Sighing in relief internally, Lucian was just glad he got to escape another death sentence.

"Thank you for your assistance O' godly one. To accomplish my task, I would need a couple of things with your aid," he replied as he immediately got to business lest this fickle god changes his mind.

"Firstly, I would need your help with modifying the Contract. Thanatos will suspect if I do not have the Contract, so I must leave it activated. However, if I am forcefully coerced, I need to have an escape to help you effectively." he explained carefully.

Nodding in agreement, Charon moved closer and grabbed the red energy contract with one hand. He then pooled water from the Styx in his other hand, slowly gathering the water into a large ball. Soon the ball of Styx water moved like a snake toward the edge of the Contract, filling it with its liquid.

A silver color began to appear on the Contract, pushing away the original red. However, just as the silver energy was about to take it over, it stopped midway, leaving the Contract a mix of silver and red energy harmonizing together.

Lucian could feel the power of the Contract magnify immensely as it changed. It quickly completed in transformation as Charon forcefully put it away.

Releasing the Styx water back into the river, Charon said, "I have created a kill switch in the Contract. this will allow the Contract to be dismantled when needed. however, fair warning," he continued, "Due to the interference of the River Styx, this change will, in turn, make the Contract even more binding than before. To be able to change such a contract, especially from a god, requires a small price such as this."

"huh... How much more binding has it become?" Lucian asked.

Charon smirked smugly as he answered haughtily. "hmph! I've known gods who wouldn't be able to break such a contract, so all you have to know is it will be impossible for you to do so!"

Nodding in understanding, Lucian let the condescension slide right off his back as he moved on to the next topic. "Second, are the tales of the Styx river true? Can it grant me invincibility?"

"No, it cannot. That is simply a tale told to influence the weaker races. Any being that is not a god will slowly dissolve to death if they try. However, it does help refine your soul. Unfortunately, with your level, the possibility of you accomplishing this is practically nil. It will be tough for you to survive even its first level of depth," Charon said with a shake of his head.

However, his smirk returned as he continued. "However, with my help, you may barely survive the first level and gain some benefits to your soul."

Lucian smiled as he responded. "Great! I must admit, you are a miracle worker, O' godly one!" he said enthusiastically. This time, he really did mean it! This guy was making it far too easy!

This excursion into the depths of the Underworld proved very beneficial! At first, he was very hesitant to attempt it. Still, after meeting Charon, he gained a better understanding of the gods and even earned an ally, although temporarily. Overall now he felt far more ready to protect himself. It seemed like the work here was done here.

Changing the subject, he began. "Thanatos will be here in the next coming days. I will report to you what information I find. In the meantime, I have to get back up." he said as he mentally waved goodbye.

Suddenly he stopped to ask a pivotal question. "One more thing, can you sense Thanatos nearby?"

Charon shook his head as he walked back towards his ship. "No, he is farther than my god sense can sense. Don't worry; his godly intuition will not work when I am with you, so rest assured, you are safe for now."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Lucian began moving back up. Before he left completely to turned towards Charon and said, "Hey! and another thing!"

Charon turned towards Lucian one last time.

"Thank you for your help, O' godly One. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without you," Lucian said sincerely.

Charon's face cracked for a split second, but he regained his regal smile. "You're quite welcome. Such a task is as simple child's play for a god such as I."

Lucian nodded mentally as he turned and walked away. However, this time a frown hung on his face. He would have to be careful.

Charon's eyes narrowed behind Lucian as he watched him leave, a curious look on his face.

Walking up the path as he waded through the crowd of souls, Lucian took a look at his new stats.

Basic Stats

Name: Lucian Villin

Class: ---

Profession: ---

Race: Human/ Soul

Strength - [0]

Constitution - [0][0.05]

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Endurance - [0]

Perception - [0]

Agility - [0][0.05]

Dexterity - [0]

Willpower- [0][0.15]

Intelligence - [0][0.15]

Soul - [0.2][0.4]

*Ding*

[You have been granted 5 Titles!]

Surpasser VI - Kill an Enemy 50 levels above you. Additional +5% to all stats. Increase Physical and Magical Multiplier by 3

Surpasser VII - Kill an Enemy 60 levels above you. Surpass the Standard. Additional +5% to all stats. (Bonus for LVL 1) Becomes Slightly easier to break through Limits.

Surpasser VIII - Kill an Enemy 80 Levels above you. Surpass the Standard, Become the Legend. Additional +5% to all stats. (Bonus For LVL 1) Becomes significantly easier to break through Limits.

Surpasser IX - Kill an Enemy 90 Levels above you. Surpass the Standard, Become the Legend, Invoke your Will. additional +5% to all stats. (Bonus for LVL 1) Significantly increase the ease of breaking through Limits.

Surpasser X - Kill an Enemy 100 levels above you. Surpass the Unsurpassable. Additional +5% to all stats. (Bonus for LVL 1) Breaking limits required but a fraction of your efforts. Leveling up with Limits becomes significantly easier. BLACK LIMIT unlocked.

Lucian was shocked at the number of benefits and bonuses he gained. "Isn't this title a little bit overpowered? This doubles every point I put into all my secondary stats and transfers 35% into the primary stats. I'm getting more than 0.03 points in attributes for a single addition!"

"It does seem to make sense, though, especially with the requirements to gain any of these titles. Hell, from what I can tell, unless you are one of the elite, fighting past your level seems next to impossible, not to mention fighting 100 levels above you." he thought, appreciating the opportunity to gain such amazing titles so quickly.

