Chapter 38: Call 1336 for Gambling Addiction Help
rnMgxWasn’t he a scammer?0gIM8
nM0SeHe was saying that if we won the game, he would let us leave this place.pFmjLs
TcfV“When you say ‘here,’ what place exactly are you referring to? You’re not talking about the eleventh floor, are you? Because if that’s the case, even if we win, we’d barely be getting back what we invested.”vCHLMS
UcawwoAt my question, Do began spinning happily to the rhythm of an imaginary melody. All twenty-one eyes curved at the same time, as though they were itching.xOYmfYF
vEHHe was smiling.h8VXN
ujIFLWithout making a single sound.IdB
4sI“You would make an excellent gambler.”VhQ8G
YaHOSAs if that were a compliment.1nehwP
6bZu4t“Of course, I mean this Jaerae Building. The labyrinth in which you are trapped.”gEEUz
czL“What?”ZrV
Rvja“What did you say…? Really?”lYbEr
1buzA“Seriously?”XCg
CbDYThe scarlet cube tilted to one side.jxmBD
Pb8kMAs if it were cocking its head.t8Jn
BuMs6“You find that suspicious?”lexNjVH
L6HC2“Of course. You’re going to let us leave the labyrinth that easily? It sounds too good to be true.”Mjh
WGrxMJLike a lie.WJYW5Xx
TfOAD“Too good to be true. So good that it demands wagering everything. And precisely because you wager everything, it becomes true.”N69pzuG
fY6The eyes and voice of the blood-colored die carried a strange solemnity.PpOHPJd
nR0zz“That is a gamble.”tyc
fgQvsDo’s eyes focused on me.dfd
C3IPoBn“And when exactly did I say I would let you leave easily?”4Ca
POdymsHis voice, which seemed capable of drawing people toward it, was filled with intense anger.xkcNJmT
ate1Xzc“The only thing you can wager against me is your life. I have never considered life to be something insignificant. That is why I never take a competition lightly.”g9r95y
POcvblIn other words.ZG4H
7H0Neither should we.P7MtD9J
WW8EeWe had to wager our lives.ARe
XlEtZe6It was ridiculous.35s4hZK
mkOFrom the moment we became trapped in the labyrinth, we had already been forced into a gamble where our lives were at stake.aN5d2
AUBchX“Of course, if you don’t want to, you are not obligated to participate.”m4T
gvaZnTn“Huh…?”FFmh
igWu“We don’t have to play?”2gd
rOEV“And if we don’t play? Aren’t we still trapped here anyway?”dJHJC
rj62“Not at all.”Tar
k6oDo’s eyes moved back and forth like a pendulum.oWsB
hbEVELike a person shaking his head.S6E1
WVv“If you wish, you may open that door and leave right now.”4GMP
Mt5jlNo way.7T9IvDl
AhaOvIt wasn’t possible.7yK
RYjeHe couldn’t let us go that easily.pJc
JPVvH“However, if you decide not to compete against me.”Jkn
7dkHeUVOf course.nzA5
W5hZfYou always have to listen to the whole sentence.yZ11zIp
y1FFu“As payment, I will keep one piece of future good fortune that you would otherwise have obtained.”6x6PL
JSA“What does it mean to keep our good fortune…?”ktSWaqX
b6mf3“It means that, inevitably, something will go wrong because of bad luck. Even though you might originally have overcome it thanks to good luck.”QX6Y
mEmIn a labyrinth, even a small misfortune could lead directly to death.qDC
7M0BBut still.737tNf
f7ElYIt was a matter of probability.ExcvZ
1f3There was a chance it wouldn’t become fatal.ODSkcww
cgOo“As for the challenge.”gSeYN
7qFT4Yoo Hyunjae politely raised his left hand before speaking.LYsY
tIP7e5P“I assume I will be allowed to choose the format.”BmerMs
gKzOZSThis man is unsettling.x98Y
4R4s“Director, don’t you think you should think about it a little more?”N0prA
WTyVsM“Why? It’s worth trying. Besides, I’m usually quite lucky.”RPm0
GdOnEThat’s exactly why I’m worried.ijgz
OnGJYoo Hyunjae had already died once after saying something very similar.nsdxsq
QbbLuck is definitely not on this man’s side.tQivab
wsP“Even so, considering who the opponent is, it would only be fair if I could at least choose the format.”2ae
F9uD“I will grant you the right to choose the challenge. However, certain specific details of the rules will be adjusted by me.”rw3iYh8
