Watching Sharv’s cruel behavior, everyone’s attention shifted toward him. The two-three boys standing in front of him were trembling with fear.

  As Sharv stepped forward, their fear only grew. They couldn’t understand what to do at this moment.

  ‘Is he… is he going to kill me too?!’

  ‘No, I don’t want to die!’

  Their minds were filled with panicked thoughts, and before they realized it, Sharv was standing right in front of them.

  ‘!!!’

  Seeing him so close, the boys instinctively stretched out their hands toward him and opened their palms, lowering their heads.

  ‘?!’

  “What th-?!”

  “S-So many seeds?!”

  “How did they get these?!”

  People around them blurted out in shock. These boys had five or six seeds in their hands! No one understood how they obtained so many.

  Sharv stood silently in front of them. He could easily take all those seeds if he wanted to, but… He didn’t.

  He simply walked between them and exited the swamp. Once outside, he slowly sat under a tree. Taking a deep yawn.

  Everyone stared at his behavior with shock and confusion. But soon, most of them looked away... because something far more important had caught their eyes.

  Seeds!

  Seeing so many seeds in those boys’ hands, the others felt a rush of greed and desire to snatch them.

  Plop! Plop! Plop!

  A few boys standing at the swamp’s edge jumped in immediately.

  “Hand over those seeds!”

  “If you want to stay alive, give them to me!”

  Those boys charged toward the ones holding the seeds.

  One after another, more participants who had earlier been too scared to step into the swamp now climbed in.

  Sharv watched them calmly from beneath the tree. His clothes were filthy from the swamp, but he didn’t care.

  ‘Hmm… your method was excellent. You took the seed from that chubby boy, and then by killing him, you created fear and turmoil in others’ hearts. Because of that, no one will dare try to snatch your seed now.’

  Sharv’s master spoke to him. And indeed; this was exactly what Sharv wanted.

  He had already noticed those boys behaving suspiciously inside the swamp, constantly glancing around.

  Anyone watching closely would’ve realized they were hiding something.

  But with such a large crowd, no one noticed them. Unfortunately for them, Sharv did and their secret was exposed.

  - I still need to stay cautious though…

  Sharv replied to his master.

  ‘Eh? But why?’

  - Look at the way those two are staring at me.

  His master shifted her attention and noticed it, the two wildcard participants who had stolen seeds earlier were now glaring at Sharv from across the field. She spoke again:

  ‘Don’t worry about them. They won’t be able to do much to you.’

  - How can you be so sure?

  He asked, to which she replied calmly :

  ‘I can tell by their gaze… and besides, even if they attack you, it won’t be too dangerous. Their internal energy is weaker than yours.’

  - ...Fine then.

  Sharv closed his eyes and lay down comfortably beneath the tree. Thinking about what should he do next. He wants to cultivate lunar energy, and death prana but he can't do it publicly right now.

  The snowfall on the mountain slopes had reduced drastically winter was nearly over. Much of the snow on the trees had melted as well. They were no longer white; fresh green leaves had begun to appear.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  ***

  “Hmph! That lad is getting a bit too arrogant.”

  “Yeah, look at him acting like none of this concerns him anymore.”

  The guards standing far from the swamp were muttering as they watched Sharv, who was now relaxing wonder the tree.

  “When he went into the swamp and snatched the seed from that chubby kid, it was entertaining to watch. And when he drowned the kid until he died… that was even more spectacular.”

  “But now he’s doing nothing. Tch! Tch! It’s getting boring.”

  “Hey, forget that kid look at the others! They’ve all started fighting now!”

  “Hahaha! Watching them fight is so fun!”

  They kept commenting among themselves, shifting their attention to the chaos in the swamp.

  Only the Death Hall Master continued observing Sharv.

  ‘This boy is truly exceptional! He not only found the seed but also prevented it from being stolen.’

  The Death Hall Master was deep in thought.

  He had already realized Sharv’s strength when he saw him fight earlier in the Death Hall.

  But now, after seeing this, he understood something else; Sharv was intelligent as well. However that also made him think twice about his decision to call Sharv here, in the trails...

  ‘Nothing to overthink. If he is smart, then good. He’ll be able to survive these trials on his own… I won’t have to pay him as much attention.’

  He only needed Sharv to stay alive until tomorrow after that, whatever happened to him wouldn’t matter. Though… if Sharv died, in this trials then, Surendranath and Death Hall Master would certainly be in trouble, together.

  But if he dies outside the trials, then?...

  The Death Hall Master finally shifted his gaze toward the rest of the children.

  At this moment, only three participants remained outside the swamp; the two wildcard participants who had first acquired the seeds, and Sharv.

  Everyone else was inside the swamp some near the edges, others deep within.

  After seeing Sharv kill someone, the rest, especially the boys had become wild with adrenaline. They had started attacking one another, desperate to obtain a seed.

  ***

  Bang!

