The morning sun was still as annoying to Finn as ever, but today he felt a bit different.
"Who is that? So small?"
"Looks like he came from the Upper District."
"Upper District? You're joking. The Upper District is full of powerful gladiators. How could a little brat like that be there?"
"Seriously, I saw it with my own eyes."
A murmur ran through the crowd as they whispered and speculated about the unusual child before them.
For the first time, Finn stepped out from the cool confines of his cell into the blazing sunlight, feeling a bit uncomfortable as sweat poured out of him and evaporated quickly. He barely made it a few steps before feeling slightly dizzy.
Today was Finn's first official day of training, but it wasn't about learning any advanced techniques from Aelric. Instead, he would be training basic skills with Augustus. This was also Aelric's intention.
"Oh, it seems Aelric is serious after all." Elmo peered out the window of his office, watching Finn blend into the crowd. A strange smile appeared on his face as he held a piece of parchment in his hand, which contained a report from Zachary.
"Aelric, Aelric, giving me such a big surprise so early in the morning. If I get scared, you'll be in for it," Elmo chuckled, crumpling the parchment and tossing it into the trash.
"Boss, about the posters…" One of his subordinates asked timidly.
"Oh, that? Hmm, Zachary's concern is noted. Looks like we need to rearrange things. Aelric, Aelric, it's about time you showed yourself." Elmo's mood was especially good today. He pulled out a bottle of vintage white wine and poured himself a glass, taking a small sip to savor it. "How many years has it been? I wonder how he's holding up now. Honestly, I'm quite looking forward to it."
"Hey, Aelric." In the cell, Elijah was the first to break the silence. Since last night, no one in the cell block had slept. Everyone had been awake, except for Aelric, who remained nestled in a pile of straw.
Aelric didn't respond.
"What are you really planning?" Elijah hesitated for a long time before finally asking. Everyone in the cell strained to hear, as this was something everyone wanted to know but no one dared to ask. Even Brute, the usually reckless one, sat quietly, listening intently.
Aelric's status in LB Arena was absolutely distinct from that of other gladiators. It was said that long before LB Arena took shape, Elmo, alongside loyal subordinates like Joseph, was already carving out his territory, and at that time, Aelric had already become one of Elmo's gladiators. The success of LB Arena today was largely due to Aelric. His legend of invincibility began then, having single-handedly faced and defeated twenty-five top gladiators from the largest arena in the West, ML Arena, becoming a legendary figure of LB Arena.
In an age defined by strength, the powerful are revered.
In response to Elijah's question, Aelric remained silent.
Elijah stared at Aelric for a long while, letting out a slight sigh. He had stayed at LB Arena mainly because of Aelric, yet he still couldn't truly understand him—his identity, his thoughts, and even his strength remained a mystery.
"A wall that can never be penetrated," Elijah said, feeling somewhat disheartened.
"Actually…" Aelric's voice slowly rose again, capturing everyone's attention. "I'm just a bit bored and looking for something to do. I'm just an ordinary person; I don't need a reason for everything."
"…" Elijah frowned. "Maybe you should tidy up your space and take a shower."
"Haha, sorry, sorry. I'll take a nap first, and I'll clean up when I wake up tonight." Aelric scratched his head, his movements awkward, like a fool.
"Quite lively in here." Whether he was talking to himself or to someone else, Sinner shuffled in, dragging a blanket behind him. "They said I'm supposed to start sleeping in this area today. Is there any space available?"
"Over here, over here," Aelric waved at Sinner.
"No way, I won't sleep with someone dirtier than me. That's disgusting," Sinner said rudely, then walked towards Elijah's cell.
"Don't come over here." Elijah frowned at Sinner's filthy clothes. Although he wasn't overly particular, he still liked to be clean, always wearing his snow-white long robe.
"Oh? Is that not allowed? But your place looks empty," Sinner said, scratching his head.
"Even if it's empty, it's not for you. There are empty cells over there; just pick one," Elijah replied, his tone more curt than when Sinner had previously spoken about Aelric.
"Hey, how about you come to my place instead?" Brute finally showed some spirit, calling out to Sinner.
"No way." Sinner glanced at Brute's massive axe, which was never far from his side. "I don't want to stay somewhere that feels so threatening all the time."
The other gladiators nodded in agreement. Brute had a notoriously bad temper, and with that huge weapon in hand, who wouldn't be afraid?
"Tch, no guts," Brute said dismissively, throwing his hands up and lying back on the bed, no longer interested in the conversation.
"Ugh, it feels really bad being stared at all the time," Sinner suddenly said, then turned and walked toward the door. "They're just going along with it because they have no choice; might as well cooperate with them." He pushed open the iron bars and entered an empty cell. Without bothering to use the bed, he tossed his bedding onto the floor and collapsed on it, falling fast asleep.
"Oh hahaha, good, you've got some character; I like it," Brute suddenly burst into an excited laugh.
"Ugh, since he's someone you like, it just means he doesn't match my personality," Elijah shook his head helplessly.
