The continuous high-intensity training would gradually make people lose their ability to think. Most of them had even forgotten how long they had been here.
Other than training, Zhang Heng and the others only had to do necessary physiological activities such as eating and sleeping. The latter two were always insufficient. No matter how much food they ate, they would soon feel hungry. No matter how many hours they slept, their bodies would still be sore the next day …
Other than the unlucky guy who threw away the training sword, seven more people could not withstand the cruel pressure and chose to quit.
Four of them were Roman citizens, and they chose to terminate their contract with the gladiator school. They wanted to go home and find a new life. The remaining three slaves were not so lucky. The next day, they were sent to the mine.
To Gaby's surprise, Varo, whom he was the least optimistic about, managed to survive.
Although the latter had completed the first day of training before sunrise, he had no time to eat or rest. Hence, he had no choice but to devote himself to a new round of training. In Gaby's opinion, he did not have much hope of surviving the next day. Unexpectedly, Varo managed to survive miraculously. Although Zhang Heng helped him steal water and bread during the training, his willpower was the real decisive factor.
This made Gaby admire him a little. For an excellent gladiator, combat skills were important, but a strong will was also indispensable. Bach was very good in this aspect. He had the most training out of all the gladiators, but other than blowing his beard and glaring at Zhang Heng, he did not complain at all.
However, Gaby did not open the back door for Varo just because he admired him. After all, Varo was not a potential newcomer like Bach who deserved a lot of investment. It was his own luck that he could survive this round. If he failed, the gladiator school would not suffer any loss. After all, the mine was always short of manpower.
For now, Varo seemed to be lucky. After surviving the most difficult first day and the even more difficult second day, he earned himself three hours of sleep and meal time, allowing his body to replenish its strength. On the third day, his training speed increased a little, and in return, he got more rest time.
But his good luck ran out on the fifth day. He sprained his ankle during training. Gaby did not say anything about it. He just asked him to continue training. Varo dragged his injured foot that day, and he almost failed to complete the training. To make matters worse, his ankle swelled even more the next day because of the strenuous exercise. And his movements became slower.
Although Varro finally completed the task before the next sunrise, a sense of despair surged in his heart because he knew how bad his current situation was. This was not something that could be made up for by relying solely on his spirit. With his current physical strength and injuries, it was impossible to complete a new round of training no matter what.
Fortunately, he saw Zhang Heng again. The latter made a simple ankle brace out of tree bark and cloth strips, tossed it in front of him, and said, "Put it on."
Back in Zhang Heng's dormitory, Wei Jiangyang, loved to play basketball. However, he always sprained his ankle when he played, so Zhang Heng bought a brace and put it on his foot to recover. Of course, the protective equipment company did not provide delivery services to Roman customers in the second century AD. Fortunately, Zhang Heng roughly knew the principle and structure of the brace, so he made one for himself.
Under Zhang Heng's guidance, Varo put on the protective gear, ate some bread and water, and finally made it through the most dangerous day. And his bad luck seemed to have finally come to an end. Although his sprain looked a little scary, it did not hurt his bones. After putting on the protective gear, it began to improve until it returned to normal.
Varo gradually caught up with the progress of the team, and he was given more time to eat and rest.
On the forty-ninth day, Gaby canceled all training for the first time, gathered everyone together, and glanced at the faces in front of him.
Now, the number of gladiators in this batch had been reduced from forty-three at the beginning of the training camp to thirty. Thirteen of them had voluntarily or passively withdrawn from the training camp for various reasons.
Among them, the number of free gladiators was the highest. After all, Gaby suddenly doubled the training load without warning, reaching a stage that ordinary people could not bear. And this was not the only gladiator school in the city of Rome. Even if someone wanted to become a gladiator, there was no need for them to stick to one tree if they had a choice.
So on the forty-ninth day, there were only two free gladiators left, and the other twenty-eight were slaves.
This result was basically in line with Gaby's expectations. Next, it was time for the final show.
The gladiator assessment.
Although nearly one-third of the remaining thirty people had been eliminated so far, not all of them could become gladiators. Although some gladiator schools in the city would consider the cost of training and purchasing slaves, they would choose relatively loose assessment standards. However, Gaby had always been responsible for the audience. As the person in charge of the school for more than twenty years, he had never relaxed his requirements.
Only excellent gladiators could give the audience the most exciting performance.
It was precisely because of this principle that the Victor Arena's attendance rate had always been high.
Of course, because of Mark Reuss's request, there was another meaning to this assessment.
"Congratulations, you have completed the first part of the training." Gaby said, "But don't be too happy too early. Only by passing the final assessment can you become a real gladiator. For those who fail the assessment, needless to say, you know what fate awaits you."
Gaby paused and took in the expressions on everyone's faces. After that, he continued, "Relax. The content of the assessment is very simple. It's not as complicated as your previous training program. Gladiators are born to fight. So, there is only one criterion to evaluate a gladiator's performance, and that is whether you can win."
Instead of being afraid, everyone revealed an eager expression. They had trained hard for such a long time, and it was finally time to show off the results of their training.
"Very well, maintain this excitement. I believe you have all inquired about the assessment method before. After drawing lots, you will fight against each other. The winner will pass the assessment, and I will judge the loser based on their performance. However, this time, we have decided to change the assessment method."
As soon as Gaby changed the topic, the training ground suddenly quieted down. The joy on everyone's faces that they could finally be freed from the hellish training had disappeared. In contrast, everyone had a bad feeling in their hearts.
Gaby still said slowly, "In order to let you better understand what a gladiatorial performance is and the gap between you and an official gladiator, your opponent for this assessment will be an official gladiator selected from the school. The arrangement of the battle will still be done by drawing lots."
"Now, who will be the first to draw lots?"
Shuke House Website:
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
