Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 802: The Real Survival

Almost an entire day had passed since the Qualifiers Round of the Inter-Empire Competition began. The sun that had hung over everyone’s heads had already vanished, dipping below the horizon as the moon rose, bathing the battlefield in its silver glow.

At this stage of the Inter-Empire Competition, a lot of students had already been eliminated, some breaking their own bracelets as they fled for their lives from stronger Monsters, Beasts, and Emovirae, some damaging their bracelets by mistake, while some people who encountered other students simply suffered immense losses, losing limbs and then losing their points.

Although losing their points and losing a battle against other students didn’t equate to being disqualified, people understood the implications behind it. Where were they supposed to find healers to treat them after their fights? This was a four-day event, meaning their injuries would only grow worse, and they could even succumb to them if left unattended.

So while they had lost all their points without their bracelets being destroyed in the process, they had no choice but to destroy them themselves.

But although about two hundred students had been eliminated on the first day, it was still nothing compared to the number that remained. After all, over one thousand four hundred (1400) students were still left standing.

Yet almost everyone was suffering from their own predicament. After running throughout the day, many were exhausted to the core. After all, the entire day had been spent fighting one Monster or another, and nobody dared to take a break. They could only grit their teeth and push forward. Some knew they had no hope of stepping into the top fifty (50), but it didn’t mean they wanted to give up. No, the whole world was watching after all.

The smarter ones used the day to find food while they were on the battlefield. After all, although the commentators had talked about Positive Zones holding food, water, and other resources, they understood that there was no way of finding such luxuries with certainty.

So many tried taking any ripe fruits they could find with them. Some looked around for water sources, and when they actually found one, they didn’t dare drink deeply to quench their thirst. No, they drank only a little bit, just enough to know if their bodies would react. After all, just because a stream appeared clear on the surface didn’t mean it was safe.

Some hunted weaker Monsters and Beasts to kill and eat, but of course not all of them were edible. However, a few were. Besides, a lot of normal animals that didn’t possess Astra energy existed, such as birds and rabbits, and with the abilities of these students, they were easy to sense and catch.

But catching and killing an animal didn’t exactly mean they all knew how to gut it, remove its internal organs, and cook it for consumption. After all, during missions, most of them simply took food with them in their space rings, never bothering with this type or level of survival skill.

And besides, this particular type of survival skill couldn’t truly be taught within a classroom. One actually had to learn it in real time and through practical experience.

Many students who had spent their entire lives within cities, noble estates, academies, and military facilities had never once needed to survive in the wilderness. The thought of identifying edible plants, purifying water, dressing wounds, tracking animals, or starting a fire without assistance had never crossed their minds. Such tasks were usually left to servants, adventurers, mercenaries, or specialists.

But of course, not everyone was lucky. The world wasn’t some happy illusion where everything conveniently worked out. A lot of people didn’t find a single water source. Some didn’t find a single fruit. Some didn’t find a single bird or edible animal. And even if they did find an edible animal, some of them didn’t possess the ability to start a fire, while others had no water around them to wash and prepare the meat.

So basically, everyone had their own circumstances.

But sigh... imagine finally finding an animal to eat but having no fire to cook it with, or discovering water to drink but having no means of purifying it. Truly, the world wasn’t fair.

So they could only find a quiet place, shut their eyes, conserve as much energy as possible, and rest in order to return to their peak condition. After all, just because they possessed supernatural physiques didn’t mean they possessed infinite stamina. If they hadn’t spent their strength and stamina on battles and earning points, they wouldn’t even be hungry or thirsty in the first place.

But it was endurable. Yet one had to ask... for how long could they endure in such a state?

While some had everything they could ask for, they lacked ways to heal their injuries. They could only try to stop the bleeding, cauterize wounds through various methods such as burning or freezing, and then endure long enough to see the next day.

Others suffered from wounds that were not immediately fatal but were still dangerous. A deep cut, a fractured bone, a torn muscle, or even severe exhaustion could slowly accumulate over time. In a normal environment, such injuries could be treated. On this battlefield, however, every injury was a ticking clock counting down toward failure.

People like Arianna Haellight, who had landed in a desert, were in an even worse situation. There wasn’t a single tree in the desert, so the chances of finding fruits were gone. There wasn’t any body of water, not even the smallest kind, so there went one way of quenching their thirst.

And what were the chances of finding a rabbit hopping around in a desert? Or a bird flying overhead?

And with the harsh sun constantly pouring its rays down throughout the day, the situation only became worse.

But of course, people like Arianna weren’t truly affected. She had slain every single being she had encountered up until this moment with ease. So she felt neither tired nor hungry, nor did she even feel the need to sleep as she remained in top condition. Besides, even if she wanted food, she could simply leave the desert. Problem solved.

But food wasn’t the only issue. What about the environment itself?

People like Acker Holloway who landed in a frozen landscape, were they supposed to sleep through the biting cold of the night?

People like Asher who were teleported into poisonous areas, were they expected to sleep while breathing poisonous air? Even with an antidote, how long could they last? And that was assuming they even found one in the first place.

So this survival battlefield wasn’t just about running around killing Monsters and Emovirae brainlessly. What came after all of that was the greatest challenge of all.

How strong were their wills to survive? Could they endure? Would they collapse? Or would they simply go mad?

And needless to say, because of the night itself, a lot of students simply gave up, the number dropping by over fifty more as they found themselves unable to survive in the wilderness.

One would have to ask, in a world like Crymora, how would they survive on a battlefield if they lost their space rings? Or if they simply ran out of food, water, and other resources?

Survival in Crymora wasn’t just about raw power.

After all, even Azaron himself couldn’t materialize food from thin air if he was hungry and had nothing to eat... but oh well, not like such a situation could ever befall the man, so using him as an example was almost ridiculous.

Just from watching over fifty people quit, with the numbers continuing to rise in real time due to environmental conditions and poor survival skills, the four Principals of the Academies and the rulers of various Empires made sure to find a way to address this issue in the future.

After all, to them, it was a basic survival skill, and watching such a sight unfold before their very eyes was no different from witnessing a disgrace.

Many of them couldn’t help but shake their heads in disappointment. These students were the future elites of their Empires, individuals who would one day command armies, lead expeditions, govern territories, and fight wars. Yet many of them couldn’t even secure food, water, or shelter for a single night.

And as for people like Adventurers, Mercenaries, and Merchants who had spent their entire lives on the road, they simply laughed to their hearts’ satisfaction at the students’ situation and dilemma as some of these students made one foolish decision after another in the name of survival.

To them, the spectacle was peak entertainment.

Watching a supposedly talented student drink from an unknown water source without caution, attempt to eat poisonous plants, or waste precious energy on unnecessary actions was enough to leave them shaking their heads in amusement.

The battlefield had become more than a competition; it had become a harsh lesson, one that exposed the difference between possessing power and possessing the knowledge needed to survive.