Mummy Evolution

Sett became curious. "What did Musson do to you?"

The name had a weird weight in his mouth. Musson. The name of a God.

"Musson?" The Monkey touched its face. "I asked him for power, and he gave me a lot of power but it also made me be stuck here in this place. I can't see anyone, I can't be seen by anyone. Hahahaha! It stole my freedom in return for power I didn't even need!"

When people are lonely for years, they end up wanting to talk with people as much as they can. In fact, they speak as much as they can even if they are facing potential enemies. For now, the Monkey just wanted to extend this conversation as long as possible.

Sett didn't look down on the monkey for that.

Loneliness made people weary.

Zarah and Zainah began feeling pity for the dusty monkey.

"Monkey, have you been living here all alone for so long?" Zarah asked.

The Monkey's heart melted. "Yes, yes. I, here, sad and lonely!"

Sett frowned. "Is there no one else in this Temple?"

"I told you—no one! I am all that this place has!"

"I see."

The Monkey began sniffing. "You are going to attack again."

Sett sighed. "No. I came to kill you but I am now willing to leave. You seem pitiful."

"But you can't leave!" The Monkey shrieked. "I have to kill you or I will die."

Sett walked forward.

Then, an inch away from the small monkey, he looked down at it.

"Are you really going to kill us just to live?" Sett asked with a complicated expression. "No, in fact, even if you kill us and survive, can your existence even be called living?"

The Monkey glared at him.

Sett sighed. "No. You are not living. A life without freedom is a life not worth living."

The Monkey began breathing heavily, then, it began to thrash on the floor. Sett hadn't even attacked it using any ability, but years—who knows how much—of loneliness made the creature just thrash. It began to bite at its own hand, tear at the floor, and weep and laugh.

Sett and the girls watched.

"Loneliness! I like loneliness!" The Monkey shouted. "I hated it at the start, but it had slowly become nice. I loved loneliness! Then, why?! Why is it so painful?"

At the end of the day, even Sett had a human heart.

He squatted down and sighed. "It is easy to grow used to loneliness. In the past, I spent a few years with absolutely no contact with the outside world as well. The feeling is actually pretty good."

"Good? GOOD? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?"

Sett's golden eyes were calm. "The moment when all societal pressure leaves you. When there is no longer a need to meet up to other people's standards, life becomes easy. Loneliness is a comforting cage due to that. We are not required to meet anyone's standard anymore.

"But at the same time, it slowly but surely builds in us—a sense of meaninglessness. Why are we alive anymore? What is the meaning of life?"

The Monkey stared wide-eyed at Sett. "You've been through this hell?"

Sett sighed. "I wonder."

The Monkey stared silently at him.

Then, it walked to the corner and began crying weakly.

"You people can go away while I am still sane. If I lose my sanity, I will come and kill you. And wise friend, I know you have a big army hidden in your Heart. If I truly fight, even that army can't protect you from me. So if you want your life, leave."

Sett's heart clenched. "You are that strong?"

"No. I am weak. But I can control the body of anyone who inhaled my smell—and I have been delaying all this time to make you all sniff me. I succeeded. I now have full control over all of your bodies.

"Look, raise your hand," it ordered.

Sett obediently raised his hand.

Damnit—

Sett's expression changed drastically.

He had noticed the power of the body manipulation long ago, but it had been weak. It could not do much to them. The system hadn't had too much information about it, either. Yet, now, he couldn't control his body at all.

He paled.

He had been defeated even before the battle began.

"Go away, do not return."

It had decided to let them leave—and that meant it had decided to suicide. After all, it was cursed to die if it let anyone that saw it leave alive!

Sett remained silently watching for a while.

Instinctively, he had a plan in his heart. He could act like he was leaving now, but he should make Silver stay here. Once the monkey was dead, Silver could bring its corpse to him and Sett would get a powerful Tomb Slave under him.

Then, Sett shook his head. "I will not leave. Monkey, do you think the God who bullied you finds it amusing?"

The Monkey's eyes became bloodshot. "You should really leave."

"What do you think about it, you saw the army hidden in my Heart Zone. If you die, I can make you a part of that army. You will retain most of your abilities and you will regain some of your freedom, but you will most probably lose your mind in the process.

"What do you say," he extended a hand at it, "do you want to become my slave?"

The Monkey King stared in disbelief.

It had already decided to die, it was already feeling a bout of insanity in its mind. The options it had were few and none of those options left any freedom for it.

The monkey still wished to do a lot of things in its life—have a harem of monkeys, eat the most delicious fruits, and see the most beautiful land.

But now, all of those desires became moot.

Even if it died and came back through Sett's army, the monkey had a feeling that it would lose its mind in the process. The army that Sett commanded didn't have the smell of creature's with a mind—even Silver stank of lifelessness.

Thus, it knew what would happen if it agreed to Sett.

The Monkey stared at Sett and his company.

Then, its eyes widened.

It began laughing like crazy.

"When this scion dies, sure, you can make me your slave. At least, my corpse might see more things than I did. But in return, you will have to do something for me."

"What?" Sett smirked.

The Monkey pointed at a God's statue nearby. "Go piss on it."