I Became a Gladiator in the World of Gender Reversal

43 – Breaking the Illusion-14

From the moment I made eye contact with Florence holding the sword, to some extent I expected that this would end.

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Although it is called sparring using practice knives, it was a fight that might be more dangerous than a duel in the ring.

There is no medical team right next to you, and you won’t lose right away just because you bleed or lose your posture.

That was the problem. To admit defeat.

I had to buy myself. This was just practice, not actual combat, and how long I could endure was a matter of my will.

I desperately endured in my own way. However, continuing this fight was an act of greater loss than gain.

“…I lost.”

Florence’s body was shaking. She made an awkward expression as if she couldn’t understand, but I didn’t have enough time to look at it for a long time.

My legs were weak. She fell down

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“How is it? Didn’t you win because you were strong?”

It was a disastrous defeat with no excuses.

No matter how many shields there are, I couldn’t have the skills to block her rapier with just that shield.

There was no armor that protected me in a sword fight. The rapier’s attack, which I was able to receive with my body somehow, pierced my body mercilessly here and there.

However, it wasn’t just because of that that I lost.

Her eyes were alive. He uncovered my weaknesses with all his might, and observed every single movement of mine as if he were seeing right through it.

Her attack, which desperately aimed at me, did not tolerate my clumsy footwork.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried rushing through the gap or cutting her sword.

However, Florence endured all the attacks with gritted teeth. She landed a few effective hits, but she never went down.

Due to the difference in physique, the attack with the wooden sword must have been unbearably painful. Having seen it right, I can vouch for it.

A wooden sword is a weapon that prevents flesh from being cut, not a weapon that prevents bones from being broken.

Even her powerful shock power was not enough to stop her. Florence was struck by a sword on her right arm, but the tip of her sword was not blunted at all.

For me, who was in pain even standing, there was no longer a chance. If you grit your teeth and endure, tomorrow’s training will only become more difficult.

“Ha…”

Seeing Florence approaching me, I felt a strange anger.

“You can do it…”

I tried desperately in her own way, but I couldn’t win her sincerity.

Well, it wasn’t an incomprehensible result. She also doesn’t seem to have lived an easy life enough to lose to me, who hadn’t even fought a proper fight for months.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Choi, I think I’ll get angry if I don’t do my best…”

“Thank you.”

I don’t know why she changed her mind, but it’s clear that she wasn’t sincere even when she had a sword fight with me.

It was a bit grateful to me that such a Florence barely gave her heart to Dalian.

Her loss was upsetting, but it wasn’t something to hate her for. Rather, I was grateful.

Certainly, it helped.

The damage taken from a single attack was not that great, and whenever distance control failed or loopholes were shown, a penalty was given with tangible pain.

I felt like a teacher who scolded me whenever I did something wrong.

Florence reached out to me. I grabbed it and got up.

“Ha!”

“Oh, sorry.”

She must have been exhausted as well, lost her balance and stumbled under my weight.

“Are you okay?”

I supported her with my arms so that she would not fall down. Florence, who looked at me with her head raised, shook her head with a blushing face.

“Sir, excuse me!”

“It’s okay.”

Come to think of it, I thought that this person’s tone of voice was not consistent.

Well, since I’ve never heard of a lady’s way of speaking, ‘it’s like that!’ When it came out, there was nothing to refute.

“Then… After that, could you sparr with me?”

“Hmm…”

To put it very calmly, I didn’t know there might be a better opponent.

The rapier is a weapon that no one but her uses. When the league starts, you will have to fight countless battles, so you have to learn how to respond to ordinary weapons.

You need to build up your knowledge of ‘normal’ gladiators, such as Secutor, who uses a sword and shield, Hoplomaki, who uses a spear and shield, and Retiarius, a class that is as strong as it gets a lot of swearing.

“Hmm, is that not possible…”

However, she learned a lot from sparring with her. When it comes to her spacing, quickness, and blocking stab attacks with her shield, she couldn’t have a better teacher than her.

