GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?



The fight continued, but he wasn't paying much attention to it. He has lost too much of his blood, so his mind is straining to remain conscious. But that isn't why he wasn't paying attention. He was too angry to pay attention. All he saw his red in his vision. His body went through the motions as he hacked and slashed, but he wasn't paying attention. His mind kept replaying the information of their ambush. He needs it to fuel his anger.

42 ocular monkeys fought 20 vipers. He held one down, so 41 ocular monkeys fought 19 vipers. They outnumber their enemies 2 to 1 and even have some left over. But only 3 out of that 41 survived. The ocular monkeys had to sacrifice 2 of their numbers for each Viper that they slayed. It is pitiful, and it is worth getting angry over. 

He is angry at the world. The world is cruel. The world is not fair. It doesn't favor anyone, no matter how hard they worked for something. You get what you get, and that's that. Vipers have been blessed too much by the world. They are far from perfect, but what they have is already too much. 

Each Viper that he sees reminds him of the more talented ocular monkeys. They were born blessed too, and no amount of effort on his part could breach the gap between them. He would be a nobody without Hadrick. He is angry at the unfairness of this world, and he will remain angry at it until he can break the shackles of the world. His anger reinforced his promise to himself to never give up.

"I will always fight. I will never give up. As long as I have a breath within me, even the heavens won't be able to put me down." He swore this very oath in anger. And it will stick with him forever.

They won. They finally killed the favored Viper. They lost 2 of their number to kill it because of its last-ditch effort. Four of them surrounded it, and they still had to sacrifice two to kill it. It has been proven again that a single Viper is as good as two ocular monkeys, even when outnumbered. Things would be worse if the Vipers were not outnumbered. They would shred through the ocular monkeys like a farmer harvests wheat. After all, their claws are as sharp as shears.

The two last survivors of his squad of 100 stood watching silently. They know that their mission has not ended, and they have to keep moving, but they are tired, and they are worn out. He knows he can not take another step forward, or he will collapse. His body has been pushed beyond the limit, and it cannot do anymore. He is giving it all he has just to keep standing. Asking for anything else from him is simply unreasonable and ridiculous.

The other survivor was saying something, but he didn't hear it. It could be that he is too weak to hear what is being said, or the speaker is too weak to speak audibly or coherently.

"...survived, huh?" 

He was able to catch the last part of the sentence. It was then that he realized that he was being spoken to with a divine sense. That made it obvious that the fault in the line of communication was on his side. It turns out that his mind is too scrambled to parse mental communications.

The realization that his mind was breaking down didn't do anything to him. He can't feel any emotion right now. Even anger is seeping away due to physical and mental weakness. If he had the strength, he would shrug because of the understanding that he can't process information through a divine sense anymore.

He is too weak to care about anything right now. But his companion seems to still possess strength and activeness. He spared his companion a side glance. Even that took a lot of effort. 

He doesn't recognize the person. It could be that the injuries on the person made them unrecognizable to him. The person is also covered with claw marks and blood. They are missing most of their face. Their nose and lips are gone, and one of their cheeks has been turned into a useless flap of flesh hanging by the side of their mouth. So no, this person couldn't have spoken with their mouth even if they wanted to. He is definitely losing it.

They have other injuries too. Broken ribcage with ribs jutting out of their chest beneath torn armor. The Viper's claw had passed through the new armor in an attempt to destroy the heart. He can even see their heart beating through their chest. So the Viper failed. If this person didn't have the armor, then they wouldn't be standing now. Mana weapons and artifacts didn't turn the ocular monkeys into unstoppable killers. They have only made them stand a chance at defeating their enemy.

The person continued talking, but he wasn't listening. He can't listen even if he wants to, so it is best that he doesn't bother to strain his frail mind.

"Yeah." He managed to return after a while.

They survived, and he would very much like to spend this time recovering, not engaging in conversation. His receding anger threatened to rise again, but it fell flat. He just doesn't have it in him anymore. His lack of anger made him amenable to the conversation. It also made him think a conversation with someone that might die soon is a waste of time.

He grimaced. He really hated thinking. Thinking made him unsure and indecisive. He prefers to be angry. It makes him decisive and focused. He was thinking about what to do when he felt the incoming threat. It is like a star hurtling towards his position, and it is very angry. If he had any doubts about what was about to happen, then the angry shout that came next dispelled them.

The incoming entity yelled. "I will end you!"