Ho Cheon-an’s expression hardened.
‘What can you give?’
Ho Cheon-an, with a pained look, alternated his gaze between the Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon and the Brain Crystal in Wi Ji-cheon’s hand.
It’s about the exchange conditions for the Brain Crystal.
‘If only I could give a realization.’
The Brain Crystal was a collection of the truths of martial arts, so it made sense that if he could provide a realization, the deal would be straightforward. Unfortunately, Ho Cheon-an had no knowledge of the realizations of Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon.
Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon.
In the game, Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon was an entity that could not be seen with divine insight.
*Sniff.*
When playing the game, he thought that the figures unable to be seen with divine insight were merely blocked as a courtesy to legendary figures of martial arts, but after hearing the whole truth from the Rebirth Truck, Ho Cheon-an wondered if he could never have seen the Heavenly Demon’s realization.
“Now, what will you do?”
Ho Cheon-an’s stray thoughts were pulled back to reality by Wi Ji-cheon’s urging.
A look of torment crossed Ho Cheon-an’s face.
Martial arts? Spiritual medicine?
There was no way the Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon, the owner of the Heavenly Demon Sect, would lack martial arts and spiritual medicine.
Or perhaps the locations of entities or demonic beings?
While surely valuable information, it wasn’t exactly something the Heavenly Demon would be particularly interested in.
A cold sweat began to bead on Ho Cheon-an’s brow.
He reviewed all the information accumulated over his ten years of experience as a veteran, but there was nothing that could match the value of the Brain Crystal.
“You’re going too far with the jokes, Father.”
Seeing the beads of cold sweat on Ho Cheon-an’s face, Wi Seoryeon stepped forward.
“Do you really expect an outcast like Ho Cheon-an to possess a treasure that holds the same value as that Brain Crystal?”
Wi Ji-cheon simply countered Wi Seoryeon’s argument.
“If so, it must be mine.”
“…Did you not say the Brain Crystal was left behind by Ho Cheon-an’s master?”
“That is so. However, it is I who has worked tirelessly to maintain the Brain Crystal in its complete form. If I had merely extinguished this energy to heal wounds, I would have no reason to live inconvenienced with gloves on.”
Wi Ji-cheon continued, rolling the Brain Crystal between his fingers.
“The fact that this Brain Crystal is being kept from exploding is my strength. The moment I relinquish control of it, the Brain Crystal will expand wildly, explode, and vanish without a trace.”
Listening to the conversation between the two Heavenly Demons, Ho Cheon-an’s mind raced.
While it couldn’t be called the correct answer, there was a way to obtain the Brain Crystal.
‘If I ask what the Heavenly Demon desires, I might receive something in return.’
Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon.
He was a person who kept his promises.
If he were to grant the Heavenly Demon’s wishes, it was clear that he could obtain the Brain Crystal.
However, this strategy came with a very serious problem.
That was Wi Ji-cheon being the Heavenly Demon.
‘I must not ever relinquish control to the Heavenly Demon!’
Ho Cheon-an gazed at the Brain Crystal rolling on the hand of the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon would not bend.
The moment he proposed a counter-proposal regarding the value of the Brain Crystal to the Heavenly Demon, the worth of the Brain Crystal would be assigned in the Heavenly Demon’s mind.
And once that value is assigned, it would never change.
If he declared a surrender and relinquished control, he would end up in a position of simply being dragged along indefinitely.
‘I have to propose something that the Heavenly Demon would find appealing, somehow.’
Yet, no matter how he thought, he couldn’t come up with an item or information worth trading for the Brain Crystal.
Why would a martial artist need martial arts or spiritual medicine? Or other fortuitous events?
It was to grow stronger.
The Heavenly Demon had already reached the rank of the strongest in this Martial World.
With his personal strength and the vast influence of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the information he could give would hold little value.
Ho Cheon-an gazed helplessly at the two Heavenly Demons who were engaging in their apparent banter.
“If it’s already a strain to maintain it, maybe letting go wouldn’t be a bad choice.”
“I don’t mind. I can just store it in my body.”
Wi Ji-cheon absorbed the Brain Crystal he was rolling around back into his body. As Ho Cheon-an watched the Brain Crystal vanish cleanly, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Wi Ji-cheon raised his palm to the fussing Wi Seoryeon, who seemed to be wasting time. Wi Seoryeon bit her lip at that gesture.
The Heavenly Demon sending such a signal meant that he wouldn’t allow any more time to be wasted.
“Alright, I believe I have given you sufficient time. What are you thinking of giving me in exchange for the Brain Crystal?”
A final ultimatum.
At Wi Ji-cheon’s final ultimatum, Ho Cheon-an looked up at him.
