The Ashen Dominion
Chapter 88 - Silver Training Ground [1]

Chapter 88: 88 - Silver Training Ground [1]

"..."

"..."

An awkward silence enveloped Edmar and Kaiser. They just stood there, staring at each other, neither speaking at first.

The tension wasn’t sharp or dangerous, it’s just strangely heavy, uncertain.

But eventually, after a while—

"Yo, how have you been?"

Kaiser broke the silence, his voice casual but not mocking. Just straightforward question.

Edmar frowned slightly at the question. His brows twitched in annoyance, but even so, he opened his mouth.

"I recovered only one day after our fight. I didn’t receive serious injuries and no excessive blood loss... I was just unlucky, that’s why I lost against you..."

He answered with a hint of bitterness in his voice. It wasn’t directed fully at Kaiser—more like at himself, or at fate. Still, his pride clearly stung.

Kaiser listened quietly. He wasn’t sure if Edmar was trying to make an excuse or just venting. Either way, he stayed calm. Then, to his surprise—

"How about you? How’s your condition?"

Edmar suddenly asked that, his tone more neutral now. It caught Kaiser off guard for a moment, but he quickly composed himself.

"I just fully recovered today."

He replied.

Edmar gave a short nod at that, then looked away.

"Good for you then."

That was all he said before turning and continuing on his way down the hall. Kaiser stood by his door, watching his back grow smaller.

He thought of calling out—but in the end, he refrained in doing so. He decided that the things he wants to say can wait later.

Edmar was holding a tray of food.

’He’s probably on his way to eat... No point disturbing him now.’

Thud-

Kaiser exhaled and stepped out fully into the hallway, shutting his door behind him.

’I should just eat too, then go to the training ground with Viktor.’

He thought to himself as he began walking toward the metal gate, where the food portions were being distributed by the guards and servants.

Sure enough, when he got near the gate, he spotted Viktor already there—lined up with the other three gladiators here.

Kaiser joined the line not long after.

...

...

Edmar and Kaiser had faced off as opponents in the last event, but now, there was no real reason for them to clash. Starting a fight now would bring nothing but punishment, and both of them knew it.

Their atmosphere might be weird, but it wasn’t hostile.

Just... unsettled.

Kaiser understood that. Edmar as well, he was just being bitter that he got defeated. And for someone like him, that was hard to swallow.

But that was fine.

Because next time... things might be different around them.

Probably.

...

...

*****

Kaiser joined Viktor not long after, both of them now holding trays full of food.

Then... Viktor turned his head slightly, glancing at the direction Kaiser came from.

"That was Edmar you were talking to earlier, right?"

He asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, that was him."

Kaiser nodded in response, sitting beside Viktor.

"Bruh, that’s a surprise... So he’s the other one who’s staying here as well. I didn’t expect that"

Viktor leaned back slightly on the bench they were on, his expression showing mild shock.

(That’s right, they have benches here!)

"Same as me, my eyes widened when I saw him as soon as I got out of my room. I thought I was being hunted."

Kaiser mumbled.

"I’m glad you two didn’t start throwing fists. Thought for sure you’d at least start arguing or something."

Viktor stated.

Kaiser just let out a short sigh and shrugged.

"Hmm, he’s cool. We both know that we fought because of the event, but now that it’s done... we have no reason to hate each other."

He said calmly, tone composed and casual.

But Viktor wasn’t letting it slide that easily.

"Didn’t you kill one of his underlings in an event when he tried to recruit you? Then challenged him and broke his back when you fought?"

He asked, his tone half-joking but also genuinely confused.

"Come on, let’s eat."

Kaiser completely ignored his comment as he focused on his tray, acting like he didn’t hear a damn thing.

"..."

Viktor stared at him, frowning a bit in disbelief.

"You really just gonna pretend I didn’t say anything, huh..."

He muttered under his breath. But eventually, he let it go and sighed.

And so, the two of them finally focused on their food.

