Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 157

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#157

The moment Geom U-bin grasped the dice cup, Byeon Jae-yong spoke.
“Shouldn’t we establish the rules of the wager first?”
“We’ll guess high or low on the dice. Simple and fair, wouldn’t you say? We can decide before or after shaking—I’ll leave that choice to you.”
It was Bok Cheol-bang, not Gam Il-cheon, who answered.
“After shaking. Anyone trained in Martial Arts can easily manipulate the dice to show whatever number they want from the sound alone.”
Just as Bok Cheol-bang said, the vibrations against the cup made it easy to control the outcome.
“Understood.”
As Geom U-bin placed the dice inside the cup, Bok Cheol-bang covered his mouth—to hide his use of Telepathic Communication from Geom U-bin.
―Just call out whatever number I tell you.
By remembering only which face of the dice was on top, he could easily tell by the sound which number would come up.
That Geom U-bin couldn’t even manage that much meant he either hadn’t trained in Martial Arts or was utterly mediocre. It was a wager he couldn’t lose.
When Geom U-bin covered the dice on the table with the cup, Gam Il-cheon spoke.
“There’s one thing we haven’t decided.”
“What’s that?”
“The payment deadline.”
“Ah, yes. Since it’s not much money, shall we say five days?”
The sum could easily reach three hundred and ten thousand nyang, yet Geom U-bin called it a small amount.
Bok Cheol-bang, who had unknowingly glanced up at this, nodded, and Gam Il-cheon agreed.
“Fine.”
“Then we’ll have the Jegal House hold the money until then.”
With that settled, Geom U-bin covered the dice—its top face showing six—with the cup.
“Then let’s begin.”
Geom U-bin shook the cup vigorously, and the clear ringing of dice striking ceramic filled the air.
Then his hand stilled. Gam Il-cheon swallowed hard as Bok Cheol-bang’s Telepathic Communication reached him.
―Say low.
Gam Il-cheon, who had long admired the Murim and enjoyed mimicking its ways, marveled at how these martial artists transcended the limits of ordinary people.
Discerning the dice number from sound alone was something he could never do, but for an elite master like Bok Cheol-bang, it would be possible.
So he trusted Bok Cheol-bang.
“Low.”
“Are you certain?”
“Once a man commits to a path, he doesn’t waver.”
“Then I must be high.”
Geom U-bin slowly lifted the cup.
“Ah!”
Some gasped; others cried out in astonishment. Five dots on the dice faced the sky.
“This… this can’t be!”
Bok Cheol-bang had been certain the dice showed two. It was as inevitable as an object falling to earth when thrown—beyond any doubt.
“The first round is mine.”
Geom U-bin covered the dice again in its current position.
“Shall we continue?”
Gam Il-cheon nodded, and the cup began to shake wildly. After a moment’s rattling, Geom U-bin’s voice came again.
“High or low—which will you choose?”
Bok Cheol-bang, meeting Gam Il-cheon’s gaze, sent a message through Telepathic Communication.
―Low.
Gam Il-cheon’s eyes asked wordlessly if he was sure, and Bok Cheol-bang replied through Telepathic Communication that he was.
“Low.”
“Twice you’ve chosen low and now you’re choosing low again. A man who truly doesn’t change his mind.”
The cup rose slowly, and the dice showed four. High again. The gasps deepened; the cries grew louder.
“Two losses now—that’s three hundred thousand nyang.”
Even for someone like Gam Il-cheon, three hundred thousand nyang was a staggering sum.
“The next wager will be four hundred thousand nyang. Does that suit you?”
At Geom U-bin’s gentle question, Gam Il-cheon swallowed dryly. If he lost again, it would be seven hundred thousand nyang.
It would exceed what he could possibly pay. And Bok Cheol-bang, whom he had trusted absolutely, had now become utterly unreliable.
‘Surely he won’t be wrong a third time!’
If he won just once, he could actually earn a hundred thousand nyang.
“Let’s continue.”
The dice were covered by the cup. As the clear sound faded, Bok Cheol-bang’s telepathic communication reached him.
―Big.
But Gam Il-cheon didn’t hear Bok Cheol-bang’s words.
“Small!”
“Master!”
