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Ruler Vol 6 Chapter 25

Author: Anit666

Editor: Weasalopes

【Sam’s POV】

⟦Then you’ll pay me in ‘information’.⟧

⟦Were you not listening to what I said before?⟧

⟦Oh, I did, don’t worry. What I meant by that is that you’ll give me information necessary to allow me to continue my life unhindered in this world.⟧

⟦What does that mean?⟧

⟦It’s simple; if I ask you something that isn’t related to that Grand Plan of yours, you answer me. My questions will mostly include the identities of people and my relationship with them.⟧

Would be weird if I didn’t even know the people who greet me regularly.

⟦Hmm… I can get behind that.⟧

⟦Perfect. For starters, why don’t you tell me about my relationship with Phiria?⟧

⟦Phiria is the woman who loves you, and the woman you, or dare I say, NA Sam, loved.⟧

⟦So they were in a relationship? Interesting.⟧

What I find the most amusing is that NA Sam was able to love; a version of Sam was finally able to feel a genuine emotion.

⟦It’s a bit more complicated than that.⟧

Wut?

⟦Don’t tell me that they are still not aware of each other’s feelings?⟧

NA Sam would have to be the densest motherfucker- wait, isn’t Phiria rather verbose about her love for him? I mean, she proclaimed herself to be my lover when I asked who she was.

What was the problem then?

⟦Sam never allowed Phiria to know that he loved her.⟧

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

A Sam was finally able to feel genuine emotions; he was finally able to truly love someone, and he chose to hide his feelings even though they could be the gateway to making him a proper human?

What the hell was he planning? Were his end goals truly greater than that chance at self-growth?

What made him give up our dream of one day truly understanding someone?

⟦Yes, yes they were.⟧

⟦And I suppose you won’t be revealing them to me because they are a part of your Grand Plan.⟧

⟦Precisely.⟧

Hmm.

⟦Does that mean you’ll tell me the reasons behind NA Sam’s actions when you feel I’m ready?⟧

⟦Well, yes, but why are you so interested?⟧

⟦Because it is a choice Samuel Hayden should never have made. But he did, and I do know that he wouldn’t have made it without a reason. I simply want to know that.⟧

I want to know that no matter the cost. Just what was it that made him give up on our greatest, and perhaps our only, desire?

⟦I see.⟧ I once again felt Maxwell cupping his chin.

⟦So, when will I be ready?⟧

Or rather, what do I have to do to make him feel that I’m prepared to handle the truth?

⟦How about this? I’ll give you some tasks and you will have to complete them.⟧

⟦And my performance will determine whether I’m ready or not.⟧

⟦Exactly.⟧

⟦Alright, then. Give me the task.⟧

I suppose I might as well have some fun while uncovering a part of my personality that I never knew about.

⟦Give me some time. I need to organise some things.⟧

⟦Alright.⟧

Let’s focus on my so-called lover for now.

Which makes me wonder; exactly how should I treat her? There was a version of me that truly loved her, but I am not he.

It would be safe to assume that the two versions are so different that she would not view me in the same way as she saw NA Sam.

So I suppose the safest bet would be to treat her like a normal acquaintance.

“Ah, but wait!” Phiria hurriedly stopped me. “Please let me examine you.”

Huh, this brain’s processing powers are phenomenal. I can actually process data faster than Quantum Computers and have long conversations in a millionth of a second.

I dunno what NA Sam was doing, but boy oh boy, were his exploits fruitful.

“Sure, go ahead.”

She seemed too worried about the body. I guess she doesn’t want anything to happen to the body of her beloved.

“Please take off your clothes.”

“Okay.”

Time for a One Night Stand, except that my partner would just examine my body so it’s not actually a One Night Stand.

I heeded her words and took off my fantasy-like clothes (I don’t know what they were called) and was immediately greeted with a surprising sight.

“Phiria, remind me to buy some bio-oil for all these scars.”

Adorning my well-built body were several scars. Some were clean, straight lines, suggesting that they were the leftovers from blade wounds, while others were rough, probably the trophies from my victories against monsters.

The more surprising thing was my body itself. It had well defined muscles, complete with a set of 8 pack abs, but I wasn’t bulky; it was lean and supple. Along with the scars, it gave off a charm that many women would find hard to resist.

Huh, did I actually just sexualize myself? Wow, that is peak narcissism.

My muscles rippled with each of my movements and moved as if they had a mind of their own; they almost seemed… inhuman.

⟦You actually thought you were a human?⟧ Maxwell chuckled.

