The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-252

The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

Chapter 252

Seol received three times his wager as the reward. Although it was a significant amount for Jin Ryeo, she couldn’t do anything about it.

“You’re going for another round, right?” asked Jin Ryeo.

“Sure,” answered Seol.

“Since it wouldn’t be fun like this… I’ll increase the cups, okay?”

“Go for it.”

Seol then placed the money he had just won back onto the table.

“Hahaha! Things are getting exciting!”

“Everyone, get over here! It’s a huge pot!”

“Where? Where? Huh? It’s Jin Ryeo? God damn it…”

“Jin Ryeo lost.”

“...She lost?”

The Dragon’s Stones and many other subordinates of the Dragon’s Flowers crowded around them.

While Seol felt uncomfortable being at the center of attention like this, Jin Ryeo relished it.

With a smirk, she hid the die under a cup once more.

‘I’ll take everything from you!’

In truth, Jin Ryeo was not a Khan native.

She was a child from the Kikidu Tribe, a small northern tribe, who entered the Khan Empire in her mid-teens.

The Kikidu Tribe, like the other northern tribes, served beings that were neither demons nor spirits. They served high-ranking entities known as ‘djinns’.

Each djinn was incredibly powerful, with legends claiming that all spirits originated from them.

However, summoning them into the human realm required several procedures and offerings.

Despite this, the people of the North made contracts with the djinns, borrowing their powers and incorporating them into their religion.

Naturally, Jin Ryeo, being from the North, also had contracted with a djinn, and this unique power enabled her to defeat the countless warriors of the East, as her abilities were fundamentally different from theirs.

The name of Jin Ryeo’s djinn was Kunna.

The ability they granted Jin Ryeo allowed Kunna to fulfill any of her wishes, as long as she offered something of equivalent value.

The quality of the wishes also depended on the value of her offerings.

However, Jin Ryeo had yet to ask Kunna for a big wish. After all, the small wishes they granted were more than enough to handle most situations.

For example, moving a die from one cup to another.

That was a simple wish that even a single silver coin could grant, making it tremendously profitable for her when compared to how much she could earn.

Fuu…

Jin Ryeo drew a triangle with her fingers.

That was her ritual to commune with her djinn.

Seol furrowed his brow after seeing that.

That was also the point where he realized that Jin Ryeo, too, wasn’t ordinary.

‘She has a rather unique power…’

It was neither mana nor ki.

‘Maybe it’s karma… or chakra?”

Seol's initial assumptions were correct. Though Jin Ryeo could have hidden all traces of her power if she were as skilled as or stronger than Seol, a faint trace still lingered.

Through that, Seol was able to make guesses about her skills.

‘It’s hard, considering the variety of skills related to those powers…’

It was extremely difficult to face people who used these powers, as karma drew on the goodwill an individual had gained, while chakra used the cultivated mind as a weapon. Additionally, numerous varieties and sub-categories existed within these powers, including some that Seol had only heard about.

Despite this…

‘In the end, I still have a way to tell.’

Because her opponent was Seol… ordinary methods did not work on him either.

While Seol's ability to find the die wasn’t just a coincidence, it wasn’t just a simple skill either.

Exceptional Skill: Asura’s Sixth Sense.

It was a skill Seol could only use while in the Night Crow form. However, for some reason, a thread of that power was reaching out, enhancing his senses.

Even though Seol hadn’t created his domain, he still could instantly tell when the die had moved because of it.

‘Did awakening that skill further unlock my senses? Regardless, that might not be enough this time…’

It was clear that his opponent was about to go all out.

So it only made sense that Seol showed a bit of his powers as well.

Shift…

Seol shifted his stance, hiding his pinky in his hands.

Fwirl…

His pinky finger slowly began to turn black.

‘It was a good thing I practiced while I couldn’t use it.’

When Seol first entered the East, he was unable to summon any of his shadows.

Despite this, he worked tirelessly to recover Night Crow.

Through immense pain and rigorous training, he eventually succeeded in merging with his shadow.

Though his wrists were as far as he could go without his summons, the technique improved much more once Karuna came back.

‘After all, I can still use the skills even if only a small portion of myself is transformed.’

As a small section of Seol’s body slowly began to be enveloped in shadows, the skills only accessible to him in Night Crow form became unlocked along with it.

In other words, his Exceptional Skill was active.

Grow…

Four invisible arms formed on Seol’s back.

Whether it was the bug crawling on the floor or a bead of sweat dripping down someone’s face, Seol sensed it all.

“I’ll get started.”

Fwip, fwip, fwip!

Jin Ryeo moved quickly, almost twice as fast as before.

“Oh my god… How is she able to move like that?”

“I heard Tae Yul’s subordinates were strong, but…”

“Jin Ryeo! I expected that from you!”

Jang Du had a serious look on his face as he watched Jin Ryeo’s movements.

“It might just be shuffling around some cups, but… there’s no way I can’t respect that, hahaha!”

Jin Ryeo began to sweat as she shuffled the cups faster and faster, giving her all to completely overwhelm her opponent.

