I Became a Gladiator in the World of Gender Reversal

22 – Rookie Gladiator-8

Little by little, I was adjusting to life as a gladiator.

However, it seemed that I would not be able to adapt easily to this one.

“According to the distance! Steadyness is more important than speed! You are not even a runner!”

A gladiator running out of line screams.

Probably not my problem. It was a difficult situation to the point where I was in a hurry to even follow, behind them.

“Yes, well done. Continue like this. One lap left, one lap!”

There was no time to think. My lungs hurt and I think I will die.

If I had known it would be like this, I would have done aerobic exercise in advance. Well, if you put it like that, it was a completely meaningless assumption.

If I had thought that I would become a gladiator, I would have worked hard with a good body and modern facilities instead of studying or going around looking for a job.

Numerous buttocks were shaking in front of me. I don’t know why, but all the gladiators were in good shape.

There were few people with small breasts, and few people without hips.

Personally, I think that there may be something in the genes of the people living here that the huge amount of food is concentrated only in those areas.

However, enjoying it is only the first or second wheel. As you run, your survival instinct dominates your body rather than visual stimulation.

“Okay, that’s it!”

“Huh, huh, ha…”

I collapsed, squeezing my screaming legs. The other gladiators were breathing heavily, as if there was no difference.

“Good work, huh, whoa… Evan!”

“Huh? Go, Huh Huh, Thank you.”

One of the gladiators handed me a gourd bowl. I drank the water with difficulty.

“Wait, did you bring this all the way here?”

There was a huge bucket of water placed for the gladiators, but we had to walk a few more steps to get there.

Usually, the gladiators who caught their breath and released their legs would go for a drink. It had nothing to do with me.

“I got permission from the person standing in line. Don’t worry and drink.”

Looking toward the bucket, the gladiators were looking at the gladiator standing in front of me with jealous eyes.

“Let me do this.”

“I’ll be back when I finish drinking!”

I thought it was excessive consideration, but it wasn’t that I wasn’t thankful.

One of the fallen gladiators next to me gasped and spoke.

“That… You know, it’s not that I’m thinking like that… Wouldn’t you notice if I came out wearing that kind of clothes?”

“Clothes?”

Even in a fantasy world, the basic principles of body training have not changed much.

Strengthen your arms by lifting heavy objects, and other bare-body exercises or running.

So, even with the clothes, there wasn’t much of a difference. It hasn’t changed the fact that wearing thin, ‘relatively’ breathable clothing is effective for exercise.

“How do you like this outfit?”

Of course, these clothes are of much poorer quality than the digital T-shirts worn in the military. Still, it wasn’t too uncomfortable except for a little tight fit.

“That’s thin, uh… See-through…”

“No, all the other kids come out wearing clothes like that.”

Even when she said that, her sweaty clothes exposed the curves of her chest.

It was a kind of reciprocity. I was acknowledging their gaze with the feeling that if you see, I see too.

After the first canter, the other gladiators sent me to the end of the procession because they couldn’t concentrate.

“Anyway, the guts are amazing. It’s sure to go well. There aren’t that many gladiators who participate in this gathering from day one.”

“Really?”

Come to think of it, the number of people here was absurdly small compared to the number of gladiators in the Colosseum.

“Isn’t it difficult? It doesn’t seem like it’s going to help in a sword fight right now.”

“Yes, but…”

It’s me. Yesterday, another gladiator said, ‘Would you like to come out to play in the morning?’, So I just followed him.

“Then how did you come out?”

“The kids here, even if not all of them are the strongest, win in a long-term battle.”

“Aha.”

“Because I’m a little less tired…Well, it’s an inefficient training method, but once you lose in a long game, you come out even if it’s unfair.”

Even among gladiators, is it possible that things like styles are divided?

However, I am a beginner. Even if I give up later because of laziness, if there is a way for me to become stronger now, I shouldn’t hesitate.

“Thank you.”

My throat was still dry. I exchanged a short greeting and trudged towards the water container, which should have been exposed by now.

/////

“It’s new armor.”

After the meal, I entered the training ground, and a welcome guest was waiting for me.

“Dana?”

“Uh, my sister… Said it would be nice if I handed it over…”

The brash look at that time was nowhere to be seen, she handed her armor with her shy face with her cheeks blushing.

