Episode 401

I had no friends. It was a sad realization, but looking back on my past life, it was undeniably true. Of course, if someone asked whether I had any close companions, I could name several people without hesitation. There were my senior brothers and senior sister, four of them in total. That was never a small number in anyone's life.

People often said that a life could be considered successful if you met even one person you truly trusted. I had met four. By that measure, my life was successful beyond measure. It was an extraordinarily fortunate life.

However, it was hard to think of these four as my friends. We were undeniably close, had spoken countless times, and felt comfortable around each other. Still, if asked whether we were friends, it wasn't like that.

What was the reason? What defined a friend in the first place, such that my seniors couldn't be considered my friends? Was it simply because they were my seniors?

It was a little different. The higher position had never mattered to me. In the first place, I wouldn't have beaten up my brother, Hector, if I was someone who cared about hierarchy.

Then was it reverence? Of course, I respected my seniors and what they did. It could be called trust.

Nevertheless, that was also different. Being friends with someone didn't mean you couldn't respect or revere them. If anything, the closer the relationship, the more important it became to respect them and maintain boundaries.

Then what was it? What made a friend a friend?

To find the answer, I had gone to my seniors one by one.

Senior Brother He Lou's expression had looked puzzled. "I'm not sure.To begin with, I don't even have many acquaintances."

Senior Sister Tian had subtly avoided giving a direct answer. "In my opinion, the demonic path isn't a path we walk together, but one I should walk alone.A comrade or a true friend? That would be a luxury for me."

Senior Brother Arang's voice had carried a bitter edge. "Regrettably, among all the models of my type, I am the only one who has survived to this day."

Finally, Third Senior Brother had listened to all of this and said, "Is that true?To think that my supposedly dependable fellow disciples are friendless recluses except for me..."

"Third Senior Brother, do you have many friends?" I had asked.

"Don't ask the obvious.It's too troublesome to answer.My list of friends has never dropped below one hundred people," he had replied.

"Oh..."

Then he had looked at me pitifully. "In any case, it's hard.Are you curious about the exact definition of a friend?People without friends usually ask me that."

"It is too much.Really."

I scolded Third Senior Brother in my memories and continued pondering the matter on my own.

One day, I found the answer: equality. Anyone hearing that conclusion would probably think I had lost my mind, but that was how I felt. I could only acknowledge someone as a friend if they were my equal in more than one aspect.

If someone asked me why I set such ridiculous conditions just to call someone a friend, I wouldn't be able to answer. Still, it didn't matter. Friendship was a relationship that could only form when both parties genuinely liked each other. In other words, it wasn't just me. The other person had the right to be just as picky.

My seniors and I weren't equals. More than that, I didn't want to become their equal. I had no desire to stand on the same level as them. If my seniors ever decided they wanted to treat me as a friend one day, I would be the one to refuse.

On the other hand, among the relationships I had built after regressing, there were a few people I could genuinely call friends. The first to come to mind was Mir, who had worked alongside me for quite a long time. The same was true for Prince Glenn at the academy. There was also Seren, someone reliable but difficult to grow close to. And if I stretched the definition a little, Evan probably counted too, although I had no idea where he was these days.

However, at that moment, I realized that it was difficult to call these four people friends.

Third Senior Brother had once said that friendship required something decisive.

"A friend is someone you can meet without making plans, do absolutely nothing with, and part ways from without any discomfort," Third Senior Brother had claimed.

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"It isn't nonsense, but the truth.Perhaps it's even a law of nature.When you are at your most pathetic, lazing around, you don't feel uncomfortable if your friend is lying next to you. That is what you call a true friend," he had said.

"Then am I your friend, Third Senior Brother?"

Back then, we skipped the training Bai Luguang ordered and lazed around near a spring on Spirit Mountain. The spring was neither especially large nor small. Both of us lay sprawled beside it, staring blankly into space. It almost felt as though we were experiencing the life of an otter drifting along the current.

"You are my younger brother," he had replied.

"What's the difference?"

