The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

"Sswaeaeaeaek!"

The Dark Spear tore sharply through the air and rushed in a straight line, piercing the Bone Dragon's wing.

"Kkeueoeoeo!"

Howled the Bone Dragon greatly. It screamed painful groans.

"Only just the beginning."

Weed on the other hand just smiled. Before killing the Bone Dragon, he enjoyed watching it writhe in pain.

His happiness is relative to its suffering!

Normally, he would have undoubtedly given away a rotten smile, but now that he was a skeleton, he was free to cruelly laugh. Thus, he laughed, significantly spreading his tempromandibular apart. (jaw joint)

More bastardly than anyone else.

"Keuheuheuheuheu!"

Weed suddenly burst into laughter.

He took out a large number of red potions from his backpack.

Rapid recovery potions.

They were refreshments that rapidly healed injuries. Indispensible as one could not buy them.

"Elder brothers, try to gather over here!"

55 Geomchis were still alive. With life surpassing that of cockroaches, they survived the battle with the monsters.

"What's the matter?"

"What's going on?"

The Geomchis hanged around at the gathering place.

"If you're in danger, drink it."

Weed gave each of them 9 red potions, not forgetting to add a few words.

"What a lovely aroma."

"Oooooo."

The Geomchis cheered.

To them, such things were considered the same as tasty delicacies!

Geomchi 39 opened the cap of a potion.

"Oh, this soft scent."

The potion of life was refreshing and simple.

Made out of troll's blood, the potion was undeniably a great drink.

The Geomchis viewed this as eating a delicacy.

"Yummy."

Geomchi 39 had no immediate need for it, so when he was about to drink the potion, Weed said something insinuating.

"But...."

"Hmm?"

"Geomchi 16 was such a glorious warrior elder brother."

"Uh, what do you mean?"

Geomchi 39 was quite surprised, his eyes narrowing. The dead man was intolerable due to deliberately escaping danger.

"What the hell happened?"

"Well... the fact is, it worked out with a woman he liked in the expedition, elder brother."

"What went through the woman's mind that made her like dead senior?"

"He fought to keep the monsters away from her and died bravely, so the woman registered him as a friend."

Register friends!

Geomchi 39 eyes sparkled and thousands of photos came into view. The Geomchis that had gathered around to get potions also stumbled.

"Disgrace to register friends......"

"You fucking with me?"

"Until now, I thought us men only had the ability to register friends with each other."

Geomchi 39 dubiously asked.

"Are you saying he really registered a woman as a friend using that method?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"You saw it with your own eyes, not in a dream, right? It's not some story based on ridiculous rumors you heard?"

"I heard the report directly from him. Women like strong men. Fight the Bone Dragon while looking awesome, even if you fail, you demonstrate your courage so their minds will certainly have positive thoughts."

Geomchi 39 grabbed his weapon.

"Weed."

"Yes, elder brother?"

"Good information, thanks for the heads up. Euaaa! This old bachelor owes you his honor."

Geomchi 39 ran toward the Bone Dragon with all his power. No matter how strong the Bone Dragon was, it was not as frightening as washing dishes all alone!

Lonely Geomchi 39 howled. The other Geomchis that subsequently followed rushed fiercely as well.

"Kill that thing!"

"Must die as beautifully and elegantly as possible!"

'They did not have the mind to back off anyway.'

More than anyone, the Geomchis enjoyed combat, there's no way they would ever perceive the opponent as a burden.

So far, the expedition was quietly taking a rest when a change occurred in the army of wizards and priests.

"All the mana I collect here ... let this bright light burn straight towards the enemy and be a strike of fury. Mana Burn!"

Wizard's Mana Burn attack!

The Bone Dragon flying low in the sky crashed to the ground once again by the Mana Burn attack.

Priests also joined forces.

"Ionizing powers. Please grant me the power to make things right and defeat the monster. Grant thy servant the strength to reclaim the luminosity. I fear neither the sacrifice nor the counsel against me."

The ultimate divine magic was available only to priests that had completed their second advancement.

Noble Sacrifice!

It was a technique that sacrificed all health and mana in order to attack the enemy.

The damage was more than wizard's Mana Burn, but priests could not endure casting it.

They lost their lives after a single use.

Even after the death of the priests, parties of the expedition still continued to fight hard.

