Reverend Insanity
As I watched the demon with the corner of my eye , I couldn't help but remember my arguably short life.
My family was the epitome of middle class.
My parents were caring .
I wasn't bullied at school or anything like that.
I wasn't too dumb or exceedingly smart .
I didn't look bad nor was I very handsome .
I had some friends .
I even had a dog (Damn , I already miss you Leo)
Overall, I was a very ordinary kid. But that's neither here nor there .
No no no , my REAL life started when I realized I didn't HAVE to be that way.
That I could be whatever I wanted .
That true greatness is EARNED, not given, and it can only be earned through sweat and blood and tears .
I used to like anime and through that I started reading manga and then manhua and then novels.
You know , the weeb staircase.
And then I found it.
A gem unlike any other .
A masterpiece beyond my wildest dreams...
It shattered the shackles that were already encroaching my mind...
It allowed me to understand...
That wealth is merely a hoarding addiction .
That the attention we seek shall fade all the same.
What men and women ? It's merely primal desires .
Reputation? It's merely bullshit people spew about you , carrying the stench of depravity.
I saw an ordinary man challenge talent , tradition , luck and even fate itself with only perseverance, wit and ruthlessness as his weapons.
I saw a man climbing out of the ordinary abyss with nothing but hard work and dedication .
I saw him fight with all his being for what he wanted , and I realized....
....What am I compared to that? I have no purpose, no will , no strength.
Why can't I be like that ?
And the answer was simple. I could. But I had to be prepared to pay the price.
That was the day I was born anew.
The day I realized that my time is limited .
The day I decided to chase my dreams.
Through countless hours I have strengthened my will .
I learned as much as I physically could.
I trained to exhaustion .
I read all the books on self improvement I could find .
I learned to understand and manipulate people.
I learned how think like a winner and how to learn from loss. How to retain information and how to fight a war (thank you Sun Tzu you rap god you)
Sure , I burned out countless times and I relapsed into my bad habits way more than I thought I would. I failed again...and again...and again.
But that's ok .
I understood long ago that the only difference between winners and losers...is that winners get back up.
Fast forward a few years and I'm in med school, wanting to learn how the human body works to maybe help develop some synthetic organs or some such.
Then I go to bed one night and poof , Avada Kadavra, I'm in hell. I only remember going to sleep...
Quite the surreal experience, huh?
It's all right though. I made up my mind long ago that while I may be killed some day , by nature or by fellow men , I shall never be defeated .
***Whoosh* *Crack*
Umm , why is the demon angrily snapping his whip?
"Why are you grinning, human?"
Oh , Ohhhh. Was I grinning?
Well I guess I was.
This whole thing is just setting in you know.
I'm in a fictional place , sooo if I make a few ,,logical,, leaps (since logic has long been dead it seems ) , maybe....just maybe other fictional places may be real too.
That's quite an interesting and scary thought isn't it? Sooo much new stuff to learn.
***Whoosh* *Crack*
Ouch , that hurt. What an angry demon . Why can't I have my deranged laugh in peace? I'm even moving the rocks all the time. Speaking of which, these are fucking heavy .
I don't have a watch but It must have been more than an hour since the red dude spawned. My muscles are very very sore and it's getting worse.
It's only a matter of time until I collapse from exhaustion...maybe. If my soul body theory is correct, than I can't really ,,collapse,, physically in this place. I bet I can't even sleep or fall unconscious. Wouldn't be much of a punishment if I can sleep for most of the time , no?
Anyway, more tests are needed. Do I regenerate or will I just take damage until I'm nothing but a pile of goo on the ground ?
***Whoosh* *Crack
Fuck , I'm getting slower . I'm gonna get another whip sooner rather than later. Pain tolerance training for the win , wooo. Maybe I can learn to enjoy it?
Would that be a sin?
Does sinning here add to my punishment?
So many questions I need answers to. And I only have Mr demon to ask.
For some reason I am all alone with my warden.
In the middle of nowhere...
There is no living being I can see or hear around us. Except for a few demons appearing and disappearing randomly like they are endermen (are we sure this is not a Minecraft Isekai) .
And no , the gigantic bugs don't count.
Those are abominations and I won't even look at them as they fly around. But maybe they can be tamed? They must have more complex brains than those on earth....
No no , no flying bug mounts , bad idea bad.
***Whoosh* *Crack*
Fuuuuuuuuuuu, it stings like hell (hehe) but why do I feel more revigorated?
Oh.
Ooh .
HEALING WHIP !
Awesome , 10/10 would visit again if I was a masochist. Cool torture ideea . Work till exhaustion and then get whipped to regain energy following even more work. The perfect cycle. I bow before you great architects of hell.
Truly fabulous.
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Only later would I find out just how wrong I was...