At Bok Cheol-bang’s startled cry, Gam Il-cheon raised his hand to silence him. He’d already been wrong twice, which meant the odds of being wrong a third time were high.
Everyone waited with tense eyes as Geom U-bin lifted the cup.
“Are you certain it’s small?”
“Just show it already!”
The cup rose slowly, and immediately five faces contorted. The dice showed six.
“Oh dear. You’ve lost again.”
Geom U-bin, clicking his tongue sympathetically, turned to Jegal Hoon.
“What’s the total now?”
“Hmm? Ah! Seven hundred thousand nyang.”
Both Jegal Hoon and those listening found the sum so astronomical it felt surreal.
Three shakes of the dice—that was all it had taken for Gam Il-cheon to throw away seven hundred thousand nyang.
The blood drained from Gam Il-cheon’s face. He had never imagined losing.
Part of it was his faith in Bok Cheol-bang, but in truth, he believed in his own luck. Whatever he undertook seemed to go inexplicably well, and he had always considered himself blessed by Heavenly fortune.
Yet now four consecutive losses had visited him with cruel fate.
“You don’t look well. Shall we stop here?”
To Geom U-bin’s seemingly concerned tone, Gam Il-cheon raised his voice.
“Continue!”
Geom U-bin covered the dice with the cup.
“If Young Master Gam wins this round, he’ll earn a hundred thousand nyang. If he loses, it becomes three hundred fifty thousand. You understand?”
Whether it was seven hundred thousand or three hundred fifty thousand, the sums were so unrealistic that the difference hardly seemed to matter.
“Bah! Pocket change!”
He spoke boldly, but cold sweat was already trickling down his back. The moment Geom U-bin’s hand, which had shaken the dice six times, stilled, Gam Il-cheon cried out.
“Small!”
Three consecutive big rolls meant the odds favored small. Even Bok Cheol-bang, glancing sideways, nodded faintly.
But probabilities don’t always align, and besides, the dice they played with operated on independent probability.
So the moment the cup was lifted and Gam Il-cheon saw the dice, he clutched his head.
The number five sent Gam Il-cheon spiraling into an abyss with no bottom.
“This can’t be! How did big come up four times in a row! This is cheating!”
While Gam Il-cheon shot to his feet and shouted, Geom U-bin’s response was measured.
“Young Master Gam chose big and small himself. Had you picked big instead of small, wouldn’t you have won four times?”
There was no rebuttal possible. Yet suspicion did not fade.
The ability to divine the number from the sound—everyone present except Gam Il-cheon and Jegal Hoon possessed it.
They all harbored the same thought that Bok Cheol-bang had taught Gam Il-cheon. Yet the results had gone precisely the opposite way, which meant this dice game was certainly not normal.
Still, they found no evidence that Geom U-bin had employed any trick.
Suspicion hung thick in the air as Geom U-bin’s voice rang out.
“Will you make a final wager?”
The cumulative amount was already three hundred fifty thousand nyang. If he lost even once more, the astronomical sum of three million one hundred thousand nyang would be owed.
“Yes!”
For Gam Il-cheon, it made no difference. Whether three hundred fifty thousand or three million one hundred thousand, both sums exceeded his capacity.
Geom U-bin studied Gam Il-cheon intently before asking.
“You can certainly pay the debt, can you not?”
Gam Il-cheon, startled, nodded vigorously.
“Of course!”
“Do not harbor the slightest thought that you needn’t pay. There is no document, but in Murim, a word spoken from the mouth carries more weight than a name written on paper. Is that not so?”
“Indeed it is.”
Jegal Hoon answered, and the rest assented in silence.
“Decide carefully. Will you settle for three hundred fifty thousand nyang, or will you risk three million one hundred thousand?”
“If I win, you would have to hand over a hundred thousand nyang instead, yes?”
“That’s right.”
“Then prepare a hundred thousand nyang.”
“A truly bold man, I see.”
As Geom U-bin moved to cover the dice with the cup, Gam Il-cheon stopped him.
“This time, I’ll shake the dice myself.”
“Do I look like I’m resorting to tricks?”
“You’ve won four times in a row—surely you can concede once?”
Bok Cheol-bang stepped in to support Gam Il-cheon.
“If you weren’t using tricks, it wouldn’t matter who shakes the cup, would it? Besides, Il-cheon here doesn’t even know Martial Arts.”
