Chapter Summaries

Suye and Aristotle arrived in Sparta, where Suye saw the Abandoned Canyon and learned about the city’s gladiatorial institutions. After Suye’s remarks inspired Aristotle to develop the idea of the Middle Way, Aristotle called him his One-Word Teacher and they went to meet Julius.

• Suye studied magic with Aristotle during their carriage ride, while Yixinna read reports in the Persian royal city and planned how to handle Maduo Si’s request for another Miracle Servant.
• Aristotle showed Suye Sparta, including its vast arenas and the Abandoned Canyon, and explained the fate of the infants and warriors sent there.
• Aristotle told Suye that the First Gladiator Academy controlled Sparta’s enormous arena and introduced Julius as its influential head.
• Suye explained his view that money was neutral and should be treated according to the Middle Way, inspiring Aristotle to extend the idea to morality and other fields.
• Aristotle bowed to Suye, named him his One-Word Teacher, and entered the arena with him to tell Julius that he had arrived.

Suye arrived at the First Gladiator Academy with Aristotle and met its master, Julius, who discussed Suye’s potential and arranged for him to challenge the arena’s Stake Positions. As Aristotle left to meet Prince Leonidas, Julius offered to partner with Suye in selling low-level weapons and equipment.

• Aristotle and Suye met Julius, who warmly welcomed them and praised Aristotle’s record of 107 consecutive arena victories.
• Aristotle wagered his Magic Carriage that Suye could break his record, and Julius tried to persuade Suye to become the next Gladiator King.
• Aristotle told Julius that Suye would begin challenging the Stake Positions and arranged for the Plato Chamber of Commerce to work with Suye on selling weapons and equipment.
• Aristotle warned Julius that the masters were watching Suye closely, then left to meet Prince Leonidas and told Suye he would remain in town for three days.
• Julius took Suye around the arena and offered to partner with him in selling Divine Power Equipment and magical equipment.

Suye and Julius agreed to cooperate on manufacturing and selling Divine Power weapons, then Julius enrolled Suye as a gladiator in Sparta. Suye began a Stake Position Challenge, and the chapter ended as a Fifth Stake Black Iron Warrior prepared to face him.

• Suye showed Julius a Black Iron Divine Power longsword, and Julius praised its quality before they discussed producing Spartan shields, Short Swords, and war spears together.
• Suye named his planned arms firm Dragon Slayer, and he and Julius agreed to cooperate.
• Julius showed Suye Sparta's arena and explained that reforms had opened it to outstanding foreign warriors.
• Suye swore an oath to God of War Ares, and Julius explained the gladiator Stake Positions and challenge rules.
• Julius announced Suye's Stake Position Challenge to the arena, drawing the anger of the gladiators who viewed it as an insult.
• Julius chose a Fifth Stake Black Iron Warrior to fight Suye, who asked whether the match allowed summons and protective measures.

Suye demonstrated his strength in the arena by defeating a Fifth Stake novice and a top Fourth Stake gladiator with his Stone Wall Technique, then faced the Third Stake warriors. He trapped Segus and another Bronze Warrior in a powerful Swamp Technique, leaving the next challenge unresolved.

• Suye defeated a Fifth Stake Black Iron Warrior with two Stone Wall Techniques, earning the right to challenge an official gladiator.
• Suye defeated a top Fourth Stake Black Iron Warrior with five stone walls and was recognized as a Fourth Stake-level gladiator.
• Chief Training Officer Augutu selected three Third Stake Bronze Warriors to test Suye, and Segus volunteered first.
• Suye trapped Segus in a Swamp Technique until Segus surrendered, prompting laughter from the gladiators.
• Suye used the Swamp Technique to make the second Bronze Warrior surrender within ten seconds.

Suye advanced to Third Stake Rank after defeating Bronze gladiators with his spells, drawing comparisons to Aristotle and Commodus’s attention. He defeated the formidable Ubiku with a fortified Rock Shield and a magically enhanced Vine Spell, leaving the warrior trapped and unable to continue.

• Suye studied the gladiators’ reactions to his Swamp Technique, then defeated another opponent and advanced to Third Stake Rank.
• The gladiators learned Suye was Aristotle’s student, and the Gladiator King Commodus appeared at Dragon Mouth Terrace to watch.
• Julius selected three Bronze Warriors for Suye to fight, and Suye defeated the first two with Swamp Technique.
• Ubiku challenged Suye, shattered his spear against Suye’s Rock Shield, then advanced across the swamp using Bronze Divine Power.
• Suye trapped Ubiku with a Vine Spell whose thorns, poison, concealment, toughness, entanglement, and growth talents overwhelmed him.
• Augutu conceded the match for Ubiku after vines covered him completely.

