webnovel

Shadow's Hand

Author: Idczhen
Fantasy
Ongoing · 4.4K Views
  • 15 Chs
    Content
  • ratings
  • NO.200+
    SUPPORT
Synopsis

After playing a variation of the poker game, Shadow’s Hand, Damien Pearce unexpectedly awakened in an unfamiliar world. Stripped of all kinds of information in the world he was thrown into, Damien now had to navigate it through wits and guts. Amidst his search for information, he discovered that he seemed to be a part of the world as a Transcendent Investigator, otherwise known as TI. The TI seemed fearful and revered among the people in this world. They were responsible for catching Transcendent(s) who misused their power. But was that the reason for his transfer? “Do I or do I not belong in this world?” Damien questioned his presence constantly.

Tags
10 tags
Chapter 1Shadow’s Hand

It was common knowledge that a deck of cards had 52 cards. 

There were 4 types of suits: Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts, and Spades. Each suit comprised 13 ranks, going from Ace to 10, followed by Jack, Queen, and King. 

And within a poker table, each player was dealt two cards with the dealer showing 5 different types of cards on the table. 

The goal of a poker game was to get the best hand utilizing the two cards that were dealt to the player's hand. 

At the moment, the board already had 5 cards revealed on the board: Spades of 9, 10, J, Q, and a Diamond 2. 

The chance of getting a straight flush was quite high and a chance of a royal straight flush was also on the board. 

"Hey, staller, are you done with your nonsense already?" Suddenly, a bearded man with fancy accessories clad all around him shouted in an annoyed tone. 

"You kept rambling on a deck of cards here and there, but not making a move. I'll call the floor to have you kicked out for stalling!" He continued. 

Amidst the threat, the dealer who sat at the center of the poker table had no choice but to intervene as well.

"Mister Damien Pearce, please make your move within 30 seconds." The dealer turned to the left side and warned the suited man. 

The suited man's hair was black, with a pair of glasses. He was rather composed and exuded an aura of confidence despite being warned. 

"Ah, it appears that Mister Howie is afraid that I might back out from the hand and wanted to warn me not to fold." Damien chuckled. 

His eyes gazed at the bearded man, otherwise known as Howie, a filthy rich trader. 

"Hmph, so you're going to fold after talking big earlier?" Howie rolled his eyes with an unamused expression. "And here I thought I actually got to enjoy some fun. But it's just another person who talks big but has nothing to back it up."

"Haha, there's no need for provocation. I've said all those to warn you that the pot is already 500,000 dollars and I still have a remaining 2 million dollars. It's not wise for you to lose more to me." Damien shook his head and pushed all his remaining chips.

"I bet all in." He then said and flashed a grin.

However, the moment he called all in, Howie suddenly slammed his palm on the table. 

He wasn't infuriated or anything, but rather, he was exhilarated.

"Hahaha, that's why youngsters like you, who don't understand the world, should stay home and drink milk!" Howie snickered.

"Now I may not have an Ace of Spades, but I do have this lovely card to complete the highest straight flush." He then revealed one of his hidden cards: the spades of King. 

After saying his piece, Howie easily pushed all his chips on the table without hesitation. Victory was his. 

With him holding the King of Spades, it effectively combined with the Spades of 9, 10, J, and Q for a straight flush. Additionally, there was no way for his opponent to have a better hand that could beat him. 

Quads can't beat a straight flush, and by the off chance, Damien got the 8 of Spades, it would still be a weaker straight flush. 

"The winner is…" With that in mind, the dealer was about to announce the winner of this hand to be Howie, until he was interrupted.

"Hold up," Damien raised his hand and stopped the dealer from being too hasty with his action. 

"Huh? What kind of crap are you trying to pull?" Howie raised an eyebrow, and almost immediately, two men dressed in black suits behind him were ready to pull their guns out to point at Damien. 

"If you want to back up now, then you must be joking." He warned solemnly. 

"No, why would I back up?" Unfazed by the atmosphere, Damien curled his lips upward. "It's just that Mister Howie's age is probably affecting his memory. You forgot that the game we play isn't regular poker, but a game of Shadow's Hand." 

Initially confused, Howie thought the man had gone insane and was spouting nonsense to not lose his wealth. However, his eyes then widened when he witnessed Damien flipping his card over. 

The first card revealed was a Joker. 

"Huh… What's going on?" Feeling nervous, Howie's expression turned ugly with the second revelation.

It was as if time had slowed down immensely when Damien flipped over a second Joker.

