Chapter 21: Treasure Chests

I adjusted my posture in the chair, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

“Wow, what a shame. You could’ve gotten the Fourth Treasure Chest.”

But there was no answer from Hailan.

…….

She was just glaring at the dice with eyes twisted by fury.

When she finally looked up to meet my gaze, I could see confusion flickering in her eyes.

-Are these guys turning our loaded dice trick against us?

……Exactly that kind of look.

It was the stage where suspicion had begun, but certainty hadn’t formed yet.

The process where the table was slammed and overturned, and in the chaos, the dice were passed over.

That ambiguity worked in our favor.

Irgal’s sudden move and my quick thinking weren’t perfectly smooth, but they didn’t seem overly awkward either.

After all, stumbling and grabbing the table while getting up isn’t that strange, right?

‘The problem is, it happened at the exact perfect timing.’

That timing was very odd.

Honestly, I found it a bit amazing myself.

How did Irgal manage to butt in at just the right moment?

‘It’s like he could read my mind.’

Just how did this guy pull it off?

“Hmm, hmm. My apologies.”

Irgal only apologized for interrupting the game, acting like he’d made a simple mistake.

I couldn’t figure him out.

In the end, Hailan couldn’t press us further without proof.

“……Please be more careful at the table, sir.”

She just kept shooting us suspicious looks, glaring between the two of us.

“Yeah, man, why’d you go slamming the table with a sneeze like that? Nearly scared the life out of me!”

I started rambling nonsense as I tossed the dice.

After Hailan had rolled a 1, what would come up next?

Of course.

[You rolled a 4.]
[You opened the Fourth Treasure Chest.]
[You obtained the Shield of Balance!]

There was no need to tamper with the pattern again.

I’d already planned for a 4 to come up after the 1, right when Irgal sneezed.

“Oops, guess I took it! Hahaha.”

Having claimed the Fourth Treasure Chest, I gave a sheepish grin.

“……Congratulations.”

Hailan muttered blankly, lost in thought.

She was probably busy doubting herself, unable to decide for sure.

She’d tried to scam me, but things had turned completely around, and naturally, she was taking a huge loss.

The two Shields of Balance, which she’d thought would bait a sucker, were gone.

Even at market price, that’s 240 gold.

‘It can’t be easy to stay calm right now.’

But to my surprise, Hailan, with a subtle, hidden move, manipulated the dice’s pattern and rolled it onto the table.

[You rolled a 4.]

Interesting.

‘So, a 4. Next, she’s aiming for a 6?’

She was calculating her next move to claim the next treasure chest.

Her composure impressed me, honestly.

‘A true Shadow Market veteran.’

Even after losing three treasure chests, she had the confidence of a pro who believed she could still turn the game around.

But…….

That was exactly what I had orchestrated.

I’d led her hope along this far.

‘To hook a sucker, you have to give them hope.’

Let me repeat: I didn’t come here to get scammed—I came to scam.

And with the game halfway done, it was time to change my approach.

Tap.

As the dice moved in my hand, Hailan’s eyes widened in alarm.

“……!”

I made a show of flipping the dice’s pattern and tossed it onto the table.

[You rolled a 6.]

The 6 Hailan was aiming for came to me.

I blatantly changed the pattern.

Now, an NPC could only react in one way.

Hailan, hands trembling, picked up the dice.

And then—

Tap, tap.

She bounced the dice twice on the table, then handed it to me.

Thanks to that, the dice pattern skipped two steps and landed on ‘1.’

“I—”

Her eyes, cold and sharp, locked onto mine.

This was her silent question.

Did I really know the secret of the loaded dice?

Was I using it knowingly?

I smiled quietly.

“Your gaze is a bit too intense.”

As I said, her suspicion came too late.

I answered simply.

Tap.

[You rolled a 6.]
[You opened the Fifth Treasure Chest.]
[You obtained 50 gold coins!]

No need to hide it anymore.

“Hmm, that’s sweet.”

As I grinned and pocketed the gold, I saw the blood drain from Hailan’s face.

Now she realized I was the one turning the loaded dice against her.

And she must have realized it wasn’t her leading me on, but the other way around.

With a frozen expression, Hailan glared at me.

“……How long have you known?”

All pretense of politeness vanished.

I chuckled.

“Does it matter? Of course, from the very start.”

“Damn it. You got me completely.”

“Yup, and I’m very grateful.”

“Who are you? Who sent you?”

“……Me?”

At that, I scratched my temple.

Hmm, if you ask where I’m from…

“Who knows. Mad Mages’ Paradise…or something like that?”

“Mad Mages’ Paradise?”

“Yeah, something like that exists.”

I was just spouting whatever came to mind about the Vald Magic Empire.

But the Dealer seemed to take my words seriously.

“Mad Mages’ Paradise…….

“

Then she started staring intently at the board.

Now she knew for sure I was using the loaded dice trick against her.

“Damn it!”

She was fuming with rage.

But—

” “

She didn’t flip the table or anything.

Instead, she focused even harder, calculating the numbers on the board.

The reason was simple.

Because of the Dealer Principles of the Shadow Market.

‘Once a game has started, no matter what happens, it must be finished.’

Even if someone drew a knife and tried to take the winnings afterward, the game itself had to be played to the end.

And if a Dealer breaks the rules, rumor has it they lose a finger, right?

