Darkness enveloped the room. A single white spotlight dramatically illuminated the poker table and the teacher, while tension hung heavily in the air.
After the first hand, where Dolo had humiliated the elf, the teacher made a long, dramatic pause.
—Starting from the third hand onward —she announced in a grave voice—, the use of racial and personal skills is officially permitted. If anyone detects a trap or illusion from another player and proves it, the cheater must pay 10 chips to the dealer as a penalty.
Everyone nodded in silence. The atmosphere became much more serious.
Second Hand (skills still not allowed)
Elric, still red with shame, played aggressively out of anger, but his arrogance betrayed him. He lost almost all his chips to Kael.
—Elric (elf) eliminated — 7th place — announced the teacher. —You may leave the room.
Teary-eyed, the elf rose and left the room, humiliated, avoiding everyone's gaze.
Now there were 6 players left:
Dolo: 118 chips Kael (black dragon): 82 chips Lira (goblin): 61 chips Rylan (werebeast): 53 chips Mira (siren): 49 chips Seraph (Flügel): 47 Chips
Third Hand – Skills Are Now Allowed
The teacher made another dramatic pause and declared:
—Skills are permitted starting now.
Dolo waited for the right moment. After finishing his dark chocolate, he gently tapped his belly with one paw, activating Tanuki no Tsuzumi (Level 1) almost imperceptibly.
A blue window appeared only in front of his eyes:
[Tanuki no Tsuzumi (Level 1) Activated]
Auditory and visual illusions are deployed.
Affected targets:
Rylan (werebeast) → Fully affected. Mira (siren) → Fully affected. Seraph (Flügel) → Fully affected Kael (black dragon) → Not affected Lira (goblin) → Not affected
The illusion spread across the table.
What the affected players saw:
Rylan believed he had four kings and smiled confidently. Mira thought she had a heart flush and bet with certainty. Seraph was convinced he had a straight flush and raised elegantly.
Meanwhile, Kael and Lira felt absolutely nothing and played as if nothing had happened.
The hand moved quickly.
Betting heavily, Rylan and Mira had confidence in their "perfect hands," thanks to the illusion. Seraph, too, raised with poise.
Dolo played conservatively, only calling.
Lira, who was not affected by the illusion, made a discreet cheat by switching a card with an almost invisible movement.
Dolo saw it perfectly with Swindler's Eye, but said nothing. Instead, he smiled inwardly.
"Interesting… I want to watch her. If I let her cheat, maybe I can learn her strategy and see if she can outplay me. Facing someone who challenges me is what I've been waiting for."
At the end of the river, Lira won the hand against Dolo.
Dolo lost 20 chips on purpose.
Instead of getting upset, Dolo let out a low, genuine laugh, clearly amused.
"Hahaha… well done, little one. Finally, someone is making me sweat a bit."
Wide-eyed, the other students watched. Kael's deep, rumbling laugh echoed as the teacher noticed everything but remained silent.
Eliminations from this hand:
Rylan (werebeast) ran out of chips → 6th place → Left the room frustrated. Mira (siren) ran out of chips → 5th place → Left the room.
Now only 4 players remained:
Dolo: 118 chips Kael: 78 chips Lira: 89 chips (she had won the hand) Seraph: 45 chips
The teacher made a dramatic pause and announced:
—Four players remaining. The test enters its decisive phase.
With a dangerous smile, Dolo looked at Lira and thought, dark laughter echoing in his mind: "Poor elf… he fell so easily.
But the goblin… she's actually giving me a fight.
Dolo looked at Lira with a dangerous smile and thought, dark amusement flickering in his mind: "Poor elf… he fell so easily. But the goblin… she's actually giving me a fight. Hahaha… this is just the beginning."
After the first hand, where Dolo had humiliated the elf, the teacher made a long, dramatic pause.
—Starting from the third hand onward —she announced in a grave voice—, the use of racial and personal skills is officially permitted. If anyone detects a trap or illusion from another player and proves it, the cheater must pay 10 chips to the dealer as a penalty.
Everyone nodded in silence. The atmosphere became much more serious.
Second Hand (skills still not allowed)
Elric, still red with shame, played aggressively out of anger, but his arrogance betrayed him. He lost almost all his chips to Kael.
—Elric (elf) eliminated — 7th place — announced the teacher. —You may leave the room.
The elf stood up with teary eyes and left the room humiliated, without looking at anyone.
Now there were 6 players left:
Dolo: 118 chips Kael (black dragon): 82 chips Lira (goblin): 61 chips Rylan (werebeast): 53 chips Mira (siren): 49 chips Seraph (Flügel): 47 Chips
Third Hand – Skills Are Now Allowed
The teacher made another dramatic pause and declared:
—Skills are permitted starting now.
Dolo waited for the right moment. After finishing his dark chocolate, he gently tapped his belly with one paw, activating Tanuki no Tsuzumi (Level 1) almost imperceptibly.
A blue window appeared only in front of his eyes:
[Tanuki no Tsuzumi (Level 1) Activated]
Auditory and visual illusions are deployed.
Affected targets:
Rylan (werebeast) → Fully affected. Mira (siren) → Fully affected. Seraph (Flügel) → Fully affected Kael (black dragon) → Not affected Lira (goblin) → Not affected
The illusion spread across the table.
What the affected players saw:
Rylan believed he had four kings and smiled confidently. Mira thought she had a heart flush and bet with certainty. Seraph was convinced he had a straight flush and raised elegantly.
Meanwhile, Kael and Lira felt absolutely nothing and played as if nothing had happened.
The hand moved quickly.
Rylan and Mira bet heavily, sure of their "perfect hands" thanks to the illusion. Seraph also raised with confidence.
Dolo played conservatively, only calling.
Lira, who was not affected by the illusion, made a discreet cheat by switching a card with an almost invisible movement.
Dolo saw it perfectly with Swindler's Eye, but said nothing. Instead, he smiled inwardly.
"Interesting… I want to see how she does it. Let her cheat. Let her try to beat me. Finally, someone is giving me a real fight."
At the end of the river, Lira won the hand against Dolo.
Dolo lost 20 chips on purpose.
Instead of getting upset, Dolo let out a low, genuine laugh, clearly amused.
"Hahaha… well done, little one. Finally, someone is making me sweat a bit."
The other students watched the scene with wide eyes. Kael let out a deep, rumbling laugh. The teacher noticed everything but remained silent.
Eliminations from this hand:
Rylan (werebeast) ran out of chips → 6th place → Left the room frustrated. Mira (siren) ran out of chips → 5th place → Left the room.
Now only 4 players remained:
Dolo: 118 chips Kael: 78 chips Lira: 89 chips (she had won the hand) Seraph: 45 chips
The teacher made a dramatic pause and announced:
—Four players remaining. The test enters its decisive phase.
Dolo looked at Lira with a dangerous smile and thought with a dark, macabre laugh:
"Poor elf… he fell so easily.
But the goblin… she's actually giving me a fight."