…should I incapacitate him? Lilia thought, gathering power in her left hand. This mortal dared to threaten her and her master, the hidden expert?

  Yes, given some of my power returning, I can incapacitate—no—killing this human is as easy as stepping on an ant.

  She stole a glance at the guard. I suppose I can also render him unconscious, but not the reinforcements that may come later. Besides…

  A moment later, the power in her hand faded as the thought of destroying the expert’s life consumed her. The expert longed to live a normal life, away from the struggles of power and politics. Acting in a way that jeopardized his peaceful existence would be the highest form of betrayal and insolence.

  A wave of realization suddenly crashed on her.

  Wait. What if this event was preplanned by the expert? To call this an accident… the timing is too suspiciously convenient.

  She let out a gasp as if a lightbulb of ideas comically shone above her head.

  I see now! Although he pretends to live as a normal man, he still wishes to naturally build relationships with nobles so as to not be left out of the information network in this world. And that’s where I come in, forming a bridge for him and the nobles.

  The pebbles of misunderstanding that were easily resolved by exchanging information steadily evolved into a mountain as she, in her delusion, concocted scenarios in her mind about her master.

  ====

  [[The Dead Conqueror commands you to greet your neighbors.]]

  It felt like an unwelcome intrusion, much like the glaring white window that had sprung to life before him, stirring up buried memories he had forgotten.

  “Ha! Trying to communicate, aren’t we? Finding all of this amusing, huh?”

  His question was laced with scorn, yet the figure behind the white window did not seem to mind the disrespectful outburst, as if accustomed to his insolence.

  Another white window appeared.

  [[The Dead Conqueror offers you 10 Exchange Tickets for accepting her order.]]

  10 Exchange Tickets…

  He considered accepting right away if it was given by the system, but this was different. The Dead Conqueror’s presence left a sour taste in his mouth and lingered stubbornly despite his attempt to forget. With a swift motion he swiped the window, deleting the quest right away.

  [Host, I don’t think it’s wise to decline a God’s offer.]

  He scoffed at the system’s waning, “t wasn’t an offer. It was merely a bribe for behaving like a loyal dog, obediently carrying out orders without so much as a flicker of doubt,” he stopped for a brief moment to cast a disdainful look at the system, “besides, why is she even here?”

  [Well, she is one of the Pantheon.]

  “Ah, I see. A dumb question begets a dumb answer. Let me rephrase: Why is she on this channel watching and interacting with me instead of babysitting her believers, you brainless banana peels?”

  The system’s window jumped about, as if agitated, [Host, please be more courteous to the Goddess! As a system created by the Gods, I have no power to block them from watching you and I certainly cannot tell them what to do in their spare time or work time!]

  Zalstrahvi stared at the bluish window in a deadpan stare before spewing out insult, “Why the roundabout way to say that you are useless?”

  [Be courteous, Host!]

  He felt like one of his veins just popped.

  …this insufferable Gods and their creation! Why am I even here breathing and bickering with this thing instead of resting in peace six feet under?!

  “!!”

  All of a sudden a spark of crazy idea popped in his mind.

  “How many of you are watching?” he asked, eyes staring at the distance as if looking straight at the gods. “I have interesting proposal for you bored gods and goddesses.”

  The deities fell silent.

  At first Zalstrahvi thought his suggestion had fallen on a deaf ear and he readied himself for a harsh rejection, yet seconds later several colorful windows appeared before him. He laughed inwardly at their responses.

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  [[The Throne commends on your brazenness.]]

  [[The Servitor of Throne observes you with interest.]]

  [[The Dead Conqueror expresses her concern.]]

  Three victims… he smiled.

  “Thank you for expressing interest in my proposal,” he bowed, not in respect but mockery, “I assure you that you will find it pleasing.”

  Meanwhile…

  A mother and her daughter were walking on a dirt road, each carrying a cloth-woven shopping bag though her daughter’s smaller and lighter. This was the road they traversed for years in order to buy daily necessities. It was a pleasant walk, save from one thing—the abandoned two-story house with huge lawn near the last turn towards her home. She remembered how pleasant to the eye that house was, long before she was married—the spacious lawn, the design, the additional floor with a terrace to enjoy sunset with loved ones.

  However, no one was interested in that property. It was too humble for the nobles and the rich, yet too expensive for commoners. The people in the middle such as merchants did not want it, as it was too far away from the city center.

  Now it was nothing more than a structure waiting to collapse.

  “If only it wasn’t so expensive…” she muttered breathlessly, staring into space before a familiar turn slowly approaching.

  The same old broken roof, the same… huh?

  Her hazel eyes caught sight of a man she had never seen before, leaning against the railing.

  “Mama, who is that?” her daughter asked.

