In response to the question, Valyr nodded at Jekyll, prompting the latter to nod back. With that, Jekyll took out the set of cards from the box before pushing the box aside, spreading the cards out on the counter for Valyr to look at soon after.
“Have you played blackjack before?” Jekyll looked at the man before him, to which the latter shook his head.
“Well, the rules of blackjack are pretty simple. In short, the one who has a hand closest to 21 wins,” he explained soon after. “Of course, if your hand totals to 21, which is called a blackjack, you win. However, if your hand exceeds 21, which is called a bust, you lose.”
“I’ll be the dealer, and you’ll be the player.” As Jekyll continued to explain the rules, he went ahead and utilized the skills he had shown Valyr while shuffling the cups earlier on the cards, leaving the latter mesmerized as his eyes were glued to how the cards were shuffled. “We’ll be competing against each other to see who gets closest to blackjack.”
“Since you haven’t played blackjack before, we’ll only be using the most basic rule set of blackjack. Hit or stand,” Neatly piling up the cards the way they previously were, Jekyll moved the cards aside as he had Valyr focus his attention on him. “Hit means the dealer gives you another card on your hand. On the other hand, stand means you’re satisfied with your current hand and you’re passing it onto the next player. Since it’s only the two of us, once you stand, that means it’s my turn.”
“Are we clear on that?” Asking the question to Valyr, Jekyll wanted to make sure that both sides understood the rules of blackjack very well. Although he had heard of the game before and had played it a couple of times, it wasn’t wrong for one to say that Valyr did not know how to play blackjack, prompting him to ask Jekyll a couple more questions until all of his doubts were cleared up.
Once all of Valyr’s doubts were cleared up, Jekyll offered to Valyr to play a few practice games first so the latter could get used to playing blackjack. Unsurprisingly, Valyr agreed, taking every chance he could get to increase his understanding of blackjack.
After all, Jekyll would test him in blackjack once all was said and done.
Unexpectedly, the practice games Valyr had with Jekyll went smoothly. At certain games, Jekyll would win, while at others, Valyr would win.
Then, there were times where Valyr would get a blackjack, which undoubtedly increased the enjoyment he felt while playing the game. Naturally, the opposite also happened, stoking the flames of competition within Valyr as he wondered if there was a strategy he could use to increase his chances.
Eventually, after what seemed to be about an hour of practice games, Jekyll placed the cards to the side, his expression solemn as he looked at Valyr. “Now that we’ve warmed up, you think you have a shot at inheriting my legacy?”
“Well, one thing’s for sure.” In response, Valyr shrugged his shoulders before giving him a confident grin. “I won’t be going down without a fight that easily.”
Responding back with a toothy grin, Jekyll went ahead and grabbed the cards before shuffling it to the best of his abilities. In the meantime, a notification sound resounded in Valyr’s mind.
Ding!
[You have received a new quest: Budding Curiosity.]
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[Budding Curiosity] (Linked Quest)
Difficulty: C
As you have passed through the preliminary test Jekyll gives to people he deems fit for his legacy, his curiosity is piqued, wondering if you have what it takes to truly be able to inherit his legacy. With that, he decides to find out in what he thinks is the best way possible, through a game of blackjack.
Do note that Jekyll will undoubtedly try to mess with your senses. However, as long as you remove the veil he has fabricated, you’ll win.
Quest Requirements:
> Successfully win a game of blackjack against Jekyll (0/1)
Quest Rewards: Affinity +500 with Jekyll, Jekyll’s approval to inherit his legacy
Quest Penalty: Affinity -100 with Jekyll, Level -3
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Although the penalty of the quest was still somewhat harsh in Valyr’s opinion, rather than fearing the possibility of failing to complete the quest, he instead turned that fear into determination.
A determination to win the quest and see what Jekyll’s legacy was about.
“Unlike the previous test, there’s no limit to the number of games we play,” Jekyll said as he continued to shuffle the cards. “As long as you win one game of blackjack against me, you win.”
Thud.
Neatly stacking up the cards once he was done shuffling, Jekyll went ahead and dealt Valyr his initial hand with a grin. “Now then… let’s start.”
Looking at the two cards he had been dealt with, Valyr could not help but ponder over whether he should hit or stand. ‘My current hand has a value of 16… if I choose to go with hit, I could end up with a high value card and bust. However, if I stand, there’s a chance Jekyll might get a hand that has a higher value than mine.’
Eyeing the two cards in front of Jekyll that were flipped over, Valyr eventually made his decision and settled to hit, increasing the value of his hand to 18. Feeling that another hit would put him in a precarious situation, he told Jekyll he was going to stand.𝑜𝗏𝓛𝐞xt.𝗇𝓔t
Nodding in response to the move, Jekyll went ahead and flipped his cards over, revealing the value of the initial hand he had to Valyr. Seeing that the value of Jekyll’s hand was 17, Valyr could not help but think that there was a high chance for him to win the first game. After all, there was a great chance that Jekyll would get a high value card if he went with a hit.
Unfortunately for him, contrary to his expectations, Jekyll went ahead and pulled a hit, adding a card to his already high value hand. Though, once he noticed the card that Jekyll had obtained, Valyr’s eyes could not help but widen in disbelief, wondering what kind of insane luck did Jekyll have to get a blackjack on their first game.
“A four…” he muttered, sharply inhaling as Jekyll collected the cards that had been dealt during the game before shuffling the deck once more.
After shuffling it for a while, Jekyll started the game once more, dealing Valyr his initial hand. Surprisingly, the value of Valyr’s hand was already at 20, reducing the need for him to ponder over his decision as he told Jekyll he would stand without hesitation.
With that, Jekyll nodded once more, revealing the initial hand he had dealt himself to Valyr. Coincidentally, his initial hand had the same value as Valyr’s hand, being a 20.
Realizing this, Valyr was certain that Jekyll was also going to stand, bringing the game to a draw. Although that wasn’t exactly a win in his books, it was definitely a step in the right direction.
However, just like the first game, Jekyll made a move contrary to his previous expectations, deciding to hit as he added a card to his initial hand. Though, thinking that the added card would make Jekyll go bust, Valyr’s eyes instead saw that Jekyll had pulled an ace, bringing the value of his hand to 21 once more.
At this point, Valyr’s expression had turned to solemn, prompting him to look at the man before him as the man responded back with a carefree smile. Taking in a deep breath, he remembered that he was fighting against a man that had always basked in the world of gambling.
In other words, it was a losing fight to begin with.
“This is going to be a long game of blackjack.” Letting out a light sigh, Valyr asked Jekyll to start another game, to which the latter happily obliged.