Wi Seoryeon saw Ho Cheon-an as an emotionally rich person.
Even in the gambling den, Ho Cheon-an belonged to the emotionally expressive type. He preferred to display his feelings rather than hide them.
However, Wi Seoryeon had never felt any liveliness from Ho Cheon-an’s emotions while he was at the gambling table.
What he displayed there was purely a meticulously calculated facade.
It was merely an act to conceal his cold self, a perfect imitation of his usual demeanor.
“ *Huh.* ”
Wi Seoryeon thought all of Ho Cheon-an’s emotions displayed at the gambling table were fabricated, but today’s sigh from Ho Cheon-an felt genuine to her.
‘The mask has cracked.’
Wi Ji-cheon’s first move was so deadly that even Ho Cheon-an’s inner confusion burst out.
Wi Seoryeon recalled Jeon-ip, who had been teaching her gambling techniques for the past two weeks.
Jeon-ip was a gambler.
And at the same time, he was a martial artist of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
While learning from Jeon-ip, Wi Seoryeon could indirectly sense how difficult it was to coexist with the words gambler and martial artist.
The gambling den and gamblers wanted to exclude martial artists from the scene.
How could gamblers like martial artists?
They were just beings who could crush the skills they painstakingly learned with an overwhelming physical prowess.
If gambling were a face-off that openly competed in technique, it’d be one thing, but the art of gambling was, above all, about not being caught.
How could martial artists even manage to gamble? And whether the outcome was derived from technique or merely manifested in physical ability was also a mystery.
Yet questioning them was out of the question due to the gap in strength.
What about the martial artists?
Most martial artists despise gambling techniques.
Using the physique and qi they honed, they could easily penetrate or deceive the opponent’s techniques.
Moreover, the higher-level martial artists, especially specialized gamblers, wouldn’t look kindly upon them, so how could martial artists view gamblers positively?
The terms gambler and martial artist had no easy compatibility.
‘That’s why you have meticulously separated yourself as a gambler and as a martial artist.’
But.
Ho Cheon-an was both Ho Cheon-an and Ho Cheon-an as a gambler.
Depending on the location and situation, one of his facets would be highlighted.
Just because he stood at the gambling table didn’t mean that the martial artist Ho Cheon-an was gone.
Wi Ji-cheon’s move.
The gambling techniques taught by Jeon-ip pulled out both of Ho Cheon-an’s aspects, which had never been compatible.
Not as either gambler Ho Cheon-an or martial artist Ho Cheon-an.
It was gambler and martial artist Ho Cheon-an who was dragged into the game.
The more he separated those two facets, the more deadly the techniques learned from Jeon-ip became.
The odder it was when both aspects emerged simultaneously, the greater the unfamiliarity led to vulnerabilities, and those gaps soon resulted in lethal blows.
Just like now.
“Then, let’s mix the cups again.”
Wi Seoryeon thought again as she watched Wi Ji-cheon’s hands move.
Wi Ji-cheon’s strategy was simple.
Short-term battle!
He attacked like a storm, leaving no room for Ho Cheon-an to regain his wits.
Suddenly, Wi Seoryeon felt that the situation Ho Cheon-an was in was ironically amusing.
In their weekly duels, Ho Cheon-an had always been the attacker.
Using explosive strength from his brain techniques, Ho Cheon-an always took the offensive in these quick battles.
Now, at the gambling table, he found himself in a position where he was caught off guard and subjected to a short-term offensive from Wi Ji-cheon.
Wi Seoryeon gazed at the table with interest.
‘I wonder how capable your defense skills are.’
Let’s see how Ho Cheon-an would manage to hold on.
With Wi Seoryeon’s smile, Wi Ji-cheon’s gambling techniques attacking the caught-off-guard Ho Cheon-an began.
*
The second round began.
And once again, the eyes fell on the board.
It was the moment when the dice in the left cup shifted to the center.
Appearing next to the left cup was Gang-hwan.
