Chapter 228: The Proposal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: The Proposal
After a long moment of deliberation, Lucifer spoke with difficulty.
“...I will accept the proposal.”
“A wise decision...”
The man in rags reached a hand toward her. A black energy flowed from his fingertips.
Shatter—
The moment the formless energy touched her, something seemed to break.
Immediately after, the flame I had felt in her chest seemed to shrink.
「The status of Constellation, ‘Fallen Star,’ is revoked.」
「The rank of the contracted Constellation has fallen, and the connection to the Star Soul grows faint.」
「Authority ‘Twilight Extinction Flame (S)’ → ‘Black Flame (C)’.」
「Black Flame (黑炎)
Classification: Authority
Rank: C
A flame imbued with faint divine power.」
Was it because she was no longer a Constellation? The authority she had gained through the contract had weakened as well.
I had expected this to some extent, but seeing it happen was still disappointing.
However, I quickly shook off the lingering attachment. It was a power that would disappear once I returned to Earth anyway. There was no reason to cling pathetically to it.
“As of this moment, I declare that all authority and rights granted to the position of a star have been forfeited... A penalty will be imposed if you fail to acquire the qualifications of a Player within the designated time...”
The ragged man’s sudden switch to informal speech with Lucifer was absurd, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, but there were more important things to deal with.
“Enough with the useless chatter. Just undo these chains.”
“Very well...”
Once again, black energy flowed from the man’s fingertips.
At a glance, it resembled Death Energy, but I instinctively knew it was a higher form of power.
Just like how Lucifer’s authority, Twilight Extinction Flame, was a higher power than the fire element I usually wielded.
The chains trembled, as if trying to resist the black energy, but their struggle didn't last long.
“Release...”
Clang!
With that single word from the man in rags, the chains vanished without a trace.
Of course, they hadn't been physically broken.
They had probably returned to their original owner.
Freed from her bonds, Lucifer stumbled forward, and I caught her in my arms. I could feel her warmth.
“Are you okay?”
“...I believe I told you I don't need your pity.”
“Do I look like I’m pitying you right now?”
“...”
Her body was limp, and she hung her head while still in my embrace.
A mumbled voice broke the silence.
“...I don't know.”
With those final words, she lost consciousness.
I quickly checked her pulse. This was the moment my recent cram session on medicine paid off.
In my expert opinion, after three whole days of studying medicine, there didn't seem to be any major issues. She had simply fallen asleep.
“What happened?”
I called out to the man in rags. He had been staring at the snake’s corpse, but his head turned toward me.
He’d been strangely interested in the corpse for a while now. Could he be a necrophiliac?
“Aethersvine is a holy relic of the Creator God... It is merely the backlash from a fallen angel enduring decades of its power. She has only fainted...”
“There won't be any permanent damage, right?”
“Hmm... Medicine is not my domain, so I cannot say...”
“Tsk.”
I laid a mattress on the floor.
I considered giving her some holy water, but I didn't know how divine power would affect a fallen angel, so I decided on a potion instead.
As I trickled the potion between her lips, Lucifer frowned, likely due to its characteristic bitter taste.
“For a mere human to wield an unauthorized subspace... What is your identity...?”
The man in rags approached, apparently finished with his corpse-gazing.
I let his words go in one ear and out the other. I had nothing to say to a necrophiliac.
“Anyway, how do I get the qualifications of a Player?”
“You must clear the Tutorial Floor... I shall send the fallen angel there once she has recovered...”
He was going to wait until she recovered? His overly kind attitude was baffling.
“Weren't you trying to kill me just a moment ago? Why are you telling me to become a Player now?”
“A valid question...”
The man in rags nodded slowly, as if he had expected it.
“However, the System is a regulator that exists for the balance of the Tower... It does not reverse a decision once made... The proposal for you to become a Player means the System has acknowledged your existence in the Tower, so there is no need for unnecessary suspicion...”
So, he was saying, ‘Yes, I was trying to kill you, but I'm not anymore, so you should just forget about it’?
A dry laugh escaped my lips at his shamelessness.
“Human... I have a personal proposal for you...”
“A proposal?”
“Hand over the corpse of The First Tempter... I will pay you handsomely...”
He pointed toward the body sprawled on the floor.
I wasn't particularly surprised. I had anticipated something like this.
“What will you give me?”
“How does 70,000 WP sound...?”
“Hmm...”
I didn't know what WP was, but I figured it was the currency of this world.
Obviously, I had no idea about its value. I didn't know if WP was worth as much as a dollar or a won.
He knew that, too, which was why he was trying to make a deal while Lucifer was unconscious.
Even if it was in dollars, 70,000 was a ridiculously small amount.
‘He’s as cunning as he looks.’
His intention to rip me off was painfully obvious.
Of course, it wasn't like I had no way to guess the value of WP.
Earlier, the man in rags had said that once Lucifer was stripped of her Constellation status, she would no longer be able to receive WP sponsorships.
That meant WP was the basic currency that transcendent beings like Constellations used to sponsor humans.
Would such beings sponsor someone with pocket change? No, absolutely not.
It had to be worth at least as much as a dollar, if not more.
‘I could be bold and ask for a million, but there’s no need for that.’
Besides, he never asked to buy the corpse from me. He never even said he wanted to make a trade.
