Dogwi sat at the opposing dice table with a pale, horrified expression.
Word of the previous day’s gambling had spread throughout Sacheon, and today the Video Tower was truly bustling with crowds like a storm of clouds. Sacheonyong chewed on their nails nervously, while Jang Yi’s face looked as if he could kill someone at any moment.
“I’ll take care of that guy on the way here.”
Sacheonyong whispered into Dogwi’s ear. The murderous intent dripping from their voice sent a chill down Dogwi’s spine.
“Despite yesterday’s crushing defeat, I spared your life today because that worthless apostate decided to extend the game, and many crowds heard that fact. If that scumbag fails to arrive here at the Video Tower due to an ‘unfortunate accident,’ your victory will be assured. This Sacheonyong’s bent pride will never be resolved.”
At the declaration that his ears and wrists would be severed by the end of tonight, Dogwi trembled uncontrollably.
Please let Ho Cheon-an be a hidden expert and make it through the assassins that Sacheonyong has prepared.
If Ho Cheon-an doesn’t come, Dogwi’s life was over.
Of course, even if he came, if he couldn’t defeat Ho Cheon-an, his life would still be forfeit.
The entrance of the Video Tower started to stir. It didn’t take long for that stir to become cheers. Dogwi’s complexion brightened while Sacheonyong’s face twisted.
Dogwi felt hope as he looked at Ho Cheon-an’s expression.
It was truly a look that resembled wilted kimchi drained of all vitality. Had he forced his way through the assassins? Sweat was trickling down his neck, and he appeared utterly drained.
Of course, Ho Cheon-an was simply exhausted from escaping the gaze of the Sacheon Outcasts and running away, while the assassins were dealt with by Yeo Il-ye’s provided Gratitude Plaque from the Ten Prodigies. No matter how great the reputation of the Video Tower, it couldn’t afford to incur the resentment of the Ten Prodigies.
Naturally, Ho Cheon-an’s expression wasn’t good.
Skills can gain characteristics when all skills in a category are mastered. While facing off against Yeo Il-ye, he had stressed himself to complete the training of intuition to acquire the gambling category characteristic, but now the situation had developed to this conclusion.
The gambling was thoroughly one-sided.
Ho Cheon-an had spent years rolling the dice at gambling establishments. No, he had understood the nature of gambling establishments through games without having to roll the dice. It was a game where assassins were even dispatched to kill him.
If Dogwi didn’t win all the money today, he would die. Even if he didn’t die, he would suffer a fate just as pitiful.
Ho Cheon-an was quite certain of this.
Having assessed Dogwi’s abilities yesterday, the formula was clear. If Dogwi throws first, he will definitely avoid the dice. If Ho Cheon-an throws first, he would only bet when he could read the numbers. Even without intuition ringing, it didn’t matter.
Even assuming he ran with full bets to win over 120 nyang in one night, time was still against him.
[Intuition Mastery 100%]
[[Gambling Skill: Intuition] has been perfected!]
[All [Gambling Skills] have been perfected!]
[Your hand technique has reached a level that may deceive even the scales of heaven!]
[The trait [Luck] is created.]
“Huh.”
He wasn’t particularly pleased that Yeo Il-ye’s case had ended… but still, Ho Cheon-an clenched his fist in exhilarating thrill.
After wandering the world for a year, he had become an Iryu martial artist to maintain his fame as a Sacheon Outcast.
Since becoming a Sacheon Outcast, Ho Cheon-an had tirelessly sought ways to transcend the limits of his abilities. Now that the game had become reality, there must be a gap somewhere, and he believed that discovering it would allow him to surpass his limits.
It took him two years to admit that no such trick existed.
Then, after five—no, seven years of unchanged status, finally, a new resident named [Luck] (new!) appeared on the status board. Ho Cheon-an could hardly contain the exhilarating sense of achievement from five years’ worth of effort.
‘Son of a gun! It’s finally over!!!’
Even if the feeling was closer to liberation than sheer accomplishment.
Ho Cheon-an looked at his betting money. 128 nyang. In front of the already darkened-faced Dogwi, there were only 28 nyang.
“Let’s wrap it up in this round.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’m betting all my money. You bet all yours, and the winner takes everything.”
