48 Hours a Day

Bach didn’t care if Varo lived or died. He was only willing to plead for Varo because of Zhang Heng.

Since that hard-fought victory, Bach had begun paying attention to this Easterner that he previously never bothered to even look at. He even secretly observed Zhang Heng from time to time during the training.

However, the outcome only confused him even more. Looking serious, Zhang Heng did not slack off during the duration of the training. When it came to his performance, however, it was lower than average. Hence, it was not an accident that Gaby classified him as a gladiator candidate with a good attitude but limited talent.

Zhang Heng’s Asian appearance was rare and strange to them, not to mention how it could be used as a selling point. Consequently, Gaby was prepared to loosen up some of his requirements during his final assessment.

…

Three days was a short time, especially for someone who had just experienced something devastating. It was far from enough time for Varo to cheer up. But as Bach had said before, everyone on the training ground had a story, and they had a reason for their enrolment at the gladiator school. Although it was wrong to be miserable, life was, at most times, cruel. With no way to change what had happened, all the person could do was grab hold of the present.

Judging from his current condition, it seemed Varo had even given up on the present. And he intended to give up on himself as well. In the three days granted to Varo, Zhang Heng did not do anything for him. Zhang Heng had decided to help because he was a friend, not to mention how this was supposed to be Varo’s last chance of proving that he was worthy of staying here. If Varo himself had lost the desire to live, however, it would be pointless trying to help him no matter how hard someone tried.

It was a shame that Varo would have to spend the rest of his life in a cold and dark mine.

But Zhang Heng did not expect that a small accident would happen in the afternoon of the third day.

There were gladiator performances in the arena. Since the arena was low on manpower, Gaby ordered Varo, who had no hope of passing the assessment, to help him, informing him at the same time that there was no need to attend the training anymore.

Gaby had given up on Varo completely, and it was almost the deadline. A group of new slaves would be sent off to work in the mines the day after tomorrow, and he planned to send Varo away at that time.

When Varo heard the news, his face still bore no expressions. Neither struggling nor resisting, it appeared his heart was dead. He put down his training sword and followed the overseer to the arena obediently.

His partner showed a touch of joy when he left. He felt unlucky after he was asked to train with Varo, seeing how the experience was similar to chopping a tree. Now that his sparring partner was his trainer, Varo’s partner could feel the pressure mounting on his shoulders.

Zhang Heng watched Gaby disappearing into the entrance of the training ground. He did not know if this would be the last time he would see Varo. On the other side, Bach stole glances at Zhang Heng as usual. And Gaby found out about it this time. The latter harrumphed in dissatisfaction, then clapped his hands and asked for everyone’s attention. He then made an announcement.

“Starting today, everyone’s training volume will be doubled.”

The announcement caused a mighty uproar. The training regime designed for the gladiator candidates was extremely tough, no doubt harder than the basic training regime during the first week of school. If their current training were to be doubled, they would not have time to sleep or eat. Let’s not even talk about the assessment. If this were to go on, they might not even last until the day that would happen.

Hearing the announcement had Zhang Heng feeling displeased. He could see that Gaby was getting desperate. Although there was no scientific training in this era, the gladiators were the cash cows of gladiator schools. Under normal circumstances, the school was obliged to take good care of them.

There was a limit on both the amount of training and the frequency of performances that every gladiator could endure. The gladiator school would also use massages, baths, and strict diet control to keep their gladiators in good shape. The warriors ate a staple diet made of whole-wheat, and at the request of the school, grounded animal bones to enhance their bone strength and toughness.

Doubling the amount of training could seriously damage the trainees’ physiology. It might work well for a short time, but it certainly wasn’t a cost-effective option in the long run.

Because he had just chatted with Habitus, and the outcome was not optimistic.

The Gaul was very cunning. It seemed like they were told that Gaby was having a problem finding someone to be Sethnets’ successor. So, they had asked the gladiator school to invest more money in them, refusing to become the backup gladiators.

Habitus was a veteran gladiator, and he knew exactly how this business worked. There are always twists and turns in a matter like this. Gaby asked him to hold on until Bach’s skills had fully matured. After that, in order to squeeze every penny out of him, Gaby would arrange a duel between him and Bach, allowing Bach to defeat him.

There was nothing more eye-catching than this kind of battle, something that would certainly trigger the audience’s interest in Bach. It was a good plan so far, with the only problem being Habitus not wanting to become Bach’s stepping stone.

If Habitus was a slave, Gaby could disregard his opinions and make him obey his orders without question. In general, the school would not force their star gladiators to do things they were unwilling to do. However, the school was not in a special phase, and Habitus, unfortunately, differed from Bach, Zhang Heng, and others. He was a free man.

And he was not just a free man who regained his freedom from slavery. He was a regular Roman citizen, just like Varo. He wanted to become a gladiator simply because of the money and women. Although he had signed a contract with the gladiator school, one that required him to perform in the arena for a few years, at least after training was complete, he was only bound by the school on the surface.

Gaby wanted to discuss things with him that he could not tell anyone else. Every gladiator school had unspoken rules when it came to arranging duels for their gladiators. They had to consider their popularity and promote their newcomers. The crowd wouldn’t want to see some carefully choreographed stunt, so such things were naturally not in the contract.

Habitus’s contract was not entirely fulfilled so far, and he did not want to go against the gladiator school. However, he did not want to sacrifice his own interests and let the school take advantage of him. Habitus was also unsure if he could hang on until Bach’s skills were fully grown. Hence the two parties did not agree to the terms of the initial negotiation.

Gaby could only continue to force Bach to develop his potential as soon as possible. Bach was still young anyway. Although he came off looking rough and rugged, his actual age was only eighteen. Even if he had hidden illness, it wouldn’t be surfacing for the time being.

Others were collateral damage. To make Bach feel like he wasn’t the only one asked to double the training, Gaby decided to ask everyone to do it with him.