Truly a last resort!

"Kyaoo! Cowardly humans! Stake your pride in this battle and fight honorably!"

The Bone Dragon's body blazed. From the inside of its body, hot flames rose and bloomed thanks to the priests' Noble Sacrifice.

The Bone Dragon on the ground struggled with pain from the strike.

Unfortunately, the sacrifice of the priests exerted deadly havoc upon undead and vampires.

"Disgusting hot lights shining. They have robbed the power of us nobility of the night."

Noble Sacrifice also adversely affected Tori.

Tori and the Vampires that fought by turning into bats until now were turned to ashes by the priests' Noble Sacrifice.

The death was not complete, but they received a strong blow and were reverse summoned!

However, there was now an opportunity.

The Geomchis and Dark gamers caused a rampage with the Bone Dragon by brandishing their swords and weapons at it.

Kill the Bone Dragon!

But the Bone Dragon did not succumb.

"Stupid humans! Learn what it means to anger me!"

It brandished its whip like tail meters in length to attack the humans.

"Icebolt!"

Icebolts fell like rain from the sky. The Geomchis, Dark Gamers and Seoyoon also met with the Icebolts.

The Bone Dragon sustained damage from the magic at the expense of the whole region.

Narrow Icebolts went beautifully down at random.

"Kkyaahak!"

"Help me!"

The Wizards, Elementalists and priests that lost their powers were the first to die.

Across the Valley of Death, there was no place to avoid the falling Icebolts.

You could only absorb it with your body!

"Sacred doom spear descend. Spear born from the darkness, penetrate the enemy's heart. Appear, Dark Spear!"

As soon as Weed recovered his mana, he summoned the Dark Spear again and then silently approached the Bone Dragon.

'It's better to be up close to that enormous body.'

Weed violently pierced the Bone Dragon with the spear.

No need for special attacks.

Hack!

The gigantic figure lying on the ground was assaulted by many attacks.

Moving at spectacular speeds, the Geomchis arrived, but were met with resistance magic at that moment, rendering them unable to slash the Bone Dragon.

Rather than level or skill, it was instinctive behavior.

They combined their movements and slashed the Bone Dragon.

"Kill it!"

"We can win this way."

Thanks to the sacrifice of the wizards and priests, the Bone Dragon's huge body was trapped on the ground, allowing it to be attacked.

Nevertheless, the enormous Bone Dragon still had over 20% health remaining.

Suddenly, the Bone Dragon's eyes shone with brilliance. It opened its mouth and took a deep breath.

"Damn!"

"Everybody out of here!"

Weed, the Geomchis and Dark Gamers wielded their weapons and stood back as everything burned.

Breath!

The Bone Dragon's strongest attack skill, the breath bursting from its mouth was a sign to escape.

"How many times can it use its breath?"

Deep down in his core, Weed's first priority was avoiding.

The Bone Dragon got its head off the ground, readied its incomplete breath and fired.

Puhwahwahwahwak!

Breath was fired toward the ground!

The land of ice below melted.

Using the recoil from its breath, it rose into the air and soared. Once in the air, breath began flooding everywhere. It was extremely weaker than the first breath. Nevertheless, there was more than enough power left.

Up until now, the Geomchis and Dark Gamers had just barely dodged, now they were melting away.

The Geomchis as a last resort invigorated their energy by drinking the potions, but the potion essentially just granted a brief moment of stimulated health recovery rate.

The amount recovered by the potion could not compare to the health lost by the attack.

After the strong attack, the Geomchis were bound to weaken and could not cope with the life lost to the breath.

The Dark Gamers and Geomchis were the last remaining warriors responsible for direct combat.

First and foremost, Weed and Seoyoon noticed that there were only a few surviving Paladins that could heal themselves, so they quickly fled.

However, suspended in the air, the floating Bone Dragon appeared to have remaining reserve power.

"I will destroy everything! Demon Spear!"

A huge spear appeared in front of the Bone Dragon. (oh the irony)

However, compared to the Dark Spear Weed created, it was a higher leveled black magic!

The high ranked magic attack required at least the 3rd advancement in a black magic job.

It was very likely that due to the Bone Dragon using its breath up till now and virtually depleting its mana, it was now forced to use its best skill.

Weed did not forget to aim at the gap between the Bone Dragon's wings and ribs.

