Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

"Is it really a good idea for Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk to choose LA as the testing site?" 

Alex asked as they travelled back to New York aboard a private plane. The World Hunters Federation headquarters awaited their arrival.

"It's hard to read his mind, but he must have his reasons for picking LA." Aila replied, gazing out at the vast desert plains of the American West.

"That's what worries me... I'm worried we may have made a mistake this time."

"Why do you say that?"

"LA has always been chaotic---like a Pandemonium, in Eastern terms."

"Pandemonium?"

"It refers to a place where all kinds of demons hide. Not literal demons, of course---to compare, that place is just chaos incarnate."

"Ah, I get it now."

"Anyway, the monster outbreaks there are unusually high, guilds clash constantly, and unofficial guild wars are common. Add in active criminal organizations, and it's a recipe for disaster."

"Are places like that still common these days?"

"LA is in a league of its own. If you ignore statistics like the number of guilds, freelance hunters, gate occurrences, or monster incidents---which some Chinese cities push back with their large number of hunters---LA stands out as the most chaotic place in the world."

"Hearing it described that way, it really does sound like Pandemonium."

"Honestly, if it weren't for you, I would've stepped in and stopped Guild Leader Kang."

Aila finally tore her gaze from the window, meeting Alex's eyes. She sensed there was more to his concern and asked, "You're not just worried about Guild Leader Kang, are you? What are you actually concerned about?"

"It's your intention. You wanted him to join the Federation more than anyone. Why didn't you stop him from taking on such a difficult challenge?"

"It's the perfect place for a test."

"Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk is a civilian and a foreigner. And now he's operating in LA? That's like walking through Harlem in NY with a wad of cash. You have to remember the Russian incident. If something goes wrong, the Federation's reputation will suffer, and Guild Leader Kang will lose the Federation's trust."

As Alex thumped his chest in frustration, Aila smiled faintly. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'order out of chaos'?"

"Order out of chaos? What does that mean?"

"When chaos peaks, a new order emerges. On the other hand, if there's long-standing order, it  eventually breaks down."@@novelbin@@

"What does that have to do in this situation...?"

"Los Angeles is the perfect example. In a place where powerful people disregard the law, unwritten rules eventually form. Have you looked at the guild wars and hunter crime rates in LA over the last five years?"

"No."

"After Director Kang Mu-hyuk chose LA as the testing site, I requested this data."

Realization dawned on Alex as he understood the source of Aila's confidence.

'So, Guild Leader Kang has some kinda plan for LA, huh?'

Kang Mu-hyuk hadn't come to America blindly. He must have seen something others couldn't which is why he accepted the test.

"This was supposed to be a test to get him to cooperate since he could communicate with the Mysterious Being. But he showed abilities far beyond our expectations during the Federation's entrance test. I have high hopes for him. Let's wait and see if Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk is fit to become the Federation's fourth 'commander.'"

***

Kang Mu-hyuk played a few rounds on the slot machines before heading to the blackjack table.

Blackjack is a game which rewards the player whose cards total 21 or comes closest to it.

Perhaps because of movies glorifying card counting, people misunderstood it to be an unbeatable skill. Card counting simply tracks dealt cards to predict probabilities and make decisions that help you.

While it sounds impressive, mastering it is rare, especially with a 52-card deck. Even then, it only slightly improves the odds---far from the foolproof method to win portrayed in films.

Plus, modern casinos already have countermeasures for it.

If you use another deck, frequently reshuffling at every turn, and deal over 100 cards, then counting becomes useless.

So, no matter how good Kang Mu-hyuk's memory was, there was no 100% chance of winning in a game of probability. Despite these limitations, Kang Mu-hyuk approached the blackjack table keenly and sat down at a table to start a new game.

What followed his arrival was a haunting game. For the dealer, this game could make ghosts cry. Though he didn't win every time, Kang Mu-hyuk lost a little and won a lot. By the end of the deck, his chip stack had grown alarmingly tall.

The same happened when he started a new game. He got such astonishing results, that one would think it was a scam. Dealer's continuous losses after several decks drew a crowd of curious onlookers. As his winnings climbed from one million dollar chips to two million dollars, the casino replaced the dealer.

As the game neared its end, Kang Mu-hyuk's stakes had risen dramatically. Only then did the casino realize something was amiss. Chaos erupted in the security room as staff monitored Kang Mu-hyuk's table through the surveillance cameras. The casino's general manager summoned the security chief.

"That Asian guy---he's counting cards, isn't he?"

"The deck uses three sets of cards---156 in total. Card counting that many is nearly impossible. It's hard even for a supercomputer."

"Then, are the cards marked? Check again with the equipment!"

"We already did. Nothing unusual came up. Just to be sure, I switched to cards from a different vendor, but he's still winning."

"Then what's going on? How is he winning like that?"

"I don't know either..."

"Is he a hunter? One who can use some kind of special skill?"

"We ran his face through recognition software---he's not a hunter. Nor is he registered. There's also no sign of mana activity."

"Damn it. At this rate, I'll lose three million dollars in no time. Shut down that table."

"I already closed one table. I even swapped dealers, but he just moved to another table and kept winning."

"Then close all the blackjack tables!"

