Gladiators

Rein returned to the "Windmill Tavern" in the Mechanical City.

After all, his goal was still the slave gladiatorial contest later.

But to his surprise, the "Windmill Tavern" was closed down when he arrived!

As Rein emerged from the alley, he suddenly felt puzzled.

They were operating perfectly fine just now, and now they're closed?

Although he vaguely felt that this was related to what had happened before, he also found it unbelievable.

I was the one who saved the person; what does it have to do with anyone else?

He walked out onto the street, a little dejected, intending to wander around and find a place to stay. He figured that since the tavern was closed, the gladiatorial match should also be canceled.

Unexpectedly, they ran into the same mustachioed broker again after walking a short distance.

It's the same familiar soliciting phrase, just with a different name for a tavern.

"Hey sir, want a drink? There's a fantastic barbarian slave gladiatorial match at the Oak Tavern tonight."

Rein was put his arm around by the mustachioed man again, and then the mustachioed man recognized him.

With exaggerated enthusiasm, the man with the mustache greeted him, "Oh! Your Excellency, Doctor, you didn't quite finish your drink, did you? I'm sorry, no one expected such an unexpected event."

Upon hearing about the gladiatorial match, Rein stopped again, feigning displeasure, and complained, "That 'Windmill Tavern' you recommended was absolutely terrible! I paid for half a drink, spotted a pretty girl, and then the tavern was closed! I shouldn't have trusted you."

The man with the mustache looked utterly devastated and hurriedly explained, "Your Excellency, nobody wanted this to happen. But nobody expected that 'Ghost Girl' to come, and she almost fell to her death in the gambling den. Luckily, some Ghost Girl doctor got rid of her. Oh, I'm not referring to a doctor like yourself, of course."

Clearly, he didn't know that the "unlucky doctor" was Rein.

The guy rattled off a whole explanation, basically saying the owner felt it was bad luck and closed the shop. Then, he was introduced to a new place called "Oak Tavern".

The man with the mustache continued enthusiastically, "Although the 'Oak Tavern' is a bit small, if you like gambling, betting on gladiatorial matches is actually more exciting. If you can bet on a few upsets, you're guaranteed to make a fortune."

Rein feigned interest and asked, "What about the gladiatorial matches? Didn't you say they were only held at the 'Windmill Tavern'?"

The man with the mustache. "It's the one at 'Windmill Tavern'! But because the tavern was closed, it was moved to 'Oak Tavern.' You know, the bookmakers have already set up betting odds, and tonight's match is definitely going to take place, otherwise those big bosses would suffer a huge loss."

"Oh?"

Rein was embraced by the enthusiastic mustachioed man and, half-heartedly, went to the "Oak Tavern" again.

The layout of "Oak Tavern" is similar, also located in the underground cabins of the Mechanical City.

Moreover, it's just as lively here.

But judging from the conversations of the guests, it seemed that many of them were "transferring" from the same place as him.

In the noisy tavern, the most talked-about topic was naturally the previous "Windmill Tavern closure incident".

As Rein walked across the dance floor, he also listened carefully to a few words.

"That 'Ghost Girl' is really damn weird! I used to only hear about her, and I didn't really believe it, but as soon as I saw blood, I suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. Then I lost eight hands in a row, and I was so angry that I left right there. That bastard bookmaker got off easy."

"The bookmakers aren't doing any better either; now that all the gambling dens are closed, their losses are even greater."

"Hehe, you left too early, you missed the exciting part. I heard that the bookmaker lost 21 games in a row, losing tens of thousands of gold coins. Otherwise, the owner wouldn't have announced that he would close down."

"Huh? Someone actually won money? How could they win money after running into that Plague God?"

"Hehe, of course I won. But even if you gave me the money, I wouldn't dare to win."

"What on earth happened?"

"Just now, I heard that guy suddenly became rich and wanted to find two girls to have some fun with. He was just getting into it when he suddenly had a stroke and died. The two girls were so scared that they ran out naked, their white bottoms exposed, screaming so loudly that half the street heard about it."

"That's really weird?"

"."

Upon hearing this, Rein finally understood what had happened at the Windmill Tavern after he left.

I'd only heard about it before, but now I've experienced it firsthand. That little girl named Nareta's "bad luck" buff seems really sinister.

The man with the mustache led Rein directly to the arena on the next floor, where the noise could be heard from a great distance.

The arena's layout is somewhat similar to an indoor basketball court from my previous life, except that the central court has been replaced by an octagonal iron cage, covering an area of four or five hundred square meters. It is sealed off on all sides by thick and sturdy steel cable netting.

The tiered stands were already packed with over a thousand people, creating an incredibly noisy atmosphere.

Rein sat down and picked up the match list and betting form from the stool.

Slave fighting was a long-standing "entertainment activity" in the two great empires of Sid and Omar, and was highly sought after by the upper class.

Because it was a fight to the death, it was exceptionally bloody.

Gladiators are ruthless, employing a variety of deadly techniques. The vast majority of gladiators are war slaves; these battlefield elites, when they enter the arena, reveal a ferocity unseen by the nobles who live in the pleasure-seeking Mechanical City, making for a highly entertaining spectacle.

Because it's a fight to the death, there are many unpredictable factors, making it highly entertaining and gambling-oriented.

Previously, City of Radiance had no slaves, and such bloody duels were strictly forbidden. Now that a nation has been established, this practice of the nobles of Oma City has spread here, and business is booming.