“There was no rule that someone had to shake it, so your point stands.”
Geom U-bin readily handed the dice and cup to Gam Il-cheon, who sat across from him.
“Master Gam, I do have one condition for you shaking the dice.”
“What would that be?”
“You must decide whether the dice will land high or low before you shake. Quite fair, wouldn’t you say?”
Even knowing that Gam Il-cheon, who possessed no Martial Arts knowledge, couldn’t manipulate the dice at will, Geom U-bin made this proposal anyway.
Everything Bok Cheol-bang had told him was wrong, so it was the same condition for Gam Il-cheon.
“Fine.”
“I’ll give you first choice again.”
“Low.”
Gam Il-cheon, who had chosen low five times in a row, shook the dice. The rattling sound echoed for a long while.
Gam Il-cheon’s heart, clutching the cup, was desperate. If he lost now, he’d owe a staggering 3.31 million yang.
‘How did it come to this?’
It had only been a light wager. He had wanted a chance to prove his worth with the only thing he possessed—money.
But somehow he’d gotten tangled up with Geom U-bin and ended up owing 1.5 million yang. And if he wasn’t careful, that debt could balloon to 3.31 million.
That absolutely could not happen.
Click!
The sound that had been echoing finally stopped. Every eye fixed on Gam Il-cheon’s hand holding the cup.
―You’ve won, so don’t worry.
Bok Cheol-bang was certain, and the three on his side smiled faintly. But Gam Il-cheon couldn’t relax.
No, in fact, his unease only grew—Bok Cheol-bang had been wrong far more often than right.
Gam Il-cheon swallowed hard and slowly lifted the cup. His hand trembled faintly, as if betraying his fear.
Six.
Six dots facing the sky pushed Gam Il-cheon toward the cliff of despair.
“It seems my fortune was good today. That’s how luck tends to work, after all—it comes and goes in cycles.”
Geom U-bin’s voice was calm as he pocketed 3.31 million yang.
“In five days, do visit the Jegal House to collect your winnings. Thank you for an enjoyable evening.”
Geom U-bin pushed Jegal Hoon’s wheelchair across the floor.
“Wait!”
Gam Il-cheon shouted as Geom U-bin reached the stairs. When he turned to look, his face was flushed red with rage.
“What did you do! How could you get all five in a row wrong!”
Geom U-bin smiled wickedly.
“You placed too much faith in your own fortune. Apparently, luck hasn’t favored your life much after all.”
Geom U-bin lifted Jegal Hoon and disappeared down the stairs. The remaining people could only stare blankly at the space where the two had vanished.
“This can’t be right. I couldn’t have gotten it wrong.”
Gam Il-cheon’s rage descended on the muttering Bok Cheol-bang.
“What do you mean you couldn’t have gotten it wrong! You called it wrong every single time!”
“Master, try shaking the dice yourself.”
“It’s already over—why now—!”
“Geom U-bin must have used some trick! Let me prove it to you—just shake the dice!”
Gam Il-cheon shook the cup covering the dice carelessly.
“Three.”
Bok Cheol-bang didn’t call high or low—he called the exact number.
When the cup lifted, three dots faced the sky. Shaking again, Bok Cheol-bang called out a number, and the dice revealed exactly two dots.
After ten shakes, Bok Cheol-bang had called the precise number all ten times—not high or low, but the exact digit.
“Not just me—everyone here could do it too.”
Byeon Jae-yong picked up on Bok Cheol-bang’s words.
“That’s right. The dice Geom U-bin shook came out against all of our predictions. This can’t be explained without some kind of deception.”
“But if you can’t prove that deception, aren’t you just forced to hand over the money?”
Mo Yong Seol-yeong, who had said nothing until now, finally spoke.
“Do we really need to keep such a frivolous promise? 3.31 million yang is no small sum.”
She shook her head slowly.
“Geom U-bin probably doesn’t even expect to actually receive that money.”
“That might be too naive a thought.”
Seo Do-myeong, to whom Mo Yong Seol-yeong had spoken, posed a question.
“If Master Gam refuses to pay, what can Geom U-bin possibly do about it?”
“The Jegal Family is caught up in this too.”
She let out a soft laugh.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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