Chapter 12: Resolve

The flame of the torches flickered eerily as the sounds of screams echoed in the Sanctuary.

A stream of blood could be seen flowing down a path as a boy ran with all his might. As he ran, he left bloody footprints on the ground.

The boy was bloodied, his expression horrified. A massive chunk of his shoulder was missing, causing one of his limbs to flail around as he sprinted.

As he mustered all the strength he could, he suddenly heard a howl behind him. A feeling of dread surfaced as he ran even quicker, manipulating all his life essence towards his legs.

"Not good! It's too fast!"

He learnt the rabbit body training method, so his speed wasn't to be underestimated. Yet he felt helpless. How could a creature like this exist?

As he made a sharp turn and changed directions, he saw a gruesome scene that nearly made him vomit. He saw the lifeless bodies of a group of children. If it were just this, he would've been able to keep his composure. However, he merely saw the remnants of them. 

Blood painted the walls of the cave as the scattered bodies on the floor had been thoroughly devoured. Only bits of their flesh remained on their skeletons.

Such a scene horrified him!

It felt like he was in a terrible, never-ending nightmare. He should never have accepted Lord Thel's offer to be taken in. He was in deep regret. Although he had been fed and given shelter, that happiness only lasted a week. 

This place was truly hell.

He had only stopped for a short instance before he quickly decided to run again.

But before he could run, a sharp object had suddenly swiped his right leg. 

The boy's face quickly contorted in pain as he fell to the ground with a scream.

"AHH! I-it hurts!" 

Tears welled up in his eyes as he desperately turned his body to see what had struck him.

To his horror, a massive creature clad in black fur was in front of him. His severed limb could be seen under one of its long legs, but he didn't even notice it as he was stricken with fear.

The creature's ominous, golden eyes stared at its prey as it slowly walked towards the boy.

The boy tried to crawl backwards, but as it quickly arrived in front of him, he didn't move anymore. No, it was more like he couldn't move. His body froze. 

It was the natural instinct of prey to submit themselves to a predator when they clearly felt the difference in power.

The creature leaned its head closer to the boy as it opened its mouth — revealing razor-sharp teeth stained with blood. As the creature's tongue licked the boy's face, the boy felt an immense amount of fear. 

The creature was toying with him, enjoying every second of tormenting its prey.

With death being so close, the boy couldn't help but open his mouth to shout for help. But before he could even let out a sound, the creature had suddenly attacked, its teeth sinking into the boy's neck, his life ending swiftly.

The creature began eating the corpse as the flames of the torches flickered ominously. 

Apart from the sounds of flesh being ripped and devoured, the world had become deathly silent.

Such a scene was happening all around in the Sanctuary.

...

"What's taking him so long?" The frail boy asked.

The person acting as bait had left minutes ago after the wolves had been released. 

Now, nearly 20 minutes had passed. Although they were quite far away, it shouldn't have taken this long, right? They even had the powder that attracted them.

"Who knows?" The boy at the bronze stage replied with a shrug. He was currently hiding behind a rock to ambush the wolf.

"You don't think an accident happened, do you?"

"Perhaps. That boy wasn't even a practitioner. Anything could've happened to him. That had been the main reason why I wanted that useless trash to be the bait."

As he spoke, he gave a glance at the boy who was hidden in the shadows.

Luck was currently also waiting to ambush the wolf. As time slowly passed, he began suspecting that the kid that went out had died.

Fortunately, after waiting for a few more minutes, the group suddenly heard a boy's desperate cry for help at the west path.

The place that they were ambushing the wolf in was a juncture. It had five tunnels leading to other areas of the Sanctuary.

In the distance, a horrified boy was desperately running.

"I managed to lure one! Help!" He screamed as he hurriedly ran to his group.

"Hehe, perfect! This will be easy!" The arrogant boy smirked.

In the distance, a creature clad in black fur could be seen chasing him.

However, as the arrogant boy saw the creature, his smirk swiftly vanished. Luck immediately noticed their leader's change in demeanour. 

His expression was one of complete terror.

"T-that isn't an ordinary wolf. That's a dire wolf!

"Run! We don't stand a chance against that thing!" The boy exclaimed before immediately going in the opposite direction of the wolf.

Seeing the fear from their leader, the frail boy quickly followed. 

As for Luck, he wasn't an idiot either, he also left. Judging from their reaction, that isn't an ordinary enemy that could be compared to a regular wolf.

He shot a glance at their bait.

His expression was one of utter despair.

As he ran for his life, expecting his companions to help him, he suddenly saw all of them run away, ruthlessly abandoning him.

"N-no! Please help m—" 

Bang!

Before he could finish his sentence, something heavy suddenly pressed down on him as his body plummeted to the ground.

The dire wolf pinned the boy onto the floor as its sharp claws sunk into the boy's flesh.

The boy felt an intense pain overwhelm him as his hand reached out for his companions.

"ARGHH! Help! Please, help–!"

The dire wolf growled as it opened its mouth and tore a chunk of the boy's flesh before hungrily devouring it. Blood flowed out of its mouth, dripping onto the floor. 

The creature had been starved for days. 

