Chapter 286: Chapter 286

The demon nodded as he finished searching for the treasure.

-This is the Book of Great Contracts. Is this the treasure that you desire?

“...Uh, yeah, that’s it,” replied Choi Yeonseung with a stunned expression. Was he really about to obtain the treasure like this, without any fighting or deception?

-Now, it’s about time you told us what your price will be, mortal. How long have you been looking at it?

“Huh?”

At Choi Yeonseung’s response, the demon looked at him with a hint of incredulity.

-Of course, you have to tell us what you’re offering for this treasure. It doesn’t matter what the price is. It doesn’t matter if what you offer is from the past, present, or the future. It just needs to be the right value. Now, what can you offer? Beginners who don’t know much about these kinds of procedures usually offer their soul.

“Soul?”

-Yes. They agree that their soul will belong to Master once their life ends. This kind of contract is popular because they can receive a pretty valuable treasure depending on how valuable their soul is. As far as your own soul goes, I deem it incredibly valuable. Rest assured, you can trust my eyes.

“...’

Evidently, Choi Yeonseung couldn’t bet his soul. After all, he had come there to take advantage of the weakness of the demon constellation, not to sacrifice his soul.

“What else can I offer besides my soul?”

-Anything else is fine. Like I said, everything is possible. Recently, a mortal elf took a treasure by swearing he would sacrifice ten thousand souls to his master within ten years. However, you must be careful. If you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain, you will most certainly be punished.

‘This is harder than I thought!’

Choi Yeonseung was flustered. He had intended to steal the contract book by resorting to force and trickery. He hadn’t expected this kind of negotiation.

‘Well, I can’t offer my soul, and it’s going to be even worse if I agree to offer him the souls of others...’

How much was that contract book worth?

-First of all, you have your powers.

“!”

The goddess of sloth was right.

Choi Yeonseung had disguised himself as a mortal, so he had attained the powers of various constellations. The powers of the evil god constellations like Blood Madness and Red Hallucination were only used by hunters who were desperate for power. They were of little use to Choi Yeonseung, given that he had already reached the peak of martial arts.

He could just give them away.

‘I need to keep the Shadow Crown.’

Choi Yeonseung decided to keep the Shadow Crown, since it had been surprisingly helpful during the last raid. He had initially struggled to use it because it was the power of another constellation, but he had ultimately managed to use it with ease after thinking of it as a martial art.

“I will use the powers I have received from constellations.”

-Oh, you have something like that?

The demon tapped the calculator with great delight, calculating the value of the powers presented by Choi Yeonseung.

-Well, they are indeed valuable, but... I apologize. I’m afraid this won’t suffice.

“What... Do you know which constellations gave me these precious powers?!” retorted Choi Yeonseung. He was disappointed by the demon’s response and tried to push his offer.

The goddess of sloth was dumbfounded as she watched from the side.

‘Successor, you... You’ve never used them...’

Choi Yeonseung had neglected those powers because he considered them useless. Despite that, he was currently arguing that they were precious powers...

However, despite Choi Yeonseung’s arguing, the demon didn’t yield, his expression unchanged.

-I’m sorry. I’m just calculating how valuable the treasure you desire is compared to the price you presented. I don’t exactly know what the price of this treasure is.

“...”

Chou Yeonseung listened to the demon and thought it was plausible.

From the constellation’s perspective, it would be a concern if the demon found out the specific details of a treasure or its correct price.

Some constellations, like Choi Yeonseung and the goddess of balance, had a lot of faith in their household members. However, with bigger households, it wasn’t surprising for there to be a traitor.

If a constellation cared deeply for a particular treasure, it was natural that their household members didn’t know how valuable the treasure was nor what the right price for it was.

‘In any case, this isn’t going to work.’

If he couldn’t make a deal with the powers...

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ suggests your treasure.]

‘My treasure? It’s a shame because they’re made of adamantium...’

Choi Yeonseung felt it was pointless, but he asked just in case. The demon shook his head.

-I’m afraid that’s not enough either.

“Could you give me a recommendation?”

-Yes. Please wait a moment. If your soul is off the table... Oh. A recommended contract came out. The condition is for you to work for one hundred and twenty-seven years and lead the demons in this building.

“...”

Although Choi Yeonseung wasn’t aware of it, this contract was actually great. He could receive a constellation’s holy relic just by working for one hundred and twenty-seven years!

It was clear that this demon really admired Choi Yeonseung’s ability to win battles back to back.

‘Even if he thinks highly of his abilities, asking him to lead the demons...’ the goddess of sloth thought to herself.

Putting aside the fact that the contract was a good evaluation of Choi Yeonseung’s abilities, it was ultimately unreasonable.

It wasn’t like the demon asked an angel to lead the demons. In that situation, problems would arise just from how different their personalities were!

In other words, this suggestion...

It came about because the demon thought that Choi Yeonseung would get along decently well with the demons.

‘He’ll only get mad if I tell him this, so I better keep it to myself.’

The goddess of sloth decided to keep it to herself for the time being. Choi Yeonseung would be furious if she told him that he would get along well with demons.

“That... It won’t work. One hundred and twenty-seven years is too long.”

-Is that so? It’s quite a good recommendation though... Ohh! There is another recommended contract. It’s an eighty-nine-year contract. There is one hellish area that isn’t performing well. Go there and improve the performance...

“Is there anything else besides that?”

The demon lost his patience and replied sternly to Choi Yeonseung.