The dealer became stunned and astonished by the hand. 

"D-Double Joker…" He stuttered, their mouth left agape. "M-Mister Damien had won this hand with a Royal Straight Flush!" 

"Impossible!" Instantly, Howie slammed his palm once again. Except this time, he wasn't exhilarated, but rather enraged. 

With two Jokers in hand, that was essentially guaranteed the highest winning combination no matter what was shown on the board. 

And just like that, Damien's hand was essentially an Ace of Spades and King of Spades. 

Meanwhile, Damien casually stood up, fixed his tie, and smiled lightly. 

"That's why I was telling you the information from earlier, Mister Howie. A deck of cards has 52 cards, but not in Shadow's Hand, where Jokers are in the play." He said. 

Howie bit his lips tightly in frustration. 

The chances of someone being dealt two Jokers in one hand were even lower than the chance of getting a Royal Straight Flush. He couldn't have known that his beliefs and confidence in holding the trump King of Spades would be his undoing. 

"Thank you for your money, Mister Howie. I'll gladly use them with care." Damien mused and walked away.

Sometime later, he exchanged the chips for money and rushed toward the restroom. He went to one of the stalls and locked the door. There, he began changing his outfit, as well as trashing his glasses and tearing off a face mask. 

'Heh, that old man is probably raging and ready to retaliate. The mission is quite successful.' Damien thought. 

After a swift transformation, he now appeared like a completely different person and exited the casino through the front door while carrying a black briefcase filled with cash. 

The nighttime was dark and it was raining heavily, but there were many men in black running amok. 

They each had an earpiece and were communicating. Soon, they dashed away to the backdoor area, almost as if they were trying to chase after someone. 

He remained completely nonchalant and walked away at a steady pace. Even when some of the men in black brushed past him, none of them suspected anything.

'Villains all have one thing in mind and that they believe everyone is sneaky like them.' Damien knew Howie would play dirty in the end and would get his people to snatch his money back.

However, Howie would never anticipate that not only was he unafraid of the retaliation. He was also bossy enough to walk through the front door like nothing ever happened. The more nonchalant and relaxed he looked, the more the people Howie hired would ignore him.

Why was that?

The suspicious one feared being caught, but the confident or innocent one never feared being caught. Such a common mindset was relatively easy to think about, but people just tend to overthink and believe there were many big-brain actions involved. 

Ignoring the rain pouring down on him, drenching his new suits and hair, Damien went to the street, ignoring all the cameras. 

The cameras might be capturing his face, but his face was already a different one from what Howie recognized. 

As he turned to the hidden alley, ready to use the underground tunnel to flee the scene, something shiny and shimmering caught his attention. 

"What's that?" Damien was intrigued, but rationality told him otherwise to not check what it was. Thus, he decided to ignore it, but never did he anticipate the shiny object would suddenly fly to him. 

Alarmed, Damien hurriedly tried to dodge, but to no avail. 

As the shiny object changed its trajectory to follow through his sudden shift of movement, Damien was able to take a glimpse of it.

'A card-shaped?' He was confused by the situation. 

Unfortunately, there was not much else to comprehend when the shiny object penetrated him and integrated itself into his body, and for a moment, nothing special happened.

"Eh, did I hallucinate after drinking some wine?" 

He quickly checked his body and vision to ensure everything was alright. 'A card penetrated me but nothing happened? Was I that paranoid?' 

But in the next second, he felt a sudden thump near his chest. His eyes started to bleed and soon, he found his strength leaving him. 

His consciousness was drifting away, and before he lost his vision completely, he saw a Joker laughing. 

"A Joker laughing at me? Who is pulling such a prank?" He murmured, feeling an intense heat that threatened to consume him whole. The heat forced him to be unable to think or see anything further. 

'I was so careful though.' Filled with regrets, Damien fainted on the spot. Heavy rain continuously poured down on him. 