They looked down at their trays—on them were thick chunks of roasted beef meat, a large round loaf of bread, a bowl of chicken soup that smelled rich and warm, and a steaming cup of black coffee.

They both paused for a second, just staring at the generous portions.

"They’re really generous to Silver Rankers, huh."

Kaiser commented, slicing into the meat with his wooden knife.

"I wonder what the Gold Rankers eat..."

Viktor followed, eyes narrowing with curiosity.

"I’m happy I got promoted."

"Me too."

And with that, without further ado, the two of them dug in—devouring their breakfast like beasts who hadn’t eaten in days.

Even though they ate like it was the end of the world just yesterday in the Silver Prize Room.

...

...

...

"The coffee is good, I thought it would be bitter as fuck too like before."

"Yeah, same."

Viktor and Kaiser mumbled one after the other, their voices relaxed and satisfied.

They had just finished their breakfast, trays wiped clean—no crumbs, no drops of soup left behind.

It was a stark contrast to their old meals back at the Copper Place. Back then, the food was just enough to keep their stomachs from growling for a few hours. But this time?

They were full. Fully energized.

Their bodies felt lighter, and for the first time in a while, it actually felt like their bodies were being taken care of.

Kaiser leaned back slightly, resting a hand on his stomach. Viktor was doing the same, both of them letting the feeling of being properly fed sink in.

Then, after a moment of quiet—

They looked at each other, and with a nod—

"Let’s go to the training ground now."

Viktor said, already standing up.

"Let’s go."

Kaiser replied, rising to his feet without hesitation.

The two of them didn’t waste another second. Without delay, they made their way toward the metal bar gate, looking for one of the stationed guards to escort them to the Silver Training Ground.

Today... They plan to train like hell, as usual.

...

...

*****

Kaiser and Viktor, along with the guard escorting them, reached the Silver Training Ground in just five minutes. It wasn’t far from where they were staying.

And now, currently—

"..."

"..."

The two of them stood still, taking it all in.

The Silver Training Ground was an outdoor facility—unlike the Copper’s, which only had an open ceiling and was surrounded by walls. Here, the sky stretched fully above them, and a light breeze passed through the open space.

Swoosh~

Kaiser and Viktor were silent, their eyes slightly widened as they looked around. The area was massive, several times larger than what they were used to. And more importantly—

The weights were actually made of iron.

Not the wooden ones they used to struggle with.

There were weapon racks, too— some filled with wooden training tools, others with iron weapons meant for more advanced drills. Everything about the place screamed upgrade— from the equipment, to the number of training sections, to the sheer space they could move around in!

A small smile crept up on both of their faces at the same time.

They looked at each other— but didn’t say a word.

They didn’t have to.

They were thinking the same thing.

Then—

TAP—

They walked forward, naturally splitting up as they headed toward different parts of the field.

Their training had begun.

They unanimously decided that they would meet again later for lunch... and for their duel.

*****

(Kaiser’s POV)

After I split up with Viktor...

I took a slow look around, thinking about what I should do first.

"There’s a lot of people here, huh."

I mumbled that to myself while scanning the training ground.

There were more than ten people—some lifting, others swinging, a few meditating or doing weird footwork drills—but none of them were paying attention to anyone else. Everyone was locked in their own training, just how I liked it.

’Good. I won’t have to deal with anyone.’

With that in mind, I turned away and exhaled lightly.

"I should train with the greatsword first. That’ll be a good warm-up."

And after deciding with that, I started walking toward the weapon training area.

Up ahead, I saw a row of straw training dummies lined up like scarecrows waiting to be punished. Behind them were weapon racks, stocked with a mix of wooden and blunted metal weapons for practice.

Perfect place to start.

Once I got there, I headed straight to the weapon racks, and there—I took a sword that was slightly heavier than the current one that I was using.

"This will do."

I said, and with that—

S L A S H—

TWHACK!!!

I started my training.