Chapter 79 : One Throw to Decide Heaven and Earth (5)

Chapter 79: One Throw to Decide Heaven and Earth (5)

"Yikes!"

Wi Yeonho, who had been half-asleep, sprang up in surprise.

"It would’ve been nice if you woke me a little more gently."

"Urghhh."

Dokbi simply couldn’t comprehend the man in front of him.

He had spent decades around gambling dens, but this was the first time he’d ever seen someone doze off after a match had begun.

It was as if this man had no sense of tension whatsoever.

Tak!

Dokbi slammed the dice cup he had been twirling onto the floor.

"Place your bet."

"My what?"

"Your stake, I said."

"Ah…"

Wi Yeonho placed one silver tael from the pile next to him in front of Dokbi.

"One tael?"

"Yes."

"Didn’t you say you wanted to finish quickly?"

"I did. But I’m a bit of a coward, you see."

Dokbi silently studied Wi Yeonho’s face. Even the most seasoned gamblers couldn’t fully mask their emotions, but he couldn’t read a single thing from Wi Yeonho’s expression.

"…Alright then."

For a moment, Dokbi wondered if he might be gambling against someone truly dangerous.

In matches like this, it's not uncommon for seasoned veterans to lose to complete amateurs.

When both sides understand the rules and manipulate the game toward victory, the outcome usually reflects their skill. But when facing a complete novice, that approach doesn't always work.

From the perspective of veterans, the moves of beginners often defy all common sense. That unpredictability can throw them off—enough to lose.

And the boy sitting across from him fit that profile perfectly.

He was clearly an amateur who barely knew the rules, and yet his actions ignored all expectations. His face showed no emotion whatsoever.

‘Did I dig my own grave?’

Dokbi tightened his grip on the dice cup.

Still, all he had to do was keep his focus. No matter how unreadable Wi Yeonho was, there was no way he’d lose—so long as he didn’t get careless or underestimate his opponent.

‘I’ll play this seriously.’

Dokbi lifted the dice cup.

Three, four, four, three, four, three.

"Oh, impressive."

One of the spectators let out a gasp of admiration.

"What’s so impressive? That’s just eighteen."

"You don’t get it. Do you think someone like Dokbi would just shake the cup randomly and throw it down? He probably can’t control it perfectly, but I bet he can guide the outcome to some extent."

"Come on now… There’s no way someone can control dice like that."

"Click your tongue all you like, but you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s the highest possible total on six dice?"

"Six each, so thirty-six."

"Exactly. But Dokbi just made an eighteen—dead center. It’s the first round, so he's showing some grace by just going over half. It’s a way to test his opponent’s skill while also showing off his own."

"Now that you say it… Maybe. But still, no matter how slippery someone is, there’s no way they can make dice land exactly how they want."

"You’ll see soon enough."

While the others were busy marveling at the meaning behind Dokbi’s roll, Wi Yeonho couldn’t have cared less.

"My turn."

He picked up the dice cup and swept the dice into it.

"Tch."

Glancing at the dice inside the cup, Wi Yeonho flipped it a couple of times before slamming it onto the ground.

Thud!

"…At least spin it three times."

No matter how lazy he was, this felt like too little effort.

"Is there a rule that says I have to spin it three times?"

"Well, not exactly…"

"Then it's fine, isn’t it?"

Wi Yeonho opened the cup.

One, three, two, six, one, two.

"Fifteen."

Dokbi gave a faint smile.

"I win the first round."

"Now I understand how the game works."

"Good to hear."

At Dokbi’s signal, Dosu—who had been waiting beside him—slid over the silver tael that Wi Yeonho had wagered.

"Next round’s for two taels."

"Got it."

Wi Yeonho responded casually.

But things soon became anything but casual.

"…Ten losses in a row?"

"Yeah."

"Young Master! Please get it together!"

"Right."

"Is there nothing you can do?"

"Apparently not?"

"At this rate, you’ll go bankrupt!"

"Apparently so."

"You worthless idiot!"

Jin Soa screamed and grabbed Wi Yeonho by the collar, but the spectators quickly swarmed in and started beating him down.

"Has this servant lost his mind?!"

"How dare he raise his voice to his master!"

"Ack! No, wait! That’s not what I—ack!"

Watching Jin Soa get pummeled, Wi Yeonho shook his head.

"My apologies. I did raise him as a servant, but his temperament is utterly unruly."

"Then he deserves a beating!"

"Smack him! Smack him!"

Wi Yeonho raised his sleeve to cover his mouth from the dust rising inside.

"Don’t overdo it. He’s still a decent fellow at heart."

"Agh, how can someone be so kind-hearted?"

"Truly."

Even while being beaten, Jin Soa looked like he might collapse purely out of frustration—though, at this point, it was more likely he’d just collapse from the beating itself.

"Pl-please spare me…"

"You wicked brat!"

"You better thank your master’s kindness for keeping you from turning into a complete wreck!"

Jin Soa suddenly snapped.

"That’s not true!"

"Still not learning your place?"

Once again, the crowd rushed in to stomp him down.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Wi Yeonho sighed as he watched the scene unfold. He couldn’t tell if the boy’s outburst in the middle of a beating was foolish or if his refusal to ever call himself a servant, no matter how far things went, was some kind of twisted pride.

