"So, a mortal like you, is offering me—the Devil, an unremarkable, faltering small piece of mineral, in exchange for unlimited knowledge and eternal delectation? Are YOU out of your MIND!?"

"Not just a piece of mineral."

"Not just a piece of mineral? This thing. This aether-looking, THING—it can be traced almost infinitely within your so-called conceivable universe!"

"And I can make you give me whatever I want with it."

"You what!?"

"You heard me, and I won't repeat what I have stated."

"... I'm amused, truthfully, if not for the lingering reality of how pitiful your entire existence can be, I wouldn't even glance at a measly thought to waste my time with a mortal…

"Show me then, show me how you can open your path to infinite possibility!

"Show me how you can shift the entire paradigm of fate with your theatrical play!

"If there isn't a single laughter nor reaction that I display.

"I'll make sure to gifts humanity its last chrysanthemum."

Oh, how many years had passed since that event.

If only things would snowball positively after such play.

If only I would remember that life itself is just a satirical rotating wheel where not all hard work would be paid by the same interest.

Maybe things wouldn't really be as bad.

Despite the win that I brought home from that momentous day.

The world didn't change, and so was my life.

Even if different variations came into reality by the effort of valiant heroes and temples of their fallen gods.

The chronicles of history would remain steady with the same pattern.

Not like I would care that much at this point. Caring won't change the future. Acting does, but most of the time, it requires more than one working driver in the room of an unmotivated crowd to accelerate a goal into an achievement.

And it turns out that it wasn't the world that's unfair.

It was the creatures within it that makes it so.

Try to ask this simple question to yourself.

Why would they, those in power, let such horrible things happen despite having everything needed to make the world a brimming utopia?

The idea is that if you're rational, you would look into the bigger picture and act upon the benefits of mankind as a whole; pushing the boundary of this civilization.

Possibly grasping the stars and exploiting them as a power plant of sorts as they prosper.

That would be a lovely future, don't you think?

That is, until you remember that humans are not rational. We are, I believe, in the anthropological term is—utter assholes.

'Father! There is a homeless person in front of our house!'

'Just ignore it, they will move away as long as we don't gaze. If they are still there, call the security.'

Logical fear.

'Bro! Did you just run over someone!?'

'Tch, shut up and act like you didn't see anything.'

Cowardice.

'Apparently, the majority of the vote decided that we should invest more on the security of the forest to prevent illegal logging.'

'And what does that give us? Manipulate the vote and hold a meeting two days after this, we need to give the impression to the public that there isn't anything wrong in our forest!

'Oh, and don't forget to claim any articles about the illegal logging as a hoax!'

Greed.

'Sir, are you sure you want to demolish the local southeast market?'

`We need to show the public the importance of the environment, and having a park in that area is a great way to do it!

'Besides, they can't complain, that sector has always belonged to the government.'

Vanity.

'President, are you sure that we should amass our military?'

'On what reason should we not? That land is always ours.'

Apathy.

It repeated throughout history.

The root cause was actually more cruel and raw than what people have thought.

And it all came down to the worst and best trait of our primate double-edged coping mechanism.

Malevolent.

By definition, it means having or showing a wish to do evil to others.

To start with an example—if you view the often recurring stigma of life that people carried, a trauma, which is mostly what you think of as the real life reincarnation of the fall, was mostly created when someone encountered something malevolent.

And it breaks them.

Because it was the worst thing to understand.

Like suffering is one thing, that's bad enough. Vulnerability and suffering, that was more than enough.

But to encounter someone or something that wishes a misfortune to happen upon you, and will work their way out to make it come true?

That was a whole different category of horrible. Especially when it reflects back something to you, about yourself.

Because if someone can do that to you, and they're humans, it means that you're partaking in the same essence of potential cruelty.

Strangely enough, being malevolent is also the very same cure to a post-traumatic experience to some degree. Like if you were victimized by being naive, the way out of that is to no longer be naive.

Many stories portrayed their protagonist this way.

Whether it was because they had a sad backstory or an event that led to a development in their way of thinking because they realized that being naive and clueless was not enough to achieve their goals.

And the way that you keep the evil at bay, is to develop an inner evil so that you know one when you see one.

It's the same with the concept of predation.

All kinds of predators always prey on the weak, they wouldn't and never prey on something that can properly fight back if they knew it.

Having an inner evil is necessary to survive.

Verily, I believe so.

But, the thing is, that kind of mindset was a voluntary thing, like buying or crafting a set of tools. One needs to consciously learn to properly acquire that fragile bomb, the knowledge of evil that may explode when their owners are taking it too lightly.

If not acquired in a solid foundation and good intentions, it will, and indefinitely corrode them, resulting in many negative aspects beside the evil mindset in general.

With one or two side effect of it being, not limited by, the selfishness of those who have powers, and the apathy to let everything happen regardless of the bad and good.

This chaotic cycle was the reason why there will always be someone or something that impedes the development of humanity as a whole.

See why I used the word 'impedes'? The development was still there, but it won't always result in something significant or satisfactory.

Likewise.

Connection, money, influence, talent, augmentations, gears, weapons, prosthetics, identity, martial arts, are nothing but a bit of the thousands more variables that came into play.

Effort was no longer a means to an end, it had became a resource.

Nobody would help someone without profit, be it materially or spiritually.

T'was the year 2591.

It was the age of prevailing selfishness.

Just like every years within human's history.

Heh, I may be a man with a funny way of speaking, but nothing comes close to the absolute denseness of the egotistical nature that those on the peak possess.

Why be caring and nice, when you could be right?

That's exactly why these two people were bothering my ass right now.

"Heh, we found him rather easy. That's an easy 100,000 Solus right off the bat. Go on Giovanni, I'll let you take this one."

The damn man's whisper was barely discreet.

"Good afternoon, pal! You seem to be eating rather carefree in 'ere, eh? Faust Hecates. Did I pronounce it right?"

The other man who had just sat before me, began to tap the table impatiently, as if he was in an awkward rush. Either that, or his tummy was aching and he needs to silence the calls of nature. "Yeh, it's that Faust Hecates, alright. The measly washed up Mediator from the Hunter Gathering. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mister."

I kept on plastering a smile, maintaining my precious silence.

One of them then sharply clapped his gloved hands.

"Either way, we won't beat around the bush. So, chop-chop, we needs you to get outside of the pub for a couple of minutes."

I'm a chill person if we were going by the dictionary, but I saw this kind of hasty courtesy as an annoying mockery.

It was almost as if they were expecting a sitting duck.