Mechanical Gambling City

With Lister's agreement, the two finally entered the twentieth district of the central area.

What comes into view are three enormous buildings resembling stadiums.

The mechanical lifeforms passing by on the roadside are mostly humanoid or alien-shaped.

Unlike the non-central areas, apart from a few special areas such as the District of Desire, the main types are dog-shaped, cat-shaped, and bear-shaped.

The footsteps of those coming and going seemed hurried, all heading towards these three gigantic buildings.

"Resident No. 002 will be assessed first; Resident No. 003, please wait a moment."

Lute gave a polite smile, but it was somewhat stiff.

It wasn't because his facial muscles weren't flexible enough, but simply because of his emotionless eyes.

This is the biggest difference between mechanical life forms and humans within the Alchemy Ruined City.

At the same time, this was also why Lister felt that the other party still had a certain rigidity.

"Resident No. 002, please select your assessment method: public or private?"

What's the difference?

This was Lister's first time participating in this assessment. In his previous life, he was not strong enough and did not overestimate himself by participating in the assessment.

Naturally, they wouldn't browse online guides or posts about the assessment; instead, they would focus more on the combat weaknesses of various alchemical machines.

"If it's made public, other life forms will watch and place bets."

"At the same time, three-thousandths of your bet will be your reward."

"If it's not public, there's no audience or betting element."

Lister never expected that this assessment would be a gamble.

After a moment's thought, he continued speaking.

Can I suppress myself?

"I'm sorry, but to ensure the fairness of the competition, you cannot place a bet."

With an apologetic look, Lister shook his head at Lute, his eyes still vacant, giving off a sense of disrespect.

Of course, Lister was already used to it after learning that the other party was an alchemical machine.

"I can't even bet on myself to win?"

Having no energy coins on hand, Lister was more focused on gathering information and understanding the functions of the twentieth district.

"I'm sorry, but according to the supplementary provisions of Article 7 of the Mechanical City Management Amendment from 3119 years ago, humans are prohibited from participating in betting in District 20 in any way."

3119?

Was Alchemy Civilization a civilization that existed three thousand years ago?

As Lister secretly made a mental note of it, he immediately understood.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that none of humanity could place bets.

No wonder this 20th district looks like a gambling city; logically, it shouldn't have been low in popularity among players in my previous life.

However, he hadn't heard of this before; apparently, this gambling city prohibited humans from betting.

That means only mechanical life forms can place bets and serve the functional areas of mechanical life forms?

But... don't mechanical lifeforms lie and cheat?

Intentionally conceding defeat on the stage to allow other mechanical lifeforms to place bets seems like a bug in the game.

Lister was certain that these mechanical life forms lacked human aesthetics and tastes.

But since they already have a certain degree of self-awareness, cheating or making reasonable use of the rules shouldn't be difficult.

Since I can't figure it out, I might as well see how mechanical life forms gamble.

"I choose to go public."

Please select the assessment authority level: D, C, or B?

Grade B.

"Assessment level confirmation in progress, Level B access."

"Notice to Resident No. 002: Level B clearance assessment carries a certain probability of death, while Level D and C assessments pose no immediate danger to life. Is it confirmed that a Level B assessment has been conducted?"

"Sure."

"Your request has been made, please wait a moment."

Inside the very center of the stadium, Lister slowly stepped onto the "ring".

It's not an octagonal cage for fighting, but a circular area with a diameter of nearly 400 meters, and the ground beneath your feet is the most primitive sand.

Looking up, there was a grandstand with nearly 10,000 seats, where various mechanical lifeforms were constantly entering and taking their seats.

A strange sense of unease welled up inside me; I, as a human being, was being wagered on by mechanical lifeforms.

Even though it was Lister's own choice, wanting to witness the spectacle of robot gambling, he still felt it was absurd.

Now he'd witnessed it firsthand; countless cold, mechanical figures sat in the audience, coldly watching him.

All bets are placed using energy coins, the life source upon which all mechanical life depends for survival.

For Lister, the B-level assessment was life-threatening, and the same was true for the mechanical lifeforms on the stage, who were gambling with their "lifespans".

Although the betting stakes were exciting, the mechanical lifeforms remained remarkably calm.

