Chapter 29: 28. The Primordial’s Coming

As soon as we descended, we found ourselves in a new hallway that was similar to the former two. Petra didn’t look pleased as she followed me, but defying me wasn’t an option.

The contract that she proposed had a clause that obliged us to help each other, but it had a requirement to be activated. One of us needed to be in a dire situation, for the other to help.

Since the penalties from the temple wouldn’t be applied until after the third phase, there was no immediate danger to Petra. It was true that I would be forced to help her to the best of my ability when her tutorial points get deducted, but that was my plan all along.

She may have wronged me in the past, but that didn’t necessarily mean that she had to die. I already got my revenge, and I decided to have a conversation with her through the corridor.

“Hey Petra,” she started shaking when I called her, “Do you remember that I can’t lie?”

She nodded and averted her gaze from me.

“Then, let me tell you something,” I said with a serious tone of voice, “Petra Lehmann was a horrible person, and she hurt others for her own sake. Many of them would seek revenge, and I was one of them.”

She tilted her head, as if in confusion.

“I am not willing to share too many details with you for now,” I said, “but I could say that I’ve experienced horrible stuff from this ‘Petra Lehmann’ person.”

She turned her face away from me and she shook her head, as if I was a crazy person.

“I’m pretty sure you hate me at this point, and that you’d slit my throat at the first opportunity,” I added, “When the tutorial is over, you’ll realize how bad your situation truly is.”

I took a deep breath, then said;

“If you’re interested in knowing the true reason for your punishment, you could contact me after the tutorial is over. My offer for a managerial position in my guild still stands, but you’d need to sign a strict contract with me.”

She didn’t react at all, and kept walking.

I had little hope that she’d start looking at her actions objectively, but I didn’t want to lose myself and turn into an evil being; a monster that would kill people for petty reasons.

This makes me remember a quote by a famous philosopher with a nihilistic point of view. I thought. Something about monsters and abysses.

The current contract had a time limit, and she’d be able to expose everything that I’ve told her at this point when the tutorial was over. That’s why I didn’t reveal anything about how she treated me in the future yet, as that would force me to talk about my origins as a time traveler.

The conversation died when I said my piece, and we kept walking until we reached another room. I entered it and ordered Petra to follow me. I would’ve told her to leave the temple if I had the choice, but our team would fail to clear it if one of us gave up.

I’ll just finish the next room as fast as possible, I thought.

The entrance closed as we passed through, and a large system screen appeared in front of us.

[Living beings detected!]

[Welcome to the Compassion Room, Hosts]

[This is an individual game. Hosts’ convictions and principles will be tested to the limits in this room. This is the third level of Quetzalcoatl’s Temple. The divine serpent was a pacifist. He taught his followers about the importance of morals and adhering to a set of principles, but he didn’t neglect to teach them about flexibility and independence of thought. His followers kept their peace for the first couple of generations, but their society fell apart due to the rigidity of the rulers. In the end, many people ran away from that place; a place where a poor kid would get executed for stealing a loaf of bread.]

 

[The challenge will start once you close your eyes.]

I looked at Petra; her eyes were closed already.

At least she knows that the best way to get away from me is clearing the temple as soon as possible, I thought.

“Just make sure not to kill any of them,” I said, “don’t listen to their bullshit.”

She nodded but kept her eyes closed. After seeing that she heard my order, I closed my eyes.

[Countdown: 00:00:10]

[This is the last challenge, think carefully before you act.]

 

After the countdown ended, my eyes opened automatically. I was inside a hazy room that was similar to the one that we’ve been inside, but the details around me weren’t sharp and fog surrounded me.

Petra was nowhere to be seen, but there were two creatures in front of me; each of them was bound to the ground with heavy chains. The one to my right looked like a white stallion, with two huge wings on its back; it was a Pegasus. The creature made muffled noises, and its wings flapped, but it couldn’t move at all.

The one to my left had a humanoid figure, but he was as tall as a human child. He had a masculine face, with two pointed horns on each side of his face. He was wearing a robe that hid most of his crimson skin. There were five claws on each of his hands instead of fingers, and he had a long tail with a pointy end. A grin was glued to his face despite his current predicament.

A Pegasus and an Imp, I thought. Classic creatures from legends and fables, but these are mere projections.

Suddenly, many system screens appeared in front of me. Each of them was in front of one of the creatures.

These two appeared in front of the crimson monster.

[Imps are the servants of demons, which are considered to be among the most malicious races by people!  The demons always caused mass destruction. They stole, raped, killed, and even burned entire villages for seemingly no reason. However, their actions are not meaningless! The Demon King knew of the Great Church’s plan to terrorize the world, and he was willing to pay any price to build a great weapon capable of opposing them! The purpose behind the endless massacres was to gather souls, to make a bomb that would wipe out the true enemies of mortals.]

 

[This is Arayel, an Imp (Uncommon).  He murdered many children, women, and elders. He gathered their souls and handed them over to his superiors for some mana stones.  His actions might be ruthless, but they’ll serve a noble purpose.]

 

And these system screens appeared in front of the Pegasus.

