I stood there, panting heavily, my body aching from the brutal fight. My vision blurred slightly as I gazed up at the sky, the cheers of the crowd echoing throughout the coliseum. Their voices merged into one deafening roar, celebrating my unexpected victory.
"That was so close... I thought I was a goner. Thank goodness," I muttered under my breath, still trying to process everything that had happened.
I turned my head slightly and caught sight of the charred, still-burning corpse of the beast. A cold shiver ran down my spine. Where did those flames come from? I thought. Why did they only affect the monster but not me? The realization dawned on me. Was it magic? Did I use magic?
Before I could delve deeper into the thought, my gaze shifted to the guard who had dragged me into this nightmare. The look of shock and disbelief on his face was almost comical. His wide eyes, gaping mouth, and trembling stance made it clear that he had never expected me to survive. I narrowed my eyes, giving him the coldest death stare I could muster. Yeah, you bastard, I'm alive.
Soon after, I was taken back to my cell, the cheers of the crowd still ringing in my ears. But the moment the heavy iron bars clanked shut behind me, reality crashed down. The cold, damp stone walls, the filth-covered floor, and the unbearable stench of sweat and blood reminded me of my cruel existence.
Over the next few days, I began to truly grasp my current circumstances. I was a slave, a gladiator fighting for the entertainment of the masses. My name—Naberius. Orphaned. Judging by my body's condition, I was around ten to twelve years old. Of all the possible scenarios of reincarnation, I had somehow started my isekai journey from one of the hardest routes imaginable.
I sighed. Well, nothing can be done by complaining. If I want to survive, I need to find a way out of this slavery. More than that, I need to understand exactly where I am in the story of Magi. What point in the timeline am I at?
One thing was clear—I was in the Reim Empire, fighting in their infamous gladiator arena. I always knew being a slave was terrible, but experiencing it firsthand was unbearable. Every moment of my life here was dictated by my captors. I ate only when given food, trained when ordered, and fought for my life at their whim.
After my first victory, reality hit me hard. I had to kill to survive. Monsters, other gladiators, even masters—I had slain them all. The weight of taking another person's life was something I hadn't anticipated. Each time I ended a life, my stomach churned, and I found myself vomiting in the solitude of my cell.
But weakness had no place here. If I hesitated, I would be the one lying lifeless in the dirt.
I knew that knowledge was my only way out. Using what I remembered from Magi, I delved into the concept of magic. The flames I had summoned against the beast weren't just luck—they were proof that I had magical potential. If I could understand it, control it, I would have a real advantage. But mastering magic was proving far more difficult than I had expected. It seemed my abilities only surfaced when I was in extreme danger, acting on their own rather than by my conscious will.
Still, I refused to give up. Alongside my attempts at magic, I honed my physical abilities. My strength, speed, flexibility, and stamina were beyond anything I had ever imagined. This body of mine had monstrous potential, and I needed to make full use of it. I adopted daggers as my primary weapons, practicing their use whenever I had a moment. On top of that, I started refining my boxing skills, using them as my foundation for combat.
But no matter how strong I became, there was one thing I couldn't change—the absolute misery of being a slave. I hadn't bathed in weeks, the filth and grime clinging to my skin, reminding me of the degrading conditions I lived in. The chains around my neck and limbs were a constant reminder that I wasn't free.
I clenched my fists.
This can't be my fate. I refuse to stay like this forever. I will escape. I will gain control of my own life. No matter what it takes, I will become strong enough to break free from this hell.
The first step? Survive. The second? Learn everything I could about magic, the world, and the story I now lived in. And after that?
Find my path to freedom.
To be continued...