Chapter 64
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: A Fair Contract
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[The Divine Seat, 「Watcher of the Nineteen Hells」, greets you.]
The voice of the Divine Seat gently enveloped my ears.
A sweet, androgynous voice.
From the very beginning, this Divine Seat was making its intentions clear.
“Greetings, Divine Seat.”
But I didn't fall for it.
The corpse before me was a testament to what happened when one was captivated by that voice.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells laughs, saying you need not be so wary.]
“A Hunter who contracted with you just died before my eyes. It'd be strange to be all smiles about it.”
As soon as the words left my mouth.
*Sssss.*
Park Bongsoo's body turned to dust and vanished.
Just like the other monsters in the dungeon.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells states that he was a toy that had long since broken.]
The Divine Seat, having eliminated the body as if destroying evidence, replied.
A broken toy, huh.
Calling Park Bongsoo that already told me its personality was rotten.
‘Besides, if it's the Watcher of the Nineteen Hells...’
The number nineteen and the Nine Springs—in other words, hell.
Considering these two things, it wasn't hard to guess the Divine Seat's identity.
It was highly likely to be a malevolent deity, a Demon God.
However, now that the Divine Seat had contacted me directly, it was difficult to just ignore it and leave.
So, I asked, testing the waters.
“Are you the master of this dungeon?”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells laughs, saying that for now, it is.]
“For now? That means there was a different master before.”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells chuckles softly, saying it will leave that to my imagination.]
The soft laughter echoed in my head.
The voice was still warm, but the unpleasantness lurking beneath it now felt much stronger.
Without showing any sign of it, I asked.
“What do you want?”
[The Divine Seat asks in return, what reason would it have to reveal its presence and seek out a mortal?]
Well, I knew what it wanted.
It even killed its own Incarnation right in front of me, cutting ties.
No matter how you looked at it, it was desperate to make a contract with me.
‘But a contract with a Demon God is too risky.’
Not much is known about the Divine Seats.
However, the Divine Seats that borrow the names of demons or villains from myths and legends...
...those commonly called Demon Gods, their tendencies are relatively clear.
‘They use their immense power as bait to make an Incarnation their own, play with them like a toy, and discard them when they break.’
And yet, many Hunters still contract with Demon Gods.
Because the power they bestow is that great, and the wealth and authority that follow are immense.
Most Hunters would jump at the chance to contract with any Divine Seat, even a nameless, minor god.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells asks gently why you are so troubled.]
The Divine Seat was pressing for an answer.
I wanted to refuse flat out, but this place was the Divine Seat's domain.
I couldn't know what kind of harm it might inflict, even if it wasn't as bad as what happened to Park Bongsoo.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells whispers that for someone like you, who has not yet contracted with a Divine Seat, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.]
‘Huh?’
Wait a minute.
*Someone like me, who has not yet contracted with a Divine Seat.*
Can it not see that I'm being sponsored by two Divine Seats?
Does that mean it also doesn't know I'm already contracted to an unidentified Divine Seat?
‘Could this be...?’
I opened my mouth with a faint smile.
“Ah, my apologies. To be honest, as you said, this is the first time something like this has happened to me.”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells covers its mouth and laughs, calling you cute.]
Yep, I'm a veteran pretending to be a newbie who knows nothing.
A seasoned soldier who can't even do a push-up.
That was exactly the role I was playing right now.
“So I'm not really sure what the benefits of contracting with you are. I don't even know if you have any amazing abilities...”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells urges that you will find out soon enough if you contract with it.]
“Come on, now. I can't just blindly enter a contract without knowing what's in it for me. My mother always told me to never, ever put my seal on a contract I don't understand.”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells narrows its eyes.]
A hint of displeasure flashed from the Divine Seat.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells asks what, then, do you want.]
I grinned inwardly.
Of course, my face maintained an innocent smile.
“Hmm, I'd like to see what I can gain from this contract. Could you perhaps show me just a few of your great abilities?”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells' lips curl up slightly.]
The Divine Seat seemed to like my words.
Of course, it would.
Normally, once a Divine Seat bestows its power, the contract is irrevocably sealed.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells nods benevolently and says it will first bestow its power upon you. It also informs you that this is a very special circumstance.]
The Divine Seat spoke with a benevolent voice.
It was acting all generous, making a big show of it, even though it knew it would be the one to profit in the end.
The classic tactic of a con artist.
