I found village life to be a perfect fit for me. My days were spent working in the fields, and my nights were devoted to training.

During this time, I discovered a new aspect of Ord energy: training became more efficient and effective when I was fully engaged in pursuing my passions.

My Ord grew denser each day, and I felt as though I was on the brink of a breakthrough. I soon realized that Ord energy was a selfish force, and those with selfless intentions faced greater challenges in harnessing its power and becoming stronger.

Of course, this did not apply to Agon. He possessed the infinite battery of Ord known as Yamata No Orochi, which gave him unparalleled access to its power.

Unlike the monsters in this world, I had to utilize every small advantage. My life depended on turning Carpy into an Ultimate Class Demon within the next year and a few months.

Even with all my efforts, there were no indications that Carpy was even close to achieving High Class Demon status, let alone reaching the coveted Ultimate Class Demon level that was necessary for my survival.

Despite the pressing time limits on my life, I didn't feel overly anxious. I was content to live each day as it came, focusing on honing my special ability and deepening my understanding of the mysterious force that was Ord.

With so much of this vast world left to explore, I was determined to protect it from anyone who sought to harm or destroy it.

As I entertained such selfish thoughts, I could feel the Ord energy within me bubble and surge, as if it was approving of my self-centeredness.

By now, Agon and his team should have embarked on their mission to locate the werewolf demon, in what resembled a twisted murder mystery scenario.

Out of nowhere, a knock came at my window. Assuming it was Rose, I turned to look, only to be met with the unsettling sight of a creature with a fish-like face and abyssal eyes staring directly at me. He was using a small stone he had grabbed with a water tendril to knock on the window.

"Carpy, is everything alright?" I asked, my ability to read his facial expressions having improved over time. Through the bond we shared via Ord, I could often sense his emotional state as well. "Don't just stand there, come on in."

I opened the window and he flew in. "Master, I saved a human today."

So what? Carpy saving humans wasn't that big of a deal. He was clearly a good pers-... fish. But by human standards, he was still a kid since he had awakened his consciousness, so I understood if there was some kind of confusion. "If something is bothering you, you can tell me.”

Then Carpy spilled the beans, talking about how he had seen a human at the river and had saved him.

I still didn't understand. So Carpy saved a kid from a demon? What's the big deal? Of course he wasn't going to let some kid die and get ripped apart by a demon.

Basically, Carpy was a total hero. He saved some kid from a demon like it was no big deal. By shounen terms, he was a good guy.

I sensed that Carpy was struggling with something, so I reached out and patted his head. “That kid was just like you when I first met you,” I said, improvising. “Weak and feeble. Maybe saving him reminded you of your own past.” I paused. “Oh, and by the way, did you happen to catch the kid's name?”

I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew who the kid was that Carpy had saved. But I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"He came back again yesterday," Carpy said, "and I gave him some river crabs to take with him. He said his name was Moron."

It was actually Myron, not Moron. But given that he went back to a demon who almost killed him, Moron seemed like an appropriate name. At least he's just a kid, so I can understand why he might act recklessly.

"I can tell you're feeling confused," I said, my mind running through a dozen cringe-worthy quotes I'd read on the internet. "But sometimes people don't even know themselves. If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be in this position, I would've called you crazy. Life can be unpredictable like that. We're all just walking a maze, hoping to find out who we really are."

"Even you, master?"

"Especially me," I replied. "I mean, I'm just a fifteen-year-old kid.”

What did normal kids my age even do? It had been a while since I had really been fifteen, and the only thing I could remember was how I once said something embarrassing to a girl. But when I brought it up later, she had already forgotten about it.

At fifteen, I mostly said and did dumb stuff.

I continued explaining to him. "Do I even know what I want with my life? I have no idea what's going to happen in the future, and that's scary. But while I can't control the future or the events that will affect me in many ways, I can control how I react to them."

I had a soft spot for Carpy. He was a good listener and loyal to me. But I knew deep down that I wasn't the wise sage-like person he thought I was.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

As he nodded, a knock came from my door, and he floated back out the window.

I was a bit concerned about Carpy's views on humans, but I knew he had a good heart. I didn't feel it was my place to dictate what he should do or judge whether his actions were right or wrong. Some lessons are best learned through personal experiences.

I couldn't ignore the possibility that I might die someday, and if that were to happen, I didn't want Carpy to turn into a ruthless demon. It wasn't my intention to make him docile or good just because I told him to be.

The decision to choose his own path was crucial for Carpy. This way, he would be able to follow it even if I wasn't around to guide him.

Rose walked into my room and glanced around, noticing the open window.

“Were you just talking to someone?” she asked.

"Yes, I was talking to my pet fish who will turn into a dragon in the future," I was brutally honest.

