The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

Hisamitsu zoomed in on the unfortunate secondary battlefield. A hero from another world, wearing only a pair of underwear, was embracing his last remaining goose as he battled a terrifying robot capable of single-handedly destroying a nation.

"After overcoming countless hardships, you finally face the final boss. Shall you enter the battle round?"

"No! How can I fight this?! It could vaporize me with just a glare!!!" Lü Wenjun shouted, "I need to be persuaded, let's have my eloquence assessed!!"

Hisamitsu remained silent: "So you're planning to use your eloquence on a bloodless, tearless, terrifying robot...?"

"What else am I supposed to do? Hit it with a golden egg?"

"Very well, then let's go for the highest difficulty. Successfully roll 90 or higher on the dice, and pass all six checks in a row, then I'll let you off the hook. Dice it."

In hell, Lü Wenjun threw the dice with all his might: "Watch closely, this is my struggle to survive!"

The hooded man glanced down, his tone subtle.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: I consider myself a legitimate GM. While I might pull some tricks within the rules, I would never do anything that violates the underlying logic. So..."

She revealed the dice result.

吕文均的口才：【6d100=94、92、91、93、94、97】全部成功含一次大成功

“As you can see, eloquence has become a god,” she said.

Linggong exclaimed in amazement, "What an incredible will to survive..."

"Great!! We convinced it!!" Lü Wenjun clenched his fist. "Not only that, but we also had a major success. We definitely deserve a reward!"

"So, the solution is as follows," Hisamitsu cleared his throat. "Through the hero's tireless efforts, a miraculous understanding was achieved between humans and machines, and the terrifying robot opened a passage home for him..."

"Furthermore, as a reward for this great success, the hero received a complete mechanization upgrade. He is now an honorary citizen of the Mechanical Empire, and his combat power has increased dramatically!"

Amidst crackling blue lightning, a spatial portal opened above the city. The all-metal hero, Lü Wenjun, descended from the sky, landing with the classic hero's landing pose.

His left half of his body was replaced with pure white alloy, while the right half remained unchanged, like a half-anatomical human model blessed by the god of mechanics!

"How ugly! What kind of lousy modification is this?!" Lu Wenjun slammed his fist on the table. "Besides, this is a Monopoly game, what use is my combat power? Where's my money?!"

Ling Gong added inappropriately, "Speaking of which, Wen Jun still owes me 500 magic coins. If he doesn't pay it back this round, he'll be out of the game in debt."

"Hey, the development of the story where the hero from another world dies in poverty after returning home is just too terrible."

Hisamitsu flipped through the book with a rustling sound: "The rulebook didn't consider this development, after all, it's basically a death sentence... So let's do it this way, you return home and live in poverty, a kind-hearted youkai passing by sees your plight and gives you some magic coins. You successfully pay off your debt, and your current savings are 0 magic coins."

The cyborg hero Lü Wenjun huddled on the street, his eyes lifeless.

"What have I actually gained...?"

Mingxiao said sadly, "You finally understand the meaninglessness of life..."

"I just don't want to be said that by some lucky nouveau riche." Lü Wenjun rubbed his face. "It's okay, there's always a next round, there's always a future. Watch me make a comeback!"

In the third round, it was once again Lü Wenjun's turn to act. The dice rolled a 4, triggering a standard event: the cyborg hero arrived at the temple in the city.

"The outcome of this event depends on the player's actions; offering praise and prayers to the gods will grant a random lucky reward." Hisamitsu chuckled. "How about it, nerd~~?"

Lu Wenjun responded with a haughty sneer, his hands braced on the table as he made a resounding declaration.

"Beautiful and kind-hearted Hisamitsu-sama, please have mercy and save me!!"

The other players were shocked by his imposing presence.

"He's shameless..." "He'd even call someone an adult just to save his own life?" "Where is your self-respect?!"

Lu Wenjun remained unmoved: "What does face matter compared to the future? If you can make money by saying nice things, I could say it ten thousand times a day without any problem!"

"Well, you really are an unkillable cockroach!" Hisamitsu said with awe. "Let's roll a lucky dice to decide the reward God will give you."

Lü Wenjun's luck: [1d100:1] A major failure

A deafening roar of laughter erupted around the game table, and the cyborg hero knelt dejectedly before the temple, gazing up at the sky.

"I'm telling you, Wenjun," Mingxiao said gently, "after abandoning your self-respect, what did you gain in return?"

"I don't want to play anymore..."

"Um, ah, uh, this. Hahahaha!" Hisamitsu laughed uncontrollably. "Now that things are like this, I really can't send you any more magic coins. I'll just send you a divinely bestowed telescope instead."

"What's the use?"

