MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 889: Just Because I Can

Previously on MIGHT AS WELL BE OP...
The First Supreme Monarch approaches Aaaninja to request guidance, admitting he has reached a limit in his innate ability to control time. Despite his immense wealth and draconic pride, the Monarch realizes he possesses nothing of sufficient value to pay for the Time Celestial’s knowledge. Seeking to understand the petitioner’s character, Aaaninja enters the River of Time to observe the Monarch’s entire history. He discovers a unique soul who, despite his status as the strongest of his kind, lives by the humble realization that there is always someone better.

Aaaninja gave a slow shake of his head. With a mere thought, he allowed the River of Time to return to its natural flow, causing the myriad of scenes from the First Supreme Monarch’s life to vanish into nothingness. He had witnessed the Dragon’s entire history up until this very second—the exact moment the beast had pleaded for a sliver of his Time.

With another mental shift, Aaaninja’s awareness withdrew completely from the River of Time. His eyes, spinning like rainbow-colored clockwork, snapped open. He fixed his gaze on the Dragon, his pupils reflecting the depth of countless passing eras.

“Since you possess nothing of equal value to trade for this wisdom,” Aaaninja remarked with a composed, effortless air, “I shall grant it to you as a gift.”

The First Supreme Monarch was violently jerked out of his internal chaos by those words. His golden, ringed eyes locked onto Aaaninja as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. For a split second, he suspected his own ears had deceived him. Disbelief was etched across his face as he stared at the handsome youth standing before him, his eyes wide with shock.

He was unable to wrap his mind around it. It defied logic. The concept that nothing is free was a fundamental law spanning across planets, galaxies, and species. It was a universal truth everyone lived by. Yet, the Celestial standing there was offering a treasure of immeasurable worth without demanding any compensation.

In most cases, a Cultivator would guard such secrets with their life, hoarding knowledge to maintain their status and power. Knowledge was the ultimate strength, and strength was meant to be a monopoly. However, Aaaninja viewed that perspective as narrow, petty, and ultimately foolish.

If an individual was truly peerless, then they were peerless, period. Even if their secret arts were revealed to the entire world, that reality would remain unchanged. No one else would possess the ability to mirror or execute them correctly. Elements like talent, innate comprehension, and destiny were not things that could be replicated.

This situation was no different.

Aaaninja felt no need to conceal what he knew. His confidence was absolute. Even if he granted the Dragon access to his entire mind, the beast would never overtake him, neither in this era nor any other.

Providing a pig with a supreme Cultivation technique wouldn't suddenly empower it to overturn the heavens and ascend to godhood. Naturally, Aaaninja wasn't calling the Dragon a pig; it was simply a metaphor. Furthermore, he wasn't about to hand over his entire library of secrets.

He wasn't running a charitable institution.

While he intended to assist the First Supreme Monarch, it would only be to a specific degree. Even so, that amount would be more than enough to demolish the bottlenecks hindering the Dragon, allowing him to advance far beyond his current shackles.

Aaaninja was far from a miser. If he had the means to help, he would. There was no point in being stingy with everything. Besides, individuals born with an affinity for Time were incredibly scarce. By assisting one, he felt as though he was, in a small way, looking out for one of his own kind.

“Why?” the First Supreme Monarch finally managed to ask, his gaze searching Aaaninja’s face. He still struggled to accept that someone would part with such profound insights for nothing. He wondered if he would do the same if their positions were reversed, and the uncertainty of that answer troubled him.

“Simply because I have the power to do so, and I wish to,” Aaaninja answered directly, his voice devoid of emotion. There was no grand conspiracy or hidden motive behind his actions.

He had only peered into the River of Time to verify the First Supreme Monarch's character. He had no desire to assist those who were brainless or incompetent; wasting his effort on such individuals was beneath him.

He also wasn't helping just because the Dragon showed humility. To him, humility wasn't a currency for trade; it was a basic requirement for any sentient being. Ultimately, Aaaninja helped because he could, and because it cost him nothing to do so.

The Dragon was certainly no saint, but Aaaninja didn't mind. No one was truly holy, including himself. He remembered the Starborn Tournament, where he had once stepped back into Anthony’s timeline with the cold intent of murdering him while he was still an infant in his first year of life.

The First Supreme Monarch fell into a stunned silence. After a long beat, he lowered his massive body, kneeling until his head touched the lunar dust. He spoke in a deep, earnest tone.

“I am in your debt. Thank you.”

“It’s fine,” Aaaninja said softly. A fleeting smile crossed his face before vanishing instantly. He produced a massive memory crystal and began the process of pouring a vast ocean of information from his mind into the stone.

When the transfer was complete, he looked down at the kneeling monarch and tossed the crystal. The Dragon caught it with a desperation that suggested his very life was contained within the gem.

In many ways, it was.

“Contained within are my personal insights, beginning with the most essential foundations,” Aaaninja explained coolly. “They will serve to solidify your Cultivation and rectify the errors you made, particularly where your Dao comprehension drifted off course.”

The First Supreme Monarch nodded slowly, his eyes glued to the crystal. He couldn't even guess how long it would take to process, understand, and apply the vast knowledge he now held. Despite his pride in his own genius, he knew this would be a monumental task.

‘It is fortunate that I have a Time Dilation Chamber,’ he thought, already resolving to use it to its absolute limit. A concept that Aaaninja might master in a day would likely take him months of meditation.

“Thank you,” he repeated.

Aaaninja gave a slight nod, not knowing what else to say. “I trust you will put it to good use,” he remarked. “And should you encounter others with an affinity for Time, extend a hand to them if you are able.”

As he spoke, his form began to shimmer and fade, as if the fabric of Time was reclaiming him from reality.

The First Supreme Monarch offered one last deep bow. Once Aaaninja had vanished entirely, the Dragon stood tall, a massive, uncontainable grin finally breaking across his face.

‘I must head back at once,’ he decided. He had no interest in a slow journey home. The moment he reached his destination, he would enter secluded meditation without a second's delay.

He crushed a small transport orb in his palm and disappeared in a flash of light, his joyful expression still fixed in place. He couldn't recall the last time he felt this much passion for training.

Aaaninja materialized back in front of Anthony and the others, appearing as though he had simply stepped through a doorway in Time, just as he always did.

“I have returned,” he said calmly.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: It’s Christmas, and this author didn’t receive a single gift or a super gift. This author feels betrayed… apologize to this author with a super gift (cries profusely).