Chapter 91

[Translator – Night][Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 91: Conditions of Power (1)

The demand from Gunther was simple.

If you want to save that kid Roy, come to the waste disposal site by the time specified.

If you don’t show up, think about the consequences yourself.

The intention was obvious.

It was about seeking revenge in the arena.

However, knowing it wouldn’t work out normally, they resorted to desperate measures.

It’s truly unbelievable; words fail me.

“He’s so anxious, yet in the end, he resorts to this, Gunther, you worthless scum!”

Ironically, the one most excited was the manager.

“I apologize, sir!

We’ll take care of this matter ourselves. Please don’t worry, sir…”

I left without saying a word in response.

“W-where are you going? Are you really going there…?”

“Leave it to the kid.” She was taken aback and blocked my path in an instant.

“Are you crazy? This is obviously a trap! You don’t know what might happen if you go!”

A trap, indeed… If we define it, it’s like an analogy for schemes that trap others in difficulties, right?

It’s definitely not going to be a good thing if you go.

But then again, I don’t even consider the thought of encountering any trouble just because I’m going.

Ignoring her words, I headed towards the waste disposal site.

* * *

In the previous life, there was a situation quite similar to this.

It was during the height of the war between the Ushif Empire and the Garam Kingdom.

At a time when the Garam Kingdom was somewhat on the defensive, they executed a scheme to turn the tide: the kidnapping of Larshel Vert, the eldest son of Vert.

What does being Vert’s eldest son entail?

It meant being the son of Aschel, who was a prominent figure in the Empire.

Although not of royal blood, being the child of such an influential figure made him valuable enough to be a hostage.

There were debates within the Empire on whether to rescue him or not, but I remained silent, simply waiting to see what Aschel would decide.

Contrary to my expectations, he asked me what I thought should be done.

I told him that if he sent me, I would not only rescue Larshel but also annihilate those responsible for his capture.

I was quite enraged at the audacity of those who caused him trouble; I couldn’t tolerate it.

Looking back, I realized that I was more inclined to think about killing those scoundrels rather than rescuing the son.

Regardless of reasoning, it was a rather pathetic situation.

But life goes on, and now, a similar situation has come before me again.

A street urchin selling cigarettes?

Frankly, it doesn’t matter.

It’s not related to my current mission, and nothing changes if he dies.

He just happened to cross paths with me, one of the many street urchins in the city.

I may have given him some assistance, but that’s where it ends.

I have no further obligations.

Yeah, none at all…

Strangely enough, my current emotions are hardly different from what I felt back then.

Reasons, relevance, they don’t really matter.

Right now, the thought dominating my mind is that I should kill that insignificant piece of trash.

With each step I take, a smell wafts in.

There are exactly two types of smells: one, the foul stench of discarded waste, and the other, the very familiar scent of human blood.

The latter, however, has an unusually strong metallic tinge, different from usual.

I didn’t want to know what it was.

It wasn’t particularly important to me.

Though I didn’t consciously acknowledge it, I was aware that many people passing by were watching me.

However, none of them dared to approach.

Quite ironic, isn’t it?

Even these insignificant street rats tremble in fear and watch from behind, yet the fool who lost an arm is still clueless, floundering about.

Lost in meaningless thoughts, I found myself in the designated area.

“You’re here?”

Gunther, arrogantly perched atop the trash, flashed a satisfied smile as he watched me.

“Frankly, I was quite surprised! I mean, I did invite you, but I never expected you to come all the way here just for that little brat! Seems like you’re more compassionate than meets the eye, huh?”

Ignoring the fellow’s blabber, I glanced around.

The space was filled with metallic waste of unknown purpose.

What was odd was that among the rubbish were scattered white fragments that seemed strangely familiar.

In fact, I already knew what they were: human bones.

There were easily hundreds, if not more, scattered around.

Although it wasn’t a communal graveyard, this guy probably knew why human bones were here.

“Just by looking, you already know, right? Curious about why there are human bones here?”

I gestured for him to spill the beans.

“Don’t you know the meaning of waste? Simple! It means disposing of something no longer useful. This place is a disposal site for such things.”

He proudly extended his remaining arm.

“As I mentioned before, I conquered the Lambert Cage, but I was expelled for killing someone during the match. I had no regrets. I enjoyed it as much as I could! So when I left, I left with joy!”

His eyes gleamed maliciously.

“But as soon as I left, strangers greeted me! One had lost an arm, another had a crushed knee, and yet another had a crushed face! I don’t remember, but they all claimed I did it!”

Living like this, it’s strange not to have enemies, right?

“They said they’d seek revenge! That their lives became meaningless because of me? Upon hearing that, I thought this: If something becomes useless, shouldn’t it disappear from this world? Like waste? What’s so different about humans?”

He tossed a handful of bones among the rubbish, as if they were no different.

