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“How could this possibly happen?”

I had previously summoned companions beyond the Great Cycle, but who would have thought that a foe I defeated would come back to life?!

Feeling a bit flustered, I snapped back to reality and said, “I have no intention to fight!! Let’s just talk!”

I then asked, [What were you thinking to bring me back?]

“Um… well, here’s the thing…” I hesitated but decided to be honest.

I was originally trying to resurrect Quetzalcoatl! But something got tangled up, and here you are instead.”

[Oh, Quetzalcoatl… my other half? Hehe.]

Tezcatlipoca chuckled, then added after a moment: [This place seems to be a different world from where I was. And the age feels different too. But since I crossed the Great Cycle, I guess that’s no surprise.]

“……”

[Thanks for reviving me then. Take care.]

Suddenly, Tezcatlipoca’s form began to fade. I felt a rush of panic.

‘Huh?! Is he going to disappear again?’

While I was lost for words, Heuk Woong, who was nearby, shouted quietly.

[Master! That guy… is just trying to run away! We have to stop him somehow.]

“……?! Wh-what do you mean? If he’s summoned, shouldn’t he negotiate with me instead of trying to flee?”

[It’s not just about summoning; the key is binding the target in that spot with a spell, you know? But right now, he’s just revived through a request, so we have no means to bind him with a contract.]

“……!!”

With that knowledge, he’s just going to leave. He has no reason to make a deal with us!

What a pain! He gave me a favor when he resurrected me but the situation slipped my mind, and now he’s just kicking back!

‘What to do? Should I attack him now and try to hold him down?’

But in that moment, I felt a strong instinct that using brute force to grab him would be a terrible mistake. Whilst Heuk Woong and I could likely take down most gods, something about that figure felt significantly tougher. The magical energy radiating from him wasn’t particularly strong, but my gut told me it was dangerous. Plus, overpowering him wouldn’t necessarily get his consent.

Then what should I use if not strength…?

In a flash of inspiration, I shouted at Tezcatlipoca.

“Hey! If you’re leaving, shouldn’t we at least exchange something?”

Suddenly! Tezcatlipoca’s fading form grew clearer again, as if he became interested.

[What exchange are you talking about?]

“Remember? You gave me the Obsidian Necklace back then.”

[Hmm. You remember that incident, huh?]

Of course, I remember! That fight was quite a strong impression on me.

When I defeated Tezcatlipoca, he praised me for taking him down and handed me that Obsidian Necklace as a gift. I clearly recalled the scene and continued, “I lost that necklace when I died… So since we’ve met again, I’d like another Obsidian Necklace. Of course, I won’t ask for it for free; let’s exchange it for something valuable I possess.”

If it’s not force, then play on desires!

By proposing a gain to him, he couldn’t help but hesitate out of desire!

[…….]

Tezcatlipoca squirmed, as if contemplating my offer. Then he asked, [Given your current power level, that necklace doesn’t seem particularly necessary for you—why would you want to exchange for it?]

“Uh… well, I never imagined you would be summoned…” I scratched my head awkwardly.

“I’m just glad to meet again after such a long time! And since I didn’t get to fully experience the powers of that necklace you gave me, I’d like to have it back this time.”

The sentiment of meeting again was genuine.

Although we once fought with our lives on the line, just seeing an old face gave me feelings I couldn’t quite express.

[…… Hmm.]

After a brief moment, Tezcatlipoca spoke.

[Alright. I like that you’re not asking me for it for free. So what will you give me in exchange for the Obsidian Necklace?]

Great… I managed to hold him here at least!

But I remained on high alert and raised my hand to cast my powers.

Swish!

A golden coin appeared in my hand, and I said to Tezcatlipoca, “I’ll give you this.”

[That seems like an unusual item. What is it?]

“It’s a coin made from my trading rights. This coin can be used to trade directly in the Law of Cause and Effect.”

[Oh… …]

“Honestly, I’d like you to join me in my business and not go. But you seem to prefer your freedom, so… I hope we can work together later if you find this coin useful.”

[Just let me see it.]

“Sure.”

Gling!

As I flicked the golden coin towards Tezcatlipoca, he caught it in one swift motion and swallowed it. At that moment, a powerful wave of magical energy surged from Tezcatlipoca.

