After a period of endurance, Marcus finally arrived in Capua.
Capua boasted a considerable size as Campania's number one city.
As soon as Marcus reached Capua, he stayed in the lodgings. They guided him for a full day.
After the trip's hard work was relieved, he spent time with Septimus and Danae looking around the city.
Wherever he walked on the street, he could feel the city buzzing with anticipation of the upcoming gladiatorial competitions.
"I don't think Spartacus can do it this time."
"What do you mean no? Did you see Spartacus lose? An undefeated gladiator!"
"Didn't you hear the rumor? This time, they're fighting with three people at the same time. No matter how strong you are, how can one beat three?"
"Then you bet on the losing side of Spartacus. I'll bet on winning."
"Yeah. Let's see who's predicting it right."
It's just countless men talking simultaneously to each other while spitting.
Even if you go to a restaurant or tavern, the topic of the conversation is a gladiatorial match.
Even the fairly old people talked about similar stories in an uncharacteristically passionate voice.
"It's Spartacus no matter what. I've been watching gladiators for nearly 40 years, but I've never seen one like that. If I bet on him, no matter how much I lose, I'll make a profit."
"Huh, what you said at the beginning, but what are you talking about now? Didn't you say Crixus was the best at first? You say Spartacus is a kid who only looks good on the outside."
"Oh, that's the story of when Spartacus was a child. And did I say something wrong? Isn't Crixus a gladiator almost on par with Spartacus? Do you remember the last match between the two of them?"
"Of course I remember. How can I forget that legendary gladiatorial match. It was a bloody battle."
"Then do you all bet on Spartacus and Crixus?"
"If you have an idea, you will."
"Then I'm going to take a bet on the guy I brought from Gaul this time. Wouldn't it be great if this guy could win?"
"Oh, do you still not know the truth of this round at that age? If you bet on a jerk who doesn't know what he's doing for a fortune, you'll lose it no matter what!"
Marcus, who listened to the old people's stories, was interested. To what extent could the whole city be so excited?
Even in Rome, which is crazy about gladiators, few citizens have been so passionate.
This means that Spartacus and Crixus are outstanding.
The sons of aristocrats from the Senate, who came with him right away, said they would bet quite a lot of money on this gladiator match.
Residents of Capua also found it hard to find anyone who wouldn't bet.
Just by looking at the size of the stakes coming and going, there was an estimate of how much interest in the game was.
Danae also carefully asked if she was swept away by the atmosphere.
"Are you going to bet on it, too, young master?"
"Well... I'm not that interested in blood-spattered and killing shows."
"Really? I heard it's not Roman who hates gladiatorial games...."
"Actually, I regret bringing you here, too. I thought you wouldn't feel good to see people from slaves die and kill each other."
Danae opened her eyes wide and smiled with her fingers wiggling.
"Thank you. I'm glad you're considerate. But I don't care. The gladiatorial competition is a culture that symbolizes Rome, and I can't do anything about it."
"Really? Still, I'm going to try to figure out how to fix this gladiatorial race and make it safer and more money. If that's the case, I'll be able to watch the game and cheer."
"Is that possible?"
"Well... I'll have to watch the game first to check it out. The answer will be given next."
Marcus continued to collect responses from people walking around the streets and talking about gladiatorial matches.
Expectations at the moment are simply at their peak.
In order to fight against the absolute power of Spartacus and Crixus, they brought in a famous fighter from Gaul.
The Gallician who appeared in the conversation of the elderly in the bar was referring to this person.
The Gaul cheered the betters by declaring he would knock Crixus out in three minutes.
All the walls of the street were engraved with advertisements predicting the game.
The people hired by the event organizers boosted the anticipation of the event on the streets.
Time passed like that, and the day of the gladiator match finally dawned.
The match that had stirred up the entire city of Capua and added to the heat in the future has begun.
"Okay, let the audience enter. The children of the Senate can come here. We have prepared the best seats."
On the day of the match, it filled the amphitheater with people from all over the place.
It was such a huge crowd that one thought all the residents of Capua had gathered.
Those who could not enter the stadium camped nearby to hear the sound coming out.
They ushered Marcus and the Senate children from Rome to special seats with the best view of the game.
One can see the whole game situation at a glance, and it was easy to enjoy gambling because the staff went around and asked if they wanted to bet before each game started.
Everyone was excited about the bloody battle that was about to unfold.
"To all the audience who found their seats! You've been waiting for a long time. Let's start the match now!"
On the podium, the host roared the hall and drew attention from the audience.
"In the first match, rookies who have just entered the gladiatorial path will bravely fight the ferocious beasts! Let's all watch together to see if some of them will survive and become true gladiators!"
"Waaaaaa!"
"I wish you eaten by witch and burn in fire!"
"Shut up and get Spartacus and Crixus out! I'm not here to watch a boring game!"
"If newbies lose, I'll kill them all! Fight straight because I bet money!"
Gladiators appeared in cheers that rang through the hall.
Strictly speaking, those who fight against beasts are called bestiarius and are not treated as regular gladiators.
The bestiarius included several newbies with little experience or losers who needed to catch up with rigorous training.
Of course, the audience's interest was also on the decline.
Their role was to boost the audience's excitement as much as possible in the morning before the main game began.
In other words, it is to lighten up the mood.
When the bestiarius, armed with bows, spears, and armor, settled down, the host turned his arms around and drew cheers from the crowd.
"The beast they will deal with is a ferocious beast from Parthia! Caspian tiger! It's twice as long as a person and weighs more than three times! Will he be able to withstand this beast, whose bones are torn even after a single bite? The showdown will begin soon!"
After being given a moment to bet for the last time, they put the beasts into the stadium.
Many people want to see the Bestiarius die from the beast as much as those who expect to slaughter animals hotly.
The prediction of victory was almost tight and did not lean to either side.
The children of the Senate who came with Marcus also talked loudly and hung the stakes.
"Marcus, don't you bet?"
"I haven't yet."
"Aha, do you mean you don't even want to open your wallet for entertainment like this? Well, considering the games in the afternoon, it's a good choice to save some money now."
I didn't want to bet money on people dying and killing, but others were convinced and moved on.
Fortunately, the match ended in a victory for the Bestiarius.
The enthusiastic cheers of those who won the stakes and the curses of those who lost money were intertwined and boiled like a furnace.
The host raised his voice with a smile of satisfaction.
"Now! Thanks to your support, I'm going to play a little special game this time. Ten prisoners who are supposed to be executed! Only one of them can survive and continue their lives as gladiators. Who will be the fighter who will kill the other nine and continue his life? There's only one person who survives to the end! I'll be waiting for your choice!"
"It's completely insane...."
Unlike Marcus, who mumbles bitterly, people's reactions are so enthusiastic that they are on a different level.
Even if gladiatorial matches have a high mortality rate, they do not kill all losers.
When about 100 gladiators were deployed in a match, about 20 of them usually died.
Battle Royale, where everyone except the winner dies, was a sight to see even in this era.
"I bet on a guy with a double sword! Hey! Fight to death and get some money!"
"The spearhead! If you lose, I'll kill you!"
"If you lose, you'll die. How can that be possible?"
Ten gladiators entered the stadium as the host signaled.
The ten gladiators were all wearing different armaments.
The audience saw the weapons they were using and began to bet on who would be the winner.
There is compatibility between these types of soldiers, and among them are types of soldiers with particularly high win rates.
Retiaritus usually used nets and daggers and had the highest win rate.
Gladiators who wield such powerful weapons give out armor rarely.
On the contrary, soldiers with low winning rates were allowed to wear thick armor.
It's a balance patch.
However, this is a different aspect of a one-on-one duel and a match in which ten people fight at the same time.
The audience, who only believed in the winning rate and bet on Retiaritus, started swearing at them from the start.
The gladiators paired up and started clearing out strong rivals first.
"Let's kill Retiaritus first and fight amongst ourselves."
"All right, let's work together until the last two of us."
"You cowardly bastards! You can't fight fair and square!"
"We have to live first. What are you talking about?"
In an instant, the gladiators split into groups and began to attack each other in groups.
But there is only one person who can survive.
The sloppy coalition quickly collapsed when a man wielded a knife on his colleague's back while fighting together.
The one who stood on his own two feet until the end in the arena, where it became a fight, was a gladiator with dual swords.
Although he collapsed from fatal injuries, there were still two people who were still breathing.
