Chapter 11 -> The Double-Nature of Humankind

<< Notice. Good job. >> -> [Wisdom King: Raphael] or "Voice of the World" if specified.

<<< Hello master! How can I help you? >>> -> [Voice of Wisdom: Sophie]

' What?! ' -> used to symbolise thinking (used in convoluted sentences to help in understanding)

" Hello! " -> Speech.

<< Notice. Good job. >> -> [Wisdom King: Raphael]

<|< REDACTED >|> "Voice of the World".

<<< Hello master! How can I help you? >>> -> [Voice of Wisdom: Sophie]

' What?! ' -> used to symbolise thinking (used in convoluted sentences to help in understanding)

" Hello! " -> Speech.

* moments prior* -> Narrative use

< Greetings > -> TELEPATHY

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Jiren POV

*leaving the forest and entering near the border of Ingrassia*

How disappointing. From one world to another, from racism to speciesism.

Although… not an unreasonable reaction. Looking at the perspective of an average human - there may exist the brief thought of a peaceful monster existing, one that can coexist with human kind. But human paranoia is boundless. A monster is more often than not stronger than the human. A monster that has a different set of values than the human. A monster that may suddenly SOMEHOW go berserk and kill the human. A monster that is in the end NOT human. All of these thoughts germinating in the instinctively cautious humans. In the end, it is also further justified by the most popular religion that advocates monster extermination, and the seemingly sound conclusion that it is safer to not interact with monsters at all. After all, isn't there a bigger chance for a monster to actually attack humans, than not? Both sides out of fear attack each other, only to result in a life and death duel that further confirms their suspicions about the other side. Humans are evil. Monsters are evil. Peter Wason would roll in his grave at the mention of such a squabble.

The true powerhouses do not pay much heed to such events either as it is beneath them, or simply not worth the time. Who cares whether humans and monsters get along? In this world, this notion is meaningless. As long as their confidants are in a respectable spot, that is enough.

That is only when regular majins and monsters are taken in account as the terror caused by the thought of a demon lords alone has made the fragile human popolus to take a much different approach and measures.

Individually, it is difficult to find a powerful human that can be on par with the true monster threats. But humankind was never known for the individual power of each human. No. It is known for its intelligence and society. The collective society that is formed may overpower even genuinely serious threats. The teamwork. Ingenuity. Creativity. The drive to WIN.

An orc may have the combat capabilities to kill over hundreds of humans, but it takes one flash of inspiration, and the next time they meet, the orc is going to be made a fool of with incomprehensible tactics that leave no openings to exploit, or people to punch. Or forced to eat a nuclear explosion that levels cities.

Monsters too possess the ability to scheme, but the proficiency comes from need not desire. And monsters more often than not, do not have such a need. Until the slime arrived, one of both worlds, and taught the monsters the principles of his previous world's human civilization.

What a shocking declaration to the people of this world!

Who could've known that monsters, known for their prowess and strength, get infinitely enhanced by human ingenuity? *facepalm*

Speaking of human ingenuity, the barriers in this world are praise-worthy. With collective effort and planning, they have managed to create barriers with the ability to block any entry from A+ rank monsters. Not to mention, blocking all teleportation to stop any possible escape attempts, making any idea to assault the cities a fruitless endeavor, and possibly a suicidal one as well.

Monsters weaker than that level in particular could be handled by your country's Adventurers, whose levels range from E to the occasional S ranked adventurers. The top brass at the institution clearly intended it to be that way.

Lubelius barrier is even more noteworthy, one that requires a decent amount of my current power to destroy, as expected of the barrier made to keep the sparkling worm at bay. Luminus learned her lesson from last time, it appears.

Unfortunately for the scheming Hinata, the barrier itself will not block access for me even if I were to power up. Simply put, Ki is the energy that creates my constitution, and the magical force that makes up majins is non-existent in it, and only used when I will it to happen rather than draw it out of myself. Ki here is also underdeveloped compared to the DragonBall verse, only used as a physical attack in the form of Arts, as this world's humans would dub it. Ki users would not be able to damage spiritual lifeforms in this verse, whereas Dragon Ball's Ki can damage everything. It is not a multiversal life force for nothing.

