~Chapter 8: Spartacus~

"Now, let the audience enter."

"The children of the senate and senate members can come here. We have prepared the best seats for you."

On the day of the competition, the Amphitheater was filled with people from all over the place.

It was such a huge crowd that Marcus wondered if all the residents of Capua had gathered.

Those who couldn't get inside the stadium camped nearby, to hear the sounds coming out.

Marcus and the senators from Rome were ushered to special seats with the best view of the game.

Marcus could see the whole game situation at a glance, and it was very easy to enjoy gambling because the staff went around and asked if he wanted to bet before each game started.

Everyone was excited about the bloody battle that was about to unfold.

"All the spectators who found their seats! You've waited a long time. Now, let's start the match!! "

The presenter standing at the podium roared the hall and drew the attention of the audience.

"The first match will see newcomers, who have just entered the path of gladiators, bravely face ferocious beasts! Let's see if some of them can survive and become true gladiators!"

"Waaaaaa! "

"Let them be eaten alive! "

"Shut up and send out Spartacus and Crixus! I'm not here for a trivial game!"

"I'll kill all the newbies if they lose! I bet on you, so fight straight! "

Gladiators appeared amid cheers echoing through the hall.

Those who fight beasts are called Bestiari and are not treated as ordinary gladiators. The Bestiari included many newcomers with little experience or dropouts who could not keep up with the rigorous training.

Of course, the interest of the audience was also on the other side.

So their role was to arouse the excitement of the audience as much as possible in the morning before the main game begins.

In other words, it was meant to lighten the mood.

As the Bestiari armed with bows, spears, and armor took their places, the host twirled his arms and drew cheers from the audience.

"The beast they will face is a ferocious beast brought in from Parthia! It's the Caspian tiger! It's twice the length of a human and weighs well over three times! Will they be able to withstand this beast or their bones will be ripped out with just one bite? Now the showdown is about to begin!"

Finally, after a moment of betting time was given, the beasts were put into the arena.

Some as many people want to see Bestiari killed by wild beasts as much as there were people who expect to slaughter a beast hotly.

The win predictions were almost tight, not sloping to either side.

The children of the senators who had come with Marcus also talked noisily and wagered wildly.

"Marcus, why don't you bet? "

"Not yet."

"Aha, you don't even want to open your wallet for entertainment like this? Well, considering the games in the afternoon, it's a good idea to save some money now."

'It was just that, I didn't want to and didn't have the heart to pay money to watch people dying, but other people were convinced and moved on.'

Fortunately, the match ended with the Bestiari winning, and the enthusiastic cheers of those who won the stakes and the curses of those who lost their money were intertwined and boiled like a furnace.

The presenter raised his voice with a smile of repentance.

"Now! Thanks to everyone's support, we want to hold a special match this time. 10 prisoners who should have been executed! Only one of them survived and continued his life as a gladiator. Indeed, he killed the other 9 people and survived. Who will be the fighter who will carry on? Only one person will survive until the end! We will be waiting for your choice!"

"You're completely crazy..."

Unlike Marcus, who muttered bitterly, people's reactions were enthusiastic to the point of being on a different level.

Although gladiator fights had a high mortality rate, not all losers were killed. Out of 100 gladiators involved in a single fight, about 20 of them died.

Battle Royale, in which everyone except the winner died, was a spectacle that was not easily seen even in this era.

"I'm betting on the guy with the twin swords! Hey! Fight to the death and bring me some money! "

"You bastard with a spear! If you lose, I'll kill you! "

"If you lose anyway, you will die!"

When the presenter gave a signal, ten gladiators entered the arena. They all were wearing different armaments.

Spectators started betting on the weapons they were using and predicting who would emerge victorious.

There was compatibility between these types of gladiators, and among them, there were types of gladiators with particularly high win rates.

Retiarius, who usually used nets and daggers, had the highest win rate.

Gladiators who wield such powerful weapons rarely give out armor.

Conversely, gladiators with a low win rate were allowed to wear thick armor.

It was kind of a balance patch.

However, this was a one-on-one duel and a confrontation in which ten people fight at the same time was different.

The spectators who bet on Retiarius, relying only on the odds of winning, started swearing at them from the start.

The gladiators paired up and started clearing out strong opponents first.

"For now, let's kill Retiarius and fight amongst ourselves."

"Okay. Let's cooperate until we are the last two."

"You cowardly bastards! You can't fight fair!"

"I will live."

"What bullshit!"

In an instant, the gladiators split into groups and began to attack each other in groups.

