John raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear this verbal trial, one that could potentially be his doom, asked open ended questions like this. He had expected the questions to be questions with only one correct answer, but this question was an opinion based one.
'Maybe the test is to see if you are compatible with becoming an assassin,' John thought, then frowned. 'Even if I figure out the correct answers, this chair's formation Qi has already fully invaded my body. I'm not sure what it looks for, but the figure before me was quite certain that it would detect truths and lies with absolute certainty, and that lying is akin to failure. If that's the case, then I can only answer truthfully, and hope it's acceptable. If not, and I fail…well then, it seems like I'll be fighting my way out of here.'
"Power," John answered without hesitation after making up his mind.
To him, power was everything. Power was the ability to protect himself, and also those he cared about. With enough power, he could return to his homeworld and kill the Asura, freeing the world from that terrible creature's grasp. The Asura had more power than him, and thus had forced him to flee to this new world to escape its grasp. His lack of power had caused this, and had also caused those nearby to sacrifice themselves to keep him alive.
With power, he could explore this universe, and could find out the truth about his real parents. To him, power was everything.
"Power?" the figure said. "Elaborate. Power can mean many things."
"Strength. Might. I want to stand at the pinnacle of the martial world," John said firmly, clearly explaining his meanings.
The featureless figure remained silent for a while.
"Your answer is truthful, and acceptable."
…
"Hoh, good answer," the Guildmaster mused after hearing John's answer. The Prime Shadow nodded his head with satisfaction as well.
"It is a very good answer indeed," the Prime Shadow agreed. "Only with power can one control their fate, and the fate of those around them. An assassin should always seek power, as power is the only certain way to achieve their goals."
"I've seen the list of acceptable answers, and they are quite reasonable," the Guildmaster said, "but found it to be quite narrow at the same time. Of those who made it to this trial, how many perished to this question?"
"Out of all the trials, this question was the safest statistically," the Prime Shadow said, thinking back to the answers he had heard in the past. "Only three failed to answer this question correctly. If I recall, one coveted world domination, one coveted women to the point of salaciousness and ignoring the wills of the women he coveted, and the third coveted murder. That one was the most surprising. The youth only wanted to kill, regardless of if the target deserved it or not. All he wanted to do was wantonly slaughter to his heart's desire."
The Prime Shadow shook his head while sighing.
"That last one was a pity," he said softly. "That boy was one of the most talented youths I had ever seen, and also had the true killing heart of an assassin. Unfortunately, that killing heart was just a bit too intense, and allowing one like that to grow in this world would have led to a calamity."
"What was your answer?" the Prime Shadow asked, a curious look on his face. "I can't recall it."
The Guildmaster's face turned slightly red from embarrassment, as if he were recalling an embarrassing memory.
"You already know the answer, you old fart," the Guildmaster grumbled. "You're just trying to get me to say it out loud again."
ƥandasnovel.com "No, I really can't remember," the Prime Shadow shrugged, a thoughtful look on his face. "Remind this old man, your master, of your answer."
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login