Chapter 371
371:
Whispers swirled among the crowd, caught in a storm of speculation. The masked man froze for a split second, his reaction so slight it almost went unnoticed. Quickly regaining composure, he smirked slyly at Christina, lifted his brows, and chuckled low. “And what makes you so sure I’m not the real Epic? Are you saying you are Epic instead?” His words dripped with mockery.
Laughter erupted from the crowd, accompanied by scorn aimed at the disguised Christina.
“That reckless kid is Epic? That’s a joke! Can’t wait to see him eat those words when he loses.”
“Yeah, just imagine his face when the mask comes off. That alone will be worth watching.”
“He’s so full of himself. The game’s not even started, and he’s already dreaming of dethroning Epic.”
No one bought the idea that the masked man was an impostor. To them, Christina—disguised as a young man—was just another reckless challenger chasing an impossible dream.
A small, secret smile played on Christina’s lips behind the mask. “I never said I was Epic,” she replied calmly. “But I have met Epic before. And I am more than capable of exposing anyone pretending to be him.”
As her words hung in the air, the crowd collectively gasped. None had ever seen Epic’s true face. Could this challenger really have? Suspicious glances were exchanged.
The masked man let out a sharp, dismissive laugh. “I won’t comment on your gambling skills, but your arrogance is certainly impressive. I’ll give you that.”
“You’ll see soon enough how good my skills are. Let’s get this started,” Christina said, flashing a confident grin.
“How do you want to play this game? I’ll let you set the rules,” the masked man suggested, his tone tinged with curiosity.
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After a quick pause to consider her options, Christina spoke evenly. “Let’s skip the standard games and make this fast.”
The masked man arched an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Oh? What did you have in mind, then?”
“We’ll use a full deck, shuffle it well, and then toss all the cards into the air. Each of us will grab three cards as they fall, and we’ll compare what we get,” Christina replied.
The masked man hesitated, thinking it over, then broke into a wide smile and gave a light clap. “I like it. So, the one holding at least two cards that outrank the other player’s hand ends up winning?”
“That’s right. Let’s get started,” Christina said, a sly smirk curving beneath her mask.
A dealer stepped up and brought out a fresh, unopened deck for everyone to see. He cracked the seal right in front of the crowd, shuffled with care, and mixed the cards thoroughly.
Standing between the masked man and Christina, the dealer’s expression remained unreadable as he looked at both. “Are you ready?”
They both nodded in agreement. “Ready.”
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