Unlike humans who blush and shout enthusiastically when gambling, they don't do that.

The mechanical lifeforms, one by one like gentlemen, came to a concert and quietly awaited the final outcome of the contest.

At that moment, Lute was still confirming things with him.

"Resident No. 002, there are 15 minutes left before the start of the competition. You have one last chance to cancel or lower the assessment standards."

"No."

As Overlord Tier force, Lister had that much confidence.

A level 80 B-rank unit has absolutely no chance against him.

If there's an A-level assessment, he'll need to think it over carefully.

How many people are pressuring me?

"That's certainly possible. Currently, your odds against the combat robot are 48.73 to 1.02."

"A total of 677 people have bet on you to win, with a total bet of 10,732 Energy Coins. As of now, if you win, you are expected to receive a reward of 32 Energy Coins."

A total of 4,289 people have placed bets on the combat robots, with a total wager of 523,344 energy coins.

Surprisingly, the number of mechanical life forms favored by him was so small, and the average bet per person was only about 16 energy coins.

The number of people betting on combat robots, and the amount wagered by each individual, far exceeds several times.

It seems that mechanical lifeforms generally prefer to play it safe and bet on the most promising opportunities, even if the returns are extremely low.

I had absolutely no confidence in a complete stranger like Lister.

Fifteen minutes later.

A specially made tungsten gold prison van was pulled into the arena.

As the prison van was untied, a humanoid machine stepped out.

It has the physical characteristics of a human female: a height of 1.65 meters, long and powerful thighs, and a rounded buttocks.

But the next moment, a 40-centimeter-long sharp blade extended from his palm, wrist, and even various joints.

The two mounds of flesh on his chest contracted and expanded, revealing two black gun barrels.

Lister was somewhat surprised at this moment, not because of the combat form of the combat robot, as he had seen combat robots in his previous life and had a general idea of what they were like.

To his surprise, the energy crystal on the other person's chest was not green as he had expected, but was flashing red.

In other words, there are also contaminated mechanical life forms within the city, which he had never seen in the outer city in his previous life.

"Reconnaissance of enemy and friendly forces is underway... Reconnaissance results have been obtained..."

[Enemy Target: Corrupted Alchemy Type B Mech (Special Combat Humanoid)]

[Level: Lv71]

[Health Points: 150313/150313]

[Stamina:78981/78981]

[Attributes: Strength 71, Stamina 71, Intelligence 71, Agility 71]

[Skill: Master-Level Fighting Techniques (A-level) LV71: A master-level mixed martial arts technique originating from the Alchemy Civilization, dealing 7105~7313 points of damage, and can cause certain negative effects such as immobilization, slowing, bleeding, and stun.]

Master-Level Gun-Fu (Rank A) LV71: A master-level gunfighting technique originating from Alchemy Civilization. Each bullet deals 1172~1413 damage and increases the range, power, and speed of firearms.

Master-Level Saber Technique (A-level) LV71: Master-Level Saber Technique originating from Alchemy Civilization, dealing 7005~7204 points of damage. Breaking the opponent's move can increase the swordsmanship damage by 18%.

Master level...]

[Overall Rating: B]

With a series of A-level skills, this combat robot can be considered to have integrated various combat techniques from the Alchemy Civilization.

This is the fundamental reason why humanoid machines have the highest potential for power.

After all, the strongest life form in the Alchemy Civilization is still humankind, and the strongest skills inherited are naturally human skills.

Therefore, other dog types and other models have a limited skill ceiling and cannot incorporate human combat techniques.

"Da da~!"

Blue flames were already shooting from the two gun barrels on his chest.

Lister swiftly drew his sword and swung it forward, obliterating all the bullets in the flash of his blade.

"Squeak!"

The next moment, laser beams suddenly shot out from the gun barrel.

That's right... this gun barrel is not only a firearm, but also a source of laser weapons.

A puff of white smoke rose from the blade; in just half a second of parrying, Merrick's longsword was burned with a small nick.

Using a Tier 3 rare weapon in a Tier 8 battle is indeed too difficult.

Even with Lister's immense strength and the sharp effects of the Sharp Blade, it was still a formidable opponent.

Before using sword techniques, this longsword was no match for the opponent's basic alchemical weapon in terms of strength.