The distance was enough to strike the idle monster.

Sswaeaeaeaek!

The Demon Spear released a ferocious sound as it flew toward Weed.

A storm was left in the wake of the massive black spear.

Using its power of control, the Bone Dragon did not miss its target.

"Damn!"

Weed stepped back and ran.

"Death Knight! Undead in front, block it!"

With few undead remaining, the crowd was useless.

They somehow managed to offset the power of the Demon Spear in an effort to survive, but the Demon Spear still pierced right through the bodies of the undead!

It appeared highly unlikely that the Death Knight and undead had enough defense to withstand the attack.

The perforated bodies of the undead vanished like dust.

"Sorry master!"

Even the Death Knight Van Hawk was reverse summoned.

The Demon Spear now approached virtually right in front of Weed.

'Never thought I'd die twice in one day. Today's really the worst day ever.'

Power from the blood of the Necromancer, the power to reject death!

Its biggest weakness was emerging.

"Cold Sealed Eyes!" (original was like Eyes Tightened Cold)

Weed closed his eyes.

Finally, everything would end.

'If I'm lucky maybe I'll survive.'

But even after a few seconds, no pain was felt.

"Did it miss? Impossible."

Weed opened his eyes. Then he saw the woman in front of him blocking.

Seoyoon!

She sacrificed her body to block the Demon Spear, but in exchange for that, Seoyoon was dying.

Weed took out his bandages in a hurry, but her life was already nearly exhausted.

No matter what the Bone Dragon used thus far, Seoyoon was able to withstand it.

However, with an anxious and impatient face, Seoyoon opened her mouth.

"Friend ......"

Doing something unimaginable!

Never in his dreams did Weed did think she would say that line.

'Wasn't she mute?'

Even Seoyoon herself gave a startled expression at the word.

As if coming from heaven itself, a clear and brilliant voice.

Weed then heard the voice of a stiff person.

- Seoyoon has requested to register you as a friend. Will you accept?

Weed quickly nodded.

"Yes."

-Seoyoon-nim has been registered as a friend.

It was only for a brief moment, but Seoyoon died with a rather relieved face.

When Seoyoon found out about the first breath the Bone Dragon emitted, part of heart seemed to collapse.

'Weed. He's dead.'

Actually, the time they spent together was not long, but her feelings quietly grew.

Looking at the sculptures he created, she discovered warmth.

Eating the food he created, she learned of a simple happiness.

Anywhere they stayed together, she was able to feel comfortable.

That was a friend.

Seoyoon knew Weed was dead because of the Bone Dragon, she did not know why she felt such a dense anger.

As expected of a Berserker, for the first time she surrendered her body to rage.

Without caring for her life, she attacked the Bone Dragon!

But somehow, Weed survived.

His shape changed a lot, but Geuminah and the Wyverns that appeared alongside Weed were unmistakable.

From the sounds of the expedition crew, she heard the story as well.

'You're alive.'

Seoyoon herself felt a little joy. In a warm corner of her heart, she felt relived.

'You needlessly worried.'

Blushing alone in vain, she silently devoted herself to the battle.

'Anyway, I am not someone who can receive love. Again I'm not questing with others.'

In a corner of her mind and heart, she planned only to remain with Weed until the end of his quest where they would separate from each another.

From the start, it was the natural choice for someone like her unaccustomed to hanging out with others.

Such a conclusion had already been made.

But when the Demon Spear flew toward Weed, contrary to her thoughts, her body moved first.

'No!'

Seoyoon blocked in front of Weed.

It was normal for her not to continue to fight after the critical hit from the Demon Spear.

'Dying.'

Seoyoon had a premonition of death.

There was no regret about level or skill.

In any case, the purchase of such things was not even for hunting.

While hunting alone, she suffered countless deaths.

Access restricted for the day, because of the time, she changed and tried not to die if possible, eventually the fear of death itself disappeared.

If you died near villages or in caves, you would be conjured up in a safe zone. However, the problem was where that place is and where to go in order to find Weed.

'To meet this person now and again is very unlikely. If by chance we don't overlap in this vast land, I'll be unable to see him. Eternal separation...'

Seoyoon was puzzled by her heart's sudden disturbance.

Separation with someone.

Having believed she had not received love, she did not know eternally separating with someone would break her fragile heart.