But only one could survive.

While fighting together, when someone wielding a knife came out of a colleague's back, the sloppy alliance quickly disintegrated.

He stood on his own two feet until the end in the arena where it became a fight, and the winner was a gladiator with dual swords.

Even though they were mortally wounded, there were a couple of people who were still alive.

People cheered and danced, excited by betting money on the two-sword gladiator.

Feverish people who had lost money shouted, pointing their thumbs at their chests.

"Kill the losers! "

"Incompetent scum that isn't even worth the money! Kill them! "

"Kill them! Kill them!"

As the angry mob demanded an execution, the moderator signaled to the surviving gladiators.

The gladiator holding the twin swords cut off the breath of the wounded and let out a roar close to screaming.

It was a scene that clearly showed the heartlessness of the current time. Since then, the match had been exciting. Gladiator fights were never haphazard fights.

There were sponsors and promotions, and there were also those who planned the matches professionally.

They elaborately set the level in advance to prevent a one-sided game.

Marcus noticed that.

Rather than the result of the bloody match, he calmly assessed the process and the level of the players.

'Compared to the veterans, the skills of the recruits are low. It is said that recruits are attached, but few people among them grow up plausibly. '

'According to preliminary research, the vast majority of new gladiators die within a year. If you are lucky enough to survive a year, you usually die within 3 years.'

'If we give the gladiators time to develop their skills more stably than now, the level of the game will be much higher. But I don't think the audience will be satisfied with just that much...'

Marcus took his eyes off the arena and scanned the audience.

The desire to see blood and the thirst for an even more stimulating fight were felt.

'There must be a convincing reason to create an environment where they can watch the gladiators grow from a long-term perspective. At the same time, the organizers' income should not decrease.'

It was a difficult condition, but it seemed like a breakthrough could be seen by referring to modern sports games.

In Marcus's view, Roman gladiatorial competitions lacked one thing.

It was a shortcoming that he could feel because he had seen sports leagues that were popular around the world in modern times.

'If I'm going to tweak the gladiator fights, I will have to do it in a way that makes the audience more interested than ever before.'

'If the game is reformed simply with a sense of justice or human rights consciousness, no one will respond.'

Citizens of ancient times were much more accustomed to seeing blood than modern people. Moreover, the majority of slave gladiators were losers in wars with Rome.

Marcus fully understood the hearts of the citizens who treated them brutally and were enthusiastic.

There could be no gladiator fights in which no one dies.

Gladiator fights are essentially a structure in which blood splatters and deaths occur.

'I didn't think I could completely change this, and I didn't have the heart to.'

'If the death rate of the gladiators could be slightly lowered and the level of dissatisfaction lowered by improving treatment, that will be enough.'

'Citizens will be enthusiastic about the more interesting system, the gladiators will be satisfied with the improved treatment, and the organizers will cheer for more and more money.'

'If I can't get this far, it's best to give up on improving and leave things as they are.'

Although the treatment of gladiators and slaves is pitiful, Marcus was not a human rights activist.

If the improvement of the system does not lead to an increase in overall utility, he did not feel the need to do anything.

Whether this trip to Capua will end as just a gladiator spectator or a meaningful commercial achievement will depend on the upcoming main game.

"It's starting soon."

As the afternoon game was almost over, the spectators were agitated with light excitement and anticipation.

The previous games had been great but compared to the game which was about to come, they were just a taster.

Many spectators were here to watch the games that will follow.

There was no way that the presenter could not have read the atmosphere of the audience.

He made exaggerated hand movements and raised his voice on the podium.

"You've waited so long! Finally! The turn you've been waiting for is back. Although he lost to Spartacus and came down as the second player, everyone still remembers his legendary move! Out of 19 matches, 17 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss! Capua's pride for the glorious 20th match! It's Crixus! "

"Whoaaaaaa!"

"Crixus! I bet on you!"

"Put a knife in the opponent's belly again today!"

The door to the waiting room opened, revealing a muscular Celtic man.

The atmosphere was different from other gladiators that appeared before.

Even Marcus, an outsider, could feel it.

Appearing overwhelming the crowd, he quietly pointed his sword to the ground and waited for his opponent.

"The fighter who opposes this has never been defeated in Gaul! Gambiorix! Will he be able to defeat Crixus in 3 minutes!"

"Ooooh! "

"I bet on you though! Let me win some money!"

Unlike Crixus, a magnificent giant strode out with a shout closer to booing than cheering.

Crixus was also on the large side, but Gambiorix was even bigger than him.

