The Mad Tycoon of Rome

——Chapter 10: Spartacus (3)——

The first thing Spartacus aimed at was a gladiator with a shield.

The gladiators did not respond properly to Spartacus's sword attack, which closed the distance at terrifying speed.

Quang!

One gladiator who raised his shield reflexively flew back with a terrifying roar.

"Knew! "

The gladiator fell from his back to the ground and rolled across the sand with a gasping sound.

As one was incapacitated in an instant, a gladiator with dual swords urgently shouted.

"Don't face the sword from the front! Dodge unconditionally!"

"It's easy to say! Can't you see that speed?"

Spartacus rushed again before the opponent had time to catch his breath.

A gladiator wearing armor believed in the armor's defense and stabbed his sword.

It was based on the judgment that they couldn't win just by avoiding it.

But the opponent was not an idiot either.

Spartacus retrieved his sword and twisted lightly to avoid the armored gladiator's sword. At the same time, he kicked his right foot as he rotated his body.

A fierce blow sounded from the armored gladiator's abdomen.

-Bang!

"Busy him... "

The armored gladiator's face contorted miserably.

It was a destructive force that would have caused his intestines to burst and he would have died instantly if he hadn't worn the armor.

The shock was so great that he dropped the weapon he was holding and fell to his knees on the ground.

Spartacus struck the temple of the kneeling armored gladiator with his fist.

The armored gladiator, who had been hit in the vitals, frothed and fell backward.

The two-sword gladiator who was trying to hold on defensively threw a bowl of curse at his impetuous colleague.

"You imprudent bastard! That's why I told you not to face him alone."

He couldn't even swing his sword properly and was left alone.

Now, advancing was impossible.

The twin swordsman gritted his teeth and stepped forward to strike horizontally.

Spartacus' sword struck down his horizontal sword struck vertically.

With the twin swords, he couldn't even withstand 3 moves.

In an instant, a two-edged sword flew through the air and the feeling in his wrist disappeared.

The power of Spartacus' sword had reached the limits of what humans could show.

Visor! Pacan!

The face of the gladiator wielding the only sword left was stained with despair.

It was an expression that he never imagined Spartacus would be this strong.

He thought it would work out somehow if the three of them attacked, but it was an absurd misunderstanding.

"Such a monster... ! "

Still, he was the leader of the Claudius gladiator training school.

Despite the offensive that seemed to drain his soul, he tried to find a clue to counterattack.

A flash of light flashed in Spartacus's eyes at the end of his fierce stabbing sword.

Sugak!

The confrontation ended with a ghastly sound.

Spartacus's sword, which cut off the straight sword, flowed down in an oblique line.

It was the decisive blow that put an end to the game.

"Puah! "

Red blood flowed from the mouth of the gladiator who let out a single moan.

It was not an instant death, but it was a fatal wound that made it impossible to continue the battle.

He knelt down on one knee and staggered, then collapsed with his face buried in the sand.

Spartacus walked unconcernedly. In the place where his toes were headed, a gladiator was holding the shield he had blown off at the beginning.

As the distance closed, the gladiator raised himself with his shield on the ground.

Spartacus seemed to already anticipate the timing of his opponent's rise.

The shield gladiator, seeing Spartacus right in front of him, hurriedly retreated. But Spartacus didn't give him any time at all.

Before the shield gladiator could even take a step back, Spartacus shot forward and punched him with explosive speed.

Wow!

Broken teeth protruded from the gladiator's mouth. His body bounced backward frantically.

Without exaggeration, he lost his mind with a single punch.

His body collapsed to the floor, shaking as if he had been struck by lightning.

A trio of gladiators at the Claudius training camp, these were not warriors who would be so shabby at any gladiatorial match.

Currently, the best gladiator training school in Capua was the Batiatus training school, which produced Crixus and Spartacus.

However, until those two appeared, the Claudius training camp was second only to the Batiatus training camp.

Even if one searched all of Capua, there were less than twenty people who were as good as Clodius' veteran gladiators. That was the value of their names.

Spartacus casually defeated the three outstanding gladiators and stood proudly.

"Waaaaaaa!"

"You are the best!"

A shout that would shake Capua swept the amphitheater.

Three fallen gladiators were carried away on a stretcher, and the host waved a flag and praised the victor.

In the audience, where the heat of the tournament had not yet subsided, words about the previous game continued.

The aristocrats around Marcus were also chatting and spitting excitedly.

Danae, with a completely overwhelmed expression, lightly grabbed the hem of Marcus's clothes.

"Whoah... What a beast-like warrior. I can't believe it's the same person. "

"Yes. Seeing it with my own eyes, I can definitely understand why the rumors spread. Rather, it feels like the rumors didn't follow the reality."

"This is the first time I've known that a person can move like that."

"Neither did I. He definitely exceeded my expectations."

Marcus thought he finally understood how the hell Spartacus rallied his gladiators and defeated the roman regular army.

Certainly, since they were so different in rank, they must have been able to rally and lead tens of thousands of slaves.

Marcus was convinced.

If Spartacus's skill was this good, it was worth going ahead with the plan.

And regardless of the plan, he genuinely wanted to get this warrior.

"Okay, I've decided. We need to talk about it today."

"With whom?"

"Of course, it's Spartacus. Septimus, go tell the presenter I'd like to meet Spartacus. Give him some money if necessary."

