Chereads / I Died Twice And Now I'm OP? / Chapter 4 - The Deal

Chapter 4 - The Deal

=== ??? POV ===

I sighed. This time was a very troublesome time for us Beastkin. We were in fact in the middle of a very chaotic situation. There are signs of a civil war in the very country which was ruled by the strong. I went over the final few documents. 'Nothing out of the ordinary… It is a bit strange that the demons have no connections to this civil war at all, but if it's not there, it's not there.'

"Oh. I see."

"Your Highness?"

"Kira, did you know that the humans have summoned a new batch of Heroes?"

"P-pardon?!"

His eyes widened instantly. Of course they did. He finally had a chance to get the answers about his ancestors.

"But the issue is as follows, and I quote from the file: 'Due to the large number of Heroes summoned, the Space-Time Continuum is severely damaged. Estimated time of restoration is 100-years. As such, it is impossible to summon anymore Heroes until 200-years have passed'. The Humans are idiots aren't they?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

'I could train up the Heroes now but… No. Not yet. I need to wait till a Hero gets here. Be positive, Leon. Be positive.'

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=== Filmøs Yllaro POV ===

It had been a long time since I felt this type of SOUL. I was stronger now than I was back then, but He probably got even stronger… Death was a frightening prospect. It was almost impossible to believe that I, the Matriarch of the Elven race and the strongest mortal elf in this universe, was afraid of Death. But as it turned out, Aden really did scar me. Not my physical body, but my soul and my mind. I don't think I can ever face someone who is around my level and win anymore. I am scared. I am scarred. I am weak.

"Lady Filmøs."

"Come in."

I haven't seen this one yet, so let's just...

Name: Orym Omarona

LV: 539

Race: High Elf

Title: [ EVOLVED ONE ]

[ RULER OF PURITY ]

[ MASTER SPY ]

HP: 5302973

ATK: 914893

DEF: 1024793

MP: 80245

AGI: 1027924

INT: 933206

VIT: 8403279

SKILL: < ANALYSIS FAILED >

UNIQUE SKILL: < ANALYSIS FAILED >

ULTIMATE SKILL: < ANALYSIS FAILED >

RACIAL SKILL: < ANALYSIS FAILED >

I see… If it came down to a fight, I'd say the odds would be 50/50.

"Lady Filmøs. The Heroes of this generation have been summoned. Furthermore, two of the eight are Rulers. One of the six appears to have his power sealed, but his threat level could rise to S. We lost track of him after he was hit by a de-equip and teleport trap. The Spirits couldn't find a trace of him either."

I sighed. The elves were in a bit of a tight spot. We have all the tech of the Fallen World, so we are the strongest superpower. In theory at least. We, as survivors of the Fallen World, have to control the population of this world and make sure that the balance between the races is not destroyed at any cost. As such, we are sending rations to the Demon Continent. Kuxcaverzagat is a great King, all things considered. But the Demon Continent has horrible fertility and not much in terms of edible meat. Through secret channels, she has been able to bring the Demon Kingdom back to its former glory. As it so happens, however, we are running short on safe land ourselves. The monsters in the Elven Continent have gone berserk lately. Because of our image as peace-loving, harmless forest dwellers, we have to hire adventurers to exterminate these monsters, when we are more than strong enough to exterminate all the monsters ourselves. If only the humans hadn't noticed the monsters. If only.

To add to that headache of a social issue, we now have the Heroes intervening as well. Two Rulers and an S-rank threat as well… I just hope they don't get too strong.

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===Kuxcaverzagat POV===

I entered the Great Labyrinth of Helheim and went into the secret passage.

"Hello, Kuxcaverzagat."

"So familiar as always, huh, Alpha?"

"We are similar enough, no?"

"I guess we are. I guess we are."

"So then, I guess you have heard about the Heroes."

"That I have. Two Rulers and someone who made a deal with Thanatos. This batch will be troublesome to deal with."

"Oh. I should mention. If there is another summoning, the Time-Space Continuum will be torn beyond repair."

"Oh…"

"On the brightside, there is a True Demon Lord among them."

"I can't tell whether that's good or bad. And that is very concerning."

"And you can't kill them."

"WHAT?! WHY?!"

"The Time-Space Continuu- No, you should know the truth."

"The truth?"

"An anomaly is within our world. So to purge said anomaly, the gods wanted to limit its movements.

"If we were t-"

"Nope."

"H-huh?"

"We are way too weak. Unleashed or not."

"So we just wait here and die?! I don't care how strong the gods or the anomalies are, if they threaten my life, I can't just hang back and allow myself to die!"

