There was a crimson in his eyes, the bloody figure of the opponent he had killed.

He couldn't understand why, but he had to do it, because only in this way could he continue to live.

Killing to live, and living for killing, is a long bloody hell, a pathetic cycle that never ends.

He spends most of his time in a gloomy dungeon, surrounded only by musty walls and cold bars, and his range of motion is quite limited, but even if there is enough space for him to move, he can't do so, as his limbs are always bound by extremely thick chains.

The dungeon has a narrow vent at the top of the dungeon where rain and sunlight fall down, and occasionally a lost bird stumbles upon it.

In this dungeon densely packed with cramped cells, he is not the only resident, or rather, there are many residents who share the same fate as him. They always let out angry roars, but he was too quiet in comparison, like a standing boulder in the rushing water. He always sat on the damp ground, looking at the vents above his head and watching everything that flowed in from there, whether it was wind, snow, rain or fog, he liked them, because they carried the smell of the outside world, whether it was a rich and fragrant floral scent, or a refreshing earthy smell.

He knew that the smell was called freedom.

It smelled like that on his body before, but how long ago was it? Perhaps he can't remember it for a long time, but all he has is the image of his strong father dying in agony in front of him, and the sad eyes of his mother who was beheaded.

These memories that once grieved him were now numb, and one day they too would disappear into the darkness of the dungeon.

The door to the dungeon slowly opened, and a new day would begin, the only time of the day he could move around freely.

The chains were unchained, the sun stinging his eyes, and he was surrounded by scenes he knew all too well—magically strengthened circular walls filled with humans.

They had happy smiles on their faces, and their mouths kept shouting excitedly.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The shouts that sounded like a tidal wave almost drowned him out.

The iron doors around him were opened one after another, and several monsters came out of them, their faces looking full of fear, although he sympathized with them from the bottom of his heart, but he had no choice, because he was just a plaything used to please the high humans, just like them.

In this daily repertoire, the actors are monsters, the audience is human, and the name of the stage is - the gladiatorial arena!

The shouts around him grew louder and louder, and as an ogre, he did not hesitate to take a step.

The gears of killing collide with each other, and a new day turns.

——————————————————————————————————————————

On the northern border of the Principality of Basol, a border fortress built between two tall mountain peaks is a barrier separating the human settlement from the wild land infested with monsters, and from here you can see the green and fertile land to the south, and the barren and desolate Gobi terrain to the north.

", I really should let those noble lords come to live here."

Adrien Byers opened a bag of wine that the supply team had brought back from the kingdom, poured it into his mouth a few times, and then spat out all the wine he had drunk.

"Those guys up there are bastards! The wine sent is really getting worse and worse, is this still something that people drink? ”

Stationed in a bitter cold place like the border all year round, this soldier who was just in his early thirties looked nearly ten years older than his actual age.

"Adrien, you always speak such disrespectful words, be careful of being beheaded."

Aubrey, who was wiping his saber on the side, frowned and warned.

"Lao Tzu is not afraid of being beheaded, we have been sent here for ten years! How can the people of the royal capital ignore us? I think they've forgotten about us and want us to kill ourselves in this hellish place! ”

Adrien tossed the wine bag to the side and reopened the other one.

"I can't say that, the garrison here is also very important, if this place is lost, the monsters in the north will be able to drive straight in."

"you, Aubrey! How do you say that word? Oh yes, you're making a fool of yourself! We've been stationed here for ten years, and we haven't even seen a shadow of a monster, and I think the monster in the north has long since died! ”

Adrien snorted disdainfully through his nose.

Although he did not agree with Adrien's statement in his heart, what he said was indeed the truth, and Aubrey, who could not refute it, could only keep silent.

The weather on the border had entered winter earlier than in the kingdom, and the walls of the castle towers had several cracks due to disrepair, and the howling north wind was howling, and even staying inside was not much warmer than outside.

"The king's kid should also repair this place, it's really freezing to death."

Adrien wrapped his plush cloak tightly and said indignantly. Although the wine in the newly opened wine bag was no different from the previous wine bag, he could only drink it reluctantly in order to warm his body.

"Even if you want to, Your Majesty can't do it, the entire treasury is in the hands of those big nobles, and the big lord Delnis will usurp power sooner or later."

"I don't care who is the king, anyway, whoever is the king is the same, and I don't care about us border soldiers!"

"Adrien, I think you're too pessimistic, but as far as the truth goes, that's true."

Aubrey looked at Adrian, whose face was already a little red, and sighed heavily.

When Adrien and Aubrey were first appointed generals of the border pass, there were about 3,000 soldiers in the entire border pass. However, in the past ten years, due to the harsh conditions, the supply of the royal capital was often withheld by the nobles, and many soldiers died of cold or disease, and now the soldiers on the entire border are only half of the beginning, and the morale is demoralized.

"General, general!"

Suddenly, the door was pushed open by a dejected soldier, and the cold air from outside instantly took over the entire room.

"You idiot, what are you panicking!"

Adrien scolded angrily.

"Demons, monsters!"

As if greatly frightened, the soldier fell to the ground one by one, his fingers pointing outward trembled like spasms, and even his voice became indistinct.

"Useless stuff! If there is a monster, shoot it with a bow and arrow! ”

Adrien kicked the soldier on the ground, looking rather angry.

The kicked soldier didn't moan at all, just pointed out the door and shivered.

"Adrian, something is wrong, let's go out and have a look!"

Feeling something unusual in his heart, Aubrey walked briskly out the door.

The wind on the walls tore the kingdom's banner violently, and the distant sky was engulfed in large dark clouds, heralding the impending rainstorm.

"Oh God!"

Although Adrien and Aubrey, who had climbed the city wall, were not believers, they prayed almost at the same time, because instead of the familiar white Gobi, they were greeted by the black turbidity that swept across the mountains.

Thousands, tens of thousands, or more, that's a desperately large army of monsters!