Being woken up, the same way for the past few days… Aron was getting used to it, it became one of those things… where if he didn’t adapt, he would go insane. So he sat up and tried moving his arms.

His hands were somewhat better than yesterday… but still somewhat sore. Now actually being able to move them around remembering yesterday’s events. He reached out to his face, feeling the sticky, and oily texture. Aron grimaced.

He wasn’t able to wash himself yesterday after the meal. And ended up just sleeping, as he was.

Eating food, with just your mouth… let’s just say it wasn’t as fun as it sounded. Aron was lucky enough that his group members were nice enough to help him out.

Aron didn’t expect those bracelets, he was just getting accustomed to the training sessions. He even wanted to try and block a hit. But it seemed like it wasn’t meant to be.

At least the thing that Aron was looking forward to, actually happened. A way to train his arm strength and not just legs. Though he expected that the extra weight would help him out with the running as well.

Seeing how everyone was still asleep, and that he had some time. Aron decided to go and wash up.

As he closed the door to their room, he started thinking. If there was a way for him to do a better job, at blocking. He was pretty sure that he copied the posture. He understood too, how he was supposed to react as the weapon came at him.

But somehow, he still wasn’t managing it. Adding to that, Shadow didn’t instruct anyone further. He just did the same thing, time and time again. Aron could even tell what side the strike would come from, just from the movement of Shadows shoulder. And still, he was late.

It was infuriating. He had to find a way, of improving. It was long enough… that he felt like, it was time. The rest of the [Slaves] were doing well, even the weakest of the [Slaves] were managing to block four or five strikes by now.

So even with his excellent progress… Aron wasn’t happy, to lose. If he couldn’t manage it with speed, or strength. Maybe there was another way.

If he was able to understand, why that exact posture was used. Or if there was a more efficient way of moving his arms while trying to block. But to do that… he would need to experiment.

And here he was, without a sword. And no way of trying things out.

Maybe if he started smaller? Tried to see if the way that he moved or even ran was correct? That was something that Aron was able to experiment on, even outside of the training sessions.

And if that actually worked out for him? Maybe he could expand, and try that approach with other exercises. Aron didn’t know… but he was certain that he could change that.

And so another day of training began... with these bracelets, it was going to be a lot of fun.

______

Ron The [Slaver] was having a bad week, and it wasn’t bad just for one reason. There were multiple reasons why the week was a nightmare for him, even with the number of [Slaves] that he had in his position now. It wasn’t enough to lift his mood.

It has been a bad week, made worse with the change of Shadows’ personality... it wasn't obvious at first glance, he was doing his job... he even trained Clark. Clark was getting better with each day that passed.

Ron was even expecting Clark to be ready to train the [Slaves] alone in a month or so. It all seemed nice, progress all over the board, nice things happening right?

But it was all on the surface, Shadow knew how to make Rons life difficult... even if by just a tiny bit. It accumulated, little things piling up.

Ron noticed that Shadow had awakened some kind of sense, to sniff out the precious delicacies. From food to drinks even his collection of cigars.

Remembering those, Ron cursed. He worked hard on those. They weren’t even available in the kingdom he had to beg a merchant to smuggle a bach in… and it costed him so much, even giving Shadow one... broke his heart.

He wanted to strangle Shadow… do things to him. But he couldn’t, Ron was afraid.

Everyone had secrets, some things that just weren't for the public. Things that would ruin the reputation that a person wanted to keep.

If a known merchant, that worked with [Farmers]... selling their products. Turned out to be selling other stuff as well? And that it came to light that he made more money from that other business? It would become a scandal. The [Farmers] would usually quit their deal with the [Merchant]

Why? If he was making less money from the [Farmers] products that meant his [Class] was lower, his skills worse. So why would someone hire a [Merchant] that wasn’t good at his job?

The same went for [Slavers]... a [Slaver] not trading only in [Slaves]? Not only would that make him level slower. But if he got to a point where the [Slave] business became less profitable than the other business that he was currently doing? That meant that his other Class exceeded his main one.

And if that happened with Ron? All the benefits of being a part of the slave guild would be gone. He would probably get demoted, and become just... one of the merchants that supplied [Slavers].

And that was much worse. They were looked down upon. As people that couldn't manage to get into the real business. And ended up as the support role, except without any protection.

So if a [City Guard] heard about the business that a [Merchant] was doing, and it ended up being illegal? And he had no backing? Not only would they strip the [Merchants] possessions. He would end up in jail, tortured for information.

Ron had dreams, he wanted to make it big with [Slave] business... Ron thought that he was good enough that he had potential, his parents were [Merchants], he even had their notes... tips on how to progress, what steps--- paths were usually right to take. Ways to quickly level. Make it big.

Skip those little blocks that a person would stumble upon, as they got into the business. He had channels, ways to trade… just not the [Slaves]. And as time went on… and his luck continued to fail him. It was too late.

