Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 18: Death Battle

Su'en didn't expect that there would be a "Death Battle" in the underground casino of the Green District.

This is a very brutal fighting competition, with no rounds, regardless of points, only victory or defeat.

Because it is a fight to the death, gladiators will do their best to fight, with strong entertainment value.

Because the killer moves are often instantaneous, it leads to a lot of uncertainty in the outcome, making it more exciting and entertaining for gambling.

Therefore, this bloody gladiatorial match is the most popular gambling event in the underground world.

...

Su'en followed Captain Kay into the combat gambling den called "Crimson Stronghold".

Each gang has its own reputation. Whether they know each other or not, gamblers will unconsciously make way when they see the "Cross Star" symbol on their bodies.

The air was filled with a sweet fragrance, which was a hallucinogenic drug that could stimulate the nerves. "Pharmacology" is the basic skill of alchemists, and there are people in the black market who specialize in making these addictive hallucinogenic drugs for sale.

"Shatter his skull!"

"Oh, 'Doombringer', get up quickly! I've bet 10,000 Lisos on you, don't let me down!"

"Hahaha, 'Skullcrusher' is going to win! Kill him, kick that guy's head to pieces..."

"..."

The underground second floor was as big as an indoor basketball court, with a huge octagonal net cage in the center.

On the arena, two gladiators covered in blood were fighting to the death.

The pace of the battle was fast. After a few rounds of fighting, the strong gladiator named "Skullcrusher" snapped his opponent's neck, and the casino erupted in cheers like a tide.

Of course, there were also curses from the gamblers who lost their bets.

And Su'en's gaze focused on the "gray mist" floating above the corpse in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Before, he felt that his "Death Reaper" didn't have much room to play after entering the city. Now it seems that joining a gang might not be a bad idea.

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Kay looked at Su'en's gaze with a strange look, guessing that he was probably attending this kind of gladiatorial match for the first time, and also introduced to the newcomers, "This is the hottest gambling method in our Green District..."

As he spoke, he pointed to the private rooms on the highest level of the audience seats and said, "See that? Many of those private rooms belong to important figures from the inner city. They are the real big spenders..."

Listening to this, a newcomer asked, "Will the important figures from the inner city come to the outer city? Aren't those arrogant guys disdainful of our dirty and rundown outer city and never set foot here?"

"Hehe... quite a few of them come."

Kay shrugged, seemingly not respectful towards the people from the inner city, "After all, the inner city doesn't have such exciting matches. Those guys want to have fun, they have to come to our territory. But it's also because of these big spenders that we can live so comfortably."

As he said that, he seemed to remember something and warned the newcomers, "Although we and those people from the inner city are from two different worlds and are unlikely to have any intersections, if you really happen to encounter them in the future, don't provoke those people from the inner city. Otherwise, it will cause trouble for our boss."

Su'en also nodded along with the newcomers, "Understood, Captain."

...

Kay led the group to wander around the casino, making the newcomers familiar with the place.

"Alright, today's mission is done. You can go do whatever you want, just remember to bring your communicators."

"Okay, Captain."

"Get lost, stop flattering."

As soon as Kay announced "off duty", the veterans scattered excitedly.

He looked at the still confused newcomers and said again, "It's your first day in the gang, so you can have some fun. The taverns and brothels we just passed by are all under the protection of our 'Cross Society', and there are discounts if you want to find girls."

Upon hearing this, the other three newcomers showed eager and ambiguous smiles on their faces.

Kay seemed to notice that Su'en was more interested in the combat arena and specifically advised him, "You can try other things, but it's better to stay away from gambling... especially this kind of combat arena, it's easy to get addicted. With that money, there are plenty of other things to enjoy."

The group said, "Understood, Captain."

Kay then seemed to remember something and gave an example.

He pointed to the only veteran who hadn't left yet, Sam, with a disdainful expression, "Look at this guy Sam, he spent his salary from last month in one night. Now he has to rely on the help of our brothers in the gang to eat. Isn't it embarrassing..."

