1: The Return_The Regressor Wants to Die [A Progression LitRPG]

Lee Do-Yun was scared of everything as a kid. He faced everything with dread as if he was walking on eggshells. He worried about making mistakes at every step. But now, he faced the incarnation of death itself with a grin, even as it swung its scythe to end his existence.

[The 100th Floor Boss, Mors, has used the Skill Absolute Severance(SS+) at 100%, the damage from the next attack cannot be avoided.]

“That’s the spirit!” He shouted and welcomed it with open arms. Allowing the sharp blade to strike his abdomen, with his only defense being a simple khaki shirt—BOOOOOM! The ground shook as the attack hit, and his black hair flew in the strong wind that followed.

[Skill Adaptation(EX) has adapted to the Skill Absolute Severance(SS+) Effect nullified.]

“Unlucky…” He sighed in frustration, even as he stood there without any sort of defense, that attack didn’t harm him at all. It only sliced his raggedy-looking shirt…but even that was mending itself back.

“Adaptation really is a pain.” He muttered. And with his sour words out of the way, he placed his palm on the Scythe of his opponent. In an instant, a deep red flame enveloped the scythe’s blade, then the handle, and in the end, Mors himself, enveloping him completely.

—Kkiiiieeekkkkkk

“Annoying as usual.” He frowned, watching the glorified 100th-level boss, turning into ashes in front of his very eyes. The only thing he was satisfied about had to be not hearing the ridiculously high-pitched scream. He picked up the ominous-looking black jewel off the ground, expressionless, It was as big as his head, with a white squiggly symbol inside it.

[Magic Stone Of The Death King, Mors(SS+):- Can be used in weapon crafting, alchemy, rune creation, or as decoration, best used in sacrificial rituals and for offerings.]

[The Reaper’s Scythe(SS+):- The scythe used by the Death King, Mors. Comes with the Skill Absolute Severance(SS+) and the size can be adjusted based on the user’s desire if they can subdue it. Grants the user a trial for the Hidden class, Death King.]

[The Cloak Of Darkness(SS-):- The cloak used by the Death King, Mors. It was made from a piece of True Darkness which shrouds the world beyond creation. Allows the user to absorb 90% of the damage, and increases agility by three levels.]

“Ok, now I have all of them.” The least irritable task has now been completed.

The blue pattern resembling a blooming flower in his dull black eyes dimmed. After placing the shiny stone inside his storage ring, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the jet-black scythe adorned with small skulls and bones along with a tattered but beautiful black cloak behind him—treating those high-class items like they were trash.

Walking in the middle of a desolate landscape that had nothing but massive dunes formed by black sand, and chilling winds which could reduce one to a pile of neatly cut flesh in an instant. He looked for one thing and one thing alone.

“There it is!” He said, his black eyes lighting up as he spotted the place he was seeking. An elevated platform made of pure white marble stood out in the dark sandy terrain, with tens of marble statues placed in rows around the edge making a square. Most of these statues had human-like appearances but had different aspects that made them unique in their own ways.

One of them was shorter than the rest and more robust, and another had animal-like ears with a tall and muscular physique, along with sharp fangs and claws. One with long pointy ears paired with otherworldly beauty, and another with horns but a wretched appearance. Another had the head of a beast with the body of a human, and a few were the opposite.

However, another thing was common among them. They were all facing towards the comparatively grander statue in the center, bowing towards it in reverence as that one held its head high like a proud peacock. And looking at such scenery, one that was made to inspire awe in the hearts of the viewer, Lee Do-Yun only had one thought.

“Time to smash it.”

It didn’t matter what this place was meant to signify, he’d do what needed to be done. So, he broke all of the statues—except for one.

The statue of a woman, standing proud with four wings, praying. Her veiled face stared toward the artificial ceiling above where the sun was located, burning bright and hot. It mercilessly sent back rays of heat that turned the black sand where they landed into pools of lava, which later flowed like rivers across the whole floor.