He just told me to hand it over.
This guy had no intention of making a proper deal.
In a situation like this, there were two ways not to get played for a fool. Either refuse the deal entirely...
“I don't need WP. I'll take an item instead.”
...or change the stakes.
“An item...?”
Ever since I decided to get Lucifer out of here, I’d had one worry. Would those Constellation bastards who imprisoned her just stand by and do nothing when they found out she’d escaped?
Absolutely not. They would try to find her by any means necessary.
And even if I cast a perception-hindering spell on Lucifer, my magic would be useless against transcendent beings like Constellations.
That left only one option.
“Give me an item that can hide us from the eyes of the Constellations.”
To get help from another transcendent being.
The man in rags fell silent for a moment, seemingly flustered by my demand.
“...To evade the eyes of the Constellations, you would need an item of at least SS-rank... The avatar containing a Constellation's Star Soul is a valuable object, but such an excessive demand cannot be accept—”
“Hold on, I'm not finished.”
I stared into the empty air and shouted.
“System! I know you're listening! Let's talk!”
After a brief silence, a new screen appeared before my eyes.
Ting—
「The System responds.」
「“Dialogue request confirmed.”」
A beautiful, melodious voice echoed in my head.
Just as I thought. It was watching.
The man in rags claimed to be the System's representative, but every time he had to decide whether to grant my requests, he seemed to be seeking permission from someone else.
I didn't know why the System had sent him as its representative, but this was a golden opportunity.
“You judged that I might be a threat to the Tower's balance and tried to deal with me beforehand, right? Don't bother playing dumb. I know that snake-head was only able to run wild because you allowed it.”
Both Lucifer and the man in rags had said it: the System exists for the balance of the Tower.
From the System's perspective, I must have seemed like a foreign substance that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
It must have wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible.
“But that attempt failed, and now you're left with two options. Either take a loss and eliminate me, or appease me.”
Releasing Lucifer and offering me a chance to become a Player must have been because the System chose the latter.
“You had no choice but to pick the second option. The System exists for the balance of the Tower, but that means it also has to be impartial.”
Lucifer had said that while the System exists for the Tower's balance, it is also an impartial entity that doesn't take anyone's side.
But if it killed someone based on its own judgment, could it truly be called impartial?
「The System denies your statement.」
「“It is true that you were judged to be an Irregular, but there was no intention of eliminating you. The actions of ‘The First Tempter’ were an unforeseen variable, and he has paid the price with the annihilation of his existence.”」
“And how am I supposed to believe that?”
「“Affirmative. Your suspicion is reasonable.”」
I did my best to suppress the smile threatening to form on my lips and continued the conversation.
“Let's negotiate. If you grant the proposal I made to that ragged man, I'll promise to refrain from any actions that might harm the Tower in the future. We can't write a contract, but if you're still suspicious, just think of it as another chance to raise my favorability.”
The System seemed to contemplate this, falling silent for a moment.
I waited patiently. Even if it refused, I still had bait to capture its interest.
「The System nods.」
「“The proposal is accepted.”」
Thud.
At that moment, something fell from the air. It was a mask with a ridiculous design.
「Mask of Illusion
Classification: Item
Rank: SS
A mask that conceals one's true nature.
※Other abilities are sealed.」
“...It says its other abilities are sealed?”
As I examined the mask, I voiced my question. The System replied in a cold tone.
「“Your proposal was only to ensure that others could not discern the identity of the ‘Fallen Star’.”」
I was speechless.
I knew things were going too smoothly.
It was a bit disappointing, but if I got too greedy, I could lose everything. For now, I had to be satisfied with this.
Just as I was putting the mask into my inventory and about to check on Lucifer, a wail of anguish came from beside me.
「The System issues a disciplinary action to the Administrator.」
「“Mor, Administrator of Underground Floor 6, your pay will be cut for 37 years.”」
“What...? W-Why...?”
「The System glares at the Administrator.」
「“The Constellation's avatar is your personal property. Causality cannot be consumed for personal items.”」
Thump.
The man collapsed to the ground as if he couldn't believe it. To think a puppet-like guy like him could react like that.
‘Well, a 37-year pay cut is pretty harsh.’
Not that it was any of my business.
In fact, seeing the guy who tried to rip me off get his just deserts was rather satisfying.
*
On a field bathed in golden sunlight, a man stood gazing at the sky.
His pure white hair fluttered in the warm spring breeze, outshone by the brilliant halo behind his head and the dozens of white wings on his back.
This was Metatron, the Scribe of Heaven and the leader of the archangels.
“...This is.”
He stared at the pure white chains lying at his feet. It was Aethersvine, a holy relic of the Creator God.
Its return to his side meant one of two things: the sinner had either escaped or committed suicide.
Snap—
“You summoned me, Lord Metatron.”
At his call, a beautiful angel appeared in the air.
“Go and check Underground Floor 6 at once.”
“As you command.”
As the angel disappeared, he clenched the chains with a cold expression. When he had imprisoned her, a former archangel, he had pulled a little trick.
He had left a loophole in her restraints so that she could commit suicide at any time, should she despair of her situation.
“Do not think of such futile bravado. A sinner should remain in prison, as a sinner should.”
His murmur, directed at no one in particular, scattered on the wind.