[Soft morning activity]
[Sound of utensils clinking]
[Distant hum of the market]
When Arjun opened his eyes that morning, the camp looked completely different.
Until the previous night, the place had seemed like nothing more than a temporary shelter.
But under the daylight, it looked like a small, living world.
People were moving in every direction.
Some were sharpening weapons.
Some were tying up their belongings.
Some were preparing to leave in search of food.
And there were others who, just like every other morning, viewed the sunrise as nothing more than another opportunity to survive.
Arjun quietly rose from his sleeping bag.
He stretched his body.
Rotated his shoulders.
And took a deep breath.
His body felt harder and steadier than it had the previous day.
The power inside him had still not settled completely.
It felt as though the Sapphire Gem had opened a new door inside his body…
and that door was slowly becoming wider.
[Soft breathing]
He checked his bag.
The black iron spike.
The dagger.
The water flask.
And the gemstone.
Everything was safe.
Then a deep, steady voice came from behind him.
“You’re awake?”
Arjun turned.
Chief Virbhadra stood before him.
The same sternness remained in his eyes, but now there was something else as well— a faint sense of evaluation.
It was as though he no longer saw Arjun merely as a boy.
He saw him as a possibility.
“Today, you need to understand this camp,” Virbhadra said.
“Simply staying here isn’t enough.”
“Surviving here is something entirely different.”
Arjun said nothing.
Virbhadra led him deeper into the camp.
As they walked, Arjun finally paid close attention to the structure of the settlement.
The outer sections were crude.
Torn tents.
Simple cooking fires.
Old clothes.
Cheap tools.
But as they moved farther inside, everything began to change.
Better shelters.
Stronger wooden structures.
Iron roofs.
More secure storage areas.
It was obvious.
The camp, like the rest of the world, was divided into classes.
The strong were inside.
The weak stayed outside.
Virbhadra spoke while walking.
“Everything here is based on merit.”
Arjun looked at him.
“Merit?”
“Work.
Hunting.
Security.
Loot.
Survival.”
“Whatever you bring back determines what you receive.”
“And when someone becomes too weak to contribute…”
“They get pushed outside.”
[Cloth flapping in the wind]
Arjun silently stored the information in his mind.
Here, mercy could easily be mistaken for weakness.
They arrived at a large open area where several people were distributing supplies.
Someone handed out new ropes.
Someone else distributed sacks of food.
Another person passed around small iron tools.
This was the camp’s system of trade.
Here, money did not speak as loudly as usefulness.
Arjun was given a small cloth pouch.
He accepted it and examined it carefully.
Virbhadra said,
“This gives you temporary permission to stay here.”
“And there’s also an identification mark inside.”
Arjun reached into the pouch.
There was a small token.
“Take care of it,” Virbhadra said.
“If you ever forget your place…”
“The camp will remind you.”
Arjun tried to understand the deeper meaning behind those words.
Two men passed nearby.
One spoke quietly to the other.
“Two more people didn’t return from the forest today.”
The other replied,
“New people arrive every week.”
“Half of them never come back.”
Arjun heard them.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Staying here was not safe.
But leaving was not easy either.
A large wooden board had been placed there.
It was covered with names, marks, and various symbols.
“What is this?” Arjun asked.
Virbhadra pointed at it.
“The camp’s map.”
“And the task board.”
“Who went outside.”
“Who returned.”
“How much loot someone possesses.”
“How much they’ve contributed.”
“Everything is recorded.”
Arjun tried to read the board.
He couldn’t understand everything yet.
But he carefully memorized what he could.
Everything in this camp was being recorded.
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from a nearby platform.
“New hunting teams!
Prepare to depart!”
Arjun turned.
A heavily built man was addressing the crowd.
Old scars covered his face.
A massive spear rested on his shoulder.
Everyone standing around him listened seriously.
Virbhadra said calmly,
“He’s one of the senior hunters in the camp.”
“Every team has to fulfill its assigned duties.”
Arjun asked,
“And what happens if someone refuses to work?”
Virbhadra answered without hesitation.
“Then he’s considered a burden.”
Arjun fell silent.
Here, his identity would not be determined by his name.
It would be determined by his usefulness.
Then someone suddenly called out from behind him.
“Arjun!”
He turned.
A young man who had been around him since yesterday was hurrying toward him.
It was Aarav.
There was curiosity on his face.
He was different from Arjun.
Less hardened.
More talkative.
And far more comfortable around people.
“Are you okay after yesterday?” Aarav asked.
Arjun simply nodded.
Aarav smiled.
“Good.”
“I was thinking about what you did yesterday.”
“That wasn’t easy.”
Arjun showed no reaction.
He wasn’t accustomed to praise.
Aarav became slightly awkward.
Then he continued,
“There’s quite a bit of information available inside the camp today.”
“If you want, I can show you around.”
