Chapter 1202 - D510: The Arrogant One

"My pursuit...?"

"That's right."

"I didn't expect a God to care about the mental activities of a mere mortal. So, you want me, a loser, to obediently submit and lay everything, even my spirit, bare?"

"Didn't you just say that you think humankind's struggles are too impure? Although I believe communication and exchange have their own values," the Hero spoke unhurriedly, "it's just like a beast consuming the flesh and blood of its prey during a hunt. Since you've already been defeated, it would be more in line with your own principles to offer that 'excess' as a part of the spoils of war, rather than engage in unseemly struggles.

"Or perhaps—"

She paused, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth, "You're just a human too, unable to bear losing, and have to rely on the mercy of others?"

The girl's tone wasn't cold; it even carried a hint of gentleness, causing the Mute Girl who had been quite agitated earlier to break into a mischievous smile.

She circled around the table, poking the president's forehead sharply.

"Ow, weren't you so arrogant just now? You even wanted to use that little pistol on me. Now you're getting all tongue-tied answering questions, pretending to be something you're not. Looks like you're not as pure as you claim."

The president, humiliated by his daughter, showed little change in his expression, remaining silent for a moment before avoiding the Mute Girl's actions and nodding slowly.

"It's true. Although some might face death directly despite threats for something more important, clearly, for me, remaining silent before you is nothing more than an ugly stance, not even worthy of being called a struggle."

He exhaled a breath, shoulders relaxing slightly, and lowered his head, "So, what would you like to know? Please, ask."

"Stop it, I still need to talk to him."

"Alright, alright. Hmpf~" The Mute Girl, shooed away by her own self, circled back to the table and plopped down on a chair.

As she looked back at her humbled father, the Hero breathed a sigh of relief, though her eyes held a trace of helplessness.

Honestly, if it were possible, she wouldn't want to converse with this CEO who was her father at heart in this manner.

But she's no longer the little girl who sniffled as she was kicked out of her home all those years ago. After dealing with her family for so many years, she has come to understand that communicating in a normal way with them is completely ineffective.

Though such progress is hardly a cause for joy, unsurprisingly, after she displayed a relatively firm attitude, her father across from her relented rather quickly.

Witnessing this, the Mute Girl also raised an intrigued eyebrow, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, watching their conversation with an expression of amusement.

The Hero was about to steer the conversation back on track when the camera swiveled around the room as if remembering something, and she asked, "But before we start the formal inquiry, may I ask where Mother is?"

Seeing the president raise an eyebrow, the Hero added, "Oh, I mean this one's mother—your wife."

[Mother in (solo -30, 50+ being)]

D70=45

"Who knows." The president replied indifferently, as if discussing someone unrelated.

"Before the group collapsed, I had already sent her away. She might be enjoying herself on the Moon by now."

"... Never mind."

Recalling past experiences and realizing that Mother doesn't seem to have been dragged into the Illusion Realm, the Hero cleared her throat and refocused, "Alright, let's return to the original topic.

"—What exactly are you pursuing?"

"Strength."

The president answered directly.

Then he tilted his head slightly and added, "Though I thought that was a self-evident answer. Or is it some sort of compliance test? Like how they ask for gender while interrogating a criminal; if so, it's unnecessary."

"I'm not asking about that. I'm asking you—why are you pursuing strength? What do you wish to achieve after attaining it?"

Upon hearing this, the president remained silent for a moment before he began to speak slowly.

His tone no longer carried the previous indifference, but had a contemplative weight to it.

"This question is even stranger. Does pursuing strength require a purpose?

"Strength itself is value. Pursuing this value is an instinct for everyone.

"It's like earning money; almost everyone in this world is struggling to acquire more wealth, though indeed, some people treat money like dirt, but they are extremely few. So, since there's strength that's more straightforward than gold in front of me, why wouldn't I reach out for it?"

He turned his gaze to the Hero on the screen, his expression unwavering.

"I don't know if the strength of God is innate, so I won't speculate. But for a mortal like me, pursuing strength is nothing more than a completely natural behavior, one not even needing a reason.

"I don't know if you've heard a famous saying in this world—someone once asked a mountaineer why they climb mountains, and the answer was 'Because it's there.'

"Why do I pursue strength? Because it is within my reach, nothing more."

Those unfamiliar with the Emerald-Starred Key might be persuaded by his words.

In the Kingdom, not every Combat Professional harbors ideals and ambitions. In fact, most embark on the reincarnation path just to get stronger.

But the Hero knew that there was a decisive difference between this man and those people.