The sunlight shone directly onto the yellow sand of the ground without any obstruction, and the heat rising from it created a surreal feeling. Augustus swung his whip in hand, continuously shouting in the training grounds. Two squads were running along the edges of the field, with the older kids in front and the younger ones behind; Finn was in the latter group.
Next to Finn was a girl who was half a head taller than him. She had bronzed skin and brown hair, which she always kept low, her bangs covering her face. A piece of bandage was precariously hanging from her left shoulder, with blood seeping out, suggesting it had been ripped open forcefully. Her name was Maisa, a stubborn and dangerous girl. Despite being only nine years old, she was no stranger to killing. Her shoulder always bled, self-inflicted, though no one knew the reason.
In front of Finn was a sturdy boy, whose build was far from that of an eleven-year-old. He was bare-chested, with metal braces strapped around his wrists and a metal belt around his waist. His name was Warmond, an apprentice of Pommai, another outstanding gladiator from LB Arena, and he was the leader of this younger squad.
"Hurry up, hurry up, no slacking off. Kid, let me tell you, I don't care who you are; under my command, you're all the same. If you don't want to feel the whip, you better do as you're told," Augustus suddenly shouted, the whip cracking loudly against the ground, leaving deep grooves.
Upon hearing the sound of the whip, several kids couldn't help but tremble, while only a few remained unaffected.
Warmond turned to look at Finn, who was already drenched in sweat and looking quite pathetic. The sweat-soaked clothes clung to Finn's thin frame, making him appear even weaker among the sturdy kids surrounding him, which felt very out of place.
Augustus treated Finn differently than the other kids; otherwise, he wouldn't have warned him with a whip. The other children noticed this, feeling a bit jealous but lacking the courage to express it.
Warmond was also in a bad mood because Finn's presence had drawn away a lot of attention that would have been on him. He was not a person who remained peaceful without a fighting spirit; naturally, he found Finn quite irritating.
Finn paid no mind to his surroundings; he wasn't in the mood for that. The weather was still too harsh for him, and even though he kept moving, his vision began to blur.
Two hours of jogging was fundamental training for gladiators. This was a good way to build stamina and endurance while also training their willpower and perseverance. In the arena, this was often the key to victory.
"Crack!" Augustus lashed the whip against several kids who were stumbling and starting to fall behind. "Damn it, useless little brats, hurry up and run!"
Those kids felt the sting of the whip and nearly collapsed, but they weren't new to training, knowing all too well what would happen if they really fell down. So, they gritted their teeth and desperately caught up with the group in front of them.
Warmond couldn't help but glance at Finn again. Finn still looked like he was about to collapse. His hair hung messily over his face, his eyes half-closed as if he were about to fall asleep, and sweat poured down his face like a waterfall, leaving streaks of dirt behind.
"Damn it," Warmond thought irritably. Every time he looked at Finn, he felt a sense of "this guy is about to be done for," yet it had been two hours already, and Finn was still keeping up with everyone, showing no signs of dropping out.
"What is this guy made of?" Warmond stomped his foot angrily. "Is he just trying to mess with me?"
"Faster, faster!" Augustus shouted, then turned and cracked his whip against the ground where the group had just run, leaving a long line. "After you pass this point, you can rest for half an hour."
"There's only less than one lap to go; victory is right in front of us." The recruits kept reminding themselves, trying to muster their last bit of strength. After two hours, even those who trained daily would find it exhausting. Humans couldn't avoid dehydration.
Though it was only half an hour, it was invaluable to these recruits. As soon as Augustus finished speaking, both squads noticeably quickened their pace.
"Huff, huff…" Finally crossing the finish line, everyone scattered to rest. Finn found a spot with the fewest people and collapsed without putting in any effort. Besides breathing, he couldn't do anything else; in fact, if he could, he would rather stop breathing altogether, as he didn't like inhaling the hot air.
As the recruits reached the finish, Augustus made his way to the shade set up by his subordinates. Even though he hadn't run, he didn't feel great; no one wanted to stand in the blazing sun waving a whip.
"Boss, here's some iced tea." A subordinate flattered as he presented a glass of refreshing tea.
"Hmm." Augustus took a sip. "Not bad; this is much better." After saying that, he plopped down into a rocking chair. Another subordinate refilled his glass.
"Boss, look over there." Suddenly, a subordinate leaned in closer to Augustus.
"Get the hell away from me! Damn it, don't you feel the heat? You're not a woman; why are you getting so close?" Augustus shoved the guy away, cursing, and then asked, "What's going on? Where?"
"Sorry, boss." The subordinate stood up from the ground, bowing and smiling, brushing off some dust from his clothes, and pointed to a corner of the training ground. "There, boss, do you think there'll be any problems over there?"
Following the subordinate's finger, Augustus looked over and saw Warmond swaggering towards Finn with a few kids.
"What a bunch of troublesome little brats." Augustus frowned. Both sides were famous gladiators' apprentices; although he wasn't afraid to intervene, he didn't want to invite trouble, especially with Aelric, who had entered LB Arena even before him and had an unknown relationship with the boss.
"Forget it; it's just kids' business; no need to get involved," Augustus sighed, then took a cold, damp towel and laid it over his face, leaning back comfortably.