Tap- tap- tap—
The guard in front of me casually walked ahead, never once glancing back.
"…"
I kept my eyes moving as I followed behind him, trying to entertain myself somehow—because I was starving as fuck.
'I feel like I'm gonna pass out… it's a miracle I'm even on my feet right now.'
I thought, a slight frown creeping onto my face. I just hope that wherever we were headed, there'd be food.
'Or else I might start tweaking and punch everyone in the face.'
Tap- tap- tap—
I kept walking quietly behind the guard.
...
...
Eventually, after a while on our way—
"Hm?"
I started noticing a change in my surroundings.
The place looked… better.
There were no more cages in sight.
The hallways were wider, more polished—clean and well-lit.
It was clear this part of the coliseum was well maintained.
"…"
I looked around with curiosity.
Servants passed by, dressed in cleaner, finer clothes than what I saw Rai wore. There were actual furnishings—decorative ones too. And notably, there were no slaves in sight.
And then, not long after—
...
Tap—
We stopped in front of a massive set of wooden double doors. There were two crossed swords carved into the front—clearly meant to impress.
It wasn't a cell.
"…"
I stood still, silently staring up at it in awe.
And while I was admiring the craftsmanship—
"Go in. You can claim your rewards there."
The guard who brought me here finally spoke.
"…"
I glanced at him briefly, not saying anything at first. But after a short pause—
"Got it."
I replied weakly, placing both my hands on the door.
Pat—
"Hup…!"
I gave it a push.
But—me, being a kid, hungry as hell, and still recovering—
"..."
'Bruh…'
The doors barely budged.
"…"
I noticed the guard staring at me with a mix of disbelief and disappointment. Then, after shaking his head slightly—
"Haaa... Here."
CREAK—!!
He sighed and pushed the doors open for me.
"Thanks."
I muttered.
And without wasting another second or saying anything else—
Tap—
I stepped into the room behind the grand double doors.
And right there—
"…"
I was left speechless by what greeted me.
*****
Behind the massive wooden doors was a very spacious room—much bigger than the copper place where I stayed with Brock and the others. It was well furnished and decorated too.
And in the room—
I could see a lot of tables, a lot of servants, and most importantly—a lot of food!
'Mnm... They smell nice...'
Just as I was staring at the feast laid out on the tables—
"Hm? Who are you?"
I heard someone speak from my right.
"Huh?"
I turned my head toward the voice and saw a guard—he was much better armed and armored than the regular guards I see every day.
Anyway—
"Who are you?"
He repeated his question, seeing me in a daze.
And this time, instead of just staring—
"My name is Kaiser. I was brought here to claim my prize after my first fight, apparently."
I answered him with that. My stomach ached like hell after talking that much.
But with my words—
"Ah, right... I think I know who you are now."
The guard gave a nod of recognition—nothing more, nothing less.
"You look way younger in person."
He added casually. And before I could even say anything—not that I had anything to say—
"Come on in, enjoy your rewards."
The guard stepped aside and said that, also gesturing me to walk past him.
"Mhm."
I nodded. But before following through—
"I'm hungry. Can I eat the food there?"
I asked bluntly, pointing at one of the long tables stacked with food.
"Ah, haha..."
The guard laughed at me. And with a casual wave of his hand—
"Sure, eat it all if you like. A servant will approach you later and explain everything to you in clear detail."
He told me.
"Thanks."
I replied shortly, not paying much attention to the last part of his sentence.
And with that—
Tap- tap- tap—
I began making my way toward the table full of food.
Tap—
Each step I took was confident—no hesitation, just pure hunger.
"…"
I felt a lot of eyes on me. There were other people in here too—not just guards and servants. From the looks of it, they were all fighters too like me, probably here to claim their own rewards.
"..."
But I didn't give two shits about them and ignored their stares completely.
Tap—
And the moment I reached the food table—
FWIP—
I immediately grabbed a roasted chicken leg. And in raw desperation—
"Gurgh...!"
Nom—
I took a bite on it and started devouring it like a beast.
...
...
I finished it in under ten seconds and immediately reached for another.
Then again.
And again.
I think I had about ten chicken legs—not that I was counting.
And honestly, I didn't care.
'The guard said I could eat it all if I can.'
I casually thought to myself internally.
*****
After eating enough that my stomach finally stopped growling—
I took a plate from the corner of the long table and started putting food on it properly, like a civilized person.
'This place is like a buffet, not gonna lie.'
I thought to myself, grabbing a whole roasted chicken, smoked beef cuts, and thick slices of roasted pig meat.
"..."
I kept getting glances—probably because my plate was already stacked to the brim, and yet, I was still trying to fit more onto it.
But whatever.
'I'm so hungry, I can't give a fuck.'
Tap—
I made my way to an empty table for four after that and tucked in the corner of the room, away from the crowd.
And there—
"Nom—"
I started eating again. By now, the other fighters inside the room had lost interest in me and went back to their own business.
I was minding my own too—and I'd prefer it to stay that way.
But—
"Ehem, hello, erm... Sir?"
I suddenly heard a voice from right in front of me.
"...?"
I lowered the chicken leg in my hand and paused my chewing. Then I looked up toward the source of the voice.
"..."
I saw a man in a fancy servant outfit, smiling at me like an idiot.
"If you want food, it's over there."
I said to him, casually pointing at the long buffet table with the chicken bone still in my hand.
"I'm not here for that."
He replied almost immediately, still smiling, it was fake as fuck though.
"Then what do you want?"
I asked bluntly, taking another bite of the chicken without even waiting for his answer.
And opening his mouth—
"I'm here to explain to you how rewards works and what you got from your last fight."
The servant said that.
"..."
I froze after hearing him, though I kept chewing.
Gulp—
I swallowed the food in my mouth.
And opening it back up again—
"Oh, sure. Please do tell me what I got and everything."
I muttered that.
Nom—
Then I continued eating.
"Well..."
The servant didn't seem to mind at all and started explaining to me about the rewards and everything I needed to know after a fight.
"..."
I listened to him intently.
...
...
...
"That's all."
The servant finally said after finishing his explanation.
"..."
I remained silent, processing everything he just told me.
So this is how it goes—
After winning a fight, gladiators receive rewards. They'll earn battle points that they can use to purchase things.
They also gain access to the prize room for a full day—which is this room—where we can eat as much as we want, rest, and relax.
And also—
'I can finally take a bath.'
It's been more than a week since I got into this world—maybe two now... and I hadn't taken a bath ever since.
I stank.
Even my own nose doesn't like how I smell.
Anyway, this room is like an eden for gladiators after surviving a deadly match and winning. The prize room apparently gets better the higher your fighter rank is.
"..."
That got me curious—just how much better are the prize rooms of the higher ranks?
Anyway, moving on—
That wasn't the reward I was most interested in.
"..."
I looked at the servant who had been explaining all this with a raised brow.
And with my lips parting—
"So I can get anything I want from the opponent I defeated after every fight... and I can keep them?"
I asked that.
"Yep, that's right. Only one thing though."
The servant confirmed without hesitation.
And hearing him—
"Hah..."
A small smile crept onto my face.