Even those deathly rays of the sun and the lava dare not touch the marble platform or anything on it. They were protected by a frail-looking barrier that one might believe they could break with a flick. But now, all of these statues were decimated and only one remained.

“It was so obvious, but it took so long to understand because of how these guys are.” He said, shaking his head. Glancing at the slightly parted lips of the statue, he took out a silver coin from his pocket, and gently inserted it into the opening. The lips of the statue closed and a golden light burst from its hands.

The whole monument slowly lifted itself tens of meters out of the heavy sand, it was slow with gradually increasing speed. And rather than basking in the scenery where red lines drifted across an endless expanse of black, Lee Do-Yun jumped off from the west side of the Monument; his eyes locating an arched entrance that had just come to the surface. It was just wide enough for one person and was speedily lifted toward the glaring sun.

“All of the preparations are now complete.” He said, the corners of his lips quirking up into a smirk as he stepped into the dark pathway without any difficulty.

Terminal Guardian Room, Secret Floor, The Tower.

“Hmmm~ Hmmm~,” He hummed, his brown boots drumming against the smooth floor to accompany the cheerful tune. However, as soon as he reached the end of the tunnel, something obstructed him.

—ZING!

“No matter how many times I see it….” He spoke and smiled in such a casual manner as if a deep crimson beam of light wasn’t making its way to him, turning everything in its way to ash. “I never get bored of i—!”

—BOOOOOM!

The sound of the ear-rupturing explosion drowned his words when the beam landed on him. The floor got scorched along with a crater where he stood, and everything turned into ash.

Aside from him.

“Hah, It never fails to cut my words as well~,” He said, a confident smirk playing at his lips as he walked out of the tunnel with several blue panels flashing before his eyes.

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has already adapted to the skill Great Red Cannon(SS+)]

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has blocked 100% damage from the skill Great Red Cannon(SS+)]

—BOOOOM! BOOOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOM!

While glancing at these panels, he was greeted with more blasts to his face without any delay. Once again, they couldn’t do anything to him; they simply stood no chance.

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has blocked 100% damage from the skill Great Red Cannon(SS+)]

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has blocked 100% damage from the skill……]

“What a welcome.” He said, staring at the seven golems as tall and imposing as the mountains. In the expansive room that he stood inside the golems towered over him.

The Red Gem embedded in their chests — as big as their heads — emitted enough heat to make the air around them appear distorted. And if that wasn’t enough, they had shiny bodies, made by combining some of the strongest metals found in the tower giving them an unbreakable defense that wouldn’t be pierced even by a Grandmaster. However, observing them, Lee Do-Yun looked unamused…

There was no way to reason with these fellows as they did not talk. No matter what, he’d be attacked as long as he was in that room.

"Well, isn't this getting a bit annoyi—!" He said, only to be interrupted by a loud explosion that rattled through the area, reducing it to nothing.

“That’s it. You are dead.” He said, done with their lack of consideration. After all, he had something to do, and being late wasn’t something he planned on. For that, he needed to deal with these Golems quickly. So, he raised his hand, and a much more powerful beam than the one that had landed on him left from his palm, reducing everything in its way to nothing.

—TSSSSSSS

One of the Golems was in the way, and that is why it was no longer there. But uncaring of that, the other Golems charged up to attack him once again. Red balls of concentrated mana gathered in front of the gem, and in that split second when they were about to send the attack, Lee Do-Yun was up on them quicker than they could react.

‘How fruitless,’ he thought, and with a few more red flashes that illuminated the area, he destroyed them all, leaving nothing in that unnaturally vast room.

“Well, that might be the quickest finish yet.” He showed a content smile before arriving in front of a door that was located near the ceiling on the other side of the Floor. Given that there was nothing to plant his foot on, with [Airwalk(S)] he used air as his staircase to reach his destination, all while standing firmly in place as subtle gusts of winds whirled under his feet.

