Kingdom: The Black Moon Assassin

If one walks for about 10 minutes through the northern exit of the training field, they will find themselves in the only green forest beneath the mountain where the heart of the Asura village lies.

Jun stood in the middle of the forest, looking at the cabin in front of him after the other one was destroyed by the twins.

An old cabin in which one could clearly feel that it had been abandoned for a long time.

Cobwebs stretched everywhere, dust piled on the surface of the railing, a rickety door hung to the side, and a sense of desolation floated in the air.

This was the place where Jun would live for the foreseeable future.

Jun smiled delightfully as he inspected the quiet cabin and its lush vegetation.

He had been provided with accommodations in the general dormitory, with all necessary comforts. However, there was a reason why he rejected the offer.

"I don't want to lose the feeling of survival and self-sufficiency." Jun knew that in this age there were no hotels, no places to easily get food like in the modern age where there were things like public transportation to take you from one place to another.

Here, life is hard; if he doesn't adapt, he'll starve long before any sword could harm him.

As with any way of life in the Asura village, there were many madmen around, so Jun reinforced his idea of living in a place isolated from almost all men.

Jun was not sure if his mind could handle living in such a place.

"Are you sure you want to stay in a place like this?"

Jun's head turned to the voice he heard from the side. In his field of vision was the leader of the trainee assassin guard, with whom he had just crossed swords earlier.

A man named Lum, with straw-colored hair.

"Yes, I like it here. It's quiet, which is what I need to study the Black Moon Dance technique."

"I'm glad you're satisfied... Still, this place needs some repairs, so I'll send someone."

"Thank you for that, sir."

"I'll come back later. If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me."

"Of course."

After the brief conversation, Lum left.

As Jun took a last look at Lum's back, which was fading away, he finally headed to the entrance and opened the door.

A creak was heard, and Jun frowned as he saw the inside of the cabin.

"It needs more than just a few repairs, but it will do." Indeed, it seemed to need some repairs.

With that in mind, Jun saw a table and leaned against it.

As he moved, he brushed the dust off with his hands for a moment. Then, shortly after, Jun's expression calmed as he recalled the events that led to this moment.

The interrogation that followed his encounter with Vargo. In the end, he remembered hearing many things that would happen to him if he dishonored the Asura village.

"How annoying this honor thing is." Jun would clearly prefer to kill rather than have honor in a battle; that clearly wouldn't allow him to live a long life.

Vargo handed him a scroll with details of what he needed to improve and bid farewell with a simple, "Things could have been worse."

After that, it was Lum who had been with him since then.

Jun, continuing with his train of thought, exhaled a brief sigh to calm his anger, which could explode at any moment.

"For now, the result seems good."

What Vargo's reaction showed was apparent acceptance. Surely it allowed him to settle. That's why they gave him a place to stay.

As for the progress, it hasn't been bad at all.

Isn't this a first step towards the goal?

The old man's words are incredibly provocative, but Jun wasn't reckless enough to ruin something just because of his animosity.

Jun sat cross-legged and reflected.

What should he invest his time in from now on?

'The Blood Ceremony.'

He was forced to undergo the Blood Ceremony to be recognized by the entire clan and to be able to step into the outside world for twenty years, thus allowing him to become the next crescent moon of the Asura village upon his return.

Jun knew very well about the "Blood Ceremony," as he was one of the chosen, and the twins had mentioned it to him often.

"You are the first orphan to be selected in a long time."

"Everyone will want to kill you."

"I recommend you learn how to move in the forest."

The Haiyue Clan, being one of the oldest, trained every man with the obligation to be part of its history. Everyone was grateful to the clan, and this is why, to maintain power, they selected crescent moons to take the leadership of each village, upholding the clan's principles.

Nine villages, only eighteen participants will be selected, of which only one will survive. There were no more because the Clan wanted to maintain its power; they were the most active in killing large groups of criminals for the kingdoms, who paid them large sums of gold.

Many wanted to buy the clan's help for their needs, but they always remained neutral, with each branch dedicating its time to a powerful kingdom, taking advantage of it, and gaining profit in exchange for protection, assassination, or messenger services.

Jun knew that if he wanted to be the Black Moon, who could be in the outside world for years, he needed to win or else he would die.

He is ten years old now; it is said that when he turns fifteen, he will face the trial, so he should not waste time, as his enemies are the best from each village.

The twins, who now guarded the exits of the Asura village, were there to understand the meaning of true protection.

'I must become one with the forest; only then will I survive.'

Some time after arriving in the village, he would receive his true sword. Jun wanted tough, sharp materials, heavy but with a simple appearance, and if possible, the blade's edge should be red.

He would forget where he came from, make his future intentions clear, and navigate like a fish in water. It didn't matter where he learned how to create smoke bombs, light a fire, or skin a rabbit; all this knowledge was divine for his survival.

Just simple enlightenment for whoever was behind his life.

The only thing he hoped for was that his story would be interesting to many; this was just the beginning, and there were still things to see.

...

At the watchtower at the edge of the forest, Jun was reviewing the manual of the Black Moon Dance.

Jun let out a small sigh after finding many of his mistakes.

To improve his foundation, he wanted to ask the twins for help, who had been enthusiastic about him winning.

Now he would find out if that enthusiasm was real or unfounded.

With his amulet, no one arrested him for being beyond the permitted limits; everyone just watched him from afar.

Those twins had to be around somewhere, so he finally found them while wandering aimlessly.

As Vargo had mentioned, he lacked experience using his sword, so he wanted to face the twins or have them share their wisdom.

The sense of righteousness Vargo had spoken of.

He thought the safest way to forge it into swordsmanship was with intention, so he went to other people he met on the way, but they all refused to teach him because they didn't know how to do it.

"Those twins are demons; the reason they weren't selected to fight is that their time didn't align with the selection."

Jun sighed at the thought that crossed his mind and then walked toward Trevor with resounding steps.

Soon after, Trevor turned his head.

"Oh, Jun, how have you been?"

"I've been fine." Jun bowed slightly in response to Trevor's words and quickly got to the point.

It wasn't in Jun's nature to be kind and polite, but he was in a situation of need.

"I wanted to gain experience in the Black Moon Dance. I asked around, and they said you were the best in terms of legality, so now I'm here to see you. Can you be my mentor until I have enough to move on to the next level?"

"Ah." After the long request, Trevor let out a slight sound and nodded with a calm smile.

"Well, you've come to the right place. The art of our sword focuses on an area most of the assassins here are not familiar with." Trevor stood up as soon as he finished, then pointed to a building and continued, "Why don't we go in and chat there?"

Jun nodded and followed Trevor.

...

After delving deeper into the frontier settlements, Jun arrived at a more distant room, doubting the scene before his eyes.

"A library?" Jun was surprised to see some things that were not in line with the outside world. It was as if whoever created this clan was not from the current era of China.

The nicknames of the assassins, their innovative constructions, swords, food, a system designed not to kill each other, and many other things.

"Believe it or not, you'll need theory before going straight to practice." Trevor acted normally because his brother wasn't by his side.

Many said he became an idiot whenever both brothers were together.

"Fine, I'll listen carefully." Jun was interested in what Trevor might say.

"Firstly, a master of the sword isn't something you can become simply by memorizing a skill or something like that, you know? Although there will always be special people, why do you think experience always wins?"

"They develop mental agility to face each situation in battle." Jun knew how to adapt, but it wasn't the same as adapting through knowledge.

"Correct, you know more than I expected."

So, right now, Jun made an effort to learn everything that was necessary.