Chapter 36: Mocked him

"Heh, you crazy old man. Thanks. You're a charitable guy. I like it."

After the old man's beautiful discourse, I changed my mind. What all the words he had spoken meant was basically that, if I was a monster, he was a monster too. That also meant that if he was a human, then I was one too. We were the same, any race or group of people we belonged to shouldn't matter in the least. Peace was the way he had chosen. Be it a human, a demi-human, or even a sentient monster—dealing with all three he would stay the same. He truly was a charitable person. I admired him for it. He was a man of no enemies. But I wasn't like him. All of what he said was beautiful, but the reality surely was different. The world was. Outside, I guess I was still most of everyone's enemy.

"What have you decided, young man?"

To this simple question, I could reply with so many words and ideas. All I really wanted was food, sleep, and be all right. Oh, I wanted to be strong too, in order to be granted permission to live. Who knew what other mana-wielder would come after me after that first one if I wasn't strong. Also, I wanted to have fun and be happy. I didn't want to sleep on the street with the rats anymore. I wanted to eat good Yum Yum Spicy Magical Starry Noodles.

I wanted the elves to leave me alone. And thinking back on what would my dream job be, I'd think of an adventurer, or monster-hunter, job. But really, all of that could be regrouped and compressed into a single wish.

I wanted to be superior.

That's everything anyone should ever need. That's what I thought anyway. And if anyone ever said the opposite, then they were either dumb or a liar. Being superior, dangerous, best, excellent was worth everything good in the world. And though, in my case, it might have been a selfish way of going about life, it was an efficient one.

"Okay, old man. It's not like I didn't think about it, you know. That path, yeah, sure, I could take it. Why not, after all? I could just go and forget about the kind ma'am altogether. She and her daughters were my enemies. If anything, I also know to be cold and callous. If push came to shove, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice their lives for mine. I'm no charity man like yourself. Sure, why not deviate from that path they offered me. But how?" When I stopped talking, only silence replied to me. As that was no response at all, and thinking the old man probably wanted me to further my thought, I carried it on.

"It's fine, yeah, sure. I know you're trying to help. That's actually what the quest (or the System, you know) told me you'd do, by the way. You're trying to help... but how would it all work out?" I was alone in the world. I didn't mind it, don't get me wrong, but as far as I knew, I was clueless about most of everything about the world. Sure, when I hopped into my first human, getting the Consciousness passive skill and all, I obtained knowledge about the world. Knowledge about most basic, general things, really. But commonsense and wisdom were something I didn't have.

And without that, I had no direction. I wasn't against breaking off from that kind ma'am, who was in fact, depending on how I'd look at it, my enemy, but where to go, and what to do? I was just born a few days ago, I came into existence right then and there, but what now? What was to come? To be an adventurer? To grow stronger and earn my right to live? How?

Telling all of that to the old man, I might have overdone it. In fact, maybe I was being too dramatic. I knew it couldn't possibly be that hard, with time and effort. But that's what I said anyway. "So you present me with solutions now, old man." Alternatives. It's other ways that I needed. Other paths and directions. I needed a clear itinerary before I did anything. I directed my interrogation to the old man because I knew he would have solutions for me. The System wouldn't have guided me here if he wasn't any use. That old man had to gift me some presents. Unsurprisingly, I was right right on the spot.

"Alternatives, you say, young man... Is that not quite easy?" If the System appointed him, then there had to be a reason.

"Tell me?"

Being all strong and living by myself. Not depending on anyone. Earn my right to live. And progress like this down that path, without ever stopping nor being stopped. To sum it all up, that's what the old man proposed to me as a solution. That was his plan. Being strong was a must-have. I was glad we were understanding each other. "You are weak," the old man stated. Before I had time to slice his throat (yes, I was being way overconfident), he urged me not to misunderstand. "I'm just quoting this first enemy of yours."

When my eyes softened, he continued. The black swordsman told me this. Or rather, he taught it to me. Telling me I'd die because I was weak, he kindly offered a lesson. If I wanted to not die, I had better be superior, because that's what ultimately earned one's own right to live. From what the old man perceived, I had gotten to grow quite strong after that very lesson was taught to me. He was right. I learned lots of new skills and increased in both level and aptitude. "As far as brute strength is concerned, that is. But yes, young man, you possess might. This old man can tell."

What could I be doing then? Rather than talking about real practical solutions, paths, or alternatives we both saw about my future, going on a tangent, I mentioned the System to him. The goal here was to see if he knew something. Because the old man was quite knowledgeable, but to what extent?

"Also," I looked at him, "I told you about that thing already, you qualified it as mysterious and mystical, but... the System, yeah, you know that's actually the reason why I first got to sit my butt here, with an unknown old scary dude—" He spat out his tea, coughing like mad. "—you heard right, with an unknown scary old dude and talked at so great length about my life, story, or whatever you'd call it. Well, shortly, what do you happen to know about it?"

The old man replied saying it was a most interesting thing. And so, stroking his gray chin, I picked his interest. True I had mentioned such a mystical 'System'. He knew not much detail about that sort of thing, however, as he explained that I should not expect too much from the grumpy old man that he was. That old man was still a man of books, though, so before he blurted a lot of academical or scientific nonsense (nonsensical only to me), he pointed out that it, the System, must have been about some sort of ancient benediction of some sort.

Mana was what basically ruled the world. It was the Force of the world. It was the Rule. The Order. What people might have referred to as God. Well, Mana, in a poetic, non-literal sense, loved people. Some more than others. Some people who happen to be truly 'loved' by it receive benedictions from it.

The power (or benedictions) was actually theirs, it only manifested in this way. In the way of 'guidance' from the World, or the Mana, and thus— "And thus does this old man may or may not remember correctly about it. From the top of my head anyway, that is what you describe to me should be about. ...Or maybe not at all and this old man could not be more wrong! You see, son, even to the eldest of souls, the world is an immense place. I could be wrong. As a matter of fact, I must be wrong. As strong as you may be, and for better or worse, young man, I more than doubt you would possess such ancient, legendary benediction."

I mocked him saying he was jealous, but he was not.