The contemplation Cassian had over killing lingered as he continued down the path, facing only a few more monsters—five in total. Four of them were mutated boars, and one was a creature called a forest dog, which had dark green fur that helped it blend seamlessly with the forest, making ambush attacks easier. When its ambush failed, however, it was weaker than the boars, and Cassian managed to kill it within minutes, though he still ended up with shallow claw wounds.
Without a mage in their group, Cassian couldn't heal quickly. Dallas and Cassandra carried a few healing elixirs, but they were for emergencies, so he had to bear the sting of these injuries as they slowly healed.
The pain kept reminding him why he wanted to become a warrior—to avoid forced pain. But did that mean he could inflict pain on others if they tried to hurt him? He didn't have the answer; while he didn't want to suffer, he wasn't sure he wanted to make others suffer either.
As he mulled over his thoughts, Cassian turned to Cassandra. She had grown unexpectedly warm toward him since their accidental meeting at Rose Veno. Initially, he suspected she had ulterior motives, but now he saw her as kind-hearted. And being Lumine's sister—his friend—made the idea of any hidden agenda seem even less likely.
When Cassian voiced his question, Cassandra smiled knowingly. "I see your problem. You don't want to be selfish; you don't want to do to others what you wouldn't want done to you." She hit the nail on the head, and Cassian nodded. She continued, "But, Cassian, the world isn't as selfless as you are. The truth is, we all live by a certain degree of selfishness, including me. And in a world , it's okay to be a little selfish."
Dallas, who had been listening, chimed in with her perspective. "The best you can aim for is to be less selfish than others. If you don't want to inflict pain, that's fine—as long as you're not trying to become some saint. But for warriors, pain fuels our growth. Whether we're taking it or giving it, that's just the reality of our path."
Cassandra nodded, agreeing with her companions. "Dallas is right—you can't be entirely selfless. And honestly, you're not, so don't feel pressured to be overly selfless either. We warriors who seek power are, by nature, somewhat selfish. The difference is that good people are less selfish than evil ones. So be a good one: be less selfish, and only inflict pain on those who truly deserve it."
"Inflict pain on those who deserve it…" Cassian murmured, and he felt a bit of relief wash over him, as if a weight had lifted. Yet it didn't fully resolve his lingering doubts about killing mana beasts. They were just animals, thriving in the forest to grow stronger—it wasn't as though they deserved to suffer.
"But what about the monsters I killed? They didn't deserve it, right?" Cassian asked, still visibly troubled.
Dallas looked a bit frustrated, while Cassandra offered a sympathetic smile. She understood his struggle and wanted to help him find some sense in it—not just to answer his question but because, for a Circle warrior, unwavering belief in oneself and one's values was essential. Second-guessing could halt progress, sometimes even cause a warrior to weaken rapidly.
Cassandra didn't want that kind of doubt to take root in him. Despite her original intent to learn more about him, as a high-ranked Circle warrior, she felt a sense of responsibility to guide Cassian, who was something of a junior to her.
After a brief pause, she said, "No, they didn't deserve it in the way you might think." She sighed, then added, "But remember, human rules don't apply to these monsters. The jungle has only one rule: there are no rules. It's survival, pure and simple. Those creatures lived by that, just as you did in defeating them—so don't worry too much over it."
Though it didn't exactly justify killing them, Cassian realized that, like Cassandra said, he, too, had his own selfish reasons. Thinking of it that way made him feel lighter and clearer. Looking out the carriage window, he murmured, "Then I guess I won't mind being a little selfish from now on."
Cassandra smiled at his words, and so did Dallas. Just then, Cassian was surprised by a system notification popping up.
[New Skill Progression Achieved]
[Sword Mastery: leveled Up from Apprentice Lv2 to Apprentice Lv4]
The notification took him by surprise. He'd only managed to raise the skill by one level after sparring with numerous people, yet now it had jumped by two levels for reasons he couldn't fully understand—he didn't feel he'd improved that much.
Still, he welcomed it. Smiling, he opened his status screen to check his progress.
[Name : Trainee Cassian ven dyke
Warrior level : Trainee
[System function : Training field (available)
Swords mastery : Apprentice Lv4
Half Body Massage Mastery : Lv2(83/500) ]
[Accepted task : Path of the Gladiator (Completed), Beginner Monster Slayer (5/10), The Skilled Masseur(0/10)]
[Training points : 21]
His status screen had grown significantly more detailed since the beginning, now including sections for tasks and training points. A few of his attributes had also increased, though he'd nearly reached his biological limit in most areas. The only attribute he felt he could still boost was Endurance. He had a few ideas on how to raise Endurance, but as for Intelligence, he was clueless. Vitality and other attributes could also be improved with nutritional elixirs and supplements, but unfortunately, Cassian wasn't exactly wealthy.
"How much farther until we reach the village? And what's it called?" Cassian asked, smiling and feeling more at ease after working through his thoughts.
Dallas shot him an annoyed glare and said, "Thanks to someone, we're still half a day away!"
"And the village is called Surock," Cassandra added as Cassian gave a sheepish smile, knowing Dallas had a point. They'd been delayed because he kept stopping to fight monsters along the way. He still wanted to challenge more, but he figured he'd wait for the journey back to avoid causing any more delays.