When I killed the last snake, it was around seven in the evening. Despite my exhaustion, I headed towards the old man. I remembered the way to his house vaguely, but I felt internally where I needed to go. Unlike the geographically challenged Mo Fan, I can navigate any terrain freely. The problem was that I hadn't washed at all during this time, nor had I changed my clothes! I didn't have much time to wash, and the lake wasn't exactly clean and safe, and I only had one spare set of clothes, which I planned to change into in the city. If I had a spatial bracelet, everything would be different; I could wear several changes of clothes!
So, I was walking through the city streets, my clothes torn in places, covered in dried monster blood, and smelling like I don't know what, with a huge cooling chamber and a backpack behind me. In short, a picture-perfect scene! I was lucky it was evening, and there were few people on the streets near his house.
I reached the old man's house around eight o'clock, stopped at the gate, and knocked. I waited for a long time, about three minutes, then knocked again, but there was still silence in response. Only after the third knock did I find a doorbell and ring it. A minute later, the old man opened the door.
"I was waiting for you," he said dryly, then added, looking me up and down. "It seems you really tried to complete my task, but were you able to?"
"I was, great master," I said, bowing, despite the pain all over my body from various bruises and exhaustion.
"Then come inside and prove it by deed," he said, returning into the house. I followed him.
"Here are all the organs I collected," I said, as we entered the kitchen, placing the cooling chamber in front of the old man.
"Alright, I'll check everything. You can have some tea for now," he said, handing me a cup.
Taking it, I sat at the table and watched as the old man took out and examined the jars of organs one by one. In fact, they barely fit into the chamber, as monster organs are much larger than those of ordinary animals. I think it will take the old man about half an hour to sort everything out. Meanwhile, I took the first sip of tea. It was very hot, I almost burned myself, but as soon as it flowed down my throat, I felt a surge of strength, and the pain all over my body subsided, replaced by a relaxing warmth. Of course, the effect wasn't great, but it was noticeable.
Taking another sip, I felt my bruises and abrasions gradually begin to heal. I sat there, sipping tea, drinking a total of three cups before the old man finished. To my surprise, he worked quickly, and he also allowed me to drink more tea, which I was very happy about.
"Well done, you completed the task," the old man said when he had sorted all the jars. "Now it's time for the final test, which you will begin immediately."
"Yes, great master, but allow me to change my clothes and rent a room to wash," I said, bowing with humility.
"No, your appearance is perfectly suited for a test of resolve," the old man said confidently, nodding his head. Goosebumps ran down my spine. I already suspected what kind of test of resolve it would be; no, I was almost certain of it.
"I am ready, great master." Although everything inside me clenched, I had lost most of my resolve due to the nightmares, but I would do anything to gain strength, otherwise, everything could turn out very badly!
"Listen carefully," the old man said calmly. "You will go to the most unfavorable district of Huzhou. With your appearance, you will easily attract attention. Show off expensive things; you have them, don't you?" the old man raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at me.
"Yes, great master," I said humbly, already knowing what he would answer.
"After one of the gangs corners you and tries to rob you, you must kill them. As proof, bring their eyes," the old man said confidently, taking a cup of tea. "You can leave the rest of your things here."
"Yes, great master, I will provide you with their eyes today," I said, trying to look as confident as possible, which was quite difficult, and my heart was nervously pounding in my chest, wanting to jump out. Could I do it?
"Go," he said briefly, waving his hand.
Leaving most of my belongings, taking only my phone and hiding the daggers under my clothes, I headed to the northern outskirts of the city, which was notorious for its criminals. It was very, very dangerous there at night. The district was indeed not very pleasant, with old and dilapidated houses everywhere, many narrow streets, and almost no people. I had few ideas on how to attract attention, with a heavy heart and deep in thought, I started wandering back and forth, looking at my phone.
After about an hour of wandering, I was grabbed by the shoulder, dragged into an alley, and slammed against the wall. These actions brought me to my senses, and I instantly hid my phone in my pocket. Two muscular guys, about twenty years old, stood before me. There was nothing remarkable about them, except they looked at me with malice and greed. Seeing this, I sighed deeply. I have to kill them mercilessly now, right?
"Stop sighing! Come on, quickly give me the phone and turn out your pockets!" shouted the one who pinned me to the wall.
"Yeah, come on, Ne Yun, let him go. He's already been beaten by someone, and he stinks!" said the second, who stood a little further away.
"Calm down, Ne Kun. If someone had already robbed him, they would have taken his phone. It's clear he was just beaten!" replied the first. I stood there with a slightly saddened expression. Do I have to kill these two? Of course, they are not the best representatives of humanity, but far from the worst. There are many people worse than them, and much worse. I'm going to take their lives just to get a chance to gain strength! What a terrible person will I be then?