Woah…!!

“…!!”

[Hmm!]

In an instant, both Heuk Woong and I tense up. The magical energy level he emitted was drastically different from what we had initially anticipated. As I sensed it, I swallowed hard.

‘…That’s not even the level I saw in the 27th round! It’s several tiers stronger!!’

What is it?! Was he hiding his strength before?

As I grappled with my confusion, Tezcatlipoca said, [I truly enjoy this item… Do you have any more coins?]

I stammered in reply, “Uh… I do have more, but… isn’t it a bit unreasonable for you to not give me the Obsidian Necklace while just gobbling up my offerings?”

[Give me more coins, and I’ll enhance the Obsidian Necklace for you.]

“Can I trust you on that?”

[If you don’t want to, then I’ll leave.]

“Ah, alright. Just wait a moment.”

What a pain… I feel like I’m being dragged along by the nose…

I grumbled internally while producing a few more coins from my trading rights for Tezcatlipoca. I had to extract the required strength from my considerable magical power since it was clear that blindly spending my assets would make it tough for Lee Hwan-woong to grow his wealth later on.

Cling!

Glurp, glurp…

Tezcatlipoca, seemingly satisfied while swallowing my blood-like coins, fluttered his wings joyfully.

[These are delicious… Hmm… Such a nutrient-rich delicacy… …]

…I bet! If you summed up all the coins you’ve eaten, you could probably make an ordinary human reach the Great Immortal Level!

‘Damn, this is just me arbitrarily pulling funds invested by the Old Rulers, and I’ll have to fill that void later…’

It was evident from Lee Hwan-woong’s pale expression beside me that this would create trouble in the future.

While I inwardly grumbled about how precious these coins were, I said, “Hey… can we get the Obsidian Necklace now?”

[……]

“Excuse me?”

Tezcatlipoca, who seemed to be pondering something, finally spoke.

[What kind of business are you running? Maybe I’ll hear you out.]

Huh? Wait a minute!

With Tezcatlipoca’s prompt, I couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. But I kept a calm facade and continued, “I run a corporation. Lee Hwan-woong here will explain it in detail.”

I motioned for Lee Hwan-woong to explain about the corporation. After listening to everything, Tezcatlipoca remarked.

[This is interesting. The Law of Cause and Effect is a crucial resource for deities, and you’re proposing to multiply it… No being has ever attempted such a thing since the primordial era.]

“Does it pique your interest?”

[Of course it does… Unless you were unaware that you’re a Reborn Person.]

Oh? That reaction…

Tezcatlipoca continued matter-of-factly, [You must be the Reborn Person I’ve heard of… You summoned yourself across the Great Cycle and it’s obvious you met your demise when the world perished. Seeing you alive again is surprising.]

“…So, is that a problem?”

[It is… What happens to the resources invested in you if you die? If you go belly up, what then?]

“……”

[There’s a high risk of you exploiting this for your own gain… Hehehe.]

Tezcatlipoca chuckled, almost as if he sensed something.

[But that wicked aspect makes me like you even more. I’ll grant you a summoning contract.]

“…!! Really?”

[Since I don’t expect you to last long anyway, I won’t go for any grand investment. There’ll be plenty of battles, so if you call for me, I’ll fight for you. But you have to give me those trading coins in return.]

“……”

This… feels like Tezcatlipoca is the one who knows me best among all the Old Rulers I’ve met so far…

It felt a bit unsettling, but since I had nothing to lose, I nodded my head.

“Alright!”

[Then I’ll make the Obsidian Necklace the token of our summoning contract. Here, take it.]

Woosh…

With an impressive sound, a massive jewel erupted from Tezcatlipoca’s mouth. In the past, it would have been a huge gem compressing down to human size, but this time, it popped out like an ordinary gem the size of my palm. The gem slowly approached me, morphing into a necklace before it settled around my neck.

‘So this is the second time wearing an equipped item…’

As I stared at the Obsidian Necklace with mixed emotions, I suddenly noticed something odd and remarked.

“…Uh? Is this really Obsidian? Why is it glowing in seven colors?”

Indeed, Obsidian is usually jet-black with a lustrous sheen, but this necklace, while overall dark, radiated a dazzling spectrum of seven colors. From a distance, one might even mistake it for a diamond necklace.

