Chapter 23. Weak The being kept staring, as if trying to see, read everything about me in existence and it probably did but I had no way of knowing say. He averted his gaze and said with a grin, a mocking one as it appeared to me, "You do have some guts at the least." All while I could do nothing, bound. It wouldn't make much of a difference even if I could. Time and time again I was being reminded, that I was weak. I had to scout, prepare, strategize for every one of the 'big battles.' Not one of them was where I could just walk in and make everyone shut up. And now I could not move a single inch, why?, because I once again got cocky and stopped using my brain. This 'man' could kill me without even moving a single muscle if he desired it and the only reason I was allowed to live was that I was a demon? I did not like that, not one bit. But as he said why would he care. I was weak and he was strong. There were no rules binding him, it was all just some sort of amusement for it. I was weak and I was never going to forget that. "I will let you leave, alive, and give you something special on top of it but there are conditions. Should you fail to complete them within the time given, I will have to come out looking for you. Personally, that is." "What do I have to do?" I asked while staring at the ground, furious. My anger was mostly directed towards me. "Good, I was expecting something along the lines, 'I will never do anything for you, just kill me,' that all. But fortunately, you have a good head above those shoulders, otherwise, it would've just been a disappointment, right?" I did not speak and just kept staring at the ground, grinding my teeth. "It is actually very simple, a quest will be made that should be available once you are capable enough. Until then just try to get stronger, don't die before you even read the quest." Two drops or something similar came out as it finished speaking, one red resembling a drop of blood but too shiny to be it and the other white more hard and a little scaly. The white one shot straight to my heart and buried itself deep within me while the red one was absorbed by my axes. "Now off you go." I woke up in the black space where I came after every trial. The events that had just occurred still felt like a bad dream but I knew it was real. Thirst or bloodthirster was shining brightly as I held it. [Conditions met] [Ranking up to the next stage] I read the notifications as a small cut appeared on my arm, enough to draw blood. The shocking thing was what happened next, as my weapon turned to liquid, blood, and flowed into my arm. It was now flowing within me and as the white thing from earlier, it too decide to go to my heart. It was really making me wonder how my heart could so much. Like it was literally keeping an axe inside it with the white drop. I wanted to know what was going on but, to try and figure it out but I just couldn't. "I am so weak." I had met two people that were not from my planet, the old man and the one with red eyes, and both of them were strong. I was nowhere close to them and who knows how many such people are out there. Now there was a whole new universe before and probably full of strong people, compared to them I was just so weak. I never want to depend on luck, because that way I have a thing to blame for my failures. Being strong enough to get out of any situation, being strong enough to protect my people, that is my goal. [Second class available] I look at the notification and try to select a second class, but this time was different. [Select a path for your second class] [1. Medicine] [2. Craft] [3. War] [4. Conqueror] [5. Peace] The options matched those of the selecting paths quest but only the war option was selectable, every other choice was greyed out. 'Are you kidding? Where's my mage or healing class?!!' I was upset but not too much. Specializing in one aspect should be the first choice, for now, spreading them out would just make a jack of all trades but master of none. War was the only thing I could select. "We can finally go back now." "To more people who will try to take advantage of this mess. Of us." "C'mon Julie, we'll finally be meeting ray. Aren't you excited about that?" "We were in different countries before the integration began," she took a pause, I was about to say something but she continued. "But yeah. I do want to see him." A smile on her face. "How do you still look so beautiful?" I asked, once again falling in love with her. "Stop it, Robert. It's not only us going back," she looked back, "we have a lot of to take care of." I look back to see an army. People wearing armor or regular clothing, most of them already adapted to the situation we're facing. Looking forward with a confident look and their eyes full of life. "Are you ready?!!!" I shout after infusing some mana into my voice. "YES!!!" the reply came. "That's what I like to hear. See you on the other side." I said to my wife as the timer reached zero and we all were teleported. "Hmm, see you on the other side." "How are they doing?" "Everyone has finished signing a contract. Those who did not were executed at the spot." I said as per the report I had received. "Good, they should've just listened to us when asked them politely. Now they have to sign such a strict contract, poor people." Boss said. The boss had a screw loose, but so did we. Everybody in the syndicate did. The boss just had a couple more. Maybe dozen. "Should we use the chains now?" "What are you waiting for? Treat them as per usual." A knife appeared in his hand and he said while licking it, "Treat them as the slaves they are." "What do we do after we go back? These people won't agree to let us in unless I-" "I will never let that happen." I cut off my sister mid-sentence knowing what she was about to say. "But we can't just keep living like this." "I have a friend, we will go look for him and see if he could help." "But what if he too asks for the same thing? What if he is even worse than them? What do we do then." "We run. And I feel he won't be the same as others." "As if. We'll see. Hmph" "Chief, everybody is ready. We can end the quest anytime now." "You can call me father when we are alone you know? I'll let your grandpa know. Good work." "Yes, Father." I was slowly getting closer to my goal, many factors were in my favor. Like being young and more healthy, but they were still ahead. I had time, and one day I will reach it.