Kapitel 228: Chapter 228 - Internal Conflict
"We both know that I'm not that easy to kill."
Even though Rynold found the Mech God's sentiment to be a bit negative, he didn't care. Rynold gave it an honest shot and survived. The result wasn't anything substantial, but it sure beat losing his life.
"You're getting cocky," the Mech God disapproved, "You're not doing anybody any favors if you're going to act this way. The worst part about that is you know exactly what you're doing."
Rynold only shrugged his shoulders as a response, neither confirming nor denying anything.
He was skeptical. It was in his nature to doubt everything and plan for contingencies. So, much to the Mech God's worry, doing that to the Mana Crystal was out of character for Rynold. The risk of losing his life outweighed the benefits Rynold would get.
And, the ironic thing was, Rynold knew all about it.
"So," the Mech God could only sigh at Rynold's aloof attitude, "You're still not going to tell me why you did that? The real reason. Not some bullshit you conjured up off the top of your head."
Despite the god's confrontation, Rynold only looked up to the night sky. He didn't say a word, causing the Mech God to become even more irritated at Rynold's treatment of him.
But, even so, the Mech God could only sigh. As much as he wanted to reprimand Rynold, the Mech God wasn't at that level to do so. His pride wouldn't allow him to stoop so low. Plus, it didn't seem like Rynold would listen anyway.
"Look," the Mech God sympathized, "I get it. You don't want to be here. But, human, you don't have a choice. You may not have the drive to become my Chosen. But, from the way I see it, you won't live very long out there if you don't grab this chance now."
"You don't think I know that?" Rynold said with a calm tone as he looked to the stars above, "I'm not stupid, man. I know the risks. I know the 'I'm-going-to-die-in-my-next-fight' risks. I know that staying here is the best course of action for me and anybody I want to protect in the future. But, competing for power? That's just not me."
For the first time, Rynold expressed his feelings toward the Mech God. It was a strange experience, talking to an immortal being about petty human problems. But, it eased the load on his chest all the same. Rynold wouldn't regret doing this.
"That said, I want to go home," Rynold spoke openly about his intentions. "There's no merit of me staying here when I'd get in the way of the people who want to win. I'll find a way to be useful on my own. I can handle myself out there, jackass. And, I bet you know that."
Rynold wasn't pushing his luck here. He knew that the Mech God thought highly of him.
It wasn't an assumption. It wasn't some underhanded guess that made Rynold arrogant. No, it was fact. Rynold knew it was fact more than anything else. His encounter with the Emissary of Order, Lumie, confirmed that. Rynold, for the most part, was a valuable resource.
"Where the hell did that come from?" the Mech God scoffed, "You talk as if this place would only screw you over. I meant it when I said that none of you will go home disappointed. No, no. I built this place to train all of you, one way or another. The Chosen thing was only a tactic to get you to do your best."
"You sound like you've done this before."
"Not this exact situation, no," the Mech God shook his head, "But, I did teach a few thousand apprentices or so. You've got a lot of time on your hands when you're immortal."
"Right, right..."
Still skeptical, Rynold didn't say anything else and reluctantly nodded. A big part of him still wanted to leave and reunite with his friends. But, what the Mech God said did make a lot of sense. He had to get stronger, and this was the best way to do it. He had more sense than to ignore something as obvious as that.
"So, you'll stay?" the Mech God asked.
"Like you said," Rynold answered with a hearty sigh, "I don't really have much of a choice, do I? But, in case things go wrong, and it will, I'm ditching. Although I'm not really sure where'd I go, I'd still leave. I would rather not get screwed over by the other people here."
Rynold was confident in his own strength, and nothing could change that. But, he was still wary of what the other Candidates were capable of doing.
At this point, Rynold's plan was incredibly straightforward. Stay out of trouble and out of everyone's sight. He wasn't here to win, so he had no reason to compete. The goal for him was to get stronger, not becoming the Mech God's Chosen.
That said, it might not be as simple as Rynold made it out to be.
"Good," the Mech God nodded, "Get back to your quarters and rest. Don't try to do anything stupid again, asshole. I don't want to sense someone trying to take over my Mana Crystal. I'm not going to help you another time."
"Yeah, yeah," Rynold nodded as he walked away from the Mech God. As soon as he turned around, though, he suddenly sensed a gaze coming from the hallway that led to the Candidates' quarters. Rynold quickly tried to discern who it was, but it disappeared soon after.
Someone was watching them. Rynold was sure of it. Of which, Rynold found it odd that he had only realized it now. He would've sensed someone watching them sooner than this. And, what was even weirder was that the Mech God didn't seem to have noticed it either.