He stared at the door with a blank face, not particularly impressed by this... door. If it could be called a door. It was more of a wall than a door, with no handles or hinges. He knew it was useless to push it, as it would not budge an inch. He felt a cold, smooth surface under his fingers when he touched it, interrupted by ten hollows in the middle; carvings meant for something, something that was missing.

He knew what was missing, of course.

To open this door, he had to find the ten items that originally belonged in those carvings.

“The Magic Stones of the 10 Floor Bosses,” he said. He had them all prepared in advance for this particular reason. In the tower, every 10th floor had a Grand Boss, and their Magic Stones would be the key to open this door.

‘There is no way I’ll forget after it took such a long time to figure it out,’ he sighed with a distant gaze, and deftly placed the stones in their assigned positions, starting from the far left where he put the Magic Stone of the 10th Floor’s Boss.

As soon as he placed the stone of Mors in the Tenth slot, something happened.

—Click

The door opened, and a clicking sound echoed in the room. It didn’t open in front of him, though. It was located exactly behind him, on the opposite side of this stupidly large floor.

The distance between these walls was nearly ten thousand kilometers. However, just like a breeze in the wind, he entered that arched tunnel instantly using his skill.

‘They really like their games, I suppose.’ He frowned, but he took a step forward in that dimly lit tunnel anyway. The tunnel was made with grandiose materials and the fact was presented very glaringly. The entire wall was tiled with Orichalcum which was about 10 cm thick. An intricate pattern was laid on the ground using Mithril and gold.

‘Finding this stuff in the tower is like finding a needle in a haystack.’ His lips pressed into a thin line. This stuff was so abundant here that they were using it as tiles for the walls. Like, what was the use of tiles on the wall in a tunnel? What was the point of using Mithril to form a useless pattern to walk on?

‘Arnold would’ve cried tears of blood if he saw this.’ With a laugh, he shook his head.

He stopped his train of thought after arriving in another overly vast area, it was even more vast than the one from before. The only difference was that this place had glossy and clear white tiles that showed his reflection.

‘If I wanted to see my damn handsome mug, I’d look into a mirror.’ He ran his fingers through his lush hair, admiring his sharp face for a moment. As much as he would have liked to see more of his reflection, the reason he came here was in the middle of the room. Something that was the object of interest of millions and if not billions of people.

An Obelisk.

Nearly touching the towering ceiling of this room, It had to be made out of unknown materials given that even he couldn’t recognize them. Regardless, it was still a sight to behold The shiny black surface had glowing lines of multiple colors running through its length, forming tens of thousands of undecipherable patterns within a tenth of a second before changing, and then changing again.

This was, without a doubt, the Center of the Tower.

The terminal controlled everything inside the tower and beyond, but its influence brought nothing positive to the world.

‘Argon would be jumping in joy now even if it is called the Source of All Catastrophes.’ He smiled bitterly. It was called that in the outside world, and it was a name well deserved.

“The boundary should be right about… here,” he murmured and stepped forward. As soon as he stepped within a twenty-two-meter radius of this monument. All of the lights running through it turned red and started flashing, turning the entire room bright red.

[Emergency! Trespasser Detected In The Control Room!]

[Following Protocol 1… Connecting to Administrator…]

[…Absence of an Active Administrator Detected! Running Protocol 2… Failure…. Running Protocol 3… Failure……………]

[Running Protocol 12… Success! Engaging The Skill Erasure(SSS)]

Looking at the jarring panels in front of him, Do-Yun yawned. It just wasn’t worth anything. He stepped back, knowing full well the capabilities of this skill It was something supposedly powerful enough to erase him.

Unsurprisingly, It couldn’t. If only this failure of a skill worked on him.

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has already adapted to the Skill Erasure(SSS)]

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has blocked the Skill Erasure(SSS)]

[Protocol failed. The subject is unaffected by the skill, trying again……]

[Engaging The Skill Erasure(SSS)]

[Unsuccesful, engaging again!]

[Unsuccesful……]

[Unsuccesful again… Engaging Emergency Protocol 100 Summoning the nearest Administrator...]

This continued for a while before the system gave up and decided to summon someone to take care of the Do-Yun instead. It was a decision that seemed like a last resort if any of the previous ones did not work.

“This will take a little time.” He muttered closing the golden pocket watch attached to his black pants with a chain.

“Maybe I can squeeze my tea time in between?” His eyes shined at the idea as he examined the dark red barrier around the obelisk. Regardless, he followed through with his plan setting up his table with an assortment of snacks. Standing next to the chair he neatly made his tea in an ancient-looking earthen pot embedded with polished gems.

Then hearing the crisp ring of his pocket watch, Do-Yun carefully poured out the tea into the porcelain cups and sat down. Showing a satisfied smile with the aroma of tea tickling his nose, he took a sip elegantly. And after ten minutes, the entire room lit up in bright white, as a being appeared at the top of the obelisk.

It was a woman with long blonde hair reminiscent of gold, clad in untouched white clothes that didn’t have a single speck of dust on them. She opened her eyes, as the four pure white wings spread behind her to exude her holiness.

[Summoning complete… Code #FWMA980 has been summoned!]

{I would apologize for making you wait. But it seems that you have made yourself quite comfortable.} She spoke in an ethereal voice, one that could soothe one's soul, before it took an amused tone because of his actions.

“You were taking your sweet time coming here after all.” He tilted his cup and took a sip rather elegantly.

“…Would you fancy a cup?” He paused briefly before tipping the cup in her direction.

{I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline.} She shook her head causing the white veil that covered her face to flutter.

“Hmm… Now that I think about it, you were never one to enjoy tea.” This was a mistake on his part, as it was only natural to invite others to have tea with him. Even the table he had set was for four people with empty cups lined up in front of the seats.

{What… do you mean?} The woman was not sure how to take that sudden assumption.

“It is nothing really,” But he just showed her a rather sweet smile.

{So, may I know why you are here?} Not having any will to continue on that baseless topic, she decided to take up the main problem. This area was off-limits to anyone besides the Administrators. So, how come a human had made this place into a personal parlor all of a sudden? It was baffling as this place was made to be unreachable.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“I want to go back to my Home Planet,” Placing the teacup down. Lee Do-Yun revealed his real intention, he came to this world years ago and now it was time to go back. This was the main reason he broke into the Control Room.

{To your ……home planet?} The woman tilted her head.

{Is that why you broke into this place?} Her brows furrowed slightly.

Thanks to the number of specific conditions, puzzles, and the complex nature of the trails that have been set in place. Something like this wasn’t possible for the beings who had limited time, because the trails—if not done perfectly—will close the path to this place forever. So, for him to reach here was an achievement that had never happened before.

“Yes,” And it was clear that he was leaving out the details on purpose. After all, there was no need for him to explain this to her anyway. But she thought of it differently.

“I see, please give me a minute.” Her eyes shined in a blue hue when her gaze landed on the Obelisk, which shined with blue light in response to her.

Successfully establishing a connection with the system of this tower, she searched for his information after scanning his face. In less than a second, a few panels came up in front of her eyes. One showed the way he passed the Hundredth Floor and then through the Guardian room. But the second panel was the one she did not expect.

[The System cannot access the current information about the subject.]

[Loading the last recorded data instead……]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name:- Lee Do-Yun

Age:- 35

Gender:- Male

Class:- Knight of Resilience

Main Skills:- Adaptation(B), Nortic Style Spearmanship[S](B+), Flame Magic(B), Argon’s Aura Heart Technique[A+](B)

Extra Skills:- Blink(A), Observation(B), Instinct(C)

Stats:

Strength:- 137

Agility:- 130

Vitality:- 98

Intelligence:- 130

Aura:- 150

Additional Notes:-

1. The subject is not a native of this world.

2. This status window dates back to 10 years, 94 days, 17 hours, 50 minutes, 39 seconds….

3. The Subject was an Apostle of a Transcendent Being, therefore should hold the Divine Shard.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her eyes widened running through the information, he may have not been that impressive ten years back. But now things were different, the fact that he was sitting inside the System control room after clearing the Tower and defeating the Golems placed for security. His current stats should be way higher than what should be his race’s limit.

