Chapter 190: 40th Floor, Child of the Demonic Tribe (4)

Quaned staggered back with a weak groan. His eyes darted around in confusion.

“What the hell…”

Close combat had failed. So he had increased the distance to use dark magic, believing that as a demon, he held the upper hand in that area.

But even that dark magic was overcome.

His last trump card had crumbled miserably.

“Damn it…”

Quaned bit his lip, trying to hold on to his crumbling willpower.

It wasn’t over yet.

Quaned moved his body.

Clang!

Taesan laughed as he watched Quaned charge at him calmly. Up until now, all the guides he had faced fell apart mentally and became sloppy once they were cornered. But Quaned showed no such signs.

‘This is what it means to be an adventurer.’

Taesan decided to give him the corresponding treatment.

Clang!

Their swords clashed, creating a loud spark as they tried to pierce each other.

[You activate Deflection.]

Quaned’s sword, which was about to clash with Taesan’s, wavered greatly.

But Quaned did not just stand there and take it.

[Quaned activates Counter.]

Quaned’s body moved naturally, correcting the wavering sword and clashing it against Taesan’s.

Taesan’s response was simple.

He also activated Counter.

Slash.

“Ugh!”

Quaned, who had been struck on the shoulder by the attack that ignored his defense, grabbed his shoulder and increased the distance.

‘What is going on?’

Originally, deflection would activate only when the opponent’s body was hit. But Taesan’s deflection activated just by touching his sword.

Counter also worked differently from what Quaned knew.

Therefore, he couldn’t properly respond and had to take damage.

“Damn it!”

Quaned groaned and raised his hand. Simultaneously, Taesan sensed a change in Quaned’s aura.

Reading this, Taesan activated his magic before Quaned.

[You activate Particle Diffusion.]

[You activate Tracking.]

Particles flew towards Quaned. As Quaned tried to manifest dark magic, he couldn’t achieve his goal and had to move quickly.

Thud!

Quaned was constantly being pushed back.

But he did not give up. He desperately sought a way and struggled for victory.

And Taesan trampled all his efforts.

“Hah.”

Quaned, battered and leaning against the wall, let out a bitter laugh.

It had been genuinely dangerous.

He had faced countless trials and hardships but had never been cornered like this.

“This is the end.”

Quaned gathered his remaining strength.

A massive dark energy descended.

[Quaned activates Belial’s Young Beasts.]

Suddenly, darkness engulfed the entire space. Quaned spat blood as he poured out his dark energy.

His body swayed greatly. Barely holding on, he muttered.

“If this doesn’t work, then I’ll accept it.”

Boom!

From the opened darkness, numerous beasts appeared. These mutant-like creatures charged at Taesan with claws and teeth bared.

It was like hell itself had descended. The beasts were so powerful that even Taesan couldn’t easily deal with them.

Dozens of them charged at Taesan simultaneously.

Taesan braced himself.

[You activate Frozen World.]

Cold air swept through the darkness. Frost began to form on the bodies of the charging beasts. The darkness that engulfed the space started to be covered with ice.

The beasts roared and struggled to avoid freezing, but all their resistance was crushed by the cold.

Ice covered the room. The beasts froze in their charging positions. Only Taesan and Quaned remained moving.

Quaned was barely enduring the cold that pierced his entire body and couldn’t counterattack.

“I lost.”

Quaned nodded calmly. Taesan’s sword pierced him.

*

“It was enjoyable.”

Taesan muttered to the fallen Quaned.

A fight where pure skills and hidden cards were laid bare and both tried to outdo each other.

It had been a long time since he felt the joy of battle. It was a very satisfying fight.

“Really? That’s good to hear.”

Quaned spoke without much change in his expression. He showed no signs of will to fight, as if he had given up on the battle.

“You’re surprisingly not resisting.”

“Even if I tried…”

Quaned raised his arm. It trembled like that of an old man.

For a demon, dark energy was not just a simple number like mana. When all the dark energy was exhausted, it was akin to extreme fatigue.

He had used all his dark energy to summon Belial’s Young Beasts.

But it was blocked by Taesan’s magic in one go.

Now, even if he wanted to resist, he had no strength left.

Quaned looked up at Taesan with admiration.

“You’re really strong.”

The top members of the Guide of Sin were also monstrously strong. They all had the power to crush someone like Quaned with a single finger.

But Quaned believed it was because they had descended the floors first.

Their talent and skills were not necessarily superior to his. He could tell whenever he encountered them. What they were born with wasn’t much different from his, or he might even be superior.

The gap widened because they descended the floors earlier and gathered more. He believed that once he reached the deeper floors, he would not be inferior to them.

But he didn’t feel the same about Taesan.

Even while being on a higher floor, Taesan had overwhelmed him. Every card Taesan played was hard to counter, and his ultimate strength was helplessly crushed by Taesan’s power.

“You’re amazing.”

Quaned looked at Taesan with a sense of admiration. Taesan shook his head.

“Don’t look at me like that. It makes me feel guilty.”

Quaned was his enemy. He had come here under the orders of the Guide of Sin.

There was no option to let him live and send him back.

“Well… it can’t be helped.”

Quaned gave a bitter smile.

