Chapter 271

Chapter 271

Since the following chapter has some philosophy in it, the author does not share Joeys views on most of what hes going to elaborate on because of the implications of said elucubrations.

[Light-Bended Reality] is a mighty skill. The primary use I got out of it was to somehow brute-force the laws of physics to accommodate my personal understanding of the [Gamma-Knife]. However, its use can be broader than that. As you might have imagined, the most basic one is escaping crazy ex-girlfriends with murderous intentions.

Abilities are more flexible than you might think. Based on your level and proficiency with them, its as if some hard math was hidden behind them. Its like a video game that doesnt show you the actual values behind stuff. As my proficiency with basic magic and Light Magic is pretty high, that skill is more powerful than whatever base version of it. Gold means its about the highest grade it can reach before morphing into a Unique skill. But surely, thats not my concern. The biggest reason I got a few powerful skills, especially gold ones, is because of [Gamma-Knife]. The creation of a Unique skill so early required a lot of effort. Plus, it doesnt always happen that you get the skill for your magic. You must have reached an internalized understanding that goes miles above the average guys head in order to do that.

Take the rose, for example. Thats not a skill. But its still my most powerful shield. Lord Juler has his own theories, saying that it could be an incomplete Unique Skill. Who knows? The stuff behind the casting of that skill is more complicated than you imagine. But the overall layering is still a bit--oh, I see! Yeah, the magic is far from perfect and has too many inconsistencies. The layers are actually not perfectly superimposed.

JOEY!

A scream splits the air, probably amplified by magic.

I scratch my chin.

Is that crazy woman going to hunt down me or something? I mean, try to. Not that she will catch me. I doubt even Valarith noticed how I escaped.

I look around and keep using [Light-Bended Reality] to fold light around me and make it look like Im not actually here. A rogue class could probably sense my presence. Or not. This use of [Light-Bended Reality] is, for some reason, above the usual [Invisibility] spell. Not that anyone else knows, including Valarith and Lord Juler. You know, its useful to have a little ace in the sleeve, especially if its something to use for escape.

Well, Ill find a place to chill; no biggie.

Do you know who Lucinda reminds me of?

Lets have a little premise. I grew up in a very Christian, Catholic family, right? I mean, Italians: they have the Pope. Whatever. So, that means I had to go through all the nine steps of being a son in a Christian family.

Now, as you might imagine, many of my friends were atheists from a very young age. Or simply, they had no idea what being religious actually meant. On the other hand, some of my friends who grew up Catholic because of their Italian roots became atheists in their teenage years. Now, there was a fascinating trend among these people. It wasnt a precise line but a general divide.

People who had always been atheists mostly didnt care about religion. They rarely thought about it or felt superior over others because they were atheists. With exceptions, obviously. However, the people who were religious first, or who grew up with a lot of religion around them, somehow became these obnoxious shit-throwing chimps who made atheism their personality.

If I had to give an explanation, its because those who were religious or grew up with religion around were more used to idols. So, atheism just became a replacement for religion. They werent any wiser because of it. If anything, they basically became those Christian branches that go door to door to bother people or who feel superior over others just because they are religious.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Suppose I go up to her and say, yo, you have this existential bug in your matrix, have you noticed?

It makes me think of the guy who apparently killed himself when he got the news that his daughter had actually died. Could some people be cursed with a life of lies? Or blessed with one?

You cant really learn how to swim if you never let go of your floater. The risk of drowning is real, but man, this shit is so depressing. Why am I thinking about this again?

Because dear Lucinda is trying to kick my ass forno apparent reason? Yeah. Thats probably it.

I mean, lets take a look at it. What did I do? Did I betray her? She told me I was being an idiot and my life actually turned for the better when I didnt listen to her. I actually, and yes, lets put a fucking actually to remark it, found a better life here.

Mmm.

Its also true that if it werent for Ariostus, I could have gone legit-crazy. Like, real bonkers. The kind of bad bonkers without badonkers if you catch my drift.

But if I hadnt tried to fit in, I would have been stuck rotting in a stupid tower or Id constantly be looking for a fight, like she just did. Is that a good life? Is constant conflict something we should look for? I dont think so.

Pastries, asses, and tiddies. Thats it. Could be the title of my mixtape. Or sex tape. You pick.

Oh, wait.

Magic, right.

I conclude that, honestly, some conflicts might be good. As with all things, some of something is always good. In certain cases, its even necessary. In this case? Hoes be mad. Thats the explanation. She better grow up; and lets leave it at that.

But where am I on this scale?

Among those who chose not to care, I guess. I liveused to live a simple life. Im dysfunctional enough not to throw myself in the huge shit-pot of life. Again, used not to do that. I guess things changed quite a bit. Also, I suppose that you cant really enter the race to be a beyond-man if your mother has to manage pretty much every aspect of your life concerning work and paperwork. The first step for me would probably be doing my taxes without puking my last meal.

Is it better or worse than Lucinda, who is still stuck in the idol phase? Good question. Hard to answer. But how could it be worse for her? I mean, it could be worse, maybe. She could be fat.