Ron realized things, the hard way. That he was not the only one with a backing. And what was a merchant backing compared with nobles giving you everything, or even top [Slave Merchants] of the guild having guild masters support... they had it easy. They just had to use skills that they obtained from being fed free levels.

Sighing, Ron squirmed in his chair.

They received enough benefits, to make it worth the investment. But why was he complaining if it was worth it? And they were actually getting benefits from their patrons?

It was because Ron was late! Once he entered this game, roles were already decided. High nobility had their players picked and so did the Snot Guild.

And the remaining [Merchants] that were left… they didn’t have the guts, they just wanted to make some small cash and retire. So they ended up supporting [Slavers] that were under the [High Nobles], and that made the whole stage stagnant. To progress? One of the picked [Slavers] had to die, and not have a successor.

What did that mean to the new players? Well, they either stayed at the bottom as they slowly failed, went bankrupt, or even worse… were caught.

And the other options? It was going against the [Slavers] trying to distinguish oneself, and get stomped on, in the process... maybe even lose their life.

It was a ruthless game of cat and mouse.

So now with Shadows presence in Rons estate. And seeing how he had no reason to leave just yet.

Ron was uncertain if Shadow had found something out, or if there was actually something else going on. Ron could deal with losing a few slaves, even gifting them to Shadow. Losing them all would make it impossible to progress further inside of the guild ranks.

But Ron would keep his life, and steadily progress. Even if his rank didn't increase... as long as his wealth grew, Ron would be content.

He finally managed to get his hands on a proper [Chef], that was willing to work for him. A good [Enchanter] that was on his beck and call, not exactly but well, him appearing within a few days after receiving a call. Was a luxury!

And with all the new enchanted stuff that Ron had... most of enchants had to be re-enchanted once or twice a year. Without having a personal [Enchanter] or even a way to contact one, getting enchanted items was a waste. Once the enchant wore off. The thing was pretty much useless and the cash that was spent on it... was wasted.

If Ron tried using the light orb, even though the enchant was out of power? The whole core of the orb, that was made to contain magic would fall apart. And all that would remain was an ordinary ball. That no longer could be enchanted or used.

So yea... it was a big deal. And Ron finally came to a point where he felt comfortable employing an [Enchanter].

But now he had to take care of Shadows needs as well, and pay extra attention to the details, making sure that Shadow wouldn’t find anything. That Ron didn’t want him to. It all combined... was driving Ron insane.

When most citizens of the kingdom, Kingdom Of Eyorith... thought of war, a few things came to mind first. [Nobles], [Slaves] and casualties. Of course, if they would end up winning or losing too.

But if someone had enough connections, protection of the [Slaver] guild, and [Enchanter] on their side? Why not make use of it?

With casualties, weapons were lost, some retrieved. But with prolonged wars, and lack of main armies or legions going to war? Most of the people lacked good weapons, and with few smart investments Ron managed to get some of the [Blacksmiths] to work for him, plus he had an [Enchanter].

What did having seventeen slaves do for Ron? When he could end up selling thousands of arrows? Or hundreds of swords? Made for the lower class. For people that yet have to receive support from [Nobles]? And if one in thousand of them made it? Got promoted? He would of course remember the person who sold him a weapon that helped him progress, even with a small discount!

And that wasn’t even all. Even some minor [Nobles] were looking for weapons. And that was where the cash came in.

There probably were more people making use of the opportunity, but it all was run in the dark. So Ron didn’t know what kind of competition he had. But it didn’t matter. Every batch of weapons was sold in seconds.

So Ron was depressed. It was hard for him to manage the business that actually made him money. He didn’t want to leave the estate, with Shadow in it… so the only way of managing the business was through messages.

And that wasn’t a safe way to handle something… that was so important to him. So he was sitting there, squirming in his chair. Ron even felt like he was losing hair as time went on.

He had to adapt to the situation or change something soon.

________

Aron felt good, after the breakfast that he had he could swear that even his hands were no longer sore. He was looking forward to today’s training session.

The things went pretty much the same, as he was ordered to run. Aron tried implementing the idea, of finding new ways, that he could run. But it wasn’t working out for him, so he had to stop and content himself with just running.

Looking to the side, Aron could spot a difference… the [Slaves] that were done with the blocking session. Were still conscious, sitting there and just watching others as they were beaten.

Not knowing what Shadow had in store for them. Aron just continued his run, hoping it was nothing painful.

Soon it would be his time to block, but with the bracelets on. Aron had no delusion of doing better now. Even though he wanted to do good, as the other [Slaves] were watching now. It was just not going to happen.

And it went as expected. After a few minutes of being beaten by Shadow, Aron was sent to join the rest of the [Slaves]

"Seeing that we are done with the first part of today's lesson, we will now move on to physical exercises. Some of you have made solid progress, but if you continued only to practicing blocking. You would stagnate, you need to learn ways to improve your strength. And for that, we will have Clark demonstrate basic exercises. And we'll end up today's lesson with you doing a set number of repeats of said exercises." As Shadow finished, he motioned with his arm for Clark to demonstrate.