Just by looking at his swollen muscles and his spirit, it seemed that it was not a lie that he was an undefeated fighter in Gaul.

The audience showed agitation once. No matter how Crixus was.

Even among the nobles who came with Marcus, there were a few people who changed their bettors.

It didn't take long for that mood to reverse.

According to the information gathered in advance, Crixus was also a type of gladiator who valued strength. However, once the match started, people realized that wasn't the case.

He had become a completely different person from Crixus before.

It means that he was defeated by Spartacus and further strengthened.

Crixus' sword had not only strong momentum but also the softness to use the opponent's power against him.

Gambiorix, who was trying to lead into an honest power confrontation, was helpless.

Still, Gambiorix lasted close to 10 minutes.

It wasn't because of swordsmanship or strength, it was purely the strength of pride and guts.

Gambiorix had no choice but to admit defeat at the sight of Crixus, who deflected the flying sword and thrust the sword into his throat.

Everyone knows that subduing an opponent without killing them is much more difficult than killing them.

The audience was furious to the point of being different.

A former champion who became stronger after suffering a defeat. It is an impossible narrative for a man not to boil over.

No demands were made for the execution of the defeated.

The audience only cheered and shouted the name of Crixus, who showed overwhelming strength.

Even before the crowd's enthusiastic cheers had subsided, the host announced the next match like pouring oil on a wildfire.

"This is the end of today's long tournament! The strongest match you've all been waiting for begins now! 15 wins out of 15! A flawless, flawless Superman who doesn't know defeat! Will the day come when this man suffers defeat? Spartacus! "

"Oohhhh!"

"Spartacus!"

Thump, thump, thump!

A high-pitched roar erupted, incomparable to any shouts so far. The sound of the audience stomping their feet spread out like thunder.

"Those who oppose him are the elite 3 members of the Claudius gladiator training institute! Even the strongest gladiators won't be able to compete in a three-on-one showdown! Who will be the winner?! "

Three gladiators wearing- swords and shields, twin swords, and swords and armor, entered the arena first.

A man walked slowly behind them.

Jerk... Jerk.

The sound of footsteps that could be heard, buried in the shouts, spread like an illusion. That single footstep that comes out touches everyone's heart.

His physique was reminiscent of steel. It's not a gigantic body like Gambiorix, but it exudes a much bigger presence even with a shorter stature.

Even the opposing gladiators, who had numerical superiority, gulped their saliva with tension.

One of them let out a word like a moan.

"Spartacus..."

The man whose name was called glanced away.

The cloak he was wearing simply for visual effect fluttered like a commander-in-chief's cape.

"let's do it."

He opened his mouth

It was a simple word, but it came with tremendous pressure on the opposing gladiators.

An imminent situation.

The first to move was Spartacus. His body burrowed into the opposing gladiators at breakneck speed.

The first thing Spartacus aimed at was a gladiator with a shield.

The gladiators did not respond properly to Spartacus's sword attack, which closed the distance at terrifying speed.

Quang!

One gladiator who raised his shield reflexively flew back with a terrifying roar.

"Knew! "

The gladiator fell from his back to the ground and rolled across the sand with a gasping sound.

As one was incapacitated in an instant, a gladiator with dual swords urgently shouted.

"Don't face the sword from the front! Dodge unconditionally!"

"It's easy to say! Can't you see that speed?"

Spartacus rushed again before the opponent had time to catch his breath.

A gladiator wearing armor believed in the armor's defense and stabbed his sword.

It was based on the judgment that they couldn't win just by avoiding it.

But the opponent was not an idiot either.

Spartacus retrieved his sword and twisted lightly to avoid the armored gladiator's sword. At the same time, he kicked his right foot as he rotated his body.

A fierce blow sounded from the armored gladiator's abdomen.

-Bang!

"Busy him... "

The armored gladiator's face contorted miserably.

It was a destructive force that would have caused his intestines to burst and he would have died instantly if he hadn't worn the armor.

The shock was so great that he dropped the weapon he was holding and fell to his knees on the ground.

Spartacus struck the temple of the kneeling armored gladiator with his fist.

The armored gladiator, who had been hit in the vitals, frothed and fell backward.

The two-sword gladiator who was trying to hold on defensively threw a bowl of curse at his impetuous colleague.

"You imprudent bastard! That's why I told you not to face him alone."

He couldn't even swing his sword properly and was left alone.

Now, advancing was impossible.

The twin swordsman gritted his teeth and stepped forward to strike horizontally.

