Fearless

Kirk woke up in a simple room, covered by a soft quilt. Little Fatty exclaimed in surprise, "Big brother, you're finally awake."

"How long was I unconscious?" Kirk weakly got up.

"It's already 2 PM. Big brother, you were unconscious for 5 hours," Little Fatty quickly brought over water. "You scared me to death just now. If you weren't here, big brother, I probably wouldn't have survived."

"That was close, I almost got killed by Spartacus," Kirk said, still feeling the fear.

"You've proven yourself," Bartitas said with a relaxed expression, walking in with his wife Lucretia and trainer Dochet. "From now on, you've been promoted to auxiliary gladiator. You are no longer raw material that can be slaughtered at will, no longer living in an open-air pen. You have the right to gain glory, and the right to receive a share of the gladiator's profits." Bartitas looked generous.

Kirk's performance was an unexpected windfall for him. Back then, he had bought Spartacus with his entire fortune, while this seemingly weak slave was just a mass-produced item, bought 30 get 2 free for 100 gold coins. If you bought 30 chickens for 100 yuan, intending to cook them, and accidentally found one was a hen that laid golden eggs, wouldn't you take good care of it?

Last time, under Uncle Ben Laden's exaggerated RPG rocket counterattack, many gladiators died. The Dionysia Festival in Marseille was about to begin, and according to the original contract, the Capus training camp had to send 30 gladiators to perform. Now Bartitas's problem was a shortage of gladiators. If they defaulted, the compensation would be something the training camp, currently in economic crisis, could not afford.

Kirk had basically recovered to a normal state. A contractor's body was digitized. Although his right arm was almost shattered to the bone and sinew, it could now move with difficulty.

Kirk walked out the door. Dochet said coldly, "Slave, by the master's order, you don't have to train today. You will train tomorrow. Cherish your time today. I hope you won't cry tomorrow."

Kirk smiled slightly and walked out. Dochet, who usually had a cold exterior but a warm heart, was respectable. However, he was a ruthless devil when it came to training.

Outside, the contractors had already begun their afternoon practice. To Kirk's surprise, the young man chosen by the cult leader that morning was neither dead nor seriously injured. However, his face was pale, and he was listlessly taking a beating. This time, a female contractor from One-Eyed Jack's team was fighting Audi, but she also looked unwell.

"What did that Audi do this morning?" Kirk asked softly.

"I've already found out," Little Fatty seemed to have put in a lot of effort. "This Audi is a greedy vampire. The young man said that after Audi pretended to fight a few rounds, he started threatening him, ordering him to hand over all his survival points, skill potential points, base attribute points, and Soul Crystals. If he didn't, Audi would kill him on the spot."

"What did the young man do?" Kirk frowned.

"Audi even analyzed the pros and cons for the young man. First, he clearly stated that he was a veteran and crushing contractors was like killing chickens; resistance would do him no harm. Second, he was a gladiator, and killing raw material would at most earn him a scolding. But if the young man refused, he would die immediately. Anyway, killing him would also earn him a blood red key with a 20% reward."

Kirk nodded. This Audi was definitely not simple, because he had calculated all possible reactions of the contractors.

On one side were survival points, potential points, attribute points, and Soul Crystals. On the other was his own life. When resistance was hopeless and the cost of killing him was very low, wouldn't many people choose to fight to the death? No, living was more important than anything.

This way, in a few days, Audi could rob all the contractors one by one. After squeezing them dry, he would choose to brutally slaughter them again and take the blood red key!

Once the blood red key was opened, he wouldn't have to rack his brains guessing anymore. Survival points and the like would all go into his pocket. He would only need to choose equipment and rob the dead contractors' equipment again to maximize his profits!

A total of 30 contractors, all their survival points, skill potential points, base attribute points, Soul Crystals, and at least 2 pieces of equipment each, would fall into his hands!

What a huge harvest! Other main quests could be ignored.

It was like a cunning fox entering a chicken coop, ordering the chickens to pluck their own feathers one by one, then smiling as it sat by the hot oil, ready to fry KFC.

Conversely, if this bastard adopted a violent tactic, forcing the contractors to unite and launch a fierce attack on him, it would come at a great cost. But now, like boiling a frog in warm water, he could eat them until not even bones were left!

Perhaps the extorted contractors would even help him extort others, acting as his accomplices. Otherwise, why should I be squeezed dry while you escape?

Soon, the female contractor sat on the ground as if she had lost her soul. It seemed she had also chosen to compromise, handing over all her assets to the cult leader in exchange for her temporary life.

The other contractors gritted their teeth. However, if they ganged up on Audi now, they would be considered a riot by the training camp, and Dochet would order other gladiators to kill them all.

