The Ashen Dominion
Chapter 86 - Are You In?

Chapter 86: 86 - Are You In?

"You need help with that thing?"

Viktor asked, eyeing the greatsword Kaiser was carrying with both hands.

His brows raised slightly at the sight of Kaiser’s frown as he adjusted the weight of it. The two of them were on their way to the Silver Place, following behind a guard.

"Hmm, no thanks... I’ll just consider this as training."

Kaiser replied without looking at him, his tone calm but strained.

"Don’t force yourself too much. You just woke up yesterday."

Viktor reminded.

"Yeah, sure... And thanks for carrying my clothes too."

"Yeah, no problem."

Currently, Kaiser was decked out in his gear—his familiar leather armor snug against his torso, vambraces secured tightly around his forearms. His other greatsword was strapped to his back alongside the three javelins. A chipped short sword hung at his waist, and a small buckler with a hole rested on his left forearm. He looked like he was ready for war, not just walking to a new room.

Viktor looked at him, shaking his head with a crooked grin. Kaiser look ridiculous for him.

Tap- Tap- Tap—

Tap- Tap- Tap—

They walked in silence for a few more steps, the sound of their boots echoing faintly down the corridor behind the guard. Then, breaking the quiet—

"Do you think those four will survive?"

Viktor asked suddenly, his tone low. He was, of course, talking about Rose, Jhamillah, Jenna, and Damian.

Kaiser didn’t answer right away. His lips pressed into a flat line. His eyes stayed forward.

"..."

A long pause followed, the silence stretching before Kaiser finally spoke.

"Don’t know... They’re getting stronger just fine, but..."

He trailed off for a moment.

"Once they get unlucky—they’re done."

His words were blunt. Honest. Cold, even—but Viktor didn’t take offense. He knew Kaiser wasn’t being heartless. That was just the truth of being a gladiator.

"..."

This time, it was Viktor who stayed silent, his gaze lowering slightly as he continued walking behind the guard.

"...I’ll miss those guys."

He muttered.

"Yeah, me too."

Then Kaiser followed.

And so, the two of them kept walking—chatting here and there, just to pass the time, just to distract themselves. Because deep down, they both knew: now that they’ve left the Copper Place, everything would start getting harder.

And there was no turning back.

...

...

*****

Kaiser and Viktor, along with the guard, walked for about ten minutes before finally reaching the Silver Place.

By the time they got there—Kaiser was already sweating bullets. His grip on the greatsword was starting to slip, and his shoulders felt like they were being crushed under its weight.

But anyway—

Creak—

"We’re here. There are three available rooms. Pick whichever room you want."

The guard opened the metal bar gate and gestured them inside. Just like the Copper Place, it was still made of sturdy iron.

Kaiser and Viktor didn’t hesitate. They stepped inside right away.

Especially Kaiser—he looked like he was about to drop the sword and collapse.

Tap—

And as soon as they entered—

"Hmm?"

"...?"

"Newbies?"

Voices rose from the side of the room.

They caught the attention of the others inside. There were seven rooms in total, and with three currently vacant, that meant four of them were occupied.

And sure enough, the two of them saw three men lounging in a corner. All three looked like seasoned fighters—lean muscle, tired eyes, and visible scars. Not a single word was spoken right away.

’Four rooms taken, but only three guys here. So someone’s not around.’

Kaiser quickly noted in his head, subtly scanning the place.

Viktor did the same. Both stayed silent, keeping it cool.

And after a few seconds—

"..."

The three veterans just turned away. No introductions. No threats. No nothing. They simply lost interest and went back to whatever they were doing before.

"...Not a warm welcome, but at least nothing crazy happened, right?"

Viktor said, glancing at Kaiser.

"Whatever...! I need to put this thing down immediately!"

Kaiser grunted, adjusting the grip on his sword again before rushing to the nearest room with an open door. Those rooms are usually vacant.

He didn’t even hesitate.

Tap- tap- tap—

"Haha... Not even intimidated, huh."

Viktor muttered, shaking his head. Then smiling, he casually followed after him.

Just like in the Copper Place—they were going to be room neighbors again.

Oh, and by the way—the two of them had requested Jeff if they could be assigned to the same Silver Place. He agreed without much thought. Probably because he didn’t really care about things like that.

Kaiser also requested if they can be transferred where Brock, Khan, and Jin are—but unfortunately, the Silver Place that they were on was full.

