For two weeks now, Marlon had been suffering like a martyr under the tutelage of Jacob, the Platinum rank master swordsman.

There were many moments when he saw death approaching him, but far from de-motivating him, it systematically strengthened his resolve. In fact, every time he found himself on the ground, breathless and with bleeding lips...

The only moments of peace were when he was dying on the floor, with the healer rushing to heal him before the damage was fatal.

However, not once had he complained or asked his tutor to lighten the training. And Jacob thought that it was not hard enough, adding more and more exercises.

Towards the end, Marlon slept only three hours a night, and every inch of his body was in constant pain.

The training consisted mainly of two parts: strengthening his body and strengthening his swordsmanship. In blood, and pain. Then in blood and sweat.

During the first week, he was awakened every night by blows from a wooden club on his legs, ribs, and arms. When he ended up with a few broken bones, a healer would take care of him and get him back on his feet instantly. Often Jacob was the one who hit him, but sometimes other gladiators were sent by the giant, sometimes several at the same time.

Without any respite, he would follow up with a fistfight against Jacob, which usually lasted a good hour, not without several of his joints being dislocated and some of his bones being broken again.

After that came the sword training. Which consisted of facing all the regular fighters of the arena in the training ring, then a prolonged confrontation against Jacob, real swords in hand.

This game always ended, absolutely without exception, very badly for Marlon. He managed to counter some of the blows of the regular fighters and even sometimes to make them fall to the ground, but he never won against them. In addition, they would hit him hard and give him advice on how to defend himself or how he could have countered this or that attack. The advice was of course all recorded by Marlon, but the sadistic smile on the face of the warriors made the lesson always a little more...painful.

The fight against Jacob was of the same type, except that the young man never managed to touch him, nor even to brush against him, it was necessary to admit it. The wounds he suffered from him were always close to being lethal, and often the healer had ended up very pale, exhausted after having treated the young apprentice.

On the sixth day, he had even had his right hand cut off, and he had bent over in pain before throwing himself at the colossus, a devouring rage having taken control of his mind, the dam of his reason giving way under the shock.

It took him eight broken ribs, a fractured nose, and two dislocated joints to calm down by fainting.

After this training from hell, Marlon still had to do physical strengthening exercises from the abyss. There were many moments when he cursed the existence of healing magic, for without it he would never have been able to do all this, let alone stand.

Push-ups with one or more fighters hitting his ribs in turn, or with a monstrous weight on his back. Fighting sequences against wooden dummies, or even postures almost impossible to hold without an indescribable pain burning all his muscles.

Every conceivable physical exercise went through it, all of them reinforced with a part of a beating or a difficulty that he could only barely overcome, while his own life was at stake.

When he had finally finished this part, he was at the end of his rope and only wanted to sleep.

But Jacob did not give him this rest. He took care of Marlon personally afterward, giving him theoretical lessons on how to handle a sword, and how to manage a fight in general.

This piece could have been pleasant, if Jacob did not launch surprise attacks at moments always chosen, forcing Marlon to remain continuously on the alert to absorb the violence of the impact. He tried to dodge, but given his teacher's speed, he quickly realized that the best solution was to take the hit as best he could.

This was the menu for the first week only.

When he passed the seventh day, he was given a full night's rest and a special herbal bath. His newfound skill in herbal medicine allowed him to identify only certain herbs used, all of which were supposed to help strengthen the body and aid in physical recovery.

He had not had the time or energy to train for anything else, such as his runes or his various professional skills.

So the second week had arrived, and with it, he entered the second layer of the underworld. Everything became more brutal, more bloody, more violent.

He had to fight for longer against his opponents, Jacob's lessons also lasted much longer and his attacks had become more frequent, more vicious.

But Marlon, despite the pain, felt the progress made since the first day.

Already, he did not have his hand cut off again, while Jacob had only increased the violence and frequency of his attacks.

Then, from time to time, he managed to injure the warriors of the arena, even if they were not serious injuries or made with technicality. All of them were warier of the young man, who was much more effective in parrying their blows and dodging them with more regularity than before. Their smiles were still present, but less pronounced, and sweat had started to run down their foreheads.