"The anomaly will most likely be killed after a couple millenia, so you won't die, don't worry."

"But-"

"A god will be joining or watching over each group that gets formed. No innocent lives will be lost. No need to be so rebellious yet."

"I'll be going now."

That woman is too scary. She is calm, and that is the most frightening thing about a person in this world. There is a rule that is widely accepted by even the strongest. Tragedy is simply a matter of time. Even the others, who have the same position as her, follow this rule. In fact she is probably the only one who has no fear at all.

//Later that same day//

"The annual meeting of the Demon Generals shall commence. For our first topic, the Heroes. Peiyekodanaki, report."

"Yes. In the files in front of you, there is all you need to know."

I just skimmed through the report. Everything matched properly with the info I had, so I saw no need to dispute her. Traitor though she may be, her talents can't be denied. Her race as a Naga helps her out immensely it seems. So much so that she is trying to use it on me. I'll just ignore it. I have better things to worry about.

"tWO RulErs HuH. ShOuLd i DeSTrOy tHEm, Demon Lord Kuxcaverzagat?"

The one who can only say my name properly is Khonqus, a named spider monster who evolved into an Arachne and also my oldest companion. They are the second strongest being in this room. Their LV is 14032. My LV is 17284. Of course, we hold back immensely, so many people consider us weaklings.

I'm not concerned about the Rulers, but the Sealed kid. He might be a threat.

A guard enters the meeting room.

"Your Majesty! Project Kuro has breached containment!"

"WHAT?!"

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO

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===Akuma Umare POV===

"Alrighty kiddos. Today we are going to enter the tenth floor of the dungeon. This is the Final Boss Floor, so we can't afford to have anybody giving a half-hearted effort this time. So then. IS EVERYBODY READY?!"

"YES SIR!"

"YEAH! THAT'S THE CORRECT ATTITUDE TO HAVE!!!"

And so we entered the dungeon once more.

Floors 1-8 were the same as the last few times we went through them. But everyone felt this sense of dread that now loomed over the dungeon. Even Roux reacted to it oddly. But we all just ignored it. 'It's probably nothing.'

Everything was easy until we reached Floor 9. I had a bad feeling, so I went ahead to scout and…

"C-chimera?!" I screamed out silently. 'I should report back.' Just then, my thoughts were interrupted by a fire breath.

"Shit. I was noticed."

I am now at a severe disadvantage. I use [MYSTIC EYES] to Appraise it.

Name:-------------

LV: 250

Race: Chimera

Title:-------------

HP:99999

ATK: 50000

DEF: 50000

MP: 99999

AGI: 30000

INT: 60000

VIT:99999

SKILL: [ EARTH MAGIC ]

[ WIND MAGIC ]

[ FIRE MAGIC ]

[ MAGIC OPTIMIZATION ]

UNIQUE SKILL: [ MARTIAL ARTIST (BEAST)]

ULTIMATE SKILL:--------------

RACIAL SKILL: [ ENHANCED SENSES ]Lv 9

[ CHIMERA ]Lv 10

[ MYSTIC EYES ]Lv 6

A stat average of 50000, excluding its HP, VIT and MP. If I got off a sneak attack, I might have been able to escape regardless of its aggro. But now I can't even escape properly. If I just stall for time… No, that wouldn't work. I would die instantly. I can dodge its long range magic. So as long as it doesn't come in for melee, I can survive and eventually escape. I hope at least. My stats are pretty low compared to it. For reference:

Name: Akuma Umare

LV: 63

Race: Human

Blessing:------------------

Title: [ OTHERWORLDER ]

[ ASSASSIN ]

HP: 18032

ATK: 26712

DEF: 14835

MP: 19425

AGI: 30253

INT: 17356

VIT: 10358

SKILL: [SHADOW MAGIC]

[STEALTH] LV 9

[SNEAK ATTACK] LV 10

[ASSASSINATE]

[ODORLESS] LV 10

[LIFE COVER] LV 10

[MANA COVER] LV 10

UNIQUE SKILL: [TAMER]

ULTIMATE SKILL:-----------

TALENT: [ MYSTIC EYES ] (308/500)

I got quite a bit stronger. My stats rose by a lot when I passed LV 50. My skills leveled up as well. But, I still can't defeat this chimera with stats alone. Only my AGI is higher and even that is by a very miniscule amount. What really concerns me though, is the fact that all its stats are perfectly round. Raising your LV doesn't add many points to your stats this early on, but if you were to train,you can focus on that one stat. If your LV is raised after training, those specific attributes will have boosted growth. It's like EV training in that one RPG game. In this dungeon, I got the skill [ASSASSINATE]. If I catch an enemy off-guard, I can deal an even larger amount of damage. It also allows me to locate an enemy's weak-point. This feels way too convenient for there to NOT be any strings attached. Even so, desperate times call for desperate measures.

