The Extra's Harem In Dead End Game

"How many rounds are we at?"

"Exactly 41 rounds," Dan answered.

"Is that so? Perfect for a big bet."

I pushed forward 410 chips.

The guys' eyes widened in surprise; they never expected someone to go all-in, filling the table even if they were desperate.

It was an enormous amount, one that would bankrupt anyone except me, who had exchanged 1,000 gold.

However, their shocked expressions soon turned into excited smiles.

My chances of winning were zero.

To them, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Snake Eyes, Odd Ear's gang, and even Dan seemed eager to join the gamble.

"Let's give it a shot."

"The one who chickens out loses."

"Umm, I'm nervous, but it can't be helped."

The atmosphere was electric.

The order to roll the dice started with Odd Ear, who had won money earlier. Just as Odd Ear was about to roll and moved his hand, I spoke up, my voice cold.

"Wait. Anyone who cheats in this round will lose a hand."

Despite my warning, there was no tension on their faces.

They figured, how would a mark know about cheating? And even if he did, what could someone like me do about it?

"What are you blabbering about?" Odd Ear sneered.

"Decide for yourselves whether it's nonsense or not—and roll."

Ignoring their reaction, I twisted my lips into a smile.

My gaze had already confirmed the entrance of a burly bald man quietly slipping through the back door. It was Godwin.

Exchanging a large amount of chips had been the signal. Since I was the only one to exchange 1,000 gold at once, he would have noticed right away.

"Damn, you're really playing mind games."

Odd Ear glared at me, then covered the dice with the wooden cup and was just about to roll when—

Wham!

A giant hand grabbed Odd Ear's wrist.

"Don't play games, you piece of trash."

"What the hell—!" Odd Ear turned his head, his expression vicious, but then froze.

"Huh."

Odd Ear's mouth clamped shut when he saw Godwin, a face of unmatched ferocity, with a massive build, thick bones, and tremendous muscles.

Realizing he couldn't overpower him, Odd Ear's expression stiffened under the weight of Godwin's murderous aura.

"Who... who are you?"

For the first time, respectful words slipped out of a mouth usually full of informalities—a typical bully, strong against the weak, weak against the strong.

"It's none of your business. Hey, staff!"

Godwin shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, including the staff.

The gambling ceased, and all eyes turned toward us, curious.

"Come here!"

"Ah... yes!" The staff hurried over.

"What's the matter?"

"Open the lid."

"What?"

"I said, open it." He meant the wooden cup over the dice. The staff, catching on, glanced at me.

"Open it," I said.

"Wait, you can't just—" Snake Eyes started to protest, panic in his voice.

"Are you in on it, too? No? Then shut up," I growled, threateningly.

By now, they must have realized I wasn't just a simple mark; something was very wrong. Even Dan's pupils were shaking.

"Open the lid," Godwin said again, his voice as threatening as a wild beast's growl.

With trembling hands, the staff opened the wooden cup, revealing three dice that hadn't been rolled yet.

Oddly, two showed sixes.

"Check under the sixes. You should feel something sticky, like adhesive."

"What the hell is this…!" Odd Ear cried out, trying to move his free hand, but Godwin swiftly grabbed it.

"Ugh!"

The staff carefully checked under the dice and exclaimed, "There is something sticky! Definitely an adhesive!"

Odd Ear's cheating method was exposed: before rolling, he had cunningly placed the dice on a transparent, sticky substance on the mirror table, ensuring two sixes would stay in place.

This cheat made it easy to secure a twelve, giving him high odds of winning. But this time, he had picked the wrong target.

"How dare you cheat in a sacred gambling hall! You ought to lose a hand for that!"

Godwin roared, his voice filled with murderous intent.

One of his unbreakable convictions: he never forgave cheating in gambling.

That's why no one dared to cheat in the capital's gambling halls when Godwin was around.

"You piece of trash!"

Thwack!

Before anyone knew, Godwin had drawn a dagger and cleanly severed Odd Ear's right hand.

Blood spurted out like a fountain from the severed wrist.

The table was stained with blood.

"Get lost!"

Godwin flung the writhing Odd Ear aside.

Thud!

"Aaaargh!"

"If you don't want to die, get out!"

"eeek!"

Odd Ear ran out of the room, his face pale with terror.

Revenge?

He wouldn't even dare to dream of it.

"What's going on?"

Guards, sensing that something had happened, swarmed into the room.

"Oh, it's nothing. Some bastard was cheating. Right?"

I looked at the staff.

"Yes, that's right. He definitely cheated."

The staff confirmed.

One absolute rule of all gambling halls.

You must not cheat.

Of course, gambling and cheating are inseparable.

So using tricks without getting caught is not a concern.

But if you're caught, you have to take responsibility.

Just like now.

It's not for no reason that there are quite a few gamblers missing one hand.

"Just a personal sanction, so please handle it quietly, and oh, clean this up after the game is completely over."

I took out a 100 gold check from my pocket and tossed it to the guards.

"Understood, sir."

The guards nodded as if this wasn't their first time dealing with such a situation and left.

I turned my gaze back to the gambling table.

"Let's continue. It's your turn, isn't it?"

I looked at Snake Eyes with a sneering smile.

Snake Eyes, who had been so confident when he thought he was swindling me, was now sweating profusely with a pale face.

Everyone around had stopped gambling and stood up, surrounding the table in a circle, looking over at us. It wasn't every day that something more interesting than gambling happened.

It wasn't bad.

The wall of onlookers would put pressure on them.

"What are you doing? Are you deaf? It's your turn."

Thump!

I slammed the table forcefully.

Snake Eyes flinched momentarily, his eyes rolling in tension.

He probably just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.