Bab 38: Gamblers Nightmare
The rugged man stared at me, his scowl deepening before he leaned closer to inspect the supreme soul shard I'd placed on the table.
His eyes widened, and he staggered back, cursing under his breath. The other players murmured amongst themselves, their curiosity piqued. One of them, trembling, leaned forward and gasped.
"Is... Is that a Transcendent soul shard?!"
I huffed, a bit offended. "A transcendent soul shard? Of course not. It's supreme. Now, can I play or not?"
The tension at the table escalated as the men exchanged nervous glances.
The one in black plate armor leaned in to whisper something to a younger man beside him. The younger man paled, grabbed his two shards, and hurried off with a panicked expression.
[Attach a shadow to him] I transmitted.
Sunny agreed, and within moments, Gloomy slipped into the young man's shadow unnoticed.
Taking my seat next to the man in black armor, I noticed the other players quietly pocketing their remaining shards.
The game in progress was immediately reset, the supreme shard causing enough disruption to restart the betting. With my supreme shard counting as at least twenty, the pot grew quickly.
The man in black armor placed ten shards of his own into the pile, his eyes never leaving me, while the others, with fewer shards, contributed what they could.
The stakes had just gotten real.
Regis snickered in the back of my mind.
>>Look at that, they're sweating bullets.<<
[Good,] I replied with a smirk hidden behind my mask. [Let's see how they handle the pressure.]
The game began, unfamiliar in its rules, but with [Promised Victory] guiding me, it hardly mattered. I felt the steps unravel in my mind, each action precise and inevitable.
The first hand was just a warm-up—a simple victory, nothing to draw too much attention. By the third hand, though, I had already won a few shards from each of them.
The man in black armor, despite his composure, was starting to crack. His once-confident smile was now tight, and his hands moved a little too stiffly. He had underestimated me, and I could feel his growing unease.
As the next hand was dealt, Sunny's voice echoed in my mind.
(Watch out, the man in black armor is trying to cheat.)
[Oh, I'm aware.] I smiled behind my mask. [Not like it matters. I'm going to win regardless. He might as well just take cards directly from the deck.]
My ability adapted instantly, revealing the steps I needed to counter his cheating. I raised the stakes, throwing in my supreme soul shard once more. The others folded immediately, unwilling to risk more than they already had.
The man, visibly nervous, hesitated before pushing in his last remaining shard. The pile now held more than twenty soul shards, and this would be the final round—winner takes all.
(That kid who ran off is talking to one of the guards.) Sunny's voice had a worried edge to it.
[Tch, little snitch. Let's finish this, quickly. I'd rather not have to kill some scrawny goons.]
With [Promised Victory] guiding me, even though the game had rules far more complex than any blackjack I knew, I remained completely confident.
Using [Antithesis], I covertly switched out my bad cards for the good ones I had prepared earlier, slipping them into place without a single soul noticing.
As the final cards were revealed, the man in black armor grinned, revealing a queen of hearts and an ace of spades.
"I think that's my win" he said smugly, standing up and reaching for the pile. "You were a bit too pompous, kid. I hope you learn not to walk around like you own the castle."
Without missing a beat, I revealed my hand: two aces. His smug grin faltered, and his jaw dropped as the other players gasped in disbelief.
"You're mistaken, friend." I said, standing lazily and sweeping the soul shards into my pockets. The shards clinked softly as I stored them away. The man's face reddened with anger.
"You cheated!" he bellowed, causing several nearby patrons to glance over from where they had been watching Kai's performance.
I chuckled under my breath. "You cheated first." I turned my back on him, feigning disinterest. "But it seems fate was on my side… for once, at least."
Furious, the man lunged at me, grabbing for my shoulder. But I had already predicted his move. I spun out of his reach and in one swift motion, pressed the edge of a joker card to his throat.
The amused smile he had moments ago vanished as a thin line of blood trickled from the cut.
He stumbled back, clutching his throat, gasping for air. It was a shallow wound, just enough to send a clear message.
(You better get out of there. Reinforcements are on the way. Just a minute till they arrive.) Sunny warned.
I nodded, turning toward the wall. Kai had already stopped playing his music, and the attention of the room was on me.
Using [Hachi], I cut a shallow hole in the wall and activated [Impossible Thief], slipping through the crack and escaping outside.
Unfortunately, I hadn't accounted for the fact that the lounge was higher up than I'd anticipated.
(YOU IDIOT!) Sunny screamed as I began plummeting toward the cold, hard ground.
In a panic, I quickly activated [Cutting Dominion], slicing through the wall to slow my descent. Finally, I managed to stop my fall, catching myself on the side of the building with my exoskeleton-enhanced arm.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I clung to the wall.
>>For what it's worth, I'd consider this a success.<< Regis mused.
[Haha, maybe I won't feed you these soul shards after all, you damn mutt.]
>>I'M A WOLF, DAMMIT!<<
(Damn you both.) Sunny muttered, clearly exasperated.
For a brief moment, Sunny took control, looking down with discomfort. He clearly wasn't thrilled about trying to navigate our way down safely.
Knowing that he hated not being in control lately i sighed.
[Okay, okay, I messed up. But give me back control, and I'll get us down safely. We still need to buy that memory no matter what anyway.]
(Fine. But after this, I want control back. You've had it for far too long.)
I agreed, and Sunny reluctantly let me take over. Activating [Distant Stalking], I watched Kai walking through the halls, exhausted but still looking annoyingly charming.
Clicking my tongue, I began to carefully climb down, using [Grafting] to reassemble my torn gloves.
Once I reached the ground, I concealed myself and used [Antithesis] to switch places with an old, weathered chair inside the lounge. Now hidden, I quickly exited and made my way to a quiet spot.
Spreading my hands, I activated [Worms of Spirit]. Multiple worms slithered out from the exoskeleton, filling the empty spaces and spilling to the ground.
The exoskeleton moved with the power of grafting.
Satisfied, I refined my clothing to cover the exoskeleton fully, making sure I looked inconspicuous.
Pleased with my handiwork.
On the ground the hundred and fifteen worms slithered around and went in diffrent directions, exiting my hiding spot i went tailed Kai.
Next Chapter: Memory Market
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone