Tang Gwang-ryeol Learns Gambling from the Rogue - 3
Tang Gwang-ryeol looked at Ho Cheon-an and burst into laughter. “Heh heh heh.”
Indeed, Ho Cheon-an’s gambling skills were not ordinary. Tang Gwang-ryeol had been cleanly fooled by them.
He acknowledged that Ho Cheon-an had reached a high level in gambling.
And he roughly understood what Ho Cheon-an was trying to say.
Although there were words like “gambling addiction” that were unpleasant to hear, the core message was that one had to start from the basics again, beginning with the right mindset.
“It seems this Tang Gwang-ryeol has underestimated me. The main family head will now have to put everything on the line.”
But Tang Gwang-ryeol had no intention of accepting Ho Cheon-an’s proposal.
He needed to recover the hidden weapons from Tang Do-gyeong as soon as possible. Yet, the idea of leisurely building foundations from scratch was hard to accept.
And as someone who had enjoyed gambling all his life, he had a certain pride in his own gambling skills. He acknowledged Ho Cheon-an’s miraculous level in gambling, but it was not something he could simply let pass by and belittle his skills to that extent.
He had to prove his level to this rogue, quickly learn the technique, and defeat Tang Do-gyeong.
Tang Gwang-ryeol thought this and accepted Ho Cheon-an’s proposal.
“Let’s follow the standard yabawi rules. The stake is 100 nyang per game, and it’s just one match. So, when the main family head’s assets reach 51 nyang, he wins, and I win when it reaches 100 nyang. Do you agree?”
“I agree.”
“Good. Normally the odds are 3 times, but considering the skill difference, let’s make it 4 times.”
The gambling game between Ho Cheon-an and Tang Gwang-ryeol was yabawi, with one die and four cups. Generally, in private yabawi, with three cups, the odds are 2 times. In professional settings, with four cups, it’s 3 times. Saying 4 times odds meant it was very advantageous for Tang Gwang-ryeol.
“Then let’s begin.”
Tang Gwang-ryeol focused intensely, raising his inner energy. From his perspective, it was a game that ended with one win, so he exerted maximum concentration.
However, Tang Gwang-ryeol had to open his mouth with his eyes wide open.
At the start, he dropped the die, and without finding the die’s appearance while it was dropped, the yabawi ended.
“What, what is this…”
After seeing the die enter the first cup, he hadn’t seen any trace of the die!
“Heh heh, since the main family head said to put all his power into it, I too must exert my full power, however meager it may be.”
Ho Cheon-an was definitely exerting full power when playing against Tang Gwang-ryeol, just like against Tang Do-gyeong. That power meant using all his hand techniques completely.
But where did gambling techniques only have hand techniques? Under the framework of gambling, hand techniques were certainly an important area, but that wasn’t everything. Ho Cheon-an’s yabawi, which connected and unleashed advanced gambling techniques without hesitation, was completely different.
“The second cup.”
“Wrong.”
The die was inside the fourth cup. Tang Gwang-ryeol swallowed dryly and focused on the next game. But while raising his concentration, the second cup moved slightly? At that moment, Tang Gwang-ryeol’s mind wandered a bit to that side.
And at that moment, the cup and die started to rotate.
Tang Gwang-ryeol finally realized that the yabawi with two dice that he had been doing was being watched and operated by Ho Cheon-an. It was literally a test to see his level.
Tang Gwang-ryeol had thought he had seen through the die’s movements, but he realized it wasn’t the case.
He had only operated it at a level that Ho Cheon-an could see through.
“…The fourth one.”
After ten games, Tang Gwang-ryeol hadn’t chased even the trace of the die. Tang Gwang-ryeol let out a bitter laugh.
Wall.
Tang Gwang-ryeol felt a wall in Ho Cheon-an.
He was being beaten in the nose without extending a hand or a foot!
However, Tang Gwang-ryeol didn’t lose his concentration. After all, gambling was a battle of concentration, as per his principle.
“Did I see it!”
Was it possible because he had raised his concentration to the point of headache? Tang Gwang-ryeol barely caught a glimpse of the die. It was literally a momentary thing, but he had seen through Ho Cheon-an’s technique.
“Good, there’s still hope. The stakes are still there. No matter how miraculous the gambling technique, it can’t be unbeatable forever!”
Once. Twice. Three times.
Tang Gwang-ryeol tried to figure out Ho Cheon-an’s technique by staking only one gold each time. The more the yabawi repeated, the more he caught the die.
“Hah. My throat is burning. Can I take a sip of water?”
“Heh heh, of course, you rogue.”
Tang Gwang-ryeol forced a solemn expression while looking at Ho Cheon-an. It seemed he was trying to cut off the flow since the technique was being seen through. Tang Gwang-ryeol’s inner vision could see Ho Cheon-an’s expression hidden in the black.
Despite feeling the crisis and ending the game, Ho Cheon-an’s face was calm. However, Tang Gwang-ryeol felt a tremor in Ho Cheon-an’s appearance itself. No matter how good at gambling, Ho Cheon-an was still in his early twenties. His expression management was flawless, but…
“The difference in years lived is not to be ignored.”
After the short break, Tang Gwang-ryeol could be certain of that thought.
“It’s shaking a bit more.”