"You can use it to remotely watch other players make money to pass the time."

"Damn it!! Damn it!!!!"

The hero, who transformed poverty, shed tears of blood before the temple.

Meanwhile, Mingxiao acquired a large number of antique magical tools thanks to the rain of magic coins falling from the sky—this is the ruthless world of bad luck.

"Honestly, it's too tragic to watch. Let's end the game this round and give him a break." The big capitalist Pershka shook his head. "My turn, I want to—"

“Before that, roll a blind die,” Hisamitsu said ominously. “Oh dear. Pershka has entered an unfortunate situation!”

The cyborg hero sprang to his feet, wiped away his blood and tears, and raised his arms, shouting: "Misfortune! The best! Misfortune! The best!"

"Why? What's the reason?!" Pershka exclaimed in astonishment.

"Retaking the exam: it's because of an effect that can't be revealed yet for some reason." Hisamitsu fanned himself. "Your luck is slightly better than Lü Wenjun's; you've avoided the usual unfortunate events—"

The black roulette wheel descended again, its pointer landing on a phantom thief mask. Then, an otter wearing the mask sneaked into the factory that night and robbed the wealthy capitalist Pershka of his entire treasury.

"Due to the Robin Hood Otter's Robin Hood-like behavior, you have lost 70% of your magic coins. You now only have 17500 magic coins left."

Pershka knelt on the sofa: "Are you kidding me? Where is the balance in this game? Why can a single unfortunate event wipe out several rounds of a player's effort?!"

Lu Wenjun leaped up with the force of a tiger landing, landing next to Pershka with his eyes slanted and his tongue lolling out, revealing an extremely twisted smile.

"That's the expression I want to see. That expression of someone who thinks they're on a winning streak but is instantly brought down by misfortune!"

"You gloating bastard!"

Pershka was caught in a tense calculation. Her remaining magic coins had already placed her second to last. Although 17500 seemed like a large sum, she still had to repay Linggong 10000 magic coins plus 5000 in interest at the end of this turn. That left her with only 2500 magic coins. Even with the income from the factory, it would be difficult to invest in new industries next turn, and…

The next round will be round 4, and Rhinegold's effect will subject her to new misfortunes. If she doesn't quickly accumulate capital, she will definitely be eliminated next round.

What to do... is relying on luck with dice the only option left...?

Just when Pershka was at her wit's end, a shimmering light fell before her eyes. It was a spider's thread of salvation hanging down from the highest level of hell!

"It's not nice to give up because of bad luck, is it? But I happen to have some spare magic coins here." Reiko smiled. "Would you like to try again, Pershka?"

"Linggong, you...!"

Pershka reached out to grasp that only hope, but suddenly stopped.

"--wrong!"

Ling Gong tilted her head: "Is there a problem?"

“That unfortunate incident that happened out of nowhere was really strange.” Pershka rubbed his forehead. “Since the GM didn’t cheat, there must be a reason for triggering the mechanism. And what Lu Wenjun and I have in common is…”

“I borrowed your money just before this misfortune!” Lu Wenjun waved his hand. “GM, I need to use the divinely bestowed telescope to observe Ling Gong’s agency!”

"Permission granted, since it is a divinely bestowed magical artifact that does not require judgment; the result will be revealed directly."

The cyborg hero raised his monocular telescope... and then, behind a window of a distant building, he saw a familiar figure. It was the seal that had been playing its flute as it passed by in the previous round!

"What...could it be?!"

Not only that. The fish that protested with signs during the factory construction were also there, snacking on seaweed rolls with the seals! And the animal next to them was none other than the otter that stole Pershka's funds!

Lu Wenjun felt a chill run down his spine, and Ling Gong's smile appeared even more mysterious and profound.

"All the misfortunes originated in the firm? What exactly did you do?!"

"Please let the GM reveal the answer."

At that moment, Hisamitsu slapped Rei's character card... and then, new text appeared before everyone.

[The Scheming Man Who Smiles in Secret]

[Cursed Koban: Allows you to borrow magic coins from other players, collecting 1.5 times the interest in the next turn. The player who borrows the magic coins will experience an unfortunate event before the start of their next turn.]

[Personal Trait: Can modify/erase the description of one's own character card, allowing other players to see a fake card design]

This is what makes Ten'in-in Reiyuu truly terrifying! On the surface, she's a kind-hearted person who doesn't fight with the world, but in reality, she's the ultimate mastermind, plotting against everyone behind the scenes!!

Mingxiao was terrified: "What a terrifying guy... what a cunning mind he has."

"Was all the misfortune we've experienced so far just your scheme?"