Jacob even had to intervene in one of the fights.

On the twelfth day, Marlon had just dodged a sideways blow from a six-foot monster with hair as red as fire, and he threw himself behind the colossus before thrusting his sword through his opponent's left leg.

Two weeks of beatings and lack of sleep had in no way improved Marlon's mental state, and when he saw that the colossus had difficulty moving thanks to his riposte, his frightening smile resurfaced and his reason disappeared as he pierced his opponent's second leg.

He swung his blade horizontally and slashed the warrior's left forearm, while a hysterical sneer escaped from his lips without stopping. The howl of pain that came out of the red giant's mouth only fueled his madness, and he jumped on the spot for a very short moment before putting all his strength into a blow that would have decapitated him if Jacob's blade had not interposed itself between his sword and the other fighter's neck.

He ignored Jacob's counter and tried again to finish off the wounded man, but a blow of incredible power sank into his ribs and threw him several feet away, breaking several bones and shredding some internal organs in the process.

He couldn't breathe, and blood was pouring out of his mouth as he saw the healer working on the red giant. He tried to get up as best he could, but Jacob was on top of him, and he knocked him down with a hard kick to the head.

When he woke up, he had been treated and Jacob was in the room. He said nothing and stood up, inviting Marlon to follow him, and they continued their routine.

The third week had now begun. The incident with the red giant was never mentioned, nor was the young man's reaction, but he no longer fought against the other warriors in the arena. Only against Jacob. And so he entered the third circle of the underworld.

The training sessions with the other fighters were replaced by painful physical strengthening sessions, which were added to the others, and the fights against Jacob became more intense, but also much more interesting.

Marlon was no longer put down after two or three passes. He was able to parry, dodge and even counterattack at times, almost touching his instructor.

He suspected that Jacob wasn't going all in, but he could feel the steady progress he had made since day one.

One night, before enjoying the short but restful sleep he was allowed to enjoy, Marlon took a look at his status, just to quantify his progress more precisely.

Revenge Drelor: Level 8

Ancient Runist: Level 3 (beginner mastery)

Strength :44

Agility:31

Intelligence :16

Reflexes:21

Constitution :23

HP : 700

Mana : 90

Charisma : 11

Influence : 31

Chance: 12

Familiar :

Feline Chimera (level 1), possible evolution, ????

Loki (level 1), possible evolution, God, Transcendent

Sword mastery: Apprentice

Fishing : Beginner

Herbalism : Beginner

Cooking : Beginner

Alchemy : Beginner

Hunting : Beginner

Survival : Apprentice

The young man was shocked by what he saw, and especially the breakthroughs he had had in various stats.

He had gained twenty points in strength and fifteen in agility! Eight points in reflexes, and ten in constitution! His charisma had only gone up two points, but his life points had gone up three hundred points!

What's more, his swordplay had been upgraded from Beginner to Apprentice!

About three weeks of absolute suffering, of beating in rule and of exercises all more inhuman than the others. But the results were far beyond his expectations!

This raised Marlon's morale, which was beginning to be at half-mast? But there was another problem that only he and Loki were aware of. His murderous madness was becoming more and more pressing, and he was having increasing difficulty fighting his impulses.

He no longer fought the other warriors, but when he passed them in the halls, an almost irrepressible urge to jump down their throats came over him. You could see it in his eyes, because everyone avoided passing too close to him, and even Jacob seemed to be on guard when there were others present near them.

The morning after he confirmed his stats increase, his instructor came to see him upon awakening, in his treatment room that had become his temporary residence within the arena.

"Hi, Revenge. We both need to talk."

The man's tone was somber but he seemed rather relaxed as he addressed the young man.

Marlon sat on his bed, Luna coming to his feet and purring in hope of a caress.

"You've made great progress, in the last three weeks, and honestly, I didn't think you'd last even half that long. Even I was impressed with you. You've almost reached the Bronze rank, and that's no small feat in that amount of time!"

Marlon sensed that the giant had something else he wanted to tell him, so he didn't hesitate to say:

"There's a 'but,' isn't there?"