“I’ve lost. I’ll have to give up a lot, but it’s not bad. In the end, this is how it ends for me.”

He was content.

He had lived without meaning, oppressed and despised by everyone, but he had awakened his talent on his own. He was acknowledged by everyone and cleared the labyrinth.

Although he regretted not being able to move further, he was already recognized as a valuable person.

That was enough.

He closed his eyes. Seeing him calmly accepting his fate, Taesan clicked his tongue.

Quaned hadn’t come to fight him of his own will. Taesan, who had received much from the demon god, felt uncomfortable.

But he couldn’t let him live. Taesan raised his sword, and Quaned waited for death.

But the sword did not come down.

When the expected pain did not come, Quaned opened his eyes slightly. Taesan was looking down at him with his sword raised.

“What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering, Taesan looked at Quaned’s head.

He sensed a sinister energy there.

‘I didn’t notice it during the fight.’

It was a very faint energy, buried under Quaned’s will. But now that he had given up all his will, it became noticeable.

Taesan vaguely read the meaning contained in the energy and muttered.

“A contract?”

Quaned’s pupils shook.

Thanks to his concept skill, Taesan could roughly understand what the energy in Quaned’s head was.

It was a kind of contract.

“What is this?”

Taesan carefully read the energy.

He found out.

The energy contained the power of the immortal.

“What do you think it is?”

[This is…]

The ghost groaned.

[Could it be Patricia’s contract?]

“What’s that?”

[It’s a contract created by the immortal Patricia to mock and torment mortals. Those who sign the contract have their soul and power transferred to the person named in the contract after their death. The soul is bound and cannot escape, and all the power accumulated over a lifetime becomes someone else’s offering.]

The ghost let out a bitter laugh.

[I knew they had found the contract, but they really used it? And who are you? Why did you receive it?]

The ghost asked Quaned accusingly. It was that incomprehensible to him.

And Quaned didn’t understand what he was saying either.

“The only recent contract I made was that if I defeated you, the previous contract would be nullified.”

[Hah. These crazy bastards.]

The ghost gnashed his teeth. He was usually emotionally volatile, but he rarely showed such anger.

[Deceiving to this extent? Are they crazy? Did they think that because it’s an immortal’s contract, they wouldn’t get burned?]

“What is it? Explain it in detail.”

Taesan asked the ghost. The ghost calmed his anger and explained.

[Patricia’s contract. It’s a contract created by the immortal Patricia to mock and torment mortals. And this contract has two layers that are perfectly overlapped.]

“Overlapped?”

[The front has meaningless, false statements. And the hidden back has the true contract.]

Quaned’s eyes widened.

The ghost continued to explain.

[Why do you think I’m still here after my death?]

“Because you made a contract with the labyrinth’s wizard.”

Thus, the ghost’s soul was bound to the labyrinth.

[Yes. According to the contract, my soul cannot leave even after death. The apostle’s contract is also of this type. You offer your soul to a god and receive power in return. The important thing is that contracts involving the soul require certain conditions.]

“Conditions?”

[The soul is not something light. It binds you for an almost eternal time after death. Therefore, the contractor must fulfill certain conditions.]

The ghost continued.

[In my case, I agreed to it knowing everything, and my soul will be released if I achieve my wish. The apostle’s contract exchanges the soul for immense power. Such contracts involving the soul require the other party to pay a corresponding price and can only be made by beings with significant power.]

“The guides don’t seem to have that kind of power.”

Quaned’s eyes were shaking as he listened.

The ghost clicked his tongue.

[Patricia’s contract lends her power. She grants the contract in exchange for the soul, but she takes a substantial price in return. The guides probably paid Patricia a considerable price.]

The ghost’s voice was filled with anger and absurdity.

[They’ve already sided with the immortals since they’ve cut ties with the gods. Unbelievable.]

“All the power is taken? I see.”

Taesan twisted his lips.

In the labyrinth’s system, an adventurer gains much when they defeat another adventurer.

But if there was a contract like Patricia’s, Taesan wouldn’t get anything even if he killed Quaned. The contract had already determined where the power would go.

That’s probably why they made the contract.

“How can I mess this up?”

Taesan withdrew his sword. Now that he understood the situation, killing Quaned wouldn’t be meaningful. The power would go to the guides due to the contract anyway.

Quaned was equally confused.

“Then what happens to me?”

[What else? Your soul will be handled and discarded at their will. Since you’ve made the contract, there’s no way to change it.]

Quaned’s face turned pale.

[The contract with the immortal has been made, so the demon god cannot interfere. That’s why she must have felt sorry for you.]

His soul wouldn’t return to the demon god but would be bound to the guides. The demon god, who does not interfere with the labyrinth’s affairs, must have felt sorry but left it as it was.

[It’s unfortunate, but we have to deal with it.]

The ghost said quietly. Quaned was already bound by the contract. If he was let go now, he would come back and fight again.

But Taesan didn’t move.

Killing Quaned was what the guides wanted. The soul and power would return to them.

Letting him live was also what they wanted. Quaned would grow stronger and become their asset.

An immortal’s contract.

A soul bound and power transferred.

And Taesan’s skills.

“Is it possible?”

[What?]

“To mess them up.”

Taesan stood up and pointed his sword at Quaned.