Chapter 19: The Dice of Death (2)

Hailan, the black market merchant of Room 18, suddenly found something odd.

‘Something’s off. What is it?’

Two rounds of the game had passed in a flash.

The stakes hovered around 20 Gold Coins, with both sides tentatively feeling each other out.

And in the meantime, this mysterious Noble Boy had experienced one win and one loss.

As a result, he’d made a small profit, and by now, he should have been gripped by the greed to win big in the next round.

‘At first, you let them win or lose just enough to stoke their desire for more.’

That was Hailan’s plan.

It was a script set in advance, a trick common to all Shadow Market Dealers who sucked their marks dry to the bone.

But—

Scratch, scratch…

The Noble Boy rested his chin on the table, scratching his cheek with a blank expression.

Normally, there should have been at least a hint of excitement or anticipation.

But there was none at all.

He just scratched his nose bridge as if he were sitting at a meal he didn’t care for, flicking the dice onto the table.

That confused Hailan.

‘What’s with that poker face?’

Even among the professional gamblers raised by the Shadow Market, this level of composure was rare.

He looked barely twenty years old.

‘Judging by his clothes and companions, he doesn’t seem like someone from our world, either.’

So what was he?

Is he just really not thinking about anything?

‘I can’t figure him out.’

Hailan forcefully cleared her thoughts and began to prepare the next round.

Either way, her job was set.

To bleed the sucker dry.

If he didn’t know the secrets of this game, no one could beat her.

“All right, third game.”

‘Come to think of it, it’s been ages since I played this Mini Game.’

I watched the pieces and dice move across the Board, briefly lost in nostalgia.

There was a time I was so hooked on this, I barely touched anything else.

When I tossed the dice onto the table, a System Message popped up.

[You rolled a 3.]

[You opened Treasure Chest 4.]

[You gained 5 Gold Coins!]

The red piece advanced across the Board, and several Gold Coins rolled out and piled up on my side.

“Congratulations.”

Hailan, the host and my opponent in this game, nodded at me.

“Then, it’s my turn.”

The dice spun through the air.

[You rolled a 1.]

It was only a 1, but that was the crucial move.

“I’ll move backwards and open a Treasure Chest.”

Hailan’s blue piece, which was ahead of mine, moved back one space and opened another chest.

[You gained 10 Gold Coins!]

Irgal, who had been blankly watching beside me, groaned.

“Damn it. I left the fish to the cat…”

He was acting like I’d already gambled away my entire fortune.

And my Companions weren’t much better, treating me like some wicked cat.

“They say a leopard can’t change its spots! I can’t believe you’re doing this here too!”

“Y-you… No, my lord! This is just too much!”

Only Thomson, whose mouth I’d confiscated, stayed quiet.

Everyone had something to say to me, but I didn’t answer.

There was no point explaining.

Gambling always starts with what you have in your pocket.

I couldn’t exactly explain that I had no choice but to gamble because I didn’t have enough to get by.

‘They’d only object anyway.’

It’s always easier to act first and ask forgiveness later, rather than explain and get permission.

So I let their complaints fuel me and kept the game moving.

One more thing.

‘Once I start winning, they’ll change their tune soon enough.’

I grinned to myself and rolled the dice.

<Dice of Death>

[Mini Game] A game for 2 to 4 people. On your turn, roll the dice and move your piece on the Board to claim Treasure Chests!

Anything simpler than that?

‘It’s like playing Monopoly on a Yutnori board.’

But compared to family games on New Year’s morning, this was far more aggressive and chaotic.

On the Board, eight Treasure Chests were placed at different intervals.

Before the game started, each chest was assigned a prize, and whoever reached it first claimed it.

You moved your piece forward or backward by the number you rolled, trying to check each Treasure Chest before the others.

And only when someone returned to the finish and declared the game over would the round actually end.

It was a bit like Go-Stop.

And this was the most lethal part of the ‘Dice of Death.’

Even if your opponent surged ahead and seemed impossible to catch, you had to keep playing.

‘The game doesn’t end unless someone finishes.’

If you wanted to stop your opponent from gobbling up all the Treasure Chests, sometimes it was faster to move backwards and return to the start.

But even that depended on the dice.

‘So sometimes, it’s better to just grit your teeth and run for it.’

That’s what made this game so dangerous, and perfect for cheaters looking to fleece suckers.

Even the dice were rigged.

I quietly studied the worn dice in my hand.

The six-sided die, rounded and shiny from use, looked ordinary at first glance.

But it was a device designed to trap the unwary.

‘A loaded die.’

I’d known that from the start.

It always showed a set pattern.

‘It starts with a 6, and if you roll it exactly 22 times, it loops back to the start.’

I couldn’t recall the whole sequence perfectly, so I needed to test it.

That’s why I let the first three rounds pass without resistance.

I could feel Hailan watching my reactions, but I didn’t play along.

‘6-4-4-1-5…’

I’d been busy memorizing the pattern.

And now, the fourth game was about to begin.

‘It’s about time to make my move.’

Otherwise, the eyes boring into the back of my head might burn a hole through my skull.

“This time, shall we start at 20 and raise the stakes by 2 each round, dear customer?”

While Hailan was setting the Gold Coins for each Treasure Chest—

“By the way, you said the Shield of Balance was worth 120 Gold Coins, right?”

I spoke up as if it was nothing.

Hailan glanced up slightly.

Behind the mask, I caught a glimpse of the sharp, seasoned look of a woman hardened by back-alley life.

“Yes, 120. That’s what I told you, wasn’t it?”

But I was a true gamer who had faced her dozens of times in the original game.

So I could meet her gaze calmly.

Either way, this wasn’t an offer she could refuse.

“Is it possible to bet that item instead of Gold Coins? Now that I think about it, I might need it.”

“Ah.”

Hailan thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, that’s possible.”

But there was a catch.

“But if we win, you’ll have to pay an extra 50% of the item’s value as a fee. Is that all right?”

…All or nothing.

If I took the Treasure Chest with the Shield of Balance, I’d get it for free.

But if Hailan took it, I’d have to cough up 180 Gold Coins without even touching the shield.

“Hup.”

Next to me, Irgal sucked in a tense breath.

He was nervous.

But I nodded without a care.

“Sure. That’s fine.”

And I wasn’t done yet.

“Let’s put another Shield of Balance on the line.”

“The same item? Understood, you’re quite the high roller.”

“Thanks. Add the Rosary of the Forest and Swift Arrow as well. That’s all right, isn’t it?”

“…Excuse me?”

She was taken aback by my sudden avalanche of requests.

She did some quick calculations in her head and tilted her head.

“Sir, that’s 500 Gold Coins. With the extra fee, it’s 750. Are you sure you can pay that?”

She wanted to know if I could really cover such a huge bet.

‘If I can’t pay, they’ll hunt me down to the ends of the Demon Realm for it.’

I dumped all my Gold Coin pouches on the table and grinned.

“That’s the only way to make things exciting, isn’t it?”

“Pfft.”

A stifled laugh came from somewhere.

Who was it? Karls?

Thomson dropped his head under my gaze.

“Sorry, sir. I just couldn’t help it.”

“…Your laughter is confiscated too.”

He’d play a big role later, so I couldn’t smack him just yet.

Anyway, 750 Gold Coins was far more than I could really afford.

But there was no reason to back down.

‘A game perfect for fleecing suckers, huh?’

Sorry, but I was more of an expert than the Dealer.

A loaded die—

That was just another tool for me to exploit.

Rules and patterns are fair; they’re loyal to no one.

‘They favor the one who knows and uses them best.’

Hailan nodded at me.

“Understood. I thought you looked strangely calm before—maybe the stakes were just too low for you. Perhaps that’s why you seemed bored.”

Actually, I’d been focused on memorizing the die’s pattern.

“I’ll place the two Shields of Balance, the Rosary of the Forest, and Swift Arrow in the even-numbered Treasure Chests. The odd-numbered ones will each have 50 Gold Coins.”

I nodded.

Altogether, the stakes for this round now amounted to about 700 Gold Coins’ worth.

If I didn’t claim the even-numbered Treasure Chests, I’d have to pay out even more.

“Gilloshian, are you really sure about this?”

It seemed Irgal had caught on that I was up to something, and he leaned in to whisper.

I paused, then grinned.

“Even if I’m not, what choice do I have?”

“If you’re not, we can just smash everything and run. This is the Shadow Market, after all.”

That was an option, but—

“We can’t get what we want that way. Where else would we find the Shield of Balance?”

“Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”

Irgal fell silent and stepped back.

Just as I promised, the game would end quickly.

After this round, they wouldn’t even want to play another.

‘Still, something else is bothering me.’

When Irgal had come closer earlier,

I felt a strange, uneasy sensation in my gut.

…What was that?

“Shall we begin?”

At Hailan’s words, the dice were rolled to determine which piece would move first.

If it landed on an odd number, my blue piece would go first; if even, the Dealer’s red piece would.

But this was just for show.

I already knew the Dealer’s piece would move first.

‘It’ll probably be a 4.’

Spin, clatter.

Even without showing it, I could feel a quiet smile on my lips.

“Oh dear. Looks like I’ll be going first this round.”

…Just as I thought.

[You rolled a 4.]

Four dots were clearly marked on the face of the die.

Exactly as I expected.

“Yes, so it seems.”

I rested my chin on my hand and grinned.

I could see right through her thoughts behind that mask.

—Take two odd chests, one even chest, make him think he almost won, then fleece him gently again next time.

That’s what she was thinking, right?

But I was the opposite.

I was planning to clean out the table this round and walk away.