'Well, whatever it was, it's gone now.'
Rynold couldn't do anything about it but move on. He walked his way back to his room and rested, just like what the Mech God instructed. Except, Rynold found it hard to fall asleep.
Feeling restless, Rynold could only stare at the stone ceiling of his room. His thoughts were all over the place. He found himself worrying about what happened in Ark City after his disappearance. And, more importantly, what happened to Neana.
He thought about it logically and concluded that Neana was fine. But, speculation was one thing, and confirmation was another. There was no way of telling whether she had made it to Ark City safely or not. And, not only that, but Rynold also worried about what the Association would do next.
Recalling what the Mech God had told him, Rynold felt troubled with what the Association might do in Ark City. No matter how many defenses they'd have at this point, Rynold significantly doubted that the city would be safe. It was weird, considering he didn't care much about the place.
But, the lives there wasn't anything taken lightly.
That said, there wasn't anything Rynold could do at this point. He couldn't leave and, even if he tried, he wasn't sure where in the world he was. He might not even be in his world anymore.
'Damn, I'm losing my touch.'
That was what he thought to himself as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Rynold felt out of whack ever since he got back to Ark City. It wasn't in his nature to be emotional when it came to essential things. When he speculates, he speculates with logic.
Rynold let out a deep sigh as he raised his head from the pillow and rested on it once more. He thought that he was getting soft as if his cold-hearted mentality was washing away.
'That sounds so very stupid,' Rynold thought as he opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling once more, 'I'm just fighting with myself.'
Despite knowing that, Rynold couldn't stop himself from continuing. He fought a battle against himself, knowing full well that no one would be the victor. Rynold was setting himself up for failure, and, for whatever reason, he couldn't help it.
The question now was: why would he do something as stupid as that?
It's because he's human. It was his human nature that was doing this to him. The overthinking, the regret, the restlessness that he felt were all part of human nature. He hated it, sure, but it was perfectly normal for a person to feel these things, no matter how much they denied it.
For better or for worse, Rynold had to go through with this. It was better to go through it now than in the heat of battle or any other thing that required his full attention.
He needed to process things so that he could move on.
Nonetheless, the whole process took much longer than he expected. And, soon enough, it was morning.
"Candidates, please report to the main hall in five minutes."
An autonomous voice blasted in the speakers of every room, jolting Rynold awake from his slumber. He didn't track the time he slept last night. But he was sure that it was less than eight hours. Nevertheless, though, he was well-rested.
Rynold got up from his bed and cleaned himself up. He got rid of the bandages once he realized that he had recovered. Putting on a fresh shirt as he left for the door, Rynold got his priorities straight. He then opened the door to an empty hallway.
'So far, so good,' Rynold thought to himself as he kept walking towards the main hall. There was nobody around, making his plan to be less conspicuous already working.
But that was all taken away once he got to the main hall itself. That's because he was the last one to get there, causing Rynold to be the center of attention once again. As Rynold walked towards the assembled Candidates, the others started to murmur and whisper. No doubt, they were talking about him.
'Great,' Rynold mocked the situation, 'So much for blending into the background.'
"Ehem. Ehem," the Mech God cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention. "Dear Candidates of mine, I hope you all found your rooms comfortable and had a good rest."
'Oh, dear gods,' Rynold's eyebrows furrowed once he realized the Mech God was having fun with this. His opening sentence alone sent chills down Rynold's spine. Regardless of what Rynold felt at this time, though, the Mech God continued.
"Because," the door opposite from where the Mech God stood slowly opened, "You will not be staying in your rooms for the next few days! No. You will be spending it in the jungle surrounding this compound. During which, all of you must survive and find resources benefitting your final project."
'This sounds like school again, damn it,' Rynold thought to himself as he turned around along with the rest of the Candidates. Just outside the door that opened, a dense forest came into view.
"There are camps already set up in that jungle, each good for one person. These camps will serve as your source of food, water, and shelter for the next three days. There are also workbenches and tools available there to repair whatever equipment you may damage along the way."
Rynold felt lazy and excited at the same time. It was a weird combination of feelings, he admitted, but something about getting new resources to experiment was interesting.
"By the end of those three days, you will all be teleported back into the main hall once more. Of course, there will be dangers lurking in the forest, of which you must figure them out yourselves. If any of you gets close to dying, you will be forcibly teleported away and back into this main hall. Doing so will disqualify you from doing participating in this round. Any other rules and questions will be answered by your System. That said, good luck, my Candidates. You'll need it."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein