'Kill again! I only managed to kill a martial artist before because I had a chance. But here, I don't have a single chance. No… there is one way to fight. If I just keep on dodging till twenty people get killed, I can pass this trial.'
Garven's eyes blazed with determination as he clenched his fist.
'I must survive no matter what.'
At this moment, someone else was keeping an eye on him. Azur was looking at him from afar. Azur put his hand on his chin and thought.
'Let's see how he can handle himself. If he is an asset, I must get him but if he is a liability, then there is no need to take care of him.'
'Damn it! I have to kill again.' One of the young men clenched his fist and his eyes blazed with anger. He turned around and immediately punched the boy next to him.
It didn't take a while for this to turn into a royal rumble. The children started punching each other.
A certain grey-haired boy who was next to Garven also made a move. He started with a kick but Garven was fully aware of his movement. He dodged it so fast that the grey-haired man ended up kicking someone else.
And, that person picked a fight against the grey-haired man. It turned into a brawl. Even though they were martial artists, they didn't have a refined moves or anything of that sort.
The Battle was a full-out brawl. They wanted to kill their enemy before they would get killed.
"Haaaa!"
At this moment, another young boy rushed toward Garven with a solid punch but just like before Garven managed to dodge it. But this time, this young boy didn't let go of Garven.
He immediately raised his foot and kicked Garven on his stomach. But, the kick itself didn't strike Garven. Garven managed to catch the kick and kill its momentum. Then, he used the snake to block the remaining impact.
Because the snake was basically being controlled by his emotions, he was able to use the snake in this situation. During his time with a snake, he noticed something.
He had built a mental connection with the snake and that's how he was able to control it. He didn't know whether this connection would work on other snakes but he knew he could control this snake as he wished at least.
After letting the snake block that small blow, he grabbed his leg and lifted him up. But, the young boy was a martial artist. While in the air, he moved his other leg as he swing it.
Whoosh!
Although the kick was fast, Garven lowered his head and dodged the kick as he dropped his other leg.
Thud!
The young boy fell to the ground. He couldn't get it instantly. At this moment, a shadow of a sword appeared above him.
"Please, don't!" The young boy screamed but his opponent didn't give him any opportunity. The sword slashed his chest and killed him.
The young boy who killed that boy turned his head at Garven. And, as soon as he saw those bloodthirsty eyes, Garve panicked. He knew if he were to face this boy, he would hardly win.
His eyes suddenly moved and he stepped back. The young boy instantly tried to chase him but two young boys started fighting in front of him. He lost sight of Garven.
"Damn it!" The young boy cursed and started slashing two young boys in front of him. With internal energy and a sword, he wasn't afraid of anyone.
Garven also noticed this and his eyes suddenly changed toward the other young boys. They were relentlessly fighting and constantly getting injured.
Garven looked at the stage where that man stood and thought.
'So, they are trying to take down those who survived on Willpower. I guess they just want the most potential people. So, even people with luck and Willpower don't enter their eyes.'
'But then, why would they select non-martial artists in the first place? If they wanted the potential, they could've selected those who already are martial artists. So why?'
'It seems like there is something more than just getting potential martial artists. They are trying to filter something else. What would be the common between those who are currently dying and those who are trying to kill?'
Garven looked around. His eyes started analyzing every person in the room. But, his eyes stopped at a certain one.
'Azur! He isn't fighting. No, he is just like me, trying to dodge the attacks. For me, it is understandable since I don't have internal energy. But why him? Isn't it better to kill twenty people as fast as possible?'
'Wait….. the common thing! I understand. This trial isn't just about killing. It's about preserving my energy for the next trial. That means if you get engaged in the battle, you will lose a lot of stamina and won't be able to compete in the next trial.'
'That's why they just want twenty young boys to die. By lowering the numbers, they can filter out those impatient and reckless people.'
Garven's eyes sharpened, even more, when he noticed Azur looking at him with a smile. He could feel the shrewdness behind that smile. But, right now, Garven didn't have the luxury to focus on one person.
"Haa!"
A young boy thrust his fist from behind, conjuring massive internal energy in his fist. His speed was praiseworthy but Garven could easily dodge it since he saw it coming.
Feeling the air, the pressure of internal energy and the movement of muscles, each of these things tell him the movement that his opponent makes. Living the pure darkness, this was what he learned.
After dodging that attack, Garven tried to hide behind someone else but while doing so, his eyes fell on the same boy with the sword. This boy had killed two people and now heading toward him.
One had a sword, another was coming with a fist. Seeing this, Garven panicked. At this moment, he had no way to dodge both of them at once.
So, he had to make a choice.
'Damn it! It seems like I am going to sacrifice it.'
Garven made up his mind and dashed toward the boy with a fist. His fist was coming with great force and at this moment, Garven raised his hand. There was not a single trace of internal energy coming out of his hand.
The boy cracked a cruel smile as he found Garven's situation. He knew he could take down Garven but suddenly, a black snake moved from his arm. The snake was so fast that the boy couldn't react.
It instantly reached the boy's fist when their fists collide and bit the boy's arm. Garven forced the snake to wrap its body around that boy's arm when the boy was screaming in pain.
Garven pulled the tail of the snake and moved to the side. The young boy with the sword didn't see that coming. He moved his sword instantly and slashed the other boy.
Garven pulled the snake into his arm and immediately hid in the crowd.
"Stop!"
A few seconds later, the man from the stage shouted and the entire battle stopped. Nobody moved an inch. At this moment, there were twenty bodies lying on the ground dead.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
At this moment, the ground beneath them started to shake. On the far left, a massive cave emerged. Seeing that cave, everyone was confused. The man on the stage looked at them and said.
"Now, your third trial starts. On the other side of that cave, there is food. The first fifty people who reach the end will get to eat that food while others will starve. But, remember you are not allowed to injure or even touch others"
As soon as he said that, Garven rushed toward the cave. There was no hesitation in his eyes. Without internal energy, his speed was obviously going to be slower so he moved as fast as he could.
Many people reacted quickly as well. But, Garven was still at the front. He entered the cave and as soon as he did, his body instantly paused.
Whoosh! Splash!
He stopped just before a spear passed in front of him. And, the boy who reacted next to him ended up getting pierced by that spear. His body hung on the wall with the spear impaling him through his head.
'Damn it. Traps are all over this cave. I need to move fast but also without getting any injuries.'
Garven clenched his teeth and waited as five boys passed him. But, most of them didn't move. They were still afraid of traps.
Garven looked around and when he didn't notice any potential trap, he moved forward. He didn't walk but rather ran and while doing so, he kept his senses as high as possible.
'Oops'
Garven suddenly paused when he realized that he had pressed a block on the ground but his sense forced him to frontflip. As he did, he managed to pass thin but extremely sharp metal lines.
The people who were behind him were a bit late. They ended up getting injured.
Whoosh!
At this moment, Azur suddenly jumped and appeared next to Garven. He looked at Garven with a smile and asked
"Hello, Garven! Why don't we pass this trial together?"
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