Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Dice Game
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A dark room enclosed by red brick walls.
A shabby-looking man was there.
“Do I just roll it now?”
“Yesss~ Go ahead and roll the dice.”
The glasses-wearing succubus let out a blatant yawn toward the timid-seeming man.
Despite her soft tone, the hint of irritation from her routine seeped through, making the man hesitate.
“Do I roll them one by one? Or all three at once?”
“In the Evolution Room, we add them up if you roll all three at once and give the combined reward.
In rooms like the Material Room or Job Room, we can give you three separate items or skills with their individual values if you want.”
“I-I see.”
Even under the pressure of another yawn, he timidly checked the dice in his pocket.
One hard-earned gold die and two silver ones.
These were the fruits of reassembly from twenty dice before entering.
‘If the gold die comes through... my avatar might evolve.’
His avatar was C- grade Doujigiri.
Though he looked dim-witted, he’d climbed to the fifth floor thanks to luck and the fact that its level had reached 60—granting him a rare third ability among hunters, one few had unlocked.
‘But to survive beyond this, I need even greater power...’
He’d considered entering the Job Room for a special swordsman class.
But most crucially, his avatar’s talents had hit a wall lately.
Unsure if he’d get another chance like this, he’d bet it all on breaking through his limits.
The sweat-slick die slipped from his hand and rolled across the table.
Clatter.
[The die eyes have been revealed.]
[Silver die 58, Silver die 41]
“Ugh...”
Both silver dice showed the lowest possible rolls.
At this rate, maybe a level 20 boost.
Roll.
The final gold die tumbled and tumbled before falling off the table.
He covered his face with both hands without even looking for it.
“How much did it land on?”
“10.”
He wanted to die.
As that thought crossed his mind, a notification appeared before him.
[Gold die 100]
[The die eyes affect avatar Doujigiri (C-).]
[A new possibility has been discovered within Doujigiri.]
[Doujigiri has transformed into Totsuka no Tsurugi (B+).]
[Level converts from 62 to 1.]
He stared blankly at the notifications for a moment before letting out a small gasp.
“I... I did it...”
“Congratulations. Next person, come in.”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
A black hole opened beneath his feet, and he fell through.
For the record, his name was Tanaka Koji, age 47.
He was the head of a large family, raising his own five siblings plus five neighborhood kids orphaned by the monster outbreak, all while working as a hunter.
Leaving his backstory aside, a new person emerged from the hole.
“Let’s see, Hunter Number 07-1201806. Timmy Rogers, right?”
“What’s with that product serial number crap?”
“It’s a product serial number, so don’t worry about it.”
Grunting with an exasperated look, he showed her his dice.
“Hey, sis. Rolling these here is the right move, yeah?”
“Yesss. That’s correct. In the Evolution Room...”
Lilianne repeated the explanation she’d given hundreds of times through hundreds of clones.
As she yawned from unbearable boredom, Rogers grinned at her.
“Then check this out, demon sis.”
He took a short breath.
It looked like he was throwing the dice in his palm, but his swing aimed straight at the solid wall.
Bang!
The dice shattered into pieces against the wall and his palm.
Metal shards dug into his skin, blood dripping down.
“Oops. I did throw the dice, but I threw ‘em too hard and they broke.”
Sweeping the fragments aside with his foot, Rogers flashed Lilianne a friendly smile.
“So, what happens now?”
Lilianne didn’t even glance at him as she filed her nails on the table.
“What do you think happens?”
“I did roll them per the rules, didn’t I? They just lost their eyes.”
“You rolled, but no result came up, so next person, please.”
“Damn it. Was it pointless after all?”
He gritted his teeth and shook his head.
The pain in his hand was nothing compared to the stab of wasting his one shot on this stupidity.
Not wanting to show the tears welling in his eyes, he tilted his face toward the ceiling—and spotted mysterious paper confetti fluttering in his view.
Boom!
“Ta-da! Glory to you for your bold and courageous challenge, uncertain though it may be! A prize from Grand Archangel Sandalphon.”
Lilianne’s arm elegantly pointed to the wall beside her.
[The fourth room ‘Platinum Gate’ opens.]
