Contract Cancellation

During the [City Being Devoured] quest, he had once controlled zombies using the Puppet skill and used them as moving bombs.

This situation wasn’t much different.

He’d put explosives on physics’ body, let the enemies take him away, and use the Puppet skill to make him press the detonator.

There was only one difference.

Back then it was zombies, this time it was a person.

‘It was practically a gamble of a plan so I was prepared to retry several times, but fortunately it worked on the first try.’

Yuseong was innately lacking in certain emotions and empathy abilities.

Though he had changed somewhat after becoming a user and completing various quests, his fundamental nature hadn’t changed.

Even after committing such an atrocious act that thoroughly trampled human dignity, Yuseong felt nothing special.

Rather, he felt elated that his plan had succeeded.

But separate from his excited emotions, his reason maintained its coldness.

He perfectly played the role of victim to deceive the soldiers, emphasized his injuries to request hospital transport.

And only when he reached the city center and the clear message appeared could Yuseong finally let go of his tension.

[You have cleared the quest ‘It Hurts, No, Stop.’]

[Analyzing clear process, please wait a moment]

[Fate Change Rate 275%, Otherworld Skill Usage 21%, Otherworld Artifact Usage 59.5%]

[Final Evaluation SSS Rank]

[Amazing! User Han Yuseong not only saved the client but achieved the great feat of helping numerous people escape and causing massive changes to the world! Though we can’t know whether those changes will bring positive or negative results, we will provide rewards in recognition of this achievement!]

[Basic Clear Reward: 500,000 Karma, Unknown Liquid×3, Psychic Power Awakening Potion×1]

[Additional Condition Clear Reward: 6,000,000 Karma, Unknown Liquid×10, Permanent Psychic Power Enhancement Potion×3]

[SSS Rank Clear Additional Reward: 10,000,000 Karma]

[Return to original world will begin shortly]

‘SSS rank?’

After clearing dozens of quests, Yuseong had gained the ability to roughly estimate what clear rank he would get by calculating the quest grade and skills and items used.

The clear rank Yuseong had originally expected for this quest was between A and B rank.

This was because he had used far too many items like enhanced plasma weapons, Stat Increase Elixir, and bombs powerful enough to destroy the facility.

But surprisingly, the clear rank was SSS.

275%.

The highest Fate Change Rate since the [Girl Seeking Salvation] quest.

‘It seems helping the test subjects escape had an enormous impact on this world…’

Yuseong closed his eyes as he looked at the message saying they couldn’t know whether the results would be positive or negative.

This world was destined for destruction in the dimensional war anyway.

Whether his actions delayed or hastened that destruction wasn’t his concern.

He only felt slightly worried about the client who would be left alone after he departed.

-…

At that moment, he heard a faint voice.

Though it wasn’t put into words, clear feelings of gratitude were contained in that voice.

What K-14 wanted wasn’t anything grand. TLN: I knew it. It was K-14 not K-17. Although it was the author themselves that use the K-17 when Yuseong met all the physics. I wonder why did the author use K-17 there? Possibly a mistype? I don’t know.

Just being able to taste freedom outside that hellish facility, even for a single moment, was enough, and that wish had been granted.

Yuseong gave a faint smile as he bid farewell to K-14.

[Initiating Deus Ex Machina Program]

[Ariadne’s Thread tracking complete]

[Initiating spirit particle transfer]

* * *

“Finally feeling alive now.”

After returning to Earth, Yuseong smiled with satisfaction at the immense power surging through his whole body.

Going from a weak body that felt like it would die from just a little movement to a superhuman physique made him feel like he owned the world.

After lightly stretching his body, Yuseong opened his inventory.

In this quest, all he could get was just the quest rewards.

Since the client had no skills or items whatsoever, there was no need to enter the karma shop.

<Psychic Power Awakening Potion>

-Rank: B

-Type: Potion

-A potion that can artificially awaken psychic power made using special ingredients. Takes effect immediately upon consumption, and the psychic power that awakens is unknown.

Knowing what those “special ingredients” mentioned in the description were, Yuseong frowned.

Moreover, it wasn’t even an injection but oral administration.

After hesitating for a while, Yuseong closed his eyes and drank the gray liquid.

The nauseating smell and fishy texture.

After enduring the urge to vomit and completely emptying the bottle’s contents, he felt a tingling sensation in his head.

“This is…”

He felt an unfamiliar sensation he had never experienced before.

Like gaining a new organ such as wings or a tail.

Though it was essentially a sudden new organ appearing, he somehow instinctively knew what abilities it had and how to move it.

Woong.

Colorless transparent energy from the Infinite Origin Force gathered at his fingertips.

At a glance it looked like he was just emitting internal energy.

However, Yuseong was using both internal energy and psychic power simultaneously.

“The ability to amplify energy.”

He was clearly using 10 points of internal energy, but the internal energy gathered at his fingertips was about 12 points.

Whether he decreased or increased the amount of internal energy, the amplification rate remained constant at 1.2 times.

