MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 889: Just Because I Can

Aaaninja shook his head. With a single thought, the River of Time reverted to its natural state, the countless images and the life of the First Supreme Monarch that had been playing before him dissolving into nothingness. He had watched the Dragon’s life unfold all the way up until this very moment, until the instant the Dragon had asked for a fragment of his Time.

With another thought, Aaaninja’s consciousness slipped away from the River of Time entirely. His rainbow-colored, clock-like eyes snapped open, immediately focusing on the Dragon before him, their depth reflecting an unfathomable passage of eras.

“Since you have nothing to exchange for the knowledge,” Aaaninja said calmly, his voice carrying an effortless ease, “I will give it to you for free.”

Those words tore the First Supreme Monarch out of his spiraling thoughts. His golden, ringed eyes snapped toward Aaaninja as though struck by lightning. For a brief moment, he genuinely believed his hearing had failed him. His eyes widened as he stared at the handsome boy standing before him, disbelief written plainly across his expression.

He couldn’t understand it. He truly couldn’t. Nothing was free, this was a law that transcended planets, galaxies, and even races. Everyone understood this simple truth. Yet the Celestial before him was offering something priceless, something beyond measure, without asking for anything in return.

Normally, one would hide such knowledge, hoard it jealously to preserve their uniqueness and superiority. Knowledge was power, and power was meant to be monopolized. But Aaaninja found such lines of thought narrow-minded, useless, and frankly stupid.

If one was truly special, then they were special, simple and absolute. Even if their secret techniques were exposed to the world, it would not change that fact. Others would still be unable to replicate or wield them properly. Talent, comprehension, and destiny were not things that could be copied so easily.

The same logic applied here.

Aaaninja had no reason to hide his knowledge. He was confident, utterly so. Even if the Dragon were given access to everything he knew, the Dragon would never surpass him, neither now nor in the future.

Giving a pig a supreme technique did not suddenly allow it to defy the heavens and become a god. Of course, Aaaninja was not calling the Dragon before him a pig, it was merely an example. Besides, he had no intention of handing over all of his knowledge.

He wasn’t running a charity foundation.

Yes, he would help the First Supreme Monarch, but only to a certain extent. Still, that extent was more than enough to shatter the walls holding the Dragon back and allow him to progress far beyond his current limits.

Aaaninja was not a stingy man. If he could help, then he would. There was no need to hoard everything for himself. Besides, those born with a Time affinity were exceedingly rare. Helping one of them could be considered, in some small way, as aiding a fellow kin.

“Why?” the First Supreme Monarch finally asked, staring at Aaaninja intently. He still couldn’t bring himself to believe that someone would give up such profound knowledge freely. If he were in Aaaninja’s position, would he make the same decision? He didn’t know. And that uncertainty unsettled him.

“Just because I can, and want to,” Aaaninja replied plainly, his tone flat and honest. There was no grand reason behind his choice, no hidden agenda.

He had merely looked into the River of Time to confirm the kind of man the First Supreme Monarch was. After all, he would never help someone foolish or idiotic. Aaaninja had no intention of wasting his time on such people.

Nor would he help someone simply because they were humble. Humility was not a bargaining chip, it was a basic virtue, something one was supposed to possess naturally. In truth, Aaaninja helped because he could, and because doing so cost him nothing.

Of course, the Dragon was not a saint. But Aaaninja didn’t particularly care. Nobody was a saint, not even himself. After all, during the Starborn Tournament, in his battle against Anthony, he had once traveled back through Time into Anthony’s timeline with the intention of killing him while he was still a baby, not even a year old.

The First Supreme Monarch fell silent. After a moment, he lowered himself, his massive frame bending as he dropped to his knees. His head touched the moon’s surface as he spoke in a low, sincere voice.

“Thank you.”

“Sure,” Aaaninja replied calmly. A small smile appeared on his lips, only to vanish in the very next instant. He retrieved a massive memory crystal and began transferring an enormous amount of information from his mind into it.

Once finished, he gazed down at the kneeling First Supreme Monarch and tossed the crystal toward him. The Dragon caught it as though his life depended on it.

In truth, it did.

“Those contain my personal knowledge, starting from the most basic fundamentals,” Aaaninja explained evenly. “They will help strengthen your foundation and correct the mistakes you’ve made, especially the areas where your comprehension went astray.”

The First Supreme Monarch nodded slowly, staring at the massive memory crystal in his hands. He had no idea how long it would take him to fully assimilate, understand, and utilize the knowledge within. Though he was confident in his talent, he knew it would take a tremendous amount of time.

‘Luckily, I have a Time Dilation Chamber,’ he thought to himself, already planning to abuse it thoroughly. What might take Aaaninja a single day to learn could take him a month, if not longer.

“Thank you,” he said once more.

Aaaninja nodded, unsure of how else to respond. “I hope you make good use of it,” he said. “And if you ever meet others with a Time affinity, help them if you can.”

As he spoke, his body began to flicker, fading from reality as though Time itself was releasing him.

The First Supreme Monarch bowed deeply one final time. The moment Aaaninja vanished completely, the Dragon straightened his back, a massive grin spreading across his face, the smile he had been suppressing this entire time.

‘I should return immediately,’ he thought. He had no intention of flying back leisurely. The moment he returned, he would enter closed-door seclusion without delay.

Crushing a small orb in his hand, his figure vanished in a flash, the grin still etched onto his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this excited to train.

Aaaninja’s figure reappeared before Anthony and the rest of the group as though he had simply slipped through Time, as he always did.

“I’m back,” he said calmly.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: It’s Christmas, and this author didn’t receive a single gift or a super gift. This author feels betrayed… apologize to this author with a super gift (cries profusely).