Gladiatorial Combat

The other gladiators, having not been chosen to attend that fragrant and sensual gathering, finally began training.

To the Contractors' gritted fury, the American bearded man, Audi, joined the training today as a gladiator.

Once training began, Kirk was astonished to discover that this cult leader possessed remarkably high combat skills. He seemed to have already surpassed the limits of an ordinary Contractor—10 points in basic attributes and level 5 skills—and entered another realm. In the Space, those with basic attributes below 10 and skills below level 5 were called novices. Anyone with any attribute at 10 or above but below 25, or a skill at level 5 or above but below level 10, was called a Contractor. Everyone deployed into this [Arena Mode] should have been Contractors. Anyone with any attribute exceeding 25 but below 50, or skills above level 10 but below level 15, was called a Veteran. Above them were Reincarnators, Conquerors, and the like—beings far beyond Kirk and his group, whom they would not easily encounter at their current strength.

According to the assessments of One-Eyed Dragon and MT, who were the strongest among them, Audi was at least a Veteran! Kirk had Little Fatty repeatedly investigate the sinister cult leader with the [Helen Keller Eye Glasses], but each attempt returned the same prompt: the target had passed the perception check, attribute acquisition had failed, and the target had been alerted that someone was probing his attributes. It seemed this man's hidden attributes were also very high. If Audi was a Veteran standing above Contractors, then it made sense that he had captured all twelve Contractors alive.

Kirk sighed inwardly. Audi had made an excellent move and gained three benefits at once. Eleven Bloody Keys with a 20% bonus to rewards and eleven [Soul Crystals] were the first. Acquiring gladiator status was the second. The third was using training as a pretext to openly massacre Contractors!

Sure enough, as soon as training began, Audi picked out the weakest Youth among the Contractors with a vicious grin. Audi advanced step by step, leaving every Contractor fearing for his life. Even the slow-witted Little Fatty sensed the dead end they were in, and he turned his gaze toward Kirk.

Yet Kirk turned his gaze toward Spartacus. He had placed the key to breaking their current predicament on this fierce and valiant Protagonist. Audi had made a good move, but he intended to make an even bolder one. If he succeeded, he would completely reverse their unfavorable situation and gain a special status!

He slowly walked toward Spartacus of his own accord. "I want to challenge you!"

Spartacus had not heard clearly and turned his head.

"I want to challenge you!" Kirk shouted again.

"Material, you have no right to challenge a gladiator!" Dochet said with a frown.

"He is a slave, I am a slave, we are all slaves! I know the sacred Gladiator Code! As long as they are willing to risk death and relinquish their right to surrender, materials may challenge gladiators!" Kirk yelled. He had heard of the Gladiator Code from Vero, borrowed it to read, and truly found something useful in it.

Audi's actions had given Kirk a clue. The difference in status between a "gladiator" and "material" was like the difference between a civil servant and a migrant laborer in later generations. Being promoted to "gladiator" and raising his status was the key to solving their current problem. The best path was not Audi's betrayal, but defeating a gladiator openly and honorably!

It was like defeating Evander Holyfield—you would naturally qualify to join the national boxing team.

Kirk had chosen Spartacus because this was only his own conjecture. If he defeated a powerful gladiator, he was certain he could be promoted to gladiator. Gladiators, too, had ranks and distinctions; perhaps he could gain an even higher standing. The only ones who met the criteria were Cress and Spartacus. Cress was a champion gladiator, and with his arrogant nature, he probably would not even spare Kirk a glance. Spartacus was highly valued by his master, Batista, yet he was still unknown and urgently needed to prove himself. Challenging him should work.

The hostility in Spartacus's eyes surged. Having been sold into slavery and unable to spend his life with the woman he loved was an eternal pain in Spartacus's heart. By tearing open that scar now, Kirk would have to face an enraged Spartacus burning with fury!

"Material! You had better prepare to die!" Spartacus drew his wooden training sword!

"As I wish! But I demand that the duel remain confidential." Kirk immediately headed toward the woods. He did not want anyone to witness his battle with Spartacus, especially that cult leader.

Spartacus sneered and followed swiftly after him with his wooden sword in hand.

He had already decided to tear this irritating material into pieces and let Cress and the others see his strength!

Kirk was challenging Spartacus one-on-one!

Challenging the warrior who was like a Spartan, who slew the legendary demigod [Shadow of Death], dominated the Roman arena, and wore the crown of the [God of War]—Spartacus! Countless legendary gladiators trembled before him, countless Romans cheered for him, and countless noblewomen fell for him!

Challenging the Spartacus who commanded more than a hundred thousand Tiger Guards gladiators, swept across the Apennine Peninsula, shook the Roman Republic, defeated Crassus, one of the three triumvirs, and annihilated dozens of Roman Legions! The Battle of Mount Vesuvius, the Battle of the Po Valley, the Battle of Mutina, and the Bruttian Campaign had nearly forced the Roman Republic, master of the Mediterranean Sea at the height of its power, to move its capital because of him!

