Alvyxr

Hideo Takumi, a 30-year-old man who spent most of his life buried in books, suddenly finds himself thrown into an entirely new world. But this time, he’s not just a reader—he’s a character, reborn into the prestigious yet crumbling Takumi Family.

Sharing the same name but living a different fate, Hideo wakes up in a noble household entangled in tragedy and political strife. Once a lazy introvert content with hoarding knowledge, he’s now forced to step out of the shadows and rewrite his destiny.

King Of Cheat

Chapter 18 – Shadows Behind the Game

The night sky was veiled with a thin curtain of clouds, hanging low as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath. In the most lavish room of the Grand Preceptor's residence—nestled in the heart of the entertainment district—a chandelier cast a soft golden glow, dancing shadows across the velvet-lined walls.

Behind a silk curtain sat a young man with an air of calm far too deliberate. Abe Youran, tactician of the prestigious Abe clan, wore a faint smile that never reached his eyes. Laid out before him were scrolls, notes, and neatly drawn diagrams—an elegant web of strategy meant to entrap a single name.

"All the pieces are in place," Youran murmured to himself, eyes scanning every last detail. "Tonight, he will fall exactly as planned."

Thousand Gold Hall – Same Night

Elsewhere, in a dimly lit room steeped in the scent of aged tea, Hideo Takumi sat cross-legged on a cushion. Before him, steam curled lazily from a porcelain cup, its crimson liquid glowing faintly under the lantern light.

What he didn't know was that the tea was laced. Not with a poison that kills, but one that muddles thoughts, amplifies emotions, and twists judgment.

And yet, this very moment marked the first crack in Abe Youran's perfect scheme.

Because within all his calculated predictions, he had failed to consider two wild variables—two people who should've been irrelevant: Dai Izuma and Liu Yufei.

Dai Izuma sat beside Hideo, his eyes scanning the room nervously. But beneath his anxious demeanor, a spark of resolve flickered.

"Hideo... He's a genius, but even geniuses need help sometimes. If I help him win tonight... maybe I can restore my place in my family."

His hands clenched beneath the table, desperate to hold onto that sliver of hope.

In his mind, he was the one using Hideo—leveraging this chance to claw his way back up.

But what he didn't know was that every move he thought he chose—coming to the Takumi estate, accepting the invitation, even where he sat—had all been subtly steered by invisible hands.

Meanwhile, behind Hideo, Liu Yufei stood silently, her expression unreadable. She looked disinterested, aloof—but her mind was anything but still.

"That tea... there's no way he realized it was tainted. But if so, why is the effect so faint?"

She cast a glance at Hideo's cup, wondering if she had misjudged the dosage. Then, she shook the thought away.

"No matter. As long as I'm close, I can monitor the Abe family's movements. I just need to keep him within reach…"

From the very beginning, her presence had been part of a broader play. She wasn't his shield. She was the mask—a role she'd accepted willingly, never realizing the one behind the mask was anything but helpless.

Elsewhere in the hall, Abe Ishi—the enforcer of the plan—sat back, watching servants prepare the dice, the game boards, the coins.

He didn't even need to look closely to see it.

Hideo's pupils were just a little wider. His eyes, tinged faintly red. The first symptoms of the mind-dulling brew.

"Almost time. Once he takes the bait and starts betting recklessly..."

"Everything will be mine."

He glanced at the hourglass on the table. Only a few grains of sand remained.