A hunter usually killed its prey quickly, but the creature was currently eating the boy alive. The wolf's hunter-like instincts had been dulled due to it being starved for such a long time. As the prey was much weaker, the wolf began eating, trying to satiate its hunger as quickly as possible.

The boy cried in pain as he violently resisted and fought back. Yet the weight of the creature had made him helpless. It kept tearing off chunks of his flesh as agony and bitterness consumed him.

Due to the mindless way it was eating, on its fifth bite, the boy had lost his life as the creature bit down on his neck.

While the boy was suffering a cruel fate, his companions had already ran to safety.

...

"Huff... Huff... We should be able to rest here for a few minutes..." 

They had been running non-stop for ten minutes. 

"W-what was that thing? It looked almost twice the size of a regular wolf. And its black fur was really ominous..." The frail boy asked, breathing heavily.

The arrogant boy gathered his thoughts. After calming down a little, he spoke, "I heard stories from the villagers before coming here. In my village, that creature is called a dire wolf. They are known for their pitch-black fur and the danger they pose. 

"Oftentimes, when some of the villagers go to the forest to collect medicinal herbs and mushrooms, they never return back..." He spoke, his tone fearful.

"I've never heard of them. If they're so dangerous, why aren't they more well known?"

The arrogant boy shivered slightly as he said, "The dire wolves are solitary creatures that hunt at night. As long as a grandmaster is in a village, the dire wolves wouldn't even think of attacking. But if you go into their territory, your fate would likely be death!"

The frail boy gulped.

"Then how can we possibly kill a creature like that? Do we really have to starve for five days?"

The boy at the bronze stage listened and also frowned. This trial was simply impossible if they didn't have someone at the silver stage. Even then, he still wouldn't be confident in killing it.

As he was deep in thought, he suddenly glanced at Luck.

"Tch. This waste is still following us. He really is an omen that brings a calamity to everyone. If he were the bait instead, we'd at least have someone more useful..."

As the boy at the bronze stage frowned at their misfortune, he suddenly thought of an idea.

He suddenly recalled what Lord Thel had said.

"Severed limb of a participant..." The boy mumbled, his lips slowly curling into a cruel grin. 

"Yes, yes! That's the only way! Lord Thel had probably added this rule so we can kill off all the useless trash and give a way for us to pass this Trial!" 

Seeing his crazed expression, the frail boy meekly spoke.

"Y-you aren't considering that rule are you?" 

The boy replied with a crazed smile.

"It's the only way! What? Do you want to fight the dire wolf?"

The frail boy felt frightened at the mere thought as he weakly replied.

"N-no..."

"Then do you want to be the sacrifice instead?"

"N-no..."

"What about starving for five days?"

The boy kept silent, giving him the answer he expected.

"If so, then I don't see why you're hesitating! He's the weakest kid in the Sanctuary. We take both his arms, and we can leave the trial! It's so simple!"

"So, why not help me kill him?" The boy asked with a ruthless expression.

The boy didn't even bother hiding his plan as Luck was just a few steps away, showing his confidence in eliminating him. 

Luck's expression remained calm, his face not revealing a single thought.

After contemplating for a few seconds, the frail kid replied.

"O-okay! For our survival!" His lips trembled as he thought about killing a person, however, his survival mattered most. So what if he killed someone? His actions had always been so he could live another day.

"Hehe, good!"

Turning around, the boy had a cruel expression as he said, "Sorry leech. But it seems you can finally make yourself useful today! If you obediently let us cut your arms off, you might be able to live, hehe!"

Luck remained silent as his eyes flashed with a murderous glint. He immediately took a stance.

Seeing that Luck wasn't planning on complying, he laughed.

"Hehe. That's a shame! Guess you'll have to die!" 

The boy suddenly took out his dagger, releasing his murderous intent.

Luck observed the boy's crazed expression and felt a slight sense of pity. In less than four months, this place had made most of the children extremely bloodthirsty, having the ability to take a life without any remorse. 

The Sanctuary is a cruel and unforgiving place. Luck couldn't help but think that.

Four months of darkness and solitude were bound to make even the kindest of people change for the worse. Especially to children with a weaker mental fortitude.

Luck couldn't help but recall something from his previous life.

"Evil is rarely born, but birthed through circumstances and one's surroundings."

At a young age, one's moral compass is as bendable as clay, easily reshaped by the hands of circumstance. One's surroundings is like the sculptor, with human interactions and one's decisions moulding their thoughts and emotions. Circumstances like these can force such decisions, either leading to creation or either leading to destruction.

Through failure, wisdom is built; through friendship, compassion is fostered; through kinship, loyalty is nurtured. These virtues are sought after, but while creation breathes life into the soul, destruction tears it apart. In a place like the Sanctuary, where strength is revered and the weak are ruthlessly trampled upon, it is destruction that leaves the deepest marks. If the children survive in this place, they will be shaped not by the nurturing hand of creation, but by the harsh, unrelenting force of destruction. Their eyes will see the world through a lens of scars and shadows, a perspective far removed from the light of ordinary lives.

As an adult who had suddenly possessed a child's body, Luck was more resistant to change. Yet even he was quickly adapting to the cruelness of this place.

Luck hardened his resolve to take a life. In this fight, someone will die, and Luck had no intention of being the one to meet his end.