Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 739: Envy, Irrational Human Nature

CH739 Envy, Irrational Human Nature***

"Thank you," Olyver suddenly said.

Alex raised a confused eyebrow.

"For what? And why so suddenly?"

"For understanding me," Olyver replied.

A wry smile appeared on his face.

"It is strange how something that seems so insignificant can matter so much."

"I wouldn’t call it insignificant," Alex said, shaking his head. "Humans evolved and adapted as social creatures. We instinctively seek connections with others, even when we don’t consciously realise it or fully understand why.

"The need for someone... and the desire to be needed by someone... lies at the very core of what makes us human."

His gaze drifted into the distance, carrying a trace of melancholy.

Olyver was initially taken aback by the response, but a moment later, he realised something.

"I am not the first person like me that you have met, am I?" he asked.

"No." Alex shook his head, unsurprised that Olyver had picked up on it. "I once knew someone with a nature very similar to yours. But unlike you, I met him near the end of his life—arguably long after his prime."

"How did he cope with being unable to understand others... and being unable to be understood in return?" Olyver asked quietly.

Alex released a slow sigh.

"Poorly... and extremely."

His expression grew sombre.

"He developed cognitive suppressants and took them regularly, intentionally limiting his own intellect to a level where the people around him could understand him.

"Most importantly, he did it for his wife—a woman he loved dearly, precisely because of her... simplicity.

"He wanted to bridge the gap between them."

Alex paused.

"Unfortunately, the suppressants came at a terrible cost to his health. In the end, he lost his life to the very side effects of the drug he had created."

Silence settled between them.

Neither man spoke for a long while.

Eventually, Olyver broke the silence.

"I envy you."

"As do I," Alex replied immediately.

Olyver blinked in surprise.

"Why?" he asked. "Why would you envy someone who struggles to connect with others and is burdened with a shortened lifespan?"

He couldn’t understand.

Alex shrugged.

"Because it is human nature to envy what we do not possess—especially when we perceive it to be superior to what we already have."

"My life is not exactly a bed of roses, you know," he continued. "I am someone who is naturally unambitious. Most of the ambitions I appear to possess are born from circumstance or necessity rather than any genuine desire of my own.

"Almost everything I have ever achieved was not because I pursued some grand personal dream. More often than not, it was because of other people—or for their sake. And because I lack strong personal ambition, I have a great many talents that ultimately go underutilised.

"However, because life has given me much, it also asks much of me in return. At any given moment, I carry the responsibilities of, or duty to, at least dozens of people upon my shoulders. As things stand now, I carry the burdens of billions—many of whom do not even realise it."

A wry smile appeared on Alex’s face.

"You envy me for having countless connections. I envy you for having none."

He chuckled softly.

"As my wife likes to say, ’Others complain of thirst, while you complain of drowning.’ From where I stand, we all end up risking dying all the same."

Olyver remained silent, listening carefully.

"If I were to claim any true ambition in life, it would be to build something so significant that it changes the world—perhaps even the universe itself.

"The problem is that while I possess many talents, none of them are particularly suited towards achieving such a goal. As a result, much of my potential goes to waste."

Alex looked directly at Olyver.

"If I possessed your level of intellect, even knowing it came with the price of a shortened lifespan, I believe I could still change the world in some meaningful way.

"And so..." He shrugged lightly. "I envy you."

The words left Olyver stunned.

Alex laughed quietly before reaching over and patting him on the arm.

"Don’t think too deeply about it. It is merely one of the irrational thoughts that comes with being human."

He leaned back into his chair.

"That said, envy is still merely envy. I have absolutely no intention of trading places with you and throwing away the life I have.

"Even if I am wasting many opportunities and gifts, I am still doing some good in my own way."

His expression softened.

"And more importantly, there are treasures in my life that I would never surrender—especially since I suspect I have used up the greater part of my life’s good fortune just to obtain them.

"So no matter how much I might envy your intellect, there are things I would never trade for it."

Alex found his thoughts drifting towards his wives.

He thought about the House he had built—or was building, the people who trusted him, and the achievements—however modest he considered them—that he had accumulated throughout his lives.

A contented smile slowly formed on his face.

He looked towards Olyver and spoke seriously.

"Take it from me... one thing life has taught me is that you do not always get what you want. However, if you make the most of what you do have, then with a little luck, you can come surprisingly close."

He gestured between them with a grin.

"Just look at this. Despite possessing a brain so large that it convinces you that you cannot connect with other people, here we are having a perfectly healthy discussion. We even achieved a major breakthrough together.

"That alone should tell you there are people in this world you can connect with. You simply have to keep an open mind long enough to find them."

Alex smiled.

Olyver stared at him for a moment before a sudden thought surfaced in his mind.

"You sound like an old man," he said. "Are you perhaps an old soul who took over a young body?"

Alex nearly fell backwards out of his chair.

’Damn this guy. He is annoyingly perceptive.’

"Took over my arse!" Alex snapped, raising a fist threateningly.

Olyver merely stared at him.

Alex shook his head wryly.

Then, to Olyver’s surprise, he stroked his chin as though genuinely considering the question.

"Looking back on my life, you might actually have a point." He nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps I really am an old soul trapped in a young body."

A smug grin spread across his face.

"At the very least, I am far more mature than my age suggests."

He puffed out his chest dramatically.

Olyver regarded him with disdain. Then, unexpectedly, he burst into hearty laughter.

Alex did not take offence.

Instead, he quietly watched the young man laugh.

The laughter sounded awkward at first, almost stiff.

It was obvious Olyver rarely laughed—and might even have been forgetting how.

When the laughter finally subsided, Olyver himself appeared stunned.

He sat there quietly, processing the unfamiliar sensation.

He could not even remember the last time he had laughed so genuinely.

The realisation left him momentarily lost in thought.

Alex did not interrupt.

Instead, he turned his attention back towards the sheets of calculations scattered across the table, seemingly occupied with thoughts of his own.

After several minutes, Olyver looked at the youth opposite him.

His expression gradually became serious.

"Alex, does my father know?" he asked.

The sudden question pulled Alex from his thoughts.

"Know what?" Alex replied.

Olyver held his gaze.

"That you are not from this plane."

***