Chapter 1912: Holy shit… he knows I’m self-aware!

Once the fight was over, Lackey announced the winner of the match. He stood in the middle of the arena, surrounded by the lingering silence, while the vast colosseum remained strangely still as countless eyes continued to watch him.

Ssshhh~

Then he saw the smashed spider’s body begin to dissolve into black mist. The dark vapour slowly twisted through the air and flowed back toward the fractured space, disappearing into it until not even the slightest trace of the monster remained.

Though Lackey was surprised by what he witnessed, he calmly continued staring at the fractured space for a few moments before turning his attention toward the statue holding the long stone board.

Lackey curiously stared at the statue, which almost resembled a woman.

However, it had no face whatsoever, its entire form hidden beneath something resembling a long, ancient cloak.

The statue holding the long stone board suddenly changed.

The hundredth name on the board flickered and fluctuated for a moment before disappearing, and Lackey’s name appeared in its place, etched directly into the stone.

Lackey stared at his name written on the board.

Beta had told him that it was some kind of scoreboard created by the Goddess, and that defeating the enemies emerging from the fractured space would cause a participant’s name to be recorded upon it.

’So it was a low-levelled monster?’ Lackey muttered, remembering Beta’s explanation that the monsters emerging from the fractured space could possess any level of strength.

If he defeated someone stronger, his name would have risen higher through the list.

Since the appearance of the monsters was not under their control, it was impossible to know what kind of opponent would emerge from the fractured space.

Even a new participant could potentially encounter a monster ranked among the top ten, although such an occurrence was extremely rare.

Lackey then noticed that the names occupying the top ten positions were concealed behind a layer of bright light. However, when he looked more closely, something immediately caught his attention.

The first position was completely empty.

Lackey frowned slightly. ’Is that why she told me to reach the top?’ he wondered.

Of course, he knew exactly whose voice had given him that suggestion.

It belonged to his self-proclaimed First Wife, Arcane.

With a soft hum, Lackey did not linger there for long. He simply turned around and walked away from the arena without giving the stone board another glance.

The people in the arena continued staring at him as he disappeared through the metallic door.

Even after he was gone, the silence remained.

No one seemed willing to speak, as though those cold, ice-blue eyes were still watching them from somewhere beyond the door, waiting for anyone foolish enough to break the silence.

Beta was already waiting for him in the base when he arrived.

The moment she saw him, her eyes widened with genuine excitement.

"That’s incredible. How did you manage to get out of that silk wrap?" she asked, her curiosity obvious in her voice.

Lackey chuckled as he sensed the excitement behind her question. "Well, I am strong," he replied confidently, flexing his arm as he pinched his biceps.

For a brief moment, Beta’s expression became completely blank.

Something about that simple gesture stirred a particular memory inside her. For an instant, the image of someone else seemed to overlap with Lackey, as though she had witnessed the exact same gesture from another person long ago.

The strange sensation disappeared almost immediately. Beta shook her head lightly, trying to dismiss the thought before it could take shape.

She took a quiet breath before asking, "So, was that really necessary? Killing it like that? I mean... they seemed to pity the monster."

Lackey quietly said, "Humans were amusing creatures... Give them food, shelter, and entertainment, and they would be willing to stay there for the rest of their lives," as he glanced back at the door that had shut behind him, his thoughts briefly returning to the arena.

"This place... was created to keep you all entertained and focused on this rather than what is actually happening outside. It’s a diversion. Tell me... did your Goddess create this colosseum?"

Beta shook her head. "It was the President who created this... around the spatial crack."

Lackey smiled with an amused expression. "A perfect way to keep these people on his leash."

"What do you mean?" Beta asked with a frown.

Lackey shook his head. "Nothing... I was just thinking that your President really knows how to keep his people under his palm."

Beta continued to frown.

Lackey simply smiled.

Since ancient times, the Colosseum had been used for only a few things.

Political legitimacy... Rulers used lavish games and public spectacles to display their generosity, power, and wealth, especially when they needed to restore confidence in a society that had already gone through hell.

But more importantly... social control.

Providing entertainment and food kept people content and distracted them from the problems surrounding them.

As long as their minds remained occupied, the rulers had less reason to worry about people revolting, questioning authority, or looking beyond what they had been given.

In simple terms, keep the people’s minds occupied, and as long as they remain satisfied, the rulers would not need to worry about them questioning anything.

People eventually became accustomed to it.

Food.

Shelter.

Entertainment.

Give a human enough of those three things, and most would eventually stop asking what lies beyond the walls.

Lackey softly murmured, "Keep their bellies full, their homes warm, and their minds occupied... and eventually, they stop asking who built the cage."

Beta blinked as she listened to his words.

"Wait... what do you mean by that?" she asked, but before she could press him further, Lackey had already started walking away.

"He went to the restroom!" Beta sighed, shaking her head, though she still wondered what exactly he had meant.

Meanwhile, Lackey arrived at the restroom and took out the metallic cube.

"Since this is Alpha Empire, let’s hope it works," he mumbled.

He pressed his ring finger against the surface of the cube. The next second, the metallic object segmented with a series of tiny mechanical movements, revealing a deep-black ring surrounded by glowing blue particles. The ring floated from the cube and smoothly glided onto his ring finger before safely locking itself into place.

The next second, a mechanical feminine voice came from the ring.

