Ryan sighed in relief. He was glad he wouldn't have to repeat that again. He thought meditation was supposed to be relaxing. Why was it so torturous in this world? Well, becoming more powerful is better than feeling more relaxed so in a way it was a good trade off.

Regardless, he opened up his stat screen. He saw that the Aegis Rush Skill appeared in his Skills section. Now, all he needed to do was practice how to use it.

He uncrossed his legs and hopped to his feet. He crouched down to pick up his wooden spear, and twirled it in the air like Cameron would. But he wasn't Cameron.

His fingers slid across the wood, hit each other, and the spear fell away from his hands. He reached for it to grab it, but it just hit against his knuckles and bounced away further. It rattled against the grass, splashing dirt up and into the air. He had a lot of training to do. He picked it up and looked up at Cameron.

He continued to spar with Dennis, Marissa, Lucien, and Natalia. And of course, Cameron continued to dominate.

Not a single bead of sweat could be seen anywhere on his head. He breathed slowly through his nose. A calm grin always remained on his face. Whereas, Dennis, Marissa, Lucien, and Natalia were panting, and sweat stampeded down their bodies.

Marissa wasn't even throwing rocks anymore. She point3e her palm at Cameron, chanted incantations, and fire flickered and formed into a ball in front of her hand. She thrusted her arm at Cameron and the small sphere of flame shot towards him. It wwas much smaller and less dangerous looking than the fireballs he saw from the elven Mage earlier, but they looked dangerous enough to not want to get hit by it.

Despite how fast Marissa's ball of flame flew at Cameron, he easily swerved his head to the side and watched it fly past him. She kept shooting more and more again and again, but they never hit him. He still didn't need to move from standing on one leg.

At least seeing how much everyone in his team, except Cameron and Zack, needed to train as well as him made him feel a little less bad.

But still, despite how severe Cameron's dominance was, and how Zack continued to slowly shadow spar against the empty air, Franocles eyes were still glued on Zack. His gaze was intense. Countess Gladine didn't appear excited, however. Her eyes were narrow as she stared at her brother.

"He's quite a high level," Ryan heard Franocles say before plucking a grape out of a bowl that sat on a table next him. "What's he like?"

"He's rebellious," Countess Gladine said, taking a sip of wine."You wouldn't like him."

"That's because you own him," Franocles said. He stood. "He wouldn't be like that with me."

"Sit down." Countess Gladine glared at her brother. "Don't disturb them."

Franocles chuckled, gesturing at Zack as he slowly twirled his spear, spun, and stabbed at the grass. "It's not like he's doing much is he?" He stepped down from the dais and onto the training yard. He approached a group of gladiators as they sparred. "He doesn't have good enough training partners."

Countess Gladine shrugged and sighed as Franocles spoke to the group of gladiators.The gladiators nodded, turned away, and approached Zack.

"The Countess' brother wants you to spar us, for some reason," a gladiator with a wooden training sword, and a wooden training shield said to Zack. "One at a time though, I think."

"No," a gladiator next to him said, shaking her head. She held a bow and had an arrow quiver strapped around her torso. "He asked for us all to spar him at the same time."

The gladiator with the Warrior class sighed. "Really?"

She shrugged. "That's what he said."

He frowned down at Zack as he continued to shadow spar. "Sorry to embarrass you like this, but an order's an order."

Zack snorted. "Let's get to it, then," Zack calmly twirled his spear, turned to them, and beckoned them towards him.

"That slaver is sadistic," the gladiator with the Archer class said, glaring at Franocles. "Why would they have us gang up on a fellow gladiator like this? Five against one is just unfair.

Ryan saw how strong Zack was back when he fought the Expana Bear earlier, but even he couldn't help but agree with the gladiators. Whilst Zack was a high level, the six gladiators he'd be up against were at a minimum level 20, and at a maximum level 26. And it was a full team of a variety of classes forming a frontline and a backline. Zack may have been level 46, but this wouldn't end well for him. Did Franocles just want to embarrass Zack or something?

Despite that, Zack continued to smirk as he flawlessly twirled his spear in his hand and gazed across at the gladiator team he had to face. His smile only widened as they spread out and formed a clear frontline and backline; two gladiators with a Warrior Class at the front, two gladiators with the Archer Class at the back, and one with the Mage Class.

A gladiator with the Warrior Class turned back to the gladiator with the Mage class. "It's sparring so you're not gonna be casting spells," he said. "Get a sack of rocks."

