The Ashen Dominion
Chapter 85 - Leaving

Chapter 85: 85 - Leaving

Kaiser chose Edmar’s dual swords without hesitation. The blades were clean, well-forged, and still carried the faint pressure of their last battle.

And as soon as he made his choice, Jed gave a small nod.

"I’ll have someone deliver them to your new room."

He assured Kaiser.

"Thanks."

Kaiser nodded back. He had no plans of walking around the prize room carrying weapons anyway.

’That’s just stupid.’

He thought to himself.

Anyway, with now both Kaiser and Viktor having claimed their second rewards—Jed excused himself, saying he had to tend to other duties and assist other rising gladiators.

Viktor and Kaiser gave him a simple farewell before separating with him.

So now that they’re done... They immediately decided to head to the next thing on their mental checklist—the bath area.

"I bet it’s spacious."

Viktor muttered, arms crossed behind his head as they walked lazily.

"Yeah. And probably much cleaner."

Kaiser followed, his voice quiet but hopeful.

They hadn’t had a proper bath for so long now, so they’re excited to dip into a water.

And both of them couldn’t wait to enjoy it.

*****

There were only two rooms connected to the main lobby of the Silver Prize Room, just like back in the Copper Prize Room.

So Viktor and Kaiser easily figured out where was the bath area. And without wasting time—they made their way to it and quickly reached the door of it.

As soon as they got there, both of them casually pulled off their shirts—revealing the bruises, faded scars, and bandaged areas that hadn’t completely healed yet.

Then, without hesitation...

Tap—

They stepped inside the bath area.

And once they did...

"..."

They both paused for a second.

The room was wide and smelled faintly of herbs and steam. The lighting was soft, casting a warm glow across the stone-tiled floor.

And unlike the cramped, barely-useable pool they were used to in the Copper Prize Room, this one had an actual pool—medium-sized, deep enough to submerge in, and the water looked cleaner and inviting.

"Hm...?"

Kaiser’s eyes moved around, and he saw a sauna in the corner too!

A proper one made of polished wood and already giving off gentle heat. There were also several drums of water scattered across the room, unlike before where there were only one or two and they had to share or wait their turn.

Now?

They were being generous.

"This is heaven."

Kaiser muttered with a small grin.

"I agree."

Viktor added with a nod, clearly impressed.

And after that—

The two didn’t bother talking more—they walked further in, grabbed a bucket of warm water each from the drum nearby, and began washing off the grime and dried sweat from their bodies!

Today wasn’t about training or fighting.

It was just a long-overdue moment of peace!

Without further ado—

SPLASH!

Kaiser and Viktor went and enjoyed the bath area. They jumped in the pool at the same time!

There were a few other people already inside, scattered around the pool or relaxing near the sauna.

But the two of them already expected that, along with the curious stares they started receiving the moment they walked in. After all—for the others, Kaiser and Viktor were new faces.

But neither of them cared.

They shared a glance, shrugged, and simply ignored it all. It’s not like those stares could stop them from doing what they wanted.

And besides, it doesn’t look like anyone would suddenly start a fight here.

So with that, they took their time.

Kaiser submerged himself in the warm water, letting out a quiet sigh as the heat soaked into his muscles. His body still ached here and there, but it was bearable now.

Then across from him, Viktor leaned back against the pool wall, his eyes half-closed, clearly enjoying himself too.

Minutes turned to hours.

They took turns entering the sauna, washed thoroughly with the clean water from the drums, and rested their arms on the poolside as they let their thoughts drift in silence.

No fighting.

No shouting.

Just the sound of gentle water and faint murmurs in the background.

It wasn’t much, but for slave gladiators like them—moments like this were rare.

And they weren’t going to waste it.

...

...

...

After taking a bath—Kaiser and Viktor naturally felt hungry again.

So, after drying themselves off and getting dressed, they made their way back to the main lobby of the Silver Prize Room.

There, the long table still had more than enough food waiting.

Without hesitation, the two of them grabbed plates and started eating like maniacs again—shoveling down meat, bread, and anything that looked even remotely good.

It wasn’t just about hunger anymore. For them, this was part of their plan. Fuel. Everything they ate now, they would turn into strength later.

"Eat big. Train harder. Get stronger."

