novelraw Chapter 123 : Chapter 123
Chapter 123 : Chapter 123
Chapter 123 - Nesos (9)
The mark's name was Ranko.
A loafer from a family with some money. He didn't seem to be from a particularly prestigious family, so from the perspective of the house's hustlers, he was perfect prey to fleece.
And everyone reacted with puzzlement to me handing chips to Ranko.
“What! You weren’t related at all?”
“I thought you knew each other through a mutual acquaintance!”
In fact, Ranko was just as bewildered. After unexpectedly receiving the chips, he asked me several times.
“Are you really lending this to me interest-free?”
Each time, I answered nonchalantly.
“If you win a lot, feel free to give me some. Well, I have no intention of refusing that much.”
“Of course! But why on earth are you showing me such kindness……”
He asks for the reason so quickly.
“Let’s just call it a good luck superstition. My favorite number is 7, and I saw you get four 7 cards earlier.”
“Hah! I should have won that hand!”
Ranko ground his teeth, as if he was furious just thinking about it.
“You said your name was Johan, right? Anyway, thank you.”
Of course, the superstition story was an excuse.
I was planning to turn this gambling den upside down when the mood was right anyway, and thinking that the mark would be the last victim, I felt a little pity for him.
The chips used here would become useless in a little while, so it didn't matter how many I gave him.
“Well then, from this round, let me get some cards too.”
From now on, I was officially joining the game.
There would surely be collusion and cheating from these guys.
Four 7 cards appeared, but losing that hand by a one-point difference, could that really be a coincidence?
The probability was almost nil.
It meant it was thoroughly planned, and the one who fell for it was the mark.
That's why Ranko got so worked up, but there was no evidence that these guys had used any tricks.
“A new player is joining, so should we make this round a hot one?”
“Call!”
“Call!”
Of course, tricks wouldn't appear in every round.
At least for the next few rounds, it was highly likely that the game would proceed fairly.
Suddenly, the lucky coin in my pocket came to mind.
I didn't know if this really brought luck, but it was also true that many fortunate events had coincided exquisitely since I started carrying the coin.
I wondered if the effect of this coin would be proven this time as well.
In the first round after joining, I got three 5s, making a set.
In the next round, two 9s and two 4s, also a made hand.
In the third round, three 2s appeared, making another set.
There was no reason to be attached to money, so I bet without any burden, and thus I won all three rounds in a row.
“What the. Why are only good hands appearing over there!”
“He’s on a roll as soon as he arrived, isn’t he?”
It was true that I got good hands, and it was also true that I was lucky.
But it was a bit weak to call it the work of the coin.
Although I won three rounds in a row, they weren't good enough hands to be that bold.
In conclusion, for now, it was just that I was playing well.
I leisurely hurried the guys along.
“Hurry up and deal the cards. Before my beginner's luck runs out.”
“If that beginner's luck lasts a little longer, we're all going to be broke.”
Seeing that the guys were still joking around casually, it seemed they hadn't lost enough yet.
In fact, I'm quite skilled at card games.
Quick probability calculations for the situation and an eye for reading the overall game.
A cool-headed sense for betting, and on top of that, virtually unlimited money, so it was too difficult to find a reason for me to lose in a game like this.
As long as the guys didn't deliberately tamper with the cards.
‘Of course, even that would be caught if they did it in front of my eyes.’
Even after winning three rounds in a row, the hands continued to be good.
I was sweeping the pot almost once every two rounds.
Now, I felt like I really had to acknowledge the coin's efficacy.
“What! The newcomer won this round again?”
For the guys, it must have been a situation that deviated greatly from their calculations.
They probably had never met a high-level player like me while in the house.
Their losses were no longer small enough to be dismissed as fun, and the atmosphere gradually grew colder.
And at some point, a strange sense of disharmony began to arise in the room.
The exchange of glances between the guys, excluding me and Ranko, quickened.
For a moment, the dealer's hand movements became suspicious.
A pre-prepared hand skillfully began to be mixed into the existing deck.
For a moment, a disturbance occurred in the number of cards.
The guys had taken a risk and made their move.
If I grabbed the dealer's wrist here and inspected the cards, something interesting would happen, but I didn't bother.
There was another way to screw them over.
‘As expected…….’
As soon as the game started, I was dealt a bunch of three 8 cards.
Perhaps if I drew more cards here, another 8 card would appear, creating a very high-scoring made hand.
Just like Ranko earlier.
“I'm folding this round.”
I didn't reveal my cards and returned all the cards I had received to the deck.
They would be a bit let down.
They couldn't rig every single hand like this.
At my declaration, everyone exclaimed at the same time, as if on cue.
“What?”
Then, they might have shown a hint of embarrassment, but their minds didn't seem to have room to think about such things.
