When I declared my victory, Chi You seemed significantly shocked, stumbling back. Then he yelled.

[“What nonsense…!! You dare to cheat?!”]

“Why do you think it’s cheating?”

[“For you to receive such a level of cause and effect means you’ve reached the level of Front Demon. Do you really think that’s reasonable?!”]

I chuckled at Chi You’s words and replied.

“Why not? You’ve climbed to the fourth level as a target, so why can’t I advance one step further and become the Front Demon?”

[“That makes no… sense!!”]

“Well, it requires 99.9 billion Demon Qi to ascend from level four to level three. The Xuanyuan Sword is valued within the limits of level four, so you probably think gathering ten times that worth of treasure is impossible.”

[“……”]

“But I’ve done it. What’s in front of you is reality.”

After I liberated the egg from Golden Crow Island to level two and transformed it into a Golden Egg, I sold all the treasures I’d collected so far, easily achieving the 99.9 billion Demon Qi. Of course, it was possible because I am a reborn person, so no matter how divine Chi You is, he could never replicate what I did.

Chi You trembled in disbelief and then said.

[“This… this can’t be. Suddenly, a punk like you has strong divine power and even improved my abilities as if you know everything…”]

As Chi You rambled on, he suddenly seemed to realize something and shouted.

[“… Outer God? Do you mean… are you receiving the blessing of the Outer God?!”]

“…….”

Is that a good feeling or a bad one…?

I shrugged at Chi You’s words.

“It’s true that I’m here thanks to the Outer God. But whether that’s a blessing, I don’t know.”

[“What did you say…?”]

“I don’t feel like explaining anything more to you. Since you lost the bet, it’s time for you to pay up.”

Boom!!

As soon as my words ended, a massive book unfolded behind Chi You. He still seemed unaware of it, but I could see his body gradually stiffening as he sensed something ominous approaching.

‘Here it comes.’

The verbal bet I made with Chi You just moments ago—the wager on Outer God Al Karda—was about to be accepted. Naturally, I thought the chance of it being accepted was high since I was directly wagering with the Outer God himself. And now, Al Karda would activate his divine powers to collect what was due for this bet.

No matter how powerful Chi You might be, he couldn’t resist the Outer God.

When I looked at Chi You with indifferent eyes, he suddenly shouted frantically.

[“W-Wait! Just give me a moment!”]

“Do you have something to say?”

[“I won’t interfere or try to dominate you anymore! I swear I won’t be hostile or harm you! I promise on my name! So please, can we end this bet…?”]

[“Really?”]

“…….”

I looked at Chi You again. And the more I stared, the more I felt irritation boiling up inside me.

‘Damn… why do I feel this way?’

In history, he was a guy I had already taken care of, and my direct confrontation with Chi You was quite recent. So it didn’t make sense for me to feel such resentment, yet seeing Chi You just made my displeasure surge. Confused, I spoke.

“That’s not enough. After all, you’ve been leeching off of me and transcending the Great Cycle. Even if your power grows, you wouldn’t be able to directly kill me without manipulating things indirectly. There’s absolutely no reason for me to spare you.”

[“I’ll transfer control of the Eight Parts of the Divine! And I’ll tell you everything you want to know! It can’t end like this!”]

“Everything…?”

I felt something flicker in my mind at Chi You’s words. I then said,

“Then tell me about The First Character. If you share everything, I might consider it.”

[“Understood…!! I’ll tell you everything!”]

“First… what does it mean when the Emperor said, ‘Create the character that proves we are keeping our promise’?”

[“That thing.”]

Chi You then continued.

[The First Character is… proof of the contract with the Deceiver.]

I recalled what Jeon Wook had said during our meeting in the outer universe.

[We thought the “promise” mentioned by the Emperor referred to the Seven Luminaries’ Peace Treaty. In reality, it was stated explicitly in the incantation. But the cunning Emperor was conspiring with Chi You to create a double contract.]

[The contract of the Deceiver. The contract of powers that Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen had since his birth…!! He used the contract with a higher being to nullify the subordinate contract!! ‘The First Character’ was the medium for that.]

