Dark Moon Era

Tsk-gak . The guard outside the gate of the iron cage slowly opened it.

The silver-tailed iron-toothed wolf’s rancid mouth was already at No. 12’s neck. All its sharp teeth did was touch the skin on his neck, yet it started to bleed.

At that very moment, several milliseconds more and the wolf could have robbed No. 12 of his life with a single bite.

This is just the first round and someone’s gonna die?  Tang Ling’s back was drenched in his own warm sweat. He could not act indifferently in front of a life-and-death situation.

A beam of purple light flashed in the cage, and in the next second, what the crowd heard was not the dying cry of No. 12 but the painful growls of the iron-toothed wolf.

When Tang Ling finally got a clearer look at the scene before his eyes, there was already a Purple Moon Warrior standing inside the iron cage.

He single-handedly held the dead wolf and tossed it away like a bag of trash. The moment the wolf’s body fell on the floor, it splashed into a pile of meat and blood.

“This… What kind of power and speed is that?” Tang Ling almost stopped breathing. All this while, he had been surrounded by the rumors of how powerful a Purple Moon Warrior was. Today, for the first time, he witnessed the power with his own eyes and could not be more overwhelmed than this.

He could never forget the cold glares from the swords that rainy night. He once wanted to stomp all those cold-blooded killing machines under his feet. Alas, now, the absolute gap in strength was displayed before his own eyes and he felt nothing but despair.

He had a better look at the scene than everyone else. The silver-tailed iron-toothed wolf died because its skull was crushed.

It all happened within milliseconds. The Purple Moon Warrior went inside the cage without even charging his punch, yet he was able to crush the skull of the wolf which was the hardest part of its whole body.

‘Have a brass head and an iron skull’ was not just slang for the hunters.

Right after all that, the instructor seemed a little too immersed in the scene as he commented in dissatisfaction, “Consider yourself lucky, kid, getting yourself within range of the Purple Moon Warrior’s transient step!”

Tang Ling sucked in a deep breath. All he could make up was “transient step”. Does it mean that the explosive steps were performed as a transient? So, do the Purple Moon Warriors rely on this transient step to achieve their ridiculous speed?

Although he hated to admit it, he must say that his desire to enter the First Reserved Camp grew even stronger.

After simply taking out the wolf, the Purple Moon Warrior stepped out of the iron cage and went back to guard duty ten meters away from the cage with his hands behind his back.

There was already someone else in the cage cleaning up the leftovers of the wolf.

No. 12 was carried out of the iron cage by several men. Even though the Purple Moon Warrior took the wolf down in the nick of time, the beast’s iron teeth managed to cut No. 12’s neck. Judging from his expanding and collapsing chest, No. 12 was still alive when he came out.

As for how deeply he was bitten or whether or not he could be saved in time, it was all unknown.

In this era, the most luxurious action would be medical treatment, and it was not something everyone could enjoy.

“I hope he’s from the sector.” It was all Tang Ling could do for No. 12 who was also a hopeful young man just like himself. It was not worth giving his life up for the exam.

However, the instructor added more weight to the already cruel scene. With a tiny section of a cigarette left in his mouth, he said, “Isn’t this exam great? A Purple Moon Warrior saving you in the nick of time! Well, let me tell you, don’t be stupid. The reason why the Purple Moon Warrior saved him is to show off to the public how powerful they are. It’s also to tell all of you that as long as you can get into the First Reserved Camp, there’s a great chance for you to be as powerful as them. As for whether or not the Purple Moon Warrior will save you the next time, it all depends on his mood.”

After his words subsided, the instructor cherished the last puff from his cigarette before he reluctantly tossed the butt on the ground.

He then casually called out the next number, “No. 7.”

A new sealed cage was put into the iron cage, and a hungry and hot-tempered shadow clouded panther was released. It was undoubtedly stronger than the silver-tailed iron-toothed wolf.

“Now, this is more like it.” The instructor sounded a bit more gleeful this time around.

“I forfeit.” No. 7 walked out of the line and sounded indubitable.

The previous fight might have ended in a flash, but the heavy trauma of watching it would not go away that easily.

“If you don’t go inside the iron cage, you have no right to forfeit. Do you want me to tell the warriors to tie you up and throw you inside?” The instructor simply rejected No. 7.

The opportunity for the reserved warriors to step down had been given earlier, and now, it was impossible for anyone of them to quit before even trying.

No. 7 went silent as he walked towards the iron cage as if he accepted his fate.

The moment No. 7 stepped inside the cage, he shouted immediately, “Forfeit!

The instructor squinted his eyes and chuckled. To everyone’s horror, the warrior outside the gate locked the gate without any expression on his face. Several seconds later, the warrior took the keys out once more and unlocked the gate.

All kinds of chatter and cries of shock came from the crowd coupled with some weeping from the women.

A shadow clouded panther was not a wolf. It was a lot more ferocious and feral, especially after hunger had worn off all its patience. The moment No. 7 entered the cage and shouted “forfeit”, it already jumped towards him.

No. 7 fell under the shadow clouded panther without being prepared for it. Just when the warrior outside the cage took the keys out, a sizeable chunk of No. 7’s meat was bitten off and the panther chewed it happily.

When the gate was opened, several more warriors went in to push the panther away, but they did not take it down this time.

What about No. 7? Following the horrified cries from the crowd, only a bloody body was left.

Death was the main dish of the event. The cleanly ripped leg and broken stomach was the bloody side dish.

The teenagers who were waiting for their turn did not make a single noise because they had lost even the ability to gulp in fear.

Only Yu and Orston were relatively relaxed.

“My, my, my. A little slow, aren’t we?” The instructor shook his head regretfully.

His eyes then turned sharp and fierce all of a sudden before he shouted, “I can only guarantee help for those with nobility among you. If you are no one, don’t think of playing tricks on me. Do you know what kind of people I hate the most? Those who fail to read the situation, yet are greedy and desire a chance, thinking that trying wouldn’t hurt. In the end, you still assume that you can escape because you think you are smarter than others.

“People like these are a ticking bomb on the battlefield. You might as well die early on. I assure you I won’t spare any single one of you in the exam that I invigilate.”

After that, the instructor feigned grievance and sat down with heavy breaths as if he was trying to calm himself down.

Tang Ling kept quiet. The instructor’s words made sense.

However, was he correct? No. 7 was not yet a warrior while the iron cage was not the battlefield either. Just because of the cruelty of the era, must the freedom of choice be taken away from him?

Of course, after the choice was made, accepting the consequences with responsibility was an obligation.

No. 7’s death didn’t cause any further commotion in the crowd. Even though the crowd had just witnessed a cruel scene, all they could do was relate to fear and sorrow. At least, no one dared to step up and object to the brutality of the exam.

The parents of the candidates must be among the crowd as well, yet they remained silent.

“No. 28,” the instructor called out the next number.

Another pale young man walked out to face his unknown destiny.