"Did you not listen to him?" The gladiator with the Mage Class said with a chuckle. "Franocles specifically said for us to use some magic."

"What?" The Warrior cocked his head, face puzzled. "What if he gets injured?"

The Mage shrugged.

The Warrior turned back to Zack, sighed, and shook his head. "Sorry," he said.

"Orders are orders," Zack said, his smirk widening.

"Damn elves," he said, sheepishly frowning at Zack and slowly approaching, spear pointed at Zack and shield held up, rim covering his chin. "We'll make it gentle."

"Please don't," Zack said. He threw his shield away and pointed his spear at them. "It'd be too boring if you did." Zack sprinted at them, splashing dirt and grass into the air. Ryan blinked and Zack was upon them.

Each time Zack swung his spear at the shields of the frontline their arms would wobble and their bodies would shiver. At the beginning of the fight they frowned, sad at the unfairness of the situation, but after witnessing Zack's strength their frowns were quickly replaced by grimaces, struggling to block Zack's onslaught with their shields.

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A Warrior thrust his spear past his shield to stab at Zack, but he brought his spear down and slapped it away. The other Warrior slashed at him whilst Zack did that.

But he just ducked under it. The Archers and Mage stood behind the frontline and at both of Zack's flanks. The Archers shot arrows at him, and the Mage shot small fireballs at him.

But he'd pivot, spin, and hop out of the way of them just as easily as the spears. It wasn't long until Zack stabbed over the rim of a shield and jabbed a Warrior in the head.

Ryan could hear the wood knocking against his skull and wasn't surprised to see him drop his shield and spear, stumble away in a daze, and then collapse on the floor. A bit much for a sparring match, but Zack was fighting against five gladiators on his own, and judging by his wide smirk, and widened and wild eyes, he was too caught up in the moment to control his strength or care that he did.

His opponents bristled at the sight. Even Ryan's heart leapt. He hoped he never had to spar Zack. He'd be able to learn just as much from Cameron, and atleast then he wouldn't get knocked out unconscious. He experienced enough pain from his Infernal Meditation. A Warrior began muttering an incantation.

They seemed to be getting serious, not wanting to get knocked out for the rest of the day or get any serious injuries. But before he could finish the incantation, Zack feinted his spear at the Warrior's head, baiting him into pulling his shield up to cover his face.

But Zack pulled his spear down to slash at his ankles, sweeping him off of his feet. The shock of his fall made him stumble in the chanting of his incantation. As he fell, Zack stabbed at his head, smashing the wood onto his forehead and causing the back of it to crash against the ground and rattle against it, knocking him out cold.

After dodging the Mage's fireballs, and slapping away the Archer's arrows, Zack ran at the last Warrior. But whilst Zack was doing that, he was chanting an incantation. So by the time Zack swung at him, he already finished.

The Warrior's body glowed. Ethereal red light coalesced into the shape of a shield in front of him. Dirt and shattered grass splashed behind him as his body blurred and zoomed towards Zack. It was the Aegis Rush Skill.

The Warrior's bright and blurring form smashed into Zack, knocking him off his feet and spinning him into a pirouette. The Archers shot arrows at him as he spun in the air.

But as soon as he faced them he slapped the arrows away mid-air. By the time he landed on the grass, sliding across it, the Mage's fireball shot at him from behind the field of arrows.

He ducked under it, letting some of it gently brush and singe the tips of his hair. But as soon as he ducked, the Warrior was upon him. Whilst the Aegis Rush knocked Zack away, it also propelled the Warrior through the air, allowing him to land where Zack did. The Warrior smashed his spear in Zack's face, flicking his head to the side.

He stumbled backwards. His arms flailed. His feet slipped on the grass. The Warrior leapt at him to continue the attack. The Archers knocked arrows to bow strings, and the Mage chanted incantations.

But Zack slapped his feet on the floor, kicked off the grass, lunged at the Warrior pivoted around the side of the Warrior's vertical swing, and slashed his spear at his temple.

The Warrior staggered to the side. His shield fell out of his limp grasp. His feet slipped on the grass. He dropped his spear. He tripped over nothing and crashed into the dirt. Zack turned to the backline, and they all trembled at the sight of him.

They continued shooting projectiles at him, but they did so whilst stalking backwards, pre-emptively wincing and sighing as if they knew their impending doom. They were right to expect that because Zack yawned whilst he ran at them, knocked away arrows with his spear, dashed to the side of fireballs, and smashed his spear against the heads of them one by one until they were all knocked out and unconscious on the grass.