“Internal energy, magic power, spirit power are all amplified without issues… It doesn’t seem to consume energy but maybe it uses mental power to activate?”

After testing his psychic power in various ways, Yuseong wore a sour expression.

He already had more than enough energy as it was.

He possessed three types of energy – internal energy, magic power, and spirit power – and could even combine and utilize them as one through the Infinite Origin Force.

Though higher output wasn’t necessarily bad, for Yuseong who had been thinking about compensating for weaknesses rather than maximizing strengths, he couldn’t help feeling complicated.

“It would have been nice to get an ability that could be used in various ways like Thorny Vine, even if it was weak.”

Clicking his tongue, Yuseong took out the Permanent Psychic Power Enhancement Potion and consumed it, and his psychic power enhanced three times ultimately gained an amplification rate of 2 times.

“…This seems a bit dangerous.”

The total amount of his energy combining internal energy, magic power, and spirit power was about 2,100 points.

He could already achieve up to 2.25 times power using Infinite Origin Force, and if he added psychic power to this, the conclusion was that he could utilize energy reaching nearly 10,000 points.

Of course, that was just theoretical – reality was different.

Just as his body was damaged from not being able to withstand the recoil from 3,000 points of strength, trying to utilize 10,000 points of energy would make his body explode.

‘No, maybe not necessarily?’

With his greatly increased wisdom stat, Infinite Origin Force’s abilities, Eye of Truth’s energy control capability, and the divine energy obtained as a reward from [The Hero Who Couldn’t Become a Hero] quest, perhaps he could manage to utilize 10,000 points of energy.

As he imagined unleashing Shooting Star using 10,000 points of internal energy, Yuseong shook his head.

Though the power would be certain, he couldn’t bet his life on an uncertain possibility.

Unless faced with a life-or-death crisis, he would never use his full power.

“I hope I’m not raising a flag here.”

Letting out a chuckle, Yuseong manipulated the goggles to enter the quest window.

Once Alice’s body was completed, he would begin undertaking quests on a completely different dimension than before, so he needed to gather as many karma points as possible and strengthen his abilities in preparation for that time.

Shortly after, along with a bright light, Yuseong’s form disappeared from Earth.

* * *

Since monsters began invading Earth, Kang Changseok had been spending incredibly busy days without a moment’s rest.

Blocking monster invasions, controlling Contractors, and maintaining order were just the basics.

Making sure the world economy didn’t collapse, coordinating the positions of numerous countries, and running various mega-projects like the rank system, academy establishment, International Contractors Association establishment, and so on.

Kang Changseok’s schedule was planned not by minutes but by seconds, and knowing that delaying work would only create more problems, he rarely broke from his schedule.

There were only two cases where Kang Changseok would postpone or cancel his schedule.

When user-related issues arose or when humanity faced a serious crisis they couldn’t handle.

However, a third exception had appeared recently.

“Tea? Coffee?”

“Oh, I can’t drink bitter things, do you perhaps have black tea or juice?”

“Of course I do. Here, black tea.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

The gray-haired girl drinking black tea with a sheepish expression.

Though she looked like a delicate girl on the outside, remembering her true nature, Kang Changseok secretly swallowed hard.

Immense magic power that overwhelmed even Bruce, considered the strongest among users.

Kang Changseok, who had thought Alice was just a girl with special sensing abilities, couldn’t help but be shocked.

‘A combat android using a dragon heart as power source with a great witch’s soul inserted? I don’t understand what I’m saying even after saying it myself. Just what is this?’

An existence so extraordinary that even users who had traversed various worlds and seen diverse beings found it hard to accept.

But at least her strength was real.

Though strength isn’t determined by magic power alone, magic power sufficient to overwhelm Bruce meant she had at least Three Intermediates level power at minimum.

Though not a user, she possessed power rivaling users.

Naturally he had no choice but to make an exception.

“Sorry but I’m short on time so I’d like to hear your main point right away, why did you want to meet?”

“Oh, I want to cancel the contract.”

“…You’re not talking about the Lucifer surveillance contract, right?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Kang Changseok put down his teacup and took out hard liquor from his subspace and downed it in one shot.

Despite him clearly showing his displeasure, Alice wasn’t scared at all and just kept wearing a bright smile.

Pure eyes that didn’t understand how important her assigned duty was or how heavy the contract was.

Taking out a second shot of liquor and drinking it, Kang Changseok let out a small sigh and said.

“It’s been quite a while since any traces of Lucifer were found… Do as you want.”

“Thank you. Mr. Yuseong said he’ll send the penalty fee once the ability awakening potion sales money comes in.”

“What’s that worth. Tell him to forget it.”

It didn’t seem like she would listen even if he tried to stop or persuade her.

Rather than that, it was better to just end it coolly to avoid any hurt feelings.

After a brief pause, Kang Changseok spoke in a small voice.

“…Though I hesitate to call it a trade, could you deliver one item to Yuseong?”