Chapter 10
By the morning after the PE incident, the school had filed a missing persons report for the teacher. No body was ever found—the default user had dematerialized completely, leaving nothing behind. The authorities had nothing to investigate. Solomon had nothing to explain.
— — —
"Brother," the familiar voice of his sister called out.
Solomon turned—and the first thing he noticed was the provocative dress she was wearing. Is this… my innocent sister? He blinked, his eyes wide as he looked at Yuvia again.
"What are you doing here? And what... what are you wearing?"
Yuvia adjusted her skirt, which was far too short, exposing the length of her thighs. "I'm working part-time, Solomon," she said with a low, nervous laugh.
"Working part-time? That's what you call this?" Of all places, she had to be working here. Didn't she know how filthy this environment was? Solomon sighed. "Come on. Let's go home. Your kid woke up and she's crying—she's sick right now."
"Laura is crying?" Yuvia panicked, just as he expected.
Solomon frowned and said without hesitation, "Yes, she's crying. You need to come home now."
"But Brother… work… I need to work. If I don't, I can't rely on Grandma to feed my kid."
He wished he could tell her she didn't need to push herself this hard anymore. He could provide for them now. Didn't she know he had money? But how was he going to prove that when the system had basically made him penniless?
Wait—there was still the $7,000 in his system wallet. But if he used it now, he'd be short on capital. There was a massive debt hanging over his head with brutal interest. And failure? That meant being crippled.
Beads of sweat formed on Solomon's forehead. He sighed again. "Yuvia… you don't need to work this hard. I have money. See?"
Solomon gently held Yuvia's hand—his grip firm yet soft—then reached into his pocket. From the system wallet, money materialized in his palm. Five hundred dollars. He dropped it into her hand as he leaned forward.
"Sister, you don't need to work this hard. This place isn't good for you. We'd better go now—I'm sensing trouble from afar."
"Ahh, alright. I'll go," Yuvia said with an awkward smile. "But only after I serve this important customer. I might even get a huge tip. I promise I'll come home with you right after."
It would be stingy to stop her now, wouldn't it? After all, she had agreed to go home with him.
"Alright, fine." Solomon nodded as Yuvia waved and walked off, heading toward the VIP table.
"Hey."
A hand tapped Solomon on the back. His ears perked up and he turned—his eyes meeting a rough-looking man with scars running across his cheeks and neck. What does this guy want? Did he see me give her the money?
"Hello, sir. May I help you?" Solomon asked, raising a brow while keeping his tone polite.
The man grinned and rubbed a heavy hand on Solomon's shoulder.
The news droned in the background while Solomon stood there. He hadn't been paying attention until a specific report caught his ear.
"...the body was found in an alley near the B-Class district. Authorities are baffled by the condition of the remains. The victim, a recent lottery winner, appears to have been drained of all bodily fluids. No suspects have been identified. This is the third such death this month."
Solomon felt a chill. Lottery winners. Strange deaths. Three in a month. He thought of the system. Of the money. Of the word "player." He knew he wouldn't sleep well that night.
"Hey kid, you wanna play some dice?" the man asked.
"Dice?"
"Yeah, dice. It's a cool game. All you gotta do is bring out some cash."
"I don't play dice. Sorry."
The answer felt like he was digging his own grave. Was it too late to take it back? The man's expression shifted instantly. He leaned in, placing more weight on Solomon's shoulder.
"Kid, you got money. Come play dice." His voice carried a threatening tone, laced with an unspoken warning.
Only an idiot would turn him down twice. Solomon wasn't an idiot.
"Alright... let's play some dice."
The man finally let go of Solomon's shoulder once he agreed. Obviously, he was after the cash in Solomon's pocket. These guys were crazy. If Solomon didn't pull money from his system wallet now, he might go home with a devastating injury—maybe even a punctured organ.
D-Class citizens… they were so "friendly." Everything about them was chaotic.
Solomon laughed ironically in his mind.
He was brought before a table covered in cash and dice—clearly a place for serious gambling. Gambling? He never thought he'd get involved in something like this. He had no love for it, but that didn't stop the fact that he had played it a lot as a kid—it had been almost like a hobby. Nine years of practice, though never for real money.
"Hey, we got a new one, boss. He wants to play dice with us." The man spoke to another figure seated at the head of the room.
This one wore a huge belt, with gold jewelry wrapped around his neck and fingers. A fake rich guy—the 'big boss' of this D-Class dump. Solomon's eyebrow twitched, though not enough for anyone to notice.
The boss looked Solomon up and down. "Kiddo, you wanna gamble with me? You even know how to play?"
"Sorry, I don't know how," Solomon said calmly. Maybe they'd let him go now... surely the king of dice wouldn't waste time playing with a beginner, right?
But no.
"Doesn't matter if you know how or not. You came here—you play."
"Okay..." Solomon replied, swallowing hard. Playing dice… sure. If only he could get out of here safely.
From the corner of his eye, Solomon saw the man from earlier lean toward the boss and whisper something. "He's got cash," he heard.
Solomon already knew. They were after his money. No point in thinking about it now—he was in too deep. He needed money anyway. Should he try his luck? Maybe he could gamble and walk away with a huge return.
But then a voice echoed in his mind, stopping the thought cold: "A poor man should never gamble. A broke man looking for money has no business betting—unless he's got guaranteed luck... like you."
"Take a seat, kid," the leader gestured.
Solomon sat down, relaxing his body and forcing an extra layer of confidence into his posture.
"Make your first move, kid," the leader said, nodding at him.
Suddenly—the casino leader gestured Solomon toward the gambling tables, but before he could sit, a scream cut through the noise. Yuvia's voice.
Solomon didn't hesitate. He turned and ran toward the sound.
"Solomon, help me!!"
The voice cut through everything, sending his heart into a frantic race.