Urich, who had been chased out of the arena, returned to the brothel as he always did. The prostitutes took his coat for him, as if they were waiting for him to arrive.
âHow was it today?â
One of them handed a hookah pipe to Urich, who only glared at it.
âTake it away.â
Even though they didnât know what he said exactly, they understood his intent from his voice.
âWhat about alcohol?â
This time, they shook a bottle in front of him. Urich grabbed the bottle and chucked it at the wall.
SMASH!
The bottle shattered into pieces. All of the prostitutes turned deathly pale and slowly backed away.
âDamn it.â
He felt like shit. However, killing someone wasnât the issue.
âI wasnât able to control my own strength.â
There was nothing more humiliating to a warrior than being unable to control themself. To be unable to prevent your body from becoming dull. It put a scratch on Urichâs pride.
âDid I cross the mountain range to do this shit? To get high off drugs and mess around with girls? Huh? Urich?!â
SLAM!
Urich kicked the table, and it broke as it hit the ceiling.
âKyaaaak!â
Prostitutes ran away, screaming.
âDamn it, that Urich is causing a mess again.â
The thugs who managed the brothel were looking at each other to make the first move. Urichâs reputation was well known throughout Ankara. The Undefeated Champion. Moreover, he killed someone today with a single punch. The thugs were scared and refused to approach him.
âWhereâs Donau?â
âHe said he had to do something and left.â
The prostitutes and thugs left the VIP room and left Urich to himself.
Shiiing.
Urich searched his belongings and pulled out a sword.
âPordgalâs sword.â
Urich brought Pordgalâs sword with him. Its blade was smooth and shone in the light.
âThis sword is made out of good metal. All of the weapons that I used before look like blunt rocks compared to this.â
A warrior often felt entranced whenever they saw a good weapon. It was a partner that they would entrust their life to. If the weapon broke during a fight, it was the end for the warrior as well.
Swish.
Urich took a stance and closed his eyes. He thought about the time he fought Pordgal.
They fought on the Sky Mountain Range during a blizzard with their lives on the line. There were no excuses necessary for what happened at that time. It was survival of the fittest, and no one was to blame.
He focused on a single point.
âThe reason why I turned my back on my home and came hereâŠâ
Whoooosh.
Urich slowly swung the sword. Sweat started to form on his muscles.
âIt was to see all the things I didnât know existed.â
His vision became clearer. The fog in his head lifted.
âIâve spent enough time here. Itâs time to leave now.â
He swiftly spun the sword and sheathed it.
The time he spent in Ankara was fun. Every day felt as if he were in heaven. HoweverâŠ
âWarriors go to heaven after death. Not when theyâre still alive.â
Urich was a man who was walking the path of a warrior.
* * *
REAPER SCANS
Translator â goguma
Proofreader â yukitokata
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* * *
Donau called over Urich saying he found a new way to earn money. Urich planned to gather travel funds for the last time and leave Ankara.
âWherever I go, Iâll need money.â
Urich had already adapted to the economic systems there.
âIf I really need to, I can just plunder, but⊠itâs too much to do by myself. It would have been better if I had at least two of my brothers.â
For the first time in a long time, Urichâs head was clear. He stayed away from women and didnât smoke marijuana. Neither did he drink alcohol.
His clear mind drew a circle around himself. He had confidence that he would be able to cut down anyone who entered his circle.
âItâs a big one this time. If we do this well, we can have fun for months.â
Donau snickered while tapping Urichâs back.
âI owe you a lot for everything up to now.â
Urich planned to separate from Donau after this job.
âThanks to him, Iâve finished adjusting to life here.â
If he entered Ankara by himself, he would have already been arrested and spent time in prison.
âArena?â
Donau and Urich arrived at the arena. Urich looked at his companion with a perplexed face.
âToday, weâre not fighting with fists. Youâre going to use swords. Obviously, itâs a wooden sword, so donât worry,â said Donau.
He didnât expect Urich would understand anyway. He just had to act appropriately.
