“That’s right, Family Head.”
The Tang Clan Head’s gaze was anything but friendly. What’s going on? Is this some kind of intimidation tactic? That look in their eyes is filled with too much anger.
“Feng Ying Hall Master.”
The middle-aged martial artist standing next to the Tang Clan Head quickly set up the game. Familiar gaming tools like dice and cups were laid out before me.
“First, let’s play a round.”
“Are you talking about with me and the Family Head?”
Wait, suddenly a game with the Family Head?
Entering the Family Head’s Quarters with hopeful excitement of potential rewards, I was blindsided by a gambling match.
[Don’t show it; just listen.]
A whisper echoed in my ear.
“Indeed! I asked for the best gambler among my Sacheon Outcasts, so shouldn’t we test their qualifications?”
Not knowing the full situation, I had no reason to refuse the gambling table in front of the visibly furious Tang Clan Head and took a seat to hear the whisper.
[In the Tang Clan, we typically bet on ownership of hidden weapons or poisons. But lately, Do-gyeong has been unstoppable in gambling. That’s why the Family Head wanted to curtail him by having a match with him. You can see the result in the Family Head’s eyes, can’t you?]
Wait, Do-gyeong is that good at gambling?
I knew learning abilities peak during realizations, but for him to develop to the point of scamming even the Tang Clan members? I did teach him some gambling skills, but only repeated actions without any explanations of principles.
By the way, what on earth has Do-gyeong been up to? Hasn’t he realized? He just scammed the Family Head’s hidden weapons?
“Then… I won’t hold back and will show you my skills.”
I wasn’t fully sorted in my head, but it was clear this was a place to show my full power. I couldn’t hide my intentions; Do-gyeong had already figured me out, and the Family Head wouldn’t fall for that either. I must have been summoned because they were looking for someone who could gamble better than Do-gyeong.
First, I quickly dealt out a card game called [Double Pair]. It’s like a game of modern blackjack where you try to match the number 21 with two cards. Given the rankings in it, it could also be mixed gambling with Seotda and blackjack.
In this martial world without poker cards, there was nothing better than double pairs to gauge basic gambling skills.
Though there were only a few rounds, the Tang Clan Head’s gambling ability was surprisingly solid. With that level of experience, even with Do-gyeong’s skills, it seemed impossible to shake him down.
I had said several times before, but no matter how much of a gambling god, achieving a 100% win rate is impossible. A 100% win rate only happens if the opponent falters.
“Cough. We’re pressed for time for a long game of gambling.”
Impatient fellow, indeed. This wasn’t an official gambling event, so they just wanted to see my gambling techniques, and I quickly put my cards down.
What the Family Head seemed to want was definitely some kind of shell game, so I picked up the cup.
“There are 4 cups and 2 dice. Do you agree?”
“Cough, don’t you think that’s a slightly unfavorable condition for you?”
Not slightly; it’s heavily unfavorable. With 2 dice, the paths get wildly complicated. The actual difficulty is at least four times harder, I’d say.
“Haha, I still have some knowledge of gambling techniques, so this should suffice.”
The Family Head’s eyebrows twitched. Gambling is not just about dexterity. I had purposely made things easy for Do-gyeong to lose, as gambling techniques should encompass all the elements needed for gambling.
Disrupting your opponent’s focus is just basic, after all.
And so, I initiated the gambling with that simple psychological battle.
Before long, the fake money in front of the Family Head was all piled up on my side.
“Huh…”
The head of the Tang Clan, Tang Guanglie, looked at me as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
It’s understandable from his perspective.
The Tang Clan Head’s martial arts technique was the best among all the martial artists I had experienced. He seemed to follow every detail, even things I thought he wouldn’t notice.
For a seasoned gambler, it would be quite challenging to go against a Tang Clan member. Proper gambling involves using hidden skills unnoticed in the shadows, and the Tang Clan’s martial arts and abilities are specialized in spotting such things.
But through this gambling with the Tang Clan Head, I realized why Do-gyeong had managed to scam all the Tang Clan gamblers.
These fellows were no different from the initial Do-gyeong!
They’re deeply entrenched in a martial-arts supremacy mindset!
What good is training in martial arts and techniques if they can’t see the objects right in front of them? No matter how high the resolution of their eyesight, if they can’t see things from angles, it won’t help.
Just like how would any trickery or sleight of hand, performed fast enough to evade detection, work? No amount of squinting would reveal such trickery.
The Tang Clan members, confident in their martial skills, became easier targets for deception. If they had poor eyesight, they might have entertained doubts, but their strong conviction in their vision made them even more susceptible to falling for my gambling style.
With such assurance in their sight, once I tricked their eyes, it was over.
Do-gyeong’s gambling skills would just be a copy of mine; despite lacking refinement or psychological techniques, he still ended up cleaning them out due to sheer compatibility.
“Are you still lacking?”
Should I finish off with a final blow? I unveiled the cup flipping trick that had previously snatched Do-gyeong’s Blood Jade Plaque. Would using two cups in one hand change things this time?
In any case, fooling just one person is enough; no need for multiple cups.
The Tang Clan Head reached for the trembling cup. The left cup. To the Tang Clan Head’s eyes, it must have looked like it had the ball inside and was flipped over.
And so he picked the left one. But given the experience he had had so far, he must realize that his visual results had been wrong every time up to now, so he would likely be wrong again.
I gestured, coaxing the Tang Clan Head. He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened the cup.