Third Senior Brother had answered with a serious expression, "The oldest brother and younger brother bear different weights of responsibility on their shoulders.If the time comes when you have to bear that responsibility, you can step aside.I will handle it myself."

Immediately after Third Senior Brother said that, Bai Luguang rushed toward us and startled me. By then, however, Third Senior Brother had already vanished. In the end, Bai Luguang beat me up. Third Senior Brother was also caught while trying to flee and got beaten three times worse than I did.

In any case, I didn't completely agree with Third Senior Brother's opinion. Each person's view of friendship was different. Still, there was one thing I agreed with.

Was there anyone I met for private reasons rather than official business, someone I could spend time with comfortably regardless of work or mission? In that sense, the new acquaintances I made since my regression were more like comrades than friends. Therefore, I had no friends.

True to my nature, the topic had drifted off course again. I had one point to make. Even though I had shouted for Tantata to come play, I didn't really consider this monster my friend.

The dust that had risen everywhere subsided.

Snap!

The being revealed himself by trampling through the door, which already hung in tatters. "Oho, ohuhu, ohuhuhuhut!"

The moment I heard that distinctively unpleasant laughter, I cast aside the last doubts I had been holding onto.

It is Tantata. His appearance was different from last time, but this fellow was definitely the Green-Tongued Demon King, Tantata. Of course, it was strange that I still couldn't sense any Dark Qi from him.

His eyes, buried beneath layers of fat, looked around before settling on me.

How far does he intend to stretch the corners of his mouth?

Tantata smiled so widely that it almost reached his ears. Then he bounced excitedly in place. "You, it is you! You called me!"

"That's right."

"Ho, hohoho...!"

His reaction and the familiar way he spoke made it obvious that Leone's barrier had no effect on him. In other words, he had recognized me as Luan Badniker the moment he saw me. That realization convinced me completely. This was no ordinary being. He was a god of disaster, a figure said to be the very peak of the gods. Even in his imperfect condition, a barrier like this could never restrain him.

"Ohuhut, ohuhuhut! I-I'm rejoicing! W-we are reunited like this!"

The most curious thing was that Tantata paid little attention to my changed appearance or manner of speaking. What was the reason? Did he simply not consider humans important enough to notice such differences? Or perhaps he valued the essence, like the soul, more than the outward appearance?

Tantata said with a grin, "We-we had a lot of fun back then, didn't we? B-by the way, this isn't my city. To be reunited like this in the human world..."

He clasped his hands and twisted himself like a puppy desperate to pee. If I had had a weak stomach, I would have vomited on the spot.

"F-fate! This is fate! Ahhhh! I-I never thought this day would come!" His voice was ecstatic as he clapped his hands in delight.

Bang!Bang!

I felt like my ears were about to bleed. Watching him clap excitedly reminded me of what happened in Hell. The aftermath of those claps had reduced the surrounding area to powder. It had looked as though a typhoon had landed.

My ears still throbbed, but this performance was definitely weaker than what he had shown back then.

"T-there will be no interference today! Now! You asked me to play with you...? W-what should we play?"

Unexpectedly, Tantata asked me for my opinion first.

I briefly glanced at his bizarre appearance and enlarged frame. Then I suggested, "How about a chicken fight?"

"A-a chicken fight! That's good! Oho, ohohoho!" He immediately took a clumsy chicken-fight stance, and I hurriedly raised one leg to mirror him.

"I-I'll do it first...! Wait...!"

Thump!Thump!Thump!

The moment he jumped toward me, I couldn't help turning pale. It wasn't just because the sight of a man weighing at least 300 kilograms hopping on one leg was bizarre. Nor was it the revolting waves of flesh that rippled with every jump. Each time he landed, the entire tower trembled, and dust rained from the ceiling. If I exaggerated a little, it felt as though the whole tower was screaming.

Crazy. At that moment, I felt like I had chosen the wrong game. For some reason, I felt like this punishment building wouldn't last long if Tantata struck it.

I immediately started to blame someone else. Dark Pope, you son of a bitch.You said it would be difficult for him to control his body.

"Uh, uhhh, huuuuh?"