The excited people cheered and danced by betting on the gladiator of the double sword.
Those who lost their money and were very heated shouted, pointing their thumbs to their chests.
"Kill the loser!"
"Incompetent scum who couldn't even pay for it! Kill him!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
The host signaled the surviving gladiator as the angry crowd of people who wanted to execute him poured out.
A gladiator with a double sword killed the fallen injured and burst into a roar that was close to a scream.
It was a scene that clearly showed the heartless appearance of the present age.
Since then, the game has been exciting.
The gladiators' game is not a wild fight.
Obviously, there were sponsors and promotions, and there were also those who planned the matches professionally.
They carefully adjusted the level in advance to prevent a one-sided match.
Marcus noticed this.
He measured the process and the level of the players coldly rather than the result of the bloody game.
"Compared to veterans, the new recruits' skills are significantly lower. Newcomers are said to stick together, but few will grow to be reasonable.'
According to preliminary research, most of the new gladiators die within a year.
If you are lucky enough to survive a year, you usually die within three years.
"If you give gladiators time to develop their skills more stably than now, the game level will be much higher. But I don't think it will convince the audience by just that much...….'
Marcus took his eyes off the arena and scanned the audience.
The desire to see blood and the thirst for a more stimulating fight felt stark.
'There must be a convincing reason to create an environment where they can watch gladiators grow in the long run. At the same time, the organizers' income should not be reduced.'
Although it was a tricky condition, a breakthrough could be seen when referring to modern sports games.
In Marcus's view, one thing was missing from Rome's gladiatorial game.
It was a shortcoming he could feel because he had seen sports leagues that were popular worldwide in modern times.
In order to modify the gladiatorial competition, it must be a way that the audience can be more interested than before.
No one will respond if the game is reformed simply with a sense of justice or human rights awareness.
The citizens of ancient times were much more accustomed to seeing blood than modern people.
In addition, the majority of slave gladiators were those who lost the war with Rome.
Marcus also fully understood the feelings of citizens who treated them brutally and were enthusiastic.
There can't be a gladiatorial match where no dead people come out.
A gladiatorial match is essentially a structure in which blood splashes and deaths come out.
He didn't think he could change this completely and didn't intend to.
It was enough if he could lower the death rate of gladiators a little, and he could reduce the level of dissatisfaction by improving treatment.
Citizens are enthusiastic about the more interesting system, gladiators are satisfied with better treatment, and organizers cheer for the ever-pouring of money.
If you can't make it this far, it's best to give up on improvement and leave it as it is.
Marcus is not a human rights activist, although he feels sorry for the treatment that gladiators and slaves receive.
If the improvement of the system did not lead to an increase in overall utility, he did not feel the need to touch it.
Whether this Capua business trip will end up as just a gladiatorial viewing or a significant business achievement depends on the upcoming main matches.
"It's about to start."
As the afternoon game was almost over, the audience was agitated with light excitement and anticipation.
The previous games were great, but compared to the games that will follow, they are just a taster.
A large number of spectators here are here to watch the games that will immediately follow.
There is no way that the host could not have read the atmosphere of this audience.
He raised his voice on the platform with exaggerated hand gestures.
"You've waited a long time! Finally! The long-awaited turn is back. Although he lost to Spartacus and came down as a second-in-command, everyone still remembers his legendary move! 19 games, 17 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss! Capua's pride in the 20th game! It's Crixus!"
"Wowaaaaaa!"
"Crixus! I bet on you!"
"Put a knife in the opponent's belly again today!"
The waiting room door opened, and a muscular Celtic man appeared.
The atmosphere was different from other gladiators who had appeared before.
Even Markus, an outsider, could feel solemn energy emitting from his whole body.
Appearing overwhelming the crowd, he quietly pointed his sword to the ground and waited for his opponent.
"The one who confronts this is a fighter who has never lost in Gaul! Gambiorix! Will he be able to defeat Crixus in three minutes as he bragged?"
"Ooooooooo!"
"I bet on you though! Let me win some money!"
Unlike Crixus, a magnificent giant strode out with a roar that was more of boos than a cheer.
Crixus was also big, but Gambiorix was bigger than that.
Just looking at the swollen muscles and the momentum, it seemed not a lie that he was an undefeated fighter for Gaul.