As Rose furrowed her brow, a quizzical expression washed over her face, revealing her bewilderment.

"Where do you come up with these ideas?" she asked, before changing the subject. "Hey, do you want to go on a walk with me again? I want to introduce you to one of my friends."

Sometimes reality was stranger than fiction.

As we walked outside, Rose showed me around the village. I had been living there for a few days, but there were still some places to explore and people to meet.

As we approached her friend's house, a girl with dirty-blonde hair and a wide smile waved at us. She was quite… endowed in the chest area, and even her loose dress couldn't fully conceal it.

"Hey, Rose! So this is the guy you were talking about?" She said, gesturing towards me.

She approached us and gave Rose a big hug before turning to me. I was taken aback for a moment, but then awkwardly hugged her back as we exchanged greetings.

…

Hours flew by, and before I knew it, I found myself sitting with some of the village kids, surrounded by papers and crayons. I had bought them as a small gift, and now we were having fun drawing together. As a fun project, I asked them to draw how they saw themselves in the future.

I chuckled as I looked over their creations, admiring their imagination and creativity. There were a couple of jobs there like demon watcher and others that kept an eye out for attacking demons.

"These are amazing, guys. You all have such unique and interesting aspirations," I said, smiling at them. "Remember, anything is possible if you work hard and believe in yourself."

Rose examined her friend's drawing and furrowed her brows. "I don't think that's accurate.”

"Don't worry, we're just here to let our imaginations run wild about our futures. There are no right or wrong answers," I reassured her and glanced at her friend's drawing.

The drawing caught my attention as it was a detailed giant mecha with rocket launchers on its shoulders and a machine gun for an arm, rather than an ugly stick figure. It even had the same hairstyle as the girl, indicating that this was her imaginative future self.

"Max speed is 300km per hour, can shoot 20,000° flames from the mouth and laser beams from my eyes!" The girl declared enthusiastically.

I didn't mean that kind of future self.

As if knowing what was about to come next, Rose got up and walked off—leaving her friend behind to explain the details of the drawing. “Also, I think having the rocket launchers coming from my chest would be more efficient. But I didn’t want to draw obscene things since the kids were around.”

No, that was not the point here. Though it was impressive that she drew something so futuristic when weaponry wasn’t so advanced in this world.

“It’s… original,” I nodded and decided not to comment on her rocket launcher boobies idea.

She looked towards Rose, who was chatting with one of the younger kids, and smiled. "It's nice to see her happy like this. After her brothers were killed by that demon with a chicken head, she hasn't been able to smile much."

Did she just spill the beans on something her friend wanted to hide? I better avoid sharing any confidential information with this girl.

As the sun began to set and the sky turned orange and pink, I realized that it was getting late, and I had to prepare to leave the village soon.

A part of me dreaded when that time would come, since this place was comfortable and I didn't have to worry about constantly watching my back.

***

Myron's face remained expressionless as he listened to the adults cautioning him to be careful out there.

He couldn't help but feel a little bitter about it. He had learned to survive on his own, and now they were acting like they knew what was best for him. He silently thanked them and promised to be careful.

Everyone here was a hypocrite!

Myron ran toward a small broken hut at the corner of the village. Myron's home was a small, cramped place with a thatched roof and mud walls that were crumbling in places. The door was barely hanging on its hinges, and the few belongings they had were scattered around the room.

A small fire was burning in the corner, the smoke slowly seeping out through a hole in the roof. Despite the heat, the air felt heavy and damp, and the smell of decay and sickness lingered in the air. It was clear that Myron and his mother were living in extreme poverty, with no access to proper medical care or even basic necessities like clean water and food.

He felt a lump in his throat as he approached his mother’s bed. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't help hoping that his mother would miraculously recover. He sat down beside her and gently took her hand.

"Mom, are you feeling okay?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She didn't respond, and Myron's heart sank.

Myron noticed that his mother hadn't been eating much lately, even though he had been bringing home more food with the help of the dragon. However, this was not entirely unusual. His mother had always gone for extended periods without eating much.

His mother had always said that adults don’t need to eat much, but growing kids must eat a lot; she always gave him her share.

After telling his mother about what had happened recently, she didn't respond. It seemed like her sickness had advanced and she was barely conscious.

Myron knew that he had to act fast, and the dragon was his only hope. With that in mind, he ran toward the forest to meet the dragon for the third time. He didn't care whether the dragon was good or evil. All he knew was that the dragon had helped him in the past.

As he arrived at the river, Myron saw the fish-headed dragon swimming in the water, just like before. He called out to the dragon, hoping it would hear him. "Sir dragon! My mother has gotten sicker. Please, can you help me?"