[The Platinum die eyes are fixed at 1~6, and even the lowest reward rivals a gem die’s.]
The worn red brick wall.
A platinum door shimmering mysteriously appeared there.
“Demon sis, aren’t you teasing me too much?”
“Oh? If this were a mission I made, I’d have dropped you into the dungeon for talking nonsense.”
“Hahaha, well, thanks anyway, demon sis. Drinks later if we cross paths?”
At his cheeky flirt, Lilianne covered her mouth and laughed.
“Oh my, I wouldn’t mind a handsome guy like you. Sadly, I’m taken...”
“Aw, that’s a shame.”
“Want me to introduce you to some little sisters instead?”
“Are they cute?”
“Of course.”
“Where do they live?”
“One works as head hell maid at the ‘Garian Mansion’ on floor 43. The other’s the underground floor master at ‘Nest of Dream Demons’ on floor 51. Which one?”
“...”
“Both have killer styles, no need to ask. The first one’s...”
“Sorry for the rudeness. I’ll be going now.”
Lilianne chuckled as she watched his stiff-faced back vanish swiftly through the platinum door.
“Fresh and cute~ Not bad at all. But...”
She thought of Gonghyeok waiting confidently outside the door.
“You probably know this, but even blood dice only go up to gem-die level rewards.”
She pondered.
“No way he knows about the angel’s dice. No one’s ever rolled that thing before.”
She stroked the golden knight’s insignia on her horn.
Her speech was rough and she handled things crudely, but it was thanks to that she’d received it.
“Say what you will. He’s one exciting guy.”
As Lilianne lost herself in thought, a black hole opened, and the next person entered.
“Yesss~ Next person... Huh?”
“Hello.”
She rifled through the papers on the table as she eyed the giant before her.
“You entered the Job Room. So, Hunter Number 07-1339392, Soma Sangai?”
“That’s right.”
“Same party as that rude, womanizing barmaid?”
“For now, yes...”
A question flickered in Soma’s eyes.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Roll your dice.”
“Alright, then...”
“Wait!”
Soma froze mid-motion as he pulled out his dice.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nah, no problem, but... what’s with those dice?”
What emerged from Soma’s pocket: two iron dice and one copper.
With rather low numbers on them, too.
“I couldn’t pick up anything that good.”
“Ah. I see.”
Her brow furrowed, and she frantically flipped through the papers.
“Not this, not this... Sigh, this’ll do.”
She snapped her fingers.
Crack.
The dice in Soma’s hand crumpled and shattered.
Then colorful paper confetti rained down over his head.
“Ta-da. Congratulations. You’ve achieved the 28th unlock condition for the ‘fourth room’: ‘Give 100 dice to others.’ Go on in.”
[Achievement ‘Give 100 Dice to Others’ achieved.]
[Achievement completion 20%. Reward: 2 indigo coins.]
[The fourth room ‘Platinum Gate’ opens.]
A platinum-shimmering door appeared naturally beside Soma.
To the bewildered Soma amid this sudden turn, Lilianne snapped.
“You’re clueless, huh? Gotta shove your butt to make you go?”
“Hmm...”
Under the silent pressure, Soma grunted and opened the platinum door.
The room inside was papered entirely in platinum, radiating beautiful light, with a die placed atop silk in the center.
Soma muttered as he picked up the platinum die.
“I only gave out twenty...”
While the baffled Soma debated confessing honestly to the succubus, Ha Yeonsi was meeting Lilianne in the Material Room as well.
“Ha Yeonsi?”
Ha Yeonsi nodded quietly.
“Go in.”
No questions asked, the platinum door opened.
Yeonsi quietly pulled the dice from her pocket.
“These?”
“Pearl die, glass die, crystal die, huh. Lucky pick. All rares.”
Lilianne snapped her fingers, and crack—the dice split apart.
“Don’t need ‘em. Go in.”
“I collected all the pretty ones...”
Yeonsi’s face fell.
＊ ＊ ＊
Though blades had pierced their bodies, the five who’d avoided vital spots glared up at Gonghyeok.
“What now?”
He chewed on a full recovery herb he’d snatched from Diego and replied.
“What else? Don’t think—just hold tight to those handles.”