  “Oh, probably a new uncle from somewhere decided to live in our neighborhood.”

  Her daughter let out a long hmm, eyes never leaving the new neighbor.

  “Mama?”

  “What is it?”

  “That uncle is suddenly bowing,” her daughter pointed a finger towards the man.

  She smacked her hand, “Shush! Don’t point at him!”

  He was indeed bowing out to no one and that clearly meant one thing.

  That man is crazy!

  ===

  Zalstrahvi intentionally paused to agitate them even more. He needed them to be desperate, needy, and starved for him. While the fact that some of them were truly rotten remained true to the end, they were also a means to gain favor and attain his goal.

  [[The Servitor of Throne urges you to explain the details.]]

  [[The Throne expresses his interest.]]

  “Thank you for your patience. I will now present my proposal,” Zalstrahvi gestured as he explained, “however, before that, allow me to express my gratitude for entrusting me with the system. While it brings me great honor to entertain you, it is essential to acknowledge that delivering the highest quality performance requires appropriate compensation—thus, the proposal…”

  Zalstrahvi paused again.

  “This lowly creation would like to increase the level of difficulty in exchange for greater rewards. I shall seal sixty percent of my power while fulfilling the system’s quests. Of course, this may render me vulnerable to multiple fatal attacks in rapid succession, however, this lowly creation believes that a life devoid of challenges and excitement lacks value. Not only through the system’s quests, this lowly one is prepared to undertake any assignments from the Gods as long as it is reasonable and suitably compensated, as my well-being is at stake.”

  [[The Dead Conqueror denies your proposal.]]

  Of course she would deny it outright, but she was not his target after all.

  [[The Throne applauds your bravery for risking your live for the greater good.]]

  [[The Servitor of Throne thinks your proposal is fair and reasonable.]]

  “Thank you for the honest input. That makes it 2 out of 3 votes,” Zalstrahvi bowed. “Then as a confirmation, would the Gods be so kind as to reflect the changes in the system?”

  This was a crucial moment for him. His posture seemed relaxed but no one could tell that he was anxiously waiting. The Gods were fickle beings who often changed their mind at the very last moment. The status change meant they approved his proposal.

  Yet, there were no responses even after a long wait and he grew steadily anxious and worry. The birds chirping and the laughter of children did nothing but heightened the negative feelings and pressured him even more.

  What makes them hesitate? Was I not convincing enough for them?

  After a moment of painful wait, a reply came…

  But it wasn’t what he had hoped.

  Fwip!

  A golden window quickly popped up, interrupting all with its neatly written black words,

  [[The Throne interjects, saying “Wait.”]]

  The Throne? Zalstrahvi wondered. What a surprise. I suppose Gods can change, huh?

  [[“This seat wishes to clarify the intention of this proposal."]]

  Zalstrahvi’s face was emotionless, yet he was fighting hard not to express any emotion while reading the sentence. Who in this day and age still referred to himself as ‘this seat’ if not some sick people suffering from self-important illness?

  [[The Throne says “Despite the honeyed words, you are requesting to double your rewards, are you not, Jester? Then for five times the rewards, do you agree to seal more than seventy percent of your power, along with many of your titles and achievements you have either personally acquired or through the system?”]]

  Look at this stale bread yapping, he thought inwardly.

  “Then if that’s the case, will I still be controlling everything else, such as my system inventory, spells, and spatial storage?”

  [[The Throne confirms.]]

  “If that’s what the gods wanted, then this lowly creation will follow.”

  Shaaa!

  A soft light covered his entire body. As the feeling of power and supremacy left him, disappearing into nothingness, his body grew heavier and frail—almost like any human. He concentrated, trying his best to gather mana, yet there were barely any power in his palms for his standard.

  “Status.”

  A blue window containing his information appeared in front of him, read:

  HP: 500

  MP: 400

  STR: 948

  AGI: 925

  INT: 852

  DEF: 930

  RES: 874

  This was not more than seventy percent.

  It was more than ninety percent.

  Fair was definitely not in this outcome, as his HP and MP were significantly lower than his basic attributes. Let alone flatten a kingdom, he couldn’t even lift a hand against an archmage as they have far higher INT at him, ranging from 1800 to 2500 with mana above 6000, excluding any titles or achievements they had in their pursuit of arcane knowledge.

  ”Good,” he muttered, satisfied.

  He also examined his titles he obtained from purchase or feats.

  Most of them are greyed out.

  Indeed, a huge amount of them were disabled, leaving him with mundane titles such as “Insect Killer I – 5% damage to insects” or “Novice Haggler I – 5% discount when haggling”, and similar titles.

  The gods might be pointing hands at him and jeering at his stupidity, but jokes on them; this was exactly what he wanted in the first place. This was not a proposal to entertain them.

  This was a proposal to die.