intermediaries collect the payment.”
The crowds glanced back and forth between the Brain Knife Outcast and Sa Chae-yong.
What the Brain Knife Outcast said sounded like a complaint but also seemed directed at Sa Chae-yong.
“It’s really gotten complicated. There’s been a lot of talk amongst the Outcast Inn folks about this whole mess. We ultimately stepped in to sort things out, and we collected the money, so what’s the problem? If we’re going to take requests like this, why even set the rules? From now on, will throwing money and running be enough for a request? If you give it all back, isn’t it a free request? Isn’t that a violation of principles?”
As Ho Cheon-an sighed, leaving the crowd in suspense, someone among the impatient spectators asked, “So, what was the conclusion?”
“Since it was a big deal, the intermediaries couldn’t make a clear judgment, so we’ve set a new internal rule that for requests above a certain amount, the entire Outcast Inn will discuss it first. After that, we assumed this incident was an official request and determined an appropriate request fee. Turns out, it was just a fraction of the amount the client threw in, so we had to decide what to do with the remaining money.”
Ho Cheon-an shrugged and added, “Well, there’ll be an official announcement about this incident from the Outcast Inn, so any questions can wait until then.”
The crowd pondered.
Just how much money had been thrown in as a request fee that they could still afford to hire all the members of the Sacheon Outcasts with leftover funds?
Few things could attract attention like the movement of a large sum of money.
Everyone in the Video Tower was fixated on Ho Cheon-an’s words.
“Anyway, dealing with the leftover money became a real headache… these guys… are looking to dump all the responsibility of that money on me, aren’t they? Because they went to gamble at the Video Tower and got this mess, they now expect me to figure it out.”
“Huh…!”
“So, what are you planning to do with that money?”
“To be honest, what sharp solution could I possibly have? No matter which option I chose, there were potential problems, so it was infuriating… Why should I be the one pulling my hair out over this Video Tower situation?”
Everyone gulped at Ho Cheon-an’s remarks.
“That’s why I came to offload this headache onto the Video Tower as well.”
“…I’m not quite sure how to interpret that.”
As Ho Cheon-an set down a thick envelope, he spoke up.
“Since this mess arose because of the Video Tower, even the Master of the Video Tower should take responsibility for this headache.”
Ho Cheon-an chuckled.
“Let’s have a proper game. Let’s bet on who will deal with this headache.”
Thus began the strangest bet in the world.
The entire gambling area in the Video Tower froze. Gamblers and guests alike focused on a game on the first floor.
“Wow… that’s incredible.”
The audience and gamblers gasped in awe, witnessing the five jars stacked high for the counter-dice game.
Even placed on the floor, it towered over people.
“The Brain Knife Outcast really is skilled, but pulling the desired number in this scenario will be tough.”
“Right. No matter how carefully the staff set it up, some wobble is bound to occur during the stacking, making it impossible to predict what’s inside the jar. It’ll be a match based purely on luck.”
“Master of the Video Tower certainly has a chance.”
As the crowd speculated, they fell silent when Ho Cheon-an clenched the dice. In the abruptly quiet gambling hall, Ho Cheon-an’s murmuring echoed.
“Typically, the counter-dice game hinges on odds, doesn’t it? But there’s no pot to wager in this game, which seems rather unfair. The second player can’t even throw the dice or choose odds, so they’ll just have to watch and accept the outcome.”
“True enough.”
“That’s a bit boring, isn’t it? So, let’s amend the rules a bit. Each round, you select your desired number, and whoever guesses correctly wins. The number selection order will change every round. What do you say?”
“I agree.”
“Great… I’ll bet on 4. How about you, Master?”
“Then I’ll bet on 2.”
Ho Cheon-an threw the dice.
Bang! Hitting the ground! Clatter! Bang!
The sound of the dice rolling in the jar reverberated through the once-quiet Video Tower. The long melody of noise faded as the onlookers swallowed nervously, removing jars one by one.
Finally, as the last jar was removed, the dice revealed its number.
“Oh….!”
“It’s a 6!”
The jars were stacked again, and now it was Sa Chae-yong’s turn to roll the dice.
Thud! Clang! Bang!
Sa Chae-yong rolled a 1.
“Whoa! Tension’s rising!”
“This unpredictable game is the essence of gambling!”
Ho Cheon-an lightly rolled the dice in his hand, looking at Sa Chae-yong, who was expected to announce the outcome of the roll.
However, instead of saying the number, Sa Chae-yong posed a question.
“May I ask one thing?”
“If it’s something I can answer, I will.”
“If procuring the Video Tower was an issue significant enough to overturn the rules of the Outcast Inn, and if the outcasts and intermediaries were not greedy for that money, then from your perspective, not seeking the Video Tower would have been the most ideal choice, wouldn’t it?”
Ho Cheon-an had come to return the request fee.
Sa Chae-yong inferred his actions that way.
In reality, the whole current game could be likened to a blindfolded act. Though they hinted at a client who violated regulations, everyone could guess that the client was Sa Chae-yong.
Since Sa Chae-yong was convinced Ho Cheon-an had come to give back the money, he found Ho Cheon-an’s actions questionable.
Why go through such a convoluted process to return the money?
“If you acted this way, it could surely tarnish your reputation…”
Dishonoring reputations was unavoidable for Ho Cheon-an with his current actions. Even if the money’s handling was ambiguous, putting it at stake made it irresponsible. At the same time, as the Sacheon Outcast, revealing certain information about the client, which was meant to be anonymous, could invite criticism.