Tezcatlipoca replied, [I enhanced it with the power in the coin you gave me. Moreover, as the Black Sun God and the King of Obsidian, I infused the mightiest blessings into it—the necklace is one of the rarest treasures in the universe.]

“Hmm…”

I mumbled with an uneasy look, “But ultimately, isn’t this Obsidian Necklace capable of just transmitting memories? Doesn’t seem like it’s that special.”

Indeed, back then Tezcatlipoca had forcefully inserted its usage into my mind, and though there were various methods, fundamentally it was just memory transmission! Of course, there were significant differences from how the prophet race utilized memory transmission, but the conclusion remained that its ability was solely to transmit memories, thus it wouldn’t compare to the universe’s best treasures.

Tezcatlipoca then said, [You fool… You will grow so attached to that treasure that you’ll have difficulty thinking of dying. That’s how immensely valuable it is.]

“…?”

What’s that supposed to mean…?

He wasn’t angry, but rather full of pride, it seemed?

Can one just call the ability to transmit memories something truly grand?

‘Well, sure, I have profited a lot from using memory transmission, but to call it the best…’

What is he hiding? What’s the real catch here…?

[Well, see you next time.]

“Where are you planning to go?”

[I never imagined I’d make it past the Great Cycle after being a being of no renown; I wish to explore this new world… ]

Woosh!

As soon as his sentence ended, Tezcatlipoca vanished on the spot.

Lee Hwan-woong, who had been watching the whole negotiation, approached me and said, “Overall, that was an excellent negotiation, Baek Woong.”

“Hmm… but I didn’t manage to fully pull Tezcatlipoca onto our team.”

“Even though a deity extended some leniency, you were the one who knocked Tezcatlipoca out. This alone is an impressive feat.”

“……”

“By the way, is the only ability of that Obsidian Necklace really just memory transmission?”

I nodded in response to Lee Hwan-woong’s inquiry. “Yep. Based on the usage instructions I received last time, that’s it.”

“… Hmm, but as of now, isn’t memory transmission using Obsidian prohibited due to the Void Record?”

“…Ah!!”

That’s right, it was!? As I belatedly realized that fact, Lee Hwan-woong glanced at my Obsidian Necklace and pointed at himself.

“Why don’t you use that Obsidian Necklace to send me memories? It’d be good to test whether it works or not.”

“Huh? If I were to do that…”

“The Prophet Royal Family will probably blow up again?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Hwan-woong shrugged. “But that’s not really our concern, is it?”

“……”

This guy… I really can’t believe how wicked he is every time I see him…

But he wasn’t wrong, so I nodded and said, “Let’s give it a go.”

Sorry, Prophet! But curiosity can’t be helped!

Moments later, I recited the command recorded in the usage instructions, tapping into the power of the Obsidian Necklace to initiate memory transmission.

Vwuwuwu…

As the necklace radiated a rainbow glow, the Obsidian began to shine brightly.

And shortly thereafter, I felt a peculiar phenomenon taking place.

‘Huh?’

Thump!

I sensed that my consciousness had fully transported to an unknown space.

I wasn’t physically moving; instead, I was consciously and spiritually there.

And as I surveyed the surrounding area, I immediately recognized the place.

‘Library?’

It was an incomprehensibly vast library!

Countless books, numbering in the billions, were crammed onto the shelves, and even the sky was covered in books. The entire world seemed to be made of texts, and I panicked, not knowing why I found myself in this library during a memory transmission.

I randomly pulled out any book around me and began to read. The moment I flipped the first page, an overwhelming amount of information flooded into my mind.

“…!!”

This… is… Life?!

I felt a life record of some unknown individual come rushing into my mind all at once.

As I staggered from the shock, an eerie voice echoed from the void.

[Who are you…?]

Chill…

I instinctively understood that the voice belonged to an absolutely superior being whom I could not contend with.

And at that moment, the seven-colored Obsidian Necklace around my neck began to glow.

Shwaaa!

I felt my consciousness return to reality.

And Lee Hwan-woong, who had been watching me, looked confused and asked, “What just happened?”

“……”

What did I just experience?

No… Where exactly did I just go?!

 

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