The audience showed a stir. No matter how much Crixus is, there have been a series of evaluations that will take work.
Among the aristocrats who came with Marcus, some people changed their bets.
It didn't take long for such an atmosphere to be overturned.
According to the information collected in advance, Crixus is also a gladiator of the type who values power. But when the game started, people realized it wasn't.
He had become a completely different person from Crixus before.
It means that he lost to Spartacus and gained more strength.
Crixus's sword had strong momentum and softness that reversed the opponent's power.
Gambiorix, who was trying to lead an honest power confrontation, was helpless.
Still, Gambiorix lasted nearly 10 minutes.
It was not because of sword skills or muscle strength but purely the power of pride and grit.
Gambiorix had no choice but to admit defeat at the novelty of Crixus, who hit and deflected the flying sword and thrust the sword into the neck.
Everyone knows that overpowering an opponent without killing him is much more difficult than killing him.
The audience heated up to a different level.
A former champion who suffered defeat and became stronger. It is an impossible narrative for a man not to boil over.
There was no demand for the execution of the loser.
The audience only cheered by shouting Crixus' name, which showed overwhelming strength.
Even before the enthusiastic shouts of the crowd subsided, the host announced the next match as if adding fuel to the wildfire.
"This is the last time for today's long competition! The strongest competition that you've been waiting for is starting now! 15 wins out of 15 games! The perfect superhuman who does not know defeat! Will there ever be a day when this man will suffer defeat! Spartacus!"
"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!"
"Spartacus!"
Thump, thump, thump!
A roar was not comparable to any of the shouts so far. The sound of the audience stamping their feet spread out like thunder.
"The three elite members of the Claudius Ludus Magnus against him! No matter how strong a gladiator is, a three-to-one battle will not be easy! Who will be the winner!"
Three gladiators wearing swords and shields, twin swords, and swords and armor entered the arena first.
Following that, a man moved slowly.
Jerk, jerk!
The sound of footsteps that could not be heard buried in the roar spread like an illusion. The one step out of the room touches everyone's heart.
A physique was reminiscent of steel.
It is not a giant like Gambiorix, but it exudes a much greater presence even with its shorter height.
Even the opposing gladiators, who had the upper hand in numbers, gulped with tension.
One of them groaned out a word.
"Spartacus…."
The man, who was called by name, glanced away.
The cape he wore for visual effect flapped magnificently like the cape of the commander-in-chief.
"Let's get started."
He opened his mouth.
It was a simple word, but it came under great pressure for the opposing gladiators.
An impending situation.
The first one to move was Spartacus.
His body dug into his opponent's gladiators at great speed.
Spartacus first aimed at a gladiator with a shield.
The gladiators did not respond appropriately to Spartacus' sword attack, which closed the distance at a terrifying speed.
Kuaang!
One gladiator raised his shield reflexively and flew back with a terrifying roar.
Even though he blocked it with a shield, he could not prevent all the shocks.
"Cough!"
The gladiator, who fell to the ground from his back, rolled around the sand with a breathtaking sound.
When one person became incapacitated instantly, a gladiator with a double sword shouted urgently.
"Don't take the sword from the front! Avoid it no matter whatsoever!"
"It's easy to say! Can't you see the speed?"
Spartacus rushed again without any time for the opponent to catch his breath.
A gladiator believed in the armor's protective power and stabbed the sword in front of him.
Based on the judgment, he couldn't win if he had avoided it.
But the opponent was not good.
Spartacus recovered the sword he wielded and turned lightly to avoid the gladiator's sword. At the same time, he kicked his right foot as he rotated his body.
A fierce blow broke out in the abdomen of the gladiator.
Bawk!
"Ugh...."
The gladiator's face was horribly distorted.
It was a destructive force that would have ruptured the intestines and killed him instantly if he had not worn 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 head of the kneeling armored gladiator with his fist.
The armored gladiator, who had been hit in the vitals, frothed and fell backward.
The double sword gladiator, who tried to hold out defensively, cursed his hasty colleague.
"You imprudent bastard! That's why I told you not to go out alone."
He was left alone without even swinging his sword properly.
It's impossible to avoid it now.
The twin swordsman gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
The sword of Spartacus struck his sword vertically as it struck horizontally.
