To—to—to—

That was the sound of an axe striking a tree, the sound of it striking my "body."

Although it was slow, it was indeed working. That...was enough.

When I was still a person, I never would have imagined that one day, I would desperately crave death.

But now, death was the only thing I wanted...

Long ago, I was someone who was incredibly attached to life, because I once had everything.

My family was very wealthy and powerful. From a young age, I understood that I didn't need to work or contribute; as long as I asked, my requests would be fulfilled.

My adolescence was spent in public schools. I think my family intentionally wanted me to experience the life of ordinary people.

I was very grateful to have this experience. It allowed me to see things clearly, and you could even say... it changed my life.

During those days, I often heard some of my classmates' parents say something to their children: "Don't lose at the starting line."

Years later, when I thought about it... it was truly one of the saddest things I had ever heard.

If life was really a race, then the person who crossed the finish line first would simply die faster.

The truth was, there was no starting line at all, because this wasn't a race. Only they were running; people like me were born sitting on the back of Pegasus... We didn't need to run, and they could never catch up.

Later, I gradually understood that the starting line they spoke of had nothing to do with me; they hoped... that their children could be ahead of the other runners.

But... even on this point, I couldn't agree. Aside from background, "talent" was also a factor that couldn't be forced. Intelligence, appearance, talent, were all innate advantages that mediocrities couldn't catch up to in their entire lives.

Their only asset was diligence. But they couldn't recognize this. They squandered their time and energy, indulging in self-satisfying fantasies and meaningless cheap pleasures, wasting their youth.

They were pitiful, but also... not worthy of sympathy.

In my youth, I left such an environment and went to the place where people of my status should go.

I saw another world... a hypocritical, cruel, and disgusting world. The people there had similar backgrounds to me. They were wealthy, short-tempered, and self-centered.

They made me miss my days in public school. At least there, I could still make real friends.

As the years passed, I grew up in the best environment that my family could provide. Like hemp growing among flax, standing upright without being propped... I finally achieved something, embarked on a career, and gradually adapted to dealing with all kinds of people. I also learned to be unscrupulous and to eliminate my enemies at the root...

Finally, at the age of forty-three, I became the prime minister of the kingdom.

I was the youngest prime minister in the kingdom's history. I held immense power, had countless followers, was richer than a country, and was dashing and handsome. Men yearned for my life, and women yearned to enter my life.

I had everything.

And what I would think about next, naturally, was... how to preserve all of this for as long as possible.

I secretly controlled the kingdom's Academy of Sciences and Academy of Magic. Even the commander of the Royal Mages was my confidant. The entire kingdom's resources were at my service, trying to find... a method of eternal life for me.

But... ten years passed, and my thinking began to slow, and my physical strength began to decline. Even though I treated my body like a temple, the demon of "aging" arrived as scheduled. And the research on eternal life still hadn't made any substantial progress.

I began to take risks. I visited black magic guilds, demons, and even went to the wild lands outside the kingdom to find otherworldly objects.

These were all absolute taboos, but I couldn't care less. Anyway, the act of researching the art of eternal life itself was forbidden.

The fear of aging and death had made me desperate.

Under such circumstances, I found them...

The "Huangshi Brothers" (Wild Oath Brothers), a terrifying duo that only existed in rumors. It was said that they were both from the Xing (Punishment) Clan, or perhaps only one of them was... Of course, that didn't matter. What mattered was that they were geniuses of alchemy. Even the governor of the Royal Mages told me that if anyone could complete the art of eternal life, it could only be these brothers.

I was overjoyed, and the paean of hope played in my heart.

Now it seems... that was actually the prelude to despair.

I found those two brothers, Arthur, and Andrew.

They took a large number of precious treasures from my private vault as payment, but I didn't feel any heartache. As long as I obtained eternal life, accumulating wealth would be an easy task.

On my fifty-fourth birthday, the alchemy that I had been looking forward to began.

Everything that day was blurry and chaotic. I can no longer recall the details of that time. All that flashes through my memories are feelings of terror and pain.

When I regained consciousness, I had arrived here—Chew Demon Island.

This wasn't my world. Those two detestable swindlers had sent me to another world, sent me before an evil god.

Xingshi (Punishment Master), the supreme god of the Xing Clan.

I was treated as a sacrifice, teleported to his dimension, and knelt at his feet...

Then, I learned a ridiculous, tragic, and extremely terrifying truth—Xingshi was just a prisoner on Chew Demon Island.

However, for this prisoner, subduing an opponent like me was still an easy task.

My magic was like juggling in front of him, vanishing in an instant.

I was "sewn" onto a giant Mockery Tree by him. Stitch by stitch... sewn with the tendons from my own body.

He cast a curse on me.

I... finally obtained eternal life.

True eternal life that I couldn't even commit suicide to end.

Time passed, and I don't know how many years went by... I became one with the tree behind me.

At first, I felt that the Mockery Tree's venomous words were a torment. But later... I got used to it.

Until one day, it died.

Mockery Trees also have lifespans; they also die. When their death arrives, they no longer speak and turn into pure rotten wood.

That day, I cried, but no tears flowed.

From that day on, all that accompanied me was endless loneliness. Even a curse became a luxury.

I remembered when I was a child, I had heard a down-and-out wandering poet sing such a song on the street: "Wine, women, wealth, and anger are all reflections in a mirror, flowers in the water. Fame, status, and wealth will eventually become fleeting clouds."

A person's life is long enough. What can never be filled is only a person's desires.

People ignore what is truly important but pursue those phantoms, so when they die, they leave nothing but regrets.

I paid the price for my greed, but fortunately... it's all over.

Ah... it's about to break. Just a few more axe swings.

These clear memories that I'm seeing now are just a revolving lantern, right...

Eh? Are you the Grim Reaper? Great, I've waited for you for too long... too long...