After Clark was in his position Shadow continued. "Pay attention to his posture, the way that his body moves while doing each exercise." Pointing towards the position of his arms, back, and legs. "First and one of the simpler exercises are squats, basic leg exercise for building muscle. Look at the way that his feet are positioned, his back is straight arms in front of your chest as he squats. He will show ten examples of each exercise, and you are expected to learn them by the time that it comes the time for you to do them." As Shadow talked, he didn't even bother to look at the [Slaves], as he motioned for Clark to start demonstrating.

As they watched Clark, Aron could see that he was… somewhat annoyed. He looked ready to complain, ask another servant to replace him... but just one glance in Shadows’ direction, calmed him down somewhat.

As Aron watched, he couldn’t help but pity the [Slaves] that were under him. Clark was already bad at controlling his strength, and with his mood going down... Aron couldn’t imagine Clark going easy on them after all of this.

As Clark was done with ten 'squats', Shadow motioned for him to wait.

"Now that squats are over with, It's time for crunches. Similarly, it's straightforward exercise... for abdominal muscles, Clark get on the ground and show them how it's done."

Aron could swear that he saw Clark twitch, a [Head Servant] rolling on the ground? In front of [Slaves]... it must have been something that Clark never expected. So the poor guy, in his clean clothes... laid down.

Clark was mad... but being a [Servant] he had to obey, so he did.

Aron was trying hard not to laugh, the expression that Clark was making, combined with the way that he lay there. Some of the [Slaves] even laughed. Not even Clark glaring at them could manage to stop them, and Shadow didn’t seem like he intended to interfere. As he just continued to point to the crucial areas.

"Pay the attention to where his legs are, the way that they are bent. His arm position." With a slight pause, as he looked at Clark, Shadow somewhat amusedly continued. "And that with every repeat, he relaxes his muscles... making it so that his whole back touches the dirt."

Shadow even emphasized the word dirt, and with every word, Clark seemed to grow just a bit redder. Aron was sure that it wasn't from embarrassment, either he forgot to breathe or Clark was mad, really mad.

As Clark was done with ten repetitions and was about to get up. Shadow commented.

"Clark, you have already done ten. You can get up now."

Through gritted teeth, Clark answered with a curt. "Yes Sir!"

Shadow glanced at him, he didn’t seem to mind the tone of voice. As he looked at the [Slaves].

"Now the last exercise, and one of the more complicated ones. Is---." Shadow somewhat dragged the sentence out, Shadow looked at the fuming Clark, and smiled. "Clark, this is the last one, after this, you are free to go and change if you want.."

Seeing how Clark wasn’t going to respond, Shadow just shrugged.

“The last exercise is, push-ups”

And so Aron and the rest of the [Slaves] were sitting there, looking at Clark--- laying on his stomach, face in the dirt waiting for Shadow to signal him to start. It was something that Aron never expected to see. But there it was.

"Good, now you can start. Do them slowly, we don't want you to have to do it all again. With this being one of the more difficult exercises and the way that the posture is the key for it." Shadow commented.

Clark looked like he waited his whole life... for this to just start and be over with. As he pushed his body off the ground with this hands and was coming down towards the starting position, he ended up stopping just a few millimeters of the ground. As he was getting ready to push himself up again Shadow stopped him.

"Wrong, your nose didn't touch the ground."

And there it was, Aron saw the poor guy snapped.

Knowing that he was no match to Shadow. Clark just stood up, tried to brush some dirt from his clothes and face only making it worse. He turned towards one of the exits and without saying anything opened the door and went out. With a loud snap, the doors closed behind him

______

That was fun, Clark lasted longer than Caden expected. He is leading a comfortable life with the way that his current master is treating them. And him being [Head Servant], having to obey someone except his master. While doing tasks that he likes, and designating other tasks to the rest of the [Servants].

And of course not knowing Cadens rank in the guild, probably made Clark think that Caden was just another [Servant] that was just making fun of him, in the place that he was in charge of.

With this, if Ron wanted Caden to continue and train Clark, he could ask for more. It made a good excuse to put more pressure on Ron. Without making Caden look suspicious. Not that it mattered much to him. But it made the whole experience more fun. There would be no fun if they all wanted to suck up to him.

Messing with Clark too, was a nice way to pass the time. The way that he 'politely' snapped, was hilarious to Caden. He obviously wanted to strangle Caden. But he ended up not being that stupid.

Overall it gave Caden more options. Seeing how fast Aron recovered from yesterday's training. He would probably need to get a separate training room soon. With some extra equipment. So having Ron owe him a favor? It all worked out in the end.

Seeing how the [Slaves] were still standing there, Caden decided to let them do some squats and crunches. So that he could have Clark, finish his demonstrations tomorrow.

"All of you shall do fifty of each exercise that was shown to you, every mistake in your posture shall be corrected "

Most of them were able to do them correctly. And ones that made mistakes well, those mistakes were beaten out of them.