Dawn approached the world.
An announcement was made from Graham, using an ability that made his voice echo in all corners of the colosseum.
"Today, as your magistrate, I am in a good mood. So everybody, listen up—from B rank down to E rank. Be present at the A rank quarters. An exciting match is about to begin."
Every gladiator who heard this was stunned. Whispers filled the air like smoke after a battle.
Deep in the west part of the colosseum, five gladiators sat together on the cold stone floor, silent for a while. Then one finally spoke.
"What the heck is that son of a bitch up to, huh?"
"Na, don't know," another replied, arms folded tight. "But I bet it's to find a way to kill us after deceiving us. We're gonna leave when we got to this rank. I mean, look at us—twenty turned to five men standing. Now what does he want to do to us?"
"I'm guessing he wants it known by those low-lives who probably think of freedom," the oldest among them said, voice low and tired.
The youngest looked around, then leaned forward. "As we're going to die anyway, why don't we tell the kids the truth? Let them know what's really going on. Maybe even put some of them out of their misery... even if it's against the laws of the colosseum."
"Yeah… that's good," someone muttered.
Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway.
A red-haired boy came crawling out of the crowd, breathing heavily, his eyes wild with panic. He stumbled forward, legs shaking, then took off running with all his strength.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
"What took you so long, man? We're gonna be late! Hurry—let's leave before we get spotted by one of the lords."
E999 answered from behind E121, barely above a whisper, "Too late... someone's watching."
"What have you done, man? Bloody hell—can he see us right now?"
"Yeah."
"Then we have to move. The others will take care of him. Come on, man!"
E999 hesitated for a second, looking back toward the corridor. A shadow moved in the distance, slow and deliberate. Not rushing—just watching.
A cold chill slid down his spine.
They took off, boots pounding against the dirt and stone floor. Behind them, distant laughter echoed. Not loud. Not close. But enough to tell them they were being hunted.
"They ran straight toward the others, who were busy bringing in the new recruits—then suddenly, all of them heard a voice."
"I told you it was too late," the whisper came again. This time from just around the corner.
"Split!" the leader hissed. "We go different ways—they can't follow us all."
The group broke into fragments, darting into different tunnels like rats in a maze. E999 ran straight, panting hard, chest burning. He didn't look back.
Behind him, a scream tore through the silence.
One of the ten... gone.
But there was no time to mourn.
He ducked under a low arch, skidded into the shadows, and pressed his back against the wall. His fingers trembled as he reached into his belt and pulled out a shard of black iron—just in case.
He waited. Held his breath.
Footsteps again. Close. Heavy.
But they passed.
He didn't move.
Not yet.
Soon, he heard more screams echoing from far away—sharp, sudden, and cut short. Something was happening. Something bad. He moved toward the edge of the corridor, about to step out, when a hand yanked him back fast.
It was E121.
"Move!" E121 growled, dragging him toward another corner. The boy didn't even have time to question it before E121 shoved him forward, hard.
He staggered, arms flailing, and looked ahead—just in time to see a solid wall right in front of him.
"Are you insane?!" he yelled, thinking his head was about to crack open. But then something strange happened.
There was no impact.
No pain.
Instead, his body passed straight through the wall like it was smoke.
And then… silence.
He stumbled out the other side, blinking against the sudden torchlight. His boots skidded to a stop on the smooth stone floor.
A massive hall stretched out before him—walls lined with weapons, scars, and bloodstains. And in that hall stood over seventy figures, all staring directly at him. Every single one was armed. Every single one was a gladiator.
And none of them looked friendly.
Their faces were marked with cuts, burns, old wounds. Their bodies built for war. Their eyes—cold. Watching him like a wounded animal dropped in a lion's den.
He swallowed hard.
Behind him, E121 stepped through the wall with ease and stood tall beside him. "Told you it was real," he said, almost smiling.
"What is this place?" E999 asked, voice low, heart racing.
"This…" E121 said, looking around the hall, "is the part of the colosseum they don't talk about. The ones they keep out of the records."
The boy looked around again. Some of the gladiators cracked their knuckles. One sharpened a blade without breaking eye contact. A few just stared, saying nothing.
One stepped forward and said, "Hope you're ready, kid. 'Cause once you're in here, you fight… or you die."
Soon, other recruits who had managed to escape the unknown hunter began arriving one after another, limping, panting, some injured, others shaken. Blood smeared a few of their faces, dirt clung to their clothes, but they were alive—and that was enough.
They joined the rest in the hall, where silence fell as a single figure walked forward—cloaked in deep crimson, with a golden insignia shaped like broken chains. The Monarch of the Order had arrived.
This was the man who had created the Order—born from the love of freedom, forged in the shadows of oppression. He walked with calm authority, eyes sharp as blades. Without a word, the initiation began.
Every recruit stood tall. Those who had awakened their abilities were told to demonstrate them. One by one, fire danced, blades formed, and shadows twisted. Even the non-awakened ones were asked to step forward and show courage—because courage was the first trait of the Order.
