This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 294 All Beings are Like Water
The air was thick with the pungent smell of rust, sweat, and some kind of herb. The cold, damp air from the underground river seeped into every corner of the training ground, creating a constant background noise along with the occasional dripping sound from above.

Marai gripped the training dagger tightly in her hand, which still felt heavy to her, her arm trembling slightly from the constant swinging. Beside her, Gomao was paler than usual, but his eyes held an even stronger resolve.

"Watch your step! Keep your center of gravity low! Do you want to be mowed down like grass by the enemy?" Gloria's voice echoed in the underground space, carrying her usual sternness, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to contain a hint of imperceptible impatience compared to the first few days.

Several days have passed since that cold system announcement appeared. The countdown of over three hundred hours, like a tightening noose, hangs over the entire Life Manor. This pressure inevitably reaches the very bottom, even this secluded training ground is not immune.

Marley glanced at Gloria furtively.

The young Snake Fang, the swordsman they had rescued earlier, had been frowning more and more these past few days, and had been using heavier blows during training. He would also occasionally stare blankly at the flowing black water of the underground river.

She said that they had to complete basic training before the arrival of the second administrator.

As for why, they asked, but Gloria didn't answer.

"Where did the others go?" During a brief break, Ge Mao finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had been lingering in their minds for a long time.

Several children who had been training together just a few days ago were taken away one night and have not been seen since.

Gloria, who was polishing her pair of gleaming swords, paused upon hearing this.

She didn't look at Ge Mao; her gaze remained fixed on the blade, her voice completely calm: "Their bodies could no longer bear the weight of life, and they returned to the cycle."

Marley and Gomao exchanged a glance, both seeing fear in each other's eyes.

They're not stupid; they know exactly what a 'regression cycle' means.

Those children who were screened out have probably become the unknown foundation stones at the foot of that ever-growing idol.

Becoming stronger comes at a price, and so does having enough to eat and wear...

This realization, like a cold snake, coiled around their hearts, making them understand that they had to be more useful in order to stay and receive the treatment that the elders in the cult had always enjoyed.

The training became increasingly rigorous. Gloria began to teach more refined dual-sword techniques, how to generate power through body rotation, and how to parry with one sword while simultaneously thrusting the other into vital points. She also became more talkative, though she remained cautious most of the time.

“Before the incident with Administrator Number Two, you must complete your basic training and either work part-time or prepare to become dual-wielders.” Gloria whispered again while instructing Marley on correcting a defensive stance. “You’re not yet fourteen, so you can’t take on combat roles, which is a problem. But after receiving dual-wielder training, dual-wielders will definitely be on your job list…”

"Once you succeed, you can submit an application within the sect. Then you will undergo a ceremony, during which you will have a dream in which you see a gigantic..."

She suddenly stopped, as if something had choked her, a look of awe and fear flashing across her face. Marley stared intently into her eyes, vaguely seeing dark shadows amidst the lush greenery.

“…In short,” Gloria quickly regained her composure, her tone hardening again, “beware of all snakes, especially black ones.”

"Revere them, for they are the embodiment of life."

She didn't say anything more, but the word 'Black Snake,' along with her unusual expression at that moment, was deeply imprinted in the minds of Marley and Gomao.

They recalled catching a glimpse of the eerie black snake coiled around the neck of the High Priest when they first arrived at the manor; the snake's gaze was icy and lifeless.

...The embodiment of life?
Is that what life is all about?
Outside the training grounds, the tension inside the manor was almost palpable. The patrolling Serpent Fangs moved with increased frequency, their eyes even more ferocious. Occasionally, the servants could hear the High Priest's furious shouts, and some kind of... eerie sound, as if countless people were whispering and chanting scriptures simultaneously. The source of that sound seemed to be the statue that had been under construction day and night.

Resources became visibly scarce, and even post-training food rations were reduced.

Gloria would sometimes share a little of her share with Goma, who looked like he was about to collapse, and she would do so quickly, as if she was afraid of being seen.

“Sister Gloria,” Marley asked softly during a break from practice, “will we… survive after the ‘administrator’ arrives?”

Gloria was examining a new bruise on Gomao's arm when she heard this. She subconsciously tightened her fingers slightly, and Gomao winced in pain but didn't dare to cry out.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Marley thought she wouldn't answer. She must have been thinking a lot, not just about Administrator Number Two, but she didn't confide anything about the past.

“If you want to live, you have to become stronger,” she finally said, her voice low. “Strong enough to at least decide how you die.”

She didn't look into the eyes of the two children, turned and walked towards the dark river. Gazing at the black water, her figure appeared particularly lonely in the flickering torchlight.

Marai and Gomao stopped talking and just threw themselves into training even harder.

Swinging the sword, parrying, dodging... every movement was performed with all one's might.

They didn't know what the destined 'event' would look like, nor what secrets were hidden behind the statue and the so-called ritual.

All they knew was that in this increasingly insane manor, in this increasingly insane world, power was the only lifeline they could grasp.

Even though the Church of Life had ill intentions, it did save their lives and showed them a path.

As for whether this road leads to heaven or abyss, they have no way of knowing. They can only grip the cold, sharp blades in their hands and struggle forward under the pervasive panic and Gloria's silent protection.

……

Unlike the panic at Life Manor, the Mother Goddess Cult's manor maintained an almost rigid solemnity.

Their rituals use large amounts of seawater and sea salt, filling the air with a moist and comforting aroma.

The believers, dressed in dark blue or almost black robes, perform ancient rituals daily by a dark pool symbolizing the primordial ocean, chanting hymns to the origin of life and the motherly sea.

However, beneath the calm surface, undercurrents are already surging.

Information about Life Manor and Administrator No. 2 was like a stone thrown into this relatively pristine water, stirring up ripples of disagreement.

Led by a high-ranking female staff member known as the 'Tide Singer,' a faction within the Mother Goddess Manor expressed their undisguised disgust.

"Plagues, pollution, short-sighted exploitation... everything they've done is a desecration of the cycle of life!"

The voices of the Tide Singers, like raging waves crashing against the shore, echoed in the inner gathering: "They are not serving life, but creating death, ending the cycle of health! The principle of the cycle of life and death, no matter how the killing is carried out, the dead will enter the cycle again!"
"Such 'filth' deserves to be thoroughly purified by the will of the ocean!"

(End of this chapter)