Beginning of revenge

It's been a month. 

All my injuries are gone. 

But peace? 

Peace is for corpses. 

They've been working us like rabid dogs ever since. 

Training. Drills. Sparring. Over and over, like machines made of pain. 

No rest. No mercy. 

And the food? 

Still dogshit. 

Rotten. Slimy. Tastes like someone tried to boil sadness and served it cold. 

I thought the [Fallen Hero – SSS Rank] title would kick in. 

Thought I'd level up by leaps and bounds. 

Become unstoppable in a week. A god in a month. 

But there's a catch: 

I only gain EXP from bad deeds. 

Training doesn't count. 

So while the others were slowly growing stronger… 

So was I. 

At the same speed. 

Like a normal f*cking person. 

I haven't tried doing anything dark. Not yet. 

Why? 

Because I'm weak here. 

Because they have rules. 

Strict ones. 

Disobey — and you get beaten half to death. Or all the way. 

Every slave gets their own "room." 

More like a closet. 

A thin bed, a piss bucket, barely enough space to stretch my legs. 

Nothing but walls and silence. 

Not that different from a cage, if I'm honest. 

And now? 

My first fight is coming up. 

Soon. 

They told us the truth about the arena. 

It's not always to the death. 

Most fights stop at first blood. 

Turns out raising a strong gladiator costs time, gold, and lots of effort. 

Nobody wants to waste their investment. 

So death? Rare. 

Pain? Constant. 

Freedom? Possible. 

If I win enough. 

If I earn glory. 

If I make the crowd scream my name… 

They say I could walk free. 

I don't believe them. 

But I've got nothing else. 

So yeah — let's see how much blood I need to spill before I get a taste of freedom. 

Let's see who dies first. 

First thing's first. 

I need a plan. 

Step one: Do bad things. Embrace the whole Fallen Hero – SSS Rank deal. I've been holding back, trying to play nice, but f*ck that. The system literally rewards evil — so I might as well start cashing in. 

Step two: Earn my freedom. Win fights. Gain fame. Become a goddamn legend in the arena. Once I'm free, the world's fair game. 

Step three… I'm not sure yet. 

Taking down an entire kingdom? That's suicide. Okabe's probably protected twenty-four seven — dude's a [Hero], which means royal guards, divine blessings, and plot armor out the ass. 

But there's someone else. 

Todd. 

Yeah. That bastard who beat me half to death and sold me like trash. I heard his name from one of the merchants. 

He'll be my first kill. 

Revenge. Clean. Personal. 

After that… I don't know. Can't solo a kingdom, even with broken stats. I'll need a team. Or an army. Or something. 

But honestly? 

I hate the idea of allies. 

I don't trust people. Never have. Never will. I like being the boss of me. No strings. No fake smiles. No one to betray me when sh*t gets hard. 

But whatever. 

I'll figure it out. 

Adapt and survive. 

That's the game now. 

"Hey! You're up next — get ready for your match." 

The voice snapped me out of it. 

Right. No more planning. No more thinking. 

It's time.