When he entered the chamber, he walked straight to a panel that was in the centre of the room. On this panel, provisions had been made for the host to input his cultivation level, the difficulty of the simulation, and the race of the opponent.
Mane added his cultivation level to the panel. Per the instructions of the nine, he chose highest level of difficulty. Upon opening the race option, Mane saw a long list of names, many of which he did not recognise. Mane had never fought a human before. He was sure that the simulation would require him to kill his opponent. He shuddered at the thought. He was not ready for that yet, that much he knew. He was about to select the beast race, when the 1st interrupted him.
"Choose the celestial race boy." Mane did not know what that race was but, from their name he could tell they were strong.
"I don't think it's time yet. Let him start with the beast race. When he gets accustomed to the killing, he can move on to the celestial race. After all, the celestials look very identical to humans, it will be psychologically draining for the boy to kill one."
The 1st seemed to agree with the second since he did not refute her statement. Mane proceeded to select the beast race and selected the 'begin' option after taking a deep breath.
The scenery changed the moment Mane selected the 'begin' option. The former stone walls and stone floors of the chamber were nowhere to be seen. Taking its place was a lush green forest with tall trees and a bright sky. Mane did not get to admire the scenery for long. The low growl of a creature brought him back to his senses. Mane looked before him to gauge his opponent and got the fright of his life. What the little boy did not know was that the difficulty represented the number of opponents one would face. At the lowest level, one would face just one opponent. The medium level required two opponents and the highest level comprised of two opponents at your level of strength and one a grade above you in strength.
Before Mane were three huge creatures. Each was as large as a bull with one being a bit bigger than the others. Even to an adult man, these would be large creatures. How much more a six year old boy? They had pitch black fur and red eyes that showed a lack of intelligence. Their paws were adorned with claws that were at least ten centimeters in length. The three beasts surrounded the little boy as their tongues hung out their mouths, eager to feast.
Mane stood frozen in his spot. He was scared. He had never been outside the city before. The only animals he had ever come across were all small and cuddly, hardly qualifying as beasts. But the wolves in front of him were different. They weren't small, they were not cuddly either. They were creatures that inspired fear, one of nature's apex predators- wolves!
___________________________
Mane was back in the simulation chamber. His eyes were blank as he stared at the ceiling. He had lost, and terribly at that. When he saw the beasts, he froze. When he recalled the giant claw that smashed him into the ground, he lost his composure again. It was a simulation but the pain was real. The feeling of being killed was fresh in his mind.
If he grew terrified at just a bunch of low grade wolves, how was he supposed to fight against his fate? How was he going to help his parents? At this rate, he was only going to drag them down. He felt that he had disappointed his parents. And his masters, they had put so much faith in him, only for him to show such a humiliating performance. His face was covered with the gloom of defeat, his fists clenched as he felt that he could not face them anymore.
"Kid, there is no need to be disappointed. It was your first death match. You will get better. It always gets better." The 1st spoke a few consolatory words, trying to pull the boy's spirit up.
"Did any of you do as badly as I did? I am sure you did not have the opportunity to use a simulation chamber. I am positive that your first death matches were a hundred percent real. For you to be here, for you to be as strong as you are, means that you passed those tests. As for me, I could not even move."
Mane mocked himself as he tugged his hair. The nine were silent. They did not know what they could say to cheer the boy up.
"How am I supposed to grab my fate if I can't even defend against a bunch of wolves? You told me before that I have many strong enemies. I do not know who they are but I am certain of one thing. My enemies are far more powerful than those wolves. To them, such creatures are preys, and yet I could not even defend myself when they attacked. That means those that are hunting me, would easily kill me when they find me."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." A loud laughter, which was a huge contradiction to the gloomy atmosphere rang in Mane's mind space. The laughter of the 7th, was so piercing that Mane's eardrums almost erupted. He looked confused. The 7th rarely spoke. According to the others, he walked the path of solitude, rarely getting attached to others. But when he chose to love, he would protect that person with all his power.
"HAHAHA. You think you are prey? Remember this boy. There are many things we cannot tell you. Mainly because you are weak." Mane blushed when he heard the 7th say that he was weak so plainly, temporarily forgetting the shame of his defeat.
"But you must remember, those who seek you, do so because they see you as a threat. They fear you so much that they are willing to kill you before you grow. They are not the hunters here, you are!!! Lying in wait, setting traps and building your strength… That is the mark of a true hunter! YOU ARE THE TRUE HUNTER AND DON'T YOU EVER FORGET THAT!"
The loud voice of the usually silent 7th shook Mane. How could he allow himself to be terrified? How could he allow himself to feel fear? He did not have that luxury.
"Thank you 7th" The laughter of the 7th was the only reply Mane got but he did not mind. The fact that the 7th had spoken to him meant that he had acknowledged his talent. If a sword god had that much faith in him, how could he fail? As for the other eight, they were astonished. They knew what it meant for the 7th to speak to a junior. Though they had all agreed to teach Mane, the 7th and the 8th, had not decided to teach him any skills yet. They only agreed to do so when they acknowledge the boy. The 7th and the 8th were similar. The 7th had approved of the boy, which meant the 8th had too! They knew that once the 7th had spoken, that could only mean that he will teach the boy.
"When you succeed, I will teach you a technique, 'the prideful sword'. Go now, and make yourself worthy." The 7th did not say 'if', but 'when', displaying his confidence in the boy. The others were stunned once again. The prideful sword was the 7th's sword law, his legacy. For him to be ready to teach the boy to comprehend this law was remarkable. That meant he had accepted the boy as his legacy disciple! As for Mane, he did not know this. He stood up, patted his clothes, and selected the retry option.