Second World



Jack continued chatting with the prisoners to pass the time. He also diverted his attention using Hundred Synchronous Thoughts to practice mana manipulation and the sword's heart. These were the only things he could practice while being chained.

He never stopped teasing Master once in a while. When Peniel asked him why he did that, Jack answered because he knew that annoyed Master.

There were only so many things to talk about. Silence descended after a while.

After a long time of uncomfortable silence, Jack turned to Master and resume his routine pestering. "Hey, it seems like we will be here for a while. Are you truly just going to keep mum all the time?"

Master didn't even move.

Every hour, like clockwork, Jack did that. It finally irked Master enough that he finally responded, "Are you doing this deliberately."

"It's obvious, doesn't it?" Jack grinned. "I'm about to shorten it to every half an hour if you continue playing statue. I promise to leave you alone if you converse with me properly."

"What's the point of conversing with your enemy? What we should be doing is give it our best to eliminate one another."

"We can't do that now, can we?" Jack pulled at his chains. "Furthermore, I believe most of the conflicts of this world come from not enough conversation, or people conversing poorly. I bet if everyone can converse heart to heart, we will find a middle ground to live peacefully together."

"Pfft…! That's what you think? You are even more of a dummy than I thought," Master said.

"I prefer it if you call me an idealist," Jack said.

"I received reports where a lot of times you go beat first and ask questions later," Master added.

"As I said, idealist, but sometimes things just weren't ideal," Jack replied.

Master looked away. "Ask your questions. Do not expect to be answered, though."

"Okay, Um… Aren't you supposed to know all there is about this world? Do you know that you will be trapped when you came here? Are you doing this on purpose?"

"No," Master answered.

When Jack continued staring at him, giving him the signal to elaborate. Master sighed and said, "This faction behaves unexpectedly. Something has gone wrong within. I don't know what."

"And you didn't send scouts to check first?"

"I did. None of them returns or sends reports. The last scout I sent is Spring Crown. He is also missing."

"Everyone failed and you decided you should come and see for yourself? Some genius you are," Jack ridiculed.

Peniel, who was listening from her secret dimension, wished she could come out and give Jack a hard slap. This guy just recklessly barged into an unknown territory without sending any scouts and still dared to criticize others who did.

"If you want things to be done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself," Master said.

Jack was reminded again when Master came alone to capture him the first time they met. Although Master mostly schemed behind his forces, Jack could see that this person was also a man of action.

"Okay, that question just now is only a warm-up. Let's go real now. Why do you do the things you do?" Jack asked.

When Master was silent, Jack pushed, "Why do you want to become what you want to become?"

Master snickered. "That is a foolish question. Isn't it everyone's desire to stand on top of others?" He asked back.

"Not everyone's," Jack replied.

"Hmph. I guess it's everyone's except for fools," Master mocked.

"Being on top meaning being alone. There is only one spot. It's a very lonely place."

"I prefer lonely than a world where everyone has to grovel at everybody."

Jack again gave Master a face that asked him to elaborate.

Master ignored Jack for a full minute before he finally said, "Do you know the problem of our past world? We need others. Everyone has to try to win everyone else's affection to even have a chance of success. Even when one is fully competent, it doesn't matter. One needs to be popular. It doesn't matter if you have a brilliant mind. It doesn't matter if you have a great vision. All those are a waste if you cannot find supporters who are willing to back you up.

"You have to grovel at less-intelligent people's feet just so they give you funds for your experiments. You don't know how humiliating that is! Even if you explain your ideas very well to them, if you can't make them like you, they won't spend a dime on you. That's the world we have been living in. All those celebrities, the social media. Everyone is obsessed about how many likes or how many views they get because that's the most important thing. Getting more people to like you. The more it is, the more successful you are. It's disgusting!"

This was the first time Jack heard Master say such a long sentence. He figured he must have hit a nerve there.

"That is indeed the way of the world," Jack said. "I think it's natural. That's why we need to be good to each other. I don't see why it's a problem. Numbers have always been king. An individual won't beat a corporation, a corporation won't beat a government."

Jack was repeating what Four Winds said to him in the past.

Stefan, who had been listening by the side, joined the conversation, "That is bullshit. My country, before I come into this game world, is controlled by a corporation. That is a fact!" 

"Then your government is weak," Master uttered. "This fool is right but he left out some details. A determined individual can win against a divided corporation, the same way a united corporation can win against a divided government. Your government is weak because it is divided. Try picturing that corporation in a dictatorial country. Do you think it can do what it does to your current government? Its asset will be forcefully seized, the organization disassembled, and its leaders executed. Do you think they can resist? To whom are they going to complain about such unfair treatment?"

"Did you just say a dictatorship government is better? Are you for real?" Jack asked with disbelief.

"I didn't say it is better. I said it is strong! A dictator sucks the blood of the people to fatten the elites in power, thus forming a united group that supports the dictator. None within this group will want to lose their power after tasting it, thus further cementing the dictator's position."

"Then they will be taken out by the people they enraged!" Jack exclaimed.

"IF the people are united. Why do you think dictators rely so much on propaganda? To keep the people divided. As you said, number is king. The only thing that wins against a united government is a united people. But the larger an organization is, the harder it is to unite them. Uniting the people is the most difficult endeavor. But if that happens, nothing can stop it!"

Jack's mind inadvertently went to those zombie apocalypse movies he used to watch. In those movies, the zombies who only fought with claws and teeth were always portrayed to topple governments that had tanks and nuclear bombs. No one ever thought that was nonsense. He supposed those zombie swarms could be seen as what happened when the people were truly united. When everyone strived for a single purpose without a care for their own. No government even with their powerful weapons would be able to stop such a swarm. But of course, that was just a fairy tale. Everyone had fears and desires, they won't be able to act like those mindless zombies.

"Do you see now?" Master asked. "This is the reason I want to become a God, so I'm no longer bound by this stupid rule that prioritizes numbers!"