As she moved the cups so quickly that onlookers feared they might shatter, Seol gave up on trying to follow her movements with his eyes.

However, it wasn’t because he couldn’t keep up.

‘Like before, she moved the die to a cup different from the one she showed.’

That was likely her skill.

The Eyes of Foresight weren’t too useful in situations like this, and Insight would likely be too late.

‘Then that means…’

Seol had to rely on Asura’s Sixth Sense.

Fwip!

And as the cups finally stopped…

[Tendency: Shadow Theft activates.]

[Shadow Theft is affected by Exceptional Skill: Passive: Asura’s Sixth Sense.]

Seol’s black hands moved faster than light, causing even himself to flinch.

After confirming the object in his hands, he smirked.

Despite this, Jin Ryeo remained focused on the cups.

“Haah… Haah…”

She breathed heavily, her entire body moving as she tried to catch her breath.

“Haah… Now… Where is the die?”

Seol saw a few options appear in front of him.

[[Which cup is the die in?]

1. In the leftmost cup.

2. In the cup that’s second to the left.

3. The center cup.

4. In the cup that’s fourth to the left.

5. In the cup that’s fifth to the left.

……]

As Seol carefully glanced at each cup, Jin Ryeo watched him with a silver coin in her hand, ready to activate the djinn’s power at any moment.

However, using chakra multiple times in a row was a bit difficult for her, so she waited for her opponent’s answer first.

“Haha… Too hard?” laughed Jin Ryeo. “If it’s too hard for you, then…”

“I see.”

“...Hm?”

“So that’s how it works,” said Seol, rubbing his chin.

“What do you mean that…?”

Seol leaned in slightly to whisper his next words into Jin Ryeo’s ear.

“Your ability. It requires that in your hand, right?”

Flinch…

Though Jin Ryeo tried her best to stay composed, she couldn't stop her lips from twitching.

“Wh-what are you saying? What ability?”

“You’re not going to use it, right?”

No, she definitely was going to use it.

Jin Ryeo quickly looked around at the other onlookers and saw doubt growing in their eyes. Why did so many of them have to be here?

She clicked her tongue before giving a response, defeated.

“Haah… fine.”

“Do you swear it?”

“Yes, would you like me to swear to someone? Would Lord Tae Yul be enough?”

“He would be fitting, yes.”

“So? What’s your answer?”

Seol maintained his expressionless demeanor.

“The die isn’t in any of them.”

“......”

The onlookers all looked at each other with shocked eyes.

“What?”

“Seriously?”

“Really? I definitely saw her put it into the cup, though…”

“I’m turning the cups over,” said Jang Du with a serious expression on his face.

“Hold on…” Jin Ryeo stopped him before shaking her head. “You don’t need to. He’s right, the die isn’t in any of the cups.”

The onlookers began to shout.

“What? He was right?”

“What the hell? You were cheating us?!”

“Hold on, let’s get this straight! I didn’t take the die from any of the cups when I played against you all! And he was able to spot it, right?!”

“Are you being serious…”

“Fucking bullshit…”

Seol raised his hand, causing everyone around him to turn silent.

“I’ll be taking my money now.”

“Hold on,” said Jin Ryeo, looking directly at Seol. “...Let’s keep playing. You’re right, it’s in my hand. Then why don’t you guess which hand it’s—”

“Jin Ryeo,” Seol interrupted.

“Why should I go along with that?”

“You’re… right.”

“Is it that difficult to accept?”

Was it difficult to accept?

‘Ah, it was like that.’

Jin Ryeo was able to realize it then.

She was refusing to accept that she had lost to him. It was pathetic.

‘Fine. Who cares if it’s pathetic?’

She was not going to hold herself back now.

“If I lose again, I’ll double it!”

“Hm…”

“But if I win… let me hit your forehead once.”

“My… forehead?”

“Yes! I just… I just really want to hit it, please? I’ll only flick it with my finger. What do you think?”

Seol laughed while rubbing his chin.

“I’d like to do that as well.”

“...What?”

“My original prize is more than enough. I’d like to flick your forehead as well. What do you think?”

Jin Ryeo nodded in response.

“Okay!”

Immediately, a voice rang out in Jin Ryeo’s head. It was Kunna, the djinn she was contracted to.

- Hold it, Jin Ryeo.

‘Too late!’

Ignoring Kunna’s warnings, she immediately continued her wager with Seol.

“Now, which hand is the die in?”

She had already lost money, and there was nothing else stopping Jin Ryeo.

‘I’ll make it hurt like hell!’

It was purely a battle of percentages.

With Jin Ryeo not using her skill, it was a perfect fifty-fifty chance.

Or at least that was what she thought.

Smirk…

“Neither,” said Seol.

Jin Ryeo couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

‘You fell for it perfectly!’

Jin Ryeo believed that his decision-making had dulled because he was too on edge.

After all, there was no other reason he would give an answer like that.

“You can’t take back your answer, okay?!”

“Sure.”

Jin Ryeo burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha! Wrong! It’s in this…”

Her hand was empty.

