The most powerful scroll was . Activate it during stat distribution, and every attribute point spent returned double. I became a monster: Strength 20 by level 3, Agility to dodge crossbow bolts. The AI gladiators — Brutus, Spike, even the Minotaur — fell like wheat.

So I stopped. Deleted my save. Started over with no cheats, just a wooden sword and sandals with holes. And I won — barely. But now, when I see new fighters struggling in the Bronze League, I slide them a scrap of parchment.

Listen well, young fighter. You think the arena is won by muscle and grit alone? Ha. I, Ariston of the Crimson Sandals, have bled on every tile of the Emperor’s colosseum. But I also found… shortcuts. They call them cheats. I call them the Cursed Scrolls .