‘Also, a skill that can stop the system’s interference? I have not heard of anything that can completely block out the system before.’ Her golden eyes sparkled at this rare find. She was at first not very happy being summoned so inconsiderately, but now it wasn’t an issue.

“So, can you send me back to my world?” He drummed his finger against the table. Watching her just float in the air staring into space was as boring as it sounded, though it would have been a different story if he hadn’t finished the tea and snacks.

{I am sorry for the wait. Please give me a minute to see what I can do.} She said reassuringly. Seeing him shrug she focused on his old status and scrolled down. Searching for the information to find where he was from. And she was able to find his home planet instantly.

{I apologize, but we cannot send you over in your current state.} If she did, that would be the equivalent of releasing a fully grown lion into a cage full of newborn rabbits.

So, for the sake of balance, it wasn’t possible.

Normally this would be very upsetting for the person involved. After all, he went through so much trouble to reach this point by defeating the guardians. All to get rejected the passage back to his home planet. But hearing this…

“I see, that’s a bummer,” Lee Do-Yun was behaving like there was no problem, and indeed there was no problem.

{Yes, I am truly sorry.} She spoke softly out of consideration, letting him believe that there was no other way. But unexpectedly there was no reaction from him during that small pause she took.

{But if you are interested we can arrange a different method?} That is why she went with it anyway.

“Hmm, Is that so?” Do-Yun turned towards her.

Even though his voice was bland, she could see his feet tapping on the floor as his eyes were focused on her. It was clear that she had his attention as she intended.

{Yes, that is if you are interested in it.} She added with a caring tone.

“There is no need to worry, I have already prepared something.” Do-Yun chucked a scroll towards her.

After all, it was exhausting to explain things verbally to someone who was already making her plans. The best way to deal with her was throwing something at her, something she wasn’t expecting to deal with.

{What are you—?!} Before she could inquire him about it, the scroll opened and murky black smoke started to leak out. It poured out of the scroll like a volcano and spread in all directions.

{This filthy energy!} Shrieking she moved to the end of the room. She was appalled by the presence of such dirtiness in front of her and did not want to make contact with it. Do-Yun allowed it to wash over him like he was sitting on the grasslands feeling the cool winds.

“So dramatic,” He found her reaction to be funny, but she didn’t answer him as this situation was not funny in the slightest. But the main reason was that she had her eyes fixed on the scroll that had just finished the performance.

‘No way… this human…’ She read the words written in the contract. Her hand covered her mouth. There was a look of awe in her eyes.

The method he had chosen was the second way to get back to his home planet. But there was something more than awe in her eyes.

She reread the contract just to make sure if it was real or not.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Human Lee Do-Yun will be allowed to go back to his home planet Earth(#ULSVSLGMW1962756657687) under my guarantee.

As a fee for my service, he agreed to relinquish all of his skills, along with his possessions, and physical attributes to me.

He will once again become a normal human being upon completion of this transfer, and with that, my job will be completed. I shall then receive my rightful compensation.

Failure to pay the price will result in Death and banishment to Hell.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To return to his home planet, Lee Do-Yun made a deal with the Demons before coming here and he was tricked.

“Is something wrong?” He seemed confused. She had not said anything for a minute as her shoulders trembled.

{Kgh….} Only a groan left her lips as her body bent forward.

“What happened?” Do-Yun stood up placing the entire setup, including the table and teapot into the storage ring.

{N-Nothing… it is just that…} She tried to speak but it turned out to be a tall order.

