“Brother Ya, I hope you’ll take care of things today too.”
After a whole day of pondering, I finally found myself awake, facing Tang Do-gyeong at the gambling table.
All night, I considered several hypotheses regarding the realization that hadn’t been imparted yesterday.
The first premise I needed to confirm was that realizations do not change.
In the over ten years I played in the Martial World, there had never been a single instance where a realization didn’t work. Since memorizing the realizations of usable characters while doing realization quizzes, I had injected realizations into the characters I recruited as soon as possible. No character had ever changed their realization.
The first hypothesis was that there might be a change in the reality of this Martial World.
However, this too seemed plausible, and I pondered it for quite a while, but in the end, I could only shake my head.
I had done everything I could in order to surpass Iryu over the past two years. I took spiritual medicine and tried all kinds of tricks to induce symptoms… I exhausted every possible action I could think of to find a flaw in this reality of the Martial World, yet I had never glimpsed even a shred of hope.
If the reality of the Martial World had changed, I would have surely felt that change over those two years. The reason for my fruitless actions over those two years was rooted in my conviction that [now that it’s real, something must have changed, and I could exploit that gap].
I had confirmed this result after taking various risks for two whole years. The principles of this Martial World were solid enough that even a ten-year veteran like Ho Cheon-an failed to circumvent them completely.
Now to say that realizations could change was utterly absurd.
So why then? Why was it that Tang Do-gyeong couldn’t grasp the realization from yesterday’s phrase?
“Perhaps it’s because it was just a phrase.”
The second hypothesis was that the method of communication yesterday was flawed.
After all, imparting a realization through chat is akin to a “Hidden Piece.”
The principles of Mujang—one cannot simply read sentences and claim to understand Mujang.
If simply reading would automatically lead to mastering the principles of Mujang, then the greatest expert in the Martial World would have to be either the Jiangnan or Shaolin’s scripture hall.
Reading and understanding are entirely different.
What about mathematical theory?
Can one solve problems simply by reading a math theory? That’s nonsense. You read the words but completely fail to grasp their meaning. Only through solving problems and applying formulas might one someday [understand] that theory.
The same goes for the principles of Mujang.
The moment someone comprehends the principles of Mujang, it is because they had a foundation solidly built to understand it. Merely coincidental, all the pieces were in place, allowing for instant understanding upon hearing it.
For each character, isn’t it fair to say that [realization] corresponds to the [principles of Mujang] they acquire?
In games, chat is essentially the voice of reality.
Then does that mean Tang Do-gyeong can only grasp realizations if imparted verbally?
“Hey, brother, you look tired… how about skipping today’s gambling?”
“No, no.”
Gambling was something that could be taken or left. Until yesterday, that is.
While the hypothesis that one cannot gain realizations without verbal communication seemed strong, it was still just my assumption. In fact, the act of [imparting realization through words] is something that isn’t supported by the interface of the game in the Martial World.
No matter how free a game the Martial World is, it can’t implement every conceivable action from reality.
What need could there be for a character to construct sentences? Just giving options in the interface is enough.
Thus, I developed a third hypothesis.
If there’s nothing wrong with the realization, there must be something wrong with the individual.
Currently, Tang Do-gyeong might be in a state where he cannot accept something. Like in a hazy state, perhaps. When one is unable to concentrate on anything else, they cannot comprehend what the person next to them is saying, no matter how much they chatter. If one’s mind drifts, even the words heard are not stored in the brain as information.
Even if they appear outwardly fine, they might be enshrouded in inner psychological conflict, preventing them from absorbing information. The environment could easily lead one to such a state.
This gambling table was a great opportunity to test that.
If Tang Do-gyeong wasn’t in a normal state, I would know immediately.
“This one.”
The cup Tang Do-gyeong pointed to contained the dice.
“Ho, will you finally achieve victory?”
Tang Do-gyeong’s eyes wavered. There was a hint of anger in his gaze as he looked at me, but I maintained a brazen grin.
“Brother Ya, didn’t we agree to give our best?”
“Of course, I did my best. That’s why I guessed right, isn’t it?”
“This isn’t my skill.”
“Luck is part of gambling.”
“You know well that I’m not the one to say such things!”
“Brother Tang, how many rounds of gambling have we played? Haven’t we done at least hundreds? In a game where you only need to choose one out of four, why have you never won even once?”
It was obvious—Tang Do-gyeong had been tricked by me every time due to staying overly focused until the end. If one repeats mindless guessing, there are only four cups, and if they’re genuinely not cheating, such results would be impossible.
