“Tails?”

  The voice sounded warped and distant, like someone calling to me from the bottom of a lake. It felt muffled and wrong.

  How did Tao know?

  I didn’t sense a single tremor of magic. I felt nothing. He didn’t read my mind. He couldn’t have-No he did. He knew exactly what I was thinking.

  “Heads or…?”

  The words gurgled together, as if they were being dragged through water, stretched and distorted.

  Why did he even say that? Was it a test? A probe to see how I’d react?

  If so, then I’d already messed up. Maybe he didn’t know everything, but he’d confirmed at least one thing:

  I was hiding something.

  “Beric?”

  Was I talking to myself again? Is this voice just me trying to help myself regain my composure? Or was it someone else truly calling out to me?

  No, it’s worse than that. The only reason he would say something so specific, so perfectly timed, was if he already suspected me.

  But when? When did it start?

  Does he know everything?

  The only way he could’ve connected my thoughts about Sarah, the flow of the game, and the way I turned to check behind me................was if he’d always been wary of me.

  “Choose.”

  Does it really matter who I was? Either way, I was the one sinking further down into the water.

  “Choose.”

  The word slammed into my skull.

  Choose?

  If he’s telling me to choose and pushing me into it, that means he’s known since the very first round.

  Since the very first turn, Tao might have already guessed what I was trying to do.

  “Hey, Beric!”

  A sharp breath tore out of me as I snapped my attention to Adam.

  He was waving a hand inches from my face. “Yoohoo, you okay? It’s your turn to pick which side of the coin I’m flipping.”

  The coin toss.

  It’s the start of round two, and it’s my choice.

  I wiped my nose with the back of my hand. “Oh, sorry.”

  I tried to look anywhere but at Tao. If I met his eyes now, he’d see too much.

  But my gaze didn’t know where to settle since every direction felt wrong.

  The crowd of people who watched me, the bright and sharp glares of the lanterns that hung around, and the scared look on Sys as he hovered silently.

  Maybe you should pull out. You’ll only be out a coin.

  “No. I can’t. I have to win.”

  I need those weapons.

  “So, Beric?” Adam’s voice cut through the tension again.

  The air felt heavier somehow. No, it was definitely hotter.

  I fanned myself subtly, tugging at my collar like it would help.

  “Oh.” I forced a laugh, shaky even to my own ears. “I’ll go with…..” I squinted at the coin before me, though I couldn’t quite tell which side it was. The lanterns overhead seemed way brighter than usual.

  “Beric, I’d recommend for you to forfeit,” Tao said suddenly. His voice was calm. “You don’t seem to be doing well.”

  “I’ll have to agree with Tao here,” Adam chimed in, glancing at me. “You mentioned earlier that you wanted the option to quit at any time. Maybe now’s the moment.”

  “No!” I lunged forward instinctively.

  Adam was caught off guard. “Are you sure?”

  “I can win! I’ll stay here.”

  It’s only the second round. I haven’t lost yet. I still have a chance.

  “Beric, I really don’t—”

  “The boy has given his answer. If he doesn’t wish to forfeit, we must honor it,” Tao said, his tone cutting through Adam’s protest.

  Adam hesitated. “But still-”

  “You are merely the referee,” Tao continued, his gaze sharp and unwavering. “If the players want to continue, it is your duty to oversee the game, nothing more.”

  Adam scratched his neck uncomfortably. “I understand.” He held the coin closer to me. “Fine then. Beric, choose.”

  I don’t like how things are going right now.

  I don’t like it either.

  “Heads,” I said.

  “Tails for Tao,” Adam declared, flipping the coin again.

  I need to win this flip.

  The coin spun in the air, glinting under the lantern light, before Adam caught it and revealed the result.

  “Tails,” he announced.

  Crap.

  The metal tray slid closer to Tao. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyes scanning every cup as if weighing invisible possibilities.

  Ahhhh, what do we do now?

  Sys darted frantically in a tight circle around me.

  We still don’t know how he’s cheating. And worse, what if he can somehow read your thoughts? It isn’t magic, so maybe he’s using the same trick with the cups to read your mind? Is that even possible?

  Sys shook his head furiously, raising both hands.

  You tell me, Mr. System. You should know. Well, I don’t know. What are you going to do, arrest me?

  “Stop talking to yourself and help me think.”

  Sorry.

  Let’s assume this: Tao knows now. He knows I’m not just some dumb kid who’s easy to con.

  Because I was an idiot, I practically handed him the truth.

  I got cocky. The moment my plan nearly went up in smoke and backfired, I shivered and stuttered like a naked rat in winter. I was too late to fully recover, and even that faltering, desperate move was suspicious. Tao saw it. Hell, anyone could’ve seen it.