Spartacus' sword struck down his horizontal sword struck vertically.

With the twin swords, he couldn't even withstand 3 moves.

In an instant, a two-edged sword flew through the air and the feeling in his wrist disappeared.

The power of Spartacus' sword had reached the limits of what humans could show.

Visor! Pacan!

The face of the gladiator wielding the only sword left was stained with despair.

It was an expression that he never imagined Spartacus would be this strong.

He thought it would work out somehow if the three of them attacked, but it was an absurd misunderstanding.

"Such a monster... ! "

Still, he was the leader of the Claudius gladiator training school.

Despite the offensive that seemed to drain his soul, he tried to find a clue to counterattack.

A flash of light flashed in Spartacus's eyes at the end of his fierce stabbing sword.

Sugar!

The confrontation ended with a ghastly sound.

Spartacus's sword, which cut off the straight sword, flowed down in an oblique line.

It was the decisive blow that put an end to the game.

"Puah! "

Red blood flowed from the mouth of the gladiator who let out a single moan.

It was not an instant death, but it was a fatal wound that made it impossible to continue the battle.

He knelt on one knee and staggered, then collapsed with his face buried in the sand.

Spartacus walked unconcernedly. In the place where his toes were headed, a gladiator was holding the shield he had blown off at the beginning.

As the distance closed, the gladiator raised himself with his shield on the ground.

Spartacus seemed to already anticipate the timing of his opponent's rise.

The shield gladiator, seeing Spartacus right in front of him, hurriedly retreated. But Spartacus didn't give him any time at all.

Before the shield gladiator could even take a step back, Spartacus shot forward and punched him with explosive speed.

Wow!

Broken teeth protruded from the gladiator's mouth. His body bounced backward frantically.

Without exaggeration, he lost his mind with a single punch.

His body collapsed to the floor, shaking as if he had been struck by lightning.

A trio of gladiators at the Claudius training camp, these were not warriors who would be so shabby at any gladiatorial match.

Currently, the best gladiator training school in Capua was the Batiatus training school, which produced Crixus and Spartacus.

However, until those two appeared, the Claudius training camp was second only to the Batiatus training camp.

Even if one searched all of Capua, there were less than twenty people who were as good as Clodius' veteran gladiators. That was the value of their names.

Spartacus casually defeated the three outstanding gladiators and stood proudly.

"Waaaaaaa!"

"You are the best!"

A shout that would shake Capua swept the amphitheater.

Three fallen gladiators were carried away on a stretcher, and the host waved a flag and praised the victor.

In the audience, where the heat of the tournament had not yet subsided, words about the previous game continued.

The aristocrats around Marcus were also chatting and spitting excitedly.

Danae, with a completely overwhelmed expression, lightly grabbed the hem of Marcus's clothes.

"Whoah... What a beast-like warrior. I can't believe it's the same person. "

"Yes. Seeing it with my own eyes, I can understand why the rumors spread. Rather, it feels like the rumors didn't follow the reality."

"This is the first time I've known that a person can move like that."

"Neither did I. He exceeded my expectations."

Marcus thought he finally understood how the hell Spartacus rallied his gladiators and defeated the Roman regular army.

Certainly, since they were so different in rank, they must have been able to rally and lead tens of thousands of slaves.

Marcus was convinced.

If Spartacus's skill was this good, it was worth going ahead with the plan.

And regardless of the plan, he genuinely wanted to get this warrior.

"Okay, I've decided. We need to talk about it today."

"With whom?"

"Of course, it's Spartacus. Septimus, go tell the presenter I'd like to meet Spartacus. Give him some money if necessary."

"Alright. "

Septimus left immediately after receiving the sack of silver coins from Marcus.

Soon, Septimus returned to his seat just as the nobles with Marcus were beginning to leave.

"They need time to tidy up, so they're saying it's possible around the evening. Would that be okay?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll need time to prepare too. Just tell them to relax. I also have their interest in mind"

"Yes. I will notify you later once they set a specific time."

Marcus, of course, didn't believe the excuse to organize and tidy the place.

The real reason was to investigate why the eldest son of the Crassus family wants to see them. Though, it was okay for Marcus to give them some time.

Marcus watched Spartacus back until he left the arena and entered the dark waiting room.

When the match was over and the heat subsided, his appearance, which looked so splendid, somehow felt desolate.

Marcus' prediction was not wrong.

Lentulus Batiatus, head of the Batiatus gladiator training camp, was shaking his head furiously.

"Why the hell did Crassus want to see Spartacus?"