I use the skill to locate its weak-point. Its neck and the top of its head light up. 'Its neck is obvious enough but the top of its head?'

It breathes fire and runs straight at me. I use my magic to make a protective barrier. The nice thing about [SHADOW MAGIC] is that, the longer you use it, the stronger it gets. But you need a large amount of shadow, or rather, light to use it. Luckily, this monster uses fire in most of its attacks. I sense it retreating so I increase the area the barrier covers. I use my increased safe zone to buy some time.

'The top of its head… its brain… if I stab through it with my knife I win… but how do I do that… I don't think it can fly… so could I just… it's worth a shot.'

I use my magic to lift myself into the air and at the same time, I throw a rock to the wall around the corner.

It takes the bait and rushes to the wall. While it does that, I use my magic to boost my arm, leg, and core strength. I jump and try to stab the beast. My knife goes straight through its head and… it shatters.

My knife shattered as soon as it pierced the monster's head. I felt the EXP rush into my body. If it had hit me even once, I would have died instantly. So I should feel relieved. I shouldn't feel so… tired. I haven't don't anything to warrant me being tired. So why?

I feel my consciousness drifting away. At the same time, I felt my body being struck by something cold, colder yet colder. No matter how cold it got, I was stuck in this state of limbo. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and finally lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was in a pure white room with nothing except a table. I collected my thoughts and stood up. I went to the table and waited, almost out of instinct. Suddenly, I felt some dark power begin to swirl in front of me. The same boy from my dream appeared from the portal(?). Aden, The God of Death.

"It has been a short while, Akuma Umare."

"I believe this is our first meeting."

"I guess."

He sips his tea before continuing.

"Let's just get to the point, you defeated the chimera and were killed by another one."

"So I am dead now?"

"That's right. But you are still strong enough to serve as a cornerstone of the world's power."

Cornerstone of the world's power? I tried to search for the otherworlder title, but now it's gone.

"Since you officially died, I want Akuma Umare, the Japanese high school student, to die along with you. In short, I want you to join this world as someone who might reach the realm of the gods given a couple centuries. In return, I will allow Akuma, a resident of planet-73054 to survive and do as he pleases. I will of course make it easier for him to survive by giving him special skills and unlocking the seals on his soul."

"So if I throw away my identity as an otherworlder, I can live a somewhat normal life?"

"Basically. And I should mention. I will be giving you certain tasks as well. You can complete them at your own pace."

"Tasks?"

"That's right. Your first task will be a simple one. I want you to clear all the Labyrinths of the world. Doing so will make you strong enough to get the attention of some of the world's strongest. You understand where I am going with this don't you?"

"If I get the attention of the world's strongest, I will be able to learn under them and succeed them. If I get strong enough to be a threat to the world, I will be a common enemy. As such, there will be no wars unless it's directly with my forces. The world will remain largely at peace, with only the occasional skirmishes between the Allied Nations."

"That's right. I guess all those light novels came back to help you huh?"

"I guess it did."

"So then. Do we have a deal?"

A new life in this world doesn't sound bad. At the same time though, I want to return to Earth as well.

"I should mention that even if you go back to Earth, you won't be in any registry. So I wouldn't recommend it."

Did he just read my thoughts?!

"Nope. I could if I wanted to, but I can guess what you're thinking. So being one step ahead isn't that difficult."

If I can't go back to Earth then I have no reason to say no. But I'll make my own demands.

"I'll take the deal if you accept all my demands."

"Let's hear them then."

I listed off all off my demands:

1) I want increased proficiency gain.

2) I want the ability to copy any technique I see.

3) I want the ability to see through the weaknesses of all my enemies.

4) I want the ability to use any type of magic.

5) I want a skill which acts like a computer interface. I should be able to talk with it and store information in it.

6) I want the ability to know what every single skill, Unique skill and Ultimate skill do.

7) I want heightened senses.

"Hmm… It might be possible."

"Is there an issue?"

"The skill you want. I can't create it just yet. So if you're willing to wait, say, a week or two, I will be able to give the skill."

Just then…

"Your Majesty."

A maid muttered something in his ear. Soon, the other boy from my dream entered the room.

"I'm back."

"Back so soon?"

"I felt my little bro needed some help, so here I am."