“Handles?”
They spotted the round rings embedded in the floor.
They’d been there since they first entered, scattered among the dice.
Pointless protrusions that had tripped countless hunters.
[Owners of the 10 Blood Dice have been decided.]
[Up to 3 dice per person. Proceed with Battle Royale?]
[5 minutes grace period. Voting time granted.]
[Skill ban lifted. Skills may now be used.]
These guys had already tasted the blood of nine.
No holding back now, except for the one hunter who’d taken a hit in the duel.
[5 minutes grace period. Voting time granted.]
[6 yes, 3 no. Awaiting choice. Time remaining: 4:51]
The other hunters’ gazes turned to Ju Gonghyeok, holder of the final vote.
Gonghyeok yawned and approached the Blood Die bigger than he was.
“Check this out. This die’s ridiculously huge, right?”
Ignoring the murderous glares, he continued casually.
“A hunter could barely roll something this size and weight. Think about it? All the other dice here are tiny, so why’s this Blood Die so massive?”
“You seeing meaning in that? Just showy nonsense, no?”
Hung Tian—who’d killed seven and taken two surrenders—replied with interest.
But Gonghyeok shook his head.
“Nah, simple reason it’s big.
Hits like a truck. And no inventory? They made it to screw you over.”
“Inventory? Kill you and roll it right away, problem solved.”
One snapped irritably, and Gonghyeok gave a wry smile.
“Honestly, fighting you all worries me a bit.
Even I ain’t immortal—die when I die. All attacks at 1%? Pass.”
“All attacks 1%? Cursed or something?”
“Cut the crap. Trick or idiot, we’ll see in a fight!”
“Oh, so how does the Blood Die screw you without inventory...”
Gonghyeok looked away from the die and asked them.
“Anyone check the field’s edge? How many sand pits?”
“Endless bullshit.”
“2 minutes left. Keep yapping.”
“It’s important, so listen when people talk?”
He clicked his tongue at the nine radiating menace.
“I’ve been around. Field ends in cliffs. Clean-cut, like sliced to a line. East, west, south, north—all cliffs. Perfect square field.”
“Angels and demons run games like online ones—easy to make square fields. Nothing weird.”
“Quiet. Hear him out. And there’s four sand pits here. Evenly spaced.”
“Square? Sand pits? Holes?”
Sandalphon’s eyes twitched, and one hunter who caught on stroked his chin.
“No way... Then what’s this for?”
“What else? Like this.”
Gonghyeok placed his hand on the ground and muttered.
“Acquire item. Archangel’s Die.”
A faint light seeped from the earth’s cracks.
[Acquired ‘Archangel’s Die’.]
[Special item ‘Archangel’s Die(?)’
- Height, width 40km.
- Too massive for inventory.
- Stores considerable holy power intrinsically.]
The familiar item acquisition glow.
Winner or loser aside, all twenty there were stunned.
They couldn’t see Gonghyeok’s item window, but what his action meant was crystal clear.
What they’d been standing on all this time was one giant...
“Sandalphon. Prep’s done. Roll the die.”
At Gonghyeok’s relaxed voice, the massive angel replied stiffly.
“Good job not sacrificing anyone in the duel. But conditions unmet. I refuse to roll.”
“Sandalphon, I get only the last one rolls. But my condition’s bad right now?”
He groaned dramatically.
“Azazel and you botched it, fought the holy knight. Full debuff set now.”
Sandalphon’s eyes blinked once before replying.
“I regret that. But rules are rules. Face the remaining nine.”
“Yeah?”
He shrugged.
“Then scram. I’ll roll it.”
[Spirit Possession (A) activated. Target: ‘Archangel’s Die’.]
[Salvation Angel Nathani-El possesses the item.]
Rumble—
The field they stood on—no, the die—tilted to one side.
“No way! This is...”
A hunter yelled in disbelief before the rolling Blood Die hit him, sending him sliding off.
“See? Made it huge to screw you.”
Gonghyeok offered silent prayer to the one plummeting 40km to the cliff below, then guided the rest.
“Die’s rolling. Everyone, buckle up.”
The hunters silently crouched and gripped the floor rings.
[Chapter 61 - Dice Game] End