She faced him. Then, unknowingly she said.

"Friend..."

-Weed-nim has been registered as a friend.

Seoyoon came and took Weed by surprise, making him tremble in fear.

"What in the world was that evil woman doing there! She's definitely up to something vile."

It's said that beautiful roses originally have thorns.

Seoyoon's level of beauty was comparable to the art of the century. The skin, body and face. A place where a flaw could be found did not exist.

Even her loosely flowing ebony hair exquisitely matched her fantastic figure.

No matter who, be it a painter or a poet could not skilfully express her charm. To properly depict the beauty and atmosphere she radiated was truly difficult.

Lightly loose hair down to her shoulders and clear skin, eyes, etc. it was impossible for anyone to keep their eyes off her face.

Weed on the other hand was concerned about the poison that matched her beauty.

"Until now she was able to speak but didn't!"

There were numerous opportunities to speak, even when cooking or hunting, but so far, she had never so much as spoken a word, making the other party mistake her for a mute person.

"This must be a cruel trap. She will accuse me of ignoring her when she spoke and not doing something that I knew nothing about. Bad taste, such bad taste. How could there be a woman with such bad taste like this." (this part was mean, really mean)

Weed further raised his vigilance of Seoyoon.

"But why did she suddenly ask me to register her as a friend, why? So far, no deal had been made yet."

Weed grew rapidly suspicious of her pure intentions.

Darkness, backstabbing, conspiracy, plotting or fraud, Weed thought of everything possible.

Suddenly, a sinister tactic passed through his mind.

"No way... that's right! I knew it."

Weed hit the palm of his hand after coming up with a solid reason.

"She said register friends right before she died! Female, you'll have to find me first."

Everyone drops items when they die. Weed believed when Seoyoon died, she worried about her dropped items and assumed that by adding him as a friend, she could leave her things with him who would never lose or sell her stuff! (this line was mean too)

"That must be it. You're a wicked woman."

Weed once again trembled after suggesting how human beings employed such calculations in order to thrive. Perhaps it was merely coincidence that the Demon Spear struck her. This place is the land of ice. It might have been bad luck and by chance she slipped on the earth, who knows! Weed closed his eyes at the end, making what he knew even more unknown.

"Deliberately sparing me on purpose because you believed you could afford to die and take advantage of me later. That's right. No way was it a slip."

To protect Weed was mostly Seoyoon's impulsive decision.

Weed did not see it that way and thought about why as he examined the place where Seoyoon died. He then observed the promised items that dropped!

"What the hell."

At Seoyoon's gravesite was thick leather created from pork leather. It was Weed who made these clothes for the winter. Only this dropped.

"Unique items of high caliber didn't even drop. So pitiful, when I try, I just don't have any luck."

Weed picked up the leather clothes while complaining. Then the Bone Dragon arrived to deliver mockery.

"O foolish and presumptuous man! This is your limit."

The Bone Dragon's immense wings flapped as it floated in the sky! Heavy wind pressure struck the surrounding snow and cracked the ice into regions.

Weed, as well as the few remaining survivors of the expedition saw the power charge up within its stomach. The expedition crew was frustrated.

"Now we're finished."

"It's nearly dead thanks to the priests and wizards, but we have no method of fighting the Bone Dragon while it's flying in the sky."

They felt thoroughly helpless.

"If not for the betrayal..."

Even when it was too late to regret, one could not help it!

Up till now, Weed created many undead from the ground.

Dyurahan, Death Knight, Zombie, Ghoul, etc.

However, typical monsters are known to be of little help when fighting a Bone Dragon flying in the sky.

It was possible for Skeleton Mages to use magic, but they would not inflict any significant damage to the Bone Dragon.

The expedition felt desperate as they watched Weed. There was no one else that could fight.

"Go back to your origins. Return undead!"

Weed memorized the spell. All the undead struggled with the force of the earth as they lost their power and collapsed. The reason was to recover a source of mana.

The expedition believed Weed abandoned them, increasing their responsibility.

"Ah. Finally!"

"Unless you die, you're not leaving."

The Bone Dragon laughed at the ludicrous humans.

"Foolish human race! Feel the transgression of time!"

But it was then.

"Bone Dragon, has your mind still not noticed? Can you not see what is happening?"

Weed did not back down in the slightest as he taunted the Bone Dragon.

