Shed carefully read through all the abilities listed on the virtual page, occasionally asking Ri's opinion on some of them. After spending about fifteen minutes narrowing down the list, Shed focused on two abilities in particular.
One of them was called "To the End" and had both a passive and an active effect. The passive effect granted the user enhanced physical endurance, while the active effect, which consumed 1 Ka every ten seconds, allowed the user to slightly exceed their physical limits. The active effect could be deactivated at the user's discretion. However, once the active effect wore off, the user would experience intense muscle pain.
The other ability was called "Set Aside" and had only an active effect. This ability required 4 Ka to activate and lasted two minutes, during which 70% of the user's mental fatigue would be set aside, as if stored in a corner of their mind, making the user's mind feel almost refreshed for those two minutes. However, at the end of the two minutes, the set-aside mental fatigue would return, doubled. This ability also had a cooldown period of five minutes after use.
Shed spent some time staring at the descriptions of the two abilities before asking Ri for advice.
"The first one you described seems better overall, especially with its passive effect; however, the second one seems more suited to you..." said Ri. Shed felt the same way.
After long consideration, Shed decided to go with "Set Aside." Reflecting on his clash with Zier and imagining himself with one of the two abilities during that fight, he realized that "Set Aside" would have been more useful to him.
After making his choice, Jikae signaled for Shed to follow her, leading him to a fermentation chamber on the edge of the room.
Looking at the machine before him, Shed felt a mix of uncertainty and fear, which showed on his face.
"It's your first time using one of these, isn't it?" Jikae asked.
Shed nodded.
"There's nothing to worry about. All you have to do is step inside and stay there for a few minutes… during which you'll be put to sleep and will automatically learn the skill you chose."
Shed gave the Sleter a wry smile. He wasn't thrilled at the idea of entrusting himself to a machine that operated with methods unknown to him, even if it was for learning a new skill.
After the young woman with fuchsia hair pressed a few buttons on her tablet, the glass part of the machine lifted ninety degrees, allowing Shed to enter.
Jikae motioned for Shed to step in.
"Can I go in fully dressed?" Shed asked, unsure.
"Of course… but if you want to strip down, I certainly won't stop you!" replied the young woman, smiling playfully.
Scratching his head, a bit embarrassed, Shed reluctantly stepped into the machine.
The machine's glass door closed, and after a few moments, a comforting peace washed over him, lulling him to sleep.
When he woke up, he was still inside the machine, though now the glass door was lifted.
'All done?' Shed thought, looking skeptically at the two women before him.
"You can come out now," said Jikae.
Her words confirmed his assumption.
Shed didn't wait to be told twice and stepped out of the machine.
He didn't feel much different than before, except for a faint, pleasant chill in a hidden corner of his mind. When he tried to focus on that strange sensation, a cool breeze enveloped his mind, clearing away all his fatigue. The next moment, this cool wind retreated back to that icy corner in his mind, taking his mental fatigue with it.
Shed's eyes widened as he looked at his Ka counter on the Kehlt bracelet, seeing that he had only 4 Ka out of 8 left.
Shed smiled; he had indeed learned a new skill.
Jikae and Ri watched him, curious about his reaction.
Shed scratched his head.
"I think I just used 'Set Aside,'" he explained.
"OH! That's amazing! It's rare for a novice gladiator to immediately be able to use…" Jikae continued with mostly exaggerated praise, while Shed looked over at Ri, who was watching him with a proud smile.
Shed felt happy.
§-§-§
Another two weeks passed by quickly, during which Shed lived each day in a repetitive daily routine.
He would wake up every day at 8 a.m. and train with Ri in the second space for about four hours. Afterward, he'd have lunch, then train for at least two more hours in a gym near his apartment at the Colosseum, and finally return to his apartment, have dinner, and sleep.
This routine was disrupted only twice in those weeks, both times due to the weekly games he had to participate in.
Both games were straightforward duels, and in each one, he emerged as the clear victor, bringing his ranking points up to 451. In both duels, the "Set Aside" skill proved very useful, especially toward the end.
As he was walking down a side corridor of the Colosseum on his way back from Ri's office, Shed thought back over the events of the past two weeks.
The routine of his days was unconsciously changing him. He was gradually getting used to the repetitive actions, used to living within the Colosseum, to the point that he was starting to forget that he was merely a slave there, used to entertain aliens he still knew very little about. But what else could he do… try to escape? That would be fantastic, but how would he even go about it?
It was better for him to keep going like this, focusing as much as he could on getting stronger and eventually reaching Champion rank. If what Ri had told him was true, then becoming a Champion rank was his only chance not just to regain memories of his past, but also to win his freedom.
Shed sighed, shaking his head.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he barely noticed someone standing directly in his path, almost walking right into her.
Shed managed to stop just in time. He looked closely at the person he had nearly bumped into. Though she wore a mask that covered the upper half of her face, the gladiator before him seemed like a slender, petite young girl.
"Ah… sorry…"
Shed apologized without much thought, stepping aside to continue on his way. However, just as he was about to leave, the small girl with short green hair stretched out her arm, blocking his path. Shed looked at her questioningly. Sure, he had perhaps gotten a bit too close, but that didn't explain her actions.
"W-"
"Nice to meet you, Shed. My name is Flora."
The short girl, dressed in a simple yet beautiful black kimono adorned with floral patterns, spoke in a neutral tone, interrupting Shed's question.
Her words only added to Shed's confusion. She knew his name, but why? Even if he had won three consecutive matches, he certainly wasn't famous there.
"Nice to meet you…?"
Shed tried to reason out why she had introduced herself to him. Their encounter had surely been accidental, right? After all, he'd almost bumped into her, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe she was also new to the Colosseum and just wanted to get to know someone, anyone, which was why she'd spoken to him. But that still didn't explain how she knew his name.
He observed her.
The girl who called herself Flora had her lips pressed into a grimace, and her posture clearly suggested that she didn't want to be there or do what she was doing.
Shed scratched his head.
"Why do you know my name?" he asked.
"I'd like to talk to you about something… but not here. Would you come with me somewhere?"
The girl asked without answering his question. Her words only fueled his doubts.
"I'd like to have a conversation with you regarding the Colosseum…" Flora added, seeing his confusion.