Gang-hwan!
Yes, that Gang-hwan.
A symbol of the absolute realm that could only be used by those who achieved the position of Hyeong-gyeong, a realm that not even the dreams of all martial artists could dare to covet.
How could anyone not lose their mind when such a Gang-hwan appeared?
Gang-hwan appeared right next to the left cup.
*Tap.*
If four cups were juggled, there would have been a fourth cup where Gang-hwan appeared, and in the moment the eyes were captivated, the juggling ended.
I couldn’t believe it and turned to look at Wi Ji-cheon.
Wait, did he just throw Gang-hwan as bait into the gambling den?
I looked at Wi Ji-cheon, filled with incredulity, but as always, his calm eyes revealed nothing of his intentions.
Reluctantly, I turned my gaze back to the cups.
Is it the center cup or the right cup?
Having lost track of the cup I was following, I had no choice but to guess Wi Ji-cheon’s psychology.
What would the thought process of the ambitious Wi Ji-cheon be?
At the moment my eyes strayed, the die had moved to the center cup. This meant that for the die to move to the right, Wi Ji-cheon would have had to execute a technique once.
Having the die in the right cup indicated Wi Ji-cheon would actively attempt a technique against me.
On the other hand, if the die remained in the center cup, that could be interpreted as an intention to psychological pressure me.
After much contemplation, I placed my hand on the right cup.
If I wanted to place the die in the center when my eyes were turned away, I could have simply stopped my hand, but to put it on the right, I had to use a technique at least once.
Wi Ji-cheon was currently an eager, amateur gambler and at the same time, a Heavenly Demon.
He would have had the urge to show his technique in practice, considering not shying away from challenges, so it was likely he chose the right cup, where he had to make an extra move.
Additionally, by checking the right cup, I could also gather clues for the upcoming game.
When my eyes were led astray, did Wi Ji-cheon possess the capacity to succeed in a technique against me?
If there was a die when I opened the cup, I could confirm that point.
Of course, if the die were in the center, that would be a total bust.
Well, it was just the material for analyzing the psychology.
So just scoring points would suffice.
Come on, points!
“Ho-oh.”
Wi Seoryeon lightly gasped.
The right cup contained the die.
With a grin of amusement, Wi Ji-cheon said,
“Now it’s one to one.”
“… Yes.”
I took a deep breath to compose myself, but honestly, it was quite a daunting situation.
The circumstance where a martial artist’s instincts emerged at the gambling table was something I had never experienced, especially not after being seasoned at gambling.
After all, the very act of gambling is fundamentally based on minimizing martial abilities.
As I deliberated, the third round began.
This time, even Kwon was mobilized.
Not only did it obscure my vision like smoke, but it also cleverly moved to distract me when the cups crossed.
I accepted the current situation cleanly as I watched this.
While executing the cup-mixing technique, watching the manipulation of Black Dragon Qi that supplemented the weaknesses of such techniques and enhanced their strengths made it feel like a technique in itself.
It would be apt to call it Martial Arts Gambling Technique.
Strictly speaking, what Wi Ji-cheon was currently showcasing couldn’t be defined as a gambling technique.
In the gambling den, it was a fight of who could break the rules better.
That is to say, it should be based on breaking the rules without getting caught.
In that sense, the deception currently being executed by Wi Ji-cheon couldn’t be categorized as the art of gambling because there would be clear evidence left behind.
However, rules could be changed by mutual agreement.
In the confrontation between me and the Heavenly Demon, determining the rules was up to the Heavenly Demon, so the Martial Arts Gambling Technique exhibited by him should be recognized as the method of contesting unique to the Heavenly Demon using his assets.
Recognizing the Heavenly Demon’s Martial Arts Gambling Technique cleared my mind.
“Center.”
“Wrong.”
Yet, despite my clear mind, I was credited with one loss.
I couldn’t help but instinctively fail to control my eyes chasing the qi.
