Chapter 179 Gold, Epic
In the post-apocalyptic world, gear was split into Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary levels.
Common gear included gray, white, and silver grades; they were the most common and widely used.
Rare gear was green and blue. This stuff was pretty good and only a few people had it. Mid to high-level Evolving folks used it, but it was pricey.
In his past life, William had a green sniper rifle while Cecil had a green shield. They risked a lot to get those.
Epic gear was gold and purple. Top-tier stuff. Even eight or nine-star folks only had a few pieces, if any.
Epic items were super rare. You needed at least a Level 7 roulette to get them, and even then, they were scarce. Level 8 roulette had a bit more, but only nine-star people could afford to try their luck.
Epic gear was like yachts and planes in peaceful times; exclusive to the strongest.
Legendary gear was almost mythical, glowing with seven colors. Hardly anyone had seen it. William only saw it on lists from armed merchants in his past life.
Usually, you had to be a seven-star Evolving person to even get close to an Epic gear. To own it, you needed to be an eight-star.
But now, on Devil's Gamble, William got a gold Sacrificial Gate, a real Epic-level item!
William was thrilled. He'd take any risk to keep this gold gear.
Devil's Gamble tested luck but had rules. The level of the Magic Crystal used affected the quality of the items you got.
Using a level one Magic Crystal would get you basic items. A level two Magic Crystal would get you better stuff, and a level three would get you even better items.
Everyone wanted the best gear, but the Gambling roulette was fair. Better items meant tougher challenges.
If you used a level two Magic Crystal, you'd face level three and level four monsters. William's team struggled with level three monsters, and without Cecil, they'd be toast. A level two start would be a death sentence.
Plus, a level two Magic Crystal needed a three-star Evolving person, and William's team didn't have one. Even if they did, they couldn't find the level three and four Magic Crystals needed for the Fixed Roulette.
William's last-ditch effort for an explosion could hurt but not kill level three monsters. Against level four monsters, it wouldn't even scratch them.
Given all this, William had modest hopes for the Gambling roulette. He thought maybe he'd get two Rare-level items if he was lucky, which would be worth the risk.
But he never expected to get a gold Epic-level Sacrificial Gate. His luck was off the charts!
In his past life, people joked that luck was part of strength. In the apocalypse, that saying was spot on.
William knew that the rewards had limits based on the starting energy.Getting the gold Sacrificial Gate was likely hitting the upper limit of a level one start!
Devil's Gamble was special, offering only two chances. After that, it would disappear and pop up somewhere else randomly.
In his past life, William found out about the Gambling roulette because it was in a forest near Cecil's hometown, discovered long after the apocalypse started. He knew the exact spot where it was located. Other locations he remembered were from years later and were still empty now.
After using the roulette twice, it vanished, and no one knew where it went.
William explained this rule to his team. They all agreed it was a good thing the roulette could only be used twice; otherwise, William would keep gambling!
With his new gear, William wanted to test it out. He took a level one Magic Crystal and tossed it in.
The mirror-like surface rippled, the Magic Crystal disappeared, but nothing happened.
William was puzzled. He knew the basics of using the Sacrificial Gate but not the details. He figured he should sacrifice an item, and the gem on the archway would show the energy gained. Once filled, the gate would reward him.
But the gem stayed empty after sacrificing a level one Magic Crystal. Was he doing it wrong?
He looked around but couldn't find the issue.
Was the item wrong? Not high enough level? Or was it just bad luck?
This lack of change made William anxious.
Trying to stay calm, he threw in another level one Magic Crystal.
Still no reaction!
William wondered if he was using the wrong method. He couldn't show this to anyone else, he might end up staring at this gold gear without being able to use it!
That would be the biggest irony of this adventure.
Wait!
William leaned in close to the gem, almost touching it with his eyes.
He saw a very thin white line inside.
He was sure this line wasn't there before because he had studied the gem closely over the past few days.
There was a change.
So, sacrificing a level one Magic Crystal did cause a change, but the energy was too little to notice!
William gritted his teeth and put a piece of level three mutated life material into the mirror.
The white line grew a bit thicker, and this time William noticed the change.
He kept adding materials, and the white line got thicker and thicker. Eventually, it was visible without looking closely, filling the bottom of the gem.
But what made William laugh and cry was that after putting in so many things, he had only filled a tiny fraction of the gem. At this rate, even if he used all his Magic Crystals, it probably wouldn't be enough.
His excitement quickly cooled down.
It seemed this gold-level gear wasn't something you could use casually.
After feeling down for a bit, William adjusted his mindset. He realized this was normal.
He thought, 'If sacrificing a little bit of stuff makes the Sacrificial Gate give you good things, would it still be the apocalypse? Would it still be gold equipment? What about higher-level gear?'
Thinking this, William's mood improved, and he got excited about the gear again.
He knew that since the Sacrificial Gate's capacity was so hard to fill, the rewards would definitely be high value!
He rummaged through his stuff and threw all the useless items into it. The gem's energy increased again but still didn't reach one-tenth.
It seemed the road to sacrifice was still long.
Putting the Sacrificial Gate aside, William took out another item from Devil's Gamble. It was The Mechanic.
The cooldown for this small robot had ended, about thirty hours.
William picked up the robot, fiddled with it, and then put it down helplessly.
The Sacrificial Gate, despite being gold-level Epic gear, could be understood with some research. The challenge was the large quantity of sacrificial items needed in exchange for something.
But the Mechanic was different. William only had a basic understanding of it. The info he got was just about its basic usage, which didn't satisfy him. He felt its function wasn't just to build a turret.
After all, he was probably the first person to spin Devil's Gamble, and the Mechanic might be the first good item it produced. It couldn't be that simple and fragile.
William stared at the metal head for a while and suddenly had a bold idea, thinking, 'This is a robot, a manufactured item, and I'm a craftsman, so...'
This idea made his heart race. He guessed silently, 'If I make some modifications to this thing, then according to the characteristics of the craftsman profession, it should count as something I've crafted or improved, right? Will its attributes be clearly revealed to me by then, just like the Edge of the Moon?'
William weighed the possibility of failure and even prepared for the robot to be damaged. He decided to give it a try!
A piece of Devil's Gold appeared in his hand.