âThere are no audiences.â
There were only a few people wandering around the arenaâs audience area, and amongst them were armed people.
âOho.â
Urich looked at their eyes. He could feel their sharp gazes.
âThese guys have killed before.â
People who have killed before exuded bloodthirst. They wouldnât hesitate to kill someone.
Grasp.
Urichâs fingers instinctively went to his sword.
Someone in the audience spoke, âHeâs pretty good? Heâs immediately preparing his sword. He has a lot of combat experience.â
âI see. I could tell with a glance that heâs worth buying. I have quite the eye for people.â
The man who spoke was a middle-aged man who wore extravagant clothing. He was a slave trader that primarily handled gladiators.
âThereâs no need to whisper. He doesnât know how to speak the Empireâs language,â yelled Donau.
âI will take into consideration the fact that he doesnât know the Empireâs language when pricing him.â
The slave trader lightly laughed while speaking.
âDoes a gladiator slave need to know how to talk? Just watch his fighting skills.â
A wooden sword was planted in the middle of the arena.
A gladiator with a wooden sword in hand stepped forward from the center.
âUrich, my man. Go show off your skills!â
Donau spoke to Urich while pointing at the wooden sword.
Urich narrowed his eyes.
âWhat? It was something like that? Theyâre planning to test me.â
Urich raised the wooden sword. It was light as it was a hollow sword. He thought that, even if he swung it hard, the opponent wouldnât die.
âA new slave gladiator. Iâll teach you a lot, newcomer.â
The opposing gladiator spoke to him. He was a free gladiator.
Step, step.
Urich and the gladiator both held onto their wooden swords while pacing around in a circle.
âPlease make it look cool when you beat him up so I can get a lot of money.â
Donau sneakily laughed. If he sold Urich as a slave, he could earn at least millions of cil. If he does well, he could potentially earn tens of millions.
âHuaaa!â
The gladiator swung his sword.
âYour shout is good. But youâre slow.â
Urich leaned back his body and dodged the wooden sword. His eyes chased the gladiatorâs neck.
Grab.
Urichâs hand moved. He grabbed the gladiatorâs wooden sword and stole it.
âHuh? Huuuh?â
The gladiator didnât understand how his sword was stolen away.
âHaha, want it back?â
Urich laughed while tossing the sword back to him. The gladiatorâs face turned red.
âYou bastaaaaaard!â
Urich threw away his sword. He wagged his finger to taunt the gladiator.
âBring it.â
âIâll kill you!â
The gladiator furiously swung his wooden sword. Even though he swung with his emotions, swordsmanship techniques were still instilled in his strikes. Unfortunately, he had a bad matchup.
Crush!
Urich stole the opponentâs wooden sword again. This time, however, he broke the opponentâs wrists to steal it.
âI want to stop this childâs play now. Iâve been using a real blade ever since I was five.â
Urich threw the wooden sword away again. He lost all motivation. His opponent was weak, and it wasnât a fight where their lives were on the line.
âKeuk.â
The gladiator held onto his wrists while backing away.
âStop! I donât need to watch anymore!â
The slave trader who had been watching spoke.
âHeâs a gem amongst gems.â
The slave traderâs smile spread from ear to ear. He called Donau out right away.
âHow much is he?!â
Donau thought quickly. It was time to bargain now.
âTell me your offer first, Mr. Horus!â
â5 million cil.â
âYou must be joking? Iâll take 15 million cil. Didnât you see his skills? Heâs amazing! You wonât find anyone else like him!â
âHaaah, it will take months to educate him as a slave. 8 million cil.â
âIâll give up a bit and go below 10 million cil. 9.5 million.â
âAlright, 9 million. Letâs agree at this price!â the slave trader Horus shouted.
â9 million⊠Okay. Give some of it in advance first. Iâll use that money to properly feed him and let him sleep in a nice place.â
Donau couldnât stop laughing.
âThank you, Urich. Not only did you save my life, but you also earned me so much money.â
Horus pulled out shiny gold coins from his pocket.
