[Moments Later]
"Horrible! You're so horrible!"
"You really killed them? How disgusting! What a beast you are!"
"How could you do such a terrible thing?!"
Rey was met with reproach from the Elves the moment he stepped inside the barrier, causing his previously good mood to sour instantly.
'The hell...?' He clenched his teeth as he stared at them with stifled annoyance.
Ater had indeed informed him of the culture of the Elves and their no-kill policy. No matter how dire the situation was, Elves would never take another life.
It was a crime against Nature.
They viewed those who engaged in this act to be nothing more than beasts, so humans and the other races fell under this category. The only lives they were commanded to take were those of the Dragons, and the only reason they did so was because it was a declaration from the Oracle.
Everyone obeyed--no matter their disposition.
However, the Monsters that Rey mercilessly slaughtered weren't Dragons. They were an integral part of Nature, and he just prematurely deprived them of their lives.
In Elven Culture, that was unacceptable.
"They would have killed you, perhaps even me, if I didn't strike back. Yet you wanted me to spare them?"
"YES!"
Rey's quizzical expression only grew worse as he was further plunged into annoyance.
"Why?"
"Because Nature ought to be preserved. Those Monsters are unintelligent, like babies, so they have no real idea what they're doing. As the intelligent ones, it is our responsibility to be better."
"The fuck...?" Rey couldn't help but strongly disagree.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"So your excuse for not trying to kill the Monsters who would not hesitate to devour you, if given the chance, is that they don't know any better?"
"I-INDEED!"
"I find that dumb and idiotic." Rey bluntly responded to the group as he walked past them, facing his fortress.
"H-HEY! Those are the rules of the Community."
Pausing, then turning back to look at the Elves behind him, he sighed while giving his answer."Well, your rules are wrong."
The Elves gasped as they heard his words.
Never before had they heard that their rules were wrong. As a result of that, there was undoubtedly shock mixed in with the anger they felt upon hearing Rey speak so terribly of her people.
Rey noticed this and sighed even harder, shaking his head in the process.
'They really don't get it, huh?
Elves never took lives, and it was all for the balance of Nature. While this seemed altruistic and good at first glance, it was fraught with too many problems.
This attitude of the Elves would inevitably lead the population of Monsters to keep increasing while they did nothing to stop it. Eventually, the Monsters would overwhelm the Elves in both number and quality.
'And that's even scratching the Surface Level. There's also the major problem of EXP and Leveling UP.'
In this world, there was only one way to Level Up, and that was to get EXP.
Leveling Up granted set Stats that often determined who was stronger, and who was weaker. The problem was that EXP was needed to Level Up, and the higher one went, the more difficult it was to Level Up forward.
'EXP is most popularly obtained by killing things with EXP in them, which allows the killer to Level Up. That's the kind of world we live in.
It seemed like everyone was able to accept that fact except the Elves.
'Their current Levels fluctuate between 30-50. I'm guessing the higher their Levels are, the older they are. It's why I took Deli, and not any of the other girls, and made Emil disguise as her.'
It wasn't that aging increased the Levels of the Elves, but rather... the EXP accrued over time.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})'While it's very hard, EXP can also be gained by learning new things or working hard in a particular field. Even if you've never killed in your entire life, if you participate in enough new activities and obtain fresh experiences from them, your EXP will shoot up.'
The process could also improve Stats without the need to Level Up. In essence, it was a slow-burn, but legitimate means to grow.
'Elves live a very long life, so it isn't strange that they use this method.' Still, Rey considered it to be highly inefficient and a severe waste of resources and time.
'Not only will they be lacking in good combat experience, but they could have become so much stronger if they just actively pursued it.'
This was why he considered the rules stupid!
Esme was a Half Elf, yet the way she was able to grow so strong in such a limited span of time was enough to convince Rey that the Elves were simply nerfing themselves for no good reason at all.
Their rules were simply dumb.
"Your respect for Nature is arbitrary." He said, walking further towards the Tower.
The moment they heard this, all forty-seven of the Elves flared up—though Emil pretended to, since she couldn't do it.
"What do you know?!"
"How dare you say that, ungrateful wench!"
"Why are we even talking to you?!"
As he heard them call him all sorts of names, Rey was tempted to once again cause them to tremble and beg before him, but he chose not to.
By using Zone Layering on himself, he could prevent his smell from traveling beyond the close range himself. Using Sound Magic, he could still convey his words to the Elves, so the layered effect didn't affect his ability to communicate.
As a result of this elaborate method, none of the Elves fainted even when they were so close to him.
"Look, if you respect Nature, then grow stronger. That's how Nature truly operates." He told them with cold eyes.
As his gaze pierced theirs, beads of sweat formed on their faces and they immediately fell silent.
"Unless you grow strong enough… you will lose everything." He began, his tone grim as his voice remained solemn. "That is a promise."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})It was only a matter of time that the Monster Horde overflowed and made it to their Community. Perhaps they had ways to deal with the incursion of Monsters, but with the Dragon War at hand, the number of disposable Elves had to be considered.
Sooner or later, they would be ransacked by the monsters.
"The reason you all lost to me is because you're weak. It's because of that very reason that those Monsters would have killed and eaten you."
The faces of the Young Ones paled as Rey told them the harsh truth, though many of them shook their heads as he spoke.
They didn't agree.
"Nature is dog eat dog. Monsters kill people and other Monsters, so you are permitted to kill Monsters."
If no one did, the Monsters would only grow stronger—until they devoured everything.
"N-no… no I don't agree…"
"Y-you can't be right!"
"We believe Big Sis! The Elders are correct!"
"The rules are never wrong!"
The Elves seemed to be reciting something as they all objected to Rey's words.
"Monsters don't know any better. We have to be better… we are Elves, servants of Nature. We aren't savages…"
Rey shook his head and sighed. Clearly, this was a waste of time for everyone.
Yet… YET…!
'I don't want to let this one go!'
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Thanks for reading!