“I’m folding because I don’t like my hand, why are you all so surprised?”
“You didn’t like your hand?”
“Yes.”
“What on earth was it!”
“There’s no reason I have to reveal that, is there?”
“That’s true, but it’s so different from your pattern so far.”
“Was it?”
I grinned and continued.
“Two 8 cards.”
I deliberately said one less.
If I said something completely different, it would lack credibility.
“Th-that’s a pretty good hand!”
“It is, but I’ve won so much so far. I felt a bit anxious with a hand like this at this timing.”
As soon as my words ended, sighs of relief simultaneously echoed.
Then they all looked at the dealer at once.
But the dealer was not at fault.
The setup was perfect.
And, at that moment, a knocking sound was heard.
The one who entered our room was Lloyd.
“What’s the matter?”
“Th-that is……”
“Have you lost everything already?”
At my question, Lloyd nodded his head.
With an expression as if he had committed a great sin.
He was almost on the verge of tears.
I should have told him my entire plan.
Still, he did come to get a chip refill from me as I had instructed.
When I picked up some of the chips piled high in front of me and handed them to Lloyd, the atmosphere instantly turned hostile.
“What the! Those are our chips! Why are they going to another room! Huh?”
He looked like he was about to throw a punch.
I responded with an indifferent expression.
“Why are these your chips?”
“Because not all the rounds are over yet!”
“Do you think anything will be different when it’s all over?”
“Don’t get cocky just because you won some money in the beginning. Animus is where all the so-called pros gather.”
“What a funny guy. I’m doing what I want with the chips I won.”
“Even so, it’s not good manners to send chips from this room to another room!”
The other guys immediately chimed in to support him.
I was about to respond in kind, but I just grinned.
I had played enough, and I had gotten a general feel for Animus, so now it was time to make a move.
I looked at Lloyd and said.
“They’re all saying no.”
“But it’s too unfair to end it like this!”
This guy. He was unnecessarily too immersed.
Thanks to that, I didn't have to watch any awkward acting.
“They have a low-interest loan service here. Let's go together. I'll be your guarantor.”
“A l-loan?”
Lloyd looked genuinely nervous at my words.
And when I revealed my intention to leave my seat, the other players once again showed signs of discomfort.
“The game doesn't stop just because I’m not here, right? I'll be back soon, so have fun.”
I handed all my chips to Ranko.
I recommend he has fun.
Soon, he wouldn't be able to play the game even if he wanted to.
***
I was about to call for Min Ha-rin anyway, and she was trudging out of her room.
Just from the sound of her footsteps, I could guess that she had lost all her gambling money.
“I’m sorry, senior.”
This is why gambling is scary.
She too had gotten unnecessarily immersed.
Her expression was dark, and her voice lacked energy.
“Get a grip, both of you. We’re about to start.”
“Right now?”
“Why? Are you disappointed? Did you get a taste for it?”
“N-no! Of course not!”
It was a situation where things might get complicated if I delayed any further.
It might be needless worry, but it would be troublesome if she kept thinking about gambling even after returning to Earth.
For some, gambling is the most addictive thing in the world.
“By the way, Johan. Can the three of us really do this?”
Lloyd, having followed me this far, seemed to be getting anxious now.
“You can back out.”
“Back out! What do you take this man of loyalty, Lloyd, for! I will absolutely be with you until the end.”
If Lloyd really stayed with us until the end of the quest, he would become a very rich man.
Since it was money I couldn't take with me anyway, I was planning to give it away as charity.
I was also curious to see if he would get to enjoy this fortune.
“Senior. I will take on as much as possible this time.”
“Don’t overdo it, just do what you’ve been doing.”
“No. I keep being of no help and just relying on you, senior……”
Min Ha-rin seemed to be quite bothered by this part.
I had known for a while that she felt this way.
“Then, go on a proper rampage.”
“Yes!”
Min Ha-rin answered with a voice full of motivation.
There were quite a few warriors scattered throughout Animus.
They were not visible to the customers, but they were troops preparing for any unforeseen situations.
When the three of us were all out in the lobby, a guide immediately approached us.
“Do you need any help?”
“We’d like to use the loan service.”
Today’s main event was not gambling, but this.
“Please follow me.”
The guide began to lead us somewhere.
Walking down a long corridor, we soon reached the very end of Animus's interior. The guide stopped in front of that room.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
According to Hans’s information, this place was the source of all the problems.
It was also the place where the strongest energy was felt when I activated my senses.
‘I don’t know about the others but…….’
It seemed I had to take care of the guy in here myself.
The biggest characteristic of the people of Nesos was that they possessed an ignorant amount of mana.
The power felt from inside this door was on a much greater scale.
‘If he’s a guy who has also properly learned swordsmanship…….’
He would be a rare powerhouse.
I might have to properly warm up for the first time in a while.