"It is ludicrous that I will meet my end here, who do you think you're talking to?"

"You, you idiot!"

Weed aimed to intimidate the Bone Dragon with this.

To the Bone Dragon, terrified food was unnecessary.

Of course, it was recognized as a difficult to capture monster. Normally, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg. The fight itself would never have been started!

But now the situation had changed a lot.

'Due to the battle, its health has fallen below 20%. And with that multitude of spells, there should not be any mana remaining.'

There was no reason to panic.

Due to excessive loss of life, a significant amount of physical strength and power shall be reduced.

Apparently, it boasted of outrageous grandeur, when in fact, it had weakened significantly.

The fight felt worthwhile.

Weed cried out.

"Battle, Bingryong!" (literally translates to Ice Dragon, but out of preference, phonetic version will be used)

Using yell, Weed's cry shook the Valley of Death.

Wareureureu!

Once again, the ice above the valley shattered and snow poured down.

"Keurwarwarwarwarwa!"

And in response, a sky ripping scream was heard from far away.

Something was coming.

At first, it was thought of as a little bird, but it grew larger and larger in shape!

Bingryong!

Enormous at a size of hundreds of meters, Bingryong emerged. It was almost as large as the Bone Dragon.

"Forward! Destroy him!"

On Weed's command, Bingryong flew at a tremendous speed as it rushed the Bone Dragon.

Kwaaaaang!

Bingryong smashed into the Bone Dragon!

The Bone Dragon once hovering in the sky had fallen to the ground.

Bingryong welcomed the great opportunity!

However, Bingryong too wallowed on the ground.

Such a huge impact also weakened his condition.

"I'll kill you."

"The owner has ordered to fight. I'll kill you!"

Bingryong and the Bone Dragon hated each other and fought fiercely. (same figure life sculpture scenario)

The Bone Dragon was the first to attack.

As a skeleton with a large head, it took a bite out of Bingryong's side.

Blindly shattering the ice into debris, the axial wings were finally injured.

Attack of the mighty Bone Dragon!

But that did not stop Bingryong. He slammed his hind legs and tail into the Bone Dragon's body and recklessly slashed it with his front foot.

"Keuaag!"

"Ahh! It hurts!"

The Bone Dragon screamed at Bingryong's barrage. While his massive body was still up in the air, he bit and slashed his opponent.

The fighting between the two dragons turned the ground into tornado wreckage. Tremendous winds brought about a flurry of snow and ice as well as an earthquake that made standing up impossible.

Weed calmly watched the battle between the Bone Dragon and Bingryong.

'The Bone Dragon has weakened.'

Bingryong's power was strong enough to draw. Nevertheless, he was to some extent eager to fight the Bone Dragon simply because he was tired of waiting.

If the Bone Dragon was in perfect condition, it would have overwhelmed Bingryong in an instant by ripping his neck off.

'The fight's a simple matter of which side dies first.'

Weed was not the type to just sit back and watch.

"Wy-3! Come forth!"

"At once master!"

The Wyverns were not brave enough to dare stay around the perimeter of the Bone Dragon. They only came and accepted their fates as a ride to avoid dying by the hands of their master. (ambiguous line)

Weed climbed on top of the Wyvern.

"Fly. We fight."

"Understood master!"

There was an emergency when they spread their wings. Weed inquired about it.

- Strength is reduced due to the cold.

The chill of the northern sky was too harsh to cope with. In the past, there was a severe cold as they hovered in the skies. But if they waited, it would be uncertain if they would be able kill the Bone Dragon.

'Do not expect good luck. Fight yourself!'

Weed aboard the Wyverns recalled the Dark Spear.

To ensure the destruction of the Bone Dragon's life, he directly involved himself in combat.

"Fly at full speed!"

Upon Weed's command, the Wyverns flapped their wings even more violently.

Wind maddening!

Weed then viciously launched the Dark Spear towards the Bone Dragon's ribs.

Piercing through the battlefield, it penetrated the wind barrier surrounding Bingryong and the Bone Dragon.

Pakagak!

Tremendous resilience as sparks sprang up.

'The source of the Bone Dragon's life is its defense. Because of its tremendous defense and health, it will not die. If so, how can I kill him?'

Weed recalled from long ago when he learned the sword in the dojo.