She couldn’t believe that someone would make such a contract. Why was he giving away all of the things he had achieved through so much hard work just to go back? Especially when he could go back with just half of those if he made a contract with them.

‘This world Orion has been destroyed.’ But she could understand why he was so adamant about going to his previous world after all. There was nothing more outside of this tower, only a desolate wasteland.

But she didn’t expect him to be this desperate.

‘She’d be like that for 10 minutes,’ Do-Yun rolled his eyes looking at the Angel who had broken her character.

But he didn’t think too deeply about it and decided to get comfortable on the floor and wait ten minutes. After ten minutes had passed she finally regained herself.

{I…apologize…… The presence of the demonic energy caused me …some problems…} She lied as naturally as she breathed. And it would be impossible to catch her since things lined up perfectly.

“I see, I didn’t know you were this weak,” Do-Yun said flatly. There wasn’t much else to say if he didn’t want to drag this out.

{Ahem* It seems you have made a contract with the High-Ranking Demon Duke of Hell Astaroth.} She ignored his snide remark and focused on the contract, especially the seal.

The pattern depicted a fanged snake coiling around a hand. The grim air and sheer unholy air around it became a clear indication.

“Is that a problem?” Seeing her come back to normal this seemed like a good opportunity to continue on the topic.

{Yes, I have to regretfully inform you that, you have been hoodwinked by that Vile creature. And this isn’t the first time he has done this either.} Sympathy dripped like honey from her voice.

“You know him?” Do-Yun asked and she nodded with a regretful expression.

{He will not follow through with the deal and still take the payment. After all, there is no penalty for them here.}

“Oh No… What will I do?” And Do-Yun decided to play along with her farce.

{That… Please give me a minute to talk with my higher-ups…} She turned around after consoling him a little more. She even descended and patted his back a few times to reassure him.

Flying back into the air she brought her hands together to pray. The wings stretched wings as the halo atop her head shined like the sun.

After ten minutes of silence, she turned back towards him…

“Can something be done?” He asked looking at the solemn atmosphere around her.

{It was tough to make them agree, but please be rest assured we can help you.} Her wings spread further to sprinkle shimmering dust in all directions, cleaning up the Murky mana lingering in the room. She descended near him again. A golden aura exuded from her body to create a more soothing atmosphere.

“Oh! Is that so?” Impressed, he exclaimed.

{Yes. We never abandon the lost lambs and do our best to help them. That is the reason we Angels are born.} She spoke softly extending her hand toward him.

“I can see your twisted grin you know,” But his calm voice brought her out of her fantasies in an instant.

{…Why would I do something like that?} She tilted her head innocently. Her face was covered with the veil, so unless she allowed it—no one else should be able to see her. So, that begged the question…

‘Can he see my face?’ The guy in front of her was someone who had an uncanny ability so she thought of being careful, but it was too late.

“I can see more than just your face, Zariel.” The corners of his lips quirked up into a smirk when he said that. He could see the shocked expression that must’ve formed on her face, even if her face was indeed covered with a veil.

{W-What?} Zariel froze on the spot.

Hearing her name come out of a human’s mouth was the last thing she expected. There was an important rule that every Angel was taught about very seriously.

{H-How could you… know my name?} This situation had thrown her for a loop.

She started going through the system log. But no matter how much she agonized over this, no Identification type skills were used on her.

“You aren’t going to deny having a twisted grin any longer, huh?” Do-Yun smiled as Zariel’s lips pressed into a thin line. She couldn't care less about that right now as she had a bigger problem on her hands.

{…I can assure you that I have done no such thing.} Suppressing the unease in her heart, she tried to steer the topic away from the current one. There was a chance that this man understood what she was going for, which is why she chose her next words carefully.

{So, about your contract with the Demo—}

“There is no need for that, just send me back.” Getting tired of her tactics to waste more time, Do-Yun decided to end this.

