Zeke was confused. Not included? As he tried to look for possible outcomes, he shivered. What if the deity sent him back to his d.a.m.ned world? What if he keeps me here with him? wouldn"t his life become boring again?Soon after that, the deity interrupted his line of thought.
[All of your thoughts are highly unlikely. As for transporting you back, that"s next to impossible. Not only would it cost more mana since you"re a foreign soul, but your soul might be damaged too. The teleportation is only one-way, after all. As for you staying here, I wouldn"t mind since I need a helper anyways, but do YOU want it?]
Hearing the deity mention all the bad scenarios as "highly unlikely", Zeke heaved a sigh of relief, but immediately after that, confusion hit him again.
"What are you saying? Then where will I go? Don"t tell me you"re just going to throw me to someplace?"
[That"s quite possible too. If you were impatient and a bit dumb, then I will really consider that. But, as I have read your thoughts, you seem to be pretty clever, quite rare in this world, and maybe even your world too.]
The Deity was slightly impressed by how the young boy in front of him thinks. His thoughts were one step ahead, no, maybe even two steps ahead from his peers. He asked about the cause of his transfer here while the other four only thought of this as a "game", where they only aim to be stronger. Their first question was similar to the lines of "Can I be powerful in here?" or "If I go here, can I be strong and intelligent too?". They can"t be blamed though, as they are still only teenagers that dreamt of being a superhero. For them, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to be one. Due to their excitement, they did not seem to understand their situation fully. They forgot about their life in their previous world, and they also seemed to forget about their relatives. Unlike the boy in front of them, they only cared to look forward, not even looking back to where they started. In other words, the other four were quite "narrow-minded".
The deity thought for a while before a bulb flicked in his head. He suddenly had an idea he thought of as "ingenious" and "killing two birds with a stone".
[I am quite intrigued by how you think, boy. Because of that, I have decided to give you a choice.]
Choice? Zeke"s eyes lit up. He"d rather pick his destiny himself rather than this old man. Now that he"d gotten his pick, he would certainly weigh the options and pick what"s most optimal or beneficial for his life. Zeke wanted to have a good and comfortable life, compared to his h.e.l.lish life in Earth. He was not like the other four, who only sought power and enjoyment. He preferred to take it slow and decide which course of action he"s going to take after he figured out the world. He thought of the other four as naive people, who make decisions on a whim and regret later. He prefers to understand the situation first before knowing what to do. Even if he"s going to regret later, he knows that it"ll completely be his fault for his future actions.
[First is the choice that should"ve happened. I can allow you to go with the other four to the Human Continent but the power that I"ll give you will be a bit weaker than the four. This is because the power that I gave them takes mana from the ritual. Their ritual is only for four people, so for you, I can only give a power that"s equivalent to the remnant mana. I don"t suggest picking this but I can"t stop you if you want to be with them. After all, they"re the only acquaintances you have in this world.]
The first choice, for Zeke, has its own ups and downs. If he is to go with them to the Human Continent, although a bit weaker, he"ll still get a power that"s almost equivalent to the other four. This also means that they were given power by the summoners which only means one thing: the summoners needed help. He doesn"t want to get ordered by people whom he didn"t know, and he also doesn"t want to start out too strong, as he will only get burdened by responsibilities as soon as he landed. He didn"t care about whether he"ll be with the other four. After all, Zeke didn"t know much of his cla.s.smates as they did him.
[The second one is your suggestion. You thought of me throwing you to some part of the world, right? I can happily oblige to that. But you must know that I am a virtuous and principle deity. I wouldn"t even do something that immoral unless you want me to. Sigh, if you want this old man to lose some face to the other deities, then go ahead and pick this. I promise I won"t bear a grudge.]
The deity puffed his chest. He looked like he was ready to throw his dignity if Zeke indeed picked this. Zeke was speechless, but he quickly saw through it. The deity"s guilt-tripping him into not picking this. He thought this old man was a serious and upright man. He didn"t think this old man to say shameless things. Zeke also wondered, "are this even equal choices?"
The deity then spoke in a very righteous tone, like a friend of a hero in a story that was to be sacrificed for the greater good.
[Third and your last choice, freedom! If you pick this choice, I will even agree to some of your conditions as long as I can fulfill it!]
[Now, young man, choose your entrance to this world!]