In the next round, the Heavenly Demon made a mistake.
It was a type of proficiency problem.
Since both the hands and qi had to be delicately handled, a significant gap emerged in the unfamiliar hand techniques.
Thus, yet another round passed.
In a 2 to 2 situation, the Heavenly Demon once again successfully executed a technique to lead to a 2 to 3 situation. Although I couldn’t comprehend his technique, I managed to read his psychology and create a 3 to 3 situation.
And at that moment, when it was three to three.
I still couldn’t escape the gaze of instincts as a martial artist, but.
I was convinced of my victory.
*
The confrontation between Ho Cheon-an and Wi Ji-cheon.
In a three to three situation.
Wi Ji-cheon examined Ho Cheon-an’s stable aura thoughtfully.
‘Suddenly, his momentum has stabilized.’
Up until now, Ho Cheon-an had been overwhelmed by Wi Ji-cheon’s techniques in all six rounds.
Though he matched the cups through psychological tactics, it was still not a situation where victory could be assured solely through a battle of wits.
There seemed to be no reason for such a sudden stabilization in spirit.
Could it be a facade?
Or was it a truly grounded confidence?
Wi Ji-cheon instinctively felt that this round would be a pivotal point for victory or defeat.
Thus, he decided to make an early gamble.
*Swish!*
Black Dragon Qi poured from Wi Ji-cheon’s entire body.
Thick Gang-hwan covered the whole table like a shroud!
It was a complete barricade against sight.
While maintaining that state, Wi Ji-cheon continually moved his hands.
Contrastingly, he took his time mixing, unlike before when he did it hastily for one or two times while capturing attention.
*Whoosh!*
Once the Gang-hwan shrouding the table released, he had already removed his hands from the cups.
Wi Ji-cheon nodded in satisfaction inwardly.
It was, after all, a flawless move.
The moment there was a fleeting distraction achieved through Ho Cheon-an’s martial artist instincts was merely a split second. Hence, the techniques that could be showcased in that split-second were limited.
What could unfold in that gap was merely a simple technique once.
Or perhaps, if a significant gap was exposed, it could possibly display two techniques.
Thus, even if Ho Cheon-an’s attention was off the cups, he could still make predictions to score points.
Since the predictions were reasonable.
However, the current situation was entirely different.
Obscuring sight, letting time pass to expertly deploy techniques meant it was unpredictably exciting play.
This was truly a gamble.
‘With this attack, you’ll rely purely on luck.’
The probability of picking the right answer through luck was only 1 in 3.
Wi Ji-cheon looked at Ho Cheon-an, firmly believing he would win this round.
And Ho Cheon-an, without even meeting Wi Ji-cheon’s gaze, immediately moved his hand toward the center cup.
The moment Ho Cheon-an’s hand touched the center cup, even Wi Ji-cheon couldn’t help but show some agitation.
Because there was a die in the center cup.
A deep question arose within Wi Ji-cheon.
How?
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ho Cheon-an had chosen the center cup.
That movement was only visible if he was convinced there was a die in the center.
“I will go again.”
“Yes.”
Thus, Wi Ji-cheon repeated the same move once more.
He set up such a dense barrier that the whole gambling board couldn’t be seen, which was a costly move even for the Heavenly Demon, but it was a pivotal moment, and he set up the barrier again.
After erecting such a barrier, Wi Ji-cheon went on to juggle the cups again.
*Swish, swish, swish.*
Taking ample time to perform his technique, he only removed his hands from the cups once it was complete.
Again, Ho Cheon-an, without hesitation, grabbed the left cup.
“I’ve won.”
As he declared victory, Ho Cheon-an knocked over the cup.
There was a die in the left cup.
“How did you see through it?”
Wi Ji-cheon asked, genuinely curious.
Ho Cheon-an’s gaze couldn’t pierce through the dense Gang-hwan. Even so, Ho Cheon-an chose his cup with confidence.
Where did that confidence stem from?