At that time, Jeon Wook spoke so fast and without proper explanation that I couldn’t understand the truth of his words. But now, in front of me was Chi You, the creator of that character, so I felt like I could get a proper explanation. I asked Chi You.

“What is the Deceiver? I’ve never heard of it before.”

[That being is the entity that liberated Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen from the constraints of his mask and allowed him to gain the divine seat. Moreover, it existed even before this universe was created.]

“……?!”

W-What?!

‘There was such a being?!’

More than that, if the constraints on Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen were released, it means he’s a different entity from other masks!

I was shocked and exclaimed.

“Th-That kind of incredible divine status existed?! But why have I never heard of it even once during my rebirth?”

[As for the details, I don’t know. I only heard whatever the Emperor chose to share.]

“If it can dissolve the constraints of the mask… then is the Deceiver like Nyarlathotep’s subordinate or avatar?”

Surprisingly, Chi You shook his head at my question.

[No. I believe it exists at a rank higher than that.]

“……!!”

[That’s why the Emperor could possess the will to resist Nyarlathotep.]

Chi You’s words were shocking.

A being higher than that of Nyarlathotep, the Deceiver!

‘Why did I never know about this?!’

What’s frightening is that this being must surely be above the Three Sovereigns or Evil Gods, yet in my thirty rebirths, I hadn’t heard even a whisper of those rumors. I learned about it this time accidentally while investigating The First Character, so it’s safe to say most beings in the universe are oblivious to this upper-tier divine status.

While I was reeling from the shock, Chi You continued.

[The Emperor ordered me to create a character that proves the cause and effect with the Deceiver. However, I was anxious to symbolically represent the cause and effect with an upper-tier being I had never heard of. I thought if I disrespected such existence, I might cease to exist. But I had no choice; if I didn’t fulfill that order, I was facing immediate annihilation, and I couldn’t create any human characters either… so I had to proceed with making it…]

“……”

[Fortunately, I handled the geometric work, but the Emperor processed other spell-related handling and magic. So basically, if I did 20% of the work in creating The First Character, then the Emperor did about 80%.]

“Is that what happened?”

What the Emperor wanted was to strengthen the cause and effect with the upper-tier being from the beginning!

Using that character containing the cause and effect, he successfully manipulated the Eight Parts of the Divine, the Seven Luminaries, the Three Sovereigns, and many divine beings. The Eight Parts of the Divine had become a weakness due to The First Character, and by embedding it into the Seven Luminaries, the Emperor could indiscriminately obtain the Luminaries, transcending the control of the Three Sovereigns.

And suddenly, I felt something was off and said.

“If the connection between the Emperor and the Deceiver is The First Character, then that’s strange. Why did he refer to ‘us’?”

[That, I don’t know… But, if I had to speculate.]

Chi You spoke cautiously.

[The Emperor seemed to have been discussing things with someone… That being was not a subordinate but was presumed to be a rank higher than that… but asking who that being is will surely lead to annihilation, so I dare not delve into it.]

“……”

Chi You’s words were heavy with meaning.

What he was saying could imply that perhaps The First Character wasn’t just a contract between the Deceiver and the Emperor but a contract with multiple entities?

‘What exactly is the Deceiver…?’

While I pondered in confusion, suddenly, Chi You screamed.

[Ugh… Ughhh…? A, no!!]

Crash!!

“Gah!!”

In the next moment, I realized Chi You had been crushed between the bookcases with horrific sounds. It was just like how Nailatop was killed by Al Karda, sending chills down my spine.

‘It’s the same!’

Both Nailatop and Chi You could be considered extremely powerful deities throughout the universe. For such beings to be caught like cockroaches without even a decent fight is not something I found pleasant to witness.

As I hesitated, I felt a thin essence of soul flowing out from between the bookcases, gradually circling around my body. I recognized what this phenomenon was.

‘That’s Chi You’s soul. Does that mean I can absorb this soul as per our bet…?’

I stared at that soul for a while, then used the Soul Exchange Technique to absorb Chi You’s spirit.

Swoosh…

And when I absorbed Chi You’s spirit, I nearly felt like vomiting from the revolting sensation.

“Ugggh!!”