Trying to purify me with holy magic? Nonsense. Weaker energy cannot hope to match what's above it. To me, it's a slightly more powerful magic attack that would be negated by Atlas.

In the end, these barriers can only serve as mild annoyances to the real powerhouses of the world who can obliterate the planet dozens of times over. It is a minor inconvenience to break the barrier, but upon any real desire, it WILL break.

Speaking of powerhouses… That Empire is a massive anomaly. The concentration of negative energy present there is equal to every other country combined.

*clenching fists* A nuisance that will not get left unchecked. Before that..

*sees the gate, and three lines filled with quite a number of people*

I suppose I do look like a monster, don't I? They're most likely going to attempt some sort of pathetic attack. And they would justify it with the reasoning that I'm a "monster", would they not?

*sigh*

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A light aura forms around his face, constructing a humanoid face that closely matches his natural appearance. The masterful manipulation of the light element was strong enough to be on the border of replacing reality itself, creating an illusion that was one step behind actual truth. It is not something that will prove an inconvenience regardless, the moment he elevates to a true spiritual lifeform, the physical vessel may be configured to match his needs.

His adventurer card was strapped on his chest, displaying his name in visible font, and a recognizable B that signifies his standing in the guild.

He marched forwards with characteristic steady steps, with the goal of stepping into the first line, reserved for the first check.

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I arrived behind a young man who was talking with a beautiful young woman, a seemingly 4 year old male toddler and a baby girl with a sleepy expression that was in the woman's careful hands. It seemed like a typical nice family, particularly with the baby seeming to inherit the mother's eye color, the toddler having developed similar curly, dark blonde hair, his heterochromic dark brown and blue eyes being a fascinating oddity that combined both his parents' eye colors.

The toddler's and the baby's attention was quickly diverted to me. Upon sight, however, the toddler glared at me with an intense stare that was certainly not fitting that of a toddler. Impressive.

He pointed his finger in my direction. The father quickly reacted, checking his son out and looking behind him only to see only me standing there. He inspected my face, which was most likely not the friendliest of ones, then turned his gaze to my card. His eyes widened, and he quickly stammered a word of apology:

"Aa. I apologize, sir Jiren, for my son's behavior! He's still a mere boy and doesn't know better!"

The man doesn't receive an answer immediately which makes him snap his attention towards his son. "Oi, Alexander, apologise to sir Jiren. You're being rude right now!"

The mother in the background was a little concerned about the situation, but trusted her husband in such situations.

Alexander was confused by such a reaction from his parents, but his response was rapid.

"S-sorry."

LV5

"It is fine, kid.", I state as my gaze turns a shade colder at the higher than average LV value, particularly for a child of such age.

The child's eyes briefly twinkled after seeing my own. Though it vanished as quickly as it came. His stare now seemingly mirrored my own. Is he trying to copy me?

Peculiar interests, but still a child nonetheless. There exists a possibility of the LV being a temporary disturbance that is balanced out later in life.

The baby, however, suddenly giggled, prompting both the parents to look at her in confusion. She was constantly just quiet and not social at all, but she just giggled at this intimidating adventurer?

The dad's adrenaline spiked, fearing the worst.

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Jiren unexpectedly moved forward with slow pace, and moved his index finger near the baby girl, now with an expression that didn't scream absolute homicide. The child's translucent blue eyes glittered upon that sight, her cute features becoming even more pronounced.

The dad was ready to put an end to this, even if his life is at risk, but…

The baby girl grasped Jiren's finger.

LV1

"Grow up pure, snowflake.", says Jiren, something so absolutely incongruent to his appearance that the two parents almost did a comical anime "falling to the ground" trope. Even Alexander was confused, that's not how it works?

The baby girl didn't know or care about it being incongruent or not, she just started cheerfully giggling, clearly having a lot of fun with this stranger.

This peaceful scene would've continued if the sound of loud heated arguing didn't reach their ears, making everyone snap their attention to the front of the line..

