Chapter 166 - Mark’s Speech
After shouting as loud as he could, Mark felt a little relieved inside. Maybe the psychological pressure had been released along with the sound? He didn’t know, and he didn’t need to know.
However, after shouting, Mark had no idea what to say next. If this continued, wouldn’t using silence be the same as admitting that he himself was a good-for-nothing?
Mark’s brain was working at full capacity. He had to come up with something to say, otherwise Nexus would definitely ’teach him a lesson’ for daring to make Nexus ’lose face’.
He had just shouted loudly and then fallen silent again. Without realizing it, Mark had successfully drawn everyone’s attention.
As long as he dared to speak, there would be people willing to listen. Only a good-for-nothing wouldn’t dare say anything and would just stand there trembling.
"I am Mark. A good-for-nothing who only awakened an extremely pathetic F-rank ability. But did I have a choice?"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone remained silent, but the way they looked at Mark had changed a little. Quite a few people had noticed that Mark was much stronger than F-rank, but more importantly, it was the way he spoke.
For a good-for-nothing who was looked down on by both hunters and ordinary people to dare speak boldly in front of thousands of elite hunters was truly rare.
Mark’s frustration at awakening an F-rank innate talent was completely understandable.
Before meeting Nexus, Mark really wasn’t good for much. Someone like that definitely couldn’t possibly be qualified to bear great power.
Even though there was indeed an element of randomness in abilities, the people at the highest levels knew that training both physically and mentally before beginning the awakening ceremony would bring significant improvements.
"I admit that I am so weak that anyone here could beat me up without even trying. But I was lucky enough to have the chance to come here, so of course I’ll do my best to learn."
Mark was lying a little here. If it was training or fighting without holding back, Mark would lose very quickly, but if he was willing to risk his life and fight, a C-rank hunter would definitely die together with him.
"Once a good-for-nothing, always a good-for-nothing? The fact that I am standing here today means that this world has never been short of opportunities. I absolutely won’t give up!"
He wasn’t putting on an act, and he wasn’t making anything up either. These were Mark’s true feelings. The moment he stood in front of thousands of people, he realized his own helplessness, but he also realized that everything had only just begun.
"Everyone here is the same. We’re all still young, and we still have plenty of opportunities to grow. Don’t tell me that a hunter’s strength has limits.
Everyone should remember that thirty years ago, hunters didn’t even exist. Who can guarantee that there won’t be something else in the future that can allow everyone to keep improving?"
As soon as Mark finished speaking, the silence in the square became extremely eerie. Everyone’s eyes moved around as if they were thinking about something.
They didn’t know what the concept of ’cultivate’ was, but they could vaguely guess that something completely new had already appeared in this world.
One clap rang out, then gradually turned into a huge round of applause. This was everyone’s thanks, but not because of the inspiring speech, but because of Mark’s hint.
The people behind the major powers were already looking at Mark like a treasure trove of information that could be exploited.
"Was that a slip of the tongue, or was it intentional? But I guess Nexus never thought about hiding this either."
Looking at Mark’s back, Bell saw the image of another person in his eyes. Since Mark had said this, it meant that at the very least, Nexus had tacitly agreed.
"Hey, I’m not sure I’ll be able to meet Nexus, so could you tell me a little more? That way to become stronger that Mark accidentally or intentionally mentioned."
Draven put his arm around Bell’s shoulder and put on a friendly expression as he fished for information. For someone at the head of a major power like him, this was something very important to know.
"If you were willing to trade eighty-five percent or more of your waking time in exchange for world-destroying power and a longer lifespan, would you agree? Of course, you’d have to keep working at it for a very long time. I think we should start with a few thousand years."
Bell’s words shocked both of them. Even Zero and the others who were secretly eavesdropping strained their ears to hear clearly.
Bell had no intention of hiding anything; otherwise, he wouldn’t have casually let them eavesdrop like this.
"No. I don’t need to live that long. If possible, I want to die at the moment when I’m still full of passion. But it’s impossible to deny the great value of increasing your strength and lifespan."
From a personal perspective, Draven would definitely reject cultivation, but if he thought about the development of the Gold Guild, then cultivation was obviously a very good thing.
Humanity had sought immortality since ancient times. Countless kings and emperors had paid a huge price for nothing because of their ignorance, while immortality had never been beyond anyone’s reach.
The premise of immortality was having a reason to exist in this world. If you didn’t even know what you would do throughout endless years, then what was the difference between being immortal and dying right away?
"What is that time you have to trade away used for?"
Nyx’s concern was completely different from Draven’s. She didn’t have a huge guild to worry about, so she only thought about herself.
"Specifically, I don’t really know, but you definitely have to sit still and remain conscious instead of sleeping."
"Is it really that simple? Then remember to tell me when you meet Nexus. I really want to learn."
Looking at Nyx’s sleep mask that was always covering her eyes, it was obvious that she wasn’t the type of person who was particularly diligent or ambitious either.
It wasn’t completely right to call her lazy, because no good-for-nothing would be qualified to possess an S-rank ability. But most likely, she simply felt happy doing things that looked lazy.