Moreover, in a way, it is similar to a beginner gladiator. She didn’t want to be cold-hearted.

“Sure. Tell me anytime.”

“I understand! The girl will sincerely try not to fall behind Evan’s sword!”

Florence smiled happily. She was in pretty good shape anyway.

/////

Florence, remembering the exhilarating feeling of Dalian, was focusing on training.

It was a formal dress that chose beauty rather than practicality, but there was no discomfort in moving the body right away.

“Nice… G.”

The touch of her stabbing him, the feeling of her running away from him, the feeling of her elation that he was genuinely watching her.

There was nothing that I wasn’t happy about.

It’s only been a few days since she fought him in the ring, but Florence was seized with a desire to fight him once more.

However, you have to be strong. While he is training like this, she won’t even be able to stand on the same ring if she’s stopped.

At least you should become a stronger gladiator. He wanted to continue the sword fight while facing him for as long as possible. Compared to that goal, Florence’s skills were still lacking.

As the day passed, she devoted herself to training. Her body was exhausted and sweaty, but the fact that she was working with him kept her from leaving.

When she had lunch, unfortunately, she couldn’t sit next to her. Still, she was satisfied.

It was a few blocks away, but it wasn’t so far that I couldn’t see his face out of the corner of my eye.

Eating with him, training with him, being in the same space as him. All those times were like a sweet gift to her.

It wasn’t until around sunset that he finished training and returned. He said he and some of the other girls, ‘This is enough’ and stopped working out and left the training ground.

As expected, she wasn’t the only woman looking at him. Recognizing that he was one of them, Florence left the training ground with a weary body.

“Hey.”

“Why did you call the girl?”

Some of the gladiators stopped Florence from following Evan.

“Wait a minute. Let’s talk.”

“…”

It didn’t feel right, but Florence quietly followed them.

The gladiators led Florence into a small room. It was smaller than the place I used to be before, but this place also felt like a training ground.

“You, is it true? Did you apply for sparring with Evan?”

“Is it territorial? Jealousy is just ugly.”

Numerous eyes were glaring at Florence. She was a bit frightened, but she had no intention of leaving this place.

“I adore Evan. No matter what you guys do here, you can’t block my heart!”

Florence shouted with her own serious expression, but her gladiators looked at her with a smirk.

“Hey. This place also has its own rules. What if you suddenly apply for sparring like that?”

“It’s up to Evan to decide who he will fight against-“

“I’m not saying that’s wrong, but think about it. Are there one or two kids who want to fight with him here?”

“…Ah?”

Florence placed her hand on her head as if she had been pointed out to something she hadn’t thought of.

“And he says that if someone asks for sparring, he’ll take it with a bang. But if he takes turns dealing with us, his body won’t be left.”

Everyone here liked Evan as well. He was the only man who entered the forbidden space, so he couldn’t help but harbor a dark mind.

“That, that’s…”

“So, we are making our own rules. We hold a small tournament, and the rule that only the winner can apply for sparring with Evan.”

“Yes?”

“What is sparring, if the difference in skills is halfway, you can get hurt… Isn’t Evan supposed to learn something? Considering that aspect, a guy with good skills comes first.”

Since it was a reasonable rule in its own way, Florence had nothing to refute.

“Looks like you really didn’t know. If it’s your first time, well, that’s possible. Even if you ignore our rules and arbitrarily apply for sparring, there’s no way to stop it… The rules we made together will be broken, though.”

Florence, who clenched his teeth, shook his head.

“No. I’ll do it.”

They were right. Florence was nothing special.

From noble mtl dot com

There was no way that many of these people were just watching from afar because they couldn’t even say a single word to him, ‘Please practice sparring!’

“When does the competition in Dalian tomorrow start?”

“Ten minutes later. You want to join too?”

“I would like to participate.”

I didn’t really enjoy sword fighting, and personally thought it was a bit barbaric rule, but Florence had no intention of avoiding this fight.

“Because I will definitely win!”

Her eyes burned. She thought that as long as her feelings for Evan were sincere, she would never lose.

Florence became a gladiator.