Sparring

Still, he answered Harrot's questions in detail. Gladiators were mainly divided into cannon fodder, regular gladiators, advanced gladiators, and elite gladiators.

Cannon fodder were ordinary death-row prisoners from the prisons with little ability—mostly average thieves and bandits. They were usually dragged out to fight for the entertainment of commoner spectators.

They were scum who deserved to die anyway, and no one cared whether they lived or died. Whenever their numbers ran low, the prisons could simply send over another large batch. They were dirt cheap.

Regular gladiators were more capable. They mainly consisted of mercenaries, soldiers, wanted criminals, and the like who had committed unforgivable crimes. Simply put, they were capable scum. They deserved death, but as long as they were alive, their value could still be squeezed out.

They were fairly strong but had terrible tempers. When they were released from their cells for training, they often fought and caused trouble. So every day, they were brought in batches to another heavily guarded Training Ground. The guards there were fully armed and carried crossbows. Unless someone was a suicidal idiot, no one dared make trouble.

When there were many spectators or particularly high-ranking ones, these gladiators would be sent out to fight. Replacing them took some effort, but there was no need to feel sorry for them.

Elite gladiators were the core of the Gladiatorial Arena. They normally did not need to fight in the arena and only had to train daily to keep their strength from declining. They were only brought out when noble lords came to watch. Every elite gladiator was an expert capable of fighting ten enemies alone.

Only battles between such exceptional experts could satisfy nobles who had seen it all. There were few experts of this level in the prisons; most had been recruited from outside at great expense by The Bald Man.

It was precisely because elite gladiators were so scarce that their battles almost never ended with the loser being executed once victory had been decided. Of course, since they fought for real, deaths in battle could not be avoided.

Even so, elite gladiators received enviable treatment. Most of the time, they did not have to stay in cells. After daily training, they could freely chat and rest in the Training Ground. Their meals were far better than everyone else's, and they even had the privilege of applying for Ten Wins for Freedom.

Advanced gladiators were rather special. They had been established specifically by The Bald Man. Gladiators of this rank were not necessarily much stronger than regular gladiators, but the crimes they had committed were all understandable.

Some had accidentally offended noble lords and been sentenced to death. Some were mercenaries tricked by their employers into committing capital crimes. Some, like Harrot, were slaves sold here, and so on...

These gladiators were not top-tier fighters, but they were not vicious by nature, and their character could be trusted. Quite a few noble lords and wealthy merchants took a liking to someone and bought them as guards or attendants, allowing the Gladiatorial Arena to earn a considerable amount of extra money.

The Bald Man also tried to give gladiators of this rank the same treatment as elite gladiators. Other than being unable to apply for Ten Wins for Freedom, there was little difference.

The Gladiatorial Arena had fewer than ten elite gladiators and only a little over twenty advanced gladiators. There were more than fifty regular gladiators, while cannon fodder could be replenished at any time, so their numbers did not matter.

There were three main types of matches in the Gladiatorial Arena. The most common was a one-on-one duel, usually between gladiators of the same rank.

Then there were multi-person melees, involving anywhere from ten to forty participants. The fight only ended when one person remained standing, and the casualties were usually horrific. They were held only when nobles came to watch.

The final type was Man-Beast Combat, a match format added after Scarface came to the Gladiatorial Arena. Simply put, gladiators were made to fight all kinds of savage beasts, magical beasts, and even terrifying fantasy monsters.

Depending on the strength of the "beast," the Gladiatorial Arena would send out a corresponding number and caliber of gladiators. For ordinary beasts such as hungry wolves or wild boars, one or two pieces of cannon fodder would be enough.

If it was a powerful beast like a lion or tiger, they would probably send several pieces of cannon fodder along with one regular gladiator.

If a magical beast appeared, they would need to send at least nearly ten pieces of cannon fodder, several regular gladiators, and one elite gladiator.

Fighting those beasts and magical beasts resulted in heavy casualties, but at least elite gladiators were not easily lost. The most terrifying and bloody battles were against fantasy monsters such as Forest Trolls, Ogres, and multi-headed lizards.

Regular gladiators were all scum with practically no sense of teamwork. When fighting monsters, once they stepped onto the arena, each of them expected their teammates to risk their lives while they hid and dared not attack the monster. As for the cannon fodder, they lost all fighting ability the moment they saw a monster.

Several attempts had been made to send cannon fodder and regular gladiators against monsters, but every time they were completely wiped out. Not once had they defeated a monster, and The Bald Man came to understand.

Only by sending elite gladiators whose strength far surpassed ordinary people alongside well-trained, united advanced gladiators could they defeat those terrifyingly powerful monsters with the fewest losses.

As for Ten Wins for Freedom, it meant that after accumulating ten victories in elite-level gladiator matches, one could gain freedom and cast off the status of a slave. However, earning ten wins in elite-level matches was extremely difficult. The rule had existed for nearly ten years, and only eight people had managed to pass.

(Winning ten matches consecutively at the same level was already absurdly difficult. Take Flamma as an example: he was one of the greatest legendary gladiators in Earth's history, yet his lifetime record was only 21 wins, 9 draws, and 4 losses. TV shows and films were artistically embellished! Ordinary people in this world were not much different from Earth humans physically. At the very least, none of the gladiators in this arena surpassed the limits of humanity on Earth.)

After listening to Hark's introduction, Harrot carefully analyzed the information. There was good news and bad news.

The good news was that Harrot could judge that he should belong in the elite gladiator category. After all, in The Bald Man's eyes, not only was he powerfully built, his vitality was freakishly strong.

After fully experiencing the attribute points and various skills brought by the system, Harrot was certain that his physical abilities absolutely ranked among the best of normal humans. He merely lacked combat techniques and experience.

Elite gladiators would not be executed if they lost their matches. And with the system cheat that allowed him to revive from the brink of death, he did not need to worry about accidentally dying in a gladiator match. At worst, his maximum health would drop a little. After all, with the shabby weapons gladiators used, cutting Harrot into pieces with one strike was not very realistic.

As long as he did not truly die, he could continuously accumulate combat experience and hone his fighting skills. He could gain experience points by defeating enemies, level up, add attributes, and improve his strength. Harrot believed he would definitely complete the Ten Wins for Freedom challenge.

The bad news was that his enemies would not be limited to humans. There were also magical beasts and extraordinary monsters, terrifying creatures that did not exist on Earth. He only hoped he would not encounter monsters with teeth and claws that were too sharp. Harrot felt that as long as he did not lose any vital body parts, he would probably be able to revive from the brink of death.

Just then, a burly man walked over and interrupted Harrot's thoughts. He said cheerfully, "Hark, you've been talking with him for so long. He should be someone easy to get along with, right?"

Harrot glanced at the man who called Hark an old man. He was about six-foot-three, his body covered in powerful muscles. Although he was still far inferior to Harrot in size, he was undeniably a tough-looking man.

"Brother, my name is Stank. I'm one of the bravest gladiators in this arena. Everyone calls me Stone, so you can call me Stone too. Interested in sparring with me?"

As the burly man introduced himself, he proposed a sparring match. Harrot was severely lacking in combat experience, so of course he was willing. Without hesitation, he agreed.

Hark was somewhat dumbfounded to see these two people, who were practically strangers, decide to spar so quickly. But he said nothing more and merely explained to Harrot, "Stone doesn't mean any harm. He just likes testing himself against others. He's fought nearly every gladiator in this Training Ground. He isn't targeting you."

"Don't worry. I was just looking for someone to practice my greatsword techniques with. I didn't use this weapon much before, so I'd be more than happy to spar with Stone!"

Harrot was afraid Hark would misunderstand and think he disliked Stone and intended to teach him a lesson, so he hurriedly explained. Hark and the other advanced gladiators had all been imprisoned for unjust crimes and were not bad people by nature. Harrot also wanted to get along well with them.

Stone laughed loudly when he heard Harrot's words. "Exactly, old man! I use a greatsword too. Harrot and I can exchange techniques and experience!"

The two of them each grabbed a greatsword and stepped onto the platform in the middle of the Training Ground. Seeing these two huge, muscular men about to spar, a large group of gladiators gathered around to watch.

The elite and advanced gladiators had fairly good relationships with one another, and several of them impatiently questioned the old man.

"Old man, you talked with him for so long. What's the background of this newcomer? Who do you think will win, him or Stone?"

"Did Boss The Bald Man find him as an expert? If we don't replenish our manpower soon, we really won't be able to deal with those monsters!"

Hark said irritably, "I just finished explaining the arena's rules to him. Before I could ask anything in detail, Stone interrupted us. All I know is that this guy is named Harrot, and the Gladiatorial Arena spent a lot of money to buy him from slave traders. I don't know anything else!"

"Other than those elite gladiators, practically no one has ever beaten Stone. Do you think he can beat Stone?"

"Probably. Stone usually relies on strength to suppress people and relentlessly attack them. This newcomer is even bigger than Stone. When two-handed greatsword users spar, if either side falls behind in strength, they basically have no chance, right?"

The gladiators below the platform discussed the match one after another. Although Harrot appeared calm on the surface, he was extremely nervous inside. He gripped his greatsword tightly with both hands and stared fixedly at Stone. Not daring to attack first, Harrot wanted to wait for Stone to make the first move.

Seeing Harrot stand still without any intention of attacking, Stone calmly assumed an expression that said, "Come at me if you dare." He felt as though Harrot was looking down on him, and he could not help feeling annoyed. Fine. Since you look down on me, I'll let you see my strength!

Originally, he had intended to defeat Harrot through technique and speed, avoiding a contest of strength as much as possible. Judging by their builds, he was clearly at a disadvantage, so there was no need to fight in his opponent's specialty.

But now, Stone decided to compete with Harrot in strength. To crush Harrot's arrogant Qi Flame, he would defeat him in the field where he excelled most!