"I greet my Master."
The moment Rey entered the room and cast his gaze on the Young Master Augustus, he fell to his knees and bowed his head.
There was no awkwardness in his movement or any form of reproach.
The prideful attitude he showed to Leon was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained… was subservience.
"Haha! You can rise!" Augustus let out an amused laugh, clearly pleased by his slave's continuous display of loyalty.
Having a competent but disloyal slave was dangerous.
Having a loyal but incompetent slave was useless.
However, Augustus ended up with a rare find—a loyal and competent slave.
This was simply his good fortune!
This slave was ruthless towards all his enemies but was perfectly subordinate to his will. Augustus could easily control such a tool and use him to keep climbing the ranks.
What was there not to love?
"You have done well during the brief period since I had Logan purchase you. Not only have you constantly won in the Chaos Dweller Pit, but Logan tells me you have also been very diligent in your studies regarding Ancient MajiK. It's good that you recognize the rare privilege you have been given to learn such a sacred power."
"I am truly grateful, Master." Rey bowed his head to show deep respect.
"Hehe! That's the right attitude!" Augustus laughed heartily. "You showed your worth during the Variety Event and won against all your opponents, just as I knew you would. My investment in you was truly not in vain."
"Your praises are too much for me, Master. I also deeply appreciate all the rewards you sent to my room." Rey listed everything in great detail, showing just how observant he was of all the things he was given and how grateful he was. "This slave is undeserving of so many good things. Master is too kind."
Although Rey showed a moved expression, he was actually rolling his eyes internally.
Kindness?
Investment?
'What investment? You only did the bare minimum, you cheapskate!' His true thoughts only silently echoed in his head.
'I wasn't even given a weapon or an Artifact in that battle. I only learned three Sequences of a nearly useless Technique. Compared to everyone else, I was at the clearest disadvantage.'
If it weren't for the experience he inherited from his past life, he would have lost in the first round, no questions asked.
'But it's fine if you feel this way. I'll allow you to keep stroking your ego, since it will only make you feel magnanimous and encourage you to be more generous. Besides, nothing good will come from acting on the contrary…' Rey had studied his Master at every opportunity he got.
He already had a clear idea of how the man thought.
Augustus was a talentless person, so he liked to surround himself with competent people to make up for this weakness of his.
He would let these subordinates take risks and do tasks for him, and when they succeeded, he would vicariously partake in the achievements as though they were his.
However, if they disappointed him, he would dissociate himself from them.
After all, their failures as individuals did not reflect on his own ability as their superior.
Using this twisted logic, Augustus had managed to keep his pride intact despite being a complete bum.
Now, it seemed Rey was the next person he could use to fuel his ego.
'He will surely keep rewarding me, but this also means he'll put me in more dangerous situations where I can continue to inflate his ego…' Rey was aware of the dangers associated with his predicament.
But he embraced them regardless.
For one, he had no choice. He was a victim of circumstance, and so he had to make the best use of the situation.
Secondly, it was a risk worth taking.
'As long as I keep winning, I can continue to rise through the ranks. There's a reason Leon is intimidated by me. I'll keep racking up achievements until I become indispensable to Augustus. It won't be long before I make him trust me and slip on some details on how I can be free.'
It might seem illogical or far-fetched that a Master would ever get close to a slave, but people actually functioned this way.
If Rey became indispensable to Augustus, the same way a loyal subordinate constantly served his superior, and he pressed the right buttons on his Master's heart, Augustus could even start feeling bad about Rey's slave status.
'I don't expect him to release me, since he will still want to keep using me. He will desperately need to feel above me, even if he ends up trusting me. However, that doesn't mean he won't let his guard down in multiple instances and give me all the clues I need.'
The most unattractive thing about this plan, however, was that it would take too long to complete.
Rey needed something faster.
'But since no other viable options are currently present, I can only keep working on this plan while secretly looking out for another.' While he was still ruminating on this, he got a rather shocking announcement from Claudius.
"You will no longer attend the Chaos Dweller Pit from this moment on. Instead, you will only participate in the bi-weekly Variety Events as well as other more prestigious activities in the Coliseum. You will also be allowed to roam the Estate with relative freedom. I'm sure you'll need to stretch your legs, given your new free time, but make sure you don't slack off, and you continue to be diligent in your training."
"I-I will, Master! Thank you for this opportunity. I will not let you down, I swear!" Rey responded with a passion, even falling to his knees once again.
"Hehe, it's no problem." Augustus gestured for him to rise. "You must have been bored to death in your room anyway. Having some fresh air isn't bad every once in a while. Of course, I don't need to remind you not to touch anything or harm anyone, per the contract. Not only will you suffer greatly if you do so, but your freedom will be revoked at the slightest hint of disobedience. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Master!" Rey happily responded.
He already knew he would likely not have to keep participating in the Chaos Dweller Pits since he was already overqualified, but his newfound freedom certainly surprised him.
There was something else, too.
'Even if I break his orders, I won't die. I will simply suffer dearly, and my limited freedom will be revoked. This shows he no longer sees me as disposable and has grown more hesitant to let me go. Hehe… that's good.'
Rey was filled with joy.
His ambition soared even more.
He had gained far more than he expected to, and this was only the beginning.
'If I played my cards right… hm?'
Rey noticed a particularly fierce gaze resting on him. It belonged to someone whom Rey had already grown wary of
—Leon.
'It seems you'll be making your move sooner than I expected, too…'