“Huh..!”
Naturally, the cup was empty.
“I lost.”
“I presented a trifling skill.”
The Tang Clan Head seemed to come to a decision and stood up suddenly, performing the fist salute. I also quickly rose and returned the salute; in martial arts novels, acknowledging each other in such a manner often loses its meaning, yet it generally signifies the highest level of courtesy.
“Teacher, I apologize for testing you! But the matter is so significant that I had no choice but to confirm it!”
Significant matter? I glanced at the Tang Clan Head, and his old eyes were burning brightly.
It seemed there was some issue pertaining to gambling within the Tang Clan. I had thought it was just about Do-gyeong snatching a couple of hidden weapons.
Yeah, no matter how thoroughly the Family Head was scammed by Do-gyeong, summoning me feels like a strange connection. If they were robbed, then they were robbed, but what could bringing me for help solve?
Naturally, if the Family Head was successfully scammed by Do-gyeong, it would be embarrassing. However, that alone seems insufficient to qualify as a ‘significant matter.’
Even if Do-gyeong has many hidden weapons, it really isn’t a major issue. After all, Do-gyeong is still part of the Tang Clan, right? I couldn’t just snatch away hidden weapons from Do-gyeong in a bet; it’s only Tang Clan members who would do such.
“Teacher, would you assist me?”
“Ha ha, so what exactly is it that you would like me to do?”
“That’s quite simple!”
The Tang Clan Head spoke.
“Please teach me how to gamble!”
“…What?”
For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard him. But seeing Tang Guanglie’s face redden, I figured I hadn’t misheard.
“Ah, ah… This is a little embarrassing to say…”
Seeing Tang Guanglie forcing a smile snapped me back to reality. I still didn’t quite understand the situation, but what to do with this atmosphere.
The sight of an elder feeling embarrassed only stirred my ingrained instincts to flatter, or rather, triggered my true nature as a member of society. How could I possibly ignore such an elder’s embarrassment?
Wasn’t this the moment to show wit and ingenuity to revitalize the atmosphere?
“Haha, perhaps you lost the Family Head’s exclusive hidden weapons in a bet with Do-gyeong?”
“….”
“Haha ha ha ha ha!”
Family Head, this is your cue to laugh. I exaggerated my laughter to break the tension, but…
“…Ha…ha…”
Tang Guanglie didn’t laugh at all.
“No… Really?”
When I asked, Tang Guanglie subtly averted his gaze. Looking to Feng Ying Hall Master for help, they too glanced away.
“Oh…”
I couldn’t tell if it was a sigh of disbelief or an exclamation that escaped my lips; after my words, an unbearable silence filled the room.
Since Tang Guanglie couldn’t bring himself to speak, Feng Ying Hall Master stepped in.
“The Family Head simply made a mistake. It’s been so long since he last gambled, he got too carried away, and the match with Do-gyeong was intense.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. Is that so?”
I let out a nervous laugh, though I was familiar with such situations.
In my years of watching people blow their fortunes at gambling tables, how many of them had I seen? It was countless to see those who lost their rationality in an instant and paid a heavy price.
That is the dangerous charm of gambling.
Even so, my view of Tang Guanglie couldn’t revert to how it once was.
“…It was not intentional. I merely wanted to make a comeback with one big risky bet at the end, and it just so happened… there was a Family Head’s exclusive bet mixed among the hidden weapons.”
Feeling my gaze shift, Tang Guanglie rambled on with excuses. Well, ultimately, he lost his reason and made a big bet, then dramatically burnt out in the gambling match, a common lament of a loser.
“Hmm, I understand the situation.”
Of course, I, Ho Cheon-an, carry a bit of pride inside me.
That is the fact that I’ve been actively working for others to enjoy gambling healthily.
After all, I’m a professional rescuer for those who gamble away their fortunes, who inevitably enter a desperate situation! It feels satisfying to help those in need.
Most severe gambling addicts would use any disaster relief money I gave them to visit gambling houses and sacrifice their fortunes again. Despite that, I’ve often seen some regain their senses, expressing gratitude for the luck that finally came their way.
There’s more to my story.
On days without skilled gamblers, I catch those nearly falling into poor gambling and personally offer lessons.
By teasing them with impressive gambling techniques all the way through, they finally grasp how dangerous gambling truly is, and then if I lose a bet at the end? Most people come to understand that gambling can’t depend solely on techniques; rather, luck plays a significant role.
When I reveal true gambling skills, and they see that even an excellent gambler can lose, they often wake from the fantasy of gambling and face reality.
Through that process, I’ve helped some lose confidence in gambling and return to society, while some realize their limits and continue enjoying healthy little bets as hobbies.
That feeling of accomplishment when saving a family man with a bear-like wife and raccoon-like children!
That’s my own unique small venture in the gambling world.
It feels exhilarating to confront someone who truly stirs my blood!
“Healthy gambling!”
“…Outcast Ya?”
The fury of Tang Guanglie, who lost his reason and even wagered the Family Head’s exclusive hidden weapons! What Tang Guanglie was lacking wasn’t just gambling skills! It was attitude towards gambling! The mindset towards gambling! The lack of awareness about the dangers of gambling!
“Family Head, your mental state is completely rotten! Healthy gambling is indeed the path to building a wholesome family! Prepare yourself! I’ll definitely reshape your thoughts to the very core!”
Ho Cheon-an awakens as the ‘Healthy Gambling Control Unit!’
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