Degurururu.
Eyes, devoid of tension, chased after Ho Cheon-an’s dice. Is there anything less fun than a match with a predetermined outcome?
Everyone just stared blankly at the dice that Ho Cheon-an rolled, which landed on 16.
“Next.”
When the second newcomer rolled the dice, jeers poured out.
“Is that the best you can do, a mere 2!”
“What a loser who can’t even roll a single die properly!”
Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates paid more attention to the newcomer’s number than Ho Cheon-an’s. After all, it was a given Ho Cheon-an would lose; their interest lay in which newcomer could defeat him.
“Newbies! If you don’t end it here and let it come to our turn, I’ll show you hell!”
“Put your soul into that roll!”
“Hahahaha!”
Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates chuckled, putting pressure on the newcomers. Dokgo I-seol just let her subordinates have their fun.
After all, there were nineteen newcomers.
Calculating the odds wasn’t necessary; winning nineteen times in a row in a simple game of luck was practically impossible.
Ho Cheon-an rolled the dice again.
Degurururu.
“3?”
“Whew, that was a close one.”
Dokgo I-seol watched as Ho Cheon-an won again by just one number. Though the situation was tense, Ho Cheon-an remained unwavering.
“Hmm, I’ll give you credit for your composure.”
“But let’s see how long you can hold on.”
Dokgo I-seol’s lips, concealed by a fan, curved into a smirk. In her heart, she had already accepted Ho Cheon-an as her subordinate, and every time he displayed his spirit, she couldn’t help but smile.
Degurururu.
“Eleven!”
“Hah, another win by just one number?”
And then that smile faded.
Watching Ho Cheon-an win for the sixth time in a row by just one number, it disappeared altogether.
“That guy…”
“Could it be…”
Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates also sensed something was amiss and fell silent. The rowdy subordinates of Dokgo I-seol now gazed intently at Ho Cheon-an and the newcomer with cautious eyes.
In the heavy atmosphere, the seventh newcomer rolled the dice.
Degurururu.
“Nineteen!”
A high number rolled out, but instead of cheers, tension filled the tavern. All eyes turned to Ho Cheon-an’s fingertips, and despite the atmosphere completely shifting, he stared at the dice with an expression of nonchalance…
Degurururu.
He rolled again.
Everyone in the tavern fixed their gaze on the rolling dice.
Six newcomers rolled the dice, each showing different numbers. However, Ho Cheon-an seized victory each time by just one number.
Was it really just a coincidence, or skill?
‘It’s impossible to perfectly control the outcome of those dice.’
Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates thought as they watched the rolling dice.
The difference between a standard six-sided die and a twenty-sided die isn’t just a matter of more faces. Unlike the cube-shaped six-sided die, the twenty-sided die was nearly spherical.
Most importantly, the twenty-sided die had its numbers completely mixed up. For example, a six-sided die, even if it couldn’t land on exactly six, could still give a higher number chance. After all, since there were only six possible outcomes, one could plan around them a bit.
But the twenty-sided die was not like that at all.
Even the slightest tilt could yield a completely different number.
That was the twenty-sided die.
And yet.
Ho Cheon-an had won in six rounds, each by a difference of 1.
Was that intentional?
It would be revealed in this round.
To beat nineteen, he had to roll the highest number, 20. If, just if, the twenty came up this round…
As Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates thought that, the die finally settled.
The number on the twenty-sided die was… 20.
“…No way.”
One of the newcomers muttered in disbelief.
Hearing the vacant mutter, one of Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates thought.
If all the outcomes so far had been Ho Cheon-an’s skill…
What happens to this match?
While everyone stared blankly at Ho Cheon-an, he finally spoke.
“Next.”
A thick silence enveloped the tavern.
The next newcomer threw the dice. It showed 11, while Ho Cheon-an’s die inevitably landed on 12.
“Next.”
Only Ho Cheon-an’s indifferent voice echoed in the now eerily quiet tavern.
14 rolled, then 15.
8 appeared, followed by 9.
Ho Cheon-an kept winning.
The streak of victories was only interrupted when the last newcomer rolled a 20.
“In the case of a tie, what do you plan to do?”
Ho Cheon-an looked up at Dokgo I-seol on the second floor. After a brief silence, she answered.
“Roll the dice again.”
The newcomer, with a pale face, rolled again… and got an 8.
“Ah…!”
Someone sighed. The result they had hoped for was exactly what they feared.
Ho Cheon-an had yet to roll, but everyone in the tavern had already predicted the outcome of what he would roll.
Degururu.
The die settled showing a 9, and someone swallowed nervously.
