An Extra Story: The Meaning of Life

On the bustling streets of Sun City, a short man weaved through the crowd, his movements fluid and his hands seemingly effortless. ♜🍪 ♗😈

No one could see his movements clearly; people only discovered their purses had vanished when they finished buying their items and were ready to pay.

The short man squandered the stolen money, eating with his mouth covered in grease, and then wiping it off with his shirt, leaving his tattered long robe stained with oil...

Since his methods are so sophisticated, why doesn't he buy a few clean clothes?

Wearing clean clothes would give him away; he's a child from the slums, without a job or family. Where would he get the money to buy clothes?

This little man was named Djis, who later became a noble Celestial Warrior, but his life before his ascension was anything but "noble".

The Shurima Empire's years of warfare have left this continent filled with war orphans.

Those stronger and prettier children might be adopted, but children like Djis, who were plain-looking and very thin, were left unattended.

They sleep in slums at night and gather in various corners of the bustling city during the day in an attempt to earn a living.

As the saying goes, "everyone shouts to kill a rat crossing the street," and these children are in a similar situation. Clean people are afraid that they will steal things or spread diseases!

Djis was different from other children. He was quick-witted and agile. By stealing, he not only managed to eat his fill, but also ensured that his close friends didn't go hungry.

Therefore, people in the slums wanted to be his friends, and he made more and more friends.

However, Djis was not a saint, nor did he have the ability to support so many war-torn people. So every now and then he would move to a different place to live, so as not to see the pitiful state of others and feel uneasy about eating.

Another point is the survival strategy of a thief: if you always commit crimes in the same place, you will inevitably get caught.

But even the best can make mistakes, and Djis was captured, and despite his best efforts, he could not escape.

The man who grabbed him was also very thin, but surprisingly strong; even Djis's greasy hand couldn't slip away.

Instead of exposing him in public, this person took him to a secluded hut:

"You're pretty agile, kid."

"Don't even mention it, I'm nowhere near as good as you!"

"Hahaha... Don't try to sweet-talk me. This isn't a way to make a living. You can't be a rat forever."

"Being a mouse isn't so bad, as long as you don't get caught."

"So you want to continue living like this? If I were an official, you'd be finished. The penalties for theft under Shurima law are very severe."

"Boss, do you want to teach me a skill? Or find me a reliable job?"

"I think you're quite clever and quick-witted. I'd like to teach you some martial arts. Would you like to learn?"

"Martial arts can't put food on the table, and even if I learn them, I can't just steal them. I won't learn them."

"If you study well, I'll feed you!"

"Make a deal!"

Djis was not a man of principle; upon hearing that there was food to be had, he agreed without a moment's hesitation.

The man who was to teach him martial arts was a retired instructor from the Shurima army. He had fought on the battlefield all his life and, even after retiring, he still sought out talent for his country.

Djis called him his Teacher, and that's how his apprenticeship began.

The Shurima army is skilled in using gun formations, so this instructor's marksmanship is naturally superb. In addition, both he and Djis are small, agile, and unpredictable, making him easy to teach.

Djis didn't study very hard at first, and after being reprimanded by his Teacher a few times, he gradually got the hang of it and became a skilled fighter. A few years later, he enlisted in the army and officially began fighting for Shurima.

After joining the army, he learned that he had many fellow students who were also instructors and had learned excellent marksmanship.

No one paid much attention to this shifty-eyed junior brother, but Djis proved time and again that he was the Teacher's best student!

Time flies, and the instructor grows old. He has made outstanding contributions throughout his life and is qualified for ascension to the throne. The emperor personally prepared a ceremony for him.

Before ascending the flying platform, the instructors called all the students to the front and made them swear an oath before the emperor:

I am willing to give my life to protect Shurima, to eliminate threats, to quell rebellions, to fulfill my duty, even if it means the destruction of the kingdom and the death of my people!

They had said these words many times before, but this was the first time they had said them in front of their Teacher, and everyone burst into tears on the spot.

Djis alone was not saddened. He believed that with his Teacher's achievements, he would surely receive divine favor and become Ascended.

The instructor failed; he was blasted into dust by the Solar Energy.

Grand Master Nasus was deeply disappointed. He shook his head and sighed, "Perhaps Shurima's decline was inevitable."

Despite the heartbreak, life had to go on. In the decades that followed, many people failed to ascend, including many of Djis's fellow disciples, and eventually he too followed that path.

Compared to his Teacher and fellow students, Djis didn't receive much attention; the only people who seemed to care about him were his wife and daughter.

In fact, Djis himself didn't care. He was a pickpocket when he was young, and he didn't do anything good when he grew up. After joining the army, he killed a lot of people, and his achievements barely qualified him for ascension.

How could someone like that possibly ascend to immortality?

As the sunlight streamed down, he peacefully closed his eyes, preparing to face death.

Whether it succeeds or not, this is a glorious way to die!

When Djis closed his eyes, what came to mind were not his family or Teacher, but his childhood experiences.

At that time, he lived with a group of poor people in a dirty street corner, where cockroaches were everywhere and rats swarmed.

Rats generally have a bad reputation. They're used to describe someone who is timid, someone who is dirty, and even a thief... In short, rats are considered the root of all evil.

"Aren't they just trying to survive and reproduce? Just like the people around us, including myself, what's the point of living? Just surviving is good enough."

Djis often thought this way when he was a child, but now he suddenly has a different idea:

Do mice think about why they live? Do all things in nature think that way? Everything they do is simply to survive.

Living itself is the meaning of life; it is wrong to seek other meanings!

Why not continue living? And why die gloriously?

Djis suddenly felt a will to live, just like a rat that fights back against death!

In the end, he succeeded; he transformed into Ascended in the Rat Form, his Golden Spear gleaming!

It seems my ideas are correct, at least representing the thoughts of a considerable number of people.

Centuries later, when Azir, the last member of the royal family, failed to ascend, the entire Sun City was taken as a sacrifice, and even Renekton could not escape.

Recalling his Teacher's dying words, Djis shook his head.

He didn't want to be buried with those so-called vows; even if the country is destroyed, the people cannot die.

He could live a carefree life in Shurima, witness the unfolding of history, and enjoy an endless life.

But when the final battle came, Djis went against his own heart:

"I don't want to die, but I have to!"