“As you know, there are many types of gladiators—Eques, Parmularius, Retiarius, Secutor, and many other types. All of them carry different roles. Although the school will finally determine the type of gladiator you will become, you can first tell the school the type of gladiator you want to be based on your weapon of choice and fighting style. I will put all your opinions into consideration when making the final sorting.
“Can I have your attention? You’ll need to pay full attention to this because it will determine the direction of your development. It doesn’t mean that you can’t change it once you made up your mind. By changing your mind, however, all the effort that you’ve put in your previous training will be wasted. This means that you will start your training later than others, and in turn, your chance of passing the final assessment will be lower.
“So, the best way to avoid that is to think clearly from the beginning—what kind of gladiator you wish to be. What is your forte? If you have doubts or questions, please ask the trainers around you for advice. Everyone is good at different things, and we all have our own fighting style. Whether the person is a retired gladiator, thief, warrior, or assassin… We can all learn something worthy from them. How much you will learn will depend on you. You don’t need to give me your answer right away because we will conduct a week of basic training first.”
As he spoke, Gaby looked at the crowd again and discovered that someone was not listening attentively. So, he sneered and continued, “Of course, I believe that some of you have already thought of the answer before coming here. It’s good to have your own fighting style. However, what you are good at may not be the right field for you. I have seen a Retiarius. He chose to become a Retiarius because he was a fisherman, and he was familiar with fishing nets and harpoons. Unfortunately, no matter how much he trained, he lost all the time.
“There was once; he almost lost his life. So, he gave up on becoming a Retiarius and decided to work his way to become a Parmularius. Eventually, his decision granted him seven rounds of consecutive victories. As I said, all of you should spend the week thinking about what kind of gladiator you want to be. Don’t regret it at the last moment of your life. By then, it might be too late…” Gaby paused and looked around.
“Only a real man can pass the final assessment to emerge as a glorious gladiator. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care about your lives. I merely don’t want your blood to tarnish this arena that holds glorious history and legends. Remember that before you, many great names were born here. Compared to them, you are worse than their sh*t… If some of you are lucky enough to walk into the arena someday, you will do well to ensure your poor performance doesn’t humiliate those great names!
“Of course, if you perform well enough, this arena will reward you. Money, honor, fame, and all the women you wish to f*ck in this world! Last but not least, you can also regain the freedom you’ve been longing for…”
No matter what era it was, empty promises were always the same. It was the same two thousand years ago, and it was still the same two thousand years later. When the slaves heard his promises, they could not help but get attracted. They secretly clenched their fists, and their breathing got more rapid.
“Yes, that’s right. These things are always there. Whether you can acquire them will depend on your abilities. To become dead meat or a new legend—you determine your own destiny. But before that, you must first pass the test of becoming a gladiator.”
At this point, Gaby’s speech had finally come to an end. He pointed at the southwest corner of the training field and said, “For your first class, can you see those wooden posts? Grab one each and run fifty laps around the training field.”
“Now?” someone could not help but ask, “But it’s lunchtime now. Shouldn’t we eat before training?”
“Good question. That’s right! I want all of you to run fifty laps now! You’ve clearly heard every word of mine. Congratulations, it proves that you are not deaf!” Gaby said casually. He then raised his chin and continued, “Any more questions?”
He waited another two seconds, and receiving no response, he nodded.
“Very well, let’s begin.”
After hearing his order, everyone walked toward the spot where the wooden pillars were placed. The wooden pillars were not that small, and they were quite heavy, each of them weighing at least sixty to seventy catties. It was not easy to carry it around, let alone running and carrying it.
Bach also turned around and went with his Germanic comrades to pick up the logs. However, he heard Gaby talking to him as soon as he took a step. “No, no, you are not like them. You’ll have to carry two logs.”
Bach was furious when he heard the new order, almost failing to hold back his violent temper. He felt that Gaby was trying to get back to him since he had made things difficult for him earlier. Especially just now, Gaby’s attitude in front of Mark Reuss made it clear that he did not like him very much, and he also felt that he was no match to Sethnets.
This was a great humiliation for Bach, who had always been a valiant and good fighter. The merger of new and old hatred gave him an inconsolable urge to beat up the bastard in front of him.
Fortunately, Bach’s sanity had not completely disappeared. He knew that he was now on someone’s turf and thus, had to tone himself down. When he looked at those trainers around Gaby with whips in their hands, the burly Germanic man chose to follow the order. He merely glared at them and walked toward the wooden pillars.
So, in the end, Varo was the only one who was still standing there. He looked a little embarrassed. “About that, should I do it too?”
“What say you?” Gaby asked rhetorically, “As long as you are still here, you’d better abide by the rules. Otherwise, this will happen to you every day.”
The moment he finished, Gaby snatched a whip from a trainer and lashed it down on Varo’s chest.
The former antique dealer let out a bloodcurdling howl. He clutched his chest, now smothered in blood, and fell to the ground.
Gaby then squatted down in front of him, ignoring his pain, and asked slowly. “Does it hurt?”
Varo nodded repeatedly.
“If it hurts, please do me a favor. Don’t give me another reason to whip you, okay?” sighed Gaby.
“Now, what do you think you should do? Should I look for someone to check on your wounds? Or should you start the training now?”
“I… I will carry the wood now,” croaked Varo, now in immense pain.
“Very good, it seems that you have begun to adapt to life here. I hope you can pass the final assessment smoothly when the day comes. I mean it.” Gaby patted Varo on the shoulder.
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