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Two men were seemingly arguing back and forth, with heavy usage of slurs in the process. The taller blonde one was mostly getting verbally attacked by the shorter brown-haired one, both seemingly on the verge of combat. Guards, noticing the situation, quickly started to move to put an end to it.

But the short guy did not care and simply stated:

"I will not be disrespected by mere B ranked trash, know your place!", as he started to unsheathe his sword at the hip.

The tall man, obviously not pleased with being called trash, raised his battle ax, ready to smash the midget to death, even if he was a rank below.

The swordsman dashed at impressive speeds towards the towering oaf and slashed towards his neck area. The ax user blocked it with his massive ax, getting pushed back slightly. The onslaught continued, with all combinations and angles, with the same result over and over, but it was apparent the ax user was getting very tired, the difference in strength and stamina becoming obvious.

His arms are becoming heavier and heavier, and the attacks are getting harder and harder to deflect or dodge. He realizes that he has to end this with one shot, or he will get outlasted. He pushed his opponent away and tried to gather distance to slash him with an overhead strike. The speed the ax moved was impressive, but… the ax user's eyes widened because he just realized he entered a trap. The swordsman smiled coldly as he exerted more of his superior A-rank strength, now capitalizing on the established gap in the defense.

The shimmering glint of the sword was the only thing the blonde man saw before his arm was severed. The screech that occurred right after that… was haunting for most.

A sound of crying was heard in the background and one individual in particular was staring at the sword user like a hawk, making the swordsman briefly shudder, which he promptly shrugged off.

A guard who just arrived, seeing the scene, yelled at the blonde:

"Aaron, what do you think you are doing?!"

The blonde simply arrogantly smirked and stated, "It was his fault for provoking me, he should know that A ranked members cannot be disrespected, especially by such trash"

"What's with your god complex, Aaron?! You are well aware of the Guild's rules, and what this entails! You will receive severe repercussions for today's action, all adventurers are precious and you just disabled one of them, you idiot!!", was the response that he received, by a beyond infuriated guard.

"Come with me!", the guard ordered.

"And just from where did you gather so much balls, slave? Who gave you the permission to order me around?", the guy coldly asked.

"Hey, stop being such a douchebag!"

"Yeah!"

"Boo!"

People clearly didn't like such a person, and for a moment forgot the huge power gap between them, and the fact that he is an A rank adventurer, and they... evidently are not.

The air changed. Fury. Permeating the air, coming from Aaron as he got interrupted AGAIN. While this would be enough to annoy a person with a short-fuse like Aaron, for some reason, a reaction was caused by plenty of factors present in the moment.

His eyes unnaturally but completely turned black, making up for a sinister scene.

"hOw dArE yOu TaLk iN mY PrEsenCe, ANTS", his voice demonically screeching, like chalk on a chalkboard.

He clearly didn't have the patience to have that question answered, as he rushed towards the people who booed him, just like a feral beast would.

"NO!", the guards screamed, but it was too late.

Aaron's sword was fully cocked, ready to commit a bloody massacre.

Most closed their eyes to not see the gruesome scene.

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Aaron's instincts out of nowhere blared beyond reason. He stopped his attack, not even being close to the target. His black eyes widening in confusion and something akin to temporary fear.

Everyone opened their eyes only to see Aaron stuck in place. They were terrified, but also confused about why he stopped.

In this brief silence, a sound made itself known.

The stone path was being stepped on by heavy footsteps. And whatever was making them.. is coming closer. They all slowly moved their attention to the source.

A truly massive bald man with a red spandex suit with black sections around the collar and legs. The white boots thumping down on the stone path, practically overpowering any other sound made. His iconic stare threatening to kill anyone by itself, the obsidian eyes not leaving Aaron for one moment.

Aaron, naturally, was paying full attention to this newcomer.

What he saw was some bald motherfucker who was beyond buff even for his own standards, but what he paid special attention to was the Adventurer card on his chest that stated that he was a B ranked adventurer. For a moment, he somehow actually felt fear, but that's just a B-ranker! Another weakling!