⟦Okay, first of all, stop reading my thoughts. Secondly, no one just wakes up and thinks, ‘Oh, I may no longer be a human’.⟧

There was no incentive to make me consider the possibility that I may no longer be a human. My body looked and felt the same as before after all.

But if I’m not a human, then what am I?

A monster who has taken on a humanoid form?

Hmm, what if NA Sam had undergone body modification to turn into a monster? What if such radical changes also affected his mind thus allowing him to fall in love? What if the reason he gave on becoming a complete human was because he had become a monster?

⟦Hold your horses there.⟧ Maxwell sighed. ⟦Sam has been called a monster by more people than he’d like to admit, but not for the reasons you believe.⟧

By telling me to hold my horses, is he asking me to be stable?

⟦Oh? Then what’s up with this body?⟧

⟦Sam is still technically a human, but his body has gone through so much training and upgrades that it has become entirely different from a human’s body.⟧

⟦Wow.⟧

I’m now even more interested in what kind of life he led. What did he go through that he ended up becoming one of the top dogs of this Universe?

⟦You’ll get your answers in due time.⟧

⟦Stop reading my thoughts goddamnit!⟧

Have you ever heard of the concept called ‘Private Space’? Every person has it, and they want it to be respected.

⟦Hmm, hmm, sure.⟧

⟦Ugh, this is nuts.⟧

“I can hide them, if you want.” Phiria brought me back from the conversation I was having in my mind.

“Hmm, forget it. I like them.”

Scars are said to be trophies of battles, and no one likes losing their trophies, do they?

“So do I.” She giggled. “Anyway, it doesn’t seem like you’re hurt anywhere.”

By which she probably means NA Sam’s body.

Hmm, it’s actually weird to call my previous version NA Sam, because almost anyone would translate it as ‘Not Applicable Sam’.

From now, I’ll call him Ex-Sam.

⟦At least you have some naming sense.⟧ Simone grumbled.

⟦Thank you for the compliment.⟧

“Thank God- no wait, thank you. Because, you know, you’re a Goddess.”

“Haha, you’re right.” Her efface finally brightened; only a bit though.

“So, um, can you stop that?”

“Huh? Oh.” She hastily retreated her hand.

She was actually tracing her fingers along my sensual muscles, paying close attention to the scars. While kind of spicy, it was still weird.

“It’s just that… it’s been a really long time since I was able to touch Sam’s body like this.”

Ouch.

“I see.” I nodded. “Well, I don’t mind either way. I’m just a guest in this body.”

“You seem really composed about this whole ordeal.” She cutely tilted her head.

“Well, what can I say? I just find this whole thing highly amusing. Besides, I’ve been told that Ex-Sam will be coming back soon.”

“That he definitely will.” She smiled slightly.

“Really?”

“Yup.” On her face blossomed a beautiful smile. “That’s just the kind of person he is.”

Alright, this woman is definitely love struck.

⟦Told you.⟧

“However.” She continued. “Do you not want to continue your existence? If your memories return, you’ll lose the current you, you know?”

That’s a nice question actually, and potentially a probing one. In case I do express a desire to maintain the current status quo, she’ll probably lock me up until my memories return.

This poses another interesting question though. When I had my memories, I was Sam. But after losing my memories, I’m still Sam, albeit a different one. In case my memories return, or should I say, in case Ex-Sam does return, what will happen to me?

Would I lose the current me? Or will I merge into Ex-Sam?

I want to know the answer to that.

“Not at all.”

“Really? Why?”

Wut?

“What do you mean ‘why’? I just don’t. There’s no complicated reason behind it. I simply have no desire to cling on to my life.”

“…What?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Think about it. Let’s say I manage to keep my current identity. Then what? I guess I could amuse myself with my newfound powers and position, but I would have no tangible goal or ambition. It would be pointless.”

“Is that really how you think?”

“Yup. I’d rather just sleep eternally than struggle for a meaningless cause.”

It’d be too much of a trouble than it’s actually worth, especially for an ambitionless person like me. Not to mention that since I- no, since Ex-Sam is someone who stands at the top of this Universe, I should be immortal.

And immortality is gonna be a hard pass from me, chief.

“Hmm, you really are different from the Sam I know. He is the most ambitious man I’ve ever seen. You’re nothing like him.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” She puffed her chest a bit.

“But I’m still Sam.”

“As if-”

“Just a version you don’t know. And you claim to be my lover.”

⟦You fucking idiot!⟧

⟦This man is so dead.⟧

Eh?