217 Worthy? Am I Not Worthy?
This was the first time that Cao Mao had ever heard that he had a designated alignment.
However, that was not important. What mattered the most was the warning from the system.
'How is my alignment status? Can you show me?'
Ding
--
Current Alignment
Lawful Good 0%
Neutral Good 0%
Chaotic Good 10%
Lawful Neutral 0%
True Neutral 0%
Chaotic Neutral 90%
Lawful Evil 0%
Neutral Evil 0%
Chaotic Evil 0%
--
The system menu showed a 3x3-square image, which displayed the map of his alignment. A red star, which represented Cao Mao, was marked at the center of the right middle square, a bit closer to the upper box, which belonged to the Chaotic Good's zone.
Just now, his action and emotion had influenced his alignment to move closer to the Chaotic Good's zone, which was a popular alignment of anti-hero protagonists.
'Well, shit. What should I do to maintain my neutral status?'
Being neutral in this world was the best since he could stay out of the protagonist and villain's radar. Furthermore, he could befriend both of them as necessary.
Ding
\u003cYour alignment is based on your actions, decisions, and mindset throughout the campaign quests.\u003e
\u003cEvery action and encounter will influence your alignment standing. For example, if you keep associating with Zhao Bao, your alignment will continue to move closer to the upper zone, the [Good] side.\u003e
\u003cHowever, if you side with evil cultivators, such as Xu Xiuying, Dong Zhongying, or Fu De, your alignment will move closer to the [Evil] side.\u003e
\u003cYou can choose to maintain your neutral alignment to stay clear from random conflicts, or you can take sides and enjoy the perks of being either a villain or a protagonist.\u003e
\u003cYour sponsor encourages you to become a villain. Being a villain is more enjoyable than being a lame and cliché protagonist.\u003e
\u003cIn short, join the dark side!\u003e
"…"
Cao Mao rolled his eyes. He almost retorted, "Are you my father, or what?"
While Cao Mao was checking his status menu, Zhao Bao had finished reciting the funeral sutra. He picked the spear, which had lost the quality of a heaven-grade weapon.
As it lost the element Qi and the soul it changed to a sky-grade weapon.
As soon as Zhao Bao touched the spear, his face changed. It grew heavier, but it was still manageable with his physical strength.
Zhao Bao laid the spear in front of the crying cat, "Young lady, I shall return your friend's remains to you."
Mao Xueyan gazed at the spear. She raised her paw, planning to turn it to ash, so nobody could defile her senior's corpse.
Mao Xueyan stopped sobbing, "You, the Viera boy."
"Ugh, me?" Xiao Yun pointed at his face, "Yes, miss cat. What can I do for you?"
"Try lifting the spear."
"???"
Xiao Yun hesitated at first, but he reached for the spear anyway.
Cao Mao and the other two children gazed at Xiao Yun and Mao Xueyan in confusion. Earlier, six strong men had to carry the spear and the sealed container here. Therefore, the spear should be too heavy for a child.
On the other hand, Zhao Bao grinned as if he understood something.
Xiao Yun grabbed the spear shaft and lifted it. Then, he waved it around.
"Wow! It's so light!"
Everyone: "…"
Cao Mao frowned as he had a feeling that this setting was similar to a protagonist's awakening arc. He walked toward Xiao Yun, "Is it that light? May I see it?"
Xiao Yun smiled and passed the spear, "Sure."
Cao Mao took the spear from the rabbit boy. But as soon as Xiao Yun let go of his hand, Cao Mao felt like someone had dropped a 1,000kg Olympic barbell on to his hands.
"!!!"
Fortunately, Cao Mao's physical strength and grip strength had been refined by the Orc King's bloodline and several types of element Qi. He managed to lift the spear with some difficulty, but he hurt his back in the process.
"Are you sure this is light?"
Xiao Yun tilted his head, "It's light to me…"
The monk laughed as he enjoyed the reaction of Cao Mao. He turned to Mao Xueyan, "Lord of the forest, was your friend the Naga King?"
Mao Xueyan snorted, "Yes. He was the king of the Twin Serpent Tribe."
Cao Mao and the three children were out of the loop. They blankly gazed at the two nascent soul experts.
The monk turned to the children and Cao Mao, "Ah, this monk shall explain. The Twin Serpent's tribesmen were one of the few races able to cultivate element Qi since birth. Still, they're different from the Viera Tribe since they store their element Qi in their bones and fangs. Once they die, their element Qi usually disappears and their bones become heavier over time. However, fellow beastmen or a worthy one can use these bones as their weapons without being affected by the weight."
"A 'worthy one'?" Cao Mao's face twitched as he instinctively thought of Mjolnir from a certain movie and mythology.
He didn't care if he wasn't worthy since he had committed so many crimes in the previous world and this world. Cao Mao would lie if he claimed to be a good person.
As for the two other children, they flocked around the spear.
"Why? Can it truly only be lifted by the worthy one? You and that man lifted it, so doesn't that mean you're worthy, too?"
Zhao Bao laughed, "Of course not. We were only able to lift it because of our superior physical strength. In Xiao Yun's case, he's special."
Hearing that Xiao Yun was special, the boys begged Zhao Bao to test their strength, too.
"Can I try?" Xiao Fei wiggled his tail, looking forward to testing his abilities.
Xiao Xin also wanted to prove that he was above Xiao Yun, "Me, too! I'm stronger than Yun, so I should be able to lift it, too!"
"Haha! Go ahead," Zhao Bao let them test their affinity as they had asked.
For the sake of safety, Zhao Bao and Cao Mao laid the spear on the ground and allowed the boys to lift it.
Xiao Fei got to try it first. Like a power-lifting bodybuilder, the imp boy pulled it off the ground with a dead-lifting technique. Still, his hands were shaking.
In the end, Xiao Fei had to drop it.
"It's so heavy!"
Zhao Bao laughed, "You did well. If you can move it to that extent, your future is already bright. Although you're not as worthy as Xiao Yun, you can still refine your mindset and character. One day, you'll be able to swing it around with one hand!"
"Really!?"
"Of course!"
"Then, I'll work harder!"
Seeing the excitement of his colleagues, Xiao Xin was jealous. He reached for the spear with his left hand, planning to impress everyone by using only one arm.
Betraying his expectation, the spear didn't move an inch.
"NNN!"
Xiao Xin grabbed it with both hands and tried to lift it off the ground.
Nevertheless, it didn't move. It was so heavy that his palms began to hurt.
"Impossible!"
Xiao Xin persisted and kept trying. For 10 minutes, he struggled to move the spear.
Ultimately, the ex-beggar failed.
Xiao Xin was infuriated. He turned to Zhao Bao as he wanted an explanation, "How am I not worthy!?"
The monk sighed, "Being worthy can mean many things. First, your heart must be as pure as a transparent crystal and your mind must be as tranquil as calm water. Secondly, you must prove through your action that you're an honorable person. If you did something wrong in the past and you haven't redeemed yourself, you won't be deemed worthy."
"That's impossible! I'm the Chosen One! I'm stronger than them, and I'm more talented than them! How come I can't lift it?"
The monk gave Xiao Xin a sympathetic look. The boy had become too arrogant after he got a bit of power, an issue for many like him.
While Zhao Bao was thinking about how he could educate this arrogant disciple, Cao Mao made a move.
As Cao Mao could read the monk's expression, he decided to give Zhao Bao a hand, planning to make the monk owe him a favor. Besides, this was a golden chance to test something about his alignment.
Cao Mao walked toward Xiao Xin, "Oi, stinky brat!"
"What?"
PEOK
Cao Mao kicked the kid to the gut. Of course, he held back his strength.
The boy was sent flying and his back hit the ceiling before he fell on the floor, face first.
After the impact, Xiao Xin vomited his previous meal and coughed. His saliva and puke mixed together, sending a foul odor in the room.
"…"
Zhao Bao widened his eyes, but he didn't intervene. He simply watched and observed what Cao Mao was trying to do by beating his disciple in front of him.
"Xiao Xin, right? Tell me, if you're so talented, can you use the [Force]?"
The beggar boy didn't answer. He was still shocked by the pain and the impact.
Like an asshole, Cao Mao seized the boy's hair and pulled it up, so he could look at Xiao Xin's face, "When a senior is talking to you, pay attention and answer properly!"
Xiao Xin glared at Cao Mao with hatred. He spat, aiming at the latter's face.
Cao Mao's pseudo aura barrier blocked the yellowish spit. He sneered and slapped Xiao Xin's face with the other hand.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m