ZcHq9ESimply put.flfht
pFTCeEach person could choose the type of contest they would have against Do.R3PG8VB
1foC20nIf they lost, they died.67Ged
cqnHFIf they won, they escaped the labyrinth.5s0QF
9sbNZ2If they refused the gamble, they could leave this office safely for now, but later they would inevitably suffer an episode of bad luck.l2IYfno
3sx7M“What if nobody is here because everyone already escaped?”LjRDP
LreI heard Choi Jaeha whisper that to Hwang Juyeon.Rj3
5e70b3V“A moment ago he said we were his first guests.”m2A
XRZN“Ah. Ah, right… You’re right…”Oit
ZVlP6LShe seemed hesitant.BsBftyU
anApLPAnd that was normal.huZs
3NEk02No one knew how many floors still remained ahead.RonXQ
yhmXmKAnd here they were being offered immediate escape if they won a single game.sxlG
UDe1aXh“I’ll do it.”zp6ImkL
cApOmHow could I pass up an opportunity like that?PyfS6AO
yKqn“What? Are you serious? You’re going to do it? Just like that?”b7k
X9s3“Aren’t you deciding a little too quickly…?”OWWSFR
7CXQJFN“It’s fine.”fzRcuSv
rPkAI ignored the surprised looks and turned my head toward the die.VWA0rSN
ZTu“I’ll play.”pUtlECK
8npf“Then come in.”t2hU83
WLtTGDo turned his eyes toward me, then abruptly spun around and entered a private office separated from the rest.8v5tGR
GOl“Then I’m leaving. Goodbye, Jiho.”bAf
3qI“No, this is too sudden… Please win… We have to meet again after we get out.”KuP
VrI“…Do well, Mr. Seon Yuhan. One way or another, I owe you a lot. Thank you.”Ich
GdqvA“I hope you win and that we can meet again later. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Seon Yuhan.”TOj3
HCNqwWhat is wrong with everyone?bwi
QKw3Q7Receiving such serious farewells honestly felt absurd.s60PvE6
5oLTaUAfter all, if I lost, we’d see each other again.86W
EbS“Ah.”LeO4uMk
tX2Pq‘For these people, this is the first time they’re saying goodbye to me.’DpSOjz4
tv5gr9And naturally, it will also be the last.Njx628g
xSlMy stomach churned.RjKssE3
HJUlAs though that sudden realization were kicking my entire body.XvG
XA6Something boiled inside me.qzTm
ZVaf“Yes. I’m also… grateful to all of you.”JR8Qv
90XTI forced the words out of my throat.ltPjq
rXcNow that I thought about it, I had never had a proper farewell either.iRxT2fP
H1P1YQFIt had always been sudden.4cW9
nwKBoth my death and theirs.hmph424
TlkPu“I hope all of you make it out.”tjcY
GquGenuinely hoping this would be the final goodbye, I entered the gambling room…nv5q
jmI“You lack the qualifications necessary to participate at my gaming table.”TA4PW3
HwD“Damn…”8qRxtMk
X9IRaPIt seemed I was going to die without even being allowed to gamble.slnq
4tr“Why? So you just want me to die?”mpo
fMQhAt the customer’s complaint, the casino owner let out an incredulous chuckle.bppl
BS6ui2X“If I told you to die, could you do it?”fRbl
ss7UotAh.ukE5l7
BbU“So you know. You know I can’t die.”GYr
NyFs5l“It’s not that I know. It’s something that can be seen. What use would eyes be if they couldn’t recognize the value of a wager?”HTtwJ
Vgjs5eeDo’s eyes remained motionless, as though piercing through my body.f6S
FUT“A life is singular. In the world called ‘me,’ the pain of birth and death occurs only once. That is why there exists a wager called life. You are violating that rule. The most sacred rule of all.”oiYHDG
KZmUFI had already assumed there would be beings capable of perceiving that I was regressing through time.dDDuK1t
CRToFdZAfter all, even the commemorative photograph from Happyland showed versions of me from previous loops.LELp
veTZW1“If someone possesses multiple lives, how can it be said that they’ve wagered everything? If there is a place to retreat to, how can it be called an abyss?”bpYnpN
zULUkiJNow I understood.hhTV
Sdw“Is that why you hate me?”EVm2jj
Xn5PtI was a being incapable of making a one-time wager with my life on the line.o11FDt5
JTcz7ukBecause even when I died, I couldn’t truly die.NqqGeZ9
