Hope in Despair

Wang Wu regained consciousness, tears streaming from his eyes. He wasn't sure if they were Harrot's or his own.

It felt like a dream, yet also like experiencing a new life. Vaguely, Wang Wu absorbed the memories of Harrot, the original owner of the body he had transmigrated into.

He now understood the meaning of the shouts he hadn't comprehended before:

"Don't die, live for me. I promised Father I would live, that I would find happiness, that I would live a happy life!"

His consciousness returned to his own body. Wang Wu wiped away his tears and found himself lying on the floor of a prison cell. He looked around; there was no one else, so it must have been a solitary cell. He tried to stand and found he could do so with surprising ease.

The cell had three solid walls and one side made of a dozen or so iron bars. The iron door was also made of four iron bars. He could stretch his limbs through, but his head would likely get stuck.

Across from his cell were other similar cells. What was surprising was that this prison wasn't in a basement or inside a building; he could see the large sun hanging in the sky.

He wasn't sure how many days he had been unconscious. He felt hungry and thirsty, but his body seemed to have fully recovered. He moved around and found nothing seemed to be wrong.

After personally experiencing Harrot's tragic past, Wang Wu felt sorrow, resentment, and anger.

His hometown invaded and destroyed by Orcs, his mother unable to escape, his younger brother dying on the journey, his father devoured by Magical Beasts before his eyes, losing his freedom and becoming a Slave, and then inexplicably losing his life—each of these incidents alone would be excruciatingly painful.

But put them all together, and after reaching the peak of sorrow, it revealed a sense of the absurd. Yes, Harrot's entire life was like a joke, a cruel trick played by fate.

"I will absolutely not let your future life be a joke too. I will live, and I will achieve the happiness you longed for! I promise!"

Wang Wu's eyes were firm, and he made a resolute decision in his heart. This was both for Harrot, who had called him back from the brink of death, and for himself.

A guard outside the cell noticed Wang Wu's movement and ran off to report.

Soon, a Bald Man, accompanied by a few guards, walked into Wang Wu's cell.

The Bald Man was burly and muscular, somewhat resembling the protagonist from the game God of War.

The guard opened the door, and The Bald Man walked up to Wang Wu, saying in surprise:

"To be hit by that kind of monster and still live, and to be able to stand up again after sleeping for less than 3 days—I've never seen such strong physical recovery before."

"I'm very interested in you. What's your name, and how do you feel?"

In Harrot's memories, this man was the one who had bought him from the Slave traders.

"My name is Harrot. My body is mostly fine, just a bit hungry and thirsty."

Wang Wu decided to use the name Harrot from now on. If he could make something of himself and live a good life, it would fulfill Harrot's wish, and Harrot could also be considered his savior.

The Bald Man heard Wang Wu say his body was fine and watched as Harrot moved around as if nothing had happened, looking somewhat incredulous. He called over someone who looked like a doctor to confirm Wang Wu's injuries.

The person who looked like a doctor felt all over Harrot's body, finally patting Harrot's back—presumably where he had been hit that day. He confidently gave The Bald Man a positive confirmation.

"No major issues. All bones are intact, and there are no signs of muscle tears."

The Bald Man's face was filled with surprise after hearing the doctor's reply, but it quickly turned into an expression of delight.

"Unbelievable, your injuries are actually completely healed! That was a fatal blow!"

"Even better if you're fine, even better! I'll have someone prepare you some food and drink right away. Just rest easy. You won't have to participate in any gladiatorial fights these next few days, just do some training. I'll arrange a battle for you next week."

The Bald Man happily patted Harrot's shoulder after speaking, seeming to have some expectations for Harrot.

Harrot felt a bit of pain where he was patted. The Bald Man's strength was unusually great, but his attitude towards him was quite friendly.

Harrot silently nodded, not replying. His mind was in a jumble right now, and speaking might lead him to say something he shouldn't.

The Bald Man didn't mind Harrot's silence. After confirming that Harrot was indeed fine, he happily left with the guards.

After The Bald Man left, Harrot sat on the ground, silently contemplating. After integrating his memories, he clearly understood his situation after transmigrating.

This world had a Western fantasy worldview, with social stratification into Nobles, Commoners, and Slaves, and demi-human races like Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves, as well as magical creatures like Magical Beasts, Dragons, and Ogres.

However, what was strange was that in the original Harrot's memories, there was no recollection of human extraordinary powers, whether Magic, Battle Aura, or Divine Arts—none of it left an impression.

This indicated that human extraordinary powers in this world were at least not something ordinary Commoners could possess.

There was belief in deities, though. Both humans and demi-humans, almost all intelligent beings, worshipped the Sun God.

The most common phrase people said was: "Praise the Sun!"

For some reason, Harrot always felt that phrase was a bit odd.

The kingdom he was currently in was called the Kingdom of Lucanir, a human-dominated kingdom with virtually no demi-humans within its borders.

Although he had been sold to the Gladiatorial Arena and become a Gladiator, he was fortunate that The Bald Man valued him.

His treatment was much better than that of ordinary Slaves. He received treatment when injured and had time to recuperate.

However, this treatment was based on the Gladiatorial Arena's high regard for his combat ability. He had been bought for 50 gold coins, so naturally, he wouldn't receive the same treatment as Gladiators bought cheaply from prisons.

From the original Harrot's memories, he understood the value of 50 gold coins. The original Harrot and his father had saved for several years and only accumulated 85 silver coins, which was less than one gold coin. 50 gold coins was a genuinely high price.

Several attendants brought him food and drink, passing it through an opening.

Harrot ate while contemplating his predicament and thinking about his future path.

"The original Harrot was tricked into slavery by a scumbag lord. How can I escape this Slave status?"

From the original owner's memories, he learned that in this world, no matter how hard a Slave worked, how much money they earned, or how many merits they accumulated, it was useless.

All profits belonged to the master. Even if the master died, the Slave would be transferred as part of the inheritance.

Other than escaping, there was essentially no other way to gain freedom. And escaping from a Gladiatorial Arena was infinitely harder than escaping from a Noble.

A headache began to throb as Harrot considered this, but that wasn't even his biggest problem. The most critical issue right now was the next gladiatorial match.

That Bald Man probably actually thinks I'm some kind of super strong expert. He wouldn't set me up against a really weak opponent. Can I even win?

After his soul transmigrated, Harrot had absorbed the original owner's memories and had basically adapted to the body. But the problem was, the original Harrot was just a farmer with no real skills.

Though the original Harrot was very strong and had good endurance, his reaction time was slower than others and his agility was poor. He often got played by animals while hunting.

And he completely lacked knowledge of martial arts forms or techniques. The original Harrot had only learned some basic moves from the village militia. As for Wang Wu, before he transmigrated, he was utterly useless. As a good student, he hadn't even been in a single fight after going to college.

Harrot thought that with his strength, he should be able to handle a few common thugs, but could he really gain an advantage against those elite Gladiators?

If he lost, the consequences would be unimaginable. After a gladiatorial match was decided, the victor had the right to choose whether to kill their opponent. Both execution and mercy were quite common.

The Gladiatorial Arena certainly preferred that the Gladiators show mercy after a fight was decided, as Gladiators were bought with money. However, the audience watching the matches often didn't want a peaceful end.

If I, an amateur, go in there and get unilaterally crushed, and the match is completely one-sided, it's obvious the audience will boo and curse me. They won't be satisfied unless I'm killed!

Even if he was lucky enough to encounter a merciful opponent and wasn't executed, his fate might not be good.

Imagine, if you were the owner of the Gladiatorial Arena, you spent 50 gold coins only to buy a useless person who couldn't even beat one opponent. Wouldn't you be furious?

Harrot sighed helplessly at the thought, a sense of despair suddenly washing over him.

However, he quickly pulled himself together. Where there's a will, there's a way. Giving up would truly mean there was no hope, but persisting might lead to something.

The fight was next week. If he trained hard these next few days, it might help a little.

I barely crawled back from the brink of death, and I promised the original Harrot that I'd live well in his place. I can't just give up like this!

Harrot bit down hard on a piece of meat, dispelling the despair in his heart.

Wait, Harrot suddenly realized something was off.

Crawled back from the brink of death?

Just when he was about to completely lose consciousness, it was entirely thanks to the original Harrot's final shout that he was reawakened.

But how did he manage to survive and get his injuries healed at the same time?

He clearly remembered being severely injured before he fell unconscious, with half his body almost beaten to a pulp. How did his injuries heal?

Due to the rapid succession of transmigration, facing death, resurrection, and receiving memories, Harrot's mind was in chaos. He hadn't immediately noticed this abnormal phenomenon. Now, he suddenly found it incredibly unbelievable.

Going from critically injured and near death to completely healed—there was no way a few days of sleep could accomplish that. There were no miracles like priests who could heal injuries with a mere incantation in this world.

So how did he heal?

The original Harrot had been injured multiple times before, but he only recovered slightly faster than average people; it was absolutely nowhere near this heaven-defying level. The reason for his injury recovery wasn't inherent to Harrot himself.

The Bald Man was also very surprised by his recovery speed, which meant it wasn't due to the Gladiatorial Arena either.

In other words, this was a special effect brought about by his transmigration!

Suddenly, Harrot recalled hearing a "Ding, System activated" before he received the memories.

Could it be?