367: Chapter 368 Gamox

My name is Gamox.

In the long history of the Philiphimus Civilization, measured in hundreds of millions of years, there was originally no reason for this name to be recorded, because my body only had ten eyes.

I was born in an underground mineral vein 2,000 Stellar Miles deep beneath the surface of the home Planet.

"Not bad."

When I was born, the Elder who delivered me used his tentacles to turn me over and count three times. After confirming that I had 10 eyes, he finally set me down and smiled at my mother on the bed.

Mother sat there; she only had eight eyes. Weak as she was, she looked tenderly at me in the Elder's arms. Although a ten-eyed being was still a slave, at least life would be a bit easier from now on.

In Polyphemus, eyes are a gift from God, they are authority, they are everything.

Twelve eyes represent a commoner, fourteen a noble, eighteen an Elder, and the legendary supreme ruler of Polyphemus possesses twenty-eight Eyes of Eternity.

Eight eyes represent the lowest class of laborers.

Ten eyes are slightly better than a laborer, but still a slave.

The number of eyes is fixed at birth; that's all you get for a lifetime.

When I was ten years old,

On the day my mother died, I was digging for ore in the mine shaft as usual.

Someone ran to call me, saying my mother was dying. I dropped my tools and slid back, sliding through seven mine shafts, three elevator shafts, and past those eight-eyed and six-eyed ones who were always huddled together. When they saw me, they all stepped aside.

I rushed into our living quarters and saw my mother lying on a stone bed.

I slid over and pressed my face against her; her skin was cold.

"Mother."

I called out softly.

Her eight eyes blinked once. She wanted to say something but couldn't make a sound. We speak by vibrating our bodies, which requires strength, and she had none left.

I watched her eyes close one by one.

The first, the second, the third... by the seventh, she could no longer see me. When the eighth closed, the eight black beans on her skin all turned gray.

I lowered my head.

They dragged my mother away. I followed, all the way to the Pulverizing Pool. It was a massive circular pit with churning, bubbling gray slurry at the bottom. They threw my mother in; her body flipped once in the slurry and then sank, disappearing.

This was the final destination for every slave, and no one objected to it.

An eight-eyed Polyphemian walked up to Gamox's side, staring at the slurry in the pit. He was a small-time overseer here.

"Do you know why your daily nutrient solution is a bit more than everyone else's?"

Gamox shook his head. "I don't know."

The overseer patted his head with a tentacle and replied, "It's because when she was alive, she saved two-thirds of her own nutrient solution every day and had someone bring it to me so I could add it to your bowl."

"She said the only thing she could do was give you the best things her eight eyes could earn."

Gamox was stunned, tears gushing out. He stood alone by the Pulverizing Pool for a very, very long time.

—

Twenty years later, under the uncomprehending gazes of everyone, Gamox used all the points he had saved over the decades to exchange for a chance to leave and entered a commoner school.

The school was huge.

It was larger than any place Gamox had ever seen, with floating corridors, transparent domes, soft light everywhere, and incredibly advanced technology.

Gamox walked through the door and along the corridor, all ten eyes wide open, looking at things he had never seen before.

This place was filled with people who had twelve eyes or more; Gamox was the only outlier.

Those with more eyes had more developed minds; they learned faster and could absorb more knowledge. Gamox, a slave with only ten eyes, suffered endless ridicule here.

Gamox didn't care; he worked hard in silence.

Ten years later, to the astonishment of others, Gamox entered the most elite university of the Philiphimus Civilization with the highest grades in the school.

Fifty years later,

In the grand auditorium of the Polyphemus Advanced Military Academy, two million cadets stood. They came from all corners of various Planets. Today was the day of the Imperial Army Commander selection. The top geniuses of the entire civilization gathered here to enter the dangerous trial grounds and compete for the seven seats as Vanguard Commanders.

In the trial, they could only be enemies.

Everyone here had 16 eyes or more; Gamox, with only ten, was exceptionally conspicuous among them.

As the most discussed commoner genius in recent years, he drew most people's attention. Many were curious about his performance in this trial.

The results shocked the entire Philiphimus Civilization Empire.

Gamox successfully returned blood-soaked from the abandoned Dead Star and became one of the seven Vanguard Commanders. Even a twenty-two-eyed prince had been defeated by his hand.

A ten-eyed slave had become a Vanguard Commander!

This was something that had never happened in the entire history of the Philiphimus Civilization.

After the trial, Gamox and the others were summoned by the Ruler. Compared to the other six, the Ruler of the Philiphimus Civilization particularly favored Gamox. He was even invited to perform the Licking Rite before the Ruler, a sacred act envied by countless people.

Not only that, the Ruler also promised to marry his daughter, the empire's most beautiful princess, to him.

The Ruler's voice echoed in the vast temple. The eyes of the other six Vanguard Commanders all turned toward Gamox, their envy, jealousy, hatred, and confusion nearly overflowing.

Gamox was overwhelmed by the favor and couldn't help but look at the most beautiful woman in the World beside the Ruler; the light shining from her twenty eyes deeply fascinated him.

She also observed him with great interest. In a single day, Gamox had achieved a complete reversal of his life's fortunes.

—

One hundred and thirty years later, Gamox, who had grown into an Imperial Vanguard General, received a direct order today from the Thousand-Eye Council.

The order stated that he needed to lead his team to eliminate a civilization raised by Polyphemus called Earth Civilization; they were now mature.

Gamox accepted happily. This wasn't the first time he'd received such an order, and he didn't need to understand why the Empire did this.

Looking at the data on this low-level civilization, all ten of Gamox's eyes narrowed.

Truly ugly.

This was his only thought.

These creatures only had two eyes—small and moist—set on a flat face. They also lacked soft tentacles, making them look exceptionally disgusting.

"General, we have arrived."

One of his subordinates said.

Gamox raised his eyes, looking at the grand human fleet ahead without a hint of emotion.

As a general of the Philiphimus Civilization Empire, wiping out these ugly bugs was as simple as lifting a finger.