Suye advanced to Second Stake level after defeating Ubiku, then challenged for First Stake and used linked traps and varied talents to defeat Silver Warrior Didus. The arena began considering whether a Silver mage could challenge him from beyond his spell range.

• Suye dispelled his vines, and Ubiku admitted defeat after the arena laughed at his predicament.
• Julius promoted Suye to Second Stake level, and Suye agreed to challenge for First Stake.
• Suye covered the arena with linked spike traps, forcing Didus into a standoff until Suye cleared part of the field.
• Suye used Rock Spike, Quicksand Technique, and a fog-filled Water Elemental Trap to overwhelm Didus, who surrendered and was sent for treatment.
• The second Silver Warrior considered surrendering, while the gladiators proposed using a Silver mage to attack Suye from a distance.

Suye faced the Chief Training Officer, Augutu, in the final battle and used his two Miracle Servants and a series of spells to challenge the Silver Warrior. Augutu broke through Suye’s defenses and drove his spear toward him, leaving the battle unresolved behind a rising stone wall.

• Suye defeated the second Silver Warrior with Trap Technique, leaving Augutu as the final opponent.
• Suye summoned the Flame Goblin and Wang Dachui, and Augutu recognized that Suye had two Miracle Servants.
• Suye laid a wide field of traps and layered defensive spells on himself as Augutu advanced through Quicksand Technique and Swamp Technique.
• Augutu dodged and shattered Suye’s traps, while Suye struck him with a powerful Impact Technique and a fireball that spread magma across his shield.
• Augutu countered another Impact Technique with a silver whirlwind and charged Suye; Suye raised a Stone Wall Technique between them.

Suye defeated Augutu by combining mist, traps, and tactics, earning promotion to First Stake Gladiator. He agreed to compete in the Execution Match while rejecting Julius’s proposed business arrangements for a weapons venture, leaving them negotiating Dragon Slayer Chamber of Commerce’s shares.

• Suye used mist, altered Augutu’s hearing, and a concealed metal trap to make Augutu concede the match.
• Augutu praised Suye’s tactical wisdom, and Julius announced Suye’s promotion to First Stake Gladiator and assigned him five matches the next day, including an Execution Match.
• Suye objected to torturing a prisoner for entertainment but decided to compete for the Execution Match championship after recognizing another option.
• Suye told Julius he wanted a sales shop, two warehouses, and a workshop, with Julius handling the supply chain and operations.
• Suye proposed holding ninety of Dragon Slayer Chamber of Commerce’s one hundred shares, and Julius countered with an even split.

Suye and Julius finalized plans for the Dragon Slayer Chamber of Commerce, including recruiting the War God Temple and producing weapons and adjustable armor. The next morning, Suye met Segus, who explained Sparta’s treatment of Helots and described his own holdings.

• Suye offered Julius additional shares if he secured the War God Temple as a partner, and Julius agreed to bring the temple into the company.
• Suye and Julius planned product research, adjustable armor production, and a gladiatorial match to advertise the Dragon Slayer brand.
• Julius and Suye discussed expanding the company and selling Dragon's Fine Things before finalizing their partnership late that night.
• Julius gave Suye the room where Aristotle had lived, and Suye spent the night doing homework.
• The next morning, Segus joined Suye in the dining hall and explained that Spartans enslaved conquered peoples as Helots.
• Segus said he divided his Helots’ produce evenly and asked Suye whether this was his first time in Sparta.

Suye learned about Sparta’s gladiatorial matches and customs from Segus, then trained and watched the morning’s fights. As the next Beast Fight approached, Suye prepared to face a Silver Wooden Lion alongside four Bronze Warriors.

• Segus explained Sparta’s different gladiatorial matches while Suye asked him about the city.
• Suye jogged, stretched, practiced spellcasting, and meditated while Segus accompanied him and guarded him.
• Segus described the paths open to Spartans and led Suye to the Gate of Life and Death to watch the Daily Gladiatorial Combat.
• A Silver Magic Pig delighted the audience by tossing five Black Iron Warriors around, while a later fight against a Bronze Beast drew less excitement.
• Julius told Suye that he would join four Bronze Warriors to fight a Silver Wooden Lion, and Segus said it was their turn to enter the arena.

Suye fought in the arena by summoning Di Aotian and Wang Dachui while sitting aside to do his homework, turning the crowd’s anger into amusement. After the Silver Wood Lion fell, he repeated the spectacle during an Execution Match, leaving the chapter with the audience laughing at his servants’ antics.