There are eight gladiatorial matches tonight.

The event schedules all have labels, such as "The Head-Chopper," "The Undertaker," and "The Ruthless Iron Hand," which are all gladiator code names.

The betting slip includes odds and some simple information: height, weight, maximum punching power, level of Transcendent, preferred fighting style, and previous identity.

All gladiators have a 100% win rate and no defeats.

Because once the competition starts, only one gladiator can leave the octagon alive.

The only difference between all gladiators is how many consecutive wins they have.

Rein had absolutely no interest in watching his own kind fight for amusement.

He turned his gaze to the introduction of the final match, his brow furrowing slightly.

[Match 8: 'Barbarian Viper' vs. 'Ironhead Jack', odds 1.12:4.8; match time odds 1:1.2 for 3 minutes, 1:12 for 5 minutes, 8 minutes]

While Rein was still looking at the details on the match schedule, the gamblers around him started a heated discussion.

"Hey, old Parker, who's your pick tonight?"

"It's hard to say about the first few games, since there have been quite a few upsets recently. Just looking at the wins, it's really hard to say who you can bet on to make a profit. Only the last game is something I'm confident about."

"Pah, I know the last match is a sure win. That barbarian 'Viper' has won thirty-six matches in a row; he's unbeatable among human gladiators of the same rank! I'm planning to bet on the first few matches first, and then put all the winnings on that barbarian."

"Hehe, I think so too. The odds are a bit low, but it's a sure thing. Anyway, I'm going all in, betting two million. It's free money from the bookies, why not take it?"

"However, to be fair, barbarians are truly formidable in combat. Their fighting techniques may seem wild and unorthodox, but they are in no way inferior to the 'Six Ultimate Techniques' of Fighter Sequence."

"It's hard to say. In that upset seven days ago, wasn't that barbarian taken down?"

"Pshaw! That was obviously the bookmaker cheating, okay? That barbarian won three matches in a row, and only got defeated in the tiebreaker after being seriously injured."

"."

Rein listened to the gamblers' conversation, a strange look flashed across his face.

He suddenly realized that this gladiatorial match seemed to be part of a trap, waiting for someone to fall in. However, it seemed there would only be one Kolman Warrior tonight, Habu's "auction items" wouldn't be appearing.

The bunny girl beside him was waiting for him to place his bet. Rein remained calm and casually placed a few bets, totaling about a Wan Lisuo.

The gladiatorial match began, the host appeared, and cheers from all around rose in waves.

First, the fighters are introduced to show the gamblers their condition so that the final round of bets can be collected.

Rein appeared to be watching the fighters in the octagon with great interest, but his eyes were scanning everyone in the stands.

If this is a trap, then there must be an ambush.

With just a glance, without him needing to discern anything, the "Mind Core" identified several people whose gazes weren't fixed on the fighting arena. Those guys were probably also surveying the "abnormal spectators" in the stands.

Rein composed himself and remained calm.

"Now, the first duel begins!"

After the host finished making the announcement, he walked out of the iron cage and then locked both entrances.

The first match was the appetizer, featuring two female gladiators.

They wore little to no armor, were all shirtless, and their only clothing consisted of short leather trousers. When the battle began, they stood facing each other, armed with crude shields and iron swords, and cautiously moved about.

This is somewhat similar to the "women's sumo wrestling" of the Tang Dynasty in my previous life. They were shirtless, and although it was called a gladiator fight, it also sold erotic content.

Both female gladiators were First Tier [Awakened], but judging from their movements, they were both Transcendent individuals with rich combat experience. The tournament list described one as a war slave, a female knight who once served under a defeated nobleman; the other as a professional fighting slave kept by a nobleman.

From the stands, cheers and shouts rose in waves.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"."

At that moment, the two female gladiators seized their opportunity and collided. The violent impact caused their breasts to heave, which drew a chorus of whistles and strange laughter from the gamblers.

Rein remained completely unmoved, but he mimicked the gamblers' excitement, whistling and cheering for the side he had bet on.

Gladiators are very entertaining, but only if they stop short of engaging in combat.

But once the cage is sealed off, only one person is destined to walk off the stage alive.

Both female fighters were highly experienced in combat, but even though they were evenly matched at first, they gradually started to get heated.

The loser is doomed; no one held back.

They weren't even wearing leather armor; a single cut would inevitably leave a horrific, gaping wound on their skin. And because of the strenuous activity, blood would gush out like a fountain, flowing incessantly.

Once blood was drawn, the scene became extremely bloody, turning into a brutal fight between the two sides.

Like a slaughterhouse, blood splattered everywhere. The warm, pungent smell of blood quickly filled the entire fighting arena.

Yet, this very scene elicited excited shouts and screams from the impeccably dressed noblemen and their wives. For them, it was an unprecedented "thrill."

In the end, the female knight beheaded the other, twisted the bloody head and raised it up, declaring the duel over.

She had won, but she was covered in blood, her body riddled with horrific scars. As she walked off the stage, blood flowed everywhere, yet she numbly accepted it all.

When the female knight beheaded her opponent with a single stroke, the winning gamblers erupted in hysterical cheers.

"Haha, I won! I made a small profit of 500,000!"

"I knew it! Female knights who come from the battlefield are even more formidable."

"."

Rein also won; he had just randomly placed bets like the other gamblers around him, but he wasn't upset at all.