...They want a formal contract already?!
My eyes widened as I double-checked the notification window. I hadn't misread it.
The King of the Demonic Heavens and the Lord of the Heavens were proposing formal contracts with me, and I had only just cleared the tutorial.
If these were low-tier Divine Seats, I might have dismissed it.
But the Lord of the Heavens was different. His status ranked among the highest in Atlantis. And the King of the Demonic Heavens seemed to be an even higher-tier Divine Seat, one that didn't even need to defer to the Lord of the Heavens.
He's definitely a tier below the Golden Collector...
The Clocktower Killer, Jack the Ripper, had good reason to flee. Getting caught in the crossfire and incurring the Lord of the Heavens' wrath would be disastrous.
Three Divine Seats are watching me right now, aren't they?
I scratched the back of my head. This was incredibly fortunate. Especially since the Lord of the Heavens wanted a formal contract that was luckier than winning the lottery.
Hmm...
A formal contract with a Divine Seat is always advantageous. If the opportunity arises, you should seize it. Such contracts grant special skills, traits, and other benefits.
Moreover, contracted Divine Seats typically provide consistent support, allowing you to grow stronger rapidly in Atlantis.
Contracting through the Atlantis System is entirely fair. Exiles gain power, while Divine Seats earn Divine Power and AP based on the Exile's activity and influence within Atlantis. Think of it as an investment.
However, unlike Divine Seats, which can contract with multiple Exiles, each Exile can only contract with one Divine Seat, making the choice crucial.
The King of the Demonic Heavens must be insane. The real choice here is the Lord of the Heavens.
Countless Exiles in Atlantis fail to secure contracts with Divine Seats. Contracting with the Lord of the Heavens is the right move