Would this actually work?
Doubts swirled in Ho Cheon-an’s mind, but he steeled himself and opened his mouth.
“I will sell you my skills.”
“Ho-oh.”
Wi Ji-cheon grinned, seemingly intrigued by Ho Cheon-an’s words.
“What skills are you selling?”
“I possess a skill that I am confident is the best in the world.”
At that, Black Cat widened her eyes.
‘Senior… No way?’
Ho Cheon-an, while speaking, gradually gained confidence in his decision.
Seeing the Brain Crystal disappear from Wi Ji-cheon’s hands reminded him of the dexterous skills required in gambling, and the longer he thought about it, the more ingenious it seemed.
“Specifically, gambling.”
For a moment, silence reigned in the great hall.
“Do you believe that has any worth?”
“Given that you have put in a great deal of effort to extract the Brain Crystal, it stands to reason that it contains the hard work of the best martial artist, doesn’t it?”
Ho Cheon-an calculated how long Wi Ji-cheon had held the Brain Crystal.
Six months.
After coming out of the formation, he spent about two months in Sacheon City and roughly a month traveling from Sacheon City to Yeong Hwi Mountain, and from Yeong Hwi Mountain to the Heavenly Demon Sect. Then he spent three months at the Demon Sect, so Wi Ji-cheon had possessed the Brain Crystal for about six months.
Ho Cheon-an looked directly at Wi Ji-cheon and said,
“The hard work of the best martial artist over six months, I will buy it with the dexterity of the best gambler over six months.”
Ho Cheon-an thought as he gazed unwaveringly at Wi Ji-cheon.
The Heavenly Demon claimed he had extracted the Brain Crystal after six months of effort.
But was that really the only reason he had worked hard for six months?
Ho Cheon-an shook his head internally.
‘He got so caught up in the fact that he extracted the Brain Crystal that he forgot the essence of why he engaged in such behavior.’
The Heavenly Demon had unraveled the questions left by the unknown master, filled with the truths of martial arts.
Ho Cheon-an decided that.
‘That’s why he’s being so favorable towards me.’
Is there a moment one becomes generous when a martial artist achieves something?
This moment could very well be the essence of the favor shown by Wi Ji-cheon.
Ho Cheon-an considered it from Wi Ji-cheon’s perspective.
Achieving something was undoubtedly something to be delighted about. But could it be solely that?
Ho Cheon-an thought not.
The Heavenly Demon, already someone who could be second to none in the world, had been leading a leisurely life. Now, an opponent named the Unknown had appeared and offered a problem that he solved through painstaking effort.
Naturally, he would feel a sense of accomplishment.
But at the same time, he would also feel emptiness or loss.
Ho Cheon-an had to find a way in that part.
‘The Heavenly Demon would surely have had his desires concerning martial arts cooled down, at least for this moment.’
Even if he is a Heavenly Demon with the power of breaking heaven, he is still a person living in acceptance of reality.
After a long wait and a boring period, meeting the rival Unknown, having finally solved the problem left behind by them—at this moment, wouldn’t the Heavenly Demon be harboring such thoughts?
After meeting an opponent after a long wait, he has grown even stronger, so it would take quite some time before he encounters another worthy opponent.
After the enjoyable time has passed, the inevitable emptiness one must accept.
If something appeared that could fill even a little of that void?
It might pique Wi Ji-cheon’s interest.
No.
‘The chances of him being very interested are high!’
Half-convinced, he felt a surge of confidence.
‘Even veterans tend to turn their attention to techniques when they’ve consumed enough martial arts content!’
I did too!
As Ho Cheon-an’s confident gaze met Wi Ji-cheon’s, Wi Ji-cheon spoke a final word.
“Bring the dice.”
“Honor!”
The Hidden Bodyguards, who hadn’t shown up even when the Brain Crystal exploded and chaos ensued in the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, appeared, bowed, and disappeared.
“I have never really enjoyed gambling. I can’t exactly say throwing dice as a child counted, and all I’ve done is watch others play.”
Wi Ji-cheon rested his chin on his palm, inquiring,
“How would you sell your gambling skills to someone like me?”
“Anything.”
Ho Cheon-an saw it as a critical moment and focused his eyes.
“Even if you suggest conditions that heavily disadvantage yourself, I will overcome those conditions to bring you defeat.”
*Guffaw… Guffaw…*
Wi Ji-cheon burst into laughter.
Since becoming the Heavenly Demon, had anyone ever spoken so boldly about their defeat to him?
No one.