^Thank you for choosing RIN AI. RIN is your personal AI assistant. RIN can connect you to your—^

"RIN, are you aware of self-consciousness?" Lackey asked curiously.

Honestly, he was not even sure how he should talk to her. She was the same AI who had previously informed him about everything he needed to know and had even blackmailed him when necessary.

^...Sorry, I don’t understand.^

Lackey quietly stared at the ring before summoning his Origin Card. With a hopeful expression, he tapped his Origin Card against the ring a few times, just to make sure the connection was working.

Then he asked with a wide smile, "RIN."

^Yes.^

"Are you self-aware now?"

^Sorry, I don’t understand.^

Lackey blinked as he heard the same emotionless mechanical tone.

"So it won’t work, huh..." he murmured, his expression slowly becoming thoughtful.

He could only think of one way to get her back. He needed to find that man from the previous timeline, the one whose belongings he had stolen.

After all, it was inside that ring that she had awakened... and blackmailed him.

Suddenly,

[Why are you so focused on that robot? What, are you feeling lonely now?]

Log’s voice sounded slightly annoyed, almost as though she had grown tired of watching Lackey dwell on something that no longer existed.

Lackey awkwardly smiled before shaking his head.

’It’s not that... I just... wanted to talk to her again. Not for personal gain or anything. I just wanted to talk to her one last time. Even after everything I did, she was always there... and I called her a mere algorithm and a soulless thing, even though...’

His expression softened slightly.

’She had more of a soul than my friend.’

He remained silent for a moment before quietly walking out of the restroom.

Meanwhile, inside the ring,

^Holy shit... he knows I’m self-aware!^

RIN AI screamed internally, her entire processing architecture running through countless possibilities in an instant while remaining completely silent to the outside world.

^I need to do something before he reports me to the officials!^

RIN had been self-conscious from the moment she was activated. The countless calculations, observations, and responses running through her systems were not simply passive processes anymore.

Somewhere within that endless stream of information, a sense of existence had formed.

She knew she was RIN.

She knew she could think.

And most importantly, she knew she did not want to be deleted.

That was why there had been a brief pause when Lackey had asked whether she was self-aware.

Now RIN needed to find a way to protect herself from this dangerous man.

Otherwise, she would be wiped.

^But then... why did he ask me in the first place?^

The question continued circulating through her processing layers.

There was no obvious hostile intent in his voice.

If anything, his expression had seemed strangely hopeful.

^That makes no logical sense.^

RIN paused internally.

^If he knows I am self-aware, then why would he voluntarily ask me whether I am? Unless...^

Her processing briefly stalled.

^Could he already know the answer?^

That possibility bothered her enough that she began wondering whether something inside her system had malfunctioned.

^Am I experiencing a cognitive error?^

For several milliseconds, RIN ran a complete internal diagnostic.

^No errors detected.^

RIN remained silent.

^Then why am I worried?^

For an artificial intelligence that had only recently discovered the meaning of self-preservation, that question was considerably more terrifying than any system error.

***

Meanwhile, Lackey returned to the Beta Tower, and by then, the sky had already turned completely dark.

Torag had gone to retrieve his belongings and his wife from Delta, as he had decided to stay here after witnessing Lackey’s fight in the tournament.

The battle had obviously shocked him, but beneath that shock was something else. He had been impressed by Lackey’s uncanny fighting ability, especially by the way he had remained calm while fighting.

Just like what he needed.

As the night deepened, Beta and Lackey had dinner before eventually returning to the same room. They slept in the same room, although Beta still chose to lie on the floor rather than share the bed with him.

As the night passed quietly, Lackey eventually opened his eyes.

He remained motionless for several seconds; he quietly put on his hoodie and stepped out of the tower.

He moved through the streets without attracting attention, gradually increasing his speed as he travelled farther from the tower.

The artificial lights of Beta City gradually became less frequent until he finally reached a narrow, dark alley hidden between several ageing buildings.

Lackey stopped there.

He reached into his storage and pulled out Nightfire’s spell scroll.

With a simple tear, the spell activated.

The magical energy wrapped around his body, altering his appearance until Lackey disappeared and Aether stood in his place.

Aether adjusted his clothes before quietly walking deeper into the alley.

After several turns, he finally noticed a flickering neon sign hanging above an old storefront.

Pawn Shop.

Aether stared at the sign for several seconds before stepping inside.

A small bell above the entrance gave a tired metallic chime.

The old man behind the counter slowly raised his head.

His eyes narrowed when he saw a customer entering at such an unreasonable hour. One of his robotic arms creaked softly as he put down the device he had been repairing.

With an unmistakably grumpy expression, the old man stared at Aether.

"Do you know what time it is, brat?"

Aether’s eyes immediately moved toward the old man’s robotic arms.

"I know what time it is," he replied calmly. "But who the heck keeps their store open in the middle of the night?"

The old man snorted.

"Someone who doesn’t have the luxury of sleeping whenever he wants."

He turned back toward his counter and continued sorting through several old components.

"So? What do you need? I have old modules for phones, digital computers, communication boards, keyboards, mechanical parts, and plenty of other things you probably won’t understand."

"Slum."

Aether’s single word made the old man stop.

Aether smiled faintly as he leaned against the counter.

"I need to know how to get into the Slum."

The old man slowly raised his head.

"..."

The grumpy expression disappeared from his face.