  Why was I so confident anyway?

  “Hey, be careful,” Adam barked as Tao’s fingers hovered over the tops of the cups.

  “You didn’t arrange them properly,” He replied while gently moving them.

  “I have my eye on you.” Adam glared.

  “Hmph.” Tao seemed amused by that. “Look all you want. It’s not like I’m doing anything.”

  Then, Tao’s hand finally stopped on a single cup. “I’ll pick this one.” He lifted it, paused for a heartbeat, and then closed it gently.

  Oh! That's a sign!

  Sys’ eyes flared.

  Did you see it?!

  “Are you talking about how he clicked his tongue?”

  Yeah, that! I’m actually impressed you caught that.

  Most people would miss it. Tao barely opened his mouth and did just a tiny flick with his tongue. In a loud, chaotic tavern, you wouldn’t hear it at all. You’d only notice if you were watching him really closely, catching that minute movement. And even from that, you could maybe assume that he clicked his tongue.

  Which means he didn’t like what he got. He didn’t cheat there, so the coin he picked must have been random. And judging by the faint displeasure on his face, it’s probably a bronze coin. Tao would’ve preferred gold or silver, since after his earlier trick, he likely assumed you would be too rattled to keep playing confidently.

  “Only a complete idiot would fall for that.”

  Huh?! How am I an idiot? Think about it: his cheat works before the game even begins. If he didn’t like the coin he drew, something went wrong. And if what you said about Sarah is true, then he didn’t get the info he was counting on. Besides, something as tiny as that tongue click would go unnoticed by anyone. It’s a definite sign.

  “That’s the problem. It’s only a sign someone like us could notice.”

  Someone more than just a naive kid.

  “No kid could see that. Only because we did, we could infer that it's really a bronze coin, and we might want to hold off and not bet on it. But that’s exactly what Tao wants.”

  A reverse trap.

  “If we do hold off, we’re essentially telling him we know it’s a bronze coin. And the only way to know that is if we saw his tiny tell which he most likely did on purpose. In a way, it’s his final test to see if I’m really just some dumb kid.”

  Oh.

  Sys slumped for a second, dejected, but then snapped back.

  Wait, right now, you just had a moment where you looked genuinely nervous and scared. Wouldn’t it make sense to not bet on this bronze coin? It wouldn’t look suspicious at all.

  “Why do you think I got so scared in the first place?”

  Because of Sarah-.......oh.

  If I play exactly as expected and don’t bet on this bronze coin, I’ll end up confirming Tao’s suspicion.

  Which is exactly what I have to do.

  What?

  “If I bet, it tells him I didn’t catch his sign. It wouldn’t fully erase his suspicion, but at least I wouldn’t be confirming anything.”

  That sounds good.

  “But that’s another trap.”

  How far ahead did Tao think?

  “To him, I’m an enigma. Either I’m just a normal kid, or I’m secretly playing the role of one to coax him into revealing how he cheats. And since he’s leaning toward the latter, he’s doing the same to me. He wants to see how smart I really am.”

  If I steal for two and sidestep the obvious trap, that could also look suspicious. To Tao, taking two and losing just one might read as a stalling tactic, a calculated move to avoid his direct trap. He could interpret it as me recognizing his setup, thinking it through, and acting in retaliation.

  That has to be you overthinking it.

  “You’ve told me that a hundred times before, but the one time I don’t overthink, the guy manages to read my mind.”

  Sys groaned and grabbed his head.

  Man. Doesn’t that mean you’re doomed either way?

  “I am, but one way will delay it.”

  I have to drag this out to buy myself enough time to figure him out.

  “I’ll bet one.”

  “Tao?”

  “I’ll do the same.”

  Here’s the trap. Fold now and confirm it, or bet for two and endure it.

  “I’ll steal for two.”

  I’m still sticking to the value principle. Even if things are getting dangerous, I’m ahead in points. Tao will fold here, but that just means I need to be better from this point onward. I need to be ready for his next move—

  “I will rebuy for three.”

  Don’t look.

  My eyes moved.

  Don’t do it.

  My hands began to tremble as my eyes glossed over.

  Look away.

  I felt the urge to vomit as Tao met my eyes.

  His smile contained a wicked tone.

  What……..What?!

  Sys’ grip tightened as he held his head.

  What’s going on? I don’t get it!

  I really hoped he hadn’t thought this far. I truly, desperately hoped that Tao wasn’t as sharp as I feared.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I really did.

  But that’s always been my problem. Instead of working to become better, I’d always relied on luck, or more accurately, on the mistakes of others. My victories had always come from someone else’s mistakes.

