Chapter 140: A Bet with No Escape [2]



"How many rounds are we at?"

"Exactly 41 rounds," Dan answered.

"Is that so? Perfect for a big bet."

I pushed forward 410 chips.

The guys' eyes widened in surprise; they never expected someone to go all-in, filling the table even if they were desperate.

It was an enormous amount, one that would bankrupt anyone except me, who had exchanged 1,000 gold.

However, their shocked expressions soon turned into excited smiles.

My chances of winning were zero.

To them, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Snake Eyes, Odd Ear's gang, and even Dan seemed eager to join the gamble.

"Let's give it a shot."

"The one who chickens out loses."

"Umm, I'm nervous, but it can't be helped."

The atmosphere was electric.

The order to roll the dice started with Odd Ear, who had won money earlier. Just as Odd Ear was about to roll and moved his hand, I spoke up, my voice cold.

"Wait. Anyone who cheats in this round will lose a hand."

Despite my warning, there was no tension on their faces.

They figured, how would a mark know about cheating? And even if he did, what could someone like me do about it?

"What are you blabbering about?" Odd Ear sneered.

"Decide for yourselves whether it's nonsense or not—and roll."

Ignoring their reaction, I twisted my lips into a smile.

My gaze had already confirmed the entrance of a burly bald man quietly slipping through the back door. It was Godwin.

Exchanging a large amount of chips had been the signal. Since I was the only one to exchange 1,000 gold at once, he would have noticed right away.

"Damn, you're really playing mind games."

Odd Ear glared at me, then covered the dice with the wooden cup and was just about to roll when—

Wham!

A giant hand grabbed Odd Ear's wrist.

"Don't play games, you piece of trash."

"What the hell—!" Odd Ear turned his head, his expression vicious, but then froze.

"Huh."

Odd Ear's mouth clamped shut when he saw Godwin, a face of unmatched ferocity, with a massive build, thick bones, and tremendous muscles.

Realizing he couldn't overpower him, Odd Ear's expression stiffened under the weight of Godwin's murderous aura.

"Who... who are you?"

For the first time, respectful words slipped out of a mouth usually full of informalities—a typical bully, strong against the weak, weak against the strong.

"It's none of your business. Hey, staff!"

"If you don't want to die, get out!"

"eeek!"

Odd Ear ran out of the room, his face pale with terror.

Revenge?

He wouldn't even dare to dream of it.

"What's going on?"

Guards, sensing that something had happened, swarmed into the room.

"Oh, it's nothing. Some bastard was cheating. Right?"

I looked at the staff.

"Yes, that's right. He definitely cheated."

The staff confirmed.

One absolute rule of all gambling halls.

You must not cheat.

Of course, gambling and cheating are inseparable.

So using tricks without getting caught is not a concern.

But if you're caught, you have to take responsibility.

Just like now.

It's not for no reason that there are quite a few gamblers missing one hand.

"Just a personal sanction, so please handle it quietly, and oh, clean this up after the game is completely over."

I took out a 100 gold check from my pocket and tossed it to the guards.

"Understood, sir."

The guards nodded as if this wasn't their first time dealing with such a situation and left.

I turned my gaze back to the gambling table.

"Let's continue. It's your turn, isn't it?"

I looked at Snake Eyes with a sneering smile.

Snake Eyes, who had been so confident when he thought he was swindling me, was now sweating profusely with a pale face.

Everyone around had stopped gambling and stood up, surrounding the table in a circle, looking over at us. It wasn't every day that something more interesting than gambling happened.

It wasn't bad.

The wall of onlookers would put pressure on them.

"What are you doing? Are you deaf? It's your turn."

Thump!

I slammed the table forcefully.

Snake Eyes flinched momentarily, his eyes rolling in tension.

He probably just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.