"Guys, why did you actually decide to rob me?" I asked, unexpectedly even to myself. I somehow wanted to know about them before killing them.
"Are you out of your mind to ask such questions?" the first one barked, hitting me in the stomach. Of course, he couldn't do me much harm, but I still pretended to be in pain. The difference between an ordinary trained person and a mage like me is quite significant. "Damn, you're not simple, huh, but still, don't even try to resist, hand over everything you have!" said the first, shaking off the hand he had just used to hit me.
"I'll give it if you tell me why," I asked calmly, even with a slightly sad voice, straightening up. I was genuinely curious why they wanted to rob me. Maybe then I would understand why I wanted to kill them?
"Ah, you..." The first one had already raised his hand for another blow, but the second one stopped him.
"Why, to have money to impress girls!" he grinned. Well, guys, maybe if you had said you were looking for money to become mages, I would have even given you some money, but as it is, sorry.
"I see," I said dejectedly and punched the first one in the stomach. He flew back against the opposite wall from the impact, hit it, and lost consciousness. After all, I am a mid-level mage, with good physical condition and a well-tempered body.
"You... you..." the second one stammered. I sent him after the first one with a kick.
"What a pity, but we will end our conversation here," I sighed again, watching the second one also pass out.
Slung them over my back, I weaved through the dark alleys towards the exit from the safe zone. I didn't want the police to find me. On the way, I gathered my will, but I couldn't bring myself to take an innocent human life again. They did nothing to me, and I'm depriving them of everything! Even if they were bad people, as long as they don't threaten me, my loved ones, especially Jiaxing Yun Er, or the world, then I don't think people should be killed.
However, now I have to kill to get a chance to become the old man's disciple. I don't think it's like in those stories where the protagonist is told to kill someone, and they are watched. No, the old man is probably watching, but not to make sure I can't kill innocents, but quite the opposite. I'm sure of this; he is too serious. And if his method of fighting monsters falls into the wrong hands, the old man will perish immediately. From light novels, I know that power in this world strives to destroy everything that poses a threat to it!
After half an hour, I was already quite deep in the jungle. Besides the daggers, I also had bait with me to cover my tracks. Yes, it's a shame to waste it, it's a useful thing, but for such a cause, it's worth it. Putting both of them on the ground, I took out my dagger and prepared to strike directly at the heart, killing him instantly, but my hand trembled, unable to do it.
"Who is he to you? What are you afraid of? He's just a stepping stone to your greatness!" a voice echoed in my head, making my entire back covered in goosebumps. It was the voice of pseudo-me! Am I going crazy? Fine in dreams, but like this, awake? Have I completely lost my mind, or did the old man mix something in the tea, and now I'm having hallucinations, or am I out cold at his place?
"Who are you!" I shouted, continuing to look at the chest of the one I was about to kill, holding a dagger in my hand. I had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but I couldn't in my dreams, and now I needed a distraction to make up my mind.
"Me? I don't know myself, but I've taken a name by which you can call me," he grinned in my head. "Call me Asura!"
"What? What name is that you've taken?" I asked him, slightly taken aback.
"It doesn't matter; I like it," he said calmly. "The important thing now is their death! I'll help you; don't worry so much. Know that they are just one of thousands that you need to step over and move on to reach your goal. This world is cruel, and a merciful softie like you won't be able to reach its summit!"
"What?..." Before I could say anything, my hand holding the dagger began to lower. I tried to stop it, holding the dagger at the very chest, almost touching the person.
"Resisting? Don't you want power? Don't you want to become the strongest and cover the heavens with your might? Aren't you that vain? Then why do I want this? I feel like we are the same! We have common thoughts and aspirations, but you are not ready to follow the path you have chosen!" said the pseudo-me, no, Asura in my head.
"No, you're wrong! I just want to have the power so that people are afraid to mess with me, and I can live as I please, and also protect my loved ones!" I retorted.
"Is it really that simple?" Asura grinned, after which he fell silent. My hand also stopped reaching for his chest.
I lowered my hand with the dagger and thought deeply. Become the strongest, huh? Sounds quite fun. Then I'll definitely be able to protect everyone and have fun as I please! I remembered a shameful game in the dark dimension; I definitely liked the position of the dark king in it! To become so strong that I can play chess with other rulers and spell mages, isn't that fun! And for that, the secret of the old man's power will definitely not be superfluous! And who are these two? Pathetic robbers without a grand goal, just meat that will be devoured by monsters during a raid, so what difference does it make when they die?
I raised the dagger over the first one's chest and pierced it through. He only flinched slightly and fell asleep forever. Turning to the second, I saw that he was starting to wake up.
"Ah, wait!" he managed to shout when my dagger pierced his chest. After cutting out their eyes, I put them in a plastic bag, left the bait, and headed to the old man's house.