Reasonable Suspicion
The black-market dealer of Room 18, Hyran, suddenly felt something was off.
Something's strange. What is it?
Two rounds of the game had flown by.
The stakes hovered around twenty gold coins per match as both sides probed each other's reactions.
In that time, this mysterious young noble had experienced one win and one loss.
By now, he should have been seized by greed—hungry to win big on the next round after tasting both victory and defeat.
Lose slightly in the beginning, then stoke their desire to win more and more.
That was Hyran's plan.
It was a prewritten script—one of the common tricks used by black-market dealers to suck their prey dry to the marrow.
But—
Scratch, scratch…
The young noble leaned on the table, resting his chin on his hand, absently scratching his cheek, his expression utterly blank.
Normally, there should've been some spark of emotion—excitement, tension, anything.
But there was none.
He sat there like someone bored at a dinner table, casually flicking the dice with indifference.
That confused Hyran.
What kind of poker face is that?
Even among the professional gamblers trained by the black market, this level of composure was rare.
And he barely looked twenty.
Judging from his attire and the people with him, he's not from this world at all.
Then what was he?
Just someone without a single thought in his head?
I can't figure him out.
Hyran forced herself to shake off the distraction and prepared for the next round.
Her job was already decided.
To bleed the mark dry.
No one who didn't know the secret of this game could ever defeat her.
"Now then, the third round begins."
Come to think of it, it's been a while since I played this mini-game.
I watched the little figures move across the board and felt a wave of nostalgia.
There was a time when I was completely hooked on this—so much that I ignored everything else.
As I rolled the dice onto the table, a system message appeared.
[You rolled a 3.]
[You opened Treasure Chest No. 4.]
[You gained 5 gold coins!]
On the board, my red piece moved accordingly, and a few gold coins rolled toward my side of the table.
"Congratulations," said my opponent and the game's host, Hyran, nodding slightly.
"Then it's my turn."
Her dice flew through the air.
[You rolled a 1.]
Only a one—but it was a decisive move.
"I'll move backward and open the treasure chest."
Her blue piece, previously ahead of mine, moved back one space and opened another chest.
[You gained 10 gold coins!]
Beside me, Igral groaned in despair.
"Damn it. I just let a cat guard the fish…"
He looked like he'd already written me off as bankrupt.
And the rest of my companions weren't much better—they treated me like that same reckless cat.
"Can't teach an old dog new tricks! I can't believe you're doing this here of all places!"
"M-My lord! This is too much, truly!"
The only one quiet was Thomson—because I'd confiscated his right to speak.
Everyone was scolding me, but I didn't respond.
Because I couldn't afford to right now.
Gambling was, first and foremost, a matter of having enough capital to play.
I couldn't exactly stop to explain that my funds were insufficient and that this gamble was a necessary move.
They'd just object anyway.
It's faster and easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.
So I took their angry voices as cheering fuel and kept moving my piece.
One more thing—
Once I start winning, they'll all change their tune.
Smiling inwardly, I rolled the dice again.
[Mini-Game]
A game for two to four players.
On your turn, roll the dice and move your piece across the board to claim treasure chests!
Couldn't be simpler.
It's basically Monopoly played on a Yut-nori board.
Except this game was far more aggressive—and chaotic—than a family board game on New Year's morning.
On the tabletop board, eight treasure chests were scattered at varying intervals.
Before the game began, each chest was assigned a cash value.
Whoever reached one first claimed the prize.
Players rolled dice to move their pieces forward or backward, aiming to land on and open as many chests as possible.
The round only ended when someone returned to the starting point and declared the game over.
It was a lot like Go-Stop.
And that rule was the most dangerous part of Death Dice.
Even if you were far behind and it looked hopeless, you still had to keep going.
Because unless someone finishes, the game never ends.
If you wanted to stop your opponent from grabbing all the treasure, it might actually be faster to retreat your piece back to the start.
But even that depended on what the dice decided.
So sometimes, you just have to close your eyes and charge forward.
That's what made it terrifying—and perfect for hustlers looking to fleece their marks.
Even the dice themselves were part of the trick.
"..."
I quietly looked at the worn die in my hand.
Its edges were rounded and polished smooth, looking ordinary enough.
But that die was the true snare prepared to catch fools.
A loaded die.
I'd known it from the start.
It always produced a fixed sequence of numbers.
Starts with a six, loops back to the start after exactly twenty-two throws.
I couldn't remember the entire pattern perfectly, so I needed to verify it.
That's why I'd let the first three rounds pass casually.
During that time, I could feel Hyran trying to gauge my reactions, but I didn't play along.
Six, four, four, one, five…
I'd been too busy memorizing the pattern.
The Fourth Game Began.
Alright, time to make my move.