The colossus nodded and looked at him with a strange glint in his eye.

"A big one at that. You're too sanguine, the rage is in your brain and you have absolutely no control over it. If it wasn't for me, you'd either be dead because of your actions, or you'd have killed one of your opponents when it's just a practice. I wouldn't blame you for your bloodlust if you had it under control, but you definitely don't..."

Jacob paused for a few seconds, and he stared intently at the young man before asking:

"Who did you lose?"

The shock of the question made the young man pale and he found himself instantly projected on the scene of his mother's murder, seeing again every detail, smelling every smell. He almost suffocated as a kind of anguish gripped his heart.

"This guy is way more talented than the others. It's okay, kid. Take a breath."

Loki said no more, for even for him Marlon's increasingly uncontrollable madness was slowly but surely becoming a problem. It would be enough to deftly provoke him and he would lose all reason, becoming an easy target. Perhaps Jacob could help him channel this.

"You know what? Don't answer if you don't feel ready. But given your reaction, I think I've struck a chord. I'll be honest with you. I've been through something similar to you, and if you keep going down this path, you're going to end up dead, or you're going to lose what little you have left. And believe me, there's always something left, even if you think there is."

In a hoarse voice, Marlon finally answered him.

"My mother...they killed my mother without me being able to do anything about it, right in front of my eyes."

His voice had grown hissy, the bloodlust resurfacing as he expressed his desire for vengeance for the first time in this world. His fists had clenched and his body had begun to tremble at the mention of this moment.

Jacob nodded and looked at him with something he had never seen in the warrior's eyes: compassion.

Marlon then continued on his way, wanting to empty his heart as he met for the first time someone who seemed to understand him.

"I don't really care if I die if I can carry out my revenge. And...I have no control. This thirst is overwhelming me and sowing death satisfies it! So as long as it helps me move forward, why would I bother, why would I fight my urges?"

The young man understood of course what Jacob meant, but he was in no way ready to accept it. A part of him took pleasure in the massacres, in the unquenchable thirst for blood and the madness that accompanied it. But he would never say it out loud. He couldn't. That would be to reject completely what still made him human, and he was not ready for that, not yet.

Jacob raised both hands in a gesture of appeasement as the aggression rose in the young man's voice.

"I'm not judging you. I have no right to do so. And I can see you're not ready to listen to me...but if you ever change your mind, let me know. I've managed to channel my rage and take control of it. Believe me, it's even more enjoyable than being ruled by your impulses."

He stood up abruptly and gave Marlon a big smile.

"Well, did you think it was the vacations? The training is not finished! You still have one more week of hell to go, and we'll vary the pleasures! You're still missing something to be a good warrior, do you know what it is?"

The young man was stunned by the change of subject and it totally defused the anger that was rising in him. He shook his head in denial.

"A weapon for distance, here! Handling the sword is vital, but in some situations, you will have to defend yourself against enemies who will be unreachable with your blade. So we're going to teach you the basics of how to use a bow! And also a couple of other details, hahaha!"

At the time of the part of the 'details', the glance of the colossus became malicious, and Marlon was ready to swear that he took malicious pleasure there.

Still, he really liked this thick brute. He was a genius instructor, and he didn't judge him, despite his murderous impulses.

He hurried to follow him, Luna remaining in the room and throwing him an indifferent look while quietly licking her paws.

It was then, as he followed Jacob, that the young man noticed the unusual calm that reigned in the backstage area of the Arena. No clamor, no whistles, not even fighters in the locker room who were training. When he asked Jacob what was going on, Jacob replied with a smile:

"We're in luck! Work is being done in the Arena for four days. A fight with demon beasts that took place while you were unconscious yesterday took out a good portion of the railings on the south side. Which is perfectly timed with our little business."

They had arrived in front of the massive wooden double doors that led to the center of the Arena, the area where all the fights took place.

Jacob forcefully pushed open the two doors and they slowly opened, finally revealing to Marlon a full view of the arena, the real one.

