"Alright! It seems like not even fifty of you managed to reach here. Although most of you didn't die, you would still face the consequences of losing."
Captain John stood in front of the group and spoke loudly. Even the people outside the room could hear him.
"But, this is where the true trial starts."
Captain John raised his hand and dozens of men with red masks appeared. They were holding massive plates filled with food. The food wasn't just meat and vegetable soup like before.
There were massive chunks of meat from different animals. There was a huge bucket of rice and soup. There was a huge bucket of water. Fish, tofu, vegetables, and a lot of different foods were placed on the table.
Seeing this, everyone started drooling. Even Garven had the same situation. After all, it has been over a month since he has properly eaten anything.
"This food is for those who have made it to this room. But, if packages from inside the room want, they share this food with those from outside. After five days, those who are outside can challenge the packages from inside."
"So, whether you want to share the food or not depends on you. And, this is for all of you. It is a gift for making it this far. Also, there are small caves all around you. There should be more than enough for each of you."
When John said that, those men with red masks walked toward each person and started giving them each a small book.
Garven also got one. He held the book in his hand and read the title on the front page.
[Blood Harmony Technique]
"It is a martial technique of our sect. Although you have your own cultivation technique, you must practice it, or else, you will face the consequences."
Saying so, John disappeared alongside the other men with red masks.
After their disappearance, the children started opening and reading the book but they couldn't resist the aroma of the food much longer.
Garven was no exception. He also rushed toward the tablet and started stuffing food on a plate. There was a lot of food to choose but he didn't care about which to choose. He put everything on the plate
"Ahem! Before we start stuffing ourselves, why don't we decide whether we should give food to those from outside?" Azur walked up to the middle and raised his voice as he spoke.
"What kind of crap are you talking about? Why should we give food to them when they can take our position after five days?" One of the young men looked at him and shouted.
"Yeah! There is no reason for us to share our food. You are just wasting our time." Another young man shouted.
At this moment, a young man with a pale face wearing a white shirt spoke.
"I have seen you before. You gathered your own group before the start of the second trial as if you knew it was going to be that kind of battle. Then, you stick with that person who is good at finding out traps."
"So, you must have a reason for helping them. You don't look like a person who would help others out of goodwill."
"What are you talking about? I am really a good person." Azur spoke as if his heart was broken. But, nobody cared about that. Instead, they were all curious about his plan. Even Garven was no exception.
"Alright! Alright, let me explain this to you. Have you guys noticed something strange with all these three trials?" Azur asked.
Hearing his question, nobody spoke because they have seen a lot of strange things but they didn't know whether it was what Azur was talking about.
"Why don't you say everything at once?" The young man holding the sword on his back spoke with a serious expression.
"How could you not notice? There is no pattern to their trials. If they were truly after the strongest children, then why kill only twenty people in the second trial? Shouldn't they force us to kill half?" Azur asked.
Hearing his question, one of the girls replied.
"Are you saying that they want to prolong the trial?"
"I am not saying. I am confident about this. If they could kill thousands of children in the first trial, why would they only kill half of us? And, if they are going to starve those people, why give the option to share food?"
"After all, they should be aware that we wouldn't share food if those people are just going to take our position. In other words, if more of us survive the fourth trial, then it would be advantageous for us in the fifth trial." Azur explained.
"But, how would that work? I mean, if we fight to the death in the fifth trial, why should we help them?" The young man with the sword asked.
"Isn't that obvious?" Azur rolled his eyes and a cruel smile appeared on his face.
"If I fight you, win and then put you inside the dungeon while giving you only a little food for a month, would you be able to win against me after a month?"
Hearing his words, the young man with the sword narrowed his eyes.
Seeing those eyes, Azur chuckled and said.
"Exactly! Right now, we are a strong group. If we fight each other, our battle will be bloody and half of us will be killed in the fifth trial. But, if our opponents are those guys, then wouldn't we be at a big advantage?"
At this moment, everyone finally understood his idea. It was simple. Give them food, but not a lot, only to help them survive till the next trial. And, in the fifth trial, instead of fighting strong ones and putting your life in danger, just kill the weaker ones.
That was the plan.
Everyone felt terror hearing that plan. After all, they were just kids. For another kid to come up with such a plan, they were horrified to face him.
Azur placed fear in their hearts.
"So, you are assuming that this trial is about numbers?" Suddenly, a voice rang from the crowd. Everyone turned around and looked at Garven.
Most of them had some impression of Garven, some were bad, while some were neutral.
"Yes, my friend. I believe this trial would be for numbers." Azur said with a big smile on his face.
"Then, you are damn wrong about the whole trial." Garven's words brought silence to the entire room.
"What do you mean?" Azur's eyebrows twitched when he heard Garven's words. Everyone else had a similar expression.
"They don't want numbers. Do you think you are a talented person? Do any of you think you can contend with the talented people from the sects? No! None of you are otherwise you would've been scouted by sects already."
Garven's words made them mad but they didn't immediately throw their anger at him instead they continued to listen to his explanation.
"Let me guess about your identities! Some of you are children of merchants. Some of you are children of average civilians. Some of you are might come from wealthy families but most of you aren't from powerful sects or families."
"But, there is one thing in common between all of you. Martial artists, all of you are martial artists. At least, I assume you are. So, what would you do when you want to find the best person from a group of skilled people?"
"Make them fight each other until the last one remains. I am not sure how many trials are there nor do I know how many numbers they need. But if they are going as far as to kidnap thousands of children, why would they need to decrease the number by so much?"
"After all, those who didn't make out of the first trial were just some random children. They want to find out who can survive. They want to find out who can last longer."
"Whether it is one or ten people, they will continue the trail until they find the people who can contend with the geniuses from other powers. Do you know how much this all would cost?"
"Do you think they will continue this for a long time? I don't think so. In five days, there will be a battle and if you lose against someone from outside who hasn't eaten for five days, why should they keep you alive?"
When he asked that question, everyone turned silent. Because of Azur's words, they assumed that even if they lose, they can still get some food till the next trial.
Garven turned around and said.
"You might be right. I might be wrong. You are optimistic. I am being pessimistic. But, there must be a line between these two. You are a smart one. Find that line."
"But, do keep this in mind."
When he said that, everyone turned serious as if they were waiting for some kind of serious talk.
"Don't forget to inform me when you come up with an idea."
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