"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 her thighs.
"I'm working part-time, Solomon," she said with a low 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."
"Baoboa 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 getting 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—firm yet soft—then reached into his pocket.
From the system wallet, money appeared in his palm.
$500.
He dropped it into her palm as her brother 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 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, right?
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 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 and keeping his tone polite.
The man grinned and rubbed his hand on Solomon's shoulder.
"Hey kid, you wanna play some dice?"
"Dice?"
"Yeah, dice. It's a cool game. All you gotta do is bring out some cash."
"I don't play dice. Sorry."
That answer felt like digging his own grave.
Was it too late to take it back?
The man's expression changed. 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 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 to play dice.
Obviously, he was after the money 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 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 full of 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 him from having played it a lot as a kid—almost like a hobby.
Nine years of practice, though never for 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, 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.
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, forcing extra confidence into his posture.
"Make your first move, kid," the leader said again, nodding at him.
Suddenly—
"Solomon, help me!!"
The voice cut through everything.