Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain wondered if the overseer gave him a hand with that, but it seemed weird… in any case, the skills that help create elemental gems were at the max level already, so perhaps that was the reason for it.

"I guess those who have weapons have enough free time to learn his path," Rain thought. "They can help the others forge their weapons, but they can't do that all the time, after all. Everyone needs to increase their own chances of survival."

While Rain was passing the spectral weapons, he talked with the others and gave them some tips on how to create the gems. Those who had good magic skills learned the tricks pretty fast, but they needed to improve their crafting speed a bit. On the second day, some people obtained the path, so they began to teach the others, and Rain was able to outsource that process.

"You look unsatisfied," Roan suddenly approached and then said. "Aren't things going according to plan?"

"No, I believe our time limit is another week. If we don't attack the enemies in another week, the enemies will be able to read our moves better," Rain explained. "Still, when that time comes, we will only have ten thousand people with those weapons…"

"Why is it that we can't attack them either way?" Roan asked. "We will have a bit more people with the dark metal weapons, so our strength will have increased a lot thanks to it. I only sleep two hours a day, but there is nothing else I can do to speed things up."

"Maybe some fire gems can improve Maxime's skills," Rain said. "Regardless… it will be troublesome to keep losing allies like that, but we can't attack with only those who have the spectral weapons. The enemies will probably try much harder to kill us all, and with that in mind… the mission might fail without us accomplishing anything."

Roan observed his son with a sense of familiarity tinged with concern. He recognized the furrowed brow and the subtle tension in his son's posture, all telltale signs of worry that Roan had seen countless times before, particularly in the days preceding the wars on Earth. Back then, life had seemed so much simpler, the concerns more immediate and localized.

But now, their worries extended far beyond the borders of their own country, encompassing the fate of numerous species and the very fabric of existence itself.

The weight of responsibility bore down heavily upon them, casting a shadow over what once seemed like simpler times. Roan couldn't help but reminisce about the days when their concerns were more mundane, more easily manageable. Yet, he also recognized the necessity of confronting the challenges that lay before them now, daunting though they may be.

As much as he longed for the simplicity of days gone by, Roan understood that they had entered a new era, one where the stakes were higher and the consequences more far-reaching.

"What can we do to alleviate that kind of burden and solve that problem?" Roan asked.

"Inventing a time machine," Rain said. "If we can go back in time to have more time to prepare for this, then it will be a good start."

"Well, I would dare say that we are doomed, then," Roan shrugged.

Rain appreciated the honesty, but only this time. He was expecting a comforting lie. It was weird… the more mana he had, the more Rain would think of things that he should do to spend even more mana.

"It is just like they say. The hard part is to truly stop pushing the goal… greed is truly something insane," Rain thought.

The inclination of humans to continuously wish for more and to pursue further goals even after achieving initial success can be attributed to various psychological and sociocultural factors.

One significant factor is the concept of hedonic adaptation, where humans quickly adapt to new circumstances, experiences, or possessions, leading to a diminishing return in satisfaction over time. This phenomenon often drives individuals to seek out new challenges or objectives in pursuit of sustained gratification.

Moreover, humans are inherently aspirational beings, driven by the desire for self-improvement and the pursuit of excellence. Once a goal is attained, individuals may set their sights on loftier ambitions fueled by a natural inclination toward growth and progress.

As Rain contemplated the insatiable nature of human ambition, he simultaneously took practical steps to optimize his resources and enhance his production capabilities. Recognizing the strategic importance of obtaining the cores of defeated lords, Rain approached Esmeralda, requesting the cores from the lords her group had defeated in the fifth zone.

Esmeralda, having amassed twenty of these cores, readily provided them to Rain. This acquisition proved invaluable, as each core contributed to a twenty percent increase in production speed. With this significant boost in efficiency, Rain's ability to craft spectral weapons and other essential items was improved… not enough, though.

"I guess there is no other choice… I will have to accept the losses in the next mission," Rain thought. "Unless…"

Rain's mind began to head to some dangerous places, so he soon shook those thoughts away from his mind. There was no point in achieving his goals if he had to become worse than the enemies… However, he wasn't sure if he had the luxury to worry about that at the moment. What was more important, his goals or his mental sanity?

While meditating, Rain tried to find the solution to that question. Call him insane, but in the end, he concluded that it was fine if he became worse than the enemies… as long as he turned out to be the last worst person in the cosmos.

As Rain grappled with the weight of his responsibilities and the urgency of the impending battle against the machine gods, he came to a clear realization: failure was not an option. The consequences of defeat were too dire, the stakes too high. In order to secure victory and ensure the survival of his allies and the species they sought to protect, Rain understood that sacrifices would be necessary.