Death Hall Master took a long breath and said,

  “Now we will move to our next trial!”

  Shiver!

  Many of the children present trembled in fear.

  ‘A-aren't they not moving ahead too quickly?’

  ‘At least let us rest…’

  ‘I… I’m scared…’

  Their fear and their trembling thoughts were inevitable.

  So many participants had died right in front of their eyes. Watching them being killed made the others feel as if they could be the next ones to die, that their breaths could stop at any moment.

  Death Hall Master could easily sense the fear spreading among them, and deep inside, he was enjoying it.

  ‘Fear… is a terrifying thing.’

  Fear.

  Every person in life feels it; whether it is a small child or a wise sage. Whether they are rich or poor. Strong or weak. A man or a woman. Everyone experiences fear in one form or another.

  Fear of one’s parents. Fear of losing a loved one forever. Fear regarding one’s future. Fear of failure in life. Fear of society. Fear of betrayal. Fear of becoming meaningless in life.

  And so on, countless fears exist in a human life. But among them, there is one fear that is the darkest, strongest, and most dominating over the human mind—the fear of death.

  ‘And right now, these children are feeling exactly that fear.’

  Death Hall Master thought to himself.

  The trials designed for becoming an Inner Member of Crimson Heaven Society were purposely made in such a way that the participants would be filled with the fear of death.

  Because there is only one way to hold together the people of a massive organization like the Crimson Heaven Society—fear.

  Fear of death, so that controlling them becomes easy. Without fear, people would go out of control and start acting on their own free will.

  Only by this feeling, by fear, could people here be kept in check.

  As long as humans have fear, they are weak, helpless, powerless. As long as they have fear, they can be controlled.

  But only until then… only until then…

  “The next trial is extremely simple. First of all, all of you must divide yourselves into groups of four.”

  Death Hall Master declared.

  Everyone began looking at one another, unsure of what to do next.

  ‘Groups of four…’

  ‘That means this is a group trial.’

  ‘A group-based trial…’

  They all thought the same thing, if it was a trial conducted in groups, then their chances of survival might increase!

  “I will return after some time. By then, all of you must be ready in your groups, understood?”

  Saying this, the Death Hall Master left.

  “Hmm… he said each group must have four people. We already have two; now we just need two more.”

  Vishesh said to Adarsh while thinking aloud, to which Adarsh replied...

  “But when did I say that I’ll form a group with you?”

  “I think we should select stronger people—No, no no, the first trial was not just about strength. It was half strength, half endurance and half intelligence plus presence of mind. So the second trial might not be purely strength-based either; it may depend on other things as well. So we have to choose very carefully.”

  “Hey, Vishesh, are you even listening to me?”

  “Yes! Yes! I’m listening, but that isn’t important right now. What’s important is finding two capable people. We shouldn’t waste time we should start looking immediately.”

  Adarsh silently listened. It felt as if whether he spoke or remained silent made absolutely no difference.

  “Come. I know a few people who might join us.”

  Vishesh said and started dragging Adarsh forward. Adarsh followed.

  Vishesh had talked to many participants before, so if anyone knew the others the best, it was Vishesh. Because of this, finding two people wouldn’t be too difficult for them.

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  ***

  On the other side, the remaining children were also trying to gather others to form their groups.

  Most were trying to get into the groups of the six wildcard participants, because everyone had witnessed their power and skill in the previous trial.

  It was obvious if someone stayed in a group with them, their chances of survival would be much higher.

  Meanwhile, Sharv did nothing. He simply stood where he was calm and silent. He didn’t care.

  Because at the rate everyone was scrambling to form groups, in the end there would definitely be at least three children left ungrouped along with Sharv.

  Then he would simply group with them. Even if the remaining kids were weak, what difference did it make to him? He was confident that no matter what, he could at least protect himself. Others didn’t concern him.

  Besides, he felt that he wouldn’t need to do much anyway.

  Because if he ever got into a dangerous situation, Death Hall Master would probably save him.

  Although Sharv didn’t trust him completely, he had noticed something during the first trial Death Hall Master’s eyes were mostly on him.

  “He told me to stay alive for two days. That means he needs me only for today and tomorrow…”

  Sharv guessed that Death Hall Master was breaking Crimson Heaven Society’s rules by letting him join the entrance trials.

  But there must be a reason.

  If Sharv could find that reason, maybe he could survive here longer.

  ‘I still have to find information about the Black Spear King as well…’

  Sharv hadn’t forgotten his true purpose.

  Death Hall Master, Entrance Trials, Crimson Heaven Society. All of it is only a path for Sharv to find the Black Spear King, to kill him, and extinguish the burning fire of revenge within him.

  “Hey! Would you like to join our group?”

  ‘?!’

  Sharv heard a voice.

  He turned and saw three boys standing there. Two of them were ordinary like most of the other participants. But the third was different.

  The third boy’s body was larger and far more muscular than the others. His arms were visibly bulging even through his clothes, clear proof of his strength.

