[Ding! Ninth Life mission completed.]
[All nine reincarnations have been fulfilled.]
[Host, please select your final destination.]
[1. Remain in the Ninth Life.]
[2. Return to the System Space, initiate the Tenth Life, and enter the cycle of reincarnation.]
[Note: This action is irreversible. Choose carefully.]
Staring at the options presented by the system, Elliot Yuan stood frozen in thought.
This time, he could actually choose to remain in the Ninth Life? Normally, he should have been transported directly back to the System Space.
He pondered relentlessly, sifting through his past memories one by one, rationally filtering and organizing them.
Finally, Elliot Yuan seemed to grasp something. He spoke: "You should know which path suits me better."
Yes, Elliot Yuan's decision was to let the system choose for him.
After so many cycles of reincarnation, he had gradually grasped the system's general patterns and tendencies. Although the system always presented options, only one was ever truly useful to him. The others were mere fillers, leaving him with no real choice—like a marionette dancing on strings.
Yet, this wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that Elliot Yuan felt no regret.
He didn't regret helping those people, nor did he regret experiencing those events.
Now, rather than being the system's puppet, he was more like someone who willingly allowed himself to be treated as one. It was almost like a case of Stockholm Syndrome.
[This option can only be selected by the host personally.]
The reminder from the system caused Elliot Yuan, who had thought victory was assured, to pause slightly. His brow furrowed as he fell deep into thought once more.
"Is there a time limit?" he asked.
[You have a maximum of seven days to consider.]
"Seven days..." Elliot Yuan murmured, then narrowed his eyes and inquired again, "What happens if I exceed that?"
[Erasure.]
"...Whoa."
Elliot Yuan sucked in a sharp breath at the system's reply. He had thought that after completing nine cycles of reincarnation, he could finally relax—but apparently, it wasn't that simple.
He still didn't understand the system's true capabilities. Even now that he had become the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, he couldn't figure out where the system was communicating from, or where it had come from.
He dared not risk testing the consequences of exceeding the time limit. He didn't know whether the system truly had the power to erase him—but that uncertainty was precisely what made him hesitate.
He was no longer the reckless youth of the past. The Elliot Yuan of today weighed his choices carefully.
He couldn't afford to gamble. If the system truly could erase him, then all nine lifetimes of effort would have been for nothing.
So within these seven days, he had to decide—whether to stay in the Ninth Life or return to the System Space.
"The system usually paves the way for me," he muttered. "But this time, it's unprecedented—it's not manipulating me at all. It's leaving everything to my choice."
"Based on past experience, both options must have meaning. In other words, either choice would have an effect."
"The second choice makes sense. But why the first? Stay in the Ninth Life? Why?"
"I've already become the strongest Sustainer of Heavenly Principles. The Seven Gods are all settled. Khaenri'ah's aftermath is resolved. What reason is there for me to remain?"
"But if it's listed, the first option must still serve a purpose... it must need me."
As he thought deeply, his gaze drifted toward the Lord of the Netherworld, who was lounging lazily on the grass with his legs crossed.
At that moment, Elliot Yuan's eyes widened as all the scattered pieces in his mind connected in a single line of thought.
"I understand." He finally realized why that first option existed.
"System... you really know how to play your cards," he said bitterly. "Even in the end, I still fell into your trap."
Letting out a long sigh, he said quietly, "I choose the first option. I'll stay in the Ninth Realm."
[Your choice is to remain in the Ninth Realm. Please confirm carefully. This choice is irreversible.]
"I confirm."
[You have made your final choice. The system will now self-destruct. Wishing you all the best.]
[Beep... beep...]
With the final burst of static, the system fell silent forever.
Even as it vanished, Elliot Yuan never truly understood what it was.
Undeniably, the system seemed to exist beyond all comprehension—omniscient, omnipotent, as if it had accounted for everything from the very beginning.
...
"You're not leaving?" The Lord of the Netherworld stared at him in astonishment.
"I'm not leaving."
"Wasn't all your effort just to go back? What's wrong, lost your mind?" The Lord of the Netherworld looked genuinely perplexed.
It wasn't just him—Elliot Yuan himself couldn't quite understand it either.
"Yeah, I wanted to go back. I worked hard, pushed myself again and again just to return. But now... I'm choosing to stay. How ironic." He laughed at himself softly.
"So you really have lost your mind?"
"I'm leaving this place to my shadow." Elliot Yuan turned to go.
"You really don't plan to rest, even for a while?" The Lord of the Netherworld, though knowing his words were useless, still asked.
"Humans have inertia. Once they get too comfortable, they stop moving."
"But you're not exactly 'human' anymore, are you?"
"I am. I always have been."
"Funny, I've never met another human like you."
Elliot Yuan turned his head and smiled faintly. "There are others. There always will be. They may not be remarkable, but that doesn't mean they don't exist."
"Most ordinary people carry a simple, genuine kindness within them. Within their means, they reach out to help others—whether it's rescuing animals or risking their lives to save someone. They exist."
"For example, if someone were starving and you had plenty of food, I believe you'd lend a hand."
The Lord of the Netherworld rose slowly, stepping closer to him.
"You're mistaken," he said.
"How am I mistaken?"
"Your analogy is flawed. If I have plenty of food, sharing some to help him is fine. But if giving that food means I go hungry, then I certainly wouldn't."
Elliot Yuan didn't argue. He simply replied, "That's why we're complex beings. You can't expect everyone to share the same nature. Just as I wouldn't ask you to do such things—I only do what I believe is right. That's enough."
Before his words had fully faded, Elliot Yuan vanished from sight.
The Lord of the Netherworld stood there for a long time, staring into the sky. Then, in a low voice, he murmured, "So... what you call 'the right thing' is to completely abandon yourself, and help others no matter the cost?"