BQBN“Yes. I hate you. Your very existence is blasphemy.”K0XD
V6i1B2Wow.Ifeb
rxzvQA true purist of the gambling world.ntrkjCy
1cz4N“Then because I can’t really die, even if I beat you, you can’t let me escape?”4Iz
52x“The weight is not equal. To you, death is as light as an exhalation. Freedom, on the other hand, weighs as much as guilt.”hASr
3jf0Z2The balance problem again?NQgse
9wkxrI was sick of scales.xPnilE
l246“…Then how about I wager someone else’s freedom?”KuoA7pN
VjNXVAThe eyes embedded in three of the die’s faces stared at me.gDRF
H7vjnThe fact that he didn’t reject the idea immediately was a good sign.RYESJOq
UH3YXZ“Jung Jiho. The child outside. How about this if I win, you let him escape.”hev
eNtC“Let us begin negotiations.”hF7AH
nvP3QG0Only then did Do lead me to a white table with a single chair.h5eo2YA
glyfmCV“Ah. Before that, there’s something I want to confirm. If I help the child escape and then die and return, what will happen to him? Will he come back too?”6V483jA
Y1ZAgKsBecause if that were the case, this wager would be meaningless.tgsC61C
1xIt“No. He will not return.”Par
GOn4VI sat down and looked up at the die.NiR2
fk3wADo floated in front of me and stopped.sthcye1
Tuci“My rules are not so light. This labyrinth would not dare interfere with someone who has fallen outside the rules of this place.”RAIbpPc
Qfy7dJRRules were something sacred.kfX
TiuKUOf all the stories whispered by the beings of the labyrinth, if there was one thing that could be trusted without reservation, it was the rules.yyD
dhdbDBBThey could hide information.n5aMDYr
KRRs6But they did not lie about the rules.dhDu
9u2V5“And what if, after he gets out, I discover the child was already dead?”uNxdN
J5n“My. Rules. Are. Not. So. Light.”AwX1
B3A“Okay, okay. I was just asking.”76iLCFq
3ICFHNnThat meant that even if I regressed through time again, Jung Jiho would continue to exist outside the labyrinth, alive and safe.6niy
423h1EdThat was enough.TlQ9W
eiWCE77“More importantly. Shouldn’t you first think about what will happen if you lose? You would be wagering the life of that young and quiet boy.”NAY0
HXC8d1“…Couldn’t I just die myself? Even if it can be reversed, death is still death. And I hate dying.”wqp
7vyiDAIt wasn’t easy to read the expressions of a mass of flesh covered only in eyes.QCWdB
dFS7ZDo closed his eyes for a long time while slowly spinning.cZ5Nu7
CZbMHqvThen he opened them.hQz9
56css“I’ll accept it. If you lose, only you will die.”BPJKTy
wUDO“Permanently?”tZkjBuq
KC0i“Do you think that’s possible?”eWI
QEP“Isn’t it?”sCDjXW
OlB8T4“There are rules above my own.”h69D4Il
b6sR“…I see. But is that really enough? I appreciate you accepting it, but you just said you hated me because I couldn’t wager my life.”m9a
K8aT“Do you truly not understand? Or do you simply not want to understand?”rC8MpxZ
5OyI stared at him.km4vNa
euuThe twenty-one eyes laughed again from within.ALgUY
h2EU2“Your death is enough. You’ll understand.”LHzCQ8u
ujok9***nkOM9
GEjxC“There is something I must make clear. This will be the first and last chance you will have to wager that ‘single life’ of yours against me. I may not remember having met you, but I have eyes capable of recognizing the value of your life.”kDAG
BYrfsIn other words, even if Do couldn’t recognize me after a regression, he could recognize the value of my life.4Ks
wBlpvaSo I wouldn’t be able to trick him and challenge him again.Ksq0gAw
gzjUTbH“Furthermore, I will choose the game.”Si8xb
uUfThat didn’t matter to me.xj7pUSP
qEeI had intended to accept anything from the start.Z5Fv
OaDhPhXAgainst an opponent like him, my odds would be similar no matter the game.HkLUI
u51j0M“Good. Allow me to explain the game you will play. Its name is The Breath of Judgment.”Wnplz
OCP1ZOBThe moment he finished speaking, two objects appeared on the table.NsD
0VEZiHOne was a black gas mask.cGl
5JKhUtIt didn’t cover the eyes and looked as though it had come from a futuristic science-fiction novel.Kx91J7