It was only at the end of the little duel that Ryan realised that he wasn't the only one who stopped training to watch Zack's display of excellence. Half of the gladiators on the field watched them intently, amongst them were the members of his own team.

"I'm so glad he's on our team," Marissa said with a smile.

Ryan snorted. He had to agree.

Natalia crossed her arms and frowned. "That just means he'll take all the fun."

Fun? What about killing people or potentially getting killed could be considered fun? "Don't worry," Ryan said. "You can take mine."

Whilst Zack ignored the gladiators he left unconscious on the grass and continued his slow and deliberate practice of spear forms, Franocles stared at him intently with a big grin on his face. He turned to Countess Gladine and walked up the dais to approach her. "He's amazing," he said. "He doesn't just have a high level. He wasn't that much higher than them, yet he beat them with ease. He's skilled, afraid of nothing, and most importantly, enjoys the violent ordeal."

"Thank you for complimenting my wares," Countess Gladine said, frowning at the unconscious gladiators that laid on the grass. "I hope you found acquiring evidence for those compliments more worthwhile than I have."

"I think we'll find it equally worthwhile," Franocles said as he sat back in his seat.

"I'm not intereste-"

"I can already tell that he's quite a rebellious one. I can't imagine how much trouble you go through to control him," he took a sip of his wine, placed the glass back on the table, and then leaned towards her. "How about I take him off of your hands?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"How much?"

"What did I just say?"

Franocles sighed. "If he stays in your hands, your laxness will just allow him to escape. What'll you do when he kills innocent elves in his fugitive escape?"

"I'll bake bread for their families and weep all night long," she said with a chuckle. "But that's the most I'll do. I certainly won't sell him to you."

"Your loss."

She chuckled. "When is even vaguely disagreeing with you not anyone's loss?"

Ryan certainly hoped Countess Gladine didn't sell him. Having Zack and Cameron on the same team was nothing short of a miracle. Not only would their strength keep him alive and make his enemies less so, if he sparred with them enough and fought alongside them enough, he could learn their skills and technique. But hopes don't make the world go round. Whilst he hoped Zack wouldn't be sold, there wasn't much he could do about it. He had to train expecting him to get sold.

So he picked up his spear, intending to get back to work. He tried to spin it again, but his fingers stumbled over each other and the spear fell out of his grasp. He reached for it, but this time he was able to grab it out of the air. At least it didn't fall to the ground this time.

Regardless, he had to practice his Aegis Rush Skill. He picked up a shield from the crates where he got his spear. Hee opened his stat screen and re-read the incantation he had to chant to activate it a few times. Once he ingrained it into his memory he pointed his shield at an empty stretch of the training yard.

"Maka thi…" Ryan chanted. He could feel the shield heat up. Light flickered around it. Sparks flashed on its surface. Until eventually a red glow burst around it. "...kappa!" Ryan finished the chant. The red light morphed into the shape of a shield. The world blurred. Wind smacked his face. He felt insects splatter on his cheeks. His eyes stung. Then he stopped.

The red light dissipated. Severed grass fluttered up and into the air. Dirt splashed away from the impact of his landing. He turned. His eyes widened at the sight of the trail he left. The Skill punched a mini crater into the ground where he activated the Skill. Between there and where he was, a narrow trail dug up and cut into the ground. He couldn't believe he did such a thing with his own body. Within his grasp he had superhuman strength. Incredible.

It was hard to stay impressed by his own strength when he only had to turn his head to see Cameron continue to dominate Dennis, Marissa, Natalia, and Lucien with only one foot, two fingers, and a thumb.

But one day he'd get there. He just had to keep practising his spearmanship and keep meditating.

Not long after Ryan turned to Cameron did he finish up, hitting Dennis, Marissa, Natalia, and Lucien in the head and knocking them to the ground. Cameron turned to Ryan, smiled, and beckoned him over. "I see you've learned the Aegis Rush Skill," he said.

Ryan nodded. "I'm ready to spar," he said.

"Brilliant!" He chuckled and turned to Dennis, Marissa, Natalia, and Lucien as they laid on the floor, panting and sweating. "Because they seem to need some help."

Ryan snorted at the sight of them. He'd be joining them soon. It's not like a mere Level 1 Warrior who never held a spear before was gonna be the one to turn the tides. But he jogged over to them anyway, helping them up and standing by Dennis' side on the frontline.

Then they ran at each other. Their spears clashed. They began sparring.