For the sake of her remaining money—and her fingers—
Hailan was weighing her options, whether to go forward or turn back.

But it was already too late to turn back.

I crossed my arms leisurely and tossed the dice.

“Take your time. Decide whether you’ll go forward, or back.”

“Shut up.”

Hailan snarled, bouncing the dice twice on the table before tossing it into the air.

Now she too was openly using the loaded dice.

[You rolled a 6.]

The game resumed.

But the outcome was obvious.

Unless a 70 came up on a six-sided die, my victory was assured.

[You opened the Sixth Treasure Chest.]
[You obtained the Rosary of the Forest!]
[You opened the Seventh Treasure Chest.]
[You obtained 50 gold coins!]

I easily kept ahead of the Dealer, opening treasure chests one after another.

“Hey, don’t cry. Stuff like this happens in games. No need to bawl over it, right?”

“Shut your mouth! I’m not crying!”

“If you’re not crying, then why are you yelling? So, those aren’t tears in your eyes, just sweat?”

Hailan was trembling, as if she couldn’t believe she’d been beaten like this.

Well, whatever…….

[You opened the Eighth Treasure Chest.]
[You obtained Swift Arrow!]

In the end, I managed to take every chest except for number one.

No need to worry about the final showdown at the end.

“Game stop.”

A message appeared.

[You are victorious!]
[Your earnings are as follows:]

• 150 gold coins
• 2 Shields of Balance
• Rosary of the Forest
• Swift Arrow

[Your losses are as follows:]

• 50 gold coins

It all went according to plan.

Without spending a single coin, I walked away with everything I needed—and then some.

‘Now, once Bamil brings the glasses, I’m ready for that event.’

After confirming the items in my inventory, I reached out my hand to Hailan.

“It wasn’t exactly fair play, but I had fun.”

I offered a handshake.

Of course, she completely ignored me.

“I—”

Hailan glared at me from behind her mask, her eyes blazing.

What a funny woman.

Does losing in a game of tricks really make her this mad?

“Wow, now it’s not water in your eyes, it’s fire. Magic, huh?”

“Shut up.”

……Guess it really does make her furious.

Hailan pocketed the dice in her sleeve and took a deep breath.

Then she looked me straight in the eye.

“Honestly, this is a first. I never imagined someone would turn our own tricks against us.”

At that, I tilted my head.

“Really? This has never happened before?”

“Of course not. Who memorizes the code of the violet dice and uses it? Unless you’re a freak like you.”

“Come on, a freak?”

Veteran, maybe—but freak is a bit much, isn’t it?

Or is it the same thing?

But surprisingly, Hailan’s voice gradually calmed down.

“As I said, since this has never happened before, I have no idea what will come next.”

“……?”

“The moment you leave this room, you should be careful. Our bosses already know exactly what I’ve lost. So don’t expect them to let you go quietly.”

That was a bit alarming.

And I guess my face showed it.

“Sir, this is the Shadow Market! Get your head straight! After pulling a stunt like that, you better be ready for the consequences!”

“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant.”

I stopped Hailan before she could start lecturing me, and asked my own question.

“Why do you care about what happens to me?”

At that, Hailan pulled off her mask and threw it at me.

Such a passionate woman.

“You little bastard, I try to warn you and you act like this!”

“Honestly, it’s suspicious. The person I just beat is worried about me?”

I shrugged at the scar on Hailan’s lip, and she sighed.

“……Just call it a whim. I have a younger brother like you, that’s all.”

“Oh, your brother’s a gambler?”

“No! You little brat!”

What am I supposed to do with that?

Grinding her teeth, Hailan stormed out from behind the table.

Standing by the door, she hesitated for a long moment before speaking.

“Don’t die. I don’t want to see someone who beat me die for nothing. That’s all.”

Just a moment ago she mentioned her brother.

“Honestly, losing to me must’ve left quite an impression, huh?”

I teased her, but Hailan didn’t answer.

Her gloomy expression made something twist in my chest.

I couldn’t think of her as just another NPC in a game.

‘Everyone here has their own story.’

Remembering that suddenly left me confused.

Is this really just a game world?

Or has the world itself become a game?

……Ah, whatever.

I’ll worry about that later.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I opened my inventory.

“Karls, Tirvaen. Here.”

I handed each of them a Shield of Balance and the Rosary of the Forest.

Both their eyes widened as they received the items.

“Sir? I’m not really skilled with shields…”

“Nor am I! What am I supposed to do with the Rosary of the Forest?”

What do you mean, you don’t know?

“You’ll figure it out as you use it.”

I turned to Irgal right away.

Tossing him the remaining Shield of Balance, I said,

“Alright, that’s it for the group purchase. From here, it’s every man for himself. Any objections?”

“No, none.”

Irgal nodded, fumbling beneath his hood.

With this, preparations were complete.

Now it was time to escape the Shadow Market alive.

I beckoned toward the corner.

“Thomson, come here and open the door.”

“M-me, sir?”

“Hey, no need to look so nervous.”

“Why are you grabbing me by the scruff?”

“……It’s a secret.”

Thomson’s last role was to be the shield.

‘The so-called Friend Shield.’

From now on, I planned to use this guy as my front to break out of the Shadow Market.

Of course, he wasn’t just any ordinary shield.