CHAPTER 5: Dream
MOM, DAD, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME. I'M SORRY I DIDN'T LISTEN TO YOU. I PROMISE TO BE A MODEL CHILD, BUT PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME... Rock, wake up; wake up!; Wake up!!
Hovering right above my face was Gou, trying to wake me up from the nightmare. "That same nightmare again?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. "Unfortunately, yes," I replied, my voice heavy with exhaustion.
My body was drenched in sweat. Ever since I ended up here, I had been plagued by the same dream almost every night; my parents, heading in an unknown direction, abandoning me without a second glance.
"It's time, Rock. We need to go," Gou said, pulling me back to the present.
"Okay, Gou, let's go," I responded, pulling myself together.
After winning in the coliseum, every victor gets the opportunity to use the training hall. It seemed strange to me that they would allow their enemies to train, but they did it for only one reason: to make the fights more exciting. On the same day we defeated the cyclops, after I had returned to my cell, Gou and a few other prisoners were summoned. I didn't ask him for details, but he was the only one who returned alive.
The training hall wasn't very large. It contained a few training dummies, some wooden equipment, and most importantly, numerous guards vigilantly watching over us.
I grabbed a wooden shield in my left hand and a dagger in my right, just as I had during the fight with the cyclops. Gou chose a spear. We decided on a joint sparring session; if they gave me the chance to train, I would utilize every second to maximize my chances of survival.
"Alright, show me what you're made of," Gou shouted at me confidently.
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I began running towards him, thinking that given his stature, he wouldn't be one of the fastest people – how wrong I was. Before I realized it, I was already on the ground, his spear poised right at my throat.
"Too slow, definitely too slow; if you fight like this, you'll die sooner or later," Gou said sternly.
His usually easygoing personality had shifted completely. I had never seen him so serious.
"Alright, get up. We're starting again," he added.
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Seven days passed inexorably quickly, but finally, during our joint training, I felt a subtle difference, as if my dagger skills had slightly improved.
A window popped up before my eyes:
Through training, your understanding of using a dagger has slightly increased, unlocking:
[Passive Skill: [F] Beginner Dagger Proficiency]
Despite this progress, I was still far from being able to defeat Gou. Would I ever be able to overcome an opponent of his caliber? I got lost in my own thoughts.
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Gou. "Listen, Rock, overthinking never helps in a fight. You need to focus on your opponent and his next moves."
"You're probably right, but it's easier said than done. How am I supposed to not think when my life is on the line?" I responded, frustration creeping into my voice.
"It's not a skill you're born with. The more battles you fight, the easier it will become for you," Gou explained, his tone softer yet firm.
After the intense training session, we went to sleep, our bodies and minds exhausted.
The next day, while we were waiting for the guards, one of the prisoners spoke up.
"Today there's a big event, so you'd better prepare yourselves," he said, his tone serious.
"A big event? What do you mean?" I asked, curiosity piqued.
"You're probably new here, so you don't know, but once a month, a grand spectacle is organized in the coliseum. The scale of the fights is much larger than usual. Last month, it was a 50-on-50 battle; this month, they'll probably do something even bigger to show that nothing is wrong in the kingdom."
"Sorry, but what do you mean by 'nothing is wrong'?" I asked, confusion evident in my voice.
"You really don't know? A few days ago, the Kingdom of Freypass lost a major battle to a neighboring kingdom. They probably don't want to stir up uncertainty among the citizens, so today's event will be much larger than usual," he explained.
At that moment, I didn't realize how significant this information would be for my future.