First of all, on the whole, it was a breathtaking sight. The combat area was huge, with a radius of at least a hundred meters, and covered entirely with sand. In the center was a massive stone tower that towered over everything and at the top of which could be seen luxurious lodges that must have been reserved for the elites or the very good payers. The sun was not yet at its zenith, so the air was fresh and pleasant to breathe.

Then the bleachers. They stood all around the arena, countless stone benches lined up perfectly like dominoes, drawing almost perfect lines all around the arena. The fact that they were all empty gave a strange impression as if time had stood still.

At the four cardinal points, access tunnels leading to staircases leading to the outside seemed to be as many giant mouths ready to vomit their stream of spectators eager for blood and combat.

The combat area was surrounded by thick wooden barriers that were easily more than three meters high and marked the beginning of the stands that were somewhat above them.

Marlon could clearly see the area where those barriers had been destroyed and couldn't help but see the gigantic bull he had seen when he entered the city of Delia. A beast like that could do the same damage, but who would be foolish enough to face it face to face?!

Jacob put his hand on the young man's shoulder and pulled him further into the arena.

"Nice show, right? Well, now that you've enjoyed the view, let's get down to business."

He whistled loudly and suddenly, twenty warriors came out of the access tunnels and sat on the bleachers, all around the young man. All of them had a bow in hand and a quiver strapped to their backs.

"You will learn to handle the bow, but first you will have to understand how to dodge properly. That's the most important thing. Don't worry, the arrowheads are round and won't hurt you badly. Unless they hit you in the head, of course, but to each his own, right?"

And so began the last infernal phase.

In the morning, Marlon did his best to dodge dozens of rounded arrows thrown at him. When a bone broke or he fainted from a head injury, the healer would magically appear and leave after healing him, leaving him to undergo the rest of the training.

In the afternoon, he was to practice shooting arrows with a simple wooden bow that Jacob gave him. At first, it was on fixed targets. Then, after three days, when he managed to hit the fixed targets consistently, moving warriors took their place while others shot from the stands.

Then in the evening, before resting, he had to repeat continuously the same posture exercises with the sword in order not to rust.

Marlon was sure that Jacob was forcing the work to drag on, for it was not until the seventh day that the repairs were completed and his ordeal ended. But as usual, he had progressed enormously thanks to the colossus, and only a barbarian's training such as this could allow someone to progress so quickly.

When he saw that his level of bow mastery had gone from beginner to apprentice, he was stunned, and it was the evening of the last day of his training.

Jacob came to him in his room and patted him on the back in a friendly manner, which almost twisted two more vertebrae.

"Congratulations, Revenge. I have to officially announce that you have just passed the Bronze rank in Sword Mastery! I think you are no longer a rookie and you will be able to defend yourself much better now! I think Rastan had already told you, but don't miss a single day of training, it's important if you want to keep progressing!"

Marlon felt a mixture of excitement and regret at this announcement.

"Is it possible to continue training to progress further? To the Silver rank, for example?"

Jacob shook his head as he explained to the young man:

"Not at the moment. You need to absorb what I've taught you, for a few months. Or a few weeks in your case, you learn fast. And you have to fight. A lot. There's nothing like real-life situations to progress. But you're going to have to be careful with your...problem."

The young man thought about it and decided to take a chance.

"We are in an arena, right? Aren't there organized fights? Could I participate?"

Jacob's eyes glowed fiercely and a big smile appeared on his face.

"If you are really motivated, in three months a big tournament is organized. You have to be at least Copper Rank and no higher than Silver Rank. There will be all kinds of participants, including a lot of adventurers who are relatively new to the city. The tournament prize is very attractive. Ten gold Amecareth, and some other interesting items!"

Marlon then smiled back as he heard the colossus talk about the tournament. It was just what he needed! And within three months, he would have time to prepare himself in many ways, perhaps even to raise his professional levels.

"Sign me up, please, I want in!"

"I figured you'd say that. One last thing, not the least: it will fight to the death..."

The smile of Marlon became much colder, his eyes agitated under the effect of the adrenalin which he felt at this moment. And it is with a badly camouflaged excitement that he answered:

"I wouldn't expect anything less, haha!"