"I know you are out there, feel free to explain the form you have taken on, oh ye forgotten beast."
The wolf spoke lazily, sitting down on the floor as it stared at the unconscious Moros. It had seen many fools, with many different systems. Some desired power, some desired ability, in response it was the system that gave them their desire for a price…
The strength was granted in exchange for the blood of the owner. The ones that desired abilities had to pay an equal price, a fire mage had to burn like his victims, a water mage was drowning when he used its powers.
A system granted unimaginable powers, but the price the user had to pay was equal to the strength needed.
It took the heart's desires and made them the strength but also the price.
Those that loved their family, would have to pay with their family. Nothing in this world came for cheap, which is why people who took on this offer always came to regret it in the end.
There was no happy end for a user of a system.
It had been like that in ancient times and would certainly not differ now.
From Moros' body emerged a green paper object with a number on it. It had white wings and a face─It was a flying dollar note.
Just that no person, God, or system had ever heard of the existence of a dollar note. Planet Earth, with the religion praying to them green bills was not something any soul had ever heard on this planet.
As such both the system and the wolf were more than confused at the appearance of the vow of power that had existed since times immemorial.
"What is your form?" asked the wolf with concern in its voice. It had never seen the system take on a form of a winged green object with faces on top of its skin. This kind of thing seemed like it could only bring harm to people.
Such a thought seemed more than reasonable, since neither of the two knew just how much cool stuff you could buy with it. Had they known about sports cars, nuclear warheads, manga and anime─they would started to pray to it too.
"This object exists on a subjective plane of existence. The power I hold seems to fluctuate, it is never tangent. It seems to inflate and deflate with time…what is this sorcery?"
The system power muttered to the wolf, disbelief painted onto the green president depicted on its skin.
It had never received such power in all the years of existence.
How could such a power be born from such a strong wish, yet appeared so undefined and so hard to define. It felt like it could accomplish anything, but also nothing if no one trusted it.
It appeared that such powers were bound to Moros ideas, to his wishes. Although the system had no idea what such a wish was?
On instinct it knew that Moros power was based on paying money, currency? Every heartbeat cost money, every breath taken cost money. Healing the body costs money…
And if he did not have any money left…then the price would be his life.
For now, the system had taken the monster core of the goblin Champion and turned it into the US-Dollar currency. A transfer rate neither it, nor Moros, nor the wolf could really understand.
Yet, a large number still came to be, but once the Money-maker system started its healthcare-system part, the number just shot down and rapidly became smaller and smaller.
Healing truly was a costly process.
The dollar bill with wings had just learned that Moros could have saved a lot of money had he been on insurance. Yet, again he did not even know what that term meant…
All it knew was that the money thing, the $-symbol, contained nearly impossible powers, but these were tied to valus that seemed too hard to grasp for a normal soul.
It would have loved to ask Moros for an explanation about what all these terms meant, since he had been the one to bring such an abomination into the world of Elysium in the first place.
Though both the wolf and the system knew perfectly well, Moros would certainly be just as knowledgeable as well about the whole affair.
So letting the host get used to being in a contract with a system was a much wiser choice. Together, they could figure out just what kind of power had been born in their union.
However, that was sadly not an option. There was that tiny little problem about the whole sub-dimension, the dungeon, collapsing as the after effect of the battle that had just destroyed everything that came into contact with it.
But both of the ancient beings thought they would be more than fine. They were a god and a concept how could they truly die?
And so they continued to speak to another, completely ignoring that more and more debris fell on Moros, driving his medical bills higher and higher.
"This power it is truly marvelous, the price that needs to be paid…can be anything, for anything has a value."
The system laughed, finally it had taken on the form of an existence that defied the natural order. This power was endless, it could accomplish everything.
"MY revenge, my sweet, sweet, revenge…you seem closer now. Give my family, what we all desire. You shall make it possible, Equalizer. Make sure your host, grows up well…we Old ones will need him."
The wolf laughed like it was possessed, the mere thought of its wish being fulfilled caused its heart to beat quickly in excitement. Making a contract with the human, lending its powers to the strange being, from said strange race was the best thing he could have ever done.
Yet, all that happy emotions disappeared instantly as a certain smell entered their perception. It was the smell of Gods that permeated the air.
Someone of worth, someone the gods placed a lot of trust in drew closer.
"It is the host's brother that is approaching. It is best that we put an end to this space. Our presence should not enter their eyes just yet…we need more strength to strike when the opportunity presents itself."
The system laughed and ignored the cryptic message of the Old God, who had summoned it. A system did not care for Gods, be the old or new ones, it was its job to ensure that balance was kept…to grant strength, but also take equal strength.
It did not really consider the plans of the higher powers, since it played a different game then any such thing as a god.
So, it simply snapped its fingers, deducting a neat sum of dollars from his host and summoned a red ambulance to take the host out of the danger zone.
After taxes, Moros would wish to have died there. Yet, that was his problem, not the problem of the system.
The red ambulance car activated its Siren, so it could ignore the laws that applied here. In one swoop it drove through the walls, the hidden spaces and through the space-time continuum, dropping Moros off directly above the edge of the cliff.
Just as the ambulance with its bloodsucking prices disappeared from the world of Elysium, it was Dion that arrived to find his unconscious brother, sleeping soundly at the edge of a cliff.
His first thought was just about his brother…
"What was that dumbass doing here, instead of working? Did he want his father to castrate him?"
The concern was indeed valid. The father had considered such a plan more than often when Moros fell behind the expected monthly payment. It was only after all the slightly not legal operations of Moros came into being that the cash-flow and the violent thoughts had stopped.
With all his brotherly love, he summoned a small hand of rock and moved it slowly to Moros face.
Of course, he slapped him awake by slapping each cheek as only a brother would do. This was how brothers showed their love to one another, especially if one was sleeping on the job.
The sound of rock meeting, cheeks filled the air and Moros was brought back to reality in a not so pleasant manner.
Right now, he had been dreaming about money again, his own paradise. He was swimming in monster cores, and had all the money in the world.
Yet, reality was cruel and the only money he saw was the money that his dear brother was spending on every day. To Moros, the true talent of Dion lay in spending all that ridiculous amounts of money in next to no time.
"Fuck You, Dion. Can't you just let me die in peace? Don't wanna have your stupid face, be the last thing I see before I die!"
Dion looked at his brother and wondered if he had suffered from brain trauma. Did he seriously just insult him to his face?
"Moros, my brainless brotherr. Did you perhaps sniff a little too hard on the monster cores? You seem to have some serious illusions…The only way you are dead is if you do not get your butt back to work to the Terra dungeon!"
Moros eyes shot open, looking at his brother with the biggest smile on his face?
"It is open again?????"
Moros sprang up and ran towards his brother, this was the best news he could have ever received. With the most passion imaginable, he sprang and tightly hugged his brother.
Could life get any better?