Completely empty.

The die was gone.

“Ah, I must’ve messed up. It’s in this…”

It wasn’t in that hand either.

“Ah.”

Everyone’s face turned pale as if they had seen a ghost.

“Wh-what the hell?”

“Then where did it go?”

“Didn’t Jin Ryeo hide it herself?”

Jin Ryeo was shocked.

‘Wh-where did it… go…? The die…’

It definitely felt like it was in her hands before, but now she wasn’t even sure if that was true.

Had she mistaken her silver coin for the die?

It was possible. After all, the die was incredibly light, with barely any weight to it.

Maybe it fell to the floor?

Jin Ryeo looked around at the ground.

She looked absolutely pitiful.

‘Wait a second…!’

Jin Ryeo quickly turned to Seol.

“But how did you know that I didn’t have it?”

“Well, that’s because…”

Seol unfurled his hand.

“I had it.”

“......”

A chill ran down Jin Ryeo’s spine as she stared at the die in Seol’s hand.

‘When did he…?’

Shadow Theft just coincidentally activated during the small opening when Jin Ryeo reached for a silver coin.

The Shadow Hand that had been enhanced through Asura’s Sixth Sense stole Jin Ryeo’s die in that short moment.

Even this wasn’t something Seol had intended.

He was simply trying to guess where it was, his Tendency just happened to activate.

Seol chuckled as he recalled the feeling of the die suddenly appearing in his hands.

Obviously, though, Seol only claimed that the die wasn’t in Jin Ryeo’s hands after confirming twice with Asura Sixth Sense that the die he had taken was indeed the one Jin Ryeo had prepared for the match.

“Hahahahaha! Look, Jin Ryeo,” said Jang Du as he placed his meaty hand on her shoulder.

The other Dragon's Stones, who had fallen for her tricks, began to glare at her.

However, when Jang Du stepped forward, they all fell silent.

“It looks like you lost to my friend over here. And I’m sure you used similar tricks when playing against us, right?”

“That’s…”

“It’s fine! I, Jang Du, am a man who forgets what he ate for lunch when it’s dinner time! I’m sure everyone’s the same, right?”

The Dragon’s Stones all flinched before nodding along. It appeared that Jang Du had a plan.

“...You’re forgiving me?”

“Of course, of course! As long as you keep your promise.”

“Promise…?”

“Did you forget already? Get your forehead ready.”

“A-Are you going to hit me?”

“No? My friend will.”

Jang Du’s charismatic smile seemed fiendish to Jin Ryeo.

“I’m ready,” said Seol.

“I-I’m still not…”

Jin Ryeo began racking her brain.

‘Wait… this doesn’t count as part of the bet, right?’

“I’m ready now,” smiled Jin Ryeo, holding a gold coin in her hand.

With that in her hand, she felt as comfortable as she could be.

‘Kunna, you’re ready, right?’

- I will grant you any wish as long as you give me an equivalent offering.

‘I'm just trying to dodge the flick of his finger, why does he have to be so stingy…’

However, in case, Jin Ryeo grabbed a platinum coin as well.

‘I’ll make fun of you after just barely dodging your attack!’

People often did get frustrated when they weren’t able to get a clean hit.

Fwip!

Jin Ryeo flicked a platinum coin into the air with her thumb.

Fwoosh…

And as it spun, it slowly transformed into light before disappearing completely.

“Ready!”

“Then…”

Jin Ryeo had faith in Kunna.

Wooosh…

Seol’s movements seemed slow.

Almost as if time was flowing differently around him.

Kunna’s skill had activated.

‘Nice! I can dodge it!’

Seol’s middle finger unfurled, flicking toward Jin Ryeo’s forehead.

All she had to do was now dodge it.

She only had to move slightly, and…

‘Dodge it…’

But then… something strange happened.

‘...What?’

Seol’s attack was neither strong nor fast. But for some reason, she couldn’t envision herself dodging it.

- Ah, I can’t grant your wish with just this much.

‘Fuck! You should’ve told me ahead of time!’

A finger.

Seol’s finger filled Jin Ryeo’s vision. It was almost as if she was being drawn into its world, an eerie feeling.

Her body began to tremble as she began sensing a prickly feeling all over her body.

‘Fucking… finger…’

Seol’s finger flew in perfectly, almost as if they had agreed to be hit in this manner.

Eventually, his finger reached her forehead, unable to be stopped.

Flick!

It wasn’t necessarily a strong attack.

It wasn’t necessarily quick, either.

Still, it was more than enough to leave a red streak.

“You went easy on her, huh?” laughed Jang Du.

But for some reason… Jin Ryeo was reacting strangely to it.

“Argh, that fucking… finger…”

Wobble…

Jang Du quickly supported her as she lost her balance.

“The finger… finger…”

As Jin Ryeo mumbled to herself, unconscious, the Dragon’s Flowers began to walk down the stairs, the event now finished.

Seol then looked up, locking eyes with a man who had been intensely observing the entire situation.

It was Tae Yul, one of the legitimate heirs.