“Nice.”

It seemed like a lot of money would go into buying just one piece of armor like this.

While the barbarism of a gladiator remained, it looked noble like a paladin’s armor and had a practical feel like a knight’s armor.

“Can I just wear this…?”

When she first heard that she had to wear armor, she thought that she could wear very uncomfortable armor, but the way she put it on was simpler than she thought.

“If you put on the breastplate first, it will be difficult to attach the leg guards or arm guards.”

“Thank you.”

She took off her half-clad breastplate again, and put on the armor in turn.

I couldn’t see myself in the mirror, but I felt like I would come up with a good posture.

“Wonderful…”

Actually, if you look closely, I want to know what is important to me. After all, the style of clothes will change depending on how others, not me, react.

Just being able to make Dana’s expression like that was enough.

“But this…Is a bit heavier than I thought?”

She was only wearing the armor, but her whole body felt heavy.

When I moved the joints around, there was nothing that caught on, but the weight of the steel was enough to make me weigh down.

“People here fight wearing heavy clothes like this…”

“Huh? No. It can’t be. How did you walk around wearing it? That armor, it’s heavier than necessary.”

Dana shook her head in disbelief.

“Then…Why?”

“You, for a man… No, just looking at it objectively, you’re pretty strong. It’s clothes tailored to your standards, so other gladiators wouldn’t dare to wear them, right?”

“Isn’t it good to have a lot of armor?”

“There’s probably not even half of these gladiators who can run around wearing it. About half of them would rather take off their clothes than be sluggish in it.”

“Hmm…”

“And… Even though a new class is needed, you still have to balance it out, right? I can’t let you bleed. Daisy-sister paid a lot of attention.”

I nodded. No matter how much you are a man, you shouldn’t shed blood, and since you came out wearing steel armor, it’s a story that has nothing to do with the gladiator who will face you in the end in the ring.

The reason why the armor is heavier than necessary is to be fair with the enemy standing in front of the ring.

“If there are people who envy this armor, you should wear it and fight. What is that feeling?”

“Exactly. You should be careful too. Armor has many advantages, of course, but that doesn’t make you invincible.”

“It will take some time to get used to…”

“Do you want to lightly stick together for once?”

Dana smiled and brought out her wooden sword and wooden shield.

“After…”

I was holding it in my hand, but in reality I was giving up on winning.

Since I was lucky enough to win a bare-handed sparring once, I had a certain degree of confidence and fought other gladiators in sparring with wooden swords.

The result was a disaster. A disastrous and one-sided defeat to the point that my sword never touched her body.

In hindsight, it was natural. Even people who have nothing to do with fighting, holding a sword once or twice is a daily routine in this world.

Unless you are protected from all threats and violence like the men of Selam, everyone has experienced that much.

To put it mildly, it was like a gladiator living here asking for a fight through a game to a semi-progamer-level modern person.

I don’t know the basic principles. The concept of a sword and the concept of fighting were far away.

“Let’s do it.”

However, I stood face to face with Dana on a small ring. Well, considering that this was part of a date, it wasn’t something I couldn’t do.

Besides, even if you lose, there will be a lot to learn from the fight with Dana. I was a person who needed to grow even a little bit rather than deciding whether to win or lose a fight right away.

“Let’s do it lightly. You, it’s a match soon, right? If you get hurt, it’s going to be a big deal. If you sprain your ankle, will I be caught by Daisy and killed?”

Dana smiled kindly and moved lightly, swinging her wooden sword.

“Big!”

Spicy. The wooden sword, which seemed to lightly touch the armor, contained powerful power.

There is no pressure on her expression. Dana’s posture did not change in the slightest.

Obviously, my arms are longer, so I should have a slightly longer range, but it feels like she is hitting me one-sidedly.

However, it is not fatal.

Compared to the sparring where the bare body staggered when hit by a wooden sword, the armor was surely absorbing the shock.

Of course, considering that the user only swung the sword and never hit Dana, it was unreasonable.

It was a light sparring, but the walls were high. I collapsed on the floor after not competing for a few moves, breathing heavily and looking at the ceiling.

“How is it?”

Dana casually lay down next to me and looked at the ceiling of the training ground together.

“…Well, that’s good.”

Lying on the ring with Dana seemed more comfortable than my own bed.