  I wanted that to be the case here too.

  And now I was paying the price. I had underestimated Tao.

  “Sys.”

  Wh-what?

  “If that tongue click was meant to bait me into debating whether to bet or fold, the reason behind it is because that coin is bronze.”

  I followed the logic.

  “But what if it’s not a bronze coin?”

  Sys’ eyes widened in understanding and fear.

  “If he already knows what I would eventually decide, he can reasonably assume I’d only bet up to two. In other words, he knows I wouldn’t go beyond that.”

  You’re saying he……..picked the gold coin?

  We still haven’t figured out exactly how he cheats.

  Sys began to tremble.

  Then what are we supposed to do? Even if that’s true, it’s not like you can just keep playing blindly. If Tao can think this far ahead, who’s to say he hasn’t accounted for every move? What if this is a double trap? What if it is a bronze coin, designed to psyche you into making a massive loss?

  I clenched my fist.

  This game is harder than I thought.

  “I fold.”

  I had to. I couldn’t risk it. I needed to conserve my points. I needed time, much more time to expose Tao.

  I can’t go big here.

  Sys hovered pitifully over my shoulder.

  Beric, I still believe in you, mostly……...but I don’t know. This isn’t—

  He didn’t finish.

  I never got the chance to ask what he wanted to say, because Tao’s next words froze us in place.

  “I need to stall,” he murmured, his gaze locking on me.

  The noisy tavern faded away. Only his voice cut through the haze.

  “I can’t risk it all here. I need every point I’ve got. I need more time, more time to figure out how he cheats.” Tao’s smirk was quiet but unmistakable.

  All I could hear was Sys’ strained breathing……..and then my own.

  Then, slowly, agonizingly slowly, he lifted the cup. As if savoring every second, as if daring everyone, and me above all, to watch.

  No.

  He lifted the gold coin.

  The light caught it, casting a radiant glow that reflected in his eyes—eyes gleaming with satisfaction and pride.

  “With that, the lead is now back in my possession,” Tao declared.

  He got me.

  He knew I would fold before the second round even began.

  “The score is now ten to nine in Tao’s favor.” Adam was breathless.

  How?

  “I’ve played against many different types of people,” Tao said.

  I forced myself to look up at him.

  “Many walked in confidently,” he continued, eyes drifting to the side. “They believed that they had a chance. That enough time had passed. That no man can win forever. They told themselves I was bound to obey the same rules as everyone else. And with that foolish conviction, they challenged me, believing their moment had finally come.”

  He shifted his posture slightly, folding one leg over the other.

  “Then there were those without confidence. People pushed by their friends, pressured into sitting down across from me. They didn’t want to be there. They simply buckled under the expectations around them. And under those so?called friends, they let themselves be made fools of as they lost horribly, losing their money and their dignity.”

  He paused.

  “But then,” he said softly, “there are ones like you.”

  My chest tightened.

  “The ones who believe in their own strength. The clever ones. The ones who think they’re different, that whatever plan they constructed would be the one to finally end my streak.”

  His gaze locked onto mine.

  “They believe so deeply in their vision that they never stop to question whether that vision is still just belief.”

  His voice dropped. “You are smart, Beric. Very smart. And you should be proud of that.”

  He smiled, but it wasn’t kind.

  “But you were wrong to think that intellect alone is what you were relying on. Just like those who had no foundation and prayed for luck to defeat me, you didn’t rely solely on your intelligence.”

  He leaned slightly forward, and his eyes seemed to close the distance between us.

  “You relied on the assumption that you could expose me.”

  My breath hitched.

  “You placed your entire chance of winning on the belief that you were smarter than you actually are.”

  He shook his head, disappointed.

  “You are a cunning child, Beric. And you believed that because you’re cunning, you must be different. But I will tell you now, you’re just like all the rest.”

  His eyes were merciless.

  “You were confident in your ability to fool me, but the moment you realized it failed, you collapsed. Like a newborn deer struggling to stand, lost and bewildered, unable to comprehend how you ended up here.”

  His lips curled faintly.

  “Your plan, to act like a nervous, naive child in order to push me toward certain picks and create an advantageous pattern for you to stall, it was clever.”

  His head slightly leaned.

  “But judging by the way you are right now-”

  He sighed.

  “You didn’t need to act like one.”

  Silence swallowed the tavern.

  No one spoke.

  Not the children, not the bystanders, not even the drunks who had been loud only moments ago. The tension was so suffocating it seemed to squeeze the lantern light itself. Even Adam felt it as his eyes had sharpened, the fog of alcohol clearing from his expression.

