Johnny walks out of the inn, passing through the various people going about their lives.

Eventually, Johnny passes by a homeless man and a voice stops him.

Johnny, kill the homeless man. He's looking for a way out, but can't bring himself to do it. Hope still lingers in his heart, hope for the world, and the good in it. Destroy him.

Johnny looks at the homeless man, begging for change, and lets out a sigh. I remember saying that I don't need a reason… Johnny thinks before walking up to the homeless man. Johnny doesn’t hesitate and lifts him up by his shirt before piercing a dagger into his throat. Blood begins to flow and Johnny raises the man above himself and carries him to the middle of the street. There, Johnny stood, as the man’s blood flows over him, staining him red.

What are you doing?

Johnny smiles. For all my life, as I served the heavens, they never forgot to feed me. Whether it was spiritual sustenance or the hunger of the flesh, the heavens never failed to feed me. I wonder if the devil is the same… He thinks, watching as various gazes gather on him, realizing what he was doing.

Gasps rang out among the people and horror appears on their faces.

Lucy, chewing on some bread she bought at a roadside stall saw this and her eyes widen. Johnny! What the fuck are you doing!? She exclaims.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Murder!! Murder!!” Someone yells.

“Someone stop that man!!” Another voice calls out.

“Guards!! Guards!! A crime has been committed!” Another yells.

Soon, various guards surrounded Johnny before pushing him to the ground and restraining him.

Johnny smiles and doesn’t resist. All that was on his mind was how the devil would reward him.

But unfortunately for Johnny, even if he had lived for a million years, even if he had reached the peak of cultivation, the devil wasn’t something you could so casually ask something for… the devil wasn’t someone you could win against…

…

…

“Johnny. What the fuck were you thinking? I’ve talked to the guards, there are multiple witnesses. There is no denying it. You had ruthlessly killed an innocent man. There’s no way I can get you out of here unless you plan to break out.” Lucy says from across the metal bars. She lets out a sigh. “Johnny… Why…” She couldn’t help but say. There was no rhyme or reason to the crime and Johnny didn’t even try to run. She couldn’t help but think… What is going on in this man’s mind?

Johnny lets out a bitter smile. “It’s okay, Lucy. I’ll be fine. Go back to Mary Rose and the others and tell them not to act rashly. Just continue touring and leveling up. I’m… I’m just going to rest here for a while…” Johnny says. He couldn’t help but feel that he was betraying his friends… Their expectations of him, their expectations for their future lives… The joy and love involved… Johnny was betraying it…

Lucy shakes her head. “Johnny. There’s something wrong with you. I hope you take this time to think about it.” She says before leaving.

Johnny leans back against the cold stone wall and sighs. Karma must move forward… Life must go on… I’ve been crippled by my age… This is all I can do… He thinks with regret.

…

…

“What!? No! We can’t leave him in there! We have to get him out!!” Mary Rose exclaims.

Lucy presses her hands onto Mary Rose’s shoulders and shakes her head. “Mary Rose, don’t be rash. There’s something going on with Johnny. This isn’t something his character would do. Something has changed… And I’m afraid it isn’t good. Just let him rest in prison for a while. Maybe he’ll get better.” She says, caution in her words.

Mary Rose raises an eyebrow. “Changed? Changed how?” She asks, confused.

Lucy lets out a bitter smile. “Mary Rose, he killed a random person on the streets. Is that something the old Johnny would have done? No, something’s going on… Anyways, he told us to continue to level on without him, so let’s just do that. After we hit the max level we can ask him to take us home.” She says.

Leo looks to Nick and Nick looks to Leo. There was worry in their eyes.

Sasha hugs Mary Rose from behind. “Don’t worry Mary Rose. Nothing can harm Johnny. Let’s just do as he asked and enjoy ourselves. After this world, we’ll go to the next and then the next! We’ll be max level world conquerors!” She says, smiling and unfazed.

Mary Rose lets out a sigh. “Okay…” She says.