Viktor mumbled between bites, chewing on a piece of roast meat.

Kaiser didn’t even respond, just nodded slightly as he kept eating with a focused expression.

They weren’t wasting a second.

Then by the time they finally finished their second feast of the day...

The sky outside was already shifting from gold to deep orange. Evening had arrived.

...

"UGH...!"

Stretching a bit, Viktor glanced toward the entrance.

"Guess it’s time."

"Already, huh."

Kaiser replied simply, standing up as well.

They still needed to retrieve their things from the Copper Place before fully moving into their new rooms.

So, without any more delay, the two left the Silver Prize Room together—quiet, full, and ready for the next step.

...

...

...

*****

Viktor and Kaiser were guided back by a guard to the Copper Place.

"We’re here. Get your things and we’ll get going."

It only took a few minutes before they arrived. And as soon as they did—

TAP-

The two didn’t waste any time and stepped inside.

Though inside—waiting in the main room—they saw Rose, Jhamillah, Jenna, and Damian.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The four of them looked at the two in silence, a quiet atmosphere settling in the air.

"Are you two leaving already?"

Breaking that silence, Rose asked softly.

"Yeah."

"Yep."

Kaiser replied with a straight face, while Viktor gave a small smile. The two had already told them beforehand about their promotion—and that once they got promoted to Silver Rank, they’d be leaving the Copper Place.

"Then, you guys are here to get your belongings... right?"

Rose followed up.

"Mhm."

"That’s right."

Kaiser and Viktor nodded their heads in response.

"We’ll help you guys."

Damian then said that. And right after him—

"Yeah, let us help."

"It’ll be much faster that way."

Jenna and Jhamillah added.

"Thanks."

"We appreciate it."

Kaiser and Viktor smiled and thanked them, and with that, without further ado—they started packing their things.

Though, the two didn’t really have that much to begin with.

...

...

...

After a few minutes... Everything was done.

Except for the greatsword Kaiser got from Jin, which was still lying on the floor of his room.

Damian noticed it and approached the sword.

Then with his right hand—he grabbed the handle and lifted it.

Or so he thought...

"...?"

The greatsword didn’t budge.

Damian frowned, now gripping the handle with both hands—

"GURGH...!"

He struggled to lift it! And he only managed to raise it a few inches off the ground—

BAM!

—before it slammed back down with a loud thud.

"What the fuck is this?"

Damian asked with a scowl.

Then, from behind him—

"Apparently, it’s made of something called cold iron, which is much denser than normal iron or metal. In exchange for its durability, it becomes heavy as fuck."

Kaiser appeared and casually explained that.

Damian looked back at him.

"Where did you get it?"

"I got it in exchange for a bottle of alcohol."

Kaiser replied flatly, then—

FWOOSH~

He lifted the greatsword with both hands.

"Yep... still too heavy for me to use..."

He grumbled with a slight smile.

Damian just stared, wide-eyed.

’I need to train more.’

He thought.

"The others are already waiting outside. Let’s go."

Kaiser said, and with that, he and Damian exited the room.

*****

Outside the waiting room, the six of them gathered once again. And after that—

"..."

A strange atmosphere settled in over the group. No one spoke.

A quiet, almost heavy silence.

Though, after a while—

"Be careful of Uban and his goons. They might move again once we leave."

Kaiser broke the silence, his voice steady and calm.

Rose, Jhamillah, Jenna, and Damian all turned their attention to him after hearing his voice.

"After a while, two new fighters will come here to replace us. Befriend them if possible to regain the number advantage."

Kaiser continued, his tone serious.

Then, meeting their gazes one by one—

"We’ll be waiting for you guys in the Silver Rank."

He declared, firm and honest.

"..."

The group fell silent again. They didn’t know what to say.

But not minding their silence, Kaiser turned to Viktor beside him.

"You got anything to say to them?"

He asked.

"Nope, I’m all good."

Viktor replied with a small smile.

"I know they already get what they’re supposed to do."

He added, nodding confidently.

And with that, they all exchanged short, quiet goodbyes—simple nods, small smiles, brief words.

Then, without dragging it out—

"Goodbye for now."

"Hurry up and get promoted haha."

Kaiser and Viktor left the Copper Place behind.