Challenging the Spartacus who was like a thoroughly enraged bull, desperate to prove himself and tear his opponent apart!

Making this choice alone required courage.

Facing him after he drew his weapon required even more courage.

It was not that no Contractor had considered this idea, but merely thinking about it made them shudder.

Kirk slowly drew [Mori's Hand-Cutting Blade] and [Michonne's Sorrow]. For the first time, these two deadly weapons from The Walking Dead shone with chilling brilliance beneath the skies of the first century BC! Kirk raised his blades, and a murderous aura burst forth!

He had been forced to go all out. If he still held back while facing this legendary God of War, then he might as well not complain about dying too quickly.

Spartacus's pale blue eyes studied the two weapons for a moment, lingering especially on [Mori's Hand-Cutting Blade]. He nodded. "Good blade."

He did not comment on Kirk's stance or aura at all, merely acknowledging that the blades were good. His disdain was obvious.

Kirk remained unaffected and faced Spartacus with focused attention.

Spartacus smiled faintly, drew his wooden sword, and slowly approached.

Just like that, Kirk felt as though a 500-kilogram Siberian tiger—powerful, bloodthirsty, and fixated on him—was striding toward him. Slow, lethal, and filled with the curse of death.

An unknown Spartacus, approaching with a wooden sword, possessed such overwhelming presence! No wonder Grebo, his enemy and the commander of the First Roman Legion and the Thracian auxiliary army, had been determined to kill this lowly Thracian after offending him! No wonder Bartitas had spared no expense to buy this obscure slave!

A born God of War!

Yet Kirk's twin blades remained even steadier. Their dark edges glimmered faintly beneath the sunlight. He was no longer the rookie who had first entered the Space. Mori's words, countless killings—his mind had become incomparably resolute. No matter what, he would inflict the greatest possible damage on his opponent!

Kirk began moving forward. He had never learned gladiatorial combat, but he knew he had to seize a strong position and prevent his opponent from doing the same.

Details decided victory or defeat.

Wind direction, trees, shrubs, sunlight, even the ground beneath their feet—every one of them could determine the outcome of a gladiatorial battle!

The mockery in Spartacus's eyes deepened. Suddenly, he dipped his body.

Kirk almost instinctively retreated half a step.

A feint!

With only a feint, Spartacus had tricked Kirk out of his defensive position. He lowered his center of gravity and drove a heavy, powerful thrust toward Kirk's chest with the force of wind and thunder!

Great skill appeared simple.

A gladiator's killing techniques were all immensely practical, meant to decide victory or defeat within a few moves. As the Romans said, only a dead man was the best enemy.

Kirk instinctively raised a blade to block. [Mori's Hand-Cutting Blade] stopped Spartacus's thrust just one centimeter from his chest. Even so, his chest still ached faintly.

Spartacus looked somewhat surprised, but with a flick of his wrist, the wooden sword twisted like Medusa's snake hair, swift as lightning, and stabbed straight toward Kirk's face!

Kirk cursed inwardly and swung upward, knocking Spartacus's wooden sword aside. Yet it had only grazed him, and two of his molars had already fallen out. His mouth was full of blood, and the corner of his mouth was badly swollen.

"Is he even human?" Kirk wiped away his sweat. Spartacus had not used any great technique at all; these were merely ordinary training techniques, yet they were already this terrifying. What shocked Kirk even more was that he had long understood the principle that a domesticated tiger could not defeat a wild tiger. Yet his three major melee attributes—strength, agility, and stamina—had all exceeded 10, and his various melee skills had reached level 5, but he could not display even the slightest advantage. Spartacus fought him with effortless ease, as if an adult were fighting a child, casually beating him until his teeth scattered across the ground.

"This won't do." Kirk finally understood the biggest gap between himself and Spartacus: combat experience. The name Spartacus meant "man from Sparta." To the people of the ancient Mediterranean Sea, Spartans were an honorific title for warriors. The difference in combat instincts between Spartacus and a twenty-first-century otaku like Kirk was like the difference between a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Pug in hunting instinct.

Since he was being suppressed in fighting technique and awareness, he would make Spartacus stand on the same starting line as him. Kirk lowered his blade and charged forward. The corners of Spartacus's mouth rose as he brought his sword down in a vicious chop. Kirk blocked it head-on!

The two locked blades!

A Deep Blue magic longsword and a wooden training sword actually struck sparks!

Kirk actually felt himself being pushed back. His strength was already an inhuman 19 points, yet this inhuman Spartacus had at least 25 points of strength!

[Michonne's Sorrow] crept inch by inch toward Kirk's face, while the smile on Spartacus's lips bloomed bit by bit. He was preparing to force Kirk's guard aside, then deliver an incomparably savage horizontal slash! Never mind that he was using a wooden training sword—he could still cleave this detestable kid before him into two perfectly smooth halves!