The Heavenly Demon had not lived only among martial artists. But what about those who were geniuses in their respective fields? While there may have been skilled individuals who prided themselves in their own techniques, all they did was lie flat before the Heavenly Demon.
Reminded of that fact, Wi Ji-cheon found it merry.
The audacious self-assurance of Ho Cheon-an, claiming he would overcome any adversity through his skills—something he had never seen in his long life.
“Hahahaha…! This is amusing. Truly amusing!”
As the Heavenly Demon burst into laughter, the Hidden Bodyguards returned with the dice and presented them to Wi Ji-cheon.
Ordinary wooden six-sided dice.
The moment they were produced, the dice floated in the air.
Suddenly, the dice began to transform.
*Swishhh!*
The dice morphed into a perfect sphere. A fiery aura suddenly ignited on the surface of that sphere.
*Seer-zing!*
The surface sizzled as a large dot began to emerge, and the numbers from 1 to 6 appeared on the surface of the sphere.
The spherical dice floated right in front of Ho Cheon-an.
“Then prove that you are the world’s best gambler.”
As Wi Ji-cheon smiled upon seeing Ho Cheon-an take hold of the spherical dice.
“If you can accurately roll the number you desire with that dice, I will purchase your skills.”
The Black Cat and Wi Seoryeon watched Ho Cheon-an fiddling with the dice. Strengthening their focus, they noticed the beautifully rounded dice rolling in Ho Cheon-an’s hand.
‘Is that even possible?’
Wi Seoryeon found herself contemplating such thoughts. Could one truly roll the number they wanted with a perfectly spherical dice?
Wi Seoryeon was not particularly well-versed in gambling.
However, she could certainly surmise one thing.
In the end, gambling skills were based on practice, were they not? In that sense, the condition Wi Ji-cheon posed was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for Ho Cheon-an.
No matter how difficult a skill, through repeated practice, it might be gradually possible to implement.
Even though it would be exceedingly difficult to roll the desired number with a perfectly spherical dice, with enough practice, it might just be feasible.
However.
‘The problem here is that a spherical dice doesn’t even exist.’
Ho Cheon-an found himself in a position where he had to roll a perfectly spherical dice for the first time in his life.
Is it even possible to flawlessly control a type of dice he had never rolled before?
Yet, Ho Cheon-an boldly moved towards the offering before him.
*Thud. Thud.*
As Wi Seoryeon and Black Cat watched Ho Cheon-an flipping the dice on the table, they found themselves swallowing hard.
Even Black Cat, who had experienced numerous gambling techniques alongside Ho Cheon-an, wasn’t sure if he could roll the desired number in this situation.
“I will roll a six.”
Ho Cheon-an declared calmly, as if he was indifferent to the mixed feelings of the two and rolled the dice.
*Rumble…!*
The small sphere rolled slowly across the large table set to present the gift to the Heavenly Demon.
The sphere rolled at a moderate pace, neither fast nor slow, gradually beginning to slow down.
Wi Seoryeon and Black Cat’s breaths held as their eyes fixated on the slowing dice, and Wi Ji-cheon maintained his chin resting position, eyes trailing the movement of the dice.
Finally, the dice came to a stop.
“Ah…!”
Wi Seoryeon couldn’t contain herself and gasped.
Six!
Six perfectly formed dots hovered on the smooth surface of the sphere, leaving no room for criticism.
“Remarkable.”
Wi Ji-cheon marveled as well.
Having personally drawn the numbers on the dice, Wi Ji-cheon recognized that six was the number one most reliably rolled.
The number six must sit opposite the number one on the dice.
In the world of dice, the number one has to be the highest point on the entire dice.
To express the point of one, Wi Ji-cheon had ignited the surface of the dice.
In essence, the number one point on the perfect sphere can be viewed as the flattest area on its surface.
Ho Cheon-an discerned this and chose six.
He had perfectly rolled out the number six by using the point of one.
Demonstrating skill in flawlessly controlling a perfect sphere.
Demonstrating judgment to exploit a slight loophole.
And courage to execute such actions and judgments with no margin for error in a high-stakes situation with the precious Brain Crystal on the line.
“Huhuh, one could indeed argue your skills are worthy of being the best in the world.”
Wi Ji-cheon acknowledged Ho Cheon-an’s skill.
“….You flatter me.”
“Daily, for six months, I shall summon you. I will propose matches, and you must keep your promise and win every time.”
Wi Ji-cheon placed the Brain Crystal he had hidden within him onto his palm.
“Then I shall hand over this Brain Crystal.”
“Very well.”
Ho Cheon-an, while gazing at the Brain Crystal, nodded solemnly.
The six-month gambling match between Ho Cheon-an and Wi Ji-cheon began.