This is…

In an instant, visions of Chi You’s memories and the knowledge he possessed flickered through my mind. Simultaneously, I caught glimpses of Chi You torturing ‘someone.’

[Gaaah.]

[Please… stop it…!]

[Aaaahhh.]

Wretched cries echoed in a void of darkness.

That was me, Baek Woong.

And in front of me, Chi You was there, wielding all kinds of torture devices against me.

I realized what that horrific scene was about.

‘… That’s the memory of being tortured by Chi You for fifty years!!’

Now I understood.

The reason I felt such nauseating discomfort despite not harboring great hatred for Chi You was because my mind had shattered due to the harsh tortures, and I had barely managed to recompose myself afterward.

And in Chi You’s memories, that lost time reemerged, causing me to feel a surge of nausea.

“Damn it!!!”

Just thinking about it made me curse. How severe was the torture that it drove me to madness and forced me to erase those memories?

I shook my head vigorously and took a deep breath.

And as I calmed my mind, a massive sword imbued with spiritual energy floated before me.

Seeing the shape of that sword, I couldn’t help but murmur.

“Is that the Xuanyuan Sword?!”

Upon realizing that Chi You held the Xuanyuan Sword in his soul, it resulted in me obtaining that sword by absorbing his soul.

I reached out to grab the Xuanyuan Sword in a daze, feeling an overwhelming surge of power flowing through me at that moment.

Rumble

“Ooo… Ooooh?!”

Crack!!

Then, in the next instant, I felt two horns burst forth from my forehead as an intense sound erupted.

I knew exactly when these bizarre horns had appeared.

‘During the trial of the reborn person while fighting Dharma during the end of the Heavenly Secret Artifact!!’

At that moment, my mind and body had momentarily separated, remembering how my body had overwhelmed the Great Master with sheer physical strength. I couldn’t understand why these [horns] had sprouted again, but soon enough, I felt the immense power radiating from them resonating with the Xuanyuan Sword in my hand.

Woooooo!!

“Raaaaaah!!”

I suddenly screamed as I felt hundreds of times more strength surging throughout my body.

It was so powerful that my current divine power felt like it wasn’t even comparable.

‘This feels amazing…!!’

Such overwhelming strength existed?!

While I was engulfed in both joy and shock, suddenly a selection window appeared before my eyes.

[Would you like to change the past?]

“……!!”

Was it asking whether I would choose to gain Chi You’s power and memories along with the divine artifact, the Xuanyuan Sword?

‘Of course not…’

I wanted to say that but soon realized I couldn’t choose so readily.

“……”

Chi You is… absorbed by the Heavenly Secret Artifact and no longer exists.

This meant that this way of obtaining the Xuanyuan Sword would never be possible again.

‘Damn it.’

It’s hard.

In other words, unlike my previous choices, this one was a unique opportunity to gain the power of the Xuanyuan Sword, which I would be unable to acquire even if I went out into the outer world in my next rebirth.

But…

“I give up!!”

Paat

*

In the next moment, I felt a vast light and found myself sitting in front of the Go board of the Rebirth Wager.

“Huff… Huff…”

As I gasped for breath, Al Karda spoke in a dry tone.

“Playing Go with me while staking your name. Don’t you find that a bit arrogant?”

“Well…”

Having no retort, I fell silent, and after a brief pause, Al Karda continued.

“I’d like to hear why you decided to give up on changing history, even though you knew you could no longer obtain the Xuanyuan Sword.”

“……”

I momentarily fiddled with the Go pieces at Al Karda’s words before placing one on the board.

Thud

“The reason is this move.”

“……”

After my words, Al Karda seemed to observe my move closely.

Then he said,

“You’re now playing on a basic level.”

My one move reversed the ongoing disadvantage and dramatically shifted the fortune of the game in my favor.

I had felt this one move was just right, so I had been persistently waiting for the opportunity.

I looked at Al Karda and said,

“The state of the board reflects the Rebirth Wager.”

“Indeed.”

“I trust you won’t behave petty about this.”

Exactly.

The reason I gave up the Xuanyuan Sword.

It was to seize a greater opportunity.

‘Grabbing at an opportunity while floundering at the bottom is meaningless.’

That’s because my game of Go isn’t over yet.