With the twin swords, he couldn't even survive three moves.
In an instant, a sword with two sides flew in the air, and the sensation disappeared from the wrist.
The power of Spartacus' sword reached the limits that humans could show.
Chaeng! Park!
The face of a gladiator wielding a sword with only one left was dyed with despair.
He looked as if he had never guessed it would be this strong.
He thought it would work out somehow if the three of them attacked, but it was a ridiculous illusion.
"What a monster…!"
Still, he was number one at the Claudius Ludus Magnus.
He tried to find a clue to the counterattack even though his spirit was about to escape.
A flash of light flashed in Spartacus's eyes at the end of his fierce stabbing sword.
Sugak!
The confrontation ended with a chilling sound.
Spartacus' sword, which stretched out in a straight line, flowed diagonally.
It was a decisive blow that put an end to the game.
"Cough!"
Red blood flowed from the gladiator's mouth, who uttered a single groan.
It was not an instant death but a fatal wound that made it impossible to continue the battle.
After stumbling on one knee, he soon fell down with his face buried in the sand.
Spartacus walked calmly. At the tip of his toes was a gladiator with a shield that he had blown away at first.
As the distance narrowed, the gladiator stood up on the ground with a shield.
Spartacus seemed to have already expected the timing of his opponent's rise.
When the shield gladiator saw Spartacus right before him, he hurriedly tried to step back. But Spartacus couldn't wait and see.
Even before the shield gladiator backpedaled, it fired Spartacus' fist one step faster.
Boom!
A broken tooth popped out of the gladiator's mouth. His body bounced wildly backward.
Without exaggeration, he lost consciousness with a single punch.
His body collapsed on the floor, causing convulsions as if it had been struck by lightning.
Three gladiators from the Claudius Ludus Magnus.
No matter what gladiator match they played, these were not warriors who he would break like this.
Currently, the best gladiator training school in Capua is the Batiatus Ludus Magnus, which produced Crixus and Spartacus.
However, until those two appeared, the Claudius Ludus Magnus was second only to the Batiatus Ludus Magnus.
Even if you search all of Capua, less than twenty people are as good as Claudius' veteran gladiators. That was the value of their names.
Spartacus smashed three such outstanding gladiators casually and stood in his place confidently.
"Waaaaaaaaa!"
"You're the best!"
A shout that would shake Capua swept the amphitheater.
Three fallen gladiators were carried off on a stretcher, and the host waved flags and praised the winner.
In the audience, where the competition's heat has yet to subside, words about the previous game continued.
The aristocrats around Marcus were also talking, spitting excitedly.
Danae grabbed Marcus' skirt slightly with a completely overwhelmed look.
"Whoa... what a beastly warrior. I can't believe it's the same person."
"Yeah. Seeing it with my own eyes, I can see for sure why the rumor was so widespread. Rather, it feels like the rumor didn't keep up with the reality."
"This is the first time I knew that a person can move like that."
"It's the same for me. It was definitely more than I expected."
Marcus could see how Spartacus rallied gladiators to defeat the regular Roman army.
Indeed, because the class was so different, they could rally and lead tens of thousands of slaves.
It convinced Marcus.
If Spartacus' skills are outstanding, it is worth proceeding with the plan.
And regardless of the plan, he genuinely wanted to get that warrior.
"All right, I've decided. We should talk about it right away today."
"With whom?"
"Spartacus, of course. Septimus, go tell the host that I want to meet Spartacus. If necessary, give him some money."
"I understand."
Septimus left immediately after receiving the sack of silver coins from Marcus.
Septimus returned to his seat when the aristocrats who came with him began to leave slowly.
"We need time to organize our seats, so it's possible around the evening. Will it be all right?"
"I don't care. You'll need time to prepare, too. Tell him to relax for now. I won't tell you anything that would hurt you."
"Yes, I'll tell you exactly as it is and take a specific time."
He didn't believe in the excuse of arranging the seats.
The real reason may be to investigate why the eldest son of the Crassus family wants to see him.
It's okay to give it that amount of time.
Marcus watched Spartacus' back all the way until he left the arena and entered the dark waiting room.
When the heat subsided after the game, his appearance, which looked splendid, felt somewhat pitiful.
* * *