Hypocrisy

Because of the instant casting nature of the spell slots, I registered more spells that I thought were challenging to cast. Most of them were wide-scale offensive spells, but I also added some restraining and single-target spells.

A smile crept across my face as I watched the hovering screen in front of me.

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[Spells]

[Calamity Bringer] – 120s

[Void Bringer] – 60s

[Wide Range Explosion] – 30s

[Undead Hands] – 10s

[Special Arrow] – 10s

[?] [?] [?] [?] [?]

…

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Excitement didn't overwhelm me as I tried to recall more spells I could register. However, since I hadn't grasped everything I had learned before, I decided to take some time. There were plenty of classes and types of spells I could add in the future. For now, I was content with what I had registered.

Now, I was on my way to the town where the Ore Machine rested, Mining City. It was northwest of Duke Malakus's territory, and even with the use of the Boots of Aurora, it would take me a whole day to get there.

The reason most bandits weren't afraid of plundering travelers was the lack of stationed security. Not only that, but they were also far from civilization. This didn't stop them from robbing anyone they spotted.

I didn't need to be careful; I had the speed and the power to fight. But at the moment, I was thinking of possible ways to create a huge weapon, a giant metallic humanoid. Of course, it would take time to make one, but I had done this before, which is why I was collecting the artifacts that could help me build it.

As for remotely controlling it, I had the abilities of the Control Panel merged into the Assimilation System. This was why my cultivation base could show me data.

If possible, I would insert a spell caster artifact into the weapon I was planning to create. Although the location of that artifact was in another country, it wasn't a priority. I needed artifacts that would create the frame, enable it to move, and an alternative brain. Without these, it would be impossible to control remotely.

I activated the boots for the second time, and they didn't fail to amaze me once more. Activating them without even holding them made me happy. In the future, I could activate even better artifacts.

"Hey, is it possible to activate multiple artifacts that I have stored? Is there a limit on the number I can keep?" I asked my system while entering a dense forest. I needed to harvest mana cores from monsters; reaching the first level of the Green Stage didn't mean I could be complacent about my cultivation.

"You can activate multiple artifacts, Dear Host. But you can only keep artifacts depending on your cultivation stage. With your current stage, it is possible to store six artifacts."

Only six? That wasn't a big number, considering I already had three artifacts stored. So, for every three levels, I could keep one artifact.

I was still at the first level of the Green Stage, so it was reasonable that I didn't get extra space. Realizing this, I had to make sure my cultivation wouldn't be neglected.

Going to the next level wouldn't be a problem. I had Mana Gather, the necklace, and core stones I could harvest from monsters to support me, but there was this thing called a bottleneck, which was the limit of one's talent in cultivation. I still didn't know when I would reach it.

"Do you know what my bottleneck is?"

"I don't know, Dear Host. Even though your potential is vast, determining one's bottleneck depends on circumstances."

The system didn't know either. This shouldn't be a concern. Bottlenecks weren't impossible to overcome. I believed I had the determination to get through anything.

"Help! Help!" My ears twitched as I heard a woman's voice nearby. Finding someone in deep foliage was uncommon.

Without wasting time, I followed the direction of the voice. The sight before me startled me. A woman, cornered to a tree, faced a giant red Malevolent Bear. Its fur was crimson with spikes running along its back.

The bear had a menacing aura that seemed to push smaller monsters away from it. Even as a human, I felt its presence, but it didn't scare me.

Monsters in this world lived in forests, dungeons, and ruins. They feared civilizations and lived away from people. But when they had a chance to attack, they took it without hesitation.

I took out the second-hand dagger from my side, jumping silently onto the back of the monster. I expected blood to flow, but I was disappointed; the dagger wasn't sharp enough to cut through its fur and skin.

Earlier, it was about to eat the woman, but I managed to distract it.

"What is she doing here?" I grunted inwardly as I stepped back, expecting the monster to retaliate. My eyes fell on the woman who was shaking in fear, her knees giving out as she collapsed to the ground.

"Special Arrow!" I aimed at the monster's head, and an arrow formed from light appeared, shining as it went straight through the skull, immediately taking the monster's life.

I approached the carcass with the dagger that had been useless in the clash—or should I say in that one-sided fight? Nonetheless, I thrust it deeply into the chest, ignoring the resistance of the skin and the toughness of the meat.

Getting deep enough, I dipped my hand in and took out what I needed. Seeing the strong yellow hue of the core stone, a smile curled my lips as I stuffed it into my side pocket.

"Nasty," I muttered, clicking my tongue and wiping the red liquid staining my skin on the fur.

"Are you okay?" I asked the woman without looking at her.

"Yeah… Thank you…" Her voice was filled with fear and weakness. She needed help, but I couldn't offer it at the moment. I needed to reach Mining City before nighttime.

"Where are you from? What are you doing here?" I asked again, now facing her.

She seemed hesitant, lowering her head for a few seconds before forcing herself to meet my eyes as she stood.

"I came from the Ring City, journeying to Mining City."

"Mining City?" I paused. "You're lucky today because I'm going there too." But as soon as I finished speaking, a sigh escaped me.

Why did I even bother to think of helping this woman? It wasn't my problem why she was here. My goal was to save the world... eh, nevermind.

I almost let some of my hypocrisy show. That wasn't the right mindset. I should help people if their lives could be in danger, without a second thought!

Compromise. That's what I needed right now. I had to do it to get there on time. I still had things to prepare. A prototype should be ready in a month's time.

"How did you get here? I don't see any reason why you should be here," I asked.

"Well… I… am just a servant of a young master. When that monster attacked our carriage, I was tasked with getting its attention and running into the woods."

I clicked my tongue, realizing how horrible this young master she mentioned was. My eyes grew tired as I recalled someone who did the same thing to me in my previous life. It was back at the academy when I joined a party for the leaderboard, a ranking competition promising promotion to first-class.

"You wouldn't mind if I carry you on my back? I am in a hurry."