"He wants a skill that acts like a miniature system. Can you make it?"

"Yep."

"Kay."

With that, Aden turned towards me again.

"So as you just saw, your skill is being made. In the meantime, let's see the other demands. I'll give you the title [MASTER OF THE FIGHT]. Even when inactive, It should give you all you need. Onto the seals then."

Suddenly, I feel an increase in power. But it only lasts for a split second. It seems I got it under control somehow.

"Check your stats."

I do as he says and...

Name: Akuma

LV: 150

Race: Demonoid

Blessing:[Death God Aden's Blessing]

Title: [ UNSEALED ONE ]

[ ASSASSIN ]

[ MASTER OF THE FIGHT ]

HP: 500000

ATK: 90000

DEF: 100000

MP: 700000

AGI: 999999

INT: 193000

VIT: 700000

SKILL: [SHADOW MAGIC] Lv 10

[FIRE MAGIC] Lv 10

[WATER MAGIC] Lv 10

[WIND MAGIC] Lv 10

[EARTH MAGIC] Lv 10

[LIGHT MAGIC] Lv 10

[DARKNESS MAGIC] Lv 10

[STEALTH] LV 10

[SNEAK ATTACK] Lv 10

[ASSASSINATE]

[ODORLESS] Lv 10

[LIFE COVER] Lv 10

[MANA COVER] Lv 10

[FALSIFY ANALYSIS] Lv 10

UNIQUE SKILL: [LIBRARY OF BABEL]

ULTIMATE SKILL:-----------

RACIAL SKILLS: [ DEMONIC EYES ] Lv 3

[ LONGEVITY ] Lv 10000000....

I am really strong now. Way too strong. But still weaker than Demon Lord Kuxcaverzagat. Makes sense why though.

"Hey, why is Longevity such a high level?"

"Because we want you to live."

"Also, unfortunately, we couldn't give you ALL the types of magic, but we gave you the best we could."

"So now, off you go!"

"Wha-"

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===Sariel's Diary===

~28/05/1292~

Today, I met with the Labyrinth Master of the Forgotten Ruins. I learned some pretty heavy stuff about this world of ours. The thing I was the most surprised about was the insignificance of our lives. We really aren't worth much. I need a moment to rest. I'll get back to this later.

~29/05/1292~

I'll write down everything I found out from the Labyrinth Master.

EXP- EXP is an acronym for Execution Points. The more intelligent a being is, the better the soul quality is. The sudden rush of ecstasy or pain is nothing more than absorption of a soul.

LV- LV is an acronym for Level of Violence. This number rises as you absorb more souls. If you acquire a bit too many souls, it is possible to evolve.

True Demon Lord- Evolved form of a Demonoid. Highest chance of ascending to godhood. Though, the chance of being born as a demonoid is minisculely low.

The Luminary- Chosen by the Gods to protect the world from calamities that even the Elves are unable to fight against. Highest chance of ascending to godhood.

Angelkin- Angelkin are, in truth, avian beastmen who can't use wind magic. We are not the servants of the Gods that everyone thinks we are. We simply have a much longer lifespan.

Gods- The Gods have all their stats in the 999999999...s as such, no-one from our world can hope to defeat them. They also lower themselves to the mortal realm for fun.

There's much more, but I have committed the rest to memory.

~24/06/2046~

I found this old diary again so I might as well write in it.

Apparently, the Time-Space Continuum is badly damaged, so no more heroes can be summoned. Luckily, the heroes of this time are somewhat strong so they should be able to survive. For now, at least.

Honestly though, they won't stand a chance. Luckily, by simply existing, They have done their part and brought some false hope.

I don't know how much more time is needed, but I hope there is not much time left.

Gods… For the sin of toying with the lives of us mortals, may you suffer for all of eternity.

~30/06/2046~

According to the report, of the heroes, two are Rulers, and one is Sealed.

The Sealed one is more of a threat than the Rulers, if I'm being honest.

I have a theory.

Long ago, there was The Great Demon Lord. He was the Father of the Twin Calamities. There was also a True Demon Lord at that time. According to the records, he was killed along with the others. Only the Twins remained. Or so the books say.

I, however, believe otherwise. I think that the True Demon Lord escaped to another world. Even if his body was claimed as dead, he could've easily just sent only his soul to the otherside. This is the only explanation for why every subsequent True Demon Lord is either an otherworlder, descendant of an otherworlder, or someone who is closely related to the Twins bloodline.

If the kid's power was Sealed before the summoning, that would confirm my theory. If his power was Sealed after summoning, the humans are more moronic than I first thought.

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