Chapter 442 – Part 2 – Contract

When the Illusion Prison was released, Dayna looked at Derkius.

‘Huh… he’s become a complete wreck.’

The murky color of his soul clearly showed how miserably he had been treated.

Dayna, who had approached Derkius, shot sarcasm at him.

[What is this state? The one and only god Derkius?]

[……]

[Should the self-proclaimed god of death show such an ugly state? You look like you’re dying.]

[……]

Despite the blatant mockery, Derkius showed no reaction.

‘Min Do-jun must have tormented him quite badly.’

Dayna, reminded once again of the terror of Illusion Prison, spoke with a voice filled with resentment.

[You heard everything inside, right? How the situation went?]

[……]

[Don’t tell me you really thought I would cooperate with you? Did you think I’d be fooled like a sucker again?]

While imprisoned for over 100 years, Dayna had trembled with rage.

How could she get revenge on Derkius?

How could she overcome this predicament?

‘I vowed and vowed again. Next time, I would never be fooled like a sucker. I would get revenge on Derkius.’

The situation she had dreamed of had now become reality.

The corners of Dayna’s human-formed mouth twisted upward.

Seeing Derkius’s haggard appearance, she couldn’t help but feel truly refreshed.

[That’s why you shouldn’t steal other people’s research and be greedy for Divine Force. Huh? It would have been nice if we had lived helping each other. Right?]

[……]

[Say something, junior. At least say you’re sorry.]

[……]

Even when pressed, there was no movement in what appeared to be Derkius’s mouth.

At that sight, Dayna shook her head.

‘What on earth did he go through inside…’

Dayna’s gaze turned to one place.

Choi Seong-min, with an expressionless face, was touching the air as if checking Elsis.

‘Min Do-jun. He’s really a terrifying human…’

Dayna recalled a few hours ago when she was released from prison.

* * *

[Hand over 350 million Divine Force. Then I’ll release you from prison as soon as I receive it.]

At Choi Seong-min’s proposal, Dayna had no choice but to accept reluctantly.

[Ah, okay. Let’s do that. Hurry up and open the latch…]

[No, we need to write a contract first.]

[Contract… you say?]

[Of course. Did you think we’d make a verbal promise? What should I trust about you? Especially when you tried to annihilate me with the latch’s trap?]

Choi Seong-min wasn’t easily deceived.

Unlike Dayna who had been fooled by Derkius.

[I’ll release you when we write a proper contract. There’s a good function called contract writing in Elsis, isn’t there?]

[Th-that’s right. That would certainly be more reliable…]

[What? Looking at your reaction, you were planning to stab me in the back again?]

[N-no. How could I?]

Though she said no, she had been hit right on target.

She couldn’t lose 350 million Divine Force so meaninglessly.

‘I was planning to launch a preemptive attack with Illusion Prison as soon as I was released, but a contract…’

It was troublesome, but there was still hope.

‘As long as the contract doesn’t include a condition about not betraying, there’s no problem.’

But Choi Seong-min was one step ahead of Dayna.

[This won’t do. I’m so annoyed that I need to add additional conditions.]

[A-additional conditions?]

[Instead of me releasing you, you hand over 70 percent of your Divine Force to me and additionally obey my words unconditionally. If you break this, you’ll be annihilated without mercy.]

[O-obedience… That’s too much!]

[What’s too much about it? Then will you stay trapped in prison forever? Wouldn’t it be better to come under me?]

[That can’t be considered better! Even if released, it’s no different from being bound by shackles!]

[Fine. Then let’s change the conditions. You’ll cooperate with me only until we annihilate Derkius. Never betraying each other. This should be okay, right?]

[Hmm…]

It was certainly okay.

Compared to obeying for life, it was a better condition.

[Alright. I want to get revenge on Derkius too.]

[Okay. Then let’s write the contract right away.]

Though they hastily made the contract, Dayna immediately regretted it.

‘Ah… come to think of it, I forgot to discuss the distribution of Divine Force that Derkius has!’

When dealing with Derkius, Divine Force would definitely be generated.

When Dayna brought this up…

[That’s not something you should interfere with.]

[What are you saying! Since we agreed to cooperate for revenge, the Divine Force should naturally be shared…!]

[You think we’re cooperating as equals?]

Mockery flowed from Choi Seong-min’s mouth.

[Looking at the contract, you’re cooperating with me. We’re definitely not in equal positions. In other words, the decision-making power is mine.]

[Ah…]

Dayna felt like she had been hit hard in the back of the head.

‘I’m in a position to help that human?’

Looking again, it was clearly written in the contract.

Not that they would cooperate with each other, but that she would cooperate with Min Do-jun.

‘Th-this means even if Divine Force is obtained, it won’t be distributed?’

If it had been an equal cooperative relationship, it would have been something she could rightfully demand and the contract would have been effective.

But since she had come under Choi Seong-min, there was no reason to grant her request for Divine Force even if she demanded it.

Like how a part-timer’s salary depends on the boss’s mood.

‘Ah… I shouldn’t have made the contract so hastily as if being chased…’

Honestly, it was better than the initially proposed offer, so she had easily fallen for it.

‘Surely this wasn’t all planned?’

Her head thought it couldn’t be, but Dayna vaguely felt it.

That she had been completely hooked by Choi Seong-min.

[Dayna. You just need to help me. Then you can definitely get revenge on Derkius.]

[How?]

Choi Seong-min carefully explained the method.

Using Clone Technique to deceive Derkius and installing Illusion Prison first to catch him.

Hearing the plan, Dayna was honestly surprised.