During the Illusion Realm experience in the Wandering Country, he did not cast the Forbidden Curse on himself but turned it into a trigger for world destruction.

—He was not pursuing a strength exclusive to himself.

But the Hero knew that there was a decisive difference between this man and them.

"A mountain has an end, a peak," she responded calmly, "For a mountaineer, climbing might bring no tangible benefits and bears great risk, but simply reaching the summit means conquering nature, which provides immense satisfaction.

"For most people, pursuing strength is indeed an instinct, but whether consciously or not, they take strength as a means rather than an end. Just like making money is for eating better food, buying better things, living in a bigger house."

"Even I, become stronger to defeat more enemies and protect more companions."

Through the screen, she also looked directly into the man's eyes.

"But you're different. You make money just for the sake of making more money. Not for the sake of gaining some specific thing, nor for some grander future goal. Do you think this is a normal philosophy?"

"Well, in our society, there is a more fitting description for this phenomenon, called the alienation and self-proliferation of capital." Upon hearing the Saintess's rebuttal, the CEO was somewhat indifferent.

"Though it's indeed not healthy, I don't think I'm a particularly special case within it." He said matter-of-factly, "Moreover, the strength truly gathered within oneself is fundamentally different from money.

"No matter how much money, it is just a credit medium. Even the richest person in this world is far from being unrestricted in the common sense and still subject to many constraints.

"While an existence like yours, once it truly descends, even the currency of the strongest nation on this planet might turn to waste overnight at your will.

"Therefore, my attitude toward money doesn't represent..."

"In other words, if you gain strength, there's something you want to do, goals you want to achieve?"

The Hero interrupted bluntly.

Upon hearing this, the man fell silent again.

He let go of his elbows propped on the table and tapped his fingers lightly against the surface, a thoughtful gleam shining in his Emerald Eye.

After gaining strength, what goals to achieve?

As if he had never considered this matter until hearing those words, he seriously, almost devotedly, pondered over the question.

After a long time, he lifted his gaze, looked at the screen, and his tone turned solemn.

"God that illuminates the world—may I address you this way?"

"As you like."

"Then before answering your question, I hope you can solve a few of my doubts. It's necessary for me to reach the subsequent answer."

"Then go ahead and ask." The Hero replied.

"Are you the strongest in your world?"

"No."

"Has the 'strongest' you know reached the limits of an individual, the world?"

The Hero hesitated momentarily. The image of a charming woman with a perpetual air of decadence came to her mind.

So she paused for a moment and then shook her head: "...Probably not."

"Then, this is the last question." The CEO propped his hands on the table, leaning slightly forward, his emerald green eyes staring directly at the girl on the screen.

"Have you ever glimpsed the end of strength? Do you think there's a 'peak' in your world where there's no road ahead?"

"Of course not."

This time, the answer didn't come from the Saintess on the screen but from the Mute Girl sprawled on the table, bored.

The Depraved Hero grinned with an unruly smile and took the lead: "Limits? Such things don't exist. Just as the end of numbers is infinity, our universe has no apex.

"Burning civilization, devouring planets, and covering the universe—if still unsatisfied, then let the flames spread toward the worlds beyond the heavens. At least I can confidently tell you: the road in my eyes has no end."

"...She's joking, don't take it seriously." Hearing her alter ego's usual boastful rhetoric, the Hero added a comment.

However, the father didn't think the words were absurd.

Instead, he nodded earnestly, letting out a long sigh, his expression full of relief, even making his always calm to an almost cold face seem lively for the first time.

"Thank you. That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear." He said, "Thanks to you, I finally understand what my goal is."

"If I gain strength, then my pursuit is—to make this road without end."

"...Not to make yourself the strongest, nor to gain the power to destroy the world?" The Hero was first surprised, then asked solemnly.

"I said earlier, I'm just an ordinary person." The CEO's expression returned to calm as he continued, "I know my limits well. Though it's not improbable, aiming to achieve such a thing isn't plausible from an investment perspective, is it?

"So, my hopes are simple.

"If there is a strongest in the world, I hope he can become stronger. If there is a power capable of world destruction, I hope he can destroy more worlds.

"If it's somewhat challenging with just their abilities—then I'm willing to invest and lend them a helping hand."

Then, he slightly turned his head, letting his gaze pass over the screen, landing on the Mute Girl's face split into a silent, wild laugh.

"So, it's also not too late now. Are you interested in joining forces with me, daughter?"

[Father's Clarity]

D100=66

[Verdant Demon (Influencing Combat Desires)]

D435=139