Chapter 522: This Bastard’s Playing Tricks from the Very First Round?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 522: This Bastard’s Playing Tricks from the Very First Round?
Thud.
"This seat is empty, right?"
The man, having seated himself in Lee So-ran’s chair, continued speaking with a nonchalant expression.
".........."
".........."
The atmosphere, which had been on the verge of exploding just a moment ago, began to settle as if cold water had been poured over it. The sudden appearance of the man had completely broken the tension.
"That seat isn't empty!"
Lee So-ran, who had her seat snatched away out of nowhere, raised her voice.
"Oh, really? Then I'll just move over."
The man acted as if it were no big deal and promptly moved to the adjacent seat.
Everyone at the table, including the gambler, stared at him. They were bewildered by the man’s eccentric behavior and his lack of situational awareness.
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to roll the dice?"
As all eyes fell on him, the man tilted his head in confusion and asked. He seemed genuinely puzzled as to why the gambler was idling instead of rolling the dice.
"I... I must roll them... but wouldn't I need the permission of the other guests first?"
The gambler addressed the man with a polite tone. This was a high-end gambling hall established for VIPs. In other words, everyone who entered this place was a person of status—including this scruffy-looking man before him. He had no choice but to be respectful.
"It’s not like these people rented out the whole place. Why do you need permission to play a game of dice?"
The man let out a short chuckle. Unlike games like Golpae, dice games allowed anyone to sit in an empty spot. While Golpae involved players winning money from each other, this was a game where players won money from the house’s employed gambler.
"............"
The gambler remained silent. The man wasn't wrong.
Damn it... where did this piece of trash crawl out from!
The gambler felt his irritation soaring. If not for this bastard, he would have quietly taken the slap from Lee So-ran and pocketed the massive sum of a thousand nyang. But because of this literal nobody, everything had gone to hell. It was impossible not to be annoyed.
Tap. Tap.
"Hey, lady, you should come and sit down too."
When the gambler didn't respond, the man looked at the dazed Lee So-ran and spoke, patting the chair next to him.
"..............."
Lee So-ran stared intently at the man.
Stomp. Stomp.
Then, she finally sat down. The man’s interruption had cooled her head enough to regain some composure.
That brat...
As Lee So-ran took her seat, Lee Hyun-kyung furrowed her elegant brows. She was seething with irritation because her plan had been derailed.
"Then, I shall roll."
Once Lee So-ran was seated, the gambler picked up the dice.
Rattle, rattle.
He rolled them across the surface. The dice began to spin violently the moment they hit the table.
Clack.
The moment the dice stopped, the gambler slammed a bowl over them.
"Two-five!"
As soon as the bowl went down, Lee Hyun-kyung placed a silver coin and called out her bet.
"Three-five!"
"One-six!"
"Three-four!"
Immediately, the other gamblers began placing their bets one after another.
".............Three... three."
Lee So-ran finally spoke. She bet on the same numbers as before: double threes.
She fell for it.
The gambler smirked inwardly. He had made the trick obvious enough, and she had snapped up the bait.
"Three-three."
Then, the man sitting next to Lee So-ran spoke calmly.
This bastard fell for it too?
The gambler looked at him, slightly surprised. Despite his scruffy appearance, the man seemed to have quite a sharp gaze.
Hehe, but it’s useless.
Of course, a sharp gaze wouldn't help him here. What good was a keen eye against blatant cheating?
Before lifting the bowl, the gambler interlaced his fingers and began to fiddle with the ring on his ring finger using his pinky. Suddenly, a micro-fine silver thread, completely invisible to the naked eye, popped out and began to wind around his pinky. As he slowly spread his hands, the silver thread stretched out.
In that state, the gambler subtly moved his pinky as he lifted the bowl. The dice, which had been showing double threes, flipped over to show a four and a five. The transparent silver thread connected to his pinky had manipulated the dice.
A sinister smile played on his lips. He then flicked his ring finger twice.
Shirrrt.
The silver thread tied to his pinky instantly retracted back into the ring.
Hehehehe.
It was a perfect finish.
BAM!
Suddenly, someone slammed their hand down on the table.
"This bastard’s playing tricks from the very first round?"
The man swung his arm and slapped the gambler across the face.
SLAP!
"Aaaagh!"
The gambler screamed and tumbled to the floor. He had fallen, unable to withstand the sudden impact.
"Ugh... What do you think you're doing!"
Sprawled on the floor, the gambler looked up at the man with bloodshot eyes and shouted. His gaze was filled with pure rage.
"You want to die? Do I look like a pushover to you?"
Facing the gambler’s furious glare, the man shouted back even louder. The attention of everyone in the gambling hall shifted entirely toward them.
Thump. Thump.
The man stood up and walked right up to the gambler’s nose.
"Who told you to play tricks? You want me to cut your hand off?"
"What on earth are you talking about! Tricks? What tricks!"
"Look at him playing dumb."
The man raised his foot and stomped down on the gambler’s chest.
Thud!
"Guh!"
"Are you going to talk straight or not?"
The man glared down at the gambler with a chilling aura.
"This is truly unfair! I have never cheated!"
The gambler looked at the man with a face full of grievance and continued to protest.
"Bullshit."
The man snorted and glared at him, his eyes filled with utter distrust.
"What if I prove it? Shall we bet your wrist on it?"
".............."
The gambler fell silent at the man’s cold threat. The man’s overwhelming confidence made him uneasy. He began to worry that his trick had actually been discovered.
What do I do... what do I do... what the hell should I do?
The gambler fell into deep thought. He didn't know how to respond. If the man was just bluffing, he could easily agree to bet his wrist. After all, the man wouldn't be able to prove anything.
But if the man wasn't bluffing—if he could actually prove it—the gambler would lose his hand. He would lose his livelihood forever just for the sake of a thousand nyang. He couldn't bring himself to speak easily. With a grim expression, he agonized over his answer.
"Why no answer? You scared?"
When the gambler didn't respond, the man let out a terrifyingly cold smile.
"What do you think you're doing!"
Lee Hyun-kyung, who had been watching silently, finally raised her voice.
"I'm catching a wicked gambler who’s playing tricks with his hands, Lady."
The man replied to her shout in a calm tone.
"What tricks could he possibly have played! I didn't see a single suspicious thing!"
"Well, I saw it plain as day."
"Do you have proof?"
She glared at the man with a frigid gaze.
"Of course. These two eyes of mine are the proof."
The man pointed to his eyes with his index and middle fingers.
"Something only you saw cannot be proof."
Lee Hyun-kyung sneered and gestured toward Lee So-ran next to her.
"We already have a precedent here."
Lee So-ran’s face flushed red. She felt a surge of shame at the woman’s gesture.
"I can prove it."
The man spoke, his eyes sparkling with certainty.
"Pro... prove it?"
"That’s right. I’ll bet my life on it."
Encountering his certain gaze, Lee Hyun-kyung looked bewildered. What on earth was he relying on to be so confident?
Could he have actually noticed?
She felt a flicker of anxiety. The thought that this man might have seen through the trick crossed her mind.
No, that’s impossible!
But she quickly brushed the anxiety aside. It simply couldn't be. The micro-fine silver thread the gambler used was a new material recently developed by the Tang Clan. It was made from the silk of a Human-Faced Spider and was so thin it was invisible to the naked eye. There was no way a scruffy man like this could recognize such a thing.
".........Then prove it."
Judging that the man was bluffing, Lee Hyun-kyung spoke with a suspicious expression.
"I need a promise first."
"A promise? What kind of..."
"I’ve staked my life on this proof. So, I want the gambler to stake his life on the fact that I can't prove it."
The man glared at the gambler with eyes that were bone-chillingly cold. The gambler’s face instantly turned pale. He could see the absolute sincerity in the man’s eyes.
He had to refuse. He had to reject this proposal right now.
"I... I!"
Just as the gambler was about to speak urgently—
[Accept it.]
A cold, sharp voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
Voice Transmission!?
The gambler immediately realized the voice belonged to Lee Hyun-kyung, the one who had given him the thousand-nyang commission.
[It’s all a bluff. There is no way a vagabond like him could detect a mystical artifact developed by the Tang Clan!]
Lee Hyun-kyung began to urge the gambler to accept the bet via Voice Transmission. If he admitted to cheating now, all the pressure she had put on Lee So-ran would go to waste.
"............."
His face turned a sickly shade of grey as he looked at Lee Hyun-kyung. Fear that his head might actually be cut off kept him from opening his mouth.
[Where do you think we are? This is a VIP gambling hall officially licensed by the government. How could blood be shed in such a place? His threat to take your life is nothing but a bluff. So don't be afraid and accept it. If he tries anything strange, I will personally stop him.]
She began to coax the gambler with a subtle voice. She judged that when someone is trembling with fear, persuasion is more effective than intimidation. And her judgment was correct.
Right. This is a high-end gambling hall where the most prominent VIPs of Jinan stay. He wouldn't dare do anything extreme in a place like this... It must be a bluff.
The gambler finally conceded to Lee Hyun-kyung’s words. He decided it was indeed a bluff meant to scare him.
"Fine! I’ll bet my life! But if you cannot prove it, I will take your head myself!"
BAM!
The gambler stood up, pulled a dagger from his robe, and stabbed it into the table. It was his own attempt at intimidation.
"I like your spirit."
Seeing this, a playful smile appeared on the man’s lips. He thought things were getting interesting.
"Go ahead and prove it!"
"Fine."
The man took large strides toward the gambler.
Twitch.
As he approached, the gambler’s body trembled slightly.
"Hand it over."
Having reached him, the man reached out his hand.
"Hand... hand what over?"
The gambler asked back, flustered, as he stared at the man’s palm.
"The ring. Give it here."
"Th-this is the only memento left by my late wife! How can you ask me to hand this over!"
"You want to give it to me after a beating? Or just give it to me now?"
"I cannot! You said you would prove the trick! Why are you asking for my ring!"
"Because you used the ring to pull the trick."
The man furrowed his brows in annoyance.
"That’s a baseless accusation!"
"We’ll see if it’s baseless once you hand it over, won't we?"
The man slowly reached for the gambler’s ring.
Swish.
The gambler quickly hid his hand behind his back. He felt he must not let the man have it.
"If... if you continue to be this boorish, I won't stand for it! This is a precious heirloom passed down by my father!"
In his panic, the gambler shouted out contradictory lies.
"Didn't you just say it was a token of love from your late wife?"
"Th-that... my father left it to my wife!"
"So your father left an heirloom to your wife, and then she left it back to you? And they're both dead?"
"That’s right!"
The gambler answered defiantly.
WHAM!
"GYAAAK!"
The man slammed his hand right onto the gambler’s head. A sound like a pig being slaughtered erupted from the gambler’s mouth. He was in excruciating pain.
"Stop bullshitting me."
The man, having struck the gambler’s head, spat out a curse with a scowl. He was genuinely annoyed by the gambler’s nonsense.