He was a truly amusing—and foolish—fellow.

But now wasn’t the time to enjoy such a spectacle. Wi Yeonho propped his chin up again, his eyes on the gambling board.

‘Let’s see here...’

The stack of silver taels before him had shrunk to about a thousand nyang.

He had started with twenty gold taels—that was two thousand silver taels. So he had lost roughly half of it.

To think calmly, his original capital was only ten gold taels. The remaining ten had been borrowed from Kang Cheonrip. Taking that into account, he had effectively lost everything he had brought to the table.

"Looks like this will be the last round."

Dokbi now wore a rather relaxed expression.

"Hmm..."

Wi Yeonho leaned back in his chair and scratched his cheek.

"Y-you can still win, right?"

Jin Soa, his face swollen and blue, crept up from behind the chair.

"You’re still alive?"

"Watching you lose is giving me a heart attack."

"It’s not as easy as it sounds."

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.

Yin-Yang was a game that suited him very well.

There was no room for tricks or manipulation, and thanks to his exceptional hearing, he could determine the number of marbles. But dice—dice were a different story.

Even if the dice had numbers carved into them, it was impossible to tell by sound what numbers landed face-up.

"By the way, your sister..."

"Yes?"

"Does she sing well?"

"What are you even saying?"

"Well, you know… She’ll need to sing if she ends up working at the courtesan house."

"You crazy bastard! How can you even say that?!"

Jin Soa lunged for Wi Yeonho’s collar again, but was dragged away by the others. He screamed and shouted, but Wi Yeonho let the words go in one ear and out the other.

"Sheesh, the kid’s got one nasty temper."

Dokbi, seemingly enjoying the sight of Wi Yeonho's impending ruin, sat still and watched him instead of starting a new round.

"Aren’t we going to start?"

"You’d like to continue?"

"Isn’t the game supposed to go until one of us is completely broke?"

"Normally, yes. But if you wish to stop here, I’d be open to that."

Dokbi and Kang Cheonrip exchanged glances.

If they took the twenty taels right now, it would certainly be a profit. But there was a good chance this immature brat would never return to the gambling hall after such a loss.

However, if they let him go under the condition that he return the ten borrowed taels, he’d probably come back with even more money and start frequenting the place. In the long run, that was a better investment.

There was no guarantee they could recover the ten-tael debt anyway.

If Wi Yeonho were simply a rich man, they could pressure him—but he was the son of a high-ranking official. Try to collect the debt carelessly, and they could bring down the entire Golden Flower Manor.

Rather than taking the risk, turning him into a long-term sucker who’d keep coming back wasn’t a bad strategy.

"What for?"

But Wi Yeonho didn’t seem interested in taking the offer.

Dokbi turned to Kang Cheonrip.

Receiving the unspoken question, Kang Cheonrip gave a solemn nod.

"If he wishes it."

They had given him a way out, but if the man himself refused, there was nothing they could do. Dokbi smirked coldly and said,

"The stake for this round is one thousand nyang."

"Damn, already?"

Wi Yeonho glanced at his remaining silver.

If he lost this round, he would have no money left. It was a must-win match.

"Let me ask one last time. Are you really going through with this?"

"Could we hurry this up? You talk way too much."

A vein bulged on Dokbi’s forehead.

"If that’s what you want."

He had tried to be lenient, but this brat was acting like he had no idea what kind of danger he was in.

Determined to make him taste bitter defeat, Dokbi began crafting his play.

‘I’ll show you hell.’

The onlookers began watching Wi Yeonho with pity.

‘He’s about to lose everything.’

‘If he loses again, he’ll owe ten gold taels. Ten taels of debt in a single day…’

‘This is why greenhorns should never gamble.’

Whether he was aware of their sympathy or not, Wi Yeonho remained calm. No—he wasn’t so much calm as he was preoccupied with fighting off his drowsiness.

With his mind set, Dokbi handed the dice to Wi Yeonho.

"Roll them."

"It’s my turn?"

"Yes."

Dokbi, full of confidence, gestured for Wi Yeonho to proceed.

Wi Yeonho swept the dice into the cup and began shaking them above his head.

Having reached the tenth round, he had at least gotten a little better at shaking the cup by now.

Thud!

He slammed the cup onto the floor, then raised his head and looked at Dokbi.

"I’m opening it."

"Go ahead."

Wi Yeonho opened the dice cup without delay.

Six, five, five, six, four, three.

"Twenty-nine."

"Whew!"

"Now that’s a proper roll!"

Gasps of admiration rang out from all directions. Twenty-nine was a very high number. Compared to all the numbers Wi Yeonho had rolled so far, this was the first that truly looked strong.

"A high number indeed."

But Dokbi didn’t waver at all. He gathered the dice and dropped them into his cup. Then he began shaking it in a dazzling display.

Chwarururuk! Chwarururuk!

The spinning dice produced a delightful sound. After a few moments of shaking, Dokbi placed the cup down and immediately opened it without hesitation.

"Th-that...!"

The spectators swarmed over to check his roll.

"This can't be real!"

Exclamations filled the gambling hall.

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