"I can't help but feel sorry for the hero," one of the elders lamented as they watched the hero depart. The hero's mission was fraught with challenges and hardships.
Inside a meeting room, a council of elders convened to discuss the resurgence of the incarnation of evil. They had carefully planned for this event over the course of two decades.
"Are you having second thoughts about sending the hero?" Another elder inquired. "We've invested so much in this plan over the past twenty years. Backing down now would not serve us well."
"However, with the combined strength of our other forces, we still have six heroes at our disposal," another elder pointed out, suggesting that sending seven talents might be excessive.
"Even if the incarnation of evil is currently at its weakest, we must not underestimate it. You all witnessed the battle just a month ago. Our side suffered immense losses. That battle nearly tore apart the fabric of reality itself. We sacrificed far too much in that conflict," the elder admonished, addressing the naivety of one of the council members.
The previous battle against the incarnation of evil had been nothing short of catastrophic. Countless lives had been lost, and the sheer number of casualties was beyond imagination.
"Let us pray that the hero succeeds in taming the incarnation of evil. It will take approximately a month for our hero to reach their destination. By then, we must hope that the incarnation of evil has not grown into a formidable force," the council members concurred, their collective hopes resting on the success of their plan.
~
[Finn's POV]
Two days had passed since the incident with Hutch, and I decided it was time to pay him a visit. I had accumulated a total of 9,000 points, leaving me with 1,000 points to go before I could claim my desired item.
Based on the information provided by Jessica, it appeared that Hutch had no other close relatives besides his mother. She, too, had a difficult past, having been an orphan and left alone when she became pregnant. In essence, Hutch grew up without a father, which might shed light on his behavior.
Armed with this knowledge, I was ready to take action. I made a strategic purchase from the shop, acquiring an ability that allowed me to conceal my presence. While it came at a cost of 2,000 points, I saw it as a worthwhile investment.
While my newfound ability had its limitations, I reasoned that the likelihood of someone observant actively searching for me was relatively low. My ability would serve to hide me from individuals who weren't specifically focusing their attention on me.
Upon returning to the hospital, I managed to reach Hutch's room without anyone noticing my presence. Hutch was sound asleep, and there were no obstacles preventing me from proceeding with my plan.
In preparation for what I was about to do, I decided to spend another 1,000 points to acquire a skill that would allow me to block sound within the range of my field of vision. I couldn't afford to have him scream and draw the attention of the hospital staff.
Smack! The sound of a slap echoed in the room as I struck Hutch's face to rouse him from his slumber.
"??? Fuck..." Hutch's cheeks reddened, and he awoke in a startled state, his right cheek throbbing with pain.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Hutch demanded, quickly realizing that something was amiss.
"What? Don't you remember me? It's your good old friend Finn," I replied, feigning surprise that he had forgotten me.
It took Hutch a moment to recognize me. His eyes widened, and he would have pointed at me if his arms had been functional.
"You... What are you doing here?" he asked, suspicion coloring his words. He seemed less concerned about my appearance and more interested in my intentions.
"Me? I was just checking on you. I saw how your limbs were broken," I replied, giving him a subtle hint that I was involved in his condition. However, I doubted he would figure it out easily.
Hutch remained silent, seemingly overwhelmed by shame and unable to utter a word.
"Is that all? If so, then leave," he curtly demanded.
"Don't be so hasty. I haven't explained why I'm here," I countered. I couldn't simply walk away without taking advantage of his current vulnerable state.
"I don't want to hear it," Hutch retorted, giving me a hostile glare and clearly not wanting to engage with me.
"Are you sure about that? Don't you want to know why that man crippled you? If you don't, I'll just leave," I challenged.
"Tell me!" Hutch demanded, using all his might. I knew he would go to great lengths to stop me, even in his current crippled state, where his options were severely limited.
"Are you absolutely certain you want to know?" I inquired, deliberately stalling and allowing his anger to simmer.
"Tell me!" Hutch demanded, his tone growing more insistent.
I couldn't help but sport an ominous smile as I continued to toy with him. Hutch gazed at me, sensing something was amiss but unable to pinpoint the exact issue.
"The person you're looking for is right in front of you," I declared, finally revealing the truth. Hutch was unable to comprehend my words.
The boy he had once looked down upon, the boy he had underestimated, was the last person he expected to be responsible for his current predicament. I could empathize with his disbelief, considering that my predecessor had been weak-willed and unlikely to harm even a fly.
Even after I disclosed the truth, he continued to stare at me with wide-open eyes. His dumbfounded expression left him speechless, and I could sense that he was deeply shaken to his core.
The person who had brought about his utter downfall was now standing right in front of him. Had I shattered him completely, or was his limited intellect simply unable to process what had occurred?
"Are you awake now? I understand you're now a crippled man, but you should at least be curious about my true purpose for being here," I remarked with a smile, punctuating my statement with an intense flick on his forehead.
Hutch's emotions were running high, and he didn't care about anything I had to say. He was too overwhelmed by the realization that I was the one responsible for his current condition.
"You..." Hutch repeated his words mechanically, almost as if he were a robot.
But then a sudden transformation overcame him. A twisted, maniacal laughter escaped from his lips as he realized the grim irony of his situation. It was as if he had experienced a mental breakdown, with his laughter echoing through the hospital room.