{You’ve not only accused me but also being disrespectful while peeking at my information without consent, not to mention you trespassing into this place,} And for the first time, Zariel showed a hint of anger in her voice, {I can kill you right this instant for disrespecting a Holy being!}

“I would appreciate that to be honest,” But Do-Yun seemed unbothered by her threats, rather he welcomed it with a smile.

Other beings of his standing would start begging for their life at this point, but he wasn’t like others. Where this confidence came from was the key.

Triggering the Erasure skill was an option, but if the logs were anything to go by that skill didn’t affect him.

That is the reason she was called here to begin with, and also the reason she was so intrigued by him. But now there was a new feeling bubbling deep within her chest.

{Are you really going to take such a loss?} Even then, Zariel tried to rile him up a little. But it was an important question for her to understand what was going on here. Even if she didn’t expect an answer, she got one.

“I would lose much more than my powers if I made a contract with your kind. And I don’t care if the Demons don’t follow their contract and kill me.” He didn’t want to play their game, so he went with the Demons who had more of a chance to complete his wishes.

{…} Zariel narrowed her eyes.

This human was different from any others she had seen. He knew more than he let on, which is why it was troublesome to deal with him. It was hard to know what he’d do next or what he was planning, and adding the Demons into the mix made the matter more complicated.

“I am tired of repeating myself now. Open the Dimensional portal.” Do-Yun sighed. He was still lying on the floor waiting for the moment he could go back.

{Now Now, there is a procedure to things…. Even if you have a contract we need to do some things to smoothen the process.} Zariel got back into her façade.

Seeing that she was unable to handle him, she sent the info back to the headquarters. Now she waited for the order to come on how to deal with this guy.

[Transfer Has Been Allowed.] But in the next instant, her body froze, as the system panel left her wide-eyed. His contract had been approved, and with the order coming from above there was nothing she could do.

Why would they allow such a thing? It didn’t make sense after she had seen how such cases were handled before. Even if there was an exception for whatever reason, this was the worst outcome. Regardless, she stayed calm on the surface, or she tried.

“You sent back the info regarding this contract to the higher-ups so that the Enforcer Squad can deal with me, right?” Do-Yun’s calm voice came crashing down on her in that instant. He had deduced it perfectly. How? She still had no idea about that.

“Sorry to burst your bubble but haven’t succeeded till now.”

{Y-You…} Zariel’s body stiffened, this is when fear began to creep deeper into her heart. Because if he knew that things would only get worse for her.

“The price on that contract is not for the transfer alone. Well, no point going over this again.” He already knew this would happen, and that is why he prepared for it. This was the reason he wanted to get this over with quickly. No matter how much time she wasted, the one who got harmed wouldn’t be him.

{How much… do you know?} Zariel couldn’t make heads and tails out of this situation.

“Heh~ Does my knowledge scare you Zariel?” His smirk sent chills down her spine.

But he didn’t push further. She waited for Do-Yun to say something.

However, minutes passed and he did not utter a single word. Those few minutes of silence were the most intense moments she had been through—because the unknown kept on eating away at her.

{…W-Why are you silent all of a sudden?} Zariel felt like a kid trying to approach a lion.

“I am waiting…” Regardless, he answered while his finger drumming against the floor.

{Waiting…. for what?} She couldn’t help but ask as the silence was becoming heavier by the second, and she didn’t have a good feeling. And in the next instant, he turned his bored eyes towards her. At that moment, she felt like he stared directly into her golden eyes.

“Waiting to see how you’ll die for delaying orders.” The tone of his voice was flat, without a sliver of emotion—but those words he uttered with a smile that made her body cold.

{Y-You…} Zariel wanted to ask questions, many questions.

{Just get out of here!!!!} But she opened a golden portal that connected to his world in a hurry.

The last one who wanted to find out what would happen to her if she continued to delay the order, was her.