• Suye warned Julius that he would avoid using Fire Magic, then entered the arena with four Bronze Warriors to face a Silver Wood Lion.
• Suye summoned Di Aotian and Wang Dachui, strengthened the warriors with armor spells, and sat down to do his homework while the others fought.
• Di Aotian and Wang Dachui dealt heavy damage to the Silver Wood Lion, and the warriors joined them to defeat it as the crowd gradually began cheering.
• Suye returned to his homework, then walked out for an Execution Match with wine jars and summoned Di Aotian and Wang Dachui to drink before approaching a prisoner.
• Suye sat down to write while Di Aotian and Wang Dachui bickered over who would face the prisoner, and their mishaps made the audience laugh.

Suye’s servants won the morning execution match and two Bronze-level battles, drawing the arena’s attention to him. In the afternoon Silver-level battle, Suye protected his team with spells and sat down to read again as the fighters clashed.

• Wang Dachui and Di Aotian fought over the prisoner until Black Demon Sheep picked up Wang Dachui’s hammer and killed him, after which the three servants bowed to the cheering crowd.
• Suye learned from Segus that combat matches could earn Laurel Crowns and that trophies could be exchanged for God-given Equipment; he also heard the Gladiatorial King Competition would begin in a little over twenty days.
• Suye’s servants defeated five Bronze Warriors from Lion Academy in three minutes while Suye read from his chair.
• Suye’s team won a second Bronze-level battle in four minutes, prompting Hank to raise his reward for defeating Suye to one hundred Golden Eagles.
• Suye cast protective spells on his teammates and servants before sitting down to read during the Silver-level battle, while the two sides advanced and began fighting.

Wang Dachui defeated a Lion Academy Silver Warrior while protecting Suye, earning First Academy the victory and Suye a place as its resident gladiator. Back in his room, Suye discovered Wang Dachui could forge divine-power equipment at extraordinary speed and asked Aristotle for the remains of a divine relic.

• Wang Dachui hurled his Golden War Hammer at a Silver Warrior charging toward Suye, and the hammer changed direction mid-flight and killed him despite his Divine Power Protection.
• The Lion Gladiator Academy captain surrendered, and the spectators accepted the result as First Academy's victory; Suye left the arena while continuing to disregard the match.
• Julius announced that Suye would become First Academy's resident gladiator and scheduled him for five consecutive matches the following afternoon.
• Suye asked Aristotle for a Silver Magic Artifact that could release the Locking Curse and for Silver Magic Leather Armor, then collected weapons and equipment for Wang Dachui to inspect.
• Wang Dachui demonstrated that he could forge divine-power equipment rapidly, so Suye appointed him Chief Forgemaster and gave him materials to use.
• Suye imagined increasing equipment production by summoning more Rock Dwarves and asked Aristotle whether he had the remains of a Bronze, Silver, or Gold divine relic.

Suye discussed possible servants with Aristotle and became fascinated by the rare World Tree Branch, then continued his arena streak as spectators turned his seated matches into a popular spectacle. After five days and eight thousand spectators, Suye had won four laurel wreaths and provoked the crowd before an upcoming trophy match.

• Suye asked Aristotle about servant choices, and Aristotle recommended several elemental servants while explaining the World Tree Branch's rarity, value, and power.
• Suye decided to seek Wind Queen and Ice Queen and planned to ask Aristotle and Niedern to watch for sellers.
• Suye skipped the morning gladiatorial matches and won five afternoon matches as Di Aotian and Wang Dachui defeated Swift Wind Sword Academy's warriors.
• The spectators heckled Suye and his opponents, while Suye earned his eighth consecutive victory and received a laurel wreath.
• Over the following days, the audience grew to eight thousand, and Di Aotian and Wang Dachui won five more matches against Iron Olive Academy.
• Suye received his fourth laurel wreath and bowed to only part of the crowd, prompting spectators to vow not to let him off in the trophy match.

Suye learned about the Strife Goddess competition and spent his day off exploring Sparta with Segus, witnessing the city’s harsh customs toward children and Helots. They headed toward Abandoned Canyon, and as they left the city, they heard a group singing about being punished for disobeying orders.

• Julius told Suye he would lead the academy team in the Strife Goddess Gladiatorial Combat and explained how the competition’s divine rewards worked.
• Suye chose Segus as his guide, and they began exploring Sparta after breakfast.
• Suye and Segus watched Spartan boys endure ritual whippings at a temple, where a younger boy was beaten unconscious for trying to rise.
• Segus explained Sparta’s warrior groups and public dining customs as Suye observed the city’s streets and buildings.
• Suye and Segus saw chained Helot prisoners being paraded and mocked by children.
• Suye asked to visit Abandoned Canyon, and they rented a carriage; near the city’s outskirts, they heard people singing about being punished for disobeying orders.

Suye visited Abandoned Canyon and decided to establish a charity in Sparta to provide long-term food for the abandoned babies. He arranged to obtain a potion that would let them safely drink animal milk and said Julius would oversee the effort after he left.

