[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-advent-of-the-three-calamities":3,"chapter-advent-of-the-three-calamities-advent-of-the-three-calamities-chapter-495":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Advent of the Three Calamities",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},758930,1005,"Chapter 495: Obsessions [1]","advent-of-the-three-calamities-chapter-495",495,"\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growl~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard the loud and fearsome growl of the monster in the distance and hurriedly looked at the two books in front of me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Just what is he trying to do?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>....I still couldn't understand what the old man was trying to do. Was he trying to teach us or did he have another agenda?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He did say this will help us, but...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking towards the distance, I felt a little skeptical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How was defeating a monster going to help me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It looks like I don't really have a choice, do I?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw no way out of this place unless I defeated the monster. This was some sort of weird space that the old man had created. There was no way I could break it unless I followed his instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which book should I use?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I alternated my gaze between the two books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Fast to learn, but brings a lot of pain, or slow to learn, but no pain.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer felt almost automatic to me. I didn't think once before choosing the red book; Fasts to learn, but brings a lot of pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I can handle pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of this much, I was certain of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ukh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first page turned, a sudden and intense wave of pain washed over me, nearly overwhelming my senses. It was so painful that I almost felt my entire body freeze from the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'How could...!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I bit my lower lip hard, the metallic taste of iron filling my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is ridiculous-\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cra Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My bones cracked, and I felt my body shifting. An intense surge of mana erupted from deep within me, flooding through every fiber of my being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could hardly breathe, let alone think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All I knew was the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain consumed every corner of my mind, shifting from the searing agony of burning alive to the sharp, concentrated pain akin to a knife's stab. I endured every imaginable pain I could think of as power surged through my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Endured, and endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, I flipped the pages. With each page I flipped, the more painful the experience became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hands moved faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kh-!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'When does this stop?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The agony seemed endless. No matter how much I endured, the pain only intensified, growing stronger with each passing second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Akh-\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite my high mental fortitude, I found myself screaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found this baffling, yet it was beyond my control. My body simply reacted on its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'No, no... This is too much!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"S-stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to stop it, but it wouldn't stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I screamed again, but no words came out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had lost my voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain had completely taken over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Ah, this...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was suddenly overcome with despair. This pain... I had to make it stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growl~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then I heard it. The monster in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Right, so long as I defeat it...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking down, I saw that I had only managed to turn ten pages but I thought this was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uwaa!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a moment's hesitation, I sprinted towards the distant monster. As I drew closer, I caught a glimpse of the creature hiding in the darkness-a grotesque monster with two large goat horns, massive arms, and an enormous, dark body. Its head resembled that of a goat but its body was more like that of a gorilla.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a weird creature, but I couldn't care less about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I charged directly at the creature, channeling all the power I had accumulated from reading the red book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cra Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body crackled and howled, as threads erupted from all directions, each glinting with a\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>faint purple light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black film expanded from beneath me at the same time, consuming the surroundings as my\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>domain expanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I became even stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahhh-!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I attacked the monster with all I had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pa!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As my fist landed on its body, the expected reaction didn't occur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking up and staring at the monster's body which was unharmed, I felt a lump form in my\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster raised its large arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, shi-\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My world turned black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"-it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hua!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least, until I woke up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haa... Haa...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding onto my chest, I hastily looked around. I was back in the cave and my body was fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What just-\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You died.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man looked at me, his expression filled with disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You hardly even lasted a few seconds against it. I thought you were talented but you don't\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>really seem to amounting to much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And here I thought I'd get to have a few people to talk to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whatever, I'll just resign myself to the fact that there's no hope for me. I'll turn into a\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>puppet knowing that three other idiots will soon join me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his words, I stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was feeling quite annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is just my first try. I didn't think the pain would be this much. Just give me time to get\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>used to it. I'll get used to it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man clicked his tongue and shook his head, mumbling to himself, 'Disappointing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How disappointing.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fueled by my growing anger, I immediately moved towards the books and grabbed the red\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'You think I can't do it?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thing I took immense pride in was my ability to endure pain. Failure on the first attempt didn't matter; it likely happened because I approached the monster too hastily. I needed to\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>gather more power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to suffer more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'... Yes, I need to suffer more.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened the book and clenched my teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"M-more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm hungry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"....Please give me some food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My brother is... dying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"H-help.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait a second, make a line. I have plenty of food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All Kaelion could see were hands. They reached out to him in all directions. Begging,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>pleading, and imploring him for food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hands...