Strongest Hammer God

Chapter 1159: Friends

ʼEven as a Primal, Manny was already like this,ʼ Kyle thought. ʼWas anything he told me about his past true? He gave me a couple of stories about how he has changed as a person, but as far as I can see, his personality was already set.ʼ

ʼI donʼt think I know anything about Mannyʼs life. I donʼt know how he joined this mysterious Organization, and I donʼt know when he digested his own inheritance.ʼ

By watching Mannyʼs Karma, Kyle could see how Manny viewed him.

Manny viewed Kyle as a useful ally. He could tell that Kyle was pretty talented and that he was quite honest with other people. As long as he treated him honestly, the chances of betrayal would be low.

From the very beginning, Manny played the long game. He had acted like an annoying idiot to lower Kyleʼs expectations of him. He did that so that his future improvements would have greater weight.

Then, Kyle saw the man again when he freed his past self from the newly formed Planet. The manʼs aura was still unreadable.

ʼThe ease with which he dealt with the Lordʼs Blessing shows that his power vastly surpasses the Lordʼs power. Iʼm 90% certain that heʼs a Demigod.ʼ

Kyle also saw Lara again. She had changed by quite a bit. She was no longer as proud or taciturn. She focused much more on growth and learning.

When Kyle watched himself rejecting Laraʼs covert advances, he sighed.

ʼI am here because of the choices Iʼve made in the past, but I still regret rejecting her. I shouldʼve just gone for it. Things would have changed, but they might not have changed for the worse.ʼ
ʼIʼm certain that I wouldnʼt be as powerful as I am right now, but is that truly so important? I am like a lonely but rich man. I have all of these resources and abilities, but I have no one I can share them with.ʼ

Eventually, Kyleʼs past self entered the Secondary Sector with his friends. His past self had been focusing on growing stronger, while everyone else had been working towards a common goal. Everyone knew each other very well, while Kyle was almost a stranger to them.

That was also when Fierce Breaker appeared. Fierce Breakerʼs aura was proud but damaged. He knew that he had the talent to become truly powerful, but he also knew that he wasnʼt living up to his potential. He knew there was a better way, but he also had difficulties accepting that his current way wasnʼt good enough.

Fierce Breaker was fiercely ambitious. Power was his primary goal and greatest motivation. Almost all of his positive emotions hinged on the speed of his growth and his total power.

ʼLater, I saw Fierce Breaker as a friend, but Iʼm not sure if he ever considered me a friend,ʼ Kyle thought. ʼWhen he noticed my power, he took me as his rival. His goal was to surpass me.ʼ

Kyle shook his head. ʼHow did I never notice that? He was constantly comparing himself to me and trying to catch up. He looked at what I did and tried to find a way to improve upon what I was doing. Swamp Dragon was following my footsteps, while Fierce Breaker was trying to predict my footsteps and take them first.ʼ

ʼUnfortunately, he never caught up. Instead, he fell further behind. This frustrated him immensely, and he started hating me. However, heʼs not someone without the ability to introspect. He knows where this anger and hatred come from, and instead of antagonizing me, he used it as fuel to surpass me.ʼ

Eventually, Kyle took on the identity of Azure Comet, and his friends worked together to support him yet again. Of course, all of them had their own goals in mind while supporting him.

Lara wanted to support Kyle for two reasons. She wanted to help him because she liked him, but she also knew that the group would benefit a lot as long as Kyle kept growing.

Swamp Dragon wanted to help Kyle because he viewed him as a genuine friend. Swamp Dragon hated traitors, and since he viewed Kyle as a friend, he would support him like a true friend. Of course, Swamp Dragon also wanted Kyle to grow stronger so that the group could keep growing.

Manny simply played along. He saw Kyle as a friend, but none of his decisions were based on that fact. By now, he could see Kyleʼs immense potential. He had judged Kyleʼs potential to be so great that it vastly outweighed his own worth.

There was a cruel reality to the value of selfless actions. When a poor person donated five silver coins, half of their savings, to a charity, they were seen as an altruistic and kind person. When a rich person donated 20 gold coins, 0.01% of their liquid funds, to a charity, they were often not seen as an altruistic and kind person. Yet, the poor personʼs donation could only buy food for an orphanage for a day, while the rich personʼs donation could create a second orphanage. In the end, the rich personʼs contributions had a far greater impact than the poor personʼs contributions.

That was why Manny supported Kyle. He knew that Kyle wasnʼt nearly as selfless as he was. He knew that Kyle didnʼt put a lot of value on the greater good. Yet, the mere altruistic whim of a Demigod had a far greater effect on the world than an Ascendant who dedicated their life to improving the world.

In Mannyʼs mind, as long as Kyleʼs positive actions outweighed his negative actions, he would contribute more to the world than Manny himself.

Fierce Breaker just went with the flow. This was a good group, and as long as the group kept growing, he would grow. Since the other three wanted to support Kyle, he would do the same thing.

Eventually, Kyle saw Sebastian again. His demeanor hadnʼt changed since they had parted in the Tertiary World, but his aura had changed quite a bit. He had gotten over his past family, and he was essentially enjoying the single life. He was working on his power and could finally spend time with his best friend. One could say that Sebastianʼs aura represented a person who was ready to party.

Some time later, the group gathered again after Kyle had unveiled his true loyalties.

Lara was deeply hurt and felt betrayed. In truth, she hadnʼt accepted Kyleʼs invitation because she saw him as a friend. She just knew that being around Kyle would help her grow stronger. However, deep inside, she felt rage and betrayal whenever she looked at Kyle. She also still liked him, but she hated the fact that she still liked him. She felt like she shouldnʼt, but she still did.

Fierce Breaker didnʼt care. Kyle was powerful, and he wanted to keep competing with him.

Naturally, Manny hadnʼt even been surprised about the revelation. It seemed like he had already known about Kyleʼs allegiance, and it hadnʼt changed a thing.

Sebastian was just here to have fun and go on an adventure.

Swamp Dragon...

When Kyle saw Swamp Dragonʼs aura, he released a deep breath.

ʼI didnʼt know I had such an effect on him...ʼ

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