The Selection of the New Black Moon

"How much longer will those people wait before showing themselves to us? If they want to leave one of us alive, all this manpower here would be pointless, a waste of good warriors," Jun thought in the darkness.

His training had progressed very well. He didn't want to be boastful, but he knew that with a steel sword, he could defeat many grown men.

As for his mental state, he had long accepted that he had problems. It wasn't a surprise, but as long as it wasn't a weakness, he wouldn't give it much importance.

He hadn't killed anyone else. No one else wanted to come for him, and they certainly wouldn't find him unless this place was fully illuminated, which wasn't going to happen.

He was fine with killing; Jun knew he had to kill to survive in this cruel world.

He wasn't in modern times—here, what mattered most was strength.

Physical appearances didn't matter unless you were a woman; that's just how things were in these times.

Some boys didn't think the same way as Jun; they lived with a terrible sense of guilt. Lin was one of them. Today, he had killed another boy after escaping the bloodbath created by Cheng. His hands were stained with blood and wouldn't stop trembling.

No matter how many times Lin wiped his hands, the smell of blood wouldn't leave his body.

"I'm going to die here." Lin didn't know where he was. He had run so much in the dark that he became disoriented and couldn't find his way back.

But at that moment, footsteps approached him. Lin was so exhausted that he couldn't even stand up.

"Live or die?"

"Jun…" Lin recognized the voice that asked him that question. His faint smile gradually disappeared, and he didn't know how to respond.

"I'll save you, but in exchange, I need you to swear loyalty to me, no matter who we serve here after the trial." Jun needed good followers, and Lin could be one of them.

He had studied him closely for weeks, whether Lin was alone, accompanied, or talking to the people closest to him.

Jun had learned that Lin was a very kind boy. He united everyone through trust and didn't discriminate between the weak and the strong. He brought together anyone who wanted to look out for each other, and together they fought for food, which they divided equally.

The bloodbath Cheng created was bad luck. Lin wasn't a killer; he had never killed anyone, but in that fight, he managed to kill one of Cheng's followers.

Knowing how valuable Lin could become, Jun needed him to form his own core group.

Lin had survived all this time without water or food, and after two days, he still hadn't taken his own life.

If Lin's will to live was so strong, that meant he wasn't weak at all, contrary to Jun's initial judgment.

"I want to live."

Jun then approached him, took a piece of moss from his linen bag, and fed it to Lin, who at first refused to eat something unfamiliar.

"Eat it all. You'll need it if we have to face Cheng's group to survive," Jun said as he cared for this boy, who might become one of his followers in case things got bad in the future.

He wouldn't even trust the Haiyue clan; he would stay with them only for the benefits, but nothing more.

When Lin stood up, he followed Jun and soon discovered that Jun had also taken care of Lau, a boy named Wu, and another who was simply called Lu.

Their names were quite similar, so Jun had to make an effort to learn them.

Several days passed until they were ready to move without holding Jun back, so they approached where the food was being distributed just to observe the situation.

"It's a waste for the clan to kill them all. Half of them will survive, but never put their interests above ours."

"Damn slaves."

"Killing them was so thrilling!"

All the boys behind Jun were angry, but none dared to say a word.

Jun remained indifferent. He could kill them one by one, but it would be wasted energy.

Cheng hadn't messed with him, so naturally, he wasn't eager to kill him. He wasn't a fan of unnecessary bloodshed.

Crack!

Suddenly, a metallic sound echoed in the underground ceiling.

"What? Is it time for the food to come down already?"

"No, it should be half a day away," commented Cheng's followers, suspiciously eyeing the ceiling.

A large iron basket began to descend, and everyone jumped to their feet, expecting more food to be delivered.

Jun, with his piercing gaze, said to the others, "We need to get as much food as possible."

"We're ready," his followers behind him responded, eager for revenge.

With Jun by their side, they knew he could easily kill Cheng, and those who had fully recovered with his help could face the rest of that murderous lunatic's followers.

Jun had used his Chi to help his followers recover. They were all in peak condition to fight, and he knew that if the trial didn't end now, this place was meant to leave only one survivor.

His eyes remained on the basket, lowering the food in this place. However, he noticed something wasn't right.

"Why now…?" Many murmured to themselves as they watched the basket that had caught everyone's attention.

At that moment, people with headbands, scarves, and cloaks covering their entire bodies began to emerge from the manual wooden elevator.

"What?"

"Who are they?!"

Before they could react, the masked figures began mercilessly beating the children. Screams of pain filled the air, and bodies fell helpless to the ground.

The most stubborn children tried to resist, but they were no match for the adults trained in martial arts.

The sound of beatings echoed everywhere. As brutal as they were, the children were just babies in the hands of these men.

Cheng was also beaten.

Only then, when most were being beaten, Jun murmured, "Don't resist; they'll hit you harder if you do."

Without saying another word, Jun walked toward the light.

When a masked man saw him, he tried to attack, but Jun didn't resist much. However, just as the hand was about to strike his body, it disappeared.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Three quick strikes hit the masked man's chest. He spat blood and collapsed unconscious.

Everyone could see that Jun was the only one who had resisted, and the man who hadn't moved earlier murmured, "You haven't disappointed me, Jun."