Test of mental strength.

The gladiator nodded. He wrapped his hand with a cloth, and then using a stalagmite like a barbecue stick, he stabbed it into some glowing mushrooms.

After which he jumped into the hole. He used it like a touch in the dark.

However, he was not the only one. Two others also joined him and jumped into the hole.

Lenny could see the tag on their bodies. Two of them were C-class, and the last one was B-class.

The C-class gladiators acted as guards, while the B-class gladiators were hunters.

Lenny watched carefully.

Anywhere that the gladiators directed the mushrooms, the insects would shriek back.

The B class gladiator looked around a bit. He was obviously searching for a particular type of insect.

Finally, he found what he was looking for. This particular one looked more like a larva.

It was fat and very slow in its movement because of its tiny legs.

It could not run in time, and the gladiator quickly grabbed it.

However, as he did, Lenny noticed that the gladiator covered his eyes.

He held the larva under his armpit.

A rope made of clothes was thrown into the hole, and the gladiators held on to it.

A bulky gladiator held the other end of the rope beside Lenny, and he alone pulled all three gladiators up.

While the gladiators were being pulled up, one of the C-class gladiators had his eyes on the larva in the B-class gladiator's hand.

"Don't look!" The other C-class gladiator tried to warn, but it was too late.

Lenny had not noticed it before, but now he did.

The larva's compound eyes glowed in a low blue light.

Once the C-class gladiator looked into them, his eyes also glowed in that same blue light.

And then he suddenly let go of the rope and fell into the hole.

As he did, the insects rushed at him.

Lenny watched as the insects sliced and diced the gladiator's body like biscuits.

Yet there was no scream or cry for help. There is no longing to be free of the pain.

The gladiator's eyes remained in their glowing blue state until one of the ants cut off his head with its terrible, scythe-looking mandibles.

The moment the bulky gladiator pulled the two other gladiators out of the hole, a cloth was immediately dropped on the larva's eyes.

A222 took the larva from the gladiator's hand.

Even though they had just lost one of their own to a pit of terrible insects, they did not look at all moved.

Then again, a gladiator's life was a constant roller coaster of blood and death. Losing one more was not a problem.

The larva was brought before Lenny.

"This is a Chimera Ant. However, unlike the other ants in the hole, its only ability is to petrify its victim. It is a mental ability." A222 addressed Lenny.

"The magistri has a mental ability that lets him track us and lets him know our general location. It is a different one from this chimera ant, but if your ability can work against this ant, then it can definitely work against the magistri's ability."

Lenny instantly understood what she meant. They were going to use this bug's ability to gauge the strength of his own.

As the bug was brought closer to him, Lenny had already made up his mind to not stop the petrifying effect of the system.

However, A222 suddenly discouraged such a thought.

"I'll advise that you give this your best. If you don't defend against the chimera ant, then you will meet the same fate as the one you just saw in the hole."

Lenny tried to struggle once more, but he was pinned tightly to the ground, and his head was directed to face the insect.

The larva was brought to his face. His face mask was removed, and then the clothing on the chimera ant was also removed.

Immediately, he was met face-first with the compound eyes of the chimera ant.

The ant's compound eyes glowed in a blue light before his own.

At first, Lenny's eyes seemed to almost glow in the same light. However, he got a message from the Satanic system.

<BEEP! >

<Mind Invasion detected.>

<Defend or allow>

Lenny frowned. He knew he had no choice in the matter. From A222's intonation, he could tell that she was not joking.

These guys were willing to sacrifice one of their own just to confirm if Lenny really had such an ability.

They were definitely not going to care about dumping him in the hole.

Lenny ordered it in his mind.

His eye seemed to glow, and then it suddenly stopped. Lenny stared at the blue eyes of the chimaera ant for some time, but nothing appeared.

The audience of gladiators watching what was happening gasped in surprise.

After some time, the larva's eyes were covered once more.

The hold that the gladiators had on Lenny lessened a bit. After all, he was suddenly valuable.

From the Look in her eyes, Lenny could tell that A222 was smiling.

"This is good news for us. With this ability, we can finally leave this place."

The other gladiators, too, were chatting in glee. An opportunity had suddenly presented itself.

However, a question suddenly popped up from someone in the crowd.

It had been a while since Lenny had heard this particular voice, but the moment he did, he recognized it.

This was D800's voice. He was the gladiator in D class that Lenny had run under his eating table for safety.

"The magistri's power is strong, and from what we can see, that lad's power is too immature to cover all of us. Does that mean that only he gets to leave? Or are we to take the chance that he will eventually improve it? And that is even on the off chance that he does not die in the arena."

D800's words suddenly had everyone thinking.

What he had just said was true. Lenny was still in the E class.

Even if this was an ability and he improved it as he got stronger, what was the guarantee that he was not going to die?

In fact, what was the guarantee that he was not going to die the very next day?

D800 was not done. "I have a better suggestion!"

The moment he said that, Lenny got another alert from the system.

<Side Quest: Defend against the Order of gladiators!>