Superhero and Hypocrite

That evening everything was arranged. The staff was sorted between those who were involved in criminal activity and those who were innocent.

The innocent were left to continue their work without slave seals. Two Lvl 16 Fighters were left to make sure none of them left the Baron's home until everything was settled.

It was to make sure news of Kyle's insurrection didn't spread before they were able to confront the Barron.

Kyle ran through the library and collected all the books, maps, and useful documents he could find.

He also came to possess Keason't Spirit Man Library. Due to the massive resources Kyle acquired and brought into the system; he earned quite a few rewards due to his "side quest."

Gramps didn't explain much, but he did say the makers of the system were always looking for new and expanded knowledge.

System users who contributed such knowledge were always handsomely rewarded. Of course, Gramps and the teachers were also rewarded, but he didn't tell Kyle this.

Kyle contributed a great deal to the systems knowledge base and this alone gave him numerous benefits.

So far, Kyle was given 10,000 gold, a newly synthesized book on the basics of Mana Magic and Spirit Man Magic the system called Spirit Magic.

The synthesis proved to be extremely powerful and allowed the practitioner to require fewer materials to use greater magical strength.

The book "Basics of Spirit Magic" was one of his rewards. Kyle absorbed the knowledge through the system making learning it almost instantaneously.

He wasn't learning magic currently so he didn't worry about 'earning' it. He just wanted to understand the basics for now. This would be a great help in his world.

He acquired pill recipes, formation designs, and blueprints for some impressive lightweight and tough armor with suggested formations and how to incorporate them into the armor.

There was even an improved invisibility formation! He couldn't wait to create a new costume.

He also received an updated world map based on the maps in the Baron's library. Kyle was amazed at the speed the system processed, synthesized information, and then made it available.

Gramps told him it was more complicated than he thought, but that's all he would say.

The final reward wasn't an immediate material reward; Gramps told him that the makers of the system would prioritize his training.

He would be given more opportunities and the highest grade learning materials and teachers to help his potential skyrocket.

Kyle didn't think much about this promise since he was already very happy with his teachers and everything he was able to gain from the system.

Another positive was the massive amount of gold and forging materials they found even more strange and wonderful things in the Baron's vault.

Gramps was excited; he couldn't specify what was so great about the secrete manuals and strange materials.

The one thing he did understand was his employers (the system creators) would really value these times. The wealth in the vault was produced in just one generation but over a hundred generations.

Kyle used a large portion of the money to compensate families victimized by the Baron and his men.

Many people were kidnapped and thrown into the training pit, experimented on by Keason, and killed for numerous reasons.

It was Kyle's job to bring more justice to the situation and using the Baron's money to help out the families he destroyed was at least something.

"Kane, everything is ready and we can leave whenever you're ready," Riley said. Kyle decided to use his last name in this world. He introduced himself as Kane to Riley.

"I think I'm done here," Kyle smiled to his new friend and left the former library. It was completely empty.

Kyle and Riley walked out of the Kingsley mansion. Outside all of his new troops greeted him like he were some kind of magnificent existence. It made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He didn't deserve these looks of adoration; in fact, he was positive that if they were in control of themselves the gazes they would look at him would be filled with hate.

"Keason, please join Riley and me in the carriage," Kyle said. He felt guilty but he still believed in his decision.

He had changed so much since he came to Miras and now to this place, Regloe. It seemed like a lifetime ago that his worst problem was being bullied.

Since he started training with Gramps he had faced death or so many times.

He had to find a person who tried to murder him; dismantle a bandit group; and spend two weeks bathed in the blood of monsters to survive.

The problems he had before seemed somehow much smaller, but they were still defining for him.

Some people might think that his strict adherence to the Code of Seven Virtues (Chapter 33) and desire to see justice done were silly platitudes. They might even call his ideals childish.

These people are ignorant of his real reason for the sense of justice and desire to uphold the core values of the Code. It had a lot to do with the bullying he experienced since young.

Different people exposed to the same stimuli will react differently. Some who experience bullying from a young age might believe there isn't any justice in the world.

Justice and fairness become narrowly related to the individual. Whatever favorable things that happen to them are just or fair.

Any experiences that are disadvantageous or harm him are unjust and unfair.

Kyle's reaction was to go in the opposite direction. He believed the bullying he suffered was a failure on the part of individuals.

They failed to properly uphold the rules and laws they were obligated to do so. Ryan's bullying of himself and Samira was as much the fault of the teachers and the Principle as it was Ryan.

In fact, Kyle felt they were even more responsible. Their failure might be because they were overwhelmed and were fooled by Ryan, but those are just excuses.

His unbending view of justice and his experience of the failure of those who were supposed to enforce those rules were creating interesting psychology in Kyle.

It established the classic superhero paradigm. The system is just but because those in power can't or won't uphold it there is a need for an outsider to work outside the just system to "right the ship."

The earliest superheroes were mostly birthed in situations of extreme injustice. Many were immigrants or the children of immigrants, belonged to minorities who experienced inequality.

Often their experiences were violent and final. It made them realize that to have the justice they needed power, or there was a need for someone with the power to get justice.

They might even be extremely patriotic and idealistic but saw, like Kyle, something was missing.

It was their strength that was needed to overcome the corruption, blindness, and prejudice of society.

Kyle was a superhero in the most traditional sense of the word. He was someone who fought for justice because he had the power to do so.

He had strong convictions and the willingness to lose everything for the sake of those ideals. That made him a hero!

He had the strength that just ideals alone could never produce. He had physical power beyond anything a regular human possessed. He was super!

He had the conviction and power to be a hero and super! He was a true superhero.

This is why his decision to use the slave seals felt like he was compromising his beliefs, but he understood that if he didn't do this countless numbers of people would suffer.

Like anyone with strong convictions, he was forced to confront the grey situations of life to decide what value was more important at that moment.

Was it more important to categorically reject the evil of slavery even if it threatened the well being of many innocent people? Or did the value of life have more priority than rejecting slavery?

Kyle chose life.

He was a hypocrite because he violated knowingly violated one of his convictions, but only a person of conviction can ever have the opportunity to be a hypocrite.

Only now could Kyle see the weaknesses in his beliefs in the face of necessity. The necessity of the situation forced him to grow and confront the grey of the world.

It wasn't the ends justify the means; it was a careful decision to make a choice for the greater good at the expense of his personal convictions.

Going to the dungeon and confronting Baron Kingsley and foiling his dastardly plans was the only choice he could make. The Baron was evil and he was a superhero, so he must fight evil.

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We've started with 55 power stones and only need 45 more power stones to reach our first bonus chapter goal. We're already more than half the way there!

Today's power stone heroes are: matteo_briccolani, FoggyMindOfMine, HeDuchennevg, lover_of_Milfs, and darrel

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--Straythought