Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 322 Choice
In the boundless wilderness, a young man stood before the road.

Compared to a few years ago, the young man appeared more mature, having lost his childish naiveté and replaced it with youthful confidence and vitality in his eyes. He was tall, muscular, handsome, and strong. Even among the entire world, he was a rare and handsome man.

At this moment, the handsome man was touching his chin, lost in thought in front of the road.

Young people face two completely different paths.

A wide, flat road stretched out before you, its surface gleaming with flowers and gold. Beyond that road lay power, delicious food, love, pleasure… everything imaginable.

The other road was a rugged and difficult path, covered with thorns, where poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts lurked, and its end seemed almost indefinitely far away. Countless skeletons lay on the ground, all of them travelers who had failed to reach the end of that road.

Two paths lay before the young man, and he didn't know which one he should choose.

Just as the young man hesitated, two beams of light appeared, and from them emerged two noble goddesses. One was dignified and polite, with gentle eyes, and wore a pure white robe. The other was slender and alluring, with a confident smile.

"Hello, hesitant traveler, I am the Goddess of Happiness. At this crossroads in your life, it seems you are caught in a dilemma. Do you need me to enlighten you?"

The alluring woman raised her head and spoke to the young man with pride and confidence.

The young man, still in a daze, saw the goddess, but for some reason, he wasn't surprised; instead, he smiled.

"Ah, goddess of happiness, I am troubled about my future. If you could enlighten me, that would be the best thing."

The goddess of happiness smiled, and her smile was sweet.

“Alcides, behold, everyone should follow in my footsteps and walk on that light and happy path.”

"Look, we know very well your strength. Your power can defeat all enemies in the world. If you wish, you can have countless fine wines and delicacies. All kings should bow down to you, and the most beautiful woman in the world should become your wife."

"Believe in me, and believe in yourself, you can do all of this. You won't have to work or be tired; you'll have many, many friends and loved ones, and live a life of ease and happiness."

“Alcides, come with me. You don’t need to listen with your ears or look with your eyes. Follow me, and I will not burden you. You will live a very comfortable life.”

At this moment, another woman stepped forward. This elegant and dignified lady bowed politely to the young man.

“Alcides, my name is Glory, and some also call me Morality.”

“My dear friend, as pleasure…or what she calls happiness says, she is not lying to you; you can indeed get those things if you want them. But before you make your choice, allow me to show you another, completely different path.”

The serious and earnest goddess slightly raised her head.

“I am not like pleasure, my tongue is not eloquent, and I do not know how to lie. I must tell you, if you are to follow me, I will put you to the greatest test.”

"Only by sowing can one reap, and only through hardship can one grow."

"If you want to gain the respect of the world, you must become its benefactor. If you want to gain unparalleled fame, you must establish unparalleled achievements."

"You must endure countless hardships and accomplish countless great deeds before you can finally achieve the accomplishments that would excite any man and put the whole world in the palm of your hand."

"Come on, morality."

The goddess of pleasure, or as she called herself, the goddess of happiness, let out a mocking laugh.

"You have led him down a difficult and endless road."

"Look at the skeletons on that road. They were all once-renowned heroes. They listened to you and fought against ferocious beasts and monsters, fought on the battlefield, and ventured out to sea. But almost none of them were able to enjoy their old age in peace. They either died at the hands of their enemies, were devoured by sea monsters, or died silently in the desolate wilderness. Even those who were lucky enough to survive this terrible trial were left with nothing but wounds and illnesses, and the coughs of old age."

"They could have used their own strength to obtain a wonderful and happy life, to enjoy fine wine and food, power and beautiful women, and to sleep soundly. I would have led them onto a happy path. With their strength, they could have lived a happy life. But they gave up that comfortable and happy life simply because they listened to you."

As she spoke, the goddess of pleasure looked at the young man, brought her red lips close to his ear, and whispered something.

"Think about it, you were born so powerful, what couldn't you do? Why do you have to listen to that old-fashioned woman?"

"Believe me, if you want, you can do whatever you want. You can get everything you want and live a happy life. So what if you are a god? Whether it is a beautiful nymph in the forest or a noble goddess in the sky, they should kneel at your feet and kiss your toes. You should defeat all gods and men in the heavens and the earth and become the only ruler of the world."

“Alcides, mighty Alcides, you know, you possess this power, you've always known it. If you so desire, you can possess even that person…”

As he spoke, a picture of pleasure was presented to the young man.

In that future where pleasure is the hallmark of youth, the young run rampant on earth, and mortals are utterly powerless against such a force.

He had thousands of wives and concubines, mountains of treasure, and his enemies were all killed with a single arrow. The survivors could only groan in fear and tremble before him. But this was still not enough to satisfy the young man's desires.

