Chapter 48: (1)
I Suppose There Was Time I Was Once Referred To As Such
The young man Tobys first turn after the game resumed. The card he drew from the deck was.
Straight flush.
What?!
General Red couldnt help but exclaim in surprise. At the same time, the crowds around him also broke into cheers. Tobys remaining single point was restored to 13 at once. While he hadnt stepped out of the range of single royal flush death yet, for the time being, it could be said that hed moved onto a safety zone.
(The tide has turned, huh well fine, the next time the tide leans on my side again, Ill be sure to finish him off.)
Hed gotten heated up from the exchanges from earlier, but now that things had turned out this way, General Red finally came to his senses. He then took a look at his opponent once again.
(The air around Toby is changing. Fufufu, interesting. Looks like for the first time in a long time, Ill be able to enjoy a game.)
Toby was in a daze. As the critical situation he had been in had vanished so abruptly. Still in a daze, he turned his gaze toward the man next to him. That man was the mastermind who had called forth the big hand, the straight flush.
Whats with that dumb look on your face? The game has only just begun. Come on, pull yourself together.
Truly an appearance overflowing with reliability. Toby obediently followed the instruction from the man who called himself Tanaka.
Looks like you dont understand what a game is. Id like to hammer down the basics of games into you, but now isnt the time for that, after all. So for the time being Im going to teach you the bare minimum. Listen well. First of all, dont ever forget to keep your cool. Maintaining you cool doesnt necessarily guarantee your victory, but losing your cool guarantees your defeat, so bear that in mind.
(What is it? A seemingly expressionless face and gesture at a glance However, I can tell for sure. The Generals mind is wavering Is he being overwhelmed by something?)
And then, the point of Generals sight. At its end was the man next to him. There, like a boulder. With his arms crossed, grandly stood a man who was showing a smile as though he had seen through anything and everything. Even with his awakened perceptions, Toby failed to see through the thought of the man.
(Is he putting pressure on General Red? How in the world is he doing that? I dont know. The only thing I know for sure is that hes standing on an even higher plane than this sensation Im currently feeling.)
And then he realized. The fact that this man was the one who had elevated him to such heights. The fact the man had given him such an irreplaceable chance. Toby was ashamed of himself for almost letting this sense of omnipotence get the better of him.
(What crap was I thinking about? Theres no guarantee that this feeling will last forever! I mustnt waste this chance Ive been given! I have to win. Im going to win this game and live!)
Toby moved forward. Toward the thorny path that lay ahead of him. Believing that there was light beyond it
Full House.
The guests around them stirred. With this, Toby had taken his points back consecutively for the sixth time. Currently, General Red was still at the advantage with 36 to 24, but for being pushed back from the brink of a complete victory to this point. As expected, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
( a master No, a monster.)
The young man, who could do nothing but get one-sidedly trampled down until just a moment ago, was now fighting him back. It could be said to be an equal fight now. No, this time, it was him that was being one-sidedly trampled down instead. That was just how powerful the young mans momentum was.
However, it was merely a matter of the tide being leaning toward his opponent at the moment. Should the time come, hed for sure wrestle over the control once again. General Red still had enough composure to think as such. Something on this level was unworthy to refer to the young man as a monster. So, why did the thought cross his mind earlier? The existence next to his opponent. It was due to none other than the presence of the man who was standing there.
The one who had turned the inexperienced young man in front of him into a valiant fighter. A man who didnt step onto the playing field itself, and yet capable of overwhelming General Red from the domain beyond.
(I never thought such a monster existed. However, Im also a man who has clashed against countless gamblers in this city. Im not one to simply lie down when beaten down!)