Ho Cheon-an had rolled the dice twenty times, and aside from the one time it landed on a twenty, without a single exception, he had won with a number one higher than his opponent.
Everyone in the tavern was stunned by the results.
Even a professional gambler wouldn’t be able to manipulate a twenty-sided die at will!
However, Ho Cheon-an had rolled it twenty times, pulling out the desired numbers each time without a single slip.
No one could deny the results, and everyone became speechless, staring at Ho Cheon-an’s overwhelming skills.
Is this… really possible?
No matter how real it was, the result felt disturbingly unreal.
“Next.”
And amidst this shock, Ho Cheon-an calmly urged the next opponent.
Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates hesitated. As members of the Outcast Faction, they prided themselves on their drinking and gambling, but it was just for leisure after all.
Considering Ho Cheon-an’s overwhelming skills, losing was a foregone conclusion.
“Next.”
Yet, while Ho Cheon-an’s urgency hung in the air, someone was about to step forward.
“This game is starting to lose its charm.”
Dokgo I-seol cut in.
“I suggest a different challenge—guess the number of dice in the shaken cup.”
Suddenly, Dokgo I-seol declared a change in the game.
“There can’t be just one way to resolve this with dice.”
Her statement brightened the eyes of her subordinates. Guessing the number in the cup shaken by the opponent was a strategy to counter Ho Cheon-an’s displayed abilities.
Before Ho Cheon-an could respond, the wooden cup was placed on the table, and one of I-seol’s subordinates began shaking it.
Clank! Clank!
The sound of dice rolling inside the cup echoed loudly. The subordinate who held the cup grinned as he looked at Ho Cheon-an, who was observing him silently. No matter how impressive he was with his hands, there was no way he could guess the number in a cup shaken by someone else.
“Who does he think he is? Not even a god of gambling! This is absolutely impossible!”
The subordinate of I-seol shook the cup joyously, acting like a fool. While he might’ve known he couldn’t win, Ho Cheon-an’s composed demeanor was driving him mad.
“Hahaha! This is getting exciting!”
“Shake your hips like a courtesan!”
As the subordinate holding the cup provoked Ho Cheon-an, others jumped in, enthusiastically contributing to the ridicule. They were eager to drown their memories of being overwhelmed by Ho Cheon-an’s display of skills in mockery instead.
The cup came to a stop.
“Alright, let’s see if you can guess!”
The subordinate, nearly dancing with excitement, shouted.
“Seven.”
Ho Cheon-an looked at him with an uncaring gaze.
The smiles vanished from the faces of those who had been grinning moments earlier.
With a single statement, Ho Cheon-an had struck them like a silent blade. His calm voice, delivering a truth without any doubt, made the cheerfulness dissipate instantly.
Gulp.
In the now eerily quiet tavern, the subordinate with the cup thought:
There’s no way I could guess it. Despite believing it was impossible… he felt his hand trembling as he raised the cup.
The number revealed itself.
Everyone, wide-eyed, gazed at the dice.
“…Seven!”
“No, this can’t be…!”
“This is absurd!”
A coincidence! It must be a coincidence!
How could he possibly guess the numbers of the dice mixed up by someone else’s hand? This was impossible!
The subordinates of I-seol wanted to scream.
But.
The feats displayed against the Newbies silenced them. As unbelievable as it was… if Ho Cheon-an could manipulate the dice to his liking, perhaps… he could see the numbers inside the cup too.
Such doubts sealed their lips.
“My turn.”
But even with all this inner turmoil, Ho Cheon-an, clearly oblivious to their chaos, moved forward without hesitation.
Clank! Clank!
Ho Cheon-an’s turn was over in an instant.
It was a simple move, just placing the dice in and shaking it once or twice. But that simple action was enough.
After all, the subordinates of I-seol could not discern the numbers inside the cup.
“…Twenty!”
The once lively subordinate, who had just shown off with dance moves, clenched his teeth and blurted out a random number. Upon hearing the number, Ho Cheon-an lifted the cup without hesitation.
The look in the subordinates’ eyes was stark as the validation settled in.
Eight.
Just like earlier with the Newbies, where he rolled the dice.
He also pulled a number one higher than the opponent, without even having to physically touch them; he merely used the cup with a couple of shakes… and revealed the desired number.
“Next.”
…Next?
The subordinates of I-seol stared blankly, realizing they had to face someone who could discern the numbers of the dice mixed by someone else and could pull out whatever number they desired from the shaken dice.
What on earth can compare to that?
Facing him by just shaking a cup and calling out a number seemed utterly pointless.
The resolve in Dokgo I-seol’s subordinates crumbled against Ho Cheon-an’s overwhelming aura.
And Ho Cheon-an calmly pushed them.
“Next.”
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