Chapter 160. Snap! Snap! Snap!

-snap!

The god snapped her fingers once more.

Just like how it was with the first test, the area around us dissolved.

The pure white field of snow disappeared, and in its place rose new pieces of the puzzle.

A familiar scene came into view.

“Not being able to hold back, you’re playing another trick?”

“Heh heh. The location of the second test is here. Why? Are you familiar with this place?”

“……”

It was the house that I lived in where I resented and burned with hatred every single day for our poverty.

The home I lived in previously was in such a state that no one would be surprised if it collapsed at any given moment.

I think I was beginning to understand what this god was trying to hint at.

It was obvious now that those I know of will be appearing before me.

At first, I thought that all that this god made were illusions.

However, what about the radical faction members and the tribe leaders of the demonic races that appeared during the first test?

It was possible that they were either brought back from hell, or they were another part of this god’s trickery.

Even my Titan Boots, which gave me immunity to all types of status effects, were useless against this peerless being.

My ability to defend myself against hypnotism and charms were easily nullified.

I couldn’t shake off this uneasy feeling I had.

As if trying to convince myself, I muttered.

‘No matter what, all of it is fake. Only focus on obtaining the power of the Piece of Time and Space. No matter who appears before me, I have to cut them down.’

“Hm? What are you saying to yourself?”

“…….”

“From the look on your face, I think you’ve caught on at least somewhat. Shall we begin?”

“Let me make one thing clear.”

“Eh…… I don’t like such a serious expression.”

“Even if you are a peerless existence, if those around me are really injured or lose their lives from this test…..”

“…..”

“Then no matter the method…… Even if my opponent is a god, I will eliminate them. Do you understand?”

“Ahhh! So scary….. But you know, those words are pretty hollow? I am what you consider a peerless existence. Do you really think that even if I hold back, you will be able to make me kneel?”

“I think you know it better than I. I don’t have that strength. And it’s not like I have a plan either. But I ask that you do not take my warning lightly. I am but a creation that you have made, but I’m not sure what went wrong when you did, because I turned out pretty fucking crazy.”

“It’s been quite awhile since I’ve been this excited, you know? Hehe! You make all the decisions. I am merely testing you. So shouldn’t you be the one to take responsibility for you actions? I hope that your greed for this power doesn’t blindside you from the truth. Good luck!”

“You really are a twisted peerless existence.”

“Hehe. Then……”

The god concealed her presence in an instant.

Unlike how she had been observing the fighting with glee, she had completely disappeared into thin air.

The area became so quiet without the presence of this god that it was enough to make my ears ring from the ambiance.

Without giving much thought, I followed my instincts and went inside the run-down villa.

Walking up the stairs one by one, I stopped in front of a door.

This familiar scenery was exactly as it was before.

Fliers and stickers were all over the place.

I had no idea how long the doorbell had been broken for.

Even the messy scribbles on the wall that I had made were identical.

Carefully, I opened the door and headed in.

The moment that I opened the door, as if the mute option had been turned off on the TV, I could hear the sounds around me.

What I heard wasn’t something new.

After all, it was one of the days in the past that I did not want to remember and ran away in embarrassment all this time.

“You bitch! You dare glare at your husband, who is as important as the sky!”

“……”

“Instead of bringing money as I have commanded you to, you dare lecture me instead?”

“…..”

“You still won’t talk till the very end? Fine. You’re going to die today! Come here!”

“….”

“Stop……”

“I said stop……”

“Yeah…. You really won’t give in, won’t you?”

“Stop! You piece of shit!”

This was my childhood, the days which I could recall clearly as if yesterday.

That’s right. I was seeing my dad, who only cared about money and beat my mother when he got drunk.

Despite the door being closed, I could see myself in the adjacent room, weeping silently with a blanket over my head.

Even though the severity of the violence was beyond what anyone could hold out against, mother did not let out a single cry of pain.

She desperately struggled to keep her mouth shut with both her hands, enduring against the pain all by her lonesome.

After all, she probably did not want to show or have this scene be discovered by a young child such as myself.

However, the real reason behind her silence was that she knew that I’d run to her if I heard her cry out.

With how she considered me as her everything, she had done so in order to prevent me from being involved in the violence.

In the past, I had avoided mother’s face that was swollen and covered in lacerations.

Staring at the floorboards, I pretended to not notice and looked away.

Because of the possibility of his violence being directed towards me as well, I was too afraid to do anything back then, and I could not even bring myself to console my mother.

I was so angry at this past self, tears filled my eyes from the rage I felt.

Right now, I wanted to rip apart my dad… No, that worthless trashy scum who was stomping down on my mother.

However, I could not do so.

The moment that I opened the door, my body refused to move, almost as if I had been turned into a statue.

Even though I had obtained a vast amount of power, I was helpless to watch without being able to do anything.

This horrible scene that I did not wish to witness continued for awhile.

After the brutal beatdown finished, my mother carefully avoided my father that had passed out from his drunkenness and opened the door leading out of the room.

