Grasping and Shaking Weaknesses (4)
Dark brown hair and a tall stature that allowed him to look down on others stood out.
‘Is that him?’
To confirm, I needed to take a closer look.
I slowly approached him as if my purpose is to exchange chips. Pretending to rummage through my pockets, I stole a glance at him.
He had a robust physique that didn’t appear small even in a black top. Muscles bulged beneath his broad shoulders.
Most notably, there was a mole next to his lips that was visible beneath the mask.
“Here you go.”
The dealer in charge of the exchange handed me the chips.
The man’s large, rough hands swept up all the chips in one motion. His hands, marked with deep blue veins, exuded a formidable aura.
“Thank you.”
He immediately turned and headed toward another table. I watched his back and smiled triumphantly.
‘I found him.’
Faster than I expected. I had prepared myself to linger for at least three days.
It was possible because I knew his appearance and characteristics precisely.
Liam Schmidt. A knight belonging to the border forces of the Ovest territory.
He was to become my swordsmanship instructor. Though he probably didn’t know it yet.
‘I wonder what expression he’ll make.’
The thought of facing Liam made my heart race. A pleasant premonition bubbled up inside me.
Chuckling softly, I made my way to the table where he was seated, pretending to watch the games at other tables while occasionally glancing at his.
The game currently being played was poker. The odds of winning were not very high.
I could sense his anxiety in the way he tapped the table. His eyes, visible through the mask, were filled with tension.
‘The Ovest territory knights probably don’t earn much.’
However, the amount should be enough for him to live on. Yet, he was still wandering around this gambling den.
He had already sunk deep into the swamp of gambling.
A sharp smile crossed my lips.
‘All I have to do is pull him out of that swamp.’
After a while, having lost a bit of money, Liam stood up from the table. He looked around, searching for another game to join.
I watched him and silently prayed.
‘Please go that way, just go that way.’
As if he heard my wish, Liam headed toward the table I wanted.
‘Good.’
I stealthily approached the table he had taken. Thanks to him, the table was full, and I had to wait a bit to join the game.
“I’ll deal the cards.”
The game he chose was blackjack. It’s a game where you must get the sum of your cards to 21 to win.
The basic rules are simple. However, predicting the next move based on the current cards requires considerable mental agility.
‘It’s probably not an easy game for Liam, who has only swung a sword his whole life.’
As expected, he struggled. He seemed to win a little at first, but as more people joined, he began to lose consecutively.
“……”
I meticulously observed the changing pile of his chips. Roughly calculating, it seemed he had lost more money than at the previous table.
As time passed, eventually, all his chips were gone.
His jaw clenched under the mask. Though his entire face wasn’t visible, I could sense his deep disappointment.
Clatter.
In the end, Liam stood up from the table. But perhaps out of lingering attachment, he continued to hover around the table.
‘That’s right. He can’t leave now.’
I maintained a relaxed smile as I waited for a seat to open up.
“I’m done here.”
Just then, the person sitting opposite him also stood up. I promptly took that seat as if I had been waiting for it.
“Do you need an explanation of the rules?”
Due to the number of new participants, the dealer asked for confirmation. Everyone, including me, shook their heads.
“No need.”
“Let’s just start.”
“Understood. Then please receive your cards.”
After receiving the cards, I glanced over, and Liam was staring at the table with his lips pressed into a straight line.
I smiled at his profile.
Now, watch closely. I’m going to show you how to play the game.
“Let’s begin.”
I tapped the table with my finger.
**
“Blackjack.”
At my single word, gasps erupted around me.
“Again, you won.”
“What kind of luck is this?”
“I’ve never seen such ridiculous odds.”
People whispered and glanced at me.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. It’s just 21 every time.”
“I haven’t seen the dealer win at all. How is he doing this?”
I hummed to myself.
‘Even if you know, you wouldn’t be able to do it.’
No merchant operates at a loss. Therefore, gambling establishments must ensure a certain level of winning odds.
The games are fundamentally set up to be unfavorable to the participants. The outcomes are determined solely by probability and luck.
However, among those games, blackjack is particularly special.
‘It’s the only game where the current cards can influence the next cards.’
Thus, if you can deduce the remaining cards by excluding the ones on the table, you can increase your odds of winning.
But to do that, you must estimate the cards on the table and those in each player’s hand.
This requires knowing all the card counts and being able to infer all possible outcomes.
It’s nearly impossible for an ordinary person. But…
“How do you keep winning?”