‘He doesn’t know … right?’ Zariel asked herself the question that had been eating away at her. She prayed that he didn’t as the rule was only known by the Angels.

Her eyes remained fixed on Do-Yun with a mix of fear and desperation. He wordlessly stood up. He reached the portal with surprisingly unhurried steps and stopped right in front of it.

“Hey… Z-a-r-i-e-l… do you want to know something?” His lips formed a playful smile when he saw her flinch slightly. He can easily imagine what she was feeling at the moment along with her facial expression.

‘Don’t show any reaction…. Stop making it seem like it is a big deal….’ She kept saying these words to herself like they were a mantra to drive away her fear. But it didn’t work as well as she would’ve liked. Her body was shaking under his gaze, and the truth was that Zariel didn’t fear him in particular—she feared the knowledge he had.

{W-What do you want?}

“Nothing~,” He jumped into the portal not caring one bit for her thoughts.

He left her floating in the air along with a deathly silence.

{Hey!! What the F--K!!} Zariel was now left with anxiety filling her chest. Nothing but curses flowed out of her mouth, this would cost her but she didn’t care.

‘D-Does he know?’ Chills ran through her spine at the possibility, but it wasn’t without reason.

{B-----D!!!} If the exchange was anything to go by, the possibility started to become more plausible. But the person in question didn’t care about it one bit.

‘There really was nothing I wanted to say,’ He was messing with her in the end. She had been parading around as a kind and caring Angel while trying to stab him in the back. He wouldn’t have minded if it led to some interesting development but it would be the same old.

‘She cares for her life… a bit too much.’ He chuckled as this was a little payback. Thinking about her bouncing off the walls was just hilarious.

“That should be a good enough of a scare for her…” Leaving the previous thought behind him he focused on his current situation. Falling through the darkness numerous specks of light blitzed past him every few seconds. He couldn’t keep up, there was no knowing where he was in his journey but he knew he’d get there eventually.

“The strength is leaving my body… such a weird sensation.” Clenching his fists a few times he could get an idea about the process through which the fees would be collected.

It was like someone poking a hole into a bucket and letting the water flow out rather than just emptying it at once. This continued, and after falling for about a few minutes, he saw that the light which was so far away—now swallowed him.

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has taken all of your stats.]

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has started to adapt to the Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+), progress 10%.... 20%.... 30%...]

A flash of light nearly blinded him and Do-Yun found his feet planted on solid ground. Even with his vision gone, he could still see the notifications from the system.

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has taken your Extra Skill Observation(SS)]

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS) has taken your Skill Nortic Weapons technique(SS+)]

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has taken your Skill Star’s Flame(SS-)]

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has started to adapt to the Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+), progress 33%.... 36%... 39%...]

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has taken your Skill Argon’s Aura Heart Method(SS)]

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has taken your Extra Skill Cold Heart(SS+)]

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has started to adapt to the Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+), progress 42%.... 45%...]

The skills he had gathered throughout his journey, some more precious than the others and some had sentimental moments tied to them. However, they were all stripped off him indiscriminately. When his vision returned the panels started to float in the air as opposed to his mind. Then he noticed the sudden shift in the information.

Regrettably, this was something he expected.

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has tried to acquire the Skill Regression(SSS)…]

[The Skill Adaptation(EX) has started to adapt to the Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+), progress 100%... Adaptation Complete!]

[Skill Adaptation(EX) has fully adapted to the skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS)… Skill’s effect has been nullified.]

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has tried to acquire Skill Adaptation(EX)]

[The attempt has been denied.]

[Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) has retried the acquisition rights.]

[The attempt has been denied once again.]

[Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+) cannot acquire the promised payment because of Skill Adaptation(EX)]

[The price has not been paid in full!]

[Extra Skill Instant Death(SSS+) has been activated upon breach of the contract]

[Skill Adaptation(EX) has completely adapted to the skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+), the Extra Skill Instant Death(SSS+) falls under the Skill Equivalent Exchange(SSS+)]