If he only intended to collect the fixed fee, he could have quietly approached Sa Chae-yong and handed over the money, but why engage in such a tangled, backfiring scenario?
“Yet, why did you take on this troublesome request?”
Sa Chae-yong found that question unbearably intriguing.
Sa Chae-yong and the crowd waited for Ho Cheon-an’s answer. In this bizarre game of tossing the responsibility of money back and forth, it was odd to ask why taking a request to retrieve his Gilu.
“It was because before maintaining the principles of the Sacheon Outcasts and the Outcast Inn, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to establish a precedent as a person of Sacheon.”
“…A precedent?”
Sa Chae-yong recoiled from an answer he hadn’t expected.
“It’s impossible to drive out all the Outcast Factions from Sacheon City.”
“Hmm…”
“Hmm…”
From Ho Cheon-an’s lips emerged an uncomfortable truth everyone had ignored.
“There’s no way to completely stop the Outcast Factions from intertwining with the lights that illuminate Sacheon City at night. Thus, those lights must inevitably accept the Outcast Factions.”
Sa Chae-yong nodded in agreement with Ho Cheon-an’s words.
“But do those lights simply endure exploitation by the Outcast Factions while groaning in pain?”
Ho Cheon-an posed that question.
“Are we to endure intolerable evils merely for being part of Sacheon City’s darkness and let our lives fade away in misery? The request to find the Video Tower was our answer to such questions.”
Even if one were buried in the darkness of Sacheon, the Sacheon Outcasts would not ignore screams against the Outcast Factions’ excessive oppression.
With that claim, Ho Cheon-an drew a line.
The Outcast Factions taking a stance in the black market of Sacheon would remember the deeds of the Video Tower. More specifically, they would remember the fate of Jijik, who had lost his dantian after appearing in response to a request from the Brain Knife Outcast.
The Sacheon Outcasts would take on requests even from those in the black market.
Knowing that fact, the remaining Outcast Factions would no longer exploit people in an arrogant manner.
Anyone who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves and decided to put in a request at the Outcast Inn would realize the Sacheon Outcasts would come out in force.
Unlike the Righteous Faction, which had to tread carefully for justification, the Outcast Factions could draw their swords at any time if they were simply taking requests.
Thus, Outcast Faction martial artists would need to live by maintaining boundaries to survive.
In the dark market of Sacheon, Ho Cheon-an had drawn a border where people could live safely.
“Ah…”
Realizing that, Sa Chae-yong exhaled a sigh.
At this rate… he was in a situation where he had to accept the money Ho Cheon-an had come to return without protest.
If he refused this money, it would become the basis for the strange rumor that to receive help from the Sacheon Outcasts, one would have to pay their entire fortune.
He owed a debt of gratitude to Ho Cheon-an that couldn’t be repaid even after bowing his head repeatedly. How could he possibly make a choice that would interfere with this plan?
That was why Sa Chae-yong took a route to accept defeat.
“…I’ll bet on 6.”
A strange thought surfaced in Sa Chae-yong’s mind. He felt that Ho Cheon-an’s face hidden behind the Black Rib was smiling.
“Good. I’ll bet on 1.”
Ho Cheon-an threw the dice without hesitation.
Bang!
As the die soared in a parabolic arc into the jar, Sa Chae-yong thought,
“I may have a record of pulling the desired number in a counter-dice match against Dogwi, but this situation is entirely different.”
Unlike the previous times when he had repeatedly conducted many rounds using jars before pulling his number, this time, Ho Cheon-an tossed the dice into the counter-dice jar just once.
And the number of jars stacked was five times.
With each round, they would build up anew, creating a structure that guaranteed slight discrepancies with each game.
The chances of Ho Cheon-an pulling the desired number were infinitely low.
Yet, strangely, Sa Chae-yong felt certain that Ho Cheon-an would roll a 1.
So he chose 6, positioned on the opposite side of 1.
The sound of the die hitting the ground echoed.
Spectators rushed to clear the jars.
“Oh…!”
“Ooh…!”
The outcome was a 1.
“Phew, now I can finally deal with this headache.”
Ho Cheon-an presented the envelope to Sa Chae-yong. Sa Chae-yong accepted it politely while gazing at Ho Cheon-an.
“Well, with our business concluded, I must be on my way.”
Without any lingering attachment, Ho Cheon-an turned and stated,
“Have fun, Master.”
Everyone watched in silence as Ho Cheon-an disappeared. The probability of the number rolling out so that he named it among six options was 1/6. Even if Ho Cheon-an hadn’t rolled the number he intended, the chance of landing on 1 was still substantial.
However, the spectators who witnessed the game had a strange certainty.
That Ho Cheon-an had deliberately rolled the number 1.
“Divine throw…”
“It’s a divine throw.”
Someone in the audience mumbled, and Sa Chae-yong… looked back at the disappearing figure of Ho Cheon-an, offering him a gesture of respect.
“Thank you.”
It was a gesture for a man who had shown an admirable course of action.
Sa Chae-yong, without a word, bowed his head and joined his hands, as he watched Ho Cheon-an’s silhouette fade away completely.
That day, a new boundary named order was drawn in the dark market of Sacheon.
It was an event that had transpired in the Video Tower.