His understanding of Elsis functions was beyond imagination.

[You had a plan all along?]

[Of course.]

[If things go according to plan, we should definitely be able to catch Derkius.]

Even from Dayna’s perspective, it was a plan with high success probability.

[The problem is that you need to perfectly deceive Derkius.]

[Don’t worry about that. I’m confident.]

[Have you done some acting in your life?]

[Not exactly, but… I’m not the same person as before. I won’t be fooled by Derkius again.]

* * *

Dayna came out of her reverie.

‘We put Derkius in Illusion Prison as planned.’

If things had gone wrong, they might have been the ones caught, but it was possible because they deceived Derkius first and made the first move.

‘Min Do-jun probably made a contract with Derkius. Something like sparing his life if he coughs up all his Divine Force.’

That was what the Illusion Prison was for, so it must be right.

‘The revenge was successful, but…’

There was regret.

If she had contracted for an equal cooperative relationship with Choi Seong-min, Divine Force would have fallen to her too.

‘I was still a big help, so if he has any conscience, he’d give me at least a little…’

Though Dayna hoped a little, it was only because she didn’t know Choi Seong-min.

When Choi Seong-min approached, Dayna spoke.

[We finally caught Derkius.]

[That doesn’t mean the contract is over yet, so don’t think about betraying. The contract condition is until Derkius is annihilated.]

[Wh-what are you saying? I didn’t think of such a thing at all.]

[Your lying is clumsy.]

[……]

Though startled, Dayna tried to maintain her composure.

[Did you get the Divine Force from Derkius?]

[I got it. Made sure with a contract.]

[How much did you get?]

[Why? Going to ask me to share some if it’s a lot?]

[Ahem, it’s not exactly that, but still, since I played a part, if you’re giving, I won’t decline…]

[I won’t give you any.]

[……]

At that firm voice, Dayna was speechless.

[Why would I give anything to a transcendent who tried to annihilate me? Don’t expect a damn thing.]

Dayna, who thought she’d get at least a little, was flabbergasted.

[So, so how much did you get?]

[I got it all. About 3 billion.]

[What?]

Dayna was surprised by the larger-than-expected amount.

[Th-then the 350 million you took from me plus the 3 billion you extorted from Derkius makes a total of…]

[3.2 billion. I used 50 million for Clone Technique and 100 million for Illusion Prison costs.]

[……]

Dayna couldn’t close her mouth in amazement.

‘I only have 150 million, but that human has as much as 3.2 billion?’

And this was a newcomer who hadn’t been a transcendent for long.

[Not only that, but control of the underworld has also passed to me. Now I’m the owner of this place.]

[Th-that…]

Dayna fell into panic for a while at the hard-to-accept reality.

She never thought Choi Seong-min would become the master of the underworld.

And by a transcendent she had created, no less.

‘What should I do? Should I congratulate him on becoming the new master of the underworld? Or should I bow my head and try to get on his good side even now?’

For Dayna, who had planned to deal with Derkius and lead the underworld, her feelings were inevitably complex.

It was like having her position stolen with her eyes wide open.

‘After Derkius is annihilated, the contract will end. From then on, I’ll be free from the contract. Even if I betray, I won’t receive penalties.’

After the contract ended, she had planned to backstab with Illusion Prison and steal Divine Force, but…

‘How is it that he’s predicting my actions?’

Since it was already seen through, she couldn’t move easily.

‘What should I do? Am I going to be the one who gets caught? Should I apologize for my wrongdoing and beg him to spare my life? Or should I strike first as planned? Could I win by doing that? Against an opponent with 3.2 billion Divine Force? And in a situation where my betrayal has been obviously discovered?’

As she continued thinking, she felt doubtful.

Even if she backstabbed, there was no guarantee of success.

‘Would he spare me if I sincerely apologized for deceiving him? No, looking at his eyes, it doesn’t seem likely. Those are eyes that know no mercy. He’ll definitely steal my Divine Force too and annihilate me. What if that really happens?’

Just when she thought she had escaped from Derkius, now Choi Seong-min was the problem.

‘There’s no hope.’

Her confidence disappeared.

There was no chance of winning.

‘Is struggling even a little the only way to survive? Aaah!’

When her head was complicated with various thoughts, Choi Seong-min casually said:

[You don’t need to think so complicatedly. I won’t kill you.]

[What?]

[Just write one contract to work under me. Then I’ll guarantee your life at least.]

[R-really?]

Dayna, who had brightened up, became serious as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps because she had been burned before, she became cautious.

[What kind of work are you talking about?]

[Work related to Elsis development. There are a few things I want to fix. Even with Insight, development is beyond me.]

[Ah… I see…]

Just as Dayna was about to nod in understanding, she noticed something strange.

[Wait. Did you just say you have Insight?]

Choi Seong-min shrugged.

[Did I say that?]

[You just did. You said you have Insight. Don’t tell me you’re talking about a trait?]

[That’s right.]

[You’re right?]

Dayna was greatly shocked.

[Then you still have traits now? How on earth?]

[If you want to know the details, make a contract. I don’t want to talk to anyone who isn’t my person.]

[Ah…]

In the end, Dayna couldn’t contain her curiosity and made a contract with Choi Seong-min.

To work as a developer under him for life.

Of course, she regretted it immediately.

‘Ah… I made another hasty contract. I didn’t determine how much Divine Force I’d receive.’

Anxiety crept over Dayna’s face.

‘Surely he won’t make me work without pay?’

Dayna didn’t yet know the saying that “what if” kills people.