Each group that had 20-30 children will undergo training for six months, in which at graduation they will enter a battle royal to be the one to survive. Lars, who managed to know this critical information by accident quickly told his friends and wanted the five of them to try and escape.
They planned out the details and planned to move the day before the graduation. But due to the carelessness of one of his friends they got caught. As Lars had the best attitude in class, he was spared from execution but would be punished.
His punishment? To be locked in a dark room in a one-meter square cage. Initially, he only needed to wait for one night which was mild compared to other punishments. That was until the screaming started. Another group of classes called "Poison" taught the children how and where to administer substances for maximum effect. And his four friends were used as guinea pigs for that class.
In the small steel cage, Larua heard the inhumane screams of companions as they got poisoned, healed, then poisoned again. Vomiting, their innards exploding, fluids that melted flesh, substances that made one's body suffer from debilitating effects, and even ones that broke one's sanity.
Side effects of various types were common, such as fevers, diarrhea, blindness, turning deaf, hallucinogens, boils, etc. Such became their daily lives. And for days on end Larua would be allowed to hear their screens come the evening.
To ensure "Poison" had enough subjects for testing they are forbidden from killing the guinea pigs thus their minds normally broke before their bodies did. The screaming and the small cage hammered in the guilt Lars felt.
On the day of the graduation, they let him out after two weeks of mental torture. The young Lars was given only one command. Kill all the other daggers or be put back in his cell. Frightened out of his mind Larua murdered everyone in cold blood.
Years passed and his friends eventually died. But the trauma it branded in his heart could never be erased. Fast forward two years later, Lars met Aurum and the boy found a new way to live. Yet at night sometimes, the screams still echoed in his ears.
Shivering in fright, Lars then heard a tunnel suddenly open near him. From the opening came out Antlions en mass. With death coming for him Lars, paralyzed by fear forgot everything else and just waited for the end to come for him.
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Hiro, who continued to monitor the situation grew impressed at the rate the monsters died. Geo suddenly gaining the [S] rank skill [Gales Turn Into Hurricanes] out of the blue, blew away his expectations.
The butcher learned one thing in his month of grinding in Frozen dew. You need to be placed in life-threatening situations in order for your limit to be tested. If you are comfortable you create a bubble of safety. This shelter naturally allowed you to feel great and gave you security.
But the same sense of security eliminates growth. Feeling secure in objects and things builds dependence. The only thing one can believe in to become courageous is in one's self. Like how an Olympic swimmer would never be afraid of boarding boats. Not because he trusts them but because he knows no matter what happens he will not drown.
Contrary to what he said, Hiro monitored each of his men and his sister. They were annihilating monsters at an incredible pace. The exp flooding into Hiro made him feel like a leech.
As this would be the last thing he would do for them when he arrives in Partisan. Once there His entire focus would be on his wives. "Hmm. Not good." Unknown to the San-Baka and Tsugumi, Hiro gave them brands on their swords. Through them, Hiro could see and hear everything happening.
Thus when Lars started panicking as he got sealed in an Antlion cage Hiro knew it would be a problem. Helping him out is easy but if Hiro just straight-up saves him. Larua would not have a breakthrough. Hiro remembered what Fulgeo told him about Larua.
"He was trained to be a weapon as part of the "dagger class" he joined the program with 4 friends he treated like siblings. The covenant's dagger classes end with a graduation a battle royale-style execution where the only one remaining will be allowed to live.
"Upon learning it, Larua ran away with his friends, only to get caught. The bastards stuffed Lars in a dark room with no window in a dog cage and starved him. If that was not enough they made him listen to his four friends be tortured for two weeks. Since then he has had claustrophobia, survivor's regret, and nyctophobia."
What Hiro heard using the brand on the swords confirmed this observation. The moment the shadows enshrouded him, Larua broke down like a child and ceased fighting.
If it was in any place but on the battlefield, Hiro wouldn't mind. But him dying due to his breakdown right now couldn't be any higher. Yet Hiro personally knew how strong people could become when driven to the corner. The best the butcher could do would be to believe in his ally.
'Show me what you are made of Lars you are stronger than you believe! Get up! Fight! And win!'
Back to the antlion hole. Lars who heard the Antlions exiting the tunnel started to pitifully scurry backward, that is until he hit his back on a wall a while later.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I should have been the one to die! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
The Hercules Antlions who "see" using their antenna quickly came after the terrified human. One of them charged and opened its mandibles attempting to bite Lars' head off. In reflex, the man ducked his head avoiding the attack.
As the antlion got stuck in the wall, It started to pull its head out, flailing its limbs while it did so. Larua who narrowly avoided the original attack got smacked by the limbs and got sent flying into the middle of the cage. Surrounded his two swords suddenly lit up in the darkness.
The blades were a bit far away but could be retrieved easily. As they were the only source of light Larua leaped for them as one would a lifeline. Another Antlion charged for him which he barely blocked by parrying its mandibles.
Unable to fight properly, another one of the beasts tore a chunk of his back in a surprise attack! In his moment of neglect, a third Antlion charged forward and ripped a piece of his abdomen while ramming him into the wall.
As the wounds started to bleed, normally he would already go into shock but due to the effects of [Integrity of the Faithful], his mind regained its clarity. When Lars tried to move his arm he noticed the bones of his right forearm were sticking out of his skin. With only his left hand Lars stood up lamenting his situation.
"Death truly is the greatest motivator, I can fight again even in tight spaces now. But I have no more meat and none of them would wait for me to eat. Guess this is where I die? I had a good run, didn't I? I am so weak… I am sorry Master, Aurum, Geo. Please go on without me…"