Tantata wobbled so unsteadily that it looked like he would collapse at any moment. A sharp crack echoed from his ankle, and he tilted in my direction of all places.

Why is he so big? This could be a slight exaggeration, but it felt like a chariot was barreling straight toward me.

I hurriedly twisted aside to avoid being crushed beneath Gustav.

"Oh my!" Tantata fell with an innocent-sounding cry, but the aftermath was anything but innocent.

A deafening roar rippled through the tower, as though a meteorite had struck it. Dust billowed into the air. The entire structure shook violently, on the verge of collapse, and I could barely keep my footing. It felt like a landslide crashing down around me.

Well, it's not a mountain collapsing. Should I call it a tower collapse instead? What nonsense am I even thinking? The tower has simply been half-destroyed.

I coughed violently and forced the dust invading my lungs back out. I wanted to wave away the thick cloud, but it was difficult while maintaining this chicken-fight posture.

I steadied myself to avoid falling, then waited for the dust to settle.

The moment my vision finally cleared, an empty sound escaped my lips. The relatively intact yet eerie top floor had become a complete wreck. The walls, floor, and ceiling had been torn apart. The magic crystals illuminating the space were cracked and flickering weakly. Most striking of all was the massive hole in the center where Gustav had fallen through.

I approached it and looked down. It was so dark that I couldn't see the bottom. For a moment, there was only the sound of falling dirt.

Then curses erupted from below the hole.

"What is this shit—"

"I thought I was dead!"

"What is going on now?"

"You guard bastards! What kind of new torture method is this?"

"Don't criminals have rights?"

"I asked for food, so you threw some rocks at me?"

For a moment, my mind went blank. Then a chill shot down my spine.

Shit. What happened was self-evident. When Tantata fell over just now, the punishment building had been half-destroyed. The confinement and security functions of the tower were ruined.

Should I deal with these guys first? The top floor could wait, but guards still remained in the tower. It was clear what would happen if I left the escaped prisoners alone.

My thoughts spiraled out of control, and I hurriedly took a step back.

Baaaaang!

The cracked, unstable floor flipped over once again, and a massive figure burst up from beneath it. It was Tantata. Like a dolphin leaping from the water, he landed heavily on the ground, his enormous frame moving with surprising grace despite its size.

"Voila—!"

Voila my ass. At first glance, he looked like a clown performing a trick. The best way to describe him was as a thick slab of meat impaled on a wooden skewer.

Then when I saw Tantata maintaining a surprisingly steady balance, I realized that the Dark Pope had made a mistake. Tantata was supporting his enlarged frame well with one weak leg.

By the way, didn't that ankle break earlier? I'm sure it had bent at a bizarre angle, but now it's fine again.

"Ha, haha...! Excuse me...! I'm back...!"

"Didn't you just fall?" I asked incredulously.

"T-that's right...! B-but my raised foot didn't touch the ground! I didn't lose my posture! T-then shall we start over?"

I sighed and looked at Tantata.

I need to finish it quickly. The atmosphere below was tense and chaotic. The prisoners had not gone on a rampage yet, but it was only a matter of time. I needed to defeat Tantata quickly and force the prisoners back into their cells.

Tantata's balance was better than I had expected, which caught me off guard, but he still had clear weaknesses I could exploit. The fact that he had just fallen while running around on his own proved it. In many ways, the guy was fundamentally unstable.

If I dodge the first attack and then hit him with my knees—

Unexpectedly, another incident occurred just as I reviewed my strategy. The lights flickered as if they were about to die out. Then I heard a sound, like something had blown.

An instant later, the surroundings plunged into darkness.

My expression stiffened. The entire tower had gone dark.

Inside the punishment building, stray sounds echoed through the darkness: stones falling somewhere in the distance, debris shifting, low creaks from unseen places. Among them, one sound stood out with unsettling clarity.

Tantata was boldly approaching me.

This is bullshit.Seriously. I gritted my teeth in the dark. The game had suddenly changed dramatically. What had started as a chicken fight had turned into a game of hide-and-seek.