“I couldn’t see through the barrier you erected, Heavenly Demon.”
Hearing Ho Cheon-an’s answer, Wi Ji-cheon grew more curious.
“Then how did you discern my cup? You chose it with conviction, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. But I couldn’t discern your gambling technique utilizing the Martial Arts Gambling Technique.”
Ho Cheon-an candidly admitted he hadn’t seen through Wi Ji-cheon’s techniques.
Since the Heavenly Demon had intentionally stimulated the martial instincts within Ho Cheon-an, who had only reached the peak stage, he had no means to come up with a counter in such a short time.
Yet Ho Cheon-an had managed to claim victory over Wi Ji-cheon.
Not relying on luck but winning through skill.
“However, when the sixth round ended, I was convinced of victory.”
Ho Cheon-an shared the secret of that victory.
“From the six rounds, I grasped all the gambling techniques you could display.”
“…!”
“Even if you took my eyes away through your Martial Arts Gambling Technique, it didn’t matter. Even without seeing, I had a complete mental image of how you would juggle the cups.”
Ho Cheon-an began controlling the die again to juggle the cups.
Wi Ji-cheon, watching this with widened eyes, realized something.
The juggling Ho Cheon-an was currently conducting.
That gambling technique was the exact same as the one Wi Ji-cheon had performed in the last round while employing Gang-hwan.
It was only then that Wi Ji-cheon noticed his own mistake.
“I’ve overlooked the essence.”
The essence of gambling techniques was to deceive the opponent.
However, in his obsession with blindfolding Ho Cheon-an’s eyes through martial arts, he had forgotten that crucial principle.
“Blindfolding was merely one step to deceive you, yet I fixated on that point while neglecting all else.”
Wi Ji-cheon had successfully employed Martial Arts Gambling Technique to obscure Ho Cheon-an’s vision, but he couldn’t conceal the techniques unleashed within it.
For six rounds.
Except for the brief moment he deceived Ho Cheon-an’s eyes, he’d been exposing his techniques to him.
Ho Cheon-an nodded wordlessly.
“You targeted the fact that I was both a martial artist and a gambler.”
Hearing Ho Cheon-an’s following words, Wi Ji-cheon felt as if he’d received a blow to the back of his head.
“But it seems you overlooked the fact that you too are both a martial artist and a gambler.”
Ho Cheon-an had thoroughly separated his identities as a gambler and a martial artist, which had led to his predicament.
What about the Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon, then?
Wi Ji-cheon didn’t properly distinguish between his identity as an amateur gambler and that of a martial artist, revealing weaknesses instead.
At the gambling table, he had overly emphasized his identity as a martial artist, neglecting his identity as a gambler.
The Heavenly Demon chuckled.
“I made a mistake. Thus, I lost.”
It was truly a ridiculous blunder to not reflect on himself while aiming for the opponent’s weaknesses.
“Gambling is, after all, about learning through defeat.”
“Haha, hahahaha!”
Wi Ji-cheon burst into laughter at Ho Cheon-an’s gracious answer.
Who would dare to tell the Heavenly Demon to learn and grow from defeat?
That was a lesson only an amateur gambler like Wi Ji-cheon could hear.
Wi Ji-cheon contemplated.
If he hadn’t attempted to climb the mountain of gambling, could he ever have heard such words? And would he have felt the delight he felt now?
‘Probably not.’
He also wouldn’t have experienced the joy of challenging someone like this now.
“Today, I have lost.”
After laughing heartily, Wi Ji-cheon looked at Ho Cheon-an and said,
“I’ll take this defeat as a lesson and challenge you once more.”
“Yes.”
Ho Cheon-an replied calmly, and Wi Ji-cheon wore a smile. And watching both Wi Ji-cheon and Ho Cheon-an, Wi Seoryeon also smiled subtly.
This was the result of the day an amateur gambler Wi Ji-cheon challenged the master martial artist Ho Cheon-an.
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