...

...

...

After picking their rooms, Kaiser and Viktor separated to unpack their things.

THUD!

A loud sound echoed from inside Kaiser’s room—something heavy had slammed into the ground.

"Huh?"

"The fuck?"

"What’s that?"

The three other gladiators outside flinched at the sudden noise, but after exchanging quick glances...

"Meh, whatever."

They chose to ignore it and went back to their own business.

Meanwhile—

"Haaaaa..."

Kaiser let out a long, tired sigh. He had finally taken off every piece of equipment strapped to his body.

Normally, this wouldn’t be much of a problem for him—but his body wasn’t fully recovered yet, and the greatsword he got from Jin had become the biggest issue of all. It was too heavy.

Anyway...

"This room is big."

He looked around.

The walls weren’t cracked, the floor was properly leveled, and the bed actually looked soft—comfy, even. It was a clear upgrade from his last place.

’The difference between Copper Rank and Silver Rank is crazy.’

Kaiser thought, still scanning his new surroundings.

He recalled the new benefits Jed mentioned earlier back in the Prize Room.

And what stood out to him the most were two things...

’First, access to the Silver Training Ground is free.’

Apparently, Jeff had made it that way so Silver Rankers could grow stronger and keep their skills sharp. The stronger they got, the more entertaining—and profitable—their fights would become.

’That pig is as smart as he is greedy,’

Kaiser mumbled internally.

Moving on, the one benefit that truly got him excited was—

"We can take baths in the Silver Prize Room once a week for free!"

He exclaimed out loud with genuine joy.

For Kaiser, who used to bathe every day in the past, being forced to go unwashed for an entire month in the Copper Rank had felt like absolute hell.

But now? Once a week? That was heaven in comparison.

"Would I be able to take a bath every day if I became a Gold Rank?"

He muttered, seriously pondering it.

But after a moment—

"Ugh, whatever... That’ll be far from now."

He shrugged it off, dismissing the thought for now.

’My clothes are with Viktor. I should probably go and get them.’

And with that in mind, Kaiser pushed himself up and stepped out of his room.

Thud—

*****

Viktor was in his room, just chilling, when suddenly—

Tok— Tok— Tok—

He heard a knock on his door. And before he could even ask who it was—even though it was already obvious—

"It’s Kaiser. I’m taking my clothes."

A voice came from outside.

"Oh, come in. It’s not locked."

Viktor replied casually.

Creak—

Kaiser opened the door and stepped in without hesitation.

"Your clothes are there."

Viktor pointed at the wooden drawer not far from where he was lying. Right there, Kaiser spotted a paper bag stuffed with his clothes.

"Thanks."

He said as he approached it. But just before picking it up, he paused—his expression suddenly serious as he turned to Viktor.

Viktor noticed right away.

"What is it?"

He asked, tilting his head slightly.

"You know about organizations, right?"

Kaiser asked in return.

Viktor nodded.

"Did you get invitations?"

"Yeah, quite a lot actually."

Viktor replied, resting his elbow on the bed.

"While you were out for two days, they kept sending servants as messengers one after another."

"Do you plan to join one?"

"Nope. Still weighing the benefits and strength of each organization."

Kaiser nodded in understanding.

Then Viktor raised a brow.

"How about you?"

He asked this time.

And with a straight face—

"Oh, well, I’m going to start my own organization."

Kaiser declared that!

"..."

Viktor stared at him for a moment, silent. And before he could say anything—

"I also want you to join me."

Kaiser added without hesitation!

"..."

Viktor remained quiet for a few seconds. But after a few seconds...

"You’re really crazy, huh."

He muttered.

"Yeah, I am. So, are you in?"

Kaiser responded coolly, not missing a beat.

"Why? Are the benefits you’re gonna give me better than theirs?"

Viktor asked with a grin, clearly joking.

"I mean, probably."

But Kaiser replied quickly, too quickly.

"...?"

Viktor gave him a weird look.

And in that moment... Kaiser opened his mouth—

"So, what you’ll get is—"

Then he told Viktor his plan for the future.

And after hearing it—

"Haha, well I’ll be damned..."

Viktor chuckled and leaned back, clearly in disbelief.

"So, are you in?"

Kaiser asked again.

And this time—

"I’m in, you motherfucker."

Viktor answered immediately with a grin on his face.