“That’s…”
“Surely, you’re more focused on your hand movements than on the principles of gambling. It’s normal to win one out of four in a typical game, yet you’ve suffered total defeat every time. Now you have a winning rate of 25%, so as a gambler, you’ve made progress!”
Tang Do-gyeong’s eyes trembled. It was thanks to my Blood Jade Plaque.
“This is a fair game…”
“Is that for you to decide?”
At my taunting, Tang Do-gyeong fell silent.
“Weren’t we placing bets? During our first day, I let you off quite a few times. Each time, you seemed to know and would get angry, but you never chose a cup. Therefore, I didn’t spare you that next day, nor today.”
“I’ve never spared you. Still, winning today means you’ve relied on luck rather than skill. Isn’t it a gamble when you relied on luck? You chose the cup yourself and won, so how can you claim it’s void?”
Tang Do-gyeong hadn’t concentrated on the game. He chose an empty cup because he fell for my clever deception, not because he had lost track of where the dice went.
It was proof that his mind was elsewhere.
So, I decided to administer some shock therapy. I handed over the Blood Jade Plaque to help him regain awareness and recover…
After pondering, Tang Do-gyeong silently took back the Blood Jade Plaque and placed it back on the table.
“Now that I think about it, Brother Ya has given me a break, so how about we truly compete from now on?”
I briefly contemplated what options I could choose to help Tang Do-gyeong return to normal. Gambling surprisingly comes with substantial stress. The higher the stakes, the greater the thrill, but the burden also increases.
“That sounds good. Then how about this: Blood Jade Plaque and a hundred gold nyangs. Let’s have the final match at any moment you choose, and the winner takes it all. I’m also hesitant to fully engage against a novice gambler, and Brother Tang will need time to grow.”
“Haha! You mentioned the odds were 1/4, yet you propose such a gamble?”
“A gambler never engages in losing endeavors, that’s the rule. Where do you stand?”
“Of course!”
“Then let’s start practicing.”
An hour of practice passed.
Tang Do-gyeong had won against me several times.
It seemed I might need an exceptional measure.
* *
Sacheon Outcast Ho Cheon-an being connected in some way to [Ki Jin Yi Bo Ho Cheon-an] was what led to Black Cat becoming a Sacheon Outcast.
That fact alone was incredibly intriguing. However, delving a little deeper reveals how ambiguous the word realization really is.
Can one truly impart realizations to others? It’s a tantalizing proposition when simply stated, but applying it to reality is a different story.
The expectations Martial Artists have for realizations are infinitely high. A moment of brilliance can lift their level, help them master martial arts, and acquire new principles of Mujang… but such realizations are rare in the world.
“Where are the tiered realizations defined as special or first-class?”
Even something trivial, like realizing the principle of a wrist twist while walking down the street, is still considered a realization.
Those minor realizations are humbly referred to as [acquiring principles of Mujang], yet people often respond with, “Oh, you’ve achieved realization and made progress in your martial arts. Congratulations!”
For Ho Cheon-an, who had been hit by a truck, the concepts of [realization] and [principles of Mujang] were distinct. However, for the people of this Martial World, they weren’t. The principles of Mujang simply are realizations, and realizations are the principles of Mujang.
If minor realizations could happen, then what’s the difference between that and a master? When one receives martial arts impartation from their master, it’s inevitable they’ll also grasp the principles of Mujang.
This ambiguity sparked Black Cat’s curiosity, leading them to pretend to be the best sacheon outcast and stay close to Ho Cheon-an. There was also the calculation that if Ho Cheon-an could impart realizations, he might share one with his direct junior.
“Maybe he imparted a realization to someone named Gang Jun from the Taegyeong Sect…”
I wondered if the tiny realizations given unknowingly turned out to be too minor to notice. But upon investigating the Taegyeong Sect, it turned out to be completely the opposite. Gang Jun had received ample support due to the sudden rise in recognition, yet he had achieved nothing.
“For now, I’ve just watched because it’s been fun.”
Living dynamically as a Sacheon Outcast every day was immensely enjoyable for Black Cat. Ho Cheon-an revealed more and more new aspects the more time went by.
I was aware that Ho Cheon-an frequented gambling establishments. In the end, he would lose it all and become broke. I didn’t pay much attention to that as I judged that he had made costly mistakes or had poor judgment resulting in massive losses.
“I thought he just tried to make a big grab at the video tower and failed while trying to escape fame.”
When Black Cat heard of the commotion at the video tower, he thought that way. After a ruckus broke out, he’d decided to make a big win in gambling and then run away. But he assumed he had been stuck at the Outcast Inn after failing.