You May Also Like

SSS Ranked Transmigration: Taming Beauties and The Beasts!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the 9-Tailed Heavenly Demon Fox Bloodline.] The Celestial Fox Deity: "Little Ancestor, our geniuses are struggling to advance their bloodlines. Could you spare just a small drop of your diluted blood?" … Cain wakes up only to find himself transmigrated into a novel that he had read a few years before his death. In this new fantasy realm where the strong are respected and the weak are trampled, Cain awakens his “Unique SSS-Ranked Primordial Beast Master Talent” before an error happens and merged with “Extra’s Harem Gacha System” which can help him become stronger by having sex with powerful women, including those summoned from the system’s Summon Pool. [Ding! You have shared an intimate moment with the Goddess of Light] [Ding! You have received …% of her stats attributes] [Ding! You have increased her stats attributes by …%] After merging his talent with the system, he can also contract and evolve powerful beasts, instantly upgrading their ranks using Evolution Points. With the ability to convert money into Evolution Points, Cain decides to build his own force, amass wealth, and take full advantage of the system’s potential to rise above all. [Ding! Do you want to refine the Ice Dragon’s Evolution Pill?] [Ding! Do you want to refine the medicine liquid of God's rank?] [Ding! Do you want to refine the Godbreaker sword of the God’s rank?] … --------------------------------------------------------- [WebNovel Rising Star II Entry] ALL SUPPORT is appreciated. Don't hesitate to add it to your library and give Power Stones!!

Ash_Mira · Fantasy
4.7
155 Chs

Earth's Greatest Magus

#Top 20 Webnovel Best Sellers 2021, 2022, 2023, and in 2024 #### History is said to be written by the victors. If so, how about Earth's history? Two millennia ago, a young boy named Emery met a tragic fate. In his final moments, he was transmigrated and accepted into the Universe's most prestigious school of magic. “You are among the chosen few from thousands of human worlds. Whether you seize this opportunity or not, is up to you. You are at Magus Academy, the pinnacle of humanity's ingenuity. Magic, science, and might are all within reach for those who dare to pursue them." [Scan complete - Quadruple affinity. Water, Earth, Plant, and Darkness.] "A quadruple acolyte! Only one in tens of thousands of acolytes possess this!" Thus began Emery’s journey together with his 4 friends from the furthest corner of Earth. Each year they returned to Earth to grow, seek revenge, save the princess, conquer the world, and become Earth's Greatest Magus. Their names are still etched in our history books to this day. Authors Note: I have always been fascinated by writing fantasy relating to historical facts. In this story, you will find characters inspired by real-world myth and legend. The universe I created hopefully will make the reader's imagination excited and logically plausible. I hope you enjoy it. ### Here are some key aspects you'll encounter: MC: The protagonist follows the classic weak-to-strong arc. World: Picture a blend of Harry Potter and Star Wars. System: While it's primarily a magic-based story, there's a structured system in place that's easy to follow. Additionally, elements of cultivation. Harem: No, there are several female interests. But I enjoy romance first. So even if there will be more than one love interest it will be deep. Note: English is not my first language, but you'll notice that my writing and English skills gradually improve throughout the chapters. Other: The novel delves into deep research on science and history, enriching the storyline with factual and intriguing details. Give it a read—you might be pleasantly surprised by what unfolds. Check Out the Video Trailer on youtube type "Earth's Greatest Magus"

Avan · Fantasy
4.5
2512 Chs

Strongest Mage with the Lust system

[ Warning: Mature content R-18 ] Is death a new begining? For Max, it was. Max, a twenty-year-old virgin, got attacked by a bear in forest and died an untimely death. Fortunately for him... that wasn't the end to his story. In the next instant, he found himself transmigrated into the body of a noble's youngest son in a world full of Magic, wonders and... beautiful women. As if God was making up for his untimely death, he also got a system -The Lust System. "I can become stronger just by having sex?" Join the journey of Max and watch he have the time of his life and become the strongest mage the world had ever seen before. ______________________________ [Things to be noted] 1. From the title, you should've guessed it already but let me tell you the story will be filled with many sexual adventures. So... you are welcome to enjoy them..... 2. However... don't expect MC to have sexual relations with every woman he meets. I'll be focusing on the story, and would 'Try' not to blindly throw sex scenes left and right. 3. Most importantly, this is my first time writing so the the quality of first 50 or so may be a bit lacking (But it would cause you no problem if a few minor errors don't bother you). 4. It is a slow paced story. If you want everything to be explosive and fast, maybe this isn't for you. Important Note: If you enjoy the story then don't forget to vote your GTs, Power stones and also if you can, send some GIFTS too. This poor soul would appreciate it. Also check out My other work: [ Rise of the Strongest War God ] & [ My perverted devil system ] Happy reading~ ________________

Blizzard54k · Fantasy
4.5
767 Chs

ratings

  • Overall Rate
  • Writing Quality
  • Updating Stability
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • world background
Reviews
WoW! You would be the first reviewer if you leave your reviews right now!

SUPPORT