Ren sat down.
Back straight.Hands resting lightly on the edge of the table.
His face was neutral.
But his pulse wasn't.
It was beating fast.
Too fast.
He could feel it in his neck.
In his fingertips.
In his ears.
Seriously? he thought.I still can't control this?
His jaw tightened slightly.
Calm down. If they see it, they'll eat you alive.
Across from him, Tetsuya sat like a statue carved from stone.Kaito leaned back, smoke slowly escaping his lips.Tanaka rested her hands elegantly on the table, Tan coiled loosely around her wrist.Mika crossed her legs again deliberately.Kenshin adjusted his glasses for the fourth time.Itsuki cracked his knuckles impatiently.Shura rolled his neck once.
Everyone waited.
The mime dealer, painted white, silent, theatrical, lifted the deck.
He began shuffling.
Clean.Precise.Mechanical.
The sound of cards sliding over each other filled the hall.
Then—
The massive screen above them lit up again.
All movement stopped.
The dealer froze mid-shuffle.
A deep mechanical hum filled the air.
"Good afternoon, players."
The voice echoed coldly through the hall.
On the screen appeared a masked figure.
Not the crow from the first day.
This time—
A bear mask.
Black eye sockets.Massive.Unsmiling.
Ren's chest tightened slightly.
He remembered that first day clearly.Everyone gathered.The crow mask.
Now—
A bear.
Kaito exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"What now?" he muttered lazily.
Ren glanced sideways at him.
The bear-masked figure tilted its head slightly.
"I would like to inform you of one new rule."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Even Tetsuya's posture sharpened slightly.
Itsuki scoffed.
"What now?"
The voice continued calmly.
"We are introducing a new term. Exponential Growth."
The words echoed.
Shura leaned forward slightly.
"Sounds interesting," he said quietly.
Itsuki frowned.
"What the hell does that even mean?"
The bear mask continued.
"Exponential Growth occurs when the system analyzes a player's stacks, skill development, adaptability, and understanding of the game—"
A pause.
"—and calculates the probability of that player losing at less than 1%."
Silence.
Ren's stomach tightened.
Less than one percent?
That meant domination.
Complete domination.
This is going to accelerate everything.
Kenshin's fingers began twitching uncontrollably.
"Less than one percent?" he whispered."That's statistically extreme. I won't have time to calculate if the game speeds up…"
His glasses slipped slightly.
He pushed them back up nervously.
Shura grinned.
"Now that's what I'm talking about."
The bear-masked figure continued.
"The first four players at each table who achieve significant Exponential Growth relative to their table's level… will be directly promoted to the next round."
The words landed heavily.
Directly promoted.
The table froze for a full second.
Tetsuya's lips curled slightly at the corner.
Not a big smile.
But enough.
Shura smiled wide.
Kaito removed the cigarette from his mouth and exhaled slowly.
"That's better," he said calmly.
Kenshin looked pale.
Itsuki slammed both fists on the table.
"So we'll have less time?!"
He stood up halfway.
"So I won't even have enough time to get these two women under the table or into bed?!"
Tanaka's expression didn't explode in anger.
It hardened.
Her lips curved into a faint, elegant smile — the kind that didn't reach her eyes.
She tilted her head slightly toward Itsuki.
"Careful," she said softly. Calm. Controlled."You speak as if you'll still be sitting at this table long enough to try."
Her fingers traced lightly along Tan's scales.
The snake lifted its head slightly, tongue flicking.
"And if you ever reach under this table," she added, voice still gentle, "you might not pull your hand back."
Silence followed.
Itsuki clicked his tongue but didn't answer immediately.
Tanaka turned her gaze away first.
Dismissive.
As if he no longer deserved attention.
Tanaka looked at him with clear disgust.
But there was something else in her eyes.
Concern.
Just for a second.
Mika slowly bit her lower lip.
Not in fear.
Not in tension.
But in thought.
She didn't seem worried about the game.
Her eyes were searching for the zipper of Itsuki s pants and her hand was gentky touching her breast.
Ren noticed.
She's not thinking about surviving.
"What a bitch" he thought
Ren lowered his gaze slightly.
His brain started working rapidly.
Stacks. Skill growth. Understanding.
So it's not just about winning pots.
It's about dominating the table.
That meant risk.
That meant aggression.
That meant chaos.
Tanaka glanced at Ren briefly.
Just from the corner of her eye.
He noticed.
She's analyzing too.
The bear-masked figure continued.
"We wish you success, players."
The screen went black.
The hall returned to silence.
The dealer resumed shuffling.
As if nothing had happened.
But everything had changed.
Kaito lit another cigarette immediately.
"So basically," he said, "we race."
Shura cracked his knuckles.
"I like races."
Tetsuya leaned forward slightly.
"Less than one percent."
He muttered it like a challenge.
Kenshin swallowed hard.
"If it accelerates… I won't have time to process optimal lines…"
Itsuki sat back down roughly.
"Fine."
He grinned suddenly.
"Then I'll just crush you all fast."
Mika stretched her arms slightly, adjusting her posture.
"Boys always get excited when things speed up."
Ren kept his head down.
I have to adapt.
Not maybe.
Not try.
I have to.
He inhaled slowly.
If I stay safe, I get left behind.
If I risk too much, I die early.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Adapt.
No.
I am forced to adapt.
And I will.
The dealer began distributing the cards.
One to each player.
The sound of cardboard hitting felt heavier than before.
The new rule hovered above them like pressure.
Tetsuya looked at his first card.
Shura smirked faintly.
Kaito barely moved.
Tanaka stroked Tan gently.
Mika adjusted her legs.
Kenshin's eyes were already scanning probabilities.
Itsuki cracked his neck.
Ren picked up his cards slowly.
His heartbeat was fast.
But his eyes were steady.
The game had changed.
And if he didn't change with it—
He would be crushed.
The second card landed in front of him.
Ren inhaled.
Exponential Growth.
Under 1%.
Direct promotion.
The rule wasn't about surviving anymore.
It was about domination.
The dealer completed the first round of distribution.
Silence fell.
The spotlight felt hotter.
The air heavier.
Ren glanced around the table one last time.
Four advance.
Or one dominates.
And I'm sitting with a B+ monster.
He swallowed.
No weakness.
The dealer placed the deck down.
"Blinds posted."
The first hand began.
And with it—
A completely new battlefield