“What just happened?” Kaelyn asked as Beric lifted the cup and revealed the gold coin.

  It was a simple question, but it weighed heavily in the mind of every stunned spectator in the tavern.

  And perhaps the answer was just as simple.

  Beric had just won the gold coin for four points. A profit of only one, sure, but that wasn’t the part that sent ripples through the crowd. With the gold coin removed from play entirely, Tao losing it meant the worst-case scenario, him snatching it for free through his skillful deception, was gone. In a game like this, that shift alone tilted the board in favor of Beric.

  But the cause of this confusion was the process of how things had reached this point.

  “He really went all in?” Zachary muttered, staring at Beric like he’d grown a second head. “And it worked?”

  “No.” Nyra shook her head sharply. “Something doesn’t add up. Tao was the one who picked the cup first. He saw that it was the gold coin. And he still let Beric take it from him? Why?”

  “Did Beric so-somehow predict Tao would pick the g-gold coin first?” Corven added. “That’s the only thing that wou-would explain why he was willing to push to four points.”

  “Was the path shown bright enough for him to follow?” Noll murmured cryptically.

  One truth was becoming impossible to ignore: Beric had known Tao picked the gold coin.

  Tao was cheating. That was confirmed.

  But how did Beric know?

  “It has to do with this childish act of his,” Mayern said while studying Beric closely.

  “Childish act?” Nyra echoed.

  “Hey, Malo,” Mayern said suddenly.

  “Hm?” Malo replied, still chewing.

  “This isn’t how Beric normally acts, is it? Even when we first met, back there at the table, he wasn’t this-” He hesitated, searching for the right word.

  “Normal?” Malo supplied while licking sauce off his fingers.

  “Yeah. That.”

  Malo swallowed, then nodded. “Beric wasn’t like this before. Not when I fought him either."

  “Then why is he—?”

  “Hey, what’s up with this rubbish?!” a nearby spectator suddenly yelled, his voice sharp with anger. “How are you already losing to this kid?!”

  Malo winced at the familiarity of the complaint. “Relax—”

  The irate man slammed his cup on the ground, liquid splashing out. “I lost hundreds of coins to you in this stupid game, and now you want to lose to some random kid?!”

  Malo gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “How about we stop and take a deep breath—”

  The angry man knocked his hand away with a sloppy, drunken swipe. “Get your hand off me!” His unfocused glare made it obvious he had no idea who he was talking to. “It’s just like that stupid match with that disappointment Malo!”

  “Okay, how about we—” Zachary began, sensing that things were about to go very, very wrong.

  “All that money gone because he wanted to get whooped by some brat!” the man continued, voice rising. “Honestly, what a load of crap! Do you know how much he’s been praised for being strong? All those rumors and stories? So what?! None of it matters when he loses to some no-name kid!”

  Zachary opened his mouth again, but instinctively stepped back as Malo took a single slow step forward.

  “Now that I’ve got a good look at you,” the man slurred, leaning closer, “Aren’t you—”

  He never finished.

  Malo simply lifted his hand and flicked the man’s forehead. A soft tap, the kind of effortless flick anyone else might use to tease a friend.

  But even if the effort was the same, the results weren’t restricted to that same effect.

  The man’s head snapped back as if struck by a hammer, his entire body stiffening before he collapsed onto the ground, instantly slipping into a deep, unconscious sleep.

  Zachary let out a low whistle. “Woah. Nice control.”

  Malo shrugged, as if it were barely worth noting. “I’ve been working on that.”

  As the two made their way back toward the group, Zachary realized his hands were trembling slightly. He tried to hide it, but the fear ran deeper than he expected.

  Seeing Malo knock out a grown man with nothing but a casual flick, Zachary, along with the other spectators, were reminded of the kind of strength that was known to overwhelm.

  And yet, that same terrifying strength had lost to the small child sitting in the chair ahead of them.

  Zachary couldn’t help but laugh under his breath.

  Such strength, the kind so many believed impossible, was exactly why fighters across the world dreaded facing Malo in tournaments like the one they had competed in. Even if Malo had lost to Beric, it didn’t mean he’d grown weak.

  If anything, it only showed him what he lacked.

  Control.

  And now, he was finally focusing on it.

  The thought made Zachary shiver.

  “So, it’s this act." Kaelyn noted, snapping Zachary back to the present. “This ‘naive’ act is what led to all this? But how?”

  “I don’t know,” Mayern admitted. “Maybe it made-”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “You’re on the right track.” A male voice drifted from behind them.

  Everyone turned to see Jain approaching with a confident smile, Cedric still eating as he walked beside him, and Merilda on the opposite side with her arms crossed and her perpetual frown firmly in place.

  “Bro?” Malo blinked. “Why are you here?”

  Jain smacked Malo’s back hard enough to make him lean forward. “How could I miss one of Tao’s infamous games?”

  A brief flurry of greetings followed: quick handshakes, a crisp high-five between Zachary and Jain, and a handful of exchanged memories, playful teasing, and praises about how much everyone had grown since the last tournament and their previous reunion.

  “So,” Mayern said once the small chaos faded, “what did you mean earlier? I was on the right track?”

  Jain raised an eyebrow. “Think about it. You’re right that the act was the cause. But how did the effect of that act lead to Tao choosing and giving up the gold coin?”

  “The effect?” Mayern repeated, looking at Cedric and Merilda like they might toss him a hint.

  “Don’t look at us,” Cedric said through obnoxiously loud chewing. “We’re not the smart ones.”

  “We’re?” Merilda side-eyed him sharply. “Why did you say we?”

