World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

"Speak carefully, I promise I won't tell anyone." The prison guard's eyes gleamed even brighter.

Xima Lynch, a woman renowned for her beauty and intelligence.

Who wouldn't want to hear gossip about her?

Although he could never reach that glamorous woman in his lifetime, just hearing about her exploits and secretly imagining himself in those stories was enough to excite him for a long time.

He had heard that the nobles played very extravagantly, and it turned out to be true...

"Thank you for being willing to listen to the last words of a dying man." Du Ge looked at the prison guard, his eyes exceptionally sincere. "If I enter the underworld tomorrow, I will send you my most heartfelt blessings from there."

"..." The prison guard was stunned for a moment. "Holly, you are somewhat different from the rumors."

"Hearing is one thing, seeing is another. Xima Lynch is a legendary genius beauty, but don't people outside also not know her true face?"

Du Ge sat cross-legged, looking at the prison guard like a sage, and said, "Everyone lives wearing a mask. When you see someone stronger than yourself, you must smile and hope to gain the favor of important people; when you encounter someone inferior, you must put on a stern face to maintain your dignity. How many people are willing to show their true selves to others?"

"What is your name?" Du Ge asked.

"Simon Sis," the prison guard replied.

"Alright, Simon. Because of your profession, you must appear irritable to intimidate those vicious criminals, but I can see the kindness deep in your heart." Du Ge nodded at him and gestured with his hand. "Why not sit down and listen to my story? Consider it adding to your life experience."

Perhaps it was the tantalizing secrets of Xima Lynch that tempted him, or maybe Du Ge's repeated praise of his generosity and kindness moved him. Simon actually sat cross-legged in front of Du Ge.

"Simon, in your eyes, what kind of person am I?" Du Ge asked, looking at the hesitant Simon and smiling. "Don't worry about my feelings. I'm going to die tomorrow, so just tell the truth."

"Scum, a sewer rat, a maggot in the toilet..." Simon said.

"What if I told you I'm not?" Du Ge's expression remained calm, as if the insults weren't directed at him.

"Today, you do give me a different impression." Simon looked at Du Ge, slightly frowning. "Your demeanor and expression resemble a true noble, and a bit like a legendary sage."

"Simon, you are not only kind but also have eyes that see through everything. Maintain your excellent qualities, and your life will become more and more wonderful." Du Ge looked at Simon, offering his praise without hesitation.

A few words made Simon a bit uneasy. He was just a lowly prison guard, humble to the point of being insignificant.

And Holly, even in prison, was once a noble.

Even though he had fallen from grace, his knowledge was broader, and receiving such high praise from him truly made Simon feel flattered.

Few nobles were thrown into prison. In Simon's mind, nobles were beings he would look up to for a lifetime. Those people never looked at them directly, but at this moment, he saw equality and respect in Du Ge's eyes.

Simon looked at Du Ge and subconsciously added an honorific to the death row inmate: "Mr. Holly, you are indeed different from the rumors..."

Du Ge interrupted him and continued on his own: "Everyone knows I failed to awaken my martial soul, but no one knows that my martial soul actually awakened halfway."

Simon asked in shock, "Can a martial soul awaken halfway?"

"Simon, after you've experienced more, you'll understand that the world is vast and full of wonders." Du Ge smiled and continued, "Usually, a person can only awaken their martial soul once in a lifetime, but some people's martial souls awaken twice; some even awaken two martial souls at once. Compared to them, my failed awakening, leaving me with half a martial soul, is quite useless."

"So there are so many strange things in the world?" Simon smacked his lips in disbelief.

"A person's fate is not fixed. Whether a commoner or a noble, everyone has infinite potential. Simon, don't let this small prison confine your steps. Try to go out, and you'll find that life is wonderful and the world is vast." Du Ge looked at Simon and encouraged him, "The bigger your heart, the bigger your stage. Maybe one day, you too can become a noble."

"..." Simon chuckled awkwardly. "Mr. Holly, I'm different from you."

"Going back ten generations, who was a noble, and who was a commoner?" Du Ge smiled wistfully. "Let's not talk about this anymore. It only adds to your worries. Let's continue with my story!"

"Please go ahead." Simon's respect for Du Ge grew, and he used more and more honorifics.