A gambler who had intended to make a big win but ended up losing. That was all he thought.
However, upon witnessing Ho Cheon-an’s gambling skills, Black Cat realized that losing money at the gambling table wasn’t feasible.
Even during the sorcery performance, he had the closest view from the back but couldn’t properly gauge his moves, and at the gambling table, he had been completely duped.
What about next? When Tang Do-gyeong utilized all his internal energy until his eyes seemed to burst, Ho Cheon-an had played him like a fiddle for the entire hour.
A Peak Expert is awake, yet a gambler loses money at the gambling table? That must have been a deliberate loss.
But why?
It was understandable that he had continually let others win. There exist many who want to remain hidden as reclusive experts. But that gambling round at the video tower? Why had he let Dou Gi, who had been made a legend at the gambling table, win? Wasn’t that where he sought to gather escape funds?
After laying the groundwork for such a gamble, why had he lost on purpose? After witnessing Ho Cheon-an’s gambling skills, Black Cat was inevitably curious and looked deeper into the situation. He even uncovered the undergarment colors of the spectators present at that gambling table.
“In the end, perhaps he spared Dou Gi’s life.”
Many clues indicated what had led Ho Cheon-an to lose to Dou Gi at gambling. He had frequently visited gambling tables, met assassins at the door, encountered Dou Gi with the pallor of a deceased person, and had likely noticed the piercing gaze of the residents in the video tower.
Above all, the conclusion of that round had been so irrational yet dramatic.
His heart must have softened, leading him to save Dou Gi.
Black Cat couldn’t help but reach that conclusion.
“It was a literary day…”
Black Cat looked at the phrases that Ho Cheon-an had written down. Could that be the realization meant to be passed to Tang Do-gyeong? Upon hearing that Tang Do-gyeong had read all the phrases, he had made a face as if the world was collapsing, groaning all day…
Then all of a sudden, for some reason, Ho Cheon-an had started a sorcery performance.
“Now this is going to be fun!”
“Huh?”
“Why is there more fun?”
This was Ho Cheon-an’s heartfelt effort to relieve Tang Do-gyeong’s stress.
“Here, Jeong Sam, I’m giving you a special chance! Don’t tell the others if you see! Now watch closely! Where are the dice?”
Ho Cheon-an slipped his hand into his pocket and skillfully separated them.
“It’s this one.”
“You’re wrong. Again.”
Once more, he separated them with adept hand movements, and Jeong Sam still couldn’t guess correctly.
“Now really, really pay attention!”
As he exaggerated his hand movements, he tossed the dice behind Jeong Sam. The sorcery assistant, Black Cat, quietly grabbed the die.
“This one!”
“Haha, wrong again. Watch closely.”
When Ho Cheon-an opened both hands, obviously, the dice were nowhere to be found.
“No way?!”
Jeong Sam sprang up in shock, while the outcasts had to stifle their laughter. Ho Cheon-an sneaked a smile at Tang Do-gyeong, feeling relieved, as he stared very intently at Jeong Sam rummaging through his sleeves.
“Hey now! I’ll take everything away from you.”
“T-This can’t be!”
Ho Cheon-an, who pulled up his sleeves to expose his arms, murmured in a spooky voice.
“The die from earlier? It’s stuck in your ear because I didn’t like that you couldn’t trust the sorcery. Hey! Don’t touch it! You might get hurt!”
“How could a die end up in a person’s ear! Without them knowing, nonetheless!”
“Oh, now that’s something I’ll have to get out myself. Stay still; I might mess up if I try to get it out.”
While Jeong Sam stood frozen in surprise, Ho Cheon-an’s hand slipped behind his ear as Black Cat quietly placed the die in his palm.
“Ta-da! Look, the die came out from your ear!”
“H-How could such a thing happen! I had nowhere to hide it!”
“Puhahaha!!!”
“Wahaha!”
The outcasts burst into laughter at Jeong Sam’s astonished, bulging-eyed expression while he leaped around. Tang Do-gyeong also laughed, clapping his knees.
“After a round of laughter and joy, most worries tend to disappear.”
Ho Cheon-an, who had staged the sorcery performance to alleviate Tang Do-gyeong’s concerns, let out a sigh of relief. Humans are simple creatures; even if the fundamental cause has vanished, once the current emotions settle, their minds are sure to clear.
“Let’s wrap up the performance, have a delicious lunch, and then guide him to read those phrases again.”
Just as he thought about concluding the performance,
“Older Brother!”
A member of the Tang Clan burst into the Outcast Inn.