"Lee Hyun, can you topple that tree so big that you cannot wrap your arms around it with your sword?"

At Ahn Hyundo's question, Lee Hyun shook his head.

It was impossible.

No matter how sharp swords are, there is a limit to the thickness of trees before they can no longer be cut down. Especially in the case of living trees, they have withstood dozens of ax methods.

Relatively light and dark weapons are not suitable for cutting wood.

"Slashing with a sword is... unreasonable I think."

"Really? It is difficult but not difficult. Your elder brothers can do this. With a sword they can cut down huge trees. Among the trainees, it's possible for about half of them?"

Lee Hyun's head was puzzled.

"How is such a thing possible? No matter how good they are at wielding a sword, the strength required to accomplish such a task is unreasonable."

"It's cutting the grain of the wood."

"Grain?"

"In both heaven and earth, all things possess grain, so you simply cut along the flow. Without having to expend great strength, you can cut down anything you want. Even if it is rock or metal, as long as you cut along the grain, it is not difficult to cut it down."

"I can do it too?"

"If you make the effort. A great sword is not born, it is tempered dozens of time. A sword alone is nothing but a sword inscribed by people through decades of hardship can slash through anything in the world."

Ahn Hyundo actively spoke of his past where he honed his sword proficiency directly from the battlefield during his youth.

Then by accident he came about a different story in Royal Road.

Ahn Hyundo burst into laughter.

"Royal Road, in Versailles Continent, there are many interesting elements. We looked and found a similar result."

"Are you telling me if you follow the grain, anything can be cut down?"

"It's significantly different but yeah. After many experiences the best method we discovered was basically concentrating power on one spot."

"I would like to know what you mean by this."

Without hesitation Ahn Hyundo turned to tell Lee Hyun about Royal Road. You can wield a sword anywhere in that place. It was a virtual reality game that did not ignore this virtue.

It is written that swords are to protect oneself, discipline oneself and care for one's family.

He knew why Lee Hyun played Royal Road, so there was no reason to condemn him.

"I'll tell you. The way we wield the sword is different every time a monster receives damage. I believe you know this?"

"Yes, the power of the sword varies when cutting different areas."

In Royal Road, you must directly move your body.

Because you have to move your body to wield the sword, damage is dependent on several factors.

Balanced stance and circumstances, power and speed, technique, attack and defense of the monster, are all major elements in determining damage along with numerous minor elements.

"Yes, that is the primary reason. Stats and level are important, but the way to deal maximum damage is through focus."

"Would that be to attack a vital point?"

"That's a decent way, but some have no vital point to strike. However, even the mightiest monsters are bound to succumb to cryptanalysis. Be warned, this method is not easily executed."

Lee Hyun always had questions about the Geomchis' outrageous attacks. No matter how similar a job was to martial artists, the damage was typically too strong to compare.

When their levels were around 50, they acquired the combat series job and quickly took hold of monsters forcing him to wonder. Lee Hyun asked.

"What is cryptanalysis?"

"Where you strike the same place over and over again."

"That I know. When you continue to hit one part, you can cause slightly greater damage to some extent."

He had obtained information on how to hunt before starting Royal Road. In other words, Lee Hyun had been using this method to battle relatively well. This secret could not be called special.

Ahn Hyundo simply laughed and spoke of the underlying story.

"Have you ever seen concentrating hits on a single point?"

"But that does not reap such a large effect. However, I'm sure there is another meaning to those words. Do you mean precisely hitting that one point again?"

"You're quick to understand. The place once attacked attack it again and it will severely weaken after. Smaller than a fingernail, smaller than a grain of rice, focus all attacks to that point. Even if you lack strength, you can still destroy the monster."

Ahn Hyundo knew his teaching wasn't something anybody could use. You must wield a weapon with all your might and attack a point smaller than a grain of rice repeatedly.

Even against nonmoving targets, there are times when you aren't confident of success.

To target vigorously active monsters, you must predict and understand the relative movements in advance and at the decisive moment, you must align every action to explode simultaneously.

An exceptional human being, it is difficult to even dream of such a state.

Ahn Hyundo said this without hesitation.

"Tens of million milliseconds. To bring the sword into combat, for life to vanish, the time is to be determined. At that one moment, it is not impossible to bring about your will. It is possible because human beings are not machines."