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all young children, their clothes tattered and their cheeks hollow. Their lifeless\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>eyes mirrored the hardships of their lives, evoking memories Kaelion had desperately tried to\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>bury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Help, them. I have to help them...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaelion took out whatever food he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Make a line. I've got plenty of food.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but even though he had food, it wasn't enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were too many children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he feed so many of them...?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'No, this can't go on.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Kaelion sold all his most prized possessions to buy more food. He used it to feed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the poor children, seeing in them a reflection of his own past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For how long had they starved?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once endured nearly twenty days without food. The memory of that agony was still\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>vivid in his mind—the gnawing emptiness in his stomach, the lack of energy, and the haze\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that blurred his perception of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world felt gray, and time seemed endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The children in front of him were the representation of his past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of his suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands started to move faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eat well, there's plenty of food for everyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaelion continued to feed the children. It was an endless cycle that only came to a stop when\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The no longer had anything to sell besides his clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He... had already sold everything he owned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, the children remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there no more food?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah... I guess I was too late.\" \"My family...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm hungry.\" Kaelion covered his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, I...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to say he had more food, but he didn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...And he was also hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still, he couldn't care less about himself. He had to find a way to feed the children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, after a little bit of thought, Kaelion made a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was going to start robbing the rich.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They're rich anyways. What does it matter if they have a little bit less gold? They're the reason why\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the children are poor, to begin with. It's time for them to give back to the community.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Kaelion's life as a thief began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He robbed from the rich and used the wealth to feed the poor. \"Here, there's plenty of food for everyone to eat. Come, everyone. Eat at your heart's\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>content!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing more fulfilling for Kaelion than seeing the children eating happily. It was\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>enough to make his cold heart smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actions had consequences, and Kaelion learned this the hard way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A-ah, this...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coming back one day to feed the children again, he was met with a sea of blood. Limbs\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>scattered across the ground as faces Kaelion had grown familiar with appeared lifeless on the\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ground. Seeing the carpet of red that formed on the ground and the corpses of the children on\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the ground, Kaelion lost it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Falling to his knees, his eyes lost focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled the memories of the children and their smiles as he handed them food. For once,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he had given them hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, it also became clear to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How could...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than giving them hope, he had taken their life away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drip, drip-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rain drizzled from above as two figures stood in the downpour. The soft patter of raindrops\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>mingled with the silence between them, the taller man looking down at the younger one. The world around them blurred into a gray haze as Caius kept his head lowered. \"Repeat after me, I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>am afraid of pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Say it-\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words flowed smoothly out of Caius's mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was accustomed to saying those words. It was only natural for them to flow from his\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>mouth without much thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, and...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slaps that came along with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good, now say it again. On repeat. Over and over again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain.\" \"Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain.\" \"Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Caius repeated each phrase over and over again, he found himself realizing something. 'I\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>am indeed a talentless shit with no emotions.' The more he said the words the more he\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>realized the truth in them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He indeed had no emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had lost them the moment he lost to Julien.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All to run away from the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that regard, his words held some merits to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm a talentless shit with no emotions. I got rid of my emotions because I am afraid of pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Was indeed a talentless trash with no emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing within the white void, three projections appeared before the old man. He shook his\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>head upon seeing Julien, a look of deep disappointment crossing his features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His mental fortitude is quite strong, but his obsession is greater.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man shook his head once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...How saddening.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the rate he was going, he wasn't going to last very long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn't just him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at the two other projections, the old man shook his head again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Idiots. They're three idiots.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest idiots he had ever seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Argh ! I can't watch this farce any longer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a wave of his hand, everything shattered, and with soft 'thuds,' Kaelion, Caius, and\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julien collapsed to the ground, finding themselves back in the old man's room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at them, the old man clicked his tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've wasted enough energy on you three today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He checked the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reset will happen soon. Get some sleep and recover yourselves for now. We'll continue this\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>next time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without giving them a chance to speak, the old man walked over to his bed and pulled a blanket over himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within seconds of closing his eyes, he...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uarrrkh-!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...began snoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His snores were so loud that the entire room shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, neither three of them managed to sleep more than a few minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, his snores were way too loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ueeekrh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",2067,"2026-06-02T12:40:56.143Z",1,"novelbin.me","0778d44600cbb64045c05340c32352d5f89cd640529c02f9f005dbdee57157c4","advent-of-the-three-calamities-chapter-496","advent-of-the-three-calamities-chapter-494",876,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fadvent-of-the-three-calamities-cover.jpg"]