Chapter 43: Amon Winchester's First Step

The darkness of night began to creep through the city, enveloping the bright and busy shopping centres and streets.

Just after ten p.m., it was closing time in the markets. Most of the customers were gone, and the businesses had shut down. The only people outside were police officers on patrol and private security guards.

Amon stood on the balcony of Elma's apartment, his fingers holding the black steel railing, his fingers white from the pressure he placed, gripping them tightly.

Elma still slept in that frozen space; his mind filled with countless thoughts, everything of the past two weeks; Tia called the "Prologue" and that it was set to be extremely easy, but the moment he accepted the change.

[Your life will become hell]

[People of justice and good nature will find reasons to doubt and distrust you.]

[Those of low class, thieves, traitors and thugs will do their best to support and gain your trust]

'What kind of stupid thing is that? Can they not trust me just because of my words and actions?'

[Even if you were to save the world, those who would side with the Hero would always see you as having ulterior motives.]

'So, you're telling me to give up?'

[No, Amon...]

[I am telling you to FIGHT!]

Clang!

The black steel bar was torn off the wall, almost sending his body flying into the air and smashing into a million little fleshy bits on the concrete below.

"Oh, shit!?"

'Fuck, that was close!'

[Amon, the more souls you accept of your past, the more distorted and difficult they will become to conquer.]

'I've cleared two easily before, right?'

[Because of those, you almost killed Alice on the spot... Violated Ming Xue due to your recurring desire and revealed to your mother you know the truth about not being her son!]

[How is that clearing with ease?]

'Ah...'

Memories flashed back to him, one by one.

The moment Alice pulled up in that car, he was ready to cut her throat with a sharp knife on his table but managed to contain the desire barely and forced himself to drown those feelings, instead releasing them when they got home during sex.

He remembered the instinct from his own body, mind and black dragon to throw Ming Xue down over the table and forcefully impregnate her, the strange voices constantly trying to convince him to do so.

His mother... He even had to lie, to begin with, because of her constant need to create a bond with her child. It might have crushed her fragile facade if he had honestly admitted knowing he was adopted.

His love for her over all three lives helped him regain his wits and instead wait for her to be prepared, but it did not stop the internal voice in his mind from calling him a failure and saying that he was nothing but a disappointment.

The only time it was completely his desire and will be when interacting with Rebecca, Kizuna and Elma; those were the genuine Amon who was reincarnated in this world without any interference.

If he were to face Alice or Ming Xue after taking in another life, could he feel the same as he does right now? Would he be able to tell them about everything? Would he be able to keep his desires contained?

No.

Without Tia to assist him every second of the day, it was possible that he would succumb to the urge.

After all, he was the one with the weak soul.

[It's not your fault when we revived you... Most parts filled with complete hatred and the desire to kill everyone were discarded.]

[Now your soul is smaller than a normal person...]

[Slowly, each time you conquer a soul, it grows larger.]

[But so do they, each one will be a stronger version of yourself with more power, intelligence and wits.]

'I understand; a part of me blames you and wishes I could keep that hatred, but the logical part of me knows...'

'If I felt that hatred, could I have accepted Alice, saved Rebecca and hired Elma without fucking something up or killing random people to sate my urges? I don't think I could.'

'When I saw the memories of the previous Amon's life, I couldn't help but be annoyed at how simple and boring his life was.'

'Yet he was so happy to simp for these women that I feel pity towards his fate.'

'Towards my fate...'

He pulled on the bars attached to her balcony before tossing them into the night sky, a feeling of cool air flowing through his body.

Despite time freezing, his body, his Qi, never stopped.

[Don't think about training here like this]

'Tsk... cheapskate.'

[So you're going to do it? It took so long; why did you need to drag it out?]

'You said it yourself, I am the weakest Amon, the most cowardly and inferior Amon...'

'Thus, I decided to discard my old self.'

'From this moment on, I will become the Supreme Villain that my ideal Amon desired.'

'And Seduce the Heroines While I am it!'

[...]

[(Irony...)]

[(Yet, I am happy you are stepping forward... So happy, my respected Author-san)]

Amon leaned back against the white walls with a smear of black; the beautiful marble used for the outer slates was to Amon's taste as he looked into the skies, the twinkling stars seeming to defy the frozen world and the moon supporting them in the background.

'I am ready.'

'Let us start the story; the prologue is finally over.'

[I will now bestow you a talent from your other self, as you know, I am not a system!]

[These are your belongings earned from hard work, blood, sweat, and tears.]

[Everything is a result of your actions!]

He suddenly felt a huge influx of information flooding his mind; the pain was nothing compared to when he trained against the pillar to unlock his QI.

However, it was close, blood now oozing from his nose and eyes, while his eyes darted from left to right like reading something at super high speeds.

Amon wanted to stop, to cry out, but he stopped himself.

His teeth bit deeply into his tongue, the warm sticky taste of iron filling his mouth and his twisting veins and muscles convulsing.

Yet he clenched his fists and stomped his feet, anchoring himself to withstand the pain and pressure on his mind and body.

- Intermediate Business Techniques and Knowledge Gained

- Advanced Driving Skills and Knowledge Gained

- Intermediate spear mastery gained.

- Black Dragon Blood 25% gained. (1/4)

- Advanced Pain Tolerance gained.

Cultivation Level Forcibly Raising to Base Standards

Bone Creation Realm (Stage 4) -> Body Forging Realm (Stage 1)

Combat Power: 32 (Base: 12) + (Cultivation: 20)

[Amon... Let me give you everything I can; I don't want to see you die again... Even if it means my voice cannot reach you briefly...]

[Don't worry...]

[I have left a small manual to help you...]

[Love Tia]

- Gained Tattered Diary with "I love Author-san" Written on the cover in what might be red ink or blood.