Silas had to say that competition breeds competence.
The existence of the four empires in mutual conflict, promotes magic and other disciplines throughout the world to create more potent soldiers. This process has solidified the progress of humanity on the path of superhumans.
According to statistics, more than ten percent of the world's population are superhumans.
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This information told Silas everything he needed to know about the planet.
In this world, superhumans control everything. Every other form of power whether it be the corporations or the government exist to serve the supers.
So, where in his old world, the world came to be controlled by merchants, in this world their role was taken by the superhumans.
In this world, military might surpassed economic might in the truest sense even in the twentieth century.
Silas didn't find this strange. In fact, it made much more sense to him than heroes hiding from a government or serving it when they could literally level the planet, as shown in the comics of his previous life.
Of course, it is completely possible for a superhuman to fall deeply in love with the planet and protect it but Silas couldn't understand how that love can be translated into decades of what is basically servitude to the views and opinions of the people.
It was possible it the concept of superheroes was new but if superheroes have always been an integral part of history this was impossible.
Silas could be sure of this because something similar had already happened to Silas in his previous life. Silas had invaded and occupied Earth in the record time of one month.
At some point, he understood how limiting it was to always look for investments or create wealth every time he wanted to conduct an experiment. As such robbing the world looked like a much better alternative.
Of course, his personal vanity also played a part in the decision to control the world.
As someone whose sole pleasure in life was reading fiction: novels, comics, etc Silas had to admit that the idea of ruling the world looked very attractive to him.
But all that no longer held any appeal to Silas. He had once been at the absolute peak of power. He has tasted almost every pleasure the world has to offer.
But after eight decades, Silas thinks little of such luxuries now.
Anyway, the important point was what happened right after he occupied Earth.
Silas had already killed most of the governmental figures in the world as well as the ultra wealthy capitalists to ensure his smooth control but a few years in, he sensed a problem.
To ease the transition, Silas found that it was easier to provide justifications and benefits to the public.
In that spirit, he launched a full propaganda campaign against the world in which he explained the evils the political class had committed. The evidence for this was not really hard to find, so most people ate it up pretty quickly.
Next he created a centralized government, proper provinces, a proper education system, judicial system, and so on.
Within 3 years, due to his efforts, nobody in the world was hungry anymore, there were no more wars and everyone had a right to an education and a fair job.
But the f$cked up part was that Silas wanted to do even more for the people. He was addicted to the approval of the people.
As such, his actions were beginning to be dictated not by his curiosity as they were before but by his hunger for approval.
It took Silas almost five years to get out of this state but he did. The trigger for this enlightenment was the knowledge he learned next.
The system Silas created looked like an almost perfect meritocracy. But Silas knew better.
He knew there was no chance any system in the world can be saved from human corruption. It was just that he couldn't see it
So, to help him better see this corruption, Silas decided to create a proper artificial intelligence that would help him govern his world.
With this new artificial intelligence, Silas finally learned the truth of the world.
During his 5 years of reign before the creation of the AI, Silas had already installed a camera on every public property in the world.
This along with his satellites, ensured that could see every part of Earth.
But his AI detected a pattern in the output from these cameras and satellites.
All of them were tailored to show him the image he wanted to see.
After a thorough investigation, Silas found that he was essentially a hostage to a deep-state in his own governmental body.
There he was, a superhuman capable of casually punching through a foot deep wall, a being with a super brain, a team of superhumans under his command, the best resources and talents in the world as well as weapons capable of destroying Earth yet he was effortlessly manipulated by just a dozen people for half a decade.
This realization was a wake-up call for Silas, he fully realized the potential and threat that every being possessed at that moment. He had vowed then never to underestimate anyone again.
As well as the fact that all his actions could be casually manipulated by someone.
This realization finally took him out of his hallucinogenic-like state and forced him to evaluate his own mind.
He realized that no being was strong unless every aspect of his existence was strong.
For example, Silas was physically strong, he was also intelligent but his actual social and mental strength didn't even reach that level. This was the reason that Silas, even with a super brain was manipulated.
He completely understood the meaning of a sentence he had once read in a book in that moment, 'An chain is only as strong as its weakest link'
He decided to spend a significant portion of his time for the next period in training his emotional and mental state. He dedicated the next decade to a single, grueling project: the complete mastery of self...