On the side, Sam, who was pointed out, looked like a wronged little wife, murmuring weakly, "I won several rounds and made thousands... I didn't expect one upset, I was angry and raised the bet..."

The mentality of a gambler is the same in any world.

When winning, they don't leave; when losing, they want to make it back; and when they lose even more, they double down, sinking deeper and deeper.

Su'en also understood while listening that Kay was worried that he would lose all his money in one day.

This captain seems to be a good person.

Kay rolled his eyes, not listening to this guy's explanation, waved his hand, and said to Su'en and the others, "Alright, you can go now."

Everyone nodded, "Yes, Captain."

...

As soon as Kay left, the group felt liberated.

The other three newcomers had been thinking about the beautiful women they saw earlier.

Being in a gang, isn't it for the carefree life of having alcohol, meat, and women?

"Su'en, aren't you going?"

"No, I want to stay here for a while."

"..."

Su'en didn't go to the brothel with the other three. His attention had been on the arena.

His rationality told him that, compared to women, enhancing his strength was the capital to survive in this world.

His awakened talent, "Collector," focused on development. Only by living long enough would he be able to obtain everything he wanted.

In just a moment, a new gladiatorial match began.

In the octagonal net cage, two new gladiators replaced the previous ones, and a bloody battle to the death began again.

Su'en squeezed through the crowd of gamblers and approached the net cage.

If he remembered correctly, this would be the passage where the bodies were dragged away.

There were at least thousands of people in the casino, and it was noisy.

No one would pay attention to where a failed body was dragged away, but Su'en was also worried that someone would notice his actions of collecting soul fragments, so he deliberately chose this inconspicuous corner.

At this moment, a graceful woman carrying a tray squeezed through the crowd.

She smiled at Su'en with a charming expression and asked softly, "Sir, do you want to place a bet? If you can't bet on this match, you can bet on the next one. Blind guessing will have additional multiplier bonuses~"

"Buy a thousand on the red side."

Squeezing to the front like this, anyone would think that Su'en was an enthusiastic gambler. Su'en naturally took out a stack of bills and placed them on the tray.

The woman was pressed against Su'en by the crowd, and her chest was deformed by the pressure. She seemed to not mind, took the money, handed over the ticket, and threw a flirtatious glance at Su'en, saying, "I think sir will definitely guess correctly~"

"Well, I think so too."

Su'en smiled faintly.

He didn't think that his bald appearance now was handsome enough to attract the initiative of beautiful women.

When he observed earlier, he had already noticed that the betting ladies in the casino would try to please the customers. Because the winning gamblers would generously tip them. Despite being touched by those perverted hands, their income for one night was even more considerable than most of the male gamblers. This job earned much more money and was much easier than the prostitutes standing outside.

...

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

"..."

Near the net cage, a group of gamblers holding betting tickets were shouting their gladiator's name hoarsely. Although Su'en wasn't interested in gambling, he was also fully focused on observing the battle.

This was the first time he had seen such a bloody and brutal fight, and a certain suppressed emotion inside him started to stir.

The fighters on the arena gave him his first lesson in interdimensional combat.

The punches were fierce, and the killing intent made one's scalp tingle...

Su'en imagined himself as one of the gladiators in the arena, feeling deeply moved, "No wonder the All-Knowing Eye only rated my combat skills as 'advanced beginner'. If I were to face them on the arena, I would probably be killed as soon as we met."

At this moment, Su'en saw the huge gap.

The attack moves of the gladiators on the arena were ruthless, sharp like bullets, like daggers, stabbing at vital points, and immediately following up with a finishing move, not giving the opponent any chance to counterattack.

One strike, one kill.

This kind of combat had no fancy moves, everything was aimed at killing.

This was completely different from the combat Su'en had in mind!

This world gradually revealed its cruel side to Su'en, the transmigrator.