  “Beric, are you……willing to con—” Adam began cautiously.

  “He is.” Tao cut him off without looking away from me. “No matter what, he’ll continue.”

  He tilted his head slightly.

  “Won’t you?”

  Sys tried to comfort me.

  Things didn’t go right, did they? But, it’s okay. I mean, at least it’s a learning experience. Sure you lost here, but now we know better……..to not gamble? I don’t…….uh…….

  It was just some dumb game.

  I would only lose a few coins. They would be easy to get back. There was no need for Sys to try to make me feel better.

  But, I disliked it.

  I felt a sharp pain in my throat.

  Tao, you’re saying I really am some dumb kid? I overestimated myself? I was wrong for even thinking that?

  Who in the hell are you to say all of that?

  Beric?

  This shitty old man needs to shut up.

  “Adam.”

  The suddenness of my voice made him jump. “Yes?”

  “Slide the tray over to me.”

  “I got you.” Adam shifted it carefully across the table.

  Tao, you were right in thinking I wouldn’t quit.

  Since I need these weapons and this money………But also,

  I have to do the same to you.

  I need to humiliate you.

  I drew in a deep, steadying breath, forcing my mind to slow down.

  Just think.

  I have to choose a bronze coin here.

  My two-point strategy will bite me back on the ass if Tao snags bronze coins, since each one I steal risks a net loss of a point. If either of us selects silver, though, the steals cap at three, and no points shift. So, the only loss comes from bronze.

  That means I have to pick a bronze one here. That way, at most, Tao can claim only two bronze coins if I pick silver on my next selection. And if luck favors me on that second draw, if I manage to get a bronze again, the worst-case scenario is losing a single point overall.

  This could work.

  My fingers gripped my chest, trying to steady the trembling.

  Earlier, I had been furious over what Tao had said. But now the weight of this decision caused my fear to claw its way back into me.

  I felt like I could hear Tao.

  Choose carefully, Beric. One wrong move, and it’s all gone.

  Can I help?

  I glanced at Sys.

  He looked nervous. He was probably debating on whether to even speak up or not.

  “It’d be very helpful.”

  Sys regained all his energy.

  Of course! Your loyal system is here to help!............Uh, what do you want me to do exactly?

  “Anything. Scan the cups, Tao, anybody. I can’t decide on what cup to pick.”

  On it!

  Seeing Sys then zoom around like a helpful housefly, my mouth twitched slightly.

  It was nice to see that at least one of us was still trying.

  But what do I do?

  I have nothing to help me choose. Sys probably won’t find anything. As much as I hate it, Tao has been reading me like an elementary school level book. All of my previous planning has gone up in smoke, and I’m here just-

  Trying to stall.

  Have I always been the one to settle for such a weak style of living?

  Even in those fights, I always settled with just countering the other person.

  I thought I had overcome that already……….No. Thinking of it and realizing it is different than actually doing it.

  I’m still making the same mistakes.

  Sarah needs to come back.

  ……..?

  What are these weird marks?

  Marks?

  It’s like someone took a small bite out of them. Was there a rat I didn’t see earlier? Something as small as this has got to be from a rat or something similar. No way a human bit these.

  “There’s marks on the cups?”

  Yeah, look.

  Sys then highlighted weird scratches on the edges of the cup.

  Do you see them?

  I saw them.

  I also noticed how there were two cups with them.

  “Sys.”

  Yeah?

  “I love you.”

  Woah, slow down, Romeo. This isn’t one of those kinds of stories.

  There’s two of them. The other three don’t have.-

  “Tao.” I called out.

  He narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

  “Do you mind returning the cup you selected back to the tray?”

  “…..…No, I don’t. But why do you ask?”

  “I just want to check it.”

  His gaze never left mine as he picked up the cup and carefully set it back on the tray.

  “Check it, Sys.”

  Checking, checking……...and there it is. Another faint scratch. But what does it mean?

  A light bulb went on above his head.

  Oh. That’s it! That’s how he cheats! That explains why he was handling the cups!

  “No. It’s not that simple.”

  Huh?

  “Three cups have scratches. One of those three was the golden coin. Two silver coins are still in play. Meanwhile, there are still three bronze coins left.”

  Stop! I need a second to think it through!

  “Okay, one Mississippi, boom. Do you-”

  Shut up! Just-.......I got it! These two with the scratches are the silver coins!

  “Because?”

  Uhhhhhh-.......oh, there’s no need to mark all six. Since half of the cups are bronze, as long as you mark the gold and silver ones, the rest are obvious.

  “There you go.”

  Hah, see I told you I-, wait, then why did you say I was wrong earlier?