He was an unprecedented demigod, a being even more powerful than the gods. His ambition was boundless, so he built the largest army in history, stormed Mount Olympus, and clashed with the gods. Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena were merely playthings in his hands, and even the mighty king of the gods was finally defeated and bowed down to him.

Finally, even God was defeated by him, and he sat high on the highest throne in the world, becoming the sole ruler.

All the beautiful women, all the treasures, all the power, everything belonged to him.

The whole world is chanting his name, the new God of War, the new King of Gods, the new Father of Gods.

In that future, the person he had longed for since childhood finally came before him.

That cold, pale face, that ever-present girlish appearance, that silent and noble figure, finally served beside his throne, begging for his mercy.

The young man's breathing seemed to slow down by half a beat.

He was moved.

Everything in the world, everything a man dreams of and longs for, is right before his eyes; who wouldn't be tempted?

Just as the young man's resolve wavered, pleasure-seeking words kept whispering in his ear.

“Alcides, you know you can do all of this if you want to.”

But just then, another voice rang out. "Alcides, is this really what you wanted?"

The moral gaze held a hint of pity.

"You possess immense power, and you can certainly use it to do whatever you want, but is this truly what you desire?"

"Pleasure, you make people's desires endless, so that once they have it, they want more."

"Even when they are full, they still want to eat more, making themselves bloated and fat; they drink fine wine and keep drinking until they are completely drunk, dead drunk, and have lost their noble human form."

"Even the softest bed won't satisfy you; you toss and turn, unable to sleep. You sleep lazily and do nothing during the day, and when you get old, you feel ashamed of your past self for wasting your time."

"You make people forget their noble souls, turning them into foolish beasts who only know how to endlessly satisfy their insatiable desires."

“The wise stay away from you, the upright reject you; though you are immortal, you will never enter the ranks of the gods or be respected by the world.”

Hedonistic, blushing with embarrassment at the ridicule, shrieked.

"And what can you do? You let the strong die in vain, leave them wounded and sick, and live their whole lives without ever knowing what a happy life is like. Morality, is this the path you point out?"

"Respect, ideals, self-actualization—that's what I give back to my followers."

Faced with accusations of hedonism, the noble and reserved goddess met her gaze without fear.

Morality continued.

"On this arduous and difficult road, my followers have died, but their names are still sung by people. Children admire them, young people want to be like them, and the elderly respect them."

"They walk on thorny paths, yet their hearts are never lost. They sing joyfully every day, walking the path they believe in, and their conscience makes them feel comfortable and at ease."

"They have earned people's respect, realized their ideals, and proven their pursuit."

Then, Morality bowed to the young man.

"Alcides, you possess immense power. But if you don't know what you truly desire, what can you accomplish by futilely satisfying your desires, even with invincible strength?"

"A life consumed by endless desires is tragic; choose the path to true happiness."

Alluring pleasures and noble, pure morality—two goddesses stood before the young man, like two different paths.

"You know which path leads to a happy and easy life..."

"Your power shouldn't be limited to this..."

Faced with the two goddesses' words, which were either solicitous or earnest, the young man finally made his choice.

He lifted his foot and took his first step in life.

And then, the dream ended...

In the temple of Nano City, the young man awakens.

Although he could hardly remember the contents of his dream, it seemed as if he had finally figured something out.

He blinked and shouted.

"Natu, where is the goddess now?"

That image is a statue in the temple, also a steam guardian, who usually waits in the young man's room.

"The goddess is praying before the father of serpents."

The half-human, half-snake statue opened its eyes and emitted a deep voice.

The young man jumped off the bed and rushed out of the room without looking back.

"Divine Child, where are you going?"

"I've figured it out, I've finally figured it out, and now I'm going to say goodbye to my goddess."

The young man rushed out of the room with excitement on his face; he finally understood what he should do.

He leaped across the rooftops of Nano City and ran through the open fields outside the city where he played and frolicked. These were places he had known since childhood, and now he swept through them one by one.

So he came to the towering mountains.

These are the scales of the Father of the Serpent, who, with his astonishing physique, climbs these towering, steep peaks as if tireless.

One mountain after another, and another mountain after another…

The sharp cliffs cut his fingers, drawing blood, but he didn't care, for he had already made up his mind to say goodbye to the goddess one last time and then go on to find his own path.

So, when this impetuous young man climbed a mountain peak, he finally saw the goddess who was silently praying on the mountaintop.

"Mona!"

The figure who was praying opened his eyes, turned around, and silently gazed at him.

The bright-eyed young man waved excitedly at the goddess and shouted.

I love you! Be my wife!

(End of this chapter)