Doubling Down

But, Linkin was confident in finding out the new sequence numbers. And there was no way a place like the Den of Everdreams would ever dream of not fixing the results in this situation. Therefore, Linkin placed himself in an ideal position!

Unfortunately for Valka and the Den of Everdreams, knowing someone was cheating and figuring out how were two separate matters.

Back on earth, major casinos did not hesitate to kick out those they deemed as cheaters, whether they had proof or not. However, a place like the Den of Everdreams was different.

Linkin still had a lot to learn about the city he was in. But, using the information he managed to get his hands on, he knew that the Den of Everdreams had one other place it competed with on a regular basis.

If word spread that the Den of Everdreams accused Linkin of cheating without any proof and kicked him out after winning a few reisai, yet did not so much as lift a finger after he lost twenty-three times in a row—their reputation would suffer, and more people were likely to visit their competition's establishment.

Before Linkin even walked into the Den of Everdreams, it had already fallen into the web he spun!

"The bet is set at 2 daisai. Please, place your bets." The new Riza-Azir announced.

The moment those words were spoken, everyone at the tatami mat excitedly placed down their Riza wooden plate. By now, they no longer needed to wait for Linkin to play first.

However, what happened next caused those at the tatami mat to frown.

"Hey, are you sure you didn't play the wrong plate?" Marsh questioned with a visible frown.

The other players at the mat were also taken aback by Linkin's choice. This was the first time since he took a seat at the mat that Linkin played Azir instead of Riza.

"Hehe, well, it's just that I'm feeling rather lucky," Linkin said as he playfully rubbed the back of his head.

As he spoke, Linkin's next actions caused the other players at the mat to boil over in rage.

Linkin reached his hands out and placed an additional fifteen daisai on the mat.

"I'd like to double down," Linkin stated with a smile.

"Double down?! What the hell do you think you're doing so suddenly?!"—is what Marsh wanted to scream at the top of his lungs; however, he had already caused a scene earlier and did not want to risk getting kicked out of the Den of Everdreams.

After all, if one were kicked out in the middle of a game, they wouldn't even get the money they bet returned to them!

However, Marsh was not the only one who wanted to yell at Linkin and secretly cursed him under their breath. The other players at the mat were also visibly angered by Linkin's decision.

In Riza-Azir, if one person had a plate different from everyone else's at the mat, they could do something called doubling down.

The person who doubled down had to place down 1.5 times their original bet per person. In this case, that was a price tag of 3 daisai per player. This meant that Linkin had to put up a total of 1 reisai and 5 daisai!

Additionally, when doubling down, if Linkin ended up losing the bet, each player would receive 2 daisai while the remainder went to the Den of Everdreams. In other words, they would not have to split the winnings evenly with the Den of Everdreams, but rather three ways, in which they received two parts of three.

But, as with all things when it came to gambling, there was a catch.

The other players did not have to place down 3 daisai, but only 2 daisai. They could also refuse to accept Linkin's double down play. However, should they refuse, while they would no longer be required to pay the additional 2 daisai, the player in question would have to automatically forfeit the round without even seeing the results!

"Esteemed guests, if you do not accept the double down within the next five seconds, I will be forced to assume you are forfeiting the round," Valka warned.

"...Screw it! Let's see how much longer this guy's luck can last...!" Marsh growled as he placed down another 2 daisai.

"Yeah, I won't complain about winning two more daisai!" Ura commented as he, too, placed down 2 daisai.

The other three players quickly followed suit. They were well aware that when someone like Valka said five seconds, if they waited even a moment later, it would be their loss.

"I will begin." The Riza-Azir Dealer said as he placed the dice into the cup.

At the same time, Linkin could feel multiple death stares aimed at him. However, he paid them no mind and grinned happily on the inside.

'Hey, what's with those death stares you're giving me? I'm just claiming what's rightfully mine and returning a piece of what I've taken to soothe the beast a bit. Why are you guys looking at me like I'm some sort of villain?'