Busily moving around despite her limping body, she made a meal, and only then did I come out of my room to have her spoon feed me the meal.

Like the utter fool I was, I ate the food with joy.

“Shit……..”

I swore without realizing it.

A part of it was my anger towards my dad, but most of it came from my ineptitude.

This scene came to a halt, and almost as if the lights of a stage was going off and the set was being changed, the space around me changed.

Looking towards the sky, I tried to steady my breath.

This definitely was the god’s attempt to make sure that I wouldn’t be able to pass the test.

However, who in their right mind wouldn’t be upset after seeing something like this.

I tried my best to regain my composure.

There probably was a reason why she showed me a dark past I didn’t want to remember.

At this rate, I didn’t know if I would have to kill my own mother.

The area around me changed, but the situation did not.

An old noodle restaurant in our neighborhood appeared.

This was the place that my mother had worked all her life to take care of me.

We had arrived on the day that my mother’s forehead was bleeding from a laceration.

Only then did I was certain of what this god wanted and was aiming for.

From then on, I did not react much to the scenes that were being shown before me.

No. To be honest, I was doing everything I can to make sure that I wouldn’t lose myself in rage.

The hellish time passed by just like that, and I could hear a snickering laughter from afar.

It was the bright laughter of a female child.

Turning around, I saw this god standing there.

“Wow. Just a moment ago, you were killing your fellow humans with a cold gaze, but now, tears are running down those same eyes? How should I take this?”

“Is the second test over now?”

“Mhm.”

The god shook her head and replied with a mischievous look.

“It was a difficult situation for you to hold yourself back, but weren’t you aware that your body wasn’t moving because of my powers, not your own willpower? Wouldn’t this test be too easy if I let you pass with just this?”

“Then what’s left? Perhaps, are you telling me to kill my mother with my own hands?”

“Oho! You catch on quickly. I applaud you!”

“Are you finding this amusing?”

“This is a new test that I’ve never given out to other lifeforms that have consumed the Piece of Time and Space. It’s only possible because you’re a human, or something like that I guess?”

“…….”

“Since you knew ahead of time and prepared yourself, it shouldn’t be that hard, right?”

-snap!

“Son.”

“……..”

“Hurry up and kill her. You can only obtain this power after you’ve shown me your resolve.”

“I’m glad to see you after all this time. Are you well?”

“…….”

“Hurry! Are you going to waste your time like this?”

“Son….. Why aren’t you saying anything? What about meals? Have you eaten yet?”

“……”

Mother was as benevolent and graceful as she always was.

It was such a striking image of her that it was hard to believe that this was an illusion.

It was enough to shake my resolve that I had promised myself hundreds of times.

I walked towards my mother who was waiting for me with both her arms outstretched.

I gripped the sword that I was holding so gently with such a sudden burst of strength that I could almost hear a crack.

I was going to cut down my own mother.

To be exact, I was going to cut down this illusion that looked exactly like my mother.

As I took a step forward, the god poked her head out next to me.

“Can you do it? Your mother had endured all those harsh years only for you. Can you kill her with your own hands!”

“……”

“No. You can’t do it. No human could. Just give up.”

“……”

“Do you really think that this isn’t your mother? Pfft! Well, it’s your problem to decide on.”

“Hey god.”

“Yep! Are you giving up?”

“Didn’t you say it yourself? You hoped that my desires to obtain the power of this Piece of Time and Space wouldn’t blind me from the truth.”

“Oho?”

“You were right.”

“Hehehe. Of course. Guess you failed this test…..”

“My eyes really were caught up in those desires and clouded my judgement until I could no longer see.”

“…..”

“However, you could never understand…. Humans can see beyond that.”

“Huh?”

“That’s not my mother!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I charged forward and swung my sword.

A swift and powerful diagonal cut strong enough to shake the surroundings caused a massive shockwave.

The target received the cut without any resistance, dissipating like smoke into thin air.

It was such a powerful attack that it was enough to cause a whirlwind around me.

Sheathing my sword, I walked back to where the god was.

With a flabbergasted expression, she stood there as if she was caught off guard.

“How….. How are you able to cut down your own mother? A human…. Especially you of all people shouldn’t be able to!”

“Everything isn’t as it seems.”

“……”

“No matter how identical the illusion appears to be, and even if it says what my mother usually says, there’s no way that I wouldn’t recognize it for what it was, you know? This is my own mother we’re talking about.”

“……”

“I guess this means that I’ve passed the second test?”

“Y…. Yeah…..”

“Last one, right?”

“What a blunder I made. My expectations were way off the mark.”

“I already put my life on the line and came here. If I don’t obtain this power and go back to living, it’s better that I die. I really am out of options.”

“Amazing…. This is getting even more interesting!”

“It’s going to be even more amusing from here on out. I’m going to pass even your final test.”

“Heh heh! Sure. Feel free to try. If you can pass that is.”

“Anytime.”

-snap!