Continuous high-intensity training would gradually cause people to lose their ability to think. Most of the trainees had even forgotten how long they had been here.
In addition to the training, the only other things Zhang Heng did were eat, sleep, and excrete waste from his body. And it had been a long time since he had enough sleep or food. No matter how much they ate, they would feel hungry again in no time. No matter how many hours they slept, their bodies would still be sore for two days…
Other than the unfortunate man who was dragged out of the training ground earlier, seven more people failed to withstand the training’s immense pressure. Hence, they were forced to quit school.
Among these were four Roman citizens. They had chosen to terminate the contract with the gladiator school and return to where they came from. And the other three quitters were slaves. These ended up being taken to the mines the next day.
What surprised Gaby the most was Varo. He did not expect that the man could complete the training and survive. The latter had completed the first day of training before sunrise and devoted himself to a new regime the very next day without eating or resting. Having not much hope in him, Gaby had thought that he would not be able to continue with the intensive training. To his surprise, however, Varo miraculously completed the next round. Although Zhang Heng smuggled some water and bread for him during the training, the only decisive factor that made him press on was sheer willpower.
And Gaby was impressed by him. Fighting skills were important for a gladiator, but willpower was indispensable for them as well. When it came to resolve, however, Bach had the strongest when compared to other gladiator candidates. He had endured the highest volume of training, and apart from occasional expressions of anger, he never complained.
Gaby did not grant Varo an easy way out just because he was impressed by him. After all, Varo was no highly-talented newcomer like Bach, worthy of major investment. His willpower was the sole reason he could survive until now, and even if he failed to complete the training, the gladiator school would suffer no losses. After all, there would always be a shortage of manpower in the mines.
For now, Varo seemed to be doing quite well. Having fully completed the first and second day of intensive training, he managed to earn three hours for himself, primarily for sleeping and eating, allowing his body to replenish. On the third day, he completed his training slighter faster than before. In return, he got to rest even longer.
But his good luck ran out on the fifth day. He hurt his feet during the training. Gaby did not say a word about it, simply asking him to go carry on. So Varo dragged himself to the training ground with his injured foot and, as a result, almost failed to complete the day’s training. To make matters worse, his ankle swelled up the next day thanks to the previous day’s strenuous exercise, causing him to move sluggishly.
Varo managed to complete the task before the next sunrise. However, despair hit him hard on that day because he knew how bad his current situation was. It was not something that could be made up with sheer willpower. Considering the state his physical strength and injuries were in, it was impossible for him to complete a new training round.
But fortunately, Zhang Heng gave him something to help. The latter made a simple ankle brace out of bark and cloth. “Put it on,” he said, tossing it to Varo.
Back in the real world, Zhang Heng and Wei Jiangyang liked to play basketball, but Wei Jiangyang kept spraining his ankle. Thus, he would buy an ankle brace to speed up his ankle’s recovery. Obviously, the company that made it would not be delivering any ankle braces to its Roman customers in the second century, so Zhang heng fashioned one out of whatever materials that were available around him. Luckily, he roughly remembered its structure.
Under Zhang Heng’s guidance, Varo put on an ankle brace, had some bread and water, and finally managed to survive the most precarious day. Eventually, his bad luck seemed to be coming to an end. Although his injuries looked terrible, at least he did not hurt his bones. Thanks to the brace, he started to get better and finally recovered from his injury.
Gradually, Varo caught up with the others, thus gaining more time to eat and rest.
On the forty-ninth day, Gaby canceled all the training sessions and gathered everyone together. He looked at every single gladiator candidate in front of him. The number of gladiator candidates had been reduced from 43 to 30. Due to various reasons, 13 of them had been withdrawn voluntarily or involuntarily.
Among them, the number of free men had dropped drastically. After all, Gaby suddenly doubled the amount of training without warning, reaching a stage where it was unbearable for most ordinary people. Since there was more than one gladiator school in Rome, it was unnecessary for them to cling to this particular school if they were still determined to become a gladiator.
So by the forty-ninth day, there were only two free men left, with the other twenty-eight all slaves.
This result was in line with Gaby’s expectations.
The next thing that they needed to do was the final highlight.
It was a gladiator assessment.
Nearly one-third of the gladiator candidates had been eliminated so far. And not all thirty of the remaining candidates would pass the assessment and become gladiators. Certain schools in the city would take into account the cost of training and purchasing slaves. Hence, they would loosen the assessment standards. Gaby knew that he was responsible for the spectators’ satisfaction, so he never had the intention to relax the requirements of the assessment in the two decades he was head of the school.
Only a good gladiator could give the audience the most exciting of performances.
It was precisely because of his strict adherence to this principle that the number of spectators who chose to enter Victor Arena had remained high.
Due to Mark Reuss’s request, this assessment had another purpose.
“Congratulations, you have completed the first part of the training,” said Gaby. “But don’t be too happy just yet. Only by passing the final assessment can you become a true gladiator. And for those who fail the assessment, you should know the fate that awaits you without me elaborating.”
Gaby paused and looked at everyone’s expressions before continuing. “Relax. The assessment is fairly simple. It is not as tedious as your previous training. Gladiators are born to fight! So there is only one criterion for evaluating how good a gladiator is, and that is whether you can win battles.”
Not only was everyone unafraid, but they were even eager to try it out. They had been training so hard for so long. Finally, it was time for the results of that training to show.
“Very well. Keep this excitement with you. I believe you have also inquired about the assessment before. After you draw your lot, you will fight with your assigned opponent, and the winner will pass the assessment. I will judge the loser based on performance. However, this time, we decided to change the way we carry out the assessment.”
It was a twist for all the gladiator candidates. Suddenly, the training grounds fell eerily silent, and the joy of freeing themselves from the hellish training wiped-off from everyone’s faces. On the contrary, everyone could feel that something terrible was about to happen to them.
Gaby continued calmly, “In order for you to understand better what a gladiatorial performance is, and the gap between you and an official gladiator, your opponent will be selected from the school’s official gladiator list. The battle arrangement will be decided by lots drawing.”
“Now, who will be the first one to draw the lots?”
