Ding!
[Purchase complete.]
[Price: $2.5 million.]
[Host, should I activate the B-Rank Illusion ability?]
[Note: Once activated, the skill will synchronize with your soul, starting at G-Rank Level 1 and gradually progressing until it reaches its B-Rank limit.]
My eyes widened at the sight of the System message. ’An illusion ability?’
Of all the abilities I could have gotten, this was by far the weirdest. Somehow, it was also the absolute best one for the situation I was in.
I glanced to the side. From the corner of my eye, I caught the old bastard leaning forward, his knuckles white against the edge of the table, practically begging me to take another hit.
Even an idiot could tell what they were waiting for.
The moment I drew another card, they’d use their ability to switch it.
I was at a clear disadvantage. One wrong move could mean my doom. Still, I had something they didn’t.
First, I knew about their secret ’Reshuffling’ ability. That alone put me one step ahead.
Second, I now had the System’s newly purchased ability.
If it worked the way I thought it did, this game was already mine.
I fought back the grin threatening to spread across my face as I reached for a card.
The moment my fingers touched the card and I lifted it slightly from the stacked deck, several people at the table shouted "stand," their voices thick with mockery and triumph.
Even the old geezer wore a sleazy grin. Honestly... it was fucking hilarious.
’Hahaha! I have to hold it in. I can’t laugh just yet!’
I fought to keep my expression under control, barely containing the laughter and excitement threatening to spill out.
’System, activate the Illusion ability and turn the card in my hand into the Five of Hearts?’ I thought, shifting my expression into a mask of panic so no one could figure out my thoughts.
[Five hearts? Why not spades or diamonds?]
’Trust me system. I already have everything planned out.’
[Okay, I’ll do as you said. Since you don’t know how to control the ability yet, I’ll activate Ability AI.]
[Note: Ability AI costs $1,000 per minute for F-Rank skills. Should I continue?]
I agreed internally as the old geezer and the rest of the table tried their hardest to rage-bait me.
With a small smirk, I leaned back in my chair. "Stand."
The dealer nodded before flipping her second card face-up, bringing her total to seventeen.
"Now!" she announced. "Show your hands!"
The mongrels around the table revealed their hands one by one, and it didn’t take long for the two main idiots of the day to start rambling as though they’d already won, despite my card still sitting face-down.
I watched the two of them with faint amusement even as the old bastard began making promises, going so far as to swear on his awakener’s seal, something forbidden among Awakened, since breaking such a vow meant instant corrosion.
’Is this what happens when you underestimate your enemy?’
A strange shiver ran down my spine at the thought that I could have been the idiot sitting across the table, completely unaware that I’d underestimated the person in front of me.
[Don’t worry, host. I, your system, would never let you get that cocky.]
The system’s words were oddly comforting, yet weirdly human at the same time.
I shook my head without another word, refusing to entertain the old bastard’s rambling. I simply flipped my card and watched the color drain from every face at the table.
"Now..." I said, my voice turning cold as I interlocked my fingers. "How about we talk about your little secrets, Mister Cheater?"
My words left everyone around the Bronze Class completely stunned. Some stared at me in disbelief, while others exchanged bewildered glances.
Only the culprits sat frozen, sweating bullets, their eyes wide with horror.
"Huh? A five of hearts? How is that possible?" the elegant-looking woman with the fascinator said, her hand-fan slipping loose and landing hard on the chair beside her.
Her gaze, now hollow, shifted to James, who sat beside her, and with barely contained fury she lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar. "You old bastard! Didn’t you say he was going to win for sure? How did he get a five of hearts?!"
The crowd, who moments ago had looked ready to tear into me with insults, accusations, and threats of arrest, froze in place.
The card on the table in front of me was clearly an ace of hearts, giving me a perfect twenty-one. So why was she talking about a five of hearts?
I leaned back in my chair and crossed one leg over the other. "So predictable," I muttered under my breath.
Honestly, this entire encounter had been nothing but one gamble after another.
At first, I’d assumed the Reshuffling ability simply switched two locked targets. But the more I thought about it, the less that made sense.
The System had said the Reshuffling ability in play here was weaker than the original.