"Also, it seems like I gained even more benefits for gaining this title at LVL 1! With the addition of these titles, I believe breakthroughs through limits moving forward should be much easier to accomplish. On top of that, this black limit... is that a level above the red limit I'm currently in?" he thought. Considering that he only unlocked it from a title, he could infer that probably the highest limit for the average person would be the Black Limit.

"This will give me a definite advantage over others. Especially because I gained the title so early in my journey," Lucian said as he smiled to himself. With the additional power, he was closer to escaping this realm and avenging himself for the wrongdoings of his enemies.

And that, he was looking forward to very much.

He did not let the thought of revenge take over him, though. Taking a scroll through his titles, he found another title that he had neglected before

Reaper's Bane X - True Bane of Death. Increase Health and Stamina Multiplier by 1. Grants Soul Sight.

Focusing on Soul Sight, a description popped open on the blue system screen.

Soul Sight (Passive) - Most live to see the surface, ignoring the hidden. You see deeper, farther. See-through to the core of Life. However, be wary of the Unseen, lest you see something you should not.

"Hmm, pretty vague. It seems like it works passively to allow me to see through someone's soul. Sounds pretty useful. That warning at the end warns me to be cautious of the Unseen. Maybe that's a blanket term for spirits or ghosts? With my limited information, I can only deal with it when it comes."

Trying to see the effects of the ability, he thought back to any changes in his sight around when he got the title, but he found none. However, thinking about it, it did make sense since there was nothing around him but souls and rocks, which didn't test its capabilities to see the unseen much.

'Wait, why couldn't I see Thanatos's or Charon's soul? Further thinking about it, I couldn't see the random passerby demon's soul either. Does that mean they don't have souls? Why would that be the case? As far as I know, don't all living beings have souls?"

"They are probably far too strong to be seen through that quickly. I'll need to test my theory further, most likely once I gain a new life, that is, if I don't die before I get there."

He knew it would be helpful later, especially when he gained his body.

Since those beasts couldn't see his soul, it probably was the same, if not similar, with humans, so having it will come in handy there.

As he walked by, he suddenly felt that he was being watched again.

He was here again.

"Thanatos!" he yelled out as he watched his surrounding vigilantly.

"You're getting better at finding me as you grow stronger. I am even more surprised you found out my name. How did you find out?" his voice echoed through the cave as he began to materialize above him.

"Oh, I don't know. A beautiful giant scythe-wielding man in the middle of the Underworld. How could I have ever guessed?" Lucian replied sarcastically. It wasn't the most logical thing to do in this situation, but he couldn't help himself. He shouldn't have asked such a dumb question.

A light shined in his eyes. He simply stared for a while before he finally responded. "You are definitely one of your race's smarter beings, " he replied with similar sarcasm. "Maybe you humans are not completely incompetent mortals after all," he replied, schadenfreude evident in his voice.

"Wow. I'm surprised a god would know what sarcasm sounds like," Replied sarcastically to the sarcasm in this sarcastic conversation.

"Well, believe it or not, I have spent much time with you humans. Quite a delicate bunch you all are. Merely a touch could kill all you lot in the dozens." he quickly gave up, returning to his threats.

"But, you humans, just like all the things in the world, serve a purpose; and that purpose is to be fodder for the stronger races to thrive. That is the fate of all humans, and so shall be your fate as well."

Just as Lucian was about to reply, he was interrupted. "So now, shall we pick a body for your sacrifice?" he asked, with a full smile on his handsome face. Obviously, he was done with this conversation.

On the other hand, that didn't mean Lucian was.

With a smirk, he replied. "You may be right. You are a god with unimaginable power, so you have definitely seen much more than my short Life has ever experienced. However, do know we humans are weak. And because of our weakness, your death is only an eventuality, a forgone conclusion. There is balance in everything. That is the same for my race as well." he replied with unmatched confidence in his voice.

"You speak of death to the God of Death. You humans truly are stupid," he replied as his radiant smile quickly disappeared.

However, that single sentence was all Lucian needed to find the missing clue in this puzzle. His mind whirled as the chessboard finally revealed his hand to him.

He now knew what Thanatos's actual plan was!

Suddenly, he was grabbed tightly by Thanatos as he abruptly phased away with him in hand, moving faster than lightning. Moving through the world at unimaginable speeds, Lucian could barely hold on as he whipped through the world like a sock on an airplane. He often almost lost consciousness, only to be forcibly awoken by the same winds that knocked him out.

Finally, they landed in a dark field filled with a dark mist that clouded the area in a large smog. On the floor lay seemingly un-human bones of all sizes and kinds that were littered throughout the region as an abnormally bright moon hung in the sky, illuminating the region enough to be traversable. The land was bare of any beasts or Life of any kind, leading Lucian to question why they were here in the first place.

Appearing a couple of feet in the air, Thanatos stopped his acceleration as he looked around the area. Lucian used the time they were stagnant to orient himself, slowly regaining his speaking ability.

Satisfied with the area, Thanatos mercilessly threw Lucian's soul below. Hurling through the air, Lucian braced himself as he got closer to the ground. Fortunately, he could land safely since he wasn't physically in structure. He merely began floating as he got closer to the floor.

Realizing he was on the ground, he took another quick analysis of his soul, realizing that he was perfectly fine.

Sighing in relief, he looked into the air only to find Thanatos gone; only a gust of wind left where he once stood.

Lucian looked around the area but didn't see him either.

"Fucking..."