-With all due respect, mortal, there is nothing free in this world. If you want the treasure, you have to offer a reasonable price!

“...”

Choi Yeonseung found it absurd that he was being chastised by the demon. However, the demon was right. If Choi Yeonseung wanted the contract book, he had to pay the right price for it!

“Umm. How about something like this? Whatever the conditions, I will fulfill them ten thousand years from now.”

-It’s a clever idea, but I’m sure other mortals have thought of it as well. There’s a good chance that the contract wouldn’t work that far in the future.

“In exchange for this treasure, I will sacrifice ten thousand souls in ten thousand years.”

The longer the period of time, the better it was for mortals. However, the demon constellation wasn’t stupid either. He would just turn down the contract if such conditions were established.

-Unless you can offer something really great...

-...I see.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Just then, an idea flashed through Choi Yeonseung’s mind.

“In exchange for the treasure, I’ll let you in on a secret.”

-Oh, a secret? Secrets are valuable indeed.

“If in ten thousand years if I fail to offer something worthy of the treasure, then I’ll tell you the secret. How about this contract?”

-Mortal, I think this period is too long. I don’t know how valuable the secret is, but ten thousand years is unprecedented… Absolutely not!

The demon was suddenly frightened as it seemed that, much to his surprise, his calculator agreed with Choi Yeonseung’s offer. It seemed that this contract was worth accepting!

-It works! It’s amazing! What kind of secret can be used as collateral for ten thousand years?

“You won’t know even if I tell you, right?”

-You’re right. In any case... Congratulations on the deal, mortal! Here, take the Book of Great Contracts!

The demon gave Choi Yeonseung a thick leather-bound book. It radiated a great power of existence, which made Choi Yeonseung realize that it wasn’t an ordinary book.

[Book of Great Contracts:

A book where the Demon of Contract and Order has recorded his precious contracts. It can’t be handled properly since you’re not the owner, but a portion of the power of the contract contained in it is ■■■■■■■■■■...]

‘I got it!’

Choi Yeonseung didn’t intend to use the contract book. The important thing was that he had taken it away from the demon constellation.

It was hard to tell how the Demon of Contract and Order would react, but he certainly wouldn’t remain idle.

-Mortal?

“...?”

Choi Yeonseung was a bit nervous when the demon called out to him. Had he realized how valuable the treasure he had given away really was?

-Please leave a good review when evaluating our service.

“...Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a perfect score.”

Choi Yeonseung shook hands with the demon and left the building.

***

[The ‘Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood’ criticizes the ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons.’ He says he can’t stand the impudence of touching his household member.]

[The ‘Hound of Instinct and Liberation’ defends the ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons.’ He insists that getting rid of a company you don’t like deserves praise.]

The Demon of Contract and Order watched the conversation between constellations with great interest.

-Hmm… Hmm…

The demons below him were doing their best to sort through the thick stacks of documents.

Earth was such an interesting place. Other constellations were so idiotic that they only saw value in the number of souls.

The lieutenant demons couldn’t even nod. They were too busy for that. The demon constellation knew that too, so he didn’t bother speaking any further.

In his view, the most precious treasure that the humans of Earth had was their work system. They had built this system without any magic! He could get so much inspiration from that!

‘Those bastards.’

‘If I see any human bastards, I’ll eat them.’

The demon household members gnashed their teeth and cursed the humans of Earth. What the hell kind of life did those humans lead that the demon constellation got inspired every time he look at Earth?

The work of demons hadn’t always been that terrible.

In a vast and peaceful realm, the demons had used to leisurely roam around and rest. If someone wanted a contract, an appropriate demon would visit them and negotiate.

However, after the gates had opened and the demon constellation observed Earth, their work system had changed drastically. They had to mimic the extreme efficiency of the workers on Earth!

This new system seemed to squeeze out all of the demon’s energy from the moment they woke up to the moment they lay down.

The demons couldn’t believe the humans of Earth. How could they live like that?!

‘If I find the soul of the human bastard who came up with the idea of checking how much time the employees spend in the bathroom and penalize them for it in the work evaluation, I will obliterate it...’

‘I hate the guy who created the system where mortals are evaluated based on the satisfaction of the customer. If we get a low score, we’re sent underground! What the hell is up with this bullshit?!’

The chairmen with companies on Earth would never imagine that they had become role models for the demons in the Abyss.

The demon constellation nodded and spoke once again. His main interest was currently the way banks operated on Earth. He thought that the way this bank lent money and took away goods was very attractive... His contracts would become even more efficient once he wrapped his head around that system.

‘Please.’

‘It don’t know what it is, but you damn humans! Stop being excessive!’

The demons prayed. They didn’t know how the human banks did contracts, but it certainly seemed foreboding for them.

‘Let’s stop studying for today.’ It was hard to observe the humans because of how boisterous the other constellations were. What a bunch of violent beings…

The demon constellation summoned his contract book to finish off the day.

...It didn’t come out

?????

The demon constellation tried once again to summon it.

Of course, this didn’t mean there were no contracts.

The demon constellation asked for the head of the contract management department and the head of the treasure identification department, but the demon he was speaking to was confused.

-Huh?

-You still can’t remember these titles? Call Demon No. 138 and Demon No. 84!

-Ah. I’m sorry!

The demon was upset by the rebuking. He would’ve understood right away if the constellation had called those demons in the traditional way, by numbers. However, since the demons were now called by strange titles taken from Earth, he couldn’t understand right away.

‘It’s all because of the humans of Earth. The culture of demons has been ruined by them!’