ln2FHBaThe other was a die.4e1
1U3jmUThis time, a completely ordinary die.BfKLKA
Wy0D5dIt wasn’t made of flesh.PEu
FWw3uvIt was a small ivory-colored cube with red dots instead of eyes.FZn
hravUAN“That’s it? A gas mask and a die?”Yj6wbTq
IyHZlrq“If life and death could not be decided by the number of eyes drawn on a simple cube, how could that be called a wager?”3BPkX
cewTTBy that logic, it made sense that he considered life itself a wager.8mGesg
2oc4LLife was something tremendously absurd.lvz7NqV
XdczyAt least for me.jWhY
nD1zRm“Put it on.”vZ2Fck
sIl6fvI followed his instructions and put on the mask.vHLI
E3Gd96MIt covered half my face.37V7RB
4qYWI thought it would be uncomfortable, but it was surprisingly light.qyM
AzXOdW3“Breath of Judgment. The name is grandiose, but it’s a very simple game for determining whether a statement is true or false. Because truth and lies are…”vQGbIGM
UKtZV21Like breath.Sx2RX7
hs6VInvisible to the eye.35b
DOCjGvMAnd capable of concealing a deadly poison.YgFpjK
TFx“Therefore, whoever fails to deliver the correct judgment will end up paying the corresponding price.”tD3
pss…That mask.dx9
pcOeRather than a mask meant to protect me from poison, it seemed designed to expel it.WBt
GkncIAnd it was pointed directly at me.IZmF1
lCN“The numbers are always read from the top face.”Ifp
miyThen the small die began rolling across the table on its own.XsLSb3R
pxl9“When rolled, one of six possible events will occur with a probability of one in six. It may land on one.”hfkMLrP
Mhs53The die stopped.cBHqTu
qUcgGA single red eye on the top face stared at the ceiling.3na0
8Lu6lrIt rolled again.BgCQQq
bBREn“Or it may land on two.”OOgP
hEpBThis time a pair of bloodshot eyes appeared.Ibe
wpHxVa“Or a three.”m172oz
ZyslkwThree eyes forming a triangle.k4BPG
bjJowHi“Or a four.”3RkyBu
xx9qTwo tilted pairs of eyes.jKcq
dmzj“Or a five.”nBHmMq
Ryx9eA red cross awaiting the condemned.9GUe
xIigm“Or a six.”MU4D
KF6S8rSpaces incapable of becoming the Star of David.GUEFag
Gqgnm7R“When one of these six events occurs, I, as the witness, will provide testimony regarding it. Let us conduct a demonstration.”sFXVaeD
Ttd8h8cClack.ElNQ9cX
kl9FEGRattle.x8cPci
axRoWThe sound of the die rolling echoed across the table.CLRWe
LzKkfThen it stopped.II23
7bRSix.9Pepx4
Mi5z“An event has occurred. I will begin my testimony.”GrI
71x0LAt that moment—1Wo2h
NL3q“Aaaahhhh!”0k8fvv
nZ8JASuddenly, a young woman’s piercing scream emerged from Do.16MSN
RWU“What I saw was the first perfect number!”KXBB
nkZPyStartled, I looked up.K9nPgz
C995And at the same time, words appeared on the sheet.OCi5l
P5N7hhF[Testimony X: “What I saw was the first perfect number!”]rn8S
dn1QQOw[Accept | Verify]7lA
X9IGspuI understood.hXJg3p4
HMrHThe number rolled was 6.B1K
Vj6And 6 was known as the first perfect number because it is the smallest perfect number.2DMEv
PZOIt was a kind of puzzle game.VOXgmI
8ekiANWI had to determine whether the testimony correctly described the event number indirectly.145
jLIpGEFIt could be extremely easy.pgI
EegTOr incredibly difficult.1hw
mvo“But you’re not going to swap the die or replace the testimonies halfway through the game, right?”YKg0J
tdMt0Xu“There is no wager without tricks.”QXGkML
EIpDid this bastard just openly admit he intended to cheat?pPJ43vj
lxaoSuA“However, tricks that destroy the foundations of the game are not permitted.”BsL6
KUEKzhU“Ah.”bcdpLfC
NMDk7Fa“Therefore, the supreme rules of the labyrinth guarantee that truth will always be truth and lies will always be lies.”XpsHHQe
Gbu0qSo he wasn’t going to change the die’s result or alter his statements midway through.J1KB
TMcRNWjThat was reassuring.1OHHGaX
tbNYnFxThen…ZKedz
IoET1s1Maybe I really could win.HqNJJjh
aGYZWithout realizing it, a smile escaped my lips.2BQZ
yj10Perhaps gambling really was worth it.H10ebx
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