Some small mistakes started to appear. However, it wasn’t to the level of seeing through gambling.
The gold was already reduced to about 25.
“Did I see it…?”
Tang Gwang-ryeol tried to frown his brows but held it with superhuman concentration. If he provided a clue that the technique was seen through, Ho Cheon-an’s technique might change again, so he had to snatch it in one go.
There was still a chance of winning. This gambling was really infinitely advantageous for Tang Gwang-ryeol. If the gold exceeded 51, and the odds were 4 times, it meant that if he bet 13 gold when he saw through the yabawi, he could take the game in one go.
Ho Cheon-an had taken the gold through dozens of yabawi, and if he bet 7-8 gold and took one game, it would be even.
Thinking this way, Tang Gwang-ryeol felt at ease.
With his mind at ease, Tang Gwang-ryeol’s concentration reached its peak. Not just the die, but Ho Cheon-an’s hand movements and even his intentions were being predicted a little.
“Heh heh, you’re getting desperate.”
Ho Cheon-an, sensing that Tang Gwang-ryeol was gradually following his technique, intensified his hand movements. More gorgeous and flashy techniques. Tang Gwang-ryeol felt the flow he had been following was breaking again, but he didn’t get anxious.
He had the confidence to catch up again.
Ho Cheon-an had become the one running away, and Tang Gwang-ryeol the pursuer. Tang Gwang-ryeol thought he could catch Ho Cheon-an’s tail before the gold fuel ran out.
The gold had been reduced to 17.
Tang Gwang-ryeol was still missing the flow of the die. Tang Gwang-ryeol acknowledged the skill gap. It wasn’t a technique that could be seen through by concentrating for just one or two shijin. However, there were moments when the die entered his eyes intermittently.
“I saw it.”
Luck was part of gambling. Tang Gwang-ryeol realized that the last flow of the die was composed of only a few movements he could see through.
The third cup.
Tang Gwang-ryeol, after pondering, stacked the gold. One. Two. Three… Every time the gold stacked, he felt Ho Cheon-an’s eyes slightly shake.
“Hoh, shall we settle the bet?”
Ho Cheon-an’s mocking voice sounded like a victory horn in Tang Gwang-ryeol’s ears.
The gold stacked in front of the third cup was a total of 12. Ho Cheon-an straightened his posture, and Tang Gwang-ryeol did the same.
“You seem to be quite confident in settling the bet, but why didn’t you bet all the gold?”
“Heh heh, this bet is to have you recognize my skills, so is there any need to force it?”
“Indeed.”
Ho Cheon-an nodded his head and turned it to the side. Continuously swallowing dry saliva, his gaze met that of Feng Young-daesu, who had been watching the gambling match between the main family head and the rogue.
“It’s quite a big game, so please open the first cup.”
“…Yes.”
Feng Young-daesu opened the first cup. Naturally, there was no die. The second cup was also opened without hesitation. Again, no die.
Feng Young-daesu swallowed dryly and placed his hand on the third cup. The yabawi Ho Cheon-an was showing now was truly extraordinary. If he lost here, it would be difficult to see through the technique within five times.
The actual turning point.
Feng Young-daesu lifted the third cup in one go.
“…Nothing?”
Tang Gwang-ryeol muttered unconsciously.
Tang Gwang-ryeol’s gaze turned to Ho Cheon-an. With a calm smile, Tang Gwang-ryeol’s mind scrambled in an instant. Instead of the shocked Feng Young-daesu, Ho Cheon-an moved and lifted the fourth cup.
The die was there.
“What a pity.”
Tang Gwang-ryeol’s mind flashed through the gambling board so far. The hand techniques he had thought he was gradually catching up on. The effort to hide the shake from Ho Cheon-an. His own recovering composure and gradually raising concentration. And Ho Cheon-an feeling anxious while looking at his own appearance.
Seeing Ho Cheon-an’s mouth corners slightly upturned, Tang Gwang-ryeol felt that the flow of the gambling board he had accumulated so far was shattered into pieces. From when? From where? Tang Gwang-ryeol couldn’t guess the timing, but he realized that he had been played by Ho Cheon-an’s design.
“It’s impossible, it’s impossible…”
Tang Gwang-ryeol followed the restarted yabawi game with his eyes. Indeed, the technique was familiar. He could follow the yabawi flow more easily than before. Tang Gwang-ryeol had his eyes open, but in his heart, he was closing his eyes and lamenting.
I should have bet when I was 100% sure. I bet blindly after seeing it for a moment at the end.
The shock of losing twelve gold shook Tang Gwang-ryeol’s five gold, which literally melted away like snow.
After the last gold disappeared, Tang Gwang-ryeol sighed in regret. If he had been more cautious… if there had been twelve more chances, he would have definitely hit it.
“You seem to have a lot of regret.”
Ho Cheon-an’s words made Tang Gwang-ryeol laugh.
“Even if there’s regret left in a game that’s already over, what can I do about it.”
“Then, will you continue?”
“The gold is already all gone, what are you betting?”
Ho Cheon-an placed one gold in front of Tang Gwang-ryeol. Then, showing a gesture with thumb and index finger hooked, he smiled. Showing a gesture that seemed to mean money, Ho Cheon-an said.
“I’ll give you ten gold for one slap on the cheek.”