  “Kuak!”

  “Haha! Forget about the seed!”

  One boy punched another in the face and grabbed his seed, attempting to run away. But then...

  Bang!

  “Ahhh!”

  Someone else struck him on the head. But this blow… was far stronger.

  ‘Ahh! My head!!!’

  The boy who took the hit collapsed into the swamp. His body began sinking, but the boy who struck him didn’t bother pulling him out.

  He simply grabbed the boy’s hand, lifted it above the swamp, forced his fist open, and took the seed.

  “Hehe! Got it!”

  The boy who took the seed was Shaurya, another one of the wildcard participants. Holding the seed filled him with excitement.

  ‘?!’

  But suddenly, he felt himself sinking deeper into the swamp… slowly… steadily…

  ‘Damn it! I need to get out of here quickly!’

  The deeper he went, the harder it would be to move. And not only that, he would also have to protect the seed from others trying to steal it.

  Doing all that inside the swamp was incredibly difficult. If he could just reach solid ground, things would be much easier.

  ‘Ahh! How did that boy get out so easily earlier?’

  Shaurya stared at Sharv now, who was under the tree. He had watched Sharv exit the swamp with ease, so why couldn’t he?

  ***

  Elsewhere within the swamp…

  “P-Please put me down! Put me down!!!”

  A girl screamed, because a boy had lifted her up on his shoulders.

  “Humph! Hand over the seed first, only then will I let you down!”

  He laughed as he spoke. Rotating the girl upside down, he repeatedly dipped her head into the swamp...

  Plop! Plop! Plop! Plop!

  The girl desperately struggled, but her strength was of no match in front of that boy. Finally After the fourth dunk, the girl finally gave up and handed him her seed.

  “Hahaha! I finally got it!”

  The boy’s name was Devansh; a regular participant, but his body was bigger and stronger than most kids his age. With his sturdy, muscular build, only a crazy person would try to steal his seed.

  ***

  “Ahh! Catch that bitch!”

  “Don’t let her escape!”

  On the other side of the swamp, two or three boys were chasing a girl. Their speed was slow due to the swampy terrain, but they were using their internal energy on their legs to run as fast as possible, but still they were slow.

  The girl they were chasing was the same one who had earlier kicked a boy into the swamp at the start. Her name is Nandini, the fifth wildcard participant among the six.

  She has one seed, which she got quite easily without much effort. The moment she entered the swamp and took just a few steps, a seed appeared right beside her foot.

  She was overjoyed by it, but that feeling was short-lived, because others saw it too. So she had to act fast and now some boys were chasing her, trying their hard to snach off her seed.

  ‘Just let me reach solid ground… just once…’

  That was the only thought in her mind. The ground wasn't much far away from her gaze, only a few metres away.

  But the more she tried to reach the edge, the deeper she would sink into the swamp, and also she was now getting tired.

  The same was happening to the boys chasing her. They were also tired, and were sinking deeper, but they still chased her and showed no signs of stopping.

  “Ahh! I can’t go any further! How did that boy get out so easily?!”

  Nandini yelled in frustration and stopped.

  She turned around; only two boys were left chasing her. One must’ve drowned somewhere along the way.

  “Hehe! Miss Beautiful, hand over the seed nicely.”

  “We’ll spare your life if you give it to us.”

  Nandini waited calmly for them to come closer… more closer, and then right at the perfect moment...

  Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!

  ‘?!’

  “W-What?”

  “I-I can’t move!”

  The boys’ bodies froze entirely.

  Nandini had struck their pressure points, rendering them immobile.

  “Hehe! Enjoy yourselves like this.”

  Nandini laughed and continued to run. The boys stared at her in horror as she left them to slowly sink into the swamp.

  ***

  Meanwhile, Adarsh was now in the swamp’s center, desperately searching for a seed.

  But he still couldn’t find even one.

  Clench!

  He grit his teeth.

  ‘Ahh. Where is it!!!’

  His mind was spiraling into panic. He was losing control. He needed just one seed, only one, but he still hadn’t found any!

  Why only he? Why other could find it? So why not he?

  “Adarsh!”

  Just then a familiar voice called out, a sound which Adarsh knew...

  “Vishesh?”

  Adarsh turned around and saw Vishesh, his body lightly stained with blood.

  But Adarsh didn’t notice the crimson hue on his clothes; his eyes focused only at one point, only towards the seed in Vishesh’s hand.

  “Huff! Huff!”

  Adarsh's mind was already in a fucked up state, and now seeing that seed just in front of him made him more furious. But, before Adarsh could say or do anything...

  Whoosh!

  Vishesh tossed the seed to him and said:

  “Take it. I’ll find another one.”

  ‘Ahh! How did that boy get out so easily earlier?’

  CUZ HE'S THE MC... BITCH!!! (in Jessie Pinkmen's tone...)

  SOCIETY LEADER WAITING FOR SURENDRENATH: