Chapter 202 - Ivan Part III

With the advancement of science and medical research, diseases and illnesses that people once feared was no longer a nightmare as cure and vaccine developed. Though they are still idiotic people out there who claimed that the vaccine is something akin to evil tool the government used to control people, none could deny that the world is now a better place than that of the past.

The advancement is indeed a great thing for mankind as a whole, however, it also came with a price. Nuclear, pollution, war, you name it.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Said Ivan with a visibly annoyance on his face. He had thought he was going to listens to some kind of secrecy about the world, but the man just starts talking about how amazing the world had became, it's cons, bla bla bla.

He felt annoyed. Ivan badly wanted to tell the man in front of him to get straight to the point, however, decided to keep his mouth shut while trying to calm his nerve.

"Don't you feel strange when you stepped into the room?"

"!!!"

Of course he did.

'Was I perhaps affected by some invisible unknown force that could possibly be supernatural power?! It could also be some incredible made-up tool that was way too advanced for the modern world! There are many possibilities! ...or am I simply being paranoid here?' Though he was panic inside, his face remained stoic so that the other party won't know that he's actually disturbed by the latter's words.

However, the man easily saw through Ivan's facade but choose to ignore it as he continues speaking.

"In the medieval era, most people couldn't tell what kind of illness or disease they are affected with until it was already too late for treatment. Even if they knows some symptoms, it wasn't as much information one can get from today's technology. Even the treatment itself might not be 50% accurate."

The man paused for a moment to make sure Ivan fully listening to him before continuing.

"This is where things gets interesting. What if, a mysterious woman from unknown origin, suddenly appeared in that era with the power to heal any illnesses or diseases with just a wave of her hand?"

"That's impossible." Ivan couldn't help but immediately retorted. If there's one possibility among many possibilities that the woman indeed exists, she would have been hailed as a Messiah, a God Chosen, and written down in the history of mankind. But what was written in the history was nothing but full of mankind's mistakes.

Too many mistakes that one could easily names few of them if they are knowledgeable about history. After all, only the winner matters.

'That kind of absurdity could only exist...'

"It could only exists in Fantasy, right? I thought so too, but not until I met this mysterious person."

The man chuckled upon seeing the look on Ivan's face.

"You think I'm getting trick by this person, aren't you? That's understandable, which was why I will excuse your rudeness just this one time as a benevolent person I am."

The man paused for a moment, as his expression suddenly turned serious and spoke with a tone that brought chills deep into Ivan's bones. The man's glares cause the latter to feel as if he was being stared at by a hungry predator. It was extremely frightening!

The murderous aura around the man was so thick that even someone from a normal world like Ivan could smell it miles away the moment the man willingly showcase it. How many has this man killed? Ivan didn't ask and neither did he wanted to know. He didn't came here asking for death, after all.

"But it is undoubtedly real. The overwhelming strength I felt at that time is not a force to be reckoned with. Even now, I believe if that person wanted to rule the world by force, even the strongest weapon mankind ever created couldn't ever dreamed of stopping it."

The man paused for a moment as a frown appeared on his face, making him looking even more ruthless than before.

"But that person is too cautious for some unknown reasons. It was as if it ever let it's guard down, the Sword of Damocles would collapse on top of it at a moment's notice. No matter how many times we had advised it that such scenario is utterly impossible, it didn't believe us. Otherwise...the world would have been ours to reign as we pleased. Such a shame."

"That is..."

'Ruling the world...as expected, whatever the cult the man and the self-proclaimed priest is in, they are bunch of people that I shouldn't interact with.' Ivan quietly thought to himself. Even so, he couldn't help but ponder what kind of person they are, to make someone so fierce and ambitious as the man in front of him, to obey it like an obedient servant. Though the man spoke as if he was truly regretful, his eyes shows no hidden ill feeling toward the one mentioned in his words. 

Heck, what Ivan could read from looking at the latter's eyes was nothing but respect and awe. This was something he had picked growing up—useless talent that couldn't be use anywhere else other than in a situation like this. He had once thought of using his talent to get a job as law enforcer, but he was too young for such a big job. Also, he isn't that good in studies to begin with so it's just an impossible dream.

"Since you still didn't seems to believe in my words, how about I show it to you? The power that ordinary people could only dream of and never get their hand on it."

The man then picked a pen off his table and started mumbling language that Ivan never heard of with a serious look on his face. It isn't french, italian, or japanese. Heck, is it even one of the languages of this world? The pronunciation sounds too much gibberish that makes Ivan gave up right away instead of trying to figure it out. 

Just as he thought the man was tricking him, a ball of flame suddenly manifest in front of the dumbfounded Ivan before it wholeheartedly swallowed the pen whole within seconds. If not for the ball of flame still floating above the man's palm, Ivan would have thought he was in a dream.

"W-what..."

Ivan was speechless by the scene he had just witnessed. Of course he is, any ordinary person would be the same if they were in his shoes. A literally ball of flame suddenly appeared out of nowhere like magic that only exists in fictional world, it would be crazy if that didn't faze him. 

But a few seconds later, the flame quickly dispersed just as it suddenly appeared. Noticing the sweats on the man's forehead and his exhausted look, Ivan concluded that it cost quite the toll to conjure the flame. He believes the man can, at most, conjured it one more before falling into completed exhaustion. 

"Because of the terrible state of our world, I can only do so much. Even though I'm one of the few talented people, we still stood no chance against that person even if we ganged up on it. It's as if it's living entirely different world than ours. It wasn't just it's power that is way out of our league, the air around it sort of feels like it existence itself is beyond our understanding."

The man suddenly stopped speaking as he turned his gaze away from the window and locked his eyes with Ivan's before saying.

"Now that you know all of this, you understand what would happen if you were to refuse my offer, do you?"

Ivan wanted to say that he never asked everything that the man had told him. He was curious, yes, but he never vocally said that he wanted to know. The man just decided to talk about it on his own accord. If he had known that by listening to the 'truth,' he would have no choice but join them, he would have refuse the moment back when the priest invited him. 

"You think it's a lost for you? Think again. Remember, if you join us, there's a high chance you can acquire the same, or even more powerful ability like what I just shown you."

It sounds very tempting when the man put it that way, however, one only need to think for a bit and immediately understood that there's no way it is as easy as he claimed. What if he had to sell his soul to the devil for that power? Or worse, his own mother might be included in the deal. 

It might look like the man is giving him a chance, but in reality, if Ivan were to reject the offer, he wouldn't have a good end, no doubt about it. It was then that he realized the moment he had followed the priest is the moment his fate is sealed. 

'Checkmate, huh?' Ivan was suddenly reminded of an animation scene he had watched a few weeks ago and couldn't helped but chuckled. Looking at the man sitting calmly in front of him, Ivan knows that he has no other choices other than accepting their offer.