"sO, hOtsHoT, yOu WaNt tO SToP Me?", questioned Aaron with a massive sneer.

The scathing discomfort he felt in the presence of this person was wholly ignored by the state he was in, his fear gone completely.

Jiren merely glanced at the arrogant piece of shit, whose existence value was barely over 50 thousand, now tripled in quantity in this abhorrent state.

Sophie.

<<<Understood.

The target information:

Name: Aaron Smith

Gender: Male

Race: <|< ??? >|> Human

Age: 34

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Karma value: LV 20

Disaster Rank: Special A

Current Existence Points: 150,108

Maximum Existence Points: 150,108

Additional information: Matches the signature of full corruption, previously analyzed. Can not be returned to its previous state.

>>>

"Get lost, pest.", was the response to such a profile, without any ounce of hesitation or kindness present in the tone or conduct for that matter.

"HaHAhAHaHa! WoUld yOu lOok At tHe mOuTh Of THiS GuY?!", Aaron started laughing maniacally.

"..."

Aaron's demeanor suddenly changed from maniacal laughing into matching coldness, as he got ready to maul the bastard to death.

The people held their breath in unison, praying that the newcomer would defeat this crazy psychopath. Most in fact, managed to snap out of their fear trance and started to run from the situation.

Aaron jumped from his position like a feral beast, his sword supercharged with an eerie black aura.

Jiren simply stayed put.

*thump* *thump* *thump*

A thunderous noise akin to a heartbeat boomed through the air, as suddenly…

*CRACK* *SPLAT*

All Aaron's orifices imploded.

The raging swordsman vomited a bucket of blood, as he collapsed on one knee, his body on the brink of death. "w-WhAt dId yOu d-dO, yoU B-BaStaRd?!"

"Exercising restraint. Your resistance is futile, give up.", coldly commands Jiren.

"No… p-plEaSe…", he started before he abruptly moved to "DO IT MORE!! hEhEhEheHe. YoU iDiOt, tHiS wiLl oNlY mAkE mE StrOngeR!!!", as he suddenly was enveloped in a black mist and all of his wounds regenerated like they were never there.

Current Existence Points: 170,321

Current Existence Points: 213,415

Current Existence Points: 345,768

Jiren merely cocked his non-existent eyebrows, acknowledging this feature of these vermin, to avoid prolonged fights with them in the future, particularly in case there's an actual threat.

"Growth in power after taking substantial damage? A familiar trait.", Jiren states after noticing the similarities between the Saiyan's growth in battle and this mongrel's growth.

"tHaTs rIgHt! AnD yOu cAnT dO nOthiNg aBouIt iT! DIEEE!", he screeches as he gets ready to attack, now with increased vigor.

Without any warning, Jiren was next to him with a fiery golden ball in hand, aimed at the opponent's stomach area. "Presumptuous."

Before Aaron could even react, he was hurled in the air at untrackable speeds.

Jiren turned his back, now facing the stunned people who froze mid run.

"It's over.

…

…

*BOOOOOM*

…

…

…

There was nothing left in the air, the target was vaporized.

A deafening silence ensued. One that broke into loud cheers.

"YEAAAAAAH!"

"YOU DID IT!"

"WOOHOO"

The guards had a totally different reaction. They were terrified beyond reason, this man just obliterated a beyond Rank A adventurer, with such ease!

"U-um.. sir. C-can you c-come with us?", the younger guard requested.

Usually guards would merely respect high ranked adventurers, and in special cases berate them if they break rules, but this man is at least S class! If A ranked adventurers were rare, S ranked ones were simply counted on one, maximum, two hands!

They received a simple stare that made them shudder after he turned around, mostly because of the previous situation and its implications.

"I understand.'', the intimidating adventurer calmly replies and awaits their movement in order to follow.

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One family in particular was staring at this event, with pure shock in their eyes. THEY JUST TALKED WITH THAT MONSTER? HE EVEN PLAYED WITH THEIR DAUGHTER!

One child in particular was shivering in excitement, his young impressionable mind bursting with inspiration. 'It's over.', so badass!

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