Ho Cheon-an said, fiddling with the dice.
“How long are we going to nibble on these tiny amounts of gold? Let’s be men and make a real wager.”
The surrounding crowd began to stir. Ho Cheon-an’s proposal was truly insane. He was betting 128 nyang to gain 28 nyang. However, some felt it was rational because if Dogwi got up and left now, the chance to win the 28 nyang would vanish.
Dogwi’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
No one knew better than Dogwi the disparity in abilities between them. If this continued, it would be a breeze for him to clean out the remaining gold before the night was over.
However.
Such an opportunity for reversal might not come again.
“I’ll do it.”
“Alright. Then betting before throwing should be fun, right? I’ll bet on a pair.”
The crowd surrounding them was abuzz. For Dogwi, it was a matter of his ears and wrists hanging in the balance, but for them, it was merely an intriguing spectacle heading for its peak.
Ho Cheon-an grinned as he threw the dice.
Ooo-!!
Smack!!
To Dogwi, the cheers of the crowd sounded like echoes underwater. His senses were solely focused on the trajectory of the dice. The dice bounced once at the mouth of the jar and then was swallowed inside.
The helper in charge of the proceedings, the Tribesman, slowly lifted the jar. Though he had a long history in the Video Tower, even his hands trembled with tension.
It was a game worth 156 nyang. Even a game involving a single nyang was considered a big deal; how could one not be amazed at a game worth 156 nyang!
Wowwwww!!!
The crowd cheered. Unable to dare look at the dice, Dogwi closed his eyes and then slowly opened them.
The dice showed 1.
…Why?
The people who were excited about the huge turnaround rushed to Dogwi, patting his back and showering him with congratulations, but even as Dogwi’s body swayed with their praise, he couldn’t take his eyes off Ho Cheon-an.
Ho Cheon-an had just used a hand technique.
It was a level of skill that was nearly incomprehensible, but Ho Cheon-an had definitely used it.
For over 100 games combined yesterday and today, he had never once used a hand technique.
The dice, having hit the rim of the jar, slipped inside without any bounce inside. It merely slid along the curved surface of the jar due to the exquisite hand technique.
Ho Cheon-an successfully created the impossible outcome of controlling the dice in opposition to Dogwi as no one would ever believe possible.
After a long while, Dogwi was convinced that the upright finger had been an indication that 1 would be the result even before it was thrown.
But why?
Why did that guy, even at the end, choose to use his skill and grant Dogwi victory?
The relief of surviving. The awe of witnessing a hand skill that he could never imagine. The fear stemming from Ho Cheon-an’s inexplicable actions.
Dogwi was engulfed in confusion, unable to do anything but stare at Ho Cheon-an.
The excited crowd surrounded Dogwi, continually shouting his name, calling him the greatest gambler in the world. It was something he had longed to hear for a lifetime, but at this moment, Ho Cheon-an was far more important to Dogwi than that title. A common person, Dogwi couldn’t push through the throngs of the excited crowd, and amidst the chaos, Martial Artists who feared losing gold rushed out to separate the enthralled crowd from the gambling table.
When the commotion finally settled down, Ho Cheon-an was nowhere to be found.
When he asked Jang Yi, holding on to him, he only received a response that he had quietly slipped out of the Video Tower with an inscrutable expression.
“You were lucky, Dogwi.”
Sacheonyong gripped Dogwi’s shoulder with an expression as if he had chewed on a bug.
“A promise is a promise. Just as we agreed, I will give you 100 nyang.”
Dogwi, who had been about to rush out to find Ho Cheon-an, froze at the mention of the golden 100 nyang. A hollow laugh escaped him. He—claiming to be the greatest gambler in the world—had halted at the mention of 100 nyang, while Ho Cheon-an had left behind 156 nyang to walk away.
Dogwi realized the disparity between himself and Ho Cheon-an.
‘If I keep living this gambling life… one day, I might just meet you. When that day comes, I’ll defeat you and ask why you acted this way.’
Dogwi made that promise.
He vowed not to stop even for a moment until he could catch Ho Cheon-an, who had shown him skills truly worthy of being called the greatest gambler in the world. And when he did surpass him, he would confront him and hold him accountable for today’s actions.
Of course,
Ho Cheon-an was simply managing his fame.
