Chapter 303 ā The Weight of a Race
"You will die." Echidnaās words were spontaneous.
There was no hesitation, not even doubt.
Noah was, honestly, a little bit surprised by how unwavering she was in her answer. She had seen how powerful he had become and how fast he could improve.
So what made her think he couldnāt conquer Hell in its entirety?
He asked the question.
"Why is that?"
Echidna looked at him with her eyebrow raised, as if not truly understanding how he dared ask such a question.
"First of all, you might be at World Dominator Rank, but inside Hell there are many more at that same rankāand even higher. But thatās not the main reason I said you will die."
Her voice took on a darker, tenser tone.
"How will you fight against a Progenitor?" she asked.
Noah still didnāt say anything, he just listened attentively.
"I donāt know if youāre aware of their existence or not, but if you think that with not even a hundred years of existence, and only at World Dominator Rank, you can go against a Progenitor..."
At this, Echidna couldnāt help but smile at the ridiculousness of Noahās question.
"...then youāre sincerely mistaken about all this. Thereās a fundamental difference between a Progenitor and one who isnāt. And believe me, itās not a small difference."
Noah nodded softly, then,
"So only a Progenitor can go against one?" he asked.
Echidna nodded. "Yes."
Noah smiled faintly. "I see. Thanks for these answers then. But I wonder... what makes a Progenitor so... special? Besides the fact they are the beginning of an entire race, of course."
Echidna shrugged tensely, her lips curling into a despicable smile.
"Do you expect me to know such knowledge with my current status? Heh." She lightly scoffed at the end, now feeling even disdain for herself.
"I donāt know what makes them special, but thereās at least one thing I knowāor rather something everyone with enough power knows..."
"...the only way to have a chance to win against a Progenitor is to kill all the beings in his race without exception. Only then will you fight him on the same ground. Otherwise... you will feel the weight of an entire race every time he strikes during the battle." She finished, then fell silent as she looked toward the far crimson sky of Anyaās domain, her expression dark.
The very fact of speaking about such a high level of power made her feel bad. Because she realized how small she was... even after reaching a height many across the entire universe would dream of.
But did she really care about that? After all, does it matter if you possess something others would kill to have... if there are still so many things you donāt yet?
Power, wealth, influence, recognition, talent...
She wanted more and more of it every day andā
Isnāt that our life of today?
People generally look at what they lack... but not at what they already have.
They grow jealous over others who have more than them ā just like how Echidna became jealous of Noah ā without even taking into consideration what they have over others.
Unfortunately ā or rather fortunately ā life doesnāt work like that.
If life gave you something and you looked at it with disdain instead of gratitude... then you wonāt have anything better than that.
Thatās a fact.
The same way a human can come to you with the beauty of his heart and gift you somethingābut you look at it with disdain and say, "I would have preferred..."
Tell me, do you think that human will come back to gift you something again?
If you think yes... then youāre a fool.
So, the matter is simple at the end of the day:
Be grateful.
Only those who are will have more.
But...be grateful and add to that the will to work hard for what you want to achieve, without feeling jealous over the results of others.
Thatās the key.
Thatās... a worthy philosophy to follow in this wretched but temporary life where at the end of the day... nothing matters once youāre under the hard soil.
Isnāt that right?
But again, Iām digressing...
We were talking about how Echidna felt about her situation... how she felt small despite everything she had achieved.
Noah saw her expression and lightly shook his head.
"Everything can be obtained in this universe where the Records reward the daring," Noah suddenly spoke.
"Especially for you, with your not so-ordinary lineage, you can achieve many things... if you just changed how you view reality."
He turned his head towards her.
"You wonāt progress if you only think about what you lack. Take what you have, study them, be grateful for them, and see a day where you elevate themāeither by direct upgrade or a complete transformation of it." He said, then fell silent, letting her drown in her own thoughts.
He only wanted to help, not only because he couldnāt bear seeing such a being act like she had nothing or had achieved nothing just because stronger beings existed but also because he needed her.
And he didnāt need someone with a shaky mindset.
Echidna was in deep thought after Noahās words. She could sense the meaning behind them... but she still couldnāt truly understand.
It felt like something was blocking her from that state of understanding...that state of enlightenment.
Frustration started to bubble inside her heart, but she did her best to calm down. Finally, she turned her head back toward Noah and smiled awkwardly.
"Iāll keep those words in mind..." she said softly before falling silent.
Noah nodded slightly and continued to look at the horizon while gently caressing Lucie on his lap.
Soon, silence enveloped the surroundings. Even the lightning above the crimson sky refused to strike again, afraid of disturbing the Absoluteās tranquility.
This tranquil scene continued for a while, with Echidna squirming in unease on her seat until Noah spoke again.
"You have potential. Just start looking inward... and stop comparing yourself to others...."
He turned his head to her and smiled.
"Comparison is the thief of joy, after all."
"Iāll call you back the next time I decide what to do with Hell. In the meantime..."
"...evolve. And be better. Not easy to do, I get it. But you have to."
Immediately after his words, Noah let go of the control he had over time around them and instantly, Echidna transformed into a black light and disappeared from Laeh. Her time had expired.
Noah stayed silent for a moment, remembering all that had just been said, before slowly getting up, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Lucie, are you interested in seeing how I torture someone who dared to touch one of mine?" he said suddenly, making Lucie tilt her head in confusion.
But he only smiled.
It was time to teach that disgusting rapist a lesson... and ease the mind of his dear and silent mother-in-law.
āEnd of Chapter 303ā