âIâll give you 3 million cil first. The rest will be when itâs finalized, Donau.â
The swindler stretched out his hands to receive the coins. He kept smiling while looking at Urich.
âUrich, my man! Weâre rich now! Hehehe. Why donât we play to our heartâs content tonight?â
Clink, clang, clink.
The coins in Donauâs hands kept hitting each other.
âHm.â
Urich scratched his head. His eyes were reading the room.
âTwo armed warriors.â
There was a guard next to Horus. They were yawning while waiting for the trade to be finalized.
âUrich, look at these gold coins. Haha!â
Donau was absorbed into the coins and couldnât stop laughing. His greed prevented him from noticing the situation.
Clang.
It was an instant.
Urich stole the yawning guardâs sword and pulled it out. His hands were quick.
Clink, clang.
Gold coins rained down to the floor. Donau also fell on the floor, screaming.
âMy hand⊠M-My hand. U-Uwaaâguhhh.â
Donauâs right hand was sliced off, and his blood was on Urichâs sword.
No one reacted to Urichâs movements. If he wanted to, he could have killed Horus as well.
âU-Urghhh! Uergh!â
Urich grabbed Donau by his hair and threw him.
The other guards were looking at Horus, but the slave trader did not stop Urich.
âOpen your mouth. Iâm going to slice off your tongue, Donau.â
Urich spoke in the Empireâs language. It was sloppy, but it was undeniably the Empireâs language.
âSince when was he able to speak it? No, did he know it from the start?â
Donau was shocked, trembling as he lowered his head.
âUrich, sir. P-Please let me go this one time. W-We were best friends, werenât we?â
âSpeak slowly. If you talk fast, I canât hear it well.â
Urich spoke while wiping off the blood on the sword.
âSpare me. Iâll do anything. Anything.â
âShut up and just open your mouth.â
âU-Uwaaagh! Urgh!â
Urich put his fingers inside Donauâs mouth. He grabbed Donauâs slippery tongue with his fingernails and yanked it out.
âWhy donât you say farewell to your hardworking tongue?!â
SLASH!
Urich swiftly swung the sword, and Donauâs tongue fell on the floor.
A terrifying scream filled the arena. Urich sloppily wiped the blood off his hands with his pants and stood up.
âUwughh, uwwwh.â
Donau was rolling on the floor, wailing. He clawed the floor, causing a mess. He was dying from excessive blood loss, yet no one tended to him. He scrambled on the floor like a bug before dying.
Sliiide.
Urichâs eyes were calm even after killing Donau. He wasnât swept away by his rage, nor was he furious about the betrayal. He just calmly did what he had to do and tossed the sword back to the guard.
âItâs a good sword. You must have treated it well. I used it well.â
Urich shrugged his shoulders.
âHeâs terrifying.â
Horus had cold sweats. He was sweating so much that his clothes were sticking to his body.
âThat is not a beast that I can tame.â
Horus didnât even think about calling the guards to stop him. Urich was a mad dog that wouldnât serve its master.
âIt looks like there was a misunderstanding between us. Weâll just go. I wonât report it to the guards. No matter how you look at it, it was justified.â
Horus spoke while slowly picking up the fallen gold coins.
âGo? Where do you think youâre going? You have to continue negotiations with me.â
Urich put back the fallen chair. He sat down and lazily crossed his arms.
The wrinkles around Horusâs eyes got deeper.
âWhat do you mean?â
âIâll work as your gladiator. You go around here and there and do business with arenas, right?â
Horus was perceptive and calculating. He sat down.
âIf youâre a free gladiator, you earn half of the money earned in a match. But in turn, we provide meals, clothing, and shelter.â
âWhat about women?â
âWell, wouldnât that be included as âmealsâ?â
Urich laughed heartily after hearing that.
âHey, I like you. Letâs shake hands.â
Urich put forth his hand. Horus remembered Donauâs hand and hesitated, but he eventually did his best to calmly shake it.
âIâll introduce myself again. Iâm Horus, a middleman for gladiator fights. I also dabble in slave trading.â