139 Asses to ashes, cussed to dust

Seated in the computer lab among all the other students, Ben reviewed his venomous strategy. 

As an online gamer, he understood toxicity. What was the best way to make an environment toxic? By filling it with the most potent poisons in existence—words.

Like poison, words could function as a medicine or as a lethal weapon. 

Like a deadly contagion, words could transfer from one person to another over great distances.

Like a plague, words could become viral, sweeping through entire civilizations until they were left in ruins, with only random wandering infected still spreading the virus by groaning "Esketit" or "YOLO..."

...

Words were a potent weapon that could attack the mind in an instant, delivering critical damage, and yet few were immune. 

The most terrible thing was that anyone could cultivate in the dark art of wicked words. In fact, Ben himself joined the dark side long ago, gaining great competence in the forbidden techniques...