“You can’t be memorizing all the cards…”
“Is that even possible?”
It is possible.
Though it wasn’t emphasized in the original work, Abel had a special ability.
He could perfectly remember everything he had seen just once.
‘They called it perfect memory.’
It was indeed a unique sensation. Every memory felt like it was being neatly stored in my brain like photographs.
With a bit of concentration, I could recall it vividly, as if it were freshly imprinted on my retina.
That was the reason I was winning continuously. This was beyond what the dealer could handle.
‘How much can I win?’
I calculated the amount of chips visually. At this rate, I would probably have made the most profit in today’s casino.
However, my goal was not money.
My goal was elsewhere, specifically, a person.
“……”
I glanced at Liam, who was standing near my left.
He looked bewildered, glancing around the table in confusion. It seemed he didn’t even realize his mouth was slightly agape.
‘As expected, he’s watching until the end.’
I smiled with satisfaction.
Many participants who had already lost to me had left the table. As this repeated, the reactions of the people split into two.
Some hoped to see someone break my winning streak, while others were curious about how far my victories would go.
In Liam’s case, he was in the latter group.
He had been watching me since I started winning consecutively. And as my pile of chips grew, the frequency with which his mouth opened increased.
“……No way.”
I read his mumbling from his lips. He wouldn’t leave this table until I did.
Because he had grown curious about me. And that was exactly what I intended.
“Blackjack.”
“……”
The dealer’s hand trembled as he checked my cards. He glanced nervously at the main office with a pale face.
Dealers are fundamentally hired to bring profit to the gambling den. Now that the opposite was happening, he couldn’t be at ease.
‘Such days come around sometimes.’
I sent a silent condolence to the dealer in front of me.
What could I do? I couldn’t just let something so obvious slide.
“I’m done here.”
After surveying the atmosphere around me, I felt it was enough and placed my cards down.
“Gasp, yes. Understood.”
The dealer responded with relief. He then began to move the chips with trembling hands.
If that trembling had been fear earlier, now it was mixed with a bit of joy.
“Hmm.”
I looked ahead, resting my chin on one hand. All the chips on the table were moved in front of me, forming a towering pile that was truly a sight to behold.
“Wow…”
“Insane…”
“How much is all that?”
People stared at the chips in front of me, their jaws dropping. The light of greed overflowed in their eyes.
Meanwhile, a more sinister light flickered in the eyes of some.
I pretended not to notice their gazes and stood up.
Clatter, clink…
There were so many chips that one rolled off the table. The chip that rolled on the floor came to a stop in front of someone’s foot.
“Oh.”
Liam Schmidt. Right in front of him.
Liam picked up the chip and approached me. He held it between two fingers and offered it to me.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
The moment our eyes met, the eyes behind the mask widened in surprise. They seemed unable to believe what they were seeing.
‘Looks like he recognized who I am.’
I casually turned my gaze away, pretending not to notice. If he couldn’t recognize me even after seeing me this closely, he would have to to give up his position as a knight.
Thud, thud.
I walked past Liam nonchalantly. I could feel his gaze following me from behind.
The bag filled with chips felt heavy. When I placed it down at the exchange counter, it made a significant sound for just being filled with chips.
Thud.
The gaze of the staff who had been watching me was not kind. However, a business smile quickly covered it.
“I’ll exchange it for you.”
I tucked the bulging pouch into my clothes and ascended the stairs I had used earlier. Once I entered the empty room, I removed my mask.
“Phew.”
It had been stifling to wear it in the poorly ventilated space.
After adjusting my face a few times, I put the mask back on.
‘I should return it, but…’
Since I needed to keep wearing it for a while longer, I figured I could just leave a single silver coin as a tip.
The exit door was on the opposite wall from where I had entered. As I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, a deserted alley greeted me.
“Shall I head out slowly?”
Very slowly.
Muttering to myself, I began to walk. The exit alley was quiet, devoid of both bartenders and prostitutes.
Since I had thrown out the bait, it was about time for the fish to bite.
As I walked, I slowly counted from 1 to 100 in my mind.
‘……79, 80.’
Just as I was about to exit the alley and reach the open space.
“Hey.”
A rough voice called from behind.
‘Here they come.’
I smiled slyly and turned to face the first customer who had taken the bait.
Three men approached with intimidating appearances and decent builds, their faces clearly marked with the label of thugs.
“……”
I slowly scanned their faces. They were definitely the same guys from the gambling den earlier.
“Why did you call?”
A gruff voice slipped out from my lips.