So, I too smiled brightly and bowed my head.
“Thank you, Divine Seat. I will not forget this grace.”
[By the authority of a Demon God, the Watcher of the Nineteen Hells bestows a temporary power before the contract.]
*Sssslither.*
Suddenly, a sinister energy rose from the ground I stood on and coiled around my body.
And a series of status windows appeared before my eyes.
[Through the Protection of Death, you have acquired Curse Resistance Lv.10. You are now immune to all curse magic except for the highest-tier curses!]
[Through the Protection of the Nine Hells, you have acquired Poison Resistance Lv.5. It merges with your existing Poison Resistance Lv.5 to grant you Impervious to a Thousand Poisons. You are now immune to all poisons except for the highest-tier instant-death types.]
[The ability of the passive skill Regeneration Lv.1 has been enhanced. The recovery speed of internal injuries, including bleeding and fractures, has increased.]
[All stats increase by +20!]
Oh, ooooh!
An exclamation of awe escaped me automatically.
Is this the power of a Blessing that hasn't been nerfed?
This was a blessing on a whole other level than that of the Gardener of the Mother Goddess or the Imperfect Secret Bird.
And this wasn't even the full extent of the Watcher of the Nineteen Hells' power.
In fact, the Divine Seat spoke to me with an arrogant voice.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells' lips curl as it says this is only the beginning, and that many more powers await you.]
Only the beginning, huh.
“What a shame.”
[?]
If it weren't for the restrictions, I would've received this level of support from the Gardener and the Secret Bird, too.
“If I could make a proper contract with you, I'd be able to gain such incredible powers... But unfortunately, my body makes that impossible.”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells narrows its eyes, asking what you mean.]
Naturally, the con artist, unaware of the full story, reacted with confusion.
“Actually, there's something I haven't told you. There have been a few other Divine Seats who wanted to contract with me before. But they all failed. They said a proper contract was impossible because I was already in a temporary contract with another Divine Seat. The thing is, I don't even know who that Divine Seat is.”
[?!]
“I have a bad feeling about this time, too. You've done so much for me, but if a complete contract is impossible this time as well...”
A flustered groan echoed.
It had finally realized something was wrong.
[It says it doesn't know what the issue is, but this time will be different. It exclaims that since its power has already been absorbed, you belong to it.]
“Hmm, well then, shall we try to make the contract? I, for one, would be grateful if you could properly contract with me.”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells proposes a contract with you!]
The voice was utterly desperate.
*Shushushuk!*
The demonic energy that had been seeping from the ground now lunged at me like tentacles.
But.
*Fwaaat!*
Before the tentacles could reach me, a brilliant light burst from my body, scattering the demonic energy.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells is astonished by the failed contract!]
It was only natural.
If the Progenitor Emperor and Abraxas failed, there was no way a mere Demon God could succeed.
“Ah, it seems even you couldn't break my curse, Divine Seat.”
I shook my head with a look of regret.
Though inwardly, I was shouting 'Jackpot!' and doing a victory dance.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells rages that this is impossible. It shouts that since things have come to this, it will take back its power!]
The demonic energy once again clung tenaciously to my body.
*Fwaaat!*
But once again, a brilliant light flared out, completely eradicating the dark energy without a trace.
Since we hadn't formed a formal contract, the act of reclaiming its power was also blocked.
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells rages, asking what kind of trick this is!]
The Divine Seat's voice had turned venomous.
Even so, all I had to do was reply with a bitter look on my face.
“What can I do? This is just how my body is. I thought you would be different, Divine Seat, but I guess I expected too much.”
[The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells clutches the back of its neck!]
Of course, it'd be pissed.
You shouldn't have sent the money first.
You're exactly the type to get scammed with a brick in a box.
[......]
The Divine Seat remained silent.
I couldn't tell if it was calming its anger or letting it fester.
My business here was originally finished.
“Hmm, still, if you wish to contract with me, there is one method I can tell you about.”
However, leaving like this felt unsettling.
It was impossible for this Divine Seat to harm me right now.
But if I just took what I wanted and disappeared, I had no idea when or how it might try to screw me over later.
Demon Gods, unlike other Divine Seats, were known to hold grudges.
“Have you ever heard of a temporary sponsorship contract?”
In that case, it was better to tie it to my side and keep an eye on it.
Using the eyes of the other Divine Seats I had contracts with.
* * *
About 30 minutes later.
“Alright, with this, I've received all the special rewards.”
The special reward for the hidden mission was 10 freely distributable stat points.
Directly distributable stat points were definitely one of the rarest rewards.
After allocating all those stats, I skimmed over my status window.
Name: Kim Hanul
Age: 28
Gender: Male
- Stats -
Strength: 80 Agility: 55 Stamina: 62 Spirit: 53
- Skills -
Regeneration Lv.1, Monarch's Lingering Shadow Lv.1, Sage's Eye Lv.1
Trace Copy Lv.1, Impervious to a Thousand Poisons, Emperor's Protection (Fear Resistance), Eggshell's Protection (Freeze and Flame Resistance), Imperfect God's Protection (Confusion Resistance), Death's Protection (Curse Resistance)
-Linked Skills-
Conversation with the Monarch Lv.1
Trade with the Monarch Lv.1
- Equipped Items -
Lizardman High Priest's Dimensional Pouch, Emperor's Trace, Ring of the Burning Heart
- Hired Monsters -
Goblin Slave 1/1, Ogre Berserker 1/1, Jen Karuk (Special Hero) 1/1, Lizardman Legion 20/20
Dark Elf Archer 20/20, Iramatus (Special Hero) 1/1
- Tamed Monsters -
Beholder Sage 1/1
- Contracted Divine Seats -
Gardener of the Mother Goddess
Imperfect Secret Bird
Watcher of the Nineteen Hells
“Nice.”
I nodded at my beefed-up status window.
Even without using Monarch's Lingering Shadow, my average stats were over 60.
With just my base stats, I had confidently joined the ranks of A-rank Hunters.
If I added Monarch's Lingering Shadow to this...
‘Depending on the situation, I could even fight on equal footing with S-rank or higher Hunters.’
It was a level that made my time rolling around as an E-rank Hunter feel unreal.
‘And to think I'd end up adding a Demon God to my contract list.’
It was an unexpected harvest.
The Watcher of the Nineteen Hells had been furious about the temporary contract system, but it eventually accepted the offer.
It was understandable that it would be livid, having its power stolen and then being coaxed into a one-sided contract where it couldn't even touch me.
It's not like it had any other choice.
It couldn't just let me walk away like this.
There was a brief incident where the Gardener and the Secret Bird showed up due to the appearance of a new contracted Divine Seat, a Demon God no less, but that was also resolved smoothly.
[The Sage pays its respects to your astonishing growth! (و ˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و ]
“It's all thanks to you guys. Thank you.”
I said, looking at the Sage and the other summoned creatures remaining nearby.
I meant it.
Without these guys, I wouldn't have gained a Divine Seat or so many items.
“Especially you, Iramatus. The others worked hard too, but without you, I would've been in real trouble.”
The skeletal mage, which had been standing perfectly still, stared at me.
And then.
[Keh.]
“?”
[Kehekeke, khahahahaha! You place gods beneath your feet, yet you express gratitude to lowly creatures. Of course, it should be so. My master. Only then are you worthy of being the master of I, Iramatus, who leads an army born of a sea of blood and mountains of corpses.]
Suddenly, the lich's blue eye lights flared as it began to run wild.
[Be grateful, master. You have taken the worst and most wicked black mage who ever stained the world with death as your subordinate. Rejoice! By accepting this body, you have become a true lord of death.]
“......”
...Yeah, I think I know what the problem is.
I approached the skeletal mage, who was cackling with its jaw clattering.
[Master, let us plant the flag of death together, with this body. Beneath a pure white full moon, upon a mountain made of corpses and white bones.]
*Tak.*
And I snatched the Staff of Misfortune from the mage's hand.
[?]
The undead lich instantly went blank.
*Poof!*
With a puff of black smoke, the lich's form shrank.
Soon, the smoke cleared to reveal a tiny baby skeleton.
The baby lich held out its tiny bone hands and clattered.
“Tadak! Tadadak!”
Its blue eye lights distorted here and there as if it were about to cry.
Yes, this is my good, cute Iramatus.
I put the Staff of Misfortune into my dimensional pouch right in front of the reaching skeleton and smiled.
“Aww, such a good boy. My baby lich. I'll just hold onto this for a while, okay?”
I decided.
I wouldn't let it hold this eighth-grader syndrome stick unless it was absolutely necessary.
In short, it was confiscated.
“Tadadak!”
Did it understand my true intentions?
The tiny baby skeleton finally burst into tears.