A clever plan, Kirk sneered. But I'm not a pushover. For now, you can extort them more for me. Later, I'll teach you to spit out as much as you've swallowed, becoming a transport captain, and ultimately ending up with nothing.

That evening, Spartacus and Vero found Kirk again. Kirk was startled, but Vero grinned and patted his shoulder. "I didn't expect you to be able to exploit his eagerness for success, injure this beast severely, and force him to awaken his dormant bloodline. Well done!"

Kirk was a bit confused. They had fought to the death this morning; wouldn't Spartacus hate him?

"Vero is right, I did lose due to my own impatience and pride," Spartacus finally spoke, admitting reluctantly. "I admit you've got some skills. You taught me a lesson, and I'll be stronger next time. You are qualified to be a gladiator and my partner."

At this moment, The Space, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly issued a prompt: "[Contractor No. 4444, you have won Spartacus's recognition and unlocked the hidden main quest [The Glory and Death of the Great Arena]! You have obtained the status of [Auxiliary Gladiator] and gained 5 [Glory Points]. Please continue training and make all preparations for participating in the Great Arena's combats!

Because you defeated the mortal plot protagonist Spartacus in a one-on-one fight, you have gained 25 [Glory Points].

Due to your combat skills, you have gained the recognition of the plot protagonists Spartacus and Vero. Your current favorability is Friendly.

You have gained the qualification to participate in training and combat as a gladiator. If the remaining contractors have not obtained gladiator status within 4 days, before the Marseille Dionysia Festival begins, they will participate in combat as slaves.

[Glory Points]: Gladiators in this world enjoyed treatment like modern superstars. (It can be seen in graffiti left in the ruins of Pompeii that the gladiator Serratus of that era was the Beckham of his time.) They risked their lives in the arena, winning great glory, which also brought immense wealth! Gladiators with extremely high Glory Points could even use their influence to force high-ranking consuls, tribunes, and dictators of the Roman Republic (including future Roman emperors) to step down and fight them to the death. (See the movie [Gladiator]).

[Glory Points] can be exchanged for various unique equipment and supplies at the training camp quartermaster Ashur, the Marseille Arena quartermaster Cyrene, and the Great Arena quartermaster Philia. They can also be exchanged in the plot summary after the plot concludes.

You have directly completed the Black Iron rank title [Gladiator], which requires defeating or gaining the recognition of three gladiators or one elite gladiator in a one-on-one fight. (The Bronze rank [Auxiliary Gladiator] required a one-on-one fight with one ordinary gladiator, which has been directly completed and skipped.) Equipment Effect: [Fearless]: In arena combats, your attributes +2. In one-on-one combat, your attributes +1. If the number of opponents is greater than or equal to 2, your attributes gain a full attribute bonus in combat, increasing with the number of opponents.

Clearly, this Black Iron rank title is much better than the Gold rank [Enemy of Walkers]. It is extremely powerful in one-on-one combat and even more shameless in group battles, but the risk of obtaining it is also much greater. Currently, there are only two elite gladiators, Spartacus and Cress. Both are formidable opponents. Who is Cress? He was the second-in-command in the Spartacus uprising that almost shook the foundation of the Roman Republic. He was also a powerful figure in his time. Later, he disagreed with Spartacus and raised his own banner, eventually dying in battle. He is equivalent to Shi Dakai of the Taiping Rebellion. In short, if you don't have the resolve to die, don't provoke them.

However, the main quest is now clear. This main quest was sneakily set as a hidden quest. Contractors without the strength to gain the status of [Auxiliary Gladiator] might die without ever knowing why they came to this godforsaken place!

[Glory Points] seem to be the method for calculating hidden rewards, the more the better. However, it seems that defeating them in gladiator training does not yield Glory Points. After checking, Kirk found with dismay that the acquisition of [Glory Points] is directly related to the venue and the number of spectators. For example, due to Kirk's information blockade, other contractors did not know how he obtained his gladiator status, nor did they witness his duel with Spartacus. Without an audience, he gained 25 points. If he defeated Spartacus in the Marseille arena, which could accommodate 20,000 spectators, it would be at least 100 points! If it were in Rome, which could accommodate 90,000 spectators, and consuls, senators, and noble ladies were all watching, it would be at least 1000 points of glory!

It's like the talent shows of later generations. In a place with no one, no matter how loudly you, a "grassroots" fan, shout, no one will give you money. On the contrary, law enforcement officers might fine you for disturbing public order and noise pollution. If you were on a popular TV show, oh my god, it would be the same shouting, and even if it was an outrageous shout, it could be broadcast to the entire nation through television, achieving fame and fortune. Another example is a new, struggling writer who toils day and night for free, with a vast difference in attention and income compared to established masters.

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