If I didn't, the burning gazes behind me might end up searing the back of my head.
"This time, shall we start at twenty gold coins and raise it by two each round, sir?"
As Hyran was assigning gold values to each treasure chest, I casually spoke up.
"By the way, you said the Shield of Balance costs about 120 gold coins, right?"
Hyran lifted her head slightly.
Through her mask, the glint in her eyes showed a sharp, seasoned edge—an air of someone who'd survived the rough alleys.
"Yes, 120. That's what I said, isn't it?"
But I'd faced this woman dozens of times before—in the original game.
So I could meet her gaze calmly.
After all, this was a proposal she couldn't refuse.
"Would it be possible to bet items instead of gold coins? I realized I might need that particular one."
"Ah."
Hyran thought for a brief moment, then nodded coolly.
"Yes, that's possible."
But she added a condition.
"However, if we win, you'll have to pay an additional fee worth 50% of the item's value. Is that acceptable?"
…All or nothing.
If I took the treasure chest containing the Shield of Balance, I'd get it for free.
But if Hyran took it, I'd have to pay 180 gold coins without even touching the thing.
"Hrrmph."
From beside me came the sound of Igral sucking in a nervous breath.
He was obviously anxious.
But I simply nodded without concern.
"Sure. That's fine."
And I wasn't done yet.
"Let's add one more Shield of Balance to the bet."
"The same item, you mean? Alright—you're quite the big spender."
"Thanks. Add the Rosary of the Forest and the Swift Kill as well. That should be fine, right?"
"...Excuse me?"
She blinked in surprise as I suddenly piled on more items.
She ran a quick mental calculation, then tilted her head.
"Sir, that brings the total to about five hundred gold coins. Including the fee, that's seven hundred fifty. Are you sure about this?"
The sudden increase in stakes had her wondering whether I could actually pay.
Please. You'd chase me all the way into the demon realm if I didn't.
I placed all my coin pouches on the table and smiled.
"Don't you think the tension's better when there's something big on the line?"
"...Pfft."
A stifled laugh came from somewhere nearby.
Who was that? Kals?
My eyes darted—and Thomson quickly lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, sir. I just couldn't help it."
"...Your laughter rights are revoked."
I couldn't exactly punch him—not when he'd have an important role to play later.
Anyway, seven hundred fifty gold coins was far beyond what I could actually afford.
But there was no reason to back down.
A game perfect for swindling suckers, huh?
Sorry, but I was more of an expert at this game than the dealer herself.
A rigged die?
That was fine—because I could use it too.
Rules and patterns were honest things. They didn't take sides.
They favor the one who understands and uses them properly.
Hyran nodded toward me.
"Understood. No wonder you seemed so calm earlier—it must've been because the stakes were too low to interest you. I suppose this will be more exciting for you."
"...."
In truth, it wasn't boredom—it was concentration while memorizing the die's pattern.
"The two Shields of Balance, the Rosary of the Forest, and the Swift Kill will go in the even-numbered treasure chests. For the odd-numbered ones, we'll just place fifty gold coins each."
I nodded.
In total, the pot for this round now amounted to roughly seven hundred gold coins.
And if I failed to claim an even-numbered chest, my payout would skyrocket in the wrong direction.
"Gilroshan, are you really sure about this?"
Having realized I was up to something, Igral leaned in to whisper.
I paused briefly, then chuckled.
"Even if I'm not, what choice do I have?"
"If you're not sure, there's always the option to smash everything and run. This is the black market."
That was one option, sure.
"But that way, we wouldn't get what we came for. How else do you plan to obtain the Shield of Balance?"
"...."
"Don't worry. It won't take long."
At that, Igral backed off silently.
And just as I'd assured him—the game would be over soon.
After this round, they wouldn't even want to play another.
Though, there is one thing bothering me.
When Igral came close just now, I'd felt something… off.
A faint churn in my stomach.
…What was that?
"Well then, shall we begin?"
At Hyran's words, the die to decide who would move first was thrown.
If it rolled odd, my blue piece would start first.
If even, the dealer's red piece would go first.
But it didn't matter.
I already knew whose turn would come first.
It'll be a four, right?
Spin, spin, clack.
Even without seeing her face, I could feel her quiet smile.
"Oh my. I'm sorry, but it seems I'll be going first this round?"
…Just as expected.
[You rolled a 4.]
Four dots gleamed clearly on the top face of the stopped die.
Exactly as I'd predicted.
"Yes, looks like it."
I leaned my chin on my hand and grinned.
I could practically see the thoughts spinning behind that mask.
—Give him two odd chests and one even one. Make him think he almost won, then reel him in again next round.
That's exactly what she was thinking, wasn't it?
But I was thinking the opposite.
I planned to clean her out completely—this very round.