• Suye and Segus saw bachelors being paraded through the streets as punishment for remaining unmarried, and Segus admitted that he had not attracted any women despite becoming a gladiator.
• Suye and Segus entered Abandoned Canyon, where women cared for babies rejected under Spartan law, and Suye exchanged greetings with a black-haired girl whose pink eyes stood out.
• Segus explained that some parents and kindhearted people helped the babies, but Suye said donations would not be enough and announced plans to establish a Spartan charity for long-term feeding.
• Suye explained that he wanted to save the children rather than profit, while Segus warned that challenging Spartan beliefs about the gods could be dangerous.
• Suye told Segus that a potion could make goat's or cow's milk suitable for babies and said he would ask the Plato Chamber of Commerce to prepare it.
• Segus offered to help at the canyon, and Suye said Julius would manage the effort when he was no longer in Sparta.

Suye toured Abandoned Canyon with Segus, where Commodus agreed to support the charity association and discussed the coming Gladiatorial King Competition. Commodus advised Suye to challenge the Gladiator Academy’s top Silver Warriors for practice, and Suye accepted as the group headed back to Sparta City.

• Commodus appeared in Abandoned Canyon, recalled burying his younger brother and son there, and offered to donate to Suye’s charity association.
• As the three traveled toward Sparta City, Commodus named Pollux as a serious rival in the Gladiatorial King Competition and described his past victories and Glorious Swords.
• Commodus explained that Aristotle had been weak at Silver rank because he lacked combat experience, but would become invincible beneath the Holy Domain once his Archduke bloodline awakened.
• Commodus praised Suye’s Miracle Servants and said Suye would be difficult to defeat even at Bronze rank.
• Commodus urged Suye to challenge the Gladiator Academy’s ranked Silver Warriors in private sparring matches, and Suye agreed not to use Di Aotian or Wang Dachui.

Suye and Commodus fought off a group of attackers, and Commodus promised to face Suye in the finals. Suye then handled business in Sparta, established two organizations, and brought Wang Dachui’s equipment to a shop.

• Commodus killed the Golden Warrior and two Silver Warriors while Suye’s traps killed the nine Bronze Warriors and two more Silver Warriors who attacked them.
• Commodus explained that he stayed Silver because being the Gladiator King earned him more than advancing to Gold, and he claimed Suye had talents to match his own.
• Suye and Segus traveled to Sparta City, where Commodus said he would wait for Suye in the finals.
• Suye and Segus settled most of their business, and Suye signed agreements at the War God Temple to establish the Dragon Slayer Chamber of Commerce Sparta Branch and the Suluo Charity Sparta Branch.
• Suye showed Julius the weapons and armor Wang Dachui had forged, piling them up in the Equipment Shop.

Suye and Julius finalized plans for a charity foundation and a supply deal before attending the Strife Goddess Gladiatorial Combat. When First Academy’s match began, Suye ignored the arena to do homework, while Di Aotian and Wang Dachui provoked the opposing team and set the crowd roaring.

• Julius agreed to pay Suye in full for the first batch of Black Iron Divine Power Equipment, and the two settled their charity foundation plans.
• Julius brought Suye and First Academy’s gladiators to the tournament, where the High Priest expelled Silver Lion Academy and Sphinx Academy for deliberately conserving strength.
• First Academy was called for its match, and nearly ten thousand of Suye’s haters chanted that he was bound to lose.
• Suye summoned Di Aotian and Wang Dachui, cast protective magic on his teammates, then sat down and began doing homework.
• Di Aotian and Wang Dachui swaggered toward Lieying Academy’s gladiators, taunted them, and inspired competing chants from the spectators.

First Academy defeated Lieying Academy and Swift Wind Sword Academy as Suye’s unusual tactics and Wang Dachui’s charges captivated the arena. Before the Double Eight-Man Battle against Rage Dragon Academy, Suye proposed sending only Di Aotian and Wang Dachui to fight, turning the match into a gamble with the Spartans and Persians watching.

• Wang Dachui, the Black Demon Sheep, and Di Aotian quickly broke Lieying Academy’s formation, and First Academy won the Double Ten-Man Battle.
• The crowd mocked Lieying Academy and chanted that Suye was guaranteed to lose when First Academy drew Swift Wind Sword Academy.
• Wang Dachui’s repeated charges shattered Swift Wind Sword Academy’s formation, and First Academy won the Double Nine-Man Battle.
• First Academy drew Rage Dragon Academy, and Julius told Suye to win spectacularly and enrage the Persians to earn divine favor.
• Suye instructed Julius to send only Di Aotian and Wang Dachui forward, and the arena erupted in chants supporting the pair and Sparta.