  “Think about it. If this is truly how he cheats, why would it only become apparent now? Earlier, we found no marks. And we already know he cheated in the first round. Either he has multiple methods, or these scratches are themselves a trap.”

  Let's say it's a trap.

  “If Tao planted the scratches as a trap, it makes perfect sense. He knows my two-point betting strategy. He knows that if he chooses bronze coins against me, I’m forced into middle-ground bets where I can’t bet too high and I can’t fold too early.”

  I motioned my head to the marks.

  “So, these marks? They’re bait. Tao wants me to assume the marked cups will reveal the silver and gold coins. With the gold coin already gone, anyone following the principle value would naturally pick the unmarked cups thinking they’re bronze, but in reality, those unmarked cups are the silver ones.”

  In short, Tao wants me to select the unmarked coins, because they’re actually the silver ones.

  And there’s another layer to it: Tao could be counting on me to overthink this entire scenario. He could simply be marking the silver coins legitimately and watching me spiral, playing off my own paranoia.

  It’s a stupidly brilliant trap.

  And now, I realize that I still don't have an answer to it.

  We’ll have to leave it up to luck then.

  “........Luck?”

  Sys then rummaged in his pockets. (How does he do that?)

  Do I have a coin on me……...no, that’s not a coin, that’s a button. Why do I have-oh, here’s one.

  Sys then showed a very dull coin. He blew on it, but that didn’t change anything.

  I’ll flip it, and whatever side it lands on decides what you pick between marked and unmarked.

  Flipping a coin again.

  Heads or tails? For the marked ones.

  I’ve had to flip a coin for a lot of things recently.

  To decide who goes first, to decide what cup to choose, and-..........

  To go out or not.

  A simple flip can decide so much. It holds so much power over what could happen in my own life.

  And I’m the one who gives it that power.

  “No.”

  Do you not like this coin? I don’t think I have any others, but I guess we could flip this button-

  “I’m done leaving things up to fate.”

  I’m done brushing things off as bad luck.

  Whether I win or lose, I’ll have it fall all on me.

  Because of my own abilities.

  Let’s use logic here.

  If Tao really did those marks to shake me up, then it worked.

  But let’s focus on what the cups actually hold.

  There’s five cups, two with marks on them and three plain. Two silver coins are hidden somewhere beneath them. If I can figure out which group is more likely to contain silver, I’ll know which one is more likely to hold bronze.

  To begin, how many ways can that happen?

  Multiplying five and two, I get ten, meaning ten possible placements for the silver coins.

  There’s only two marked cups, but out of the ten outcomes, how often do these two actually get a silver?

  I can easily get that if I single out the outcome where they don’t get any silver at all………And hat only happens if both silvers end up in the unmarked group. Those are the three plain cups.

  So, how many different pairs can I make from three cups?..........Since I have to make pairs from only three cups, only three possible pairs are shown.

  Three ways to put both silvers into the unmarked group. That means three of the ten total arrangements leave the marked group empty.

  So the marked cups have zero silver 30% of the time.

  Which means the opposite, at least one silver hiding under a marked cup, must happen the other seven times.

  70%.

  Now the unmarked cups. How often do they get at least one silver?

  Well, they get zero silver only if both silvers land in the marked cups. That’s just one specific arrangement: the two marked cups both being silver.

  That can only happen once since two cups are needed for a pair.

  Meaning only 10% of the time the unmarked group gets nothing.

  So, the unmarked group has at least one silver the other nine times.

  90%.

  I exhaled slowly as the answer settled in.

  Seventy percent for the marked group.

  Ninety percent for the unmarked.

  So, if what I care about is just finding at least one bronze coin, the marked cups are the better bet.

  I could backtrack and worry whether Tao knew this. Is this all part of his plan as well? Am I just making things for myself?

  But I can’t keep hiding behind the excuse of bad luck. Whether I win or lose, I need to know that it was because of my own ability.

  And this is the answer I found by myself.

  Sure, I still need luck since I’m randomly picking a marked cup.

  But we all need luck.

  Luck is a huge reason why I’m even here.

  “I pick this one.” I finally said while pointing to a random marked cup.

  Adam gulped. “Beric has chosen.”

  I grabbed the cup and slid it over to me.

  Here goes nothing.

  I opened the cup.

  It was silver.

  “In the end, you still relied on luck.”

  Oh.

  “All forms of intelligence and strength have a limit. Even they can fail in the times when it matters most. It’s during these times that one can realize just how pitiful they really are, compared to the huge size they imagined themselves as earlier.”

  It's over.

  “Be glad, Beric.”

  I lost.

  “At least you realize it now.”