“I also thought, why not dispose of useless humans besides them? It’s meaningless to keep living anyway, right? In a way, am I not a god here, within this waste disposal? Who would stop me from judging and discarding humans? Nobody, right?”

I expected this kind of babble from the arena.

Useless trash must be disposed of.

Therefore, useless humans should be disposed of from this world.

It’s a simple yet equally ridiculous logic.

“According to your logic, you, missing an arm, are also a useless human. Shouldn’t you be discarded too?”

“Missing an arm? Who? Me? What are you talking about!”

-Whoom

He manifested mana with his remaining hand, reaching towards the empty shoulder.

“Creation: Hands of Nature!”

-Squishy sound

Fine soil emerged from the magic circle created by the spell.

Gradually taking shape like molding clay, it formed a new arm.

Absolutely absurd.

The guy who argues that useless things should be discarded casually wields creation magic.

At that moment, it felt like a waste even to shake my head.

“I didn’t harbor ill feelings towards you from the beginning. I just thought you’d be a good opponent to wake me up from this trash! But after seeing your eyes, my thoughts changed! That contemptuous gaze that almost belittles me! It’s exactly like that lunatic on the other side!”

He extended the newly created arm towards me as if challenging me.

“Do you think you can face me with this new arm?”

“Of course not! I hate to admit it, but among the men I’ve seen, you’re quite the powerhouse! I never thought I could win against you no matter how hard I fought!”

The guy who knows this created the current situation?

“But isn’t it true? The end of a fight ultimately depends on who lives and who dies! If I live and you die, then I’ll be the ultimate winner!”

-Snap

He signaled something, and the lackeys lurking around began to gather.

Each held some unknown metallic device in their hands.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Without hesitation, they activated the devices.

-Whoosh

Suddenly, the surrounding air felt heavy, and soon an immense pressure, as if crushing my body, engulfed me.

If my memory serves me right, this isn’t magic but the ability of an artifact called the ‘Gravity Zone.’

It amplifies gravity in a certain area, severely restricting movement.

In fact, for an ordinary human, simply standing would be impossible, causing extreme pain.

“Oh? You’re holding up quite well! I didn’t plan this for you, but I wouldn’t mind using it on you.”

I have to admit, he prepared quite a clever trap for me.

“I’m going to turn you, a seemingly intact person, into useless waste! Then you’ll sleep peacefully like the white bones piled up here! But I don’t like things ending too easily, so give it your all and resist!”

Resist?

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Forcing me with strange words like giving it my all and resisting, isn’t it amusing?

Having to pour out all my strength against such guys?

This isn’t even Velias or the Academy.

Even here, except for one person, nobody knows that I’m Cyan Burt.

Except for one.

[Shall I help?]

Kaeram asked with a mischievous smile.

“No.”

There’s no need to involve her.

He asked for my all-out effort?

Unfortunately, there’s only one person on this land I want to face with all my might.

But I can give it my best shot.

I’ll give him the most extreme pain a human can feel, as I always do.

-Clang

Finally ready, he leaped forward.

Certainly, his speed was twice, no, more than three times faster than what he showed in the arena.

With a body as large as a bear’s but a speed like an arrow, it was truly a devastating movement.

So, what will I do?

In front of me is just a sluggish movement.

I clenched the mana sphere generated in my palm and pulled it back.

-Swish

There’s not much I can do.

It’s the most basic posture when training the body: the stance of a martial artist.

As the guy came charging towards me with all his might, I calmly threw a punch at him.

-Thunk!

Our fists met naturally. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Despite the powerful impact and the violent shockwaves that rippled outwards, the waves soon tilted to one side.

“…!”

-Crunch

There was no crackling of bones.

The moment my fist made contact with his arm, it turned into dust and scattered in the air.

His body, unable to withstand the shockwave, was promptly ejected into the pile of waste.

-Thud

The lesson was over.

His face buried in the garbage spoke volumes, a stark contrast to his demeanor just five seconds ago.

“What, what’s happening? Does this make any sense?”

When people encounter their limits, they easily succumb to despair, more than any other creature.

Perhaps he knew this, and it wasn’t about giving it my all.

It was about showing him the insurmountable wall, delivering extreme despair and emptiness.

It’s clearly an impossible task, but I slowly approached him.

“Who, who are you? This is completely different! Is it fair that I can’t do anything and just take it?”

Despair and confusion mingled in his face.

Every person I’ve encountered during my cleansing operations wore a similar expression.

Though he wasn’t initially on my list from the client, adding one more won’t hurt.

I looked down at him and asked softly,

“How many were there?”

“…”

He remained silent.

“I mean the humans you’ve discarded so far. How many were there?”

Whether he couldn’t remember or had become mute, considering the number of white bones scattered around, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were less than a thousand.

-Humming

I took Kaeram out of my pocket and said,

“I’ll divide you into exactly a thousand pieces.”

Then, throwing him into the trash, he’ll be disposed of automatically.

Soon, the screams of a man writhing in agony echoed throughout the landfill.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]