  “We is the word for when two or more people are named,” Cedric replied. “Since you questioned that, there’s your answer.”

  “You—”

  “Knock it off,” Jain said, lightly bonking both of their heads. “Oh, and don’t forget, you owe me.” He grabbed a handful of whatever was in Cedric’s bowl without hesitation.

  “Come on, man.” Cedric groaned.

  Before any further bickering could escalate, Adam’s voice boomed across the tavern, announcing the start of the second cup.

  “Wait, I still don’t know what happened,” Mayern said as frustration crept in.

  “Ah, don’t worry about it,” Jain replied cheerfully. “You’ll just have to figure it out as things go.”

  Mayern wasn’t thrilled by that answer. While confusion and being left in the dark were familiar to him, it didn't mean that he had become comfortable with them. Regardless, he let out a slow exhale as the now-larger group settled into silence, everyone turning their attention back to the unfolding game.

  “Hey, sis?” Nyra asked quietly.

  “Yes?”

  “Did you really challenge Beric to a duel?” Nyra asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

  Merilda said nothing.

  “Did you?” Nyra pressed.

  Merilda cleared her throat, gaze shifting anywhere but toward her sister. “I am feeling quite famished. Perhaps I should—”

  “Merilda.”

  Merilda still wouldn’t meet Nyra's eyes.

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  You’re going to have to explain this to me.

  “I figured.”

  What’s that supposed to—

  “For starters, something had to be confirmed.”

  Which is?

  “If Tao was willing to scam some kid like me.”

  A naive kid specifically.

  “After hearing what happened to Zachary and the rest, and considering he’s been doing this for years now, it’s safe to assume he’s hustled kids just like me before.”

  In other words, he wouldn’t think twice about cheating against me.

  “With that in mind, you then have to figure out how to use that against him.”

  The person chosen to pick first mattered, but since it was Tao, let’s just focus on this route.

  “If you’re Tao,” I continued, “a scammer who doesn’t mind cheating even against kids, how would you play against someone like me?”

  Uh…...

  Sys paused, thinking hard.

  “Keep in mind,” I added, “you know exactly which coin is in which cup.”

  Uhm, no, I still don’t get it. I don’t understand why he would pick the gold coin first.

  “Surprising.”

  Hey—

  “When he’s facing a dumb kid like me, someone who literally said earlier he doesn’t want to lose all his coins right away, and who even asked to quit early, what would Tao think? Probably that this opponent is too scared to steal aggressively. That maybe I’d only start stealing later, once I built up some courage.”

  I tapped my fingers lightly on the table.

  “And when facing that kind of opponent, a shameless guy like Tao wouldn’t hesitate. He’d take advantage immediately by securing the gold coin.”

  Oh, wait. Okay. I sort of get it now! You acted like that on purpose to bait him into thinking you wouldn’t steal. That’s why he ended up picking the gold coin first.

  “You got it.”

  But then why did he give it up? Not only did he pass on the gold coin, but he also even let you gain a point from it.

  “To keep me in.”

  To keep you in?

  “Did you notice how unsure I acted about stealing?”

  Uh huh?

  “Tao definitely didn’t expect me to steal all the way up to four points. But when he saw how hesitant I was, he probably came up with something like this: Beric is willing to steal and play, but he’s not confident. Instead of securing the gold coin, if I give it up, Beric will think he has the advantage. He’ll believe this aggressive stealing is actually working. And since Beric’s just a dumb kid, giving him that tiny glimmer of hope will keep him eager to stay in the game and keep stealing.”

  I leaned back slightly.

  “It was his way of making sure I stayed.”

  And he was willing to do it since he’d only lose one point since you stole it for four.

  “Caught up now?”

  Wow, okay, that’s actually…........well, I don’t know. Isn’t there some luck in this? Or just a ton of assumptions?

  “There is, but I had a way out in case I misread him.”

  A way out?

  “Did you already forget? I can back out whenever I want. And even if I needed more coins, I could just ask Mayern or someone. That would make me look even more naive and easy to exploit in Tao’s eyes. So even if things went wrong, the act would’ve still paid off later.”

  Mayern was covering Malo’s food, and he’s been a well-known fighter for probably several years now. He’s got to have some coins on him.

  I guess you really thought this through in such a short time.

  “Yep.”

  But something’s bothering me.

  “What?”

  Why bother with this whole plan when I can just cheat for you?

  I turned to look at Sys.

  Like, I could phase through the cups and tell you what I see. Or just hover and peek under Tao’s cup when he lifts it.

  I chuckled.

  What’s funny?

  “You can try, but I doubt you can.”

  Why?

  “If the writer made some sophisticated ass game like this, he wouldn’t let you cheese it for me.”

  There you go with that writer nonsense again. Why do you even-

  “If you could cheat, you’d finally be useful. But since your archetype is the annoying helper who contributes absolutely nothing, I really doubt it.”

  I’ve actually been VERY useful. You’re the one using me wrong.

  “Explain.”

  Really? Okay, how about forgetting to check the others’ status screens? Mayern, Corven, Kaelyn, Nyra? Did you forget you can do that?

  “……..…I don’t like it when you’re right.”

  See? It’s not just me, it’s also you-

  “Shut up. The point is you won’t be able to help me cheat.”

  Just watch this.

  Sys puffed up confidently and floated straight toward the cups, ready to slip through like a ghost.

  I watched.

  Sys flew.

  And then—

  BONK.

  He slammed into the cups like they were made of solid steel.

  I did my best to hold in my laugh and be quiet.

  …………

  Maybe you’re onto something.