Then... if the fake could do this much, what exactly could the original do?
Yeah, there was a chance some cosmic entity was the original wielder of this ability. Even so, James hadn’t shown anything to suggest he could shift positions however he liked, so long as one point remained locked.
But if his ability was simply to lock onto the two things he wanted to switch, it would be nearly useless in a casino. The odds of both locked cards appearing at the same time were vanishingly low.
What if it could do more than just two?
The answer was simple.
It would be impossible for him to track which card was which.
That left only one option.
He could switch cards within a specific suit he’d locked onto, whether hearts, spades, or diamonds.
One group at a time.
That alone didn’t eliminate his chances of losing, but by controlling the conditions of the match, he could narrow the odds considerably.
For example, he could have the dealer stack all the hearts at the bottom of the deck, lock onto the suit, then arrange them so the player he wanted received whichever heart he chose. He could even switch his cards with those of his friends whenever necessary.
That explained everything.
Once he gave me the King of Hearts, he only needed to switch his Queen of Hearts with my Eight of Hearts to rattle me.
Even a small change in my expression would have been enough evidence to accuse me of cheating.
Plus, it would look suspicious if all my winning cards were hearts while, aside from James, no one else at the table had drawn one.
[I won’t lie, host. His plan was actually solid. He just stumbled into the wrong opponent.]
I let out a small breath and watched my enemies at the table turn on each other, one by one, until Fiona’s private security stepped in.
’He underestimated his opponent. Worse, he gave the wrong people too much confidence. Once their perfect plan showed even the smallest crack, they immediately turned on each other.’
Once security had taken everyone suspected of cheating away, they confirmed that each of them was carrying an unregistered artifact unaffiliated with the Hunter Association, the rest of the Bronze Class surrounded me, showering me with praise.
[Looks like the good guys do win, huh, my dear host.]
I turned away from the crowd and looked toward Fiona at the door. She crossed the floor with steady strides and offered me a bright smile.
"Hey..." She shifted her weight from foot to foot, then scratched roughly at the back of her head. "Ugh, how should I say this?"
She lifted her gaze until it met mine. "Well, thanks for today. You see... I’m not very good at judging people. If you hadn’t done this today, I never would’ve realized I had a few sly foxes lurking around me."
Her voice softened, and something vulnerable crept into it as she lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. "Or maybe I’m just an idiot who loves hearing pretty words and doesn’t know how to treat the people working under me..."
She paused for a long moment, as if waiting for me to comfort her, but I said nothing.
’Nice try, but I ain’t getting involved with another troublesome woman.’
Police sirens wailed outside as the Gold Casino’s owners barked orders at their security and staff, breaking the silence between us.
Finally, Fiona looked me in the eyes again and said softly, "Thanks again."
She lowered her head and rummaged through her bag before pulling out a bank card. "There’s thirty million on it, and it doesn’t have a PIN. Take it as payment for everything."
With that, she turned and walked away. About ten steps out, she turned back once more and smiled brightly. "I hope we meet again, Mister Mysterious!" She took a deep breath, then raised her voice. "When we do meet, show me your face, okay?!"
I lowered my head with a small sigh, then raised one hand while the other remained tucked in my pocket, clutching the bank card tightly. "Yeah, if we meet again, I’ll show you my face. But it’ll cost you."
Fiona covered her mouth with one hand and giggled softly before waving goodbye and leaving the casino. Like her, several others had already left the building, and from the look of things, the casino was about to shut down.
I wasn’t sure if it was temporary or permanent, but I needed to get my spoils before I left.
Yeah, thirty million was a lot, but not enough to make me the strongest.
I walked over to the table where we had played the game. Standing next to it was the worker who had given me the chips.
"Hey, I won the last match so can I cash out my winnings?"
The young man’s eyes widened, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of the counter. "What did you say, young sir?"
’Does this fool think I’m some young master who’ll just let the millions I won go unclaimed?’ I shook my head in pity for him. ’There’s a fucking reason I made sure everyone saw my winning hand.’
"You heard me right. Cash out my winnings." I raised my fingers and began counting. "That’s about twenty million, right?"
Using my fingers to make a coin gesture, I grinned. "Now pay up."