Virbhadra looked at the two of them but said nothing.
Perhaps he wanted Arjun to learn how to lower the distance between himself and other people.
Arjun looked at Aarav for a moment.
Then he gave a slight nod.
Aarav let out a relieved breath.
[Soft laughter]
The two of them began walking deeper into the camp.
Along the way, they came across a small shop.
Herbs.
Pieces of dried meat.
Bone tablets.
Hanging teeth.
And strange-looking medicines were displayed everywhere.
The shopkeeper had sharp eyes.
His face looked like he had already charged every customer twice before they even finished bargaining.
“Half the things sold here are fake,” Aarav whispered.
“And the other half are so expensive that just thinking about the price gives me a headache.”
Arjun looked at him.
“How do you know all this?”
Aarav shrugged.
“To survive in this camp, you have to learn everything.”
Arjun remembered those words.
Then another voice reached them.
Several people were talking nearby.
“Did you hear?”
“A new team is going into the forest today.”
“They’re looking for the Seven-Petaled Lotus.”
“If they don’t find it, the Camp Master will be furious.”
Arjun heard the name for the first time.
Seven-Petaled Lotus.
He looked at Aarav.
But Aarav was still distracted by the surrounding conversation.
“What is it?” Arjun asked.
Aarav replied,
“A special medicinal herb.”
“It’s used to make purification medicines.”
“Extremely useful for removing impurities.”
“And the forest where it grows?”
“Very dangerous.”
Arjun quietly asked,
“How dangerous?”
Aarav gave him a direct answer.
“Dangerous enough that people go there for money…” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Not because they want to.”
[Distant growl of a beast]
Arjun looked ahead.
Near one of the outer boundaries of the camp stood several people.
They were counting their weapons.
A woman was tightening the straps on her leather armor.
An old man was explaining to a child how to walk without fear.
Several newcomers were desperately trying to hide their anxiety.
Everyone here was hiding something.
Someone carried food.
Someone carried a knife.
Someone carried hope.
And someone carried nothing except fear.
Suddenly, Aarav asked,
“Arjun, how much have you heard about cultivation?”
Arjun slightly lowered his head.
“A little.”
Aarav smiled.
“Not a little.”
“You have a lot to learn.”
“Everyone here wants to become a cultivator.”
“But becoming one isn’t easy.”
“You have to absorb pure energy…”
“and prevent corruption from clinging to your body.”
Arjun listened carefully.
Corruption.
The same thing that was entering his body together with the Sapphire Gem.
Aarav continued,
“Some people have good cultivation methods.”
“Some have terrible ones.”
“And then there are rogue cultivators.”
“They learn on their own.”
“Fall on their own.”
“And die on their own.”
Arjun’s expression did not change.
But there was a faint gleam in his eyes.
That was exactly the path he was walking.
A solitary road.
A solitary cultivation method.
And a life that could end at any moment.
Suddenly, the camp became much more chaotic.
Someone shouted—
“The Trial Hall is ready!”
Aarav’s face immediately brightened.
“Oh.”
“You’ll want to see this.”
Arjun looked at him.
The two of them moved toward a large open area.
A crowd had already gathered there.
A raised platform stood in the center.
An elderly administrator stood upon it.
A list was held in his hand.
Below him, fear was obvious in the eyes of the newcomers.
The old administrator spoke.
“Those who pass today’s trial will receive permanent permission to stay inside the camp.”
“Those who fail…”
“will leave.”
Arjun looked ahead.
Several newcomers were trembling.
One boy kept rubbing his hands together.
A girl was breathing rapidly.
Another man stood with his head lowered, as though he had already accepted defeat.
Arjun watched all of them.
And then he realized something.
His next test would not merely be about hunting.
The camp itself was watching him.
His skills.
His silence.
His hunger.
His coldness.
And if he wanted to survive in this place…
he would have to take the next step.
The old administrator began calling out names.
Arjun’s name had not been called yet.
But he knew it would be soon.
And when his name was called…
he wouldn’t merely have to save his life.
He would have to prove that he deserved a place in this brutal world.
[Distant drum-like rumble]
Virbhadra stood at a distance, watching everything.
There was no obvious emotion in his eyes.
But Arjun understood.
Virbhadra was watching how this boy would stand before the new rules of the camp.
Aarav quietly said,
“Looks like your real trial is about to begin.”
Arjun looked forward.
The black iron spike was in his hand.
His bag was on his back.
And inside his body pulsed the warm, mysterious power of the gemstone.
He was ready.
Or perhaps…
he was only beginning to become ready.
What Comes Next?When will Arjun’s name be called, and what kind of trial awaits him?
What are the people in the camp really thinking about Arjun?
How will the power of the Sapphire Gem reveal itself during the next trial?
And will Arjun understand the politics of the camp…
or walk straight into a new trap?