“It’s not good that you two trusted others so easily,” Reiko pushed up her glasses. “The business world is like a battlefield; how can you trust the help of your competitors?”

“Fine, since you’re so despicable and shameless, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!” Pershka slammed her hand on the table. “I haven’t used my turn yet. I’m going to use the connections I gained through bribery to report her illegal activities to the local authorities!”

“Black market dealers reporting black market dealers? Isn’t this just dogs fighting each other?” Lü Wenjun said.

"Unfortunately, Pershka's report is pointless..." Reiko tapped the table lightly. "If you want to know why..."

"Have you forgotten that I already took over the city's security forces in the last round?"

"?!"

Indeed, the city guards came following Pershka's tip... but those guards were all small, grinning animals! They were adorned with fox tail emblems!

The exterior of Ling Gong's office gleamed, and the unassuming gray signboard was torn down, replaced by the menacing Chinese characters: "Demon Fox Group." She shed her dowdy business attire, donned a suit jacket, and, surrounded by her numerous members from the Animal Group, sat down in a pure black leather executive chair!

Lu Wenjun exclaimed in shock: "It's...it's the underworld!"

That's right, the true identity of that human resources agency is none other than the illegal animal violence group, the "Demon Fox Clan"!!

“Everyone seems to have misunderstood. The core of Monopoly isn’t about making money yourself…” Ling Gong revealed her pure black eyes. “It’s a game of competition with others. As long as all the other players are eliminated, you can ensure your victory.”

"What terrifying eyes! Her eyes gleam with a ruthless desire to win at all costs!!"

"It's my turn," the underworld boss Ling Gong commanded. "I'm going to extort the other three players! First up, you, Senior Mingxiao!"

"Hey hey hey hey?!" Mingxiao exclaimed in surprise, "How dare you! I am—"

"You're someone who has no abilities other than being lucky," Hisamitsu said. "Combat power 0, power 0, just an ordinary person who's inexplicably rich, right?"

Mingxiao lay frozen on the ground, like a gray-white stone statue. Linggong and Jiuguang whispered to each other, "Even like this, do we still need to go through the judgment process?" "No need, just grab it directly."

Mingxiao, a nouveau riche who was indulging in a life of debauchery in his mansion, had his door smashed open by a group of violent, armed animals! His gold chain was stripped off! His diamond bracelet was stolen! The animal gangsters took all his valuables, and not only that, even all the food in the room was eaten by seals!

"This house has been requisitioned by our Fox Spirit Clan. Get out of here before we cause you any trouble!"

Nouveau riche Mingxiao—no, now penniless Mingxiao—wandered the streets in her pajamas. She walked absentmindedly towards a distant underpass and saw a cyborg hero from another world struggling to keep warm beneath it.

The penniless man knelt silently on the ground, tears of grief streaming down his face.

"I...I...I earned this money through hard work without ever having earned it!!!"

"Where is the hardship?" the cyborg hero asked.

Yakuza member Reiko chuckled sinisterly, "Ah, ha, haha. From now on, this is the rule of the city. Anyone who doesn't pay protection money to the Demon Fox Clan will suffer some misfortune~"

Chapter 53 I Must Survive! (End of Chapter 8)

“This woman is so smug and overconfident,” said Lü Wenjun.

"Finally, they've shown their true colors..." Pershka clenched her fist. "It doesn't matter. Unlike that good-for-nothing Mingxiao-senpai, I'm a wealthy and powerful factory owner!"

"I've been categorized as a good-for-nothing?!" Mingxiao exclaimed in shock.

Behind the wealthy capitalist Pershka stood three ferocious beast witches. These elite workers, who toiled year-round in manual labor, constantly dealing with the factory owner's demanding requests, would never be outdone by mere animals!

"Come on, bring it on. Today I'm going to have your armed little animal as a treat!"

“What a cruel case of double-crossing,” said Lü Wenjun.

“Mr. Pershka is being far too serious.” Ling Gong covered her face with her folding fan. “It’s just a friendly, mutually beneficial fund recovery. Why make such a fuss? To avoid offending you, we have shown our utmost sincerity.”

Heading towards the heavily armed factory... wasn't an armed little animal! It was a tiny, fluffy fox cub! Behind it were a harp seal cub resembling a cotton ball, and a pitiful little rabbit cub!

Pershka froze: "This...this is..."

The baby animals looked at the capitalist Pershka with pitiful, pleading eyes and rubbed against his trousers. They raised a wooden sign amidst their howls!

We're about to be fired if we don't receive our payment soon, please help us!

The big capitalist clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground.

"You're despicable! Using ignorant animals! I... I would never—"

"Awoo..." The little fox cub's eyes were filled with tears.

"Fine, I'll give it to you!!!"