"With this many people watching? If we shut them down, the crowd will riot. And if rumours spread that the casino blocks games when it's losing, customers will take their money elsewhere. We might as well close up shop today."

The general manager frowned, his boiling over in frustration. Watching one player completely dominate the tables was driving him to rash decisions.

Blackjack made up only a small portion of the casino's revenue. Shutting it down would not only hurt today's earnings, but he might even lose his finger because that might not sit well with hunters who are fussy customers. It was like trying to catch a flea and burning down the house in the process. Still, they couldn't let someone using an unknown winning strategy run unchecked.

"Put the player in."

This general manager chose the casino's "unofficial" response. This method involved planting casino players disguised as guests to join the game. Their job was to disrupt the flow of the blackjack game which can be played by 2 to 8 people while playing by the standard blackjack rules. Unfortunately, even this tactic failed. Their opponent was acting as if he knew what the next card would be.

A security guard discreetly approached Kang Mu-hyuk, suspecting he might be using a device. They tested for electromagnetic signals, but it proved futile. When all other measures failed, the casino had only one option left. "Bring him in. But make sure the guest doesn't feel insulted."

***

Kang Mu-hyuk seemed lost in thought, as he looked at the deck the dealer had prepared for a new game.

'This casino uses three decks of cards. They shuffle them in plain sight to show everything's clean.'

All the cards on the table were face-up, their numbers and suits scattered in a chaotic mix. The dealer gathered them, flipped them over, and began shuffling. Kang Mu-hyuk observed the entire process intently, noting the order in which the cards are shuffled, and turned over, how many cards are shuffled and how the cards are shuffled depending on the dealer's habits.

His ability to track the cards was beyond anything a human capability.

'Can you even call what he's doing card counting? I doubt he'd remember anything even if he just showed him the cards in order, step by step.'

No Songrin, watching from the side, was stunned. In just a few moments, Kang Mu-hyuk had memorized the exact placement of all the cards on the table. He had heard about Kang Mu-hyuk's brilliance before, but he didn't expect him to be this skilled.

'He would've thrived as a gambler instead of a Guild Leader. If he kept this up, money would never be an issue.'

As Kang Mu-hyuk's winnings surpassed three million dollars, he leaned back and whispered, "They'll be here soon."

"Who...?"

No Songrin began to ask, but he stopped himself. That's because he saw a few bulky guys gathering towards them.

'They're all hunters. Hunters as casino employees? Come on. What a waste of manpower. But of course, they're just small fries anyway.'

In a casino frequented by hunters, it wasn't surprising for the security staff to be hunters too.  But hunters who avoided actual hunting typically fell into two categories: villains or cowards.

Cowards were the hunters who stayed away from hunting because they lacked the courage to catch monsters. Yet they're too scared of being chased by security to do anything villain-like. Hunters who are afraid of being hunted themselves get jobs in places like this? Come on. Either way, No Songrin wasn't intimidated.

"This might actually help me relieve some of the stress I've been building up."

When No Songrin cracked his neck loudly and clenched his fists, a security guard approached Kang Mu-hyuk. Just as No Songrin got prepared to step in and use force, Kang Mu-hyuk gave him a slight shake of the head, a subtle signal to hold back unless things became truly dangerous.

'Wait, that wasn't telepathy. How did I know exactly what he was saying just from his gaze.'

No Songrin thought, his face twisting in frustration at how he got that.

Meanwhile, the security guard spoke cautiously to Kang Mu-hyuk. 

"Congratulations on your victory, sir. We've prepared a special seat for you upstairs. Please join us."

The words were polite, but the tone carried an undeniable coercion. Without looking up from the table, Kang Mu-hyuk replied, "I don't want to. You want me to leave just as the game is getting interesting? I win some money, and suddenly the casino's owner can't take it, huh?"

"That's not what I meant, sir. We simply wanted to invite a talented player like you."

"I don't want your invitation, so don't close the table. Change the dealer, change the cards---it doesn't matter. But shutting down the game entirely? That's not right, is it, gentlemen?"

His question sparked cheers from the surrounding crowd.

"Exactly!"

"They're all fucking thugs! It was all fun and games when you were taking our money, but now that the tables have turned, you want to close the table?"

"I'll spread the word. My friends love casinos, but if this keeps up, I'll let them know this place isn't worth it."

Hunters were the bigshots in Las Vegas casinos.

The security guard was embarrassed as the hunters defended Kang Mu-hyuk. If he could have his way, he'd rather drag Kang Muhyuk out but he couldn't let the casino's standing with its hunter clientele hit rock bottom.

Unbeknownst to him, the Grim Reaper was hovering right next to him. No Songrin stood ready to intervene and smack him the moment he tried to touch Kang Mu-hyuk. But the person who saved the helpless security guard was entirely unexpected.

"Guild Leader Kang Mu-hyuk, time's up. Let's go," said Jang Deuk-goo, tapping his wristwatch.

Kang Mu-hyuk glanced at the time and feigned surprise.

"Huh? It's already this late? I'd be in big trouble if we were late."

"Yes, the buyers who flew in from San Diego are waiting. "They're here for the Rider Wolf, and we can't afford to keep them waiting any longer."