Two weeks passed.
Septimus had a headache. He had originally planned to give only two clones to the ludus each week, but he underestimated his ability. If he continued to generate more clones, in a year he could have thousands, a force difficult to go unnoticed for a small baker.
In two weeks, Septimus had already accumulated 39 clones in total, including the clones from the ludus. His small house was somewhat crowded.
"I need to speed up the training process at the ludus," Septimus said to himself.
That afternoon, Septimus went with 30 clones to Gaius' ludus.
The guards, seeing so many people in the distance, became alert and tightened their grip on their gladiuses.
"Stop there, what do you want?" one of the guards shouted at the crowd.
"I am Septimus, I have come to deliver volunteers for gladiators," Septimus said with a smile.
The guards were relieved. Although the ludus was close to the Capua garrison, it was better to avoid trouble.
While the guards informed Gaius, he approached with two slaves. Seeing the number of people, he was a little surprised. It was rare to see so many foreigners in Rome willing to serve as gladiator volunteers.
At first, he didn't think much of this deal, nor did he give it much importance; in the end, it was only a small profit. But seeing so many people willing to train and fight as gladiators, he became a little interested.
"Hahaha, young Septimus, the agreed deal was two gladiators per week," said Gaius with a smile.
"That was the deal, but some issues came up. I've come to bring you the remaining 23 volunteers. I hope it's not a bother," said Septimus with a smile.
"All right, young Septimus, I'm just curious, what do you gain from this deal?" asked Gaius with a smile.
At first, he didn't think much of this deal, believing that he was just a naive young man who didn't value his money, offering a few slaves at his doorstep. But when he saw that the agreed deal had been concluded, he became a little interested. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't see the profit in making this kind of transaction. The volunteers he offered weren't very skilled in combat either, so he became a little interested in this young man.
"I'm just doing a favor for a friend," Septimus said, offering a superficial excuse.
Gaius asked no further questions, accepting the 23 volunteers out of the 30 that Septimus brought and 230 denarii for their upkeep.
Septimus looked reluctantly at the money he had lost. He had to think of new ways to earn money. This time, he had not only come to deliver volunteers, but he had also brought seven clones with the intention of looking for opportunities to earn money.
He had to spend 300 denarii a month on maintenance and pay 30 denarii in taxes, so he had to find ways to make money.
Septimus felt a little frustrated. Although he was a transmigrator, his only skill was cloning through mitosis and his knowledge. Every step he took had to be premeditated within this corrupt society, or he would be incriminated or robbed without knowing who his enemy was.
With that in mind, Septimus and his clones took a walk through Capua. As a typical Roman city, Capua could be considered disorderly and diverse, with Romans, slaves, and people of different ethnicities.
After walking for a while, Septimus heard screams from a secluded area. As he approached, the strong smell of blood and sweat, along with the cries of the crowd, made him frown.
Inside the place, Septimus could see that it was a place for underground fights, unlike the arena. In this place, all kinds of dirty tricks were allowed, as long as only one person remained standing.
Septimus watched as a burly man with bruises on his face inserted his fingers into his opponent's eye, and the people around him screamed in frenzied madness as they watched the man moan in pain and blood pour from his eye sockets.
These fights are brutal, Septimus thought to himself.
As he watched the spectacle, Septimus had a sudden idea. Currently, he had to limit the number of his clones due to lack of space and where to place them, but if he could send them to this place even if they died, they would gain combat experience.
Septimus watched as they removed the corpse of the man with crushed eyes and frowned again. Although it didn't matter if the clones died, the shared connection meant that every type of pain the clones suffered, he would also feel.
Septimus thought about the idea of having his eyes gouged out, or dying painfully countless times, and began to hesitate. Making the decision to suffer that kind of torment was not easy for a modern person; he was not a masochist.
As the next fight began, watching the two men fight fiercely, Septimus gradually steeled himself. He was destined for great things with the ability he had.
He approached the manager with determination.
"Sir, I would like to ask about the requirements for fighting," Septimus said to the pockmarked man in charge of the underground fights.
"Young man, as long as you are willing and pay two denarii as a fee to have your corpse removed, you can fight," replied the pockmarked man without taking his eyes off the bloody combat.
"Thank you, I'll take that into consideration," Septimus said to the man, turning toward the exit with his clones.
Seeing them leave, the man with pockmarks paid no attention.
Septimus returned home with his clones. Although he hadn't found ways to earn money, he had found a way to improve his combat skills. During these two weeks, he also discovered another trick of his ability: before replicating himself, he could change the age of the clone, although it was limited to a certain range of years.
Septimus could create clones between the ages of 16 and 40. He discovered that in this way he could achieve immortality. It didn't matter if his original body died; as long as he had a living clone, he could replicate himself indefinitely.
Having made his decision, Septimus currently had 39 clones in total, 30 in the ludus and 9 spread between the smithy and the bakery. He planned to use 10 clones for weekly replication in underground fights. He could also remove his clones from the ludus if he gained the combat experience he needed.
He would leave his original body in the role of leader, without the need to undress weekly to replicate himself, using 10 clones for that function.
If he could improve his combat skills in this way, it would no longer be necessary to spend 300 denarii monthly on the maintenance of 30 clones.
Septimus felt a little regretful about his hasty decision regarding the ludus. At first, he had only thought about formal gladiator training, avoiding the cruelty of the era, but after this time, he realized how naive he had been. To improve, he had to be cruel to himself.
With a goal set, Septimus decided to take advantage of the 30 clones in the ludus and push himself in training. Although he had only been in the ludus for a month and a half, the effort of 30 clones learning and sharing experiences should not be underestimated. Even though time was short, the improvement in the use of various weapons and techniques was remarkable.
Septimus concluded that at that rate, in another two months, he would be an expert gladiator. Whether he became a champion or a legend was only a matter of time and how many clones he sacrificed in the arena or in street fights.