"My martial soul is a precognitive type, a very powerful martial soul that can foresee danger in advance, predict an opponent's moves in battle. As long as it grows, it is destined to become a Martial Saint. If I had awakened my martial soul, it would have been the glory of the entire Araus family. Unfortunately, someone didn't want such a martial soul to be born..."

Although Du Ge was looking at Simon, his gaze seemed to pass through him, looking at the deep corridor behind him, as if lost in memory. But soon, he shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Why talk about the past?"

Simon widened his eyes: "Mr. Holly, your martial soul awakening failure was also intentional?"

"Maybe." Du Ge shook his head noncommittally, placing himself in the protagonist's role. "Anyway, I'm going to die. Let the past drift away like smoke."

"But..." Simon wanted to say something but was interrupted by Du Ge.

"Simon, after my martial soul awakening failed, I could no longer foresee danger, but I unexpectedly awakened a new ability," Du Ge said.

"What ability?"

"I can see the dangers others are about to face," Du Ge said.

"Mr. Holly, I don't understand what you mean." Simon frowned.

"A month ago, everyone knew I trampled a farmer's leg while riding a horse on the street, but no one knew that if I hadn't broken his leg, he would have drowned the next day while fishing in the river."

Du Ge recalled Holly's memories, crafting his new persona. "Ten days ago, everyone saw me whip a woman's face with a horsewhip. But no one knew that if I hadn't whipped her, she would have continued walking down the street and been killed by a falling flowerpot from a building."

"So, you bullied those people to save them?" Simon asked in shock.

"Yes," Du Ge nodded.

"Why didn't you just tell them about the danger?" Simon frowned. "That would have changed their fate too!"

"If I told you that you would choke to death drinking water tomorrow, would you believe me?" Du Ge asked with a smile.

"..." Simon thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I would think you were crazy."

"Exactly. No one believes in disasters before they happen," Du Ge shook his head. "Moreover, Simon, fate is very mysterious. Even if someone believes my prophecy and avoids a disaster, a greater disaster will soon follow.

After my martial soul awakening failed, I discovered my special ability.

One day, I foresaw that the gardener at home would be blinded by pruning shears. I told him, and he avoided that disaster. But the next day, a frightened horse knocked over some tools by the wall, and a pitchfork pierced his throat. I didn't foresee the second disaster..."

Gulp!

Simon swallowed hard. "So, avoiding a destined disaster will lead to a greater one?"

"Yes, the god of disasters does not allow anyone to defy his decisions. You can see it as the god of disasters' revenge," Du Ge nodded. "However, making someone endure a small disaster in advance can help them avoid a fatal one."

"So, you deliberately bullied those commoners?" Simon asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Du Ge nodded again.

"Why didn't you tell them afterward?" Simon asked.

"Who would believe it?" Du Ge smiled bitterly and asked in return.

"..." Simon was speechless.

"No one would believe it. They would only think I was making a poor excuse for my crimes," Du Ge said. "The most crucial point is that no one believes a noble would genuinely help commoners. If word got out, I would be ridiculed by everyone. So, I would rather bear the reputation of a scoundrel..."

"Why would they ridicule you? You were clearly doing good deeds," Simon said angrily.

"What do you think commoners are in the eyes of nobles?" Du Ge asked in return.

Simon fell silent again.

"As long as I have a clear conscience and can save more people, let them misunderstand," Du Ge smiled. "My father is a viscount and has the power to protect me. Moreover, when I became an arrogant scoundrel, no one tried to frame me anymore..."

"This world is so unfair," Simon clenched his fists in anger. At this moment, he had forgotten that his original intention was to hear the tantalizing gossip about Xima Lynch.

"You believe what I said?" Du Ge asked.

"I believe," Simon looked at Du Ge and nodded seriously. "You're going to be executed tomorrow. There's no need to lie to me. Mr. Holly, although I'm just a small person, I've seen many vicious criminals in this prison.

None of them have eyes as calm as yours. Eyes don't lie. A person with malice in their heart can't pretend to be a good person, no matter how hard they try."

The attributes within his body were gradually increasing, whether due to righteousness or division.

But because of the attribute increase, Du Ge's consciousness was gradually expanding, and he could slowly perceive the scenes in the surrounding cells.

Sure enough.

Attributes could only increase with people.

Du Ge looked at Simon and nodded seriously. "Thank you, Simon. I'm glad that before I die, someone can understand me. I've lived too hard these years. Maybe death is a kind of relief for me."