[Pegasi are the mounts of Angels, which are considered to be the symbol of benevolence for mortals!  The angels are followers of the Great Church, and they have no free will. They scout for talented fighters, to recruit them as White Knights. Promising them with great rewards, a guaranteed future for their families, and a Pegasus as a mount! The Pegasi would communicate with promising children, convincing them to join the Holy Order. The White Knights and their families all lose their will, becoming mindless puppets. People still believe the intentions of the Angels and the Pegasi to be good, as they give free food and rewards to the poor and the ones who praise their Lord. You are reading story System Dilemma at novel35.com The leader of the Great Church has an insidious plan, to spread his control and have an army of mindless followers. The last step of his plan is to have all his followers commit suicide, as he believes that the event would be funny.]

 

[This is Damas, a Pegasus (Uncommon).  He convinced many children to follow his order, and their lives improved considerably since they joined the Great Church. Some of them were orphans, and some were close to turning into criminals. Yet, he saved them from their harsh environment. His actions might seem benevolent, but they’ll have bad consequences.]

 

[Which one will you execute?]

 

A shiny white dagger appeared in front of me; it had beautiful patterns on its blade and many jewels on the handle.

A regular person will feel conflicted in this kind of situation, I thought.

No one knew whether the stories of these creatures were true or false and whether they were from the present or the past. Regular adventurers in my past life tried to search for the details, to no avail.

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was how I dealt with the two creatures.

According to the people who went through this temple, their reactions had been different to this room.

Some of them killed the Imp because its actions caused immediate pain to the victims, and spared the Pegasus as its actions improved the lives of poor children.

Others killed the Pegasus and spared the Imp because they put more emphasis on the long-term consequences.

However, both of these answers are false, I thought.

“I refuse to execute anyone,” I said out loud, as another system screen appeared in front of me.

[Congratulations, Host!]

[Host managed to clear this room! The host has all the traits of a true follower of the feathered serpent! The host is allowed to access the Treasury!]

 

[Host gained some tutorial points]

 

No one had the right to judge anyone else based on a random description or based on word of mouth, that’s the lesson that Quetzalcoatl was trying to teach.

I mean, it’s just a guess, I thought. He might be a true pacifist that spared everyone without thinking too much.

My eyes opened once more, and I saw Petra waiting in front of me. I was elated that she followed my previous order, and told her to follow me as I descended the stairs.

We walked through a corridor that was twice as long as the past ones before we arrived at the Treasury.

Finally, I’ve been waiting for a long while to enter this room, I thought as I smirked.

*

Sigh.

Projections of two fairies floated in front of me, waiting for my reply to their report. I sat on my throne, massaging the temples of my head using my index fingers.

That kid ‘Jason’ is getting more problematic as the time goes on, I thought. Not only does he have good prospects for the future, but he’s a bold person with no morals restricting him.

I was shocked to hear the way he treated his comrade, as she didn’t do anything to deserve the punishment. It wouldn’t have been as big of an issue if he was a regular mortal, but he’s a Glitcher on top of that.

“Why the sullen face, my Queen?” said a small fairy with feminine features.

I must’ve taken too long thinking about that person, as the fairies rarely interrupted my thoughts.

“No worries, child. I am just concerned about the state of the world from now on,” I said, “the Glitchers are too dangerous, and they might make a move against us anytime soon.”

“What’s so bad about them?” asked the fairy with a masculine face, “…Ouch!”

I saw Phaella pinching his forearm, as she apologized for the brazen behavior of her partner.

“It’s a good question, as you weren’t taught about them in the academy and higher beings like us avoid talking about them,” I replied with a smile as the little interaction between the small fairies brought me some joy.

I took a deep breath before I resumed speaking.

“Long ago, before the Greater One gave us the gift of the system, they used to be the only extraordinary people. They used their power to control everyone else, and their reign extended for a long while. They did horrible crimes, and regular people were afraid of them. Once the system appeared, they got overshadowed as the system conflicted with their natural powers.”

I told them the version of the story that was spread among the common folk, to avoid corrupting their thoughts. Many versions have been passed from one generation to the next, and some of them contained details that should’ve been hidden forever.

“Ah, alright!”, said Phillian, “Anything else, My Queen?”

I thought for a couple of seconds before making my decision; this person had to be exterminated before he leaves the tutorial. Many people are interested in protecting him, and that doesn’t add up with his background.

Something was fishy about him.

The elder ones told me to observe him, they gave me the authority to erase him if he seemed too dangerous.

“When the time is right, release the creature that is sealed inside the tutorial,” I told them with a serious tone of voice, “Protect everyone, except that Jason kid.”

“Wouldn’t that cause the tutorial to grow unstable?” asked Phaella, “isn’t the Primordial necessary? I thought that it was the source of the tutorial’s mana!”

The Elder Ones were the ones that sealed a Primordial inside each tutorial, and the creatures must be enraged after being used as batteries for many years. Whenever a tutorial was over, its Primordial would be transferred to feed another tutorial.

The monster would finish him off easily, and the elder ones would take care of the news. That mysterious deity wouldn’t be able to stand against the whole Pantheon if everyone agreed that an error occurred, leading to the release of a Primordial. The Elder Ones would seal the creature once more, and everything will go back to its normal state.

“I’ll give you permission to use your mana inside that tutorial iteration,” I said, “Don’t worry, the only thing you’d need to maintain would be the safe room.”

The two fairies bowed once more, and their three-dimensional projections disappeared from the room.

I giggled and stood from my throne; I needed to have some fun to relieve my stress.

That kid might be a little menace, but there are true monsters in this world and one of them is so close to him.

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