  That boy was Devansh.

  “I noticed that you aren’t trying to join any group, so I thought why not ask you directly? What do you say? Would you like to join us?”

  Sharv thought for a moment and replied,

  “Sure, I’ll join your group.”

  ***

  “Oye, would you like to form a group with me?”

  “Yeah, sure… I wasn’t finding anyone anyway.”

  “Hah! Now we just need one more person and our group will be complete.”

  Everyone was busy forming groups. Some groups were already complete, while others with only 2 or 3 members were still searching for the remaining ones.

  Among them was a boy named Bhavesh, the same wildcard participant who stole the seed first in the previous trial.

  “I’ll need strong people.”

  Bhavesh muttered.

  His mind was focused only on how he should clear this trial properly. He had secured the seed first in the previous trial, and protected it till the end. According to that, he could be placed first in the first trial.

  ‘I want to rank first in this one too…’

  If he came first again, everyone’s attention would be on him. And if he maintained that image till the end, surely some powerful higher-up of the Crimson Heaven Society would take him under their wing.

  The thought made the corners of Bhavesh’s lips curve upward into a delightful smile.

  ‘The Society Leader even has a son… If I get on his side, my life will be set.’

  But the next moment, Bhavesh was back to thinking about whom he should group with.

  “Maybe he would be the best choice…”

  Bhavesh looked around, then walked toward someone.

  “Hey, Nishant? What do you say, want to form a group with me?”

  He asked. Nishant, who was standing ahead of him, turned around.

  Nishant was the second participant, after Bhavesh, who had managed to get the seed and keep it safe until the end. He was also a wildcard participant.

  And there was one more thing Bhavesh and Nishant already knew, one another.

  Their clans lived on neighboring mountain territories and had friendly relations. Because of that, they were familiar with each other.

  If fact it won't be wrong to call them distant cousins. Their family even has established many marriage between each eachother. Hence, they both know each other very well.

  ‘We know each other well. If we work together, we’ll profit the most.’

  Though Bhavesh, but what Nishant replied was something else only:

  “Sorry, but you’re late.”

  “Huh? You already joined a group?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Tch! I came late… Can’t you kick someone out for me?”

  “No. I’m not kicking anyone out.”

  “Ahh! Fine, I get it.”

  Bhavesh walked away, unable to join Nishant’s group.

  ‘Shit! I’ll have to find someone else. Someo…’

  “I told you already! If you want to be in a group with him, then join our group!”

  “Humph! I don’t want to talk to you. Let me ask him myself!”

  Bhavesh heard a shout, and because of his curiosity, he followed the voice.

  He found a boy and a girl arguing.

  “Listen! I’m asking you will you join my group?”

  The girl asked. Her hair was light brown.

  She was the same girl who had tried to attack Sharv in the previous trial, her name was Meera. She was trying to recruit Sharv for her group.

  ‘My group needs only one more person. The other two members are weak, not useless, but not strong either. If he joins us, our chances of winning will increase!’

  Meera thought. She knew she had tried to attack him before, but that was only because of the situation of that time. Now the situation is different.

  Clench!

  Devansh gritted his teeth.

  “I told you already, he won’t go anywhere outside my group! If you want to stay with him, then join my group!”

  “For the last time, I said I don’t want to talk to YOU!”

  “Ahh! You bitch!”

  “What did you say, you asshole!”

  Meera couldn’t stand Devansh’s attitude, which is why she refused to join his group.

  ‘Ahh… these kids…’

  Sharv’s master leaned on his shoulder with her elbow, standing beside him.

  Right now, the Death Hall Master wasn’t present, so Sharv had released her spirit, on her demand.

  ‘...They’re at the age of 'growing up', but still behave like children. Tch tch…’

  Vijay clicked his tongue from inside the sacred thread.

  Meera was about to say something when suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder from behind.

  She turned around and saw a boy, Bhavesh. She immediately recognized him at first glance.

  “You need one more member, right? Can I join you?”

  ‘?!’

  This was good for Meera, because Bhavesh was a wildcard participant.

  And Bhavesh felt the same.

  ‘Wow! How could I ever let such a golden opportunity slip?!’

  Bhavesh had seen her attacking Sharv earlier. He was confident that staying in her group would benefit him.

  Devansh fell silent, he didn’t care about anything else. The only person he wanted with him was Sharv, because Sharv wasn’t only a wildcard participant but also strong.

  ‘Finally the shouting stopped… Honestly, if all four of you had joined together, you could have formed the strongest group here.’

  Sharv’s master commented.

  But just as she finished speaking, Sharv stepped forward and spoke aloud:

  “Hey, Devansh and you two wildcard guys... listen. Why don’t the four of us form a single group? Together?”

  ‘?!’

  Devansh, Bhavesh, and Meera all three, turned toward Sharv at once.

  - Thanks for the suggestion.

  Sharv said to his master, to which she replied,

  ‘Ahh… I just said it casually… Haa… well, anyways, do whatever you like...’

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