Walk The Path Of Gladiators

Emotionless eyes and a presence that did not feel like a ghost.

It looked like there were five bodies piled on top of each other.

The training adjutant's face stiffened for a moment, then frowned again.

He had lived here for nearly 20 years and met all kinds of slaves, but this was the first time he had goosebumps all over his body like this.

He was quite angry at himself for getting goosebumps because of that kid.

But he didn't unlish his anger on kid

Because,

"Because you're out of luck. Hehe!"

The deputy spat on the cage where Eren was and looked around at the other cells.

When the sun went down, there were ten people left alive, but in the morning, there were only six people left alive.

One died from injuries, two committed suicide, and one went crazy. With six people, it was a pretty good save.

This was because there were many times when even three people could not survive.

This concluded the first test.

At the sound of the morning bell, gladiators wandered one by one and appeared at the training ground.

They all had muscular bodies, and they were talking to each other as they looked around the ten cells from afar with curious expressions.

When the adjutant returned after completing the investigation, they came close to the bars and began to look at the slaves, as if they had made an appointment.

The most popular among them was none other than Eren. He was still sitting on the corpses, avoiding the blood-soaked floor, even though people were rushing in.

"How is he still alive?"

One of the gladiators with a stylish mustache said with squinted eyes.

Then the man next to him snorted and

answered, "With body like that?"

"How on earth did the kid survive?"

another gladiator wondered aloud.

"I heard you were the only one to survive a wild beast attack in the Colosseum. This should be a piece of cake."

"No matter what, he's still too young,"

Mustache tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

In his mind, he wanted to deal with him in person.

The rumor about Eren had already spread among the gladiators.

Perhaps some of the members of Tripolas' unit were drunk and making noise.

The story would have reached the ears of the servants and eventually the gladiators. It wasn't a very good thing for Eren.

Being in the spotlight meant there was a high chance of being envied by someone.

"Is this the guy?"

At that time, a shadow appeared on the iron bars, and a gladiator with one head longer than the others approached.

Then the gladiators in front of the iron bars quietly moved away.

A gruff voice.

Hair neatly shaved on both sides and slicked back, with muscles that were not excessively balanced.

The thick eyebrows and slightly downturned eyes gave a cold impression. His name was Gletch. He was in his early 30s and was currently known as the best gladiator in Palemon.

"I think so. It looks like he's going to die at any moment."

The mustachioed gladiator, who was the only one who did not back down, answered while fiddling with his beard.

His name was Utahlo. He was said to have skills on par with Gletch, but he had taken a step back from his position as number one.

"The Capital Colosseum has now come as far as it can go. That bloody brat was lucky enough to pass the competition. Hahaha!"

"Well, he must have faced death several times to get here. He couldn't have gotten this far simply by luck."

Utahlo spoke calmly and quietly, but Gletch's thoughts remained unchanged.

This was because there had never been a slave who passed all the tests and qualified to become a gladiator at such a young age.

"Hmph! Even if he does that, he won't be able to pass the last gate!"

"Well, it must be difficult at that age."

Utahlo looked at Eren, shaking his head as if agreeing with what Gletch said. His body was skinny and had no muscles at all. It was a miracle that he was still alive.

However, what was strange was the child's eyes and expression.

There was no fear or tension visible on his calm expression. Those empty eyes that didn't reveal anything. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

Then a question arose.

'But he passed through a wild beast attack, so why was he sent to the outskirts of the country instead of being raised in the capital?'

"Everyone stand back!"

At that time, supervisors and deputies from the main building appeared.

Behind them came a line of servants who took care of the chores. The gladiators who fell behind watched the scene with excited expressions.

"Put your hands out of the cage."

At the words of the adjutant, the survivors, including Eren, did not resist but hurriedly put both hands out of the iron bars.

Because they didn't know when they would go crazy if they stayed inside for even one minute, one second longer.

Slam!

As soon as all six slaves were shackled, the iron doors opened simultaneously. The slaves who slowly appeared were covered in blood all over their bodies.

Perhaps because they survived the gruesome survival test, they all had venomous eyes and a deep murderous spirit, but those who looked the strongest at a glance survived.

Among them, only Eren was small and young. And the only one who didn't exude any energy.

When they came out, the training ground shook with rot. It was the smell of slaves who had not washed for several days.

"Take them all."

At the supervisor's order, the lieutenants attached long chains to the slaves' shackles and began to lead them somewhere.

Since they were all connected by chains, they had no choice but to follow naturally. Meanwhile, the servants who followed removed the bodies from the cell and began cleaning.

The place where the slaves were taken was an underground space where gladiators lived.

As Eren passed through the complex, maze-like underground passages, he took everything he saw, whether it was an armory or a warehouse, into his mind.

It was too high to climb over the outside wall, so he had to escape through the inside somehow.

After entering, there was a fairly large bathroom. The long bathtub was filled with water up to knee level.

"I'll give you 5 minutes, so wash yourself as cleanly as possible!"

The deputies loosened the chains. Then the slaves began to hurriedly wash their blood-covered bodies.

The fishy scent of blood filled the underground bathhouse, and the water instantly turned red.

They were desperate, as if they were trying to wash away terrible memories. However, Eren just stood there blankly.

One of the adjutants who discovered the situation walked up behind him and was about to kick him when Eren suddenly moved his body and began to wash himself by taking out a little water.

He had sensed the adjutant's presence. The lieutenants glanced at Eren and whispered to each other.

The main things they said were childish, like calling him an unlucky guy or the child of the devil.

Their conversation was heard completely by Eren, but he didn't mind because he was used to people around him seeing him as a monster since he was young.

After washing their bodies, they were given old cloths that could only cover important parts.

As Eren wrapped the cloth around his body, he also wrapped the necklace he had received from his mother in the cloth.

This was because it stood out with his top off.

After barely covering themselves, the next place they headed was the restaurant on the first floor.

Although it was old, it was a fairly large space, but it was quite empty as the gladiators went out for morning training.

What the slaves were given was a glass of water, a piece of hard bread, and a bowl of soup with unidentifiable ingredients.

But now they were in no position to hide that. Since they hadn't eaten proper food in days, even this felt delicious.

Unlike the slaves who frantically and eagerly stuffed the food into their mouths, Eren chewed each bite thoroughly.

The slaves' stomachs twisted as if their digestive systems were overloaded when the food was suddenly introduced, but Eren, who chewed the food relatively well, seemed unharmed.

After finishing their meal, they returned to the training ground and lined up right in front of the building.

The adjutant retrieved the chain, leaving only the iron shackle. Marku, the supervisor, stood in front of them.

With scars all over his body, he wrapped his whip around them, looked around at them, and spoke loudly.

"You have just been reborn. Give up thinking of yourself as humans. You will have to endure this place as beasts. Human shame, guilt, and pride will not help you survive here at all."

The loud voice seemed to resonate in my brain. He was like torture to Eren, who had better senses than others.

"The test you all have to take is not over yet. But please rest well for today. Reserve your stamina and organize your thoughts. Starting tomorrow, you will be able to taste a hell you have never felt before."

Wooosh-!

Marku swung his whip vigorously at the ground and glared at his lieutenants. Then his lieutenants began taking the slaves back to their cells.

"Only those who pass all the tests can walk the path of a gladiator!"

Oooh!

Marku shouted into the back of their heads.

Then the gladiators around them roared powerfully. As if they were bragging about their success.

Eren was locked in the cage again and looked at them with indifferent eyes.

The cell was thoroughly cleaned.