Chapter 12: Fun.

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— Some small mistakes are inevitable.

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Riley Yuki

“Wake up... Wake up!”

I woke up abruptly with Aria's irritating voice punishing my ear with a hellish torture that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Apparently, the deal I made with her yesterday made her think that I recognized her as having a position far superior to mine.

I got angry.

“Little Aria.”

As soon as I said that, I discreetly looked at her face, which… I don't know what I should call it, but her expression was so ugly that even the bravest of demons would tremble before such a look.

“Are you angry?”

“You said… you said you would stop calling me that!!!”

“Okay… okay, I won’t call you that again. I’ll stop, okay?”

It's fun to bully her a little. Of course, I wouldn't cross certain boundaries, because I need her to survive in this world, but still, a man doesn't live by seriousness alone.

“But like that… why do you care so much about it? It’s just a pet name! A treat! Why don’t you accept my love for you, my lady?”

“I politely ask you to shut your mouth and not talk any more nonsense.”

Sorry, please forgive me, Aria, but anyone in my shoes would say the same thing. Your reactions to my impertinent comments are just too cute! What human in this world and the one before me wouldn't appreciate such cuteness?! Even if you are proud, there's no way your pride is so fragile that it can be shaken by simple comments! Besides, the goddess is probably laughing her head off watching our interactions.

I'm going to bully you a little bit; just a little bit more... just enough to sweeten our relationship! I know it might seem like I'm trying to test you or something, but still, let me enjoy this beautiful moment we have together!

“So, what will our training be like today?”

“Our first training will begin with meditation.”

“I see. What should I do?”

“First, get into the lotus position.”

“Ok.”

“Now, pay attention to your breathing and focus on letting the nectar and qi flow and spread throughout your body.

“Right.”

I focused on the flow of qi and nectar; this time, I was able to differentiate between the two energies and let them flow. I felt proud of myself, but at the same time, I was ashamed that I was probably too weak.

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To comfort my heart, I repeated the phrase 'Everything starts out weak, what matters is becoming strong' over and over in my mind. It did work, but not how I wanted it to.

“Now, stand up.”

“Ok.”

“Try making a sword out of nectar, and strengthen it with qi.”

I tried to do exactly as she told me. When I finished, I realized that the nectar sword was strong… too strong. I felt like it could cut through absolutely anything.

Of course, these are just delusions; there's no chance a beginner like me could accomplish such a feat.

"Excellent."

Apparently satisfied, Aria complimented me. Of course, only apparently; in the deceitful way that she is, she probably just wanted to compliment me to release the classic dose of post-flattery pleasure. In the end, our relationship is nothing more than a cooperation forced by precarious conditions on both sides, however, I still felt good when I realized that I was making rapid progress.

“Now, try to stretch the nectar as much as possible.”

As soon as I manipulated the nectar and stretched it, expanding it as much as I could, I was amazed when it reached tiny widths and insane heights.

"Damn…"

Ironically, that was the only word I could say. Even someone like me, a classic man with a vulgar dialect tainted by shit posts on the internet, can change his own way of acting.

This makes me think about various philosophical questions, but now is not the time to philosophize; it is time to train; to acquire strength, power, and become stronger.

This may seem immoral to many people, but to me, classifying my goals as immoral is foolish; everyone likes power.

You walk because you can, you see because you can, you eat because you can, and you love because you can. It is more than moral to strive for more power to protect what you hold dear.

From the good things to the bad things, life revolves around choices and power, whether you like it or not.

Personally, I feel confused; what will I do after I conquer the top of this world? Of course, it is still too early to think about that, but the goddess was clear: if I do not conquer at least half a continent, I will die.

Just thinking about how many people I will kill to achieve this goal makes me feel guilty, but what can I do? It is better to live with guilt than to die and lose what is most precious to me: my own life.

In this world, nothing should be more precious than your own life, because to have power, you need to be alive. Many say that life is not worth living because suffering is greater than pleasure, but the greater the suffering, the greater the moments of happiness and pleasure.

The suffering of life literally forces you to value the few moments of happiness you have. That's why it's important to gain more power.

I am not a crazy person obsessed with politics; personally, I prefer a quiet life, however, to achieve such a life, I must first fulfill the mission given to me.

For this, many lives will have to be sacrificed, many dreams will not come true, but nature is like this; Deborah cuts the weak without even asking if he wants to be devoured; ends his futile life without even considering his wishes, all because he has more power than him, and also out of obligation; he needs to devour the blood of his neighbor to survive, because even though both are alive, because they are alive, they are sinners, and sinners survive on the blood of other sinners.

Since the world began, it has revolved like this; it revolves around this; it forces us to live practicing this. I will feel guilty, but for my life and for the same selfishness that a cat devours a baby rabbit, I will do this for my life; I value it more than anything in this world; even with the pain, even with the guilt, and even with the price to pay to live peacefully, I will enjoy a good life.

Inevitably, I will leave a legacy and a strong mark on the world, but even then, I choose myself over others.

Whether I will be a hero or a villain, a dictator or a wise ruler, it doesn't matter; make this life worthwhile, even if to do so, I have to split this dimension in half.

“That’s enough for today. Overtraining can lead to injuries.”

“Thank you, little Aria.”

"Tsk.."

Upon hearing me call her little Aria again, she clicked her tongue in disgust, and glared at me coldly for the rest of the day.