Then it was E999's turn.
He stepped up onto the stage, calm, unreadable.
"I have not yet awakened an ability, sir," he said bluntly.
The Monarch nodded, about to move on—until a sudden voice cut through the air.
"Our dear Monarch," a girl called out, stepping forward. She was petite, graceful, and held herself with the pride of someone who had never known defeat. "It seems we have a spy in our midst."
Gasps echoed across the hall.
"He nullified my ability days ago," she continued. "I've tried again and again… nothing works around him. Please, allow me to demonstrate."
The Monarch gestured for her to proceed.
She walked confidently to a level 18 servant standing nearby and activated her ability. Immediately, the servant dropped to one knee, eyes blank, posture submissive. Her power had turned him into a puppet.
She bowed politely, then turned to E999, eyes burning with accusation.
She approached him slowly… then activated her power again.
A screen appeared before them all:
°~[Ability detected.]~°
°~[Ability nullified.]~°
°~[Level: 6]~°
°~[Strength: 12]~°
°~[Agility: 14]~°
°~HP: 150]~°
The crowd was stunned.
Even the Monarch paused… then smiled.
"Can you control it?" he asked.
E999 met his gaze. "No, sir."
"Then hold this," the Monarch said, tossing him a handful of glowing mushrooms. "Let's see if you can be of use."
E999 caught them. The moment they touched his skin, another message popped up:
°~[A foreign force has been detected in your bloodstream. Initiating new feature...
New skill acquired: Immunity to all toxins.
Initiating... 1%]~°
Murmurs rippled through the room, building into louder voices.
Then—
"Silence!" the Monarch commanded.
He stared into E999's eyes, reading him.
"…He can't control it," he finally declared.
The crowd erupted again, this time louder, wilder.
"He can't control it!" someone shouted. "Then what use is he?"
E121 stepped forward. "What if we can transfer the power?" he asked. "His ability could change everything for us."
"Yeah!" the crowd supported, rallying behind the idea.
"And how exactly do you expect us to do that?" the Monarch asked, tone sharp.
E999 stood silent, watching them. They were talking about him like a thing. A tool.
He smiled to himself.
They see me as nothing…
Let's see.
He scanned the hall and spotted a hole in the far corner—inside, dozens of the same glowing mushrooms. A thought clicked. Dangerous, but possible.
Just as he turned toward it, voices rose again, more desperate.
"Let's kill him."
"Eat his flesh."
"Even his bones—maybe that'll pass the ability on."
The Monarch said nothing. He turned toward the crowd's prey—only to spot E999 tiptoeing away behind them.
"Seal the exits!" the Monarch roared.
A massive punch flew at E999, but E999 twisted mid-momentum and blocked it with his forearm.
Boom!
Dust exploded into the air.
He was flung backward into the pit—right into the glowing mushrooms.
°~[Initiating… 10%]~°
°~[Initiating… 25%]~°
His vision blurred. The toxins invaded him, but he held still, forcing his breath slow. A flicker of light caught his eye.
A tunnel. Hidden within the hole.
"Quick!" the Monarch shouted. "He's heavily poisoned. Five recruits—go after him. Bring us his body. His ability is vital to our cause!"
The word freedom echoed, and the five recruits didn't hesitate. They leaped into the pit, ignoring the danger of the mushrooms.
E999, hearing their words, crawled into a dark corner. Weak. Dying. But buying time.
°~[Initiating... 65%]~°
He sat, eyes closed, trying to stay conscious. Blood leaked from his mouth.
The five recruits staggered slightly as the poison kicked in. But they were strong—C-rankers. Even poisoned, their strength dropped only to B.
They found him slumped in the corner.
"There he is!"
"End it now!"
One kicked him hard in the side.
Crack.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
Another stomped his chest.
E999 could barely breathe. His ribs felt shattered.
But then—
°~[Initiating… 100%]~°
°~[immunity unlocked.]~°
°~[Healing has leveled up to: REGENERATION]~°
The pain began to fade.
Ribs reset.
Wounds closed.
Strength returned.
His fingers clenched, and when the next kick came, he caught the leg mid-air and flung the attacker like a ragdoll into the wall. The impact left a crater of cracked stone.
He moved like a blur.
The others turned to run.
Too late.
He dashed forward, low and fast, and took down the rest.
°~[Killed a Level 10 Gladiator – 20 EXP]~°
°~[Killed a Level 10 Gladiator – 20 EXP]~°
°~[Killed a Level 10 Gladiator – 20 EXP]~°
°~[Killed a Level 10 Gladiator – 20 EXP]~°
°~[Killed a Level 10 Gladiator – 20 EXP]~°
Blood stained the tunnel.
His chest heaved, but his eyes were clear.
They wanted to use him. They wanted to consume him.
Now?
He was just getting started.