Under the pressure

Blade, my slave looked at me with regretful fear as he lost the money I gave him for safe keeping after betting it to an arrogant man next to us who was dressed like a noble.

The man was old somewhere around his 50s and although it didn't look obvious I saw that his much higher status than what he shows seeing as he wore a pendant that at first glance looked cheap and unpressive but is actually a relic from the first era of civilization of this country. Had I not read that book from that son of a bitch scholar I would have never noticed.

The man stroked his long grey beard as he looked down on Blade as if he was the one balding and old like him but what annoyed me more is the fact that after winning 10,000 quil he still stayed for more. This man is wealthy and intelligent but arrogant beyond compare and I can use that against him.

"Oh it seems a dear customer has taken all our fund, what am I to do now"

I scratched my head seeming distressed but the old man only looked at me with the same condescending eyes and smirked.

"It seems your slave here lost despite being the one who knows the cheat of this game"

Then the crowd gathering started to murmur. All that I have spent, all my time developing this ploy has now been destroyed by a man in half a day, firstly by informing everyone that Blade is a slave the dealer of my game just lost its credibility as no one trusts or even sees slaves as human, just like how you wouldn't want a monkey dealing your cards in a poker game, people who wanted to play started leaving one by one because of his second statement that my game is rigged, pretty soon people will notice how not a single one of them won their losses and all I gave for developing my name and system is utterly destroyed now that no one wants to play anymore.

I couldn't hide my anger as the collar I have been holding was crushed in my hands. Blade looked at me apologetically as he braced himself for a beating. I just pat his head in consolation and walked passed him knowing its not his fault and how its unfair to blame him for it as I was the one who ordered him to act as the way he did which cost us everything.

"Well you got me, how about we have one more game then? Seeing as you know the trick after all"

"Ho? And why would I do that? I have destroyed your credibility and exposed your game! The trick is to always make sure you stack here"

He pointed in the line of 4 coins. Wait I see a flaw! He wasn't using arithmetic but logic itself, he doesn't see the coins as numbers but simply coins, There is still hope.

"Well now its no good to lie good sir, how about I prove to you I don't cheat then? And for the sake of my friend Blade I would advise you don't call him a slave, if he was my slave he would follow my commands wouldn't he? Blade kneel down to me!"

Blade stayed standing looking dumbfounded as if an old friend just suddenly told him to fall down. Seeing this the old man was stunned but he did so very subtly so most people wouldn't notice but I however have mastered reading people's expressions, the slight movement of the brows, the change in blinking pace, the surprised movement of the lips, I see it all.

"How about it sir?"

I challenged again and now the crowd started to increase as people still held on to the hope that my game is safe and not a trick.

He calmed himself down and stroked his beard.

"Very well"

"However how about I raise the ante, if I win you give back all your winnings and never play again but if you do me, Blade and even Claudia here becomes your slave"

"I—"

He tried to refuse and play on normal terms but I cut him off.

"Of course if you don't want to play you can just apologise to me for calling my game a scam and to Blade for besmirching his name"

Now I have locked your escape, due to this old man's arrogance he will never apologise to a me who he looks down on and if he just leaves then his main objective which was to destroy my game will be lost as he will just seem like an liar. This man is not in it for the money, his objective is to destroy me. But why?

"I accept"

The crowd cheered as a battle of wits has started with me and this old man.

"I have to raise this stack a little bit higher since our bets have also been raised so how about we stock till here"

I then put a line to the number reaching 100 but to the rest it just seems like I randomly put a line in a higher place. I was actually planning on making 100 the new stack place to rise the winnings but its a good thing I didn't until now as this old man will still not know.

The old man started sweating as he put the first stack of coins.

Old man: 4

Me: 2

=6

Old man:4

Me:3

=13

Old man: 1

Me:5

=19

Old man: 5

Me: 2

=26

"This is getting kind of slow how about we rise the possible bet up to 10 coins?"

I paused and said.

The crowd nodded in agreement and the old man wanting to be the crowd favorite agreed. His mission is to make me look bad while at the same time winning as he always takes the 4s which he marked in his mind.

Old man: 8

Me: 1

= 35

Old man: 9

Me: 10

=54

Old man: 10

Me :10

= 74

Old man : 10

Me: 1

= 85

Nobody knows it yet but this is the crucial point. If he makes any move other than 5 above I will lose and its a 5 in 10 chance of him losing which had he done the math he will know but he is still stuck at the idea that 4 wins.

He was about to stack a nine until he saw the line and stopped for a moment to think. He looked at me and came to a similar conclusion as smiling he inserted 4 quils

Old man: 4

=89…

I underestimated the enemy. Even more so his calculation of events without needing basic arithmetic. In just a minute he estimated 380 possible outcomes.

The old man laughed as it was now my turn knowing that any move I would make now would ultimately lead to my defeat.

So I calmly put a one and accepted my fate in surrender.

Me:1

=90

The old man the arrogantly placed the coins one by one building up the crowd's suspense of who will win

1....2…3…4—

But something happened as he put the fourth coin and he stopped. He started sweating heavily as he just couldn't let go.

The crowd grew tireless as the old man kept stalling and cheered him on to make the next move.

Confused and flustered the old man looked at me as if asking "what did you do?" as he slowly let go and the whole stack collapsed and the crowd was filled with different reactions. Some cheering merrily as a victor has emerged while some disappointed that they were not able to know who would have actually won.

The old man grudgingly returned my 10,000 quil still trying to understand how I cheated and knew he would make the whole stack collapse.

I sigh in exhaustion as from behind the scenes Claudia collected the rewards from betting with the audience as I commanded her before to start betting when crowds gather to a game where I played.

That's an additional 10,000 silver coins, I can't help but smile.

Since many believed that the old man was much smarter than me instead of trying to prove them wrong I just took advantage of that and took their money, they'll know I'm better regardless.

"Well well, it seems you've been too busy playing to remember your debt my dear little Gordy"

Shit! I forgot about the loan shark! I've been distracted by the old man that I forgot to gather my belongings damn.

The loan shark then went through my belongings and chuckled.

"Well you know the agreement right? Guards take him away"

Two armed men then grabbed me and as Blade and Claudia tried to stop them in one flick of a finger everyone fell silent.

The old man then came walking towards me and said.

"One more game"

The loan shark interjected.

"The hell you thinking you old man?! Do you not know who I am?"

The old man then took of his white cloth cap and revealed his face along with a crown of mist floating from above him.

Upon seeing this the loan shark's face went white as he quickly bowed to the ground and so did everyone else in the ground.

It took a while for my memory to remember him and this man is Rexcarius Valhalien. The king of our country Cebunilla.