"Alright. "

Septimus left immediately after receiving the sack of silver coins from Marcus.

Soon, Septimus returned to his seat just as the nobles with Marcus were beginning to leave.

"They need time to tidy up, so they're saying it's possible around the evening. Would that be okay?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll need time to prepare too. Just tell them to relax. I also have their interest in mind"

"Yes. I will notify you later once they set a specific time."

Marcus, of course, didn't believe the excuse to organize and tidy the place.

The real reason was to investigate why the eldest son of the Crassus family wants to see them. Though, it was okay for Marcus to give them some time.

Marcus watched Spartacus back all the way until he left the arena and entered the dark waiting room.

When the match was over and the heat subsided, his appearance, which looked so splendid, somehow felt desolate.

Marcus' prediction was not wrong.

Lentulus Batiatus, head of the Batiatus gladiator training camp, was shaking his head furiously.

"Why the hell did Crassus want to see Spartacus?"

The presenter, who heard the news from Septimus, replied calmly.

"I heard he became a fan after falling in love with his cool appearance. That's why he said he wanted to meet and talk..."

"That's a superficial reason. The Crassus family is rich enough that there is no one in Rome who doesn't know about them. Couldn't they be trying to steal Spartacus?"

"Ah... I don't think they would go to such lengths for a slave."

"No. Rumor has it that the Crassus family will do anything for money. In their eyes, Spartacus might look like the goose that lays golden eggs."

"Hmm... But isn't that the same for us as well?"

Batiatus smiled bitterly. It was as the presenter said.

Batiatus treated his gladiators as cattle that brought him money.

At that time, it was not easy to find a good training center for gladiators.

Among them, the Batiatus training camp was especially harsh on the gladiators. The reason was simple. There was no need to treat the gladiators well because there was an abundant supply of prisoners of war.

If one was used roughly and died, they just had to find a new slave.

If one wasn't a gladiator who grew up as a veteran, one couldn't expect to be treated like a human at all.

"If the Crassus family asks me to hand over Spartacus, should I just let him go?"

"Why? Aren't slaves owned by their masters? Just say you won't sell them and that's it."

"Hey, that only works when the opponent is moderately stronger than me. If the Crassus family pressures us with funds, we won't have the courage to endure it. Besides, Crassus is a strong contender in this year's judicial election. His term as the judicial officer will begin next year. But what good would it do to be disliked by an opponent who has both power and wealth?"

"Well... If the person with the greatest wealth in Rome becomes a judge, then we can't do anything about it."

The Praetor was one of the key positions in Rome, which was in charge of public order and justice. Its status was, in fact, the second most important post in Rome after the Consul, the highest official.

If such a person made up his mind and started robbing, the owner of a mediocre gladiator training center could not even resist.

Batiatus sighed and shook his head.

"For now, until we know for sure what they're aiming for, we'll have to set it that way."

"That's right. We should avoid things that may upset the other side."

"First I'll have to warn Spartacus hard. I don't want him to do anything rude."

Batiatus summoned Spartacus and emphasized several times that he should never lose his temper.

Spartacus let out a sneer as if Batiatus was funny.

"It's amazing. Should you, who acts so high-handed towards us, become a gentle lamb in front of the Roman nobles?"

"Don't be sarcastic and take my word for it. Never be angry with him and don't show any rudeness. And don't forget to tell me why the kid asked to see you."

"It's not even that difficult of an order."

"If you don't follow my words properly, you... No, the rookie gladiators who follow you are going to be treated pretty roughly."

Spartacus' brow narrowed in an instant. He glared at Batiatus with furious eyes, but soon calmed down and bit his lip.

"You're acting like this to the end. Shouldn't you be punishing me if I do something wrong?"

"I can't do that. You and Crixus are the best goods I have. I can't do anything to damage precious goods, right? "

Spartacus was unable to shoot further even at batiatus' grinning words.

If he rebelled here, Batiatus would punish the other gladiators as he said.

Previously, for similar reasons, a young gladiator following Spartacus had been thrown to a tiger. Batiatus was such a person. His threats never ended in empty words.

Spartacus put a hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

"I'll do as you say. So just feed the other gladiators today."

"I'll think about it according to what happens next. Now that you know your situation, go and do my bidding right now. I don't want to keep an important guest waiting for a long time."

Spartacus got up and left the room without answering. It was miserable, but this was the maximum resistance he could do.

Heading to the room where Marcus was waiting, Spartacus paused and took a deep breath.

It was to suppress the mad rage.

Spartacus' eyes flashed with hatred as he looked down at his trembling fists. A deep, rich, and terrifying voice escaped from his mouth.

"Fucking roman bastards..."

Spartacus lost everything to Rome.

The hometown was destroyed, and the woman he swore to protect for the rest of his life was sold into slavery.

He couldn't keep anything and Rome destroyed everything he tried to protect.

Spartacus hated everything related to Rome – The audience at the arena, Batiatus, the owner of the gladiator training camp, and the presenter who pretended to praise himself with slick words.

The same was true of the young nobleman of Rome whom he was going to meet now.

When that young nobleman grows up, he would also become a usurper just like his ancestors.

Spartacus thought and wondered what kind of proposal the opponent he was going to meet from now on would make.

He didn't know yet, how his own future was about to change and what kind of change this meeting of today would lead to.

The current Spartacus was ignorant...