The presenter, who heard the news from Septimus, replied calmly.

"I heard he became a fan after falling in love with his cool appearance. That's why he said he wanted to meet and talk..."

"That's a superficial reason. The Crassus family is rich enough that no one in Rome doesn't know about them. Couldn't they be trying to steal Spartacus?"

"Ah... I don't think they would go to such lengths for a slave."

"No. Rumor has it that the Crassus family will do anything for money. In their eyes, Spartacus might look like the goose that lays golden eggs."

"Hmm... But isn't that the same for us as well?"

Batiatus smiled bitterly. It was as the presenter said.

Batiatus treated his gladiators as cattle that brought him money.

At that time, it was not easy to find a good training center for gladiators.

Among them, the Batiatus training camp was especially harsh on the gladiators. The reason was simple. There was no need to treat the gladiators well because there was an abundant supply of prisoners of war.

If one was used roughly and died, they just had to find a new slave.

If one wasn't a gladiator who grew up as a veteran, one couldn't expect to be treated like a human at all.

"If the Crassus family asks me to hand over Spartacus, should I just let him go?"

"Why? Aren't slaves owned by their masters? Just say you won't sell them and that's it."

"Hey, that only works when the opponent is moderately stronger than me. If the Crassus family pressures us with funds, we won't have the courage to endure it. Besides, Crassus is a strong contender in this year's judicial election. His term as the judicial officer will begin next year. But what good would it do to be disliked by an opponent who has both power and wealth?"

"Well... If the person with the greatest wealth in Rome becomes a judge, then we can't do anything about it."

The Praetor was one of the key positions in Rome, which was in charge of public order and justice. Its status was, in fact, the second most important post in Rome after the Consul, the highest official.

If such a person made up his mind and started robbing, the owner of a mediocre gladiator training center could not even resist.

Batiatus sighed and shook his head.

"For now, until we know for sure what they're aiming for, we'll have to set it that way."

"That's right. We should avoid things that may upset the other side."

"First I'll have to warn Spartacus hard. I don't want him to do anything rude."

Batiatus summoned Spartacus and emphasized several times that he should never lose his temper.

Spartacus let out a sneer as if Batiatus was funny.

"It's amazing. Should you, who acts so high-handed towards us, become a gentle lamb in front of the Roman nobles?"

"Don't be sarcastic and take my word for it. Never be angry with him and don't show any rudeness. And don't forget to tell me why the kid asked to see you."

"It's not even that difficult of an order."

"If you don't follow my words properly, you... No, the rookie gladiators who follow you are going to be treated pretty roughly."

Spartacus' brow narrowed in an instant. He glared at Batiatus with furious eyes, but soon calmed down and bit his lip.

"You're acting like this to the end. Shouldn't you be punishing me if I do something wrong?"

"I can't do that. You and Crixus are the best goods I have. I can't do anything to damage precious goods, right? "

Spartacus was unable to shoot further even at Batiatus' grinning words.

If he rebelled here, Batiatus would punish the other gladiators as he said.

Previously, for similar reasons, a young gladiator following Spartacus had been thrown into a tiger. Batiatus was such a person. His threats never ended in empty words.

Spartacus put a hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

"I'll do as you say. So just feed the other gladiators today."

"I'll think about it according to what happens next. Now that you know your situation, go and do my bidding right now. I don't want to keep an important guest waiting for a long time."

Spartacus got up and left the room without answering. It was miserable, but this was the maximum resistance he could do.

Heading to the room where Marcus was waiting, Spartacus paused and took a deep breath.

It was to suppress the mad rage.

Spartacus' eyes flashed with hatred as he looked down at his trembling fists. A deep, rich, and terrifying voice escaped from his mouth.

"Fucking Roman bastards..."

Spartacus lost everything to Rome.

The hometown was destroyed, and the woman he swore to protect for the rest of his life was sold into slavery.

He couldn't keep anything and Rome destroyed everything he tried to protect.

Spartacus hated everything related to Rome – The audience at the arena, Batiatus, the owner of the gladiator training camp, and the presenter who pretended to praise himself with slick words.

The same was true of the young nobleman of Rome whom he was going to meet now.

When that young nobleman grows up, he would also become a usurper just like his ancestors.

Spartacus thought and wondered what kind of proposal the opponent he was going to meet from now on would make.

He didn't know yet, how his future was about to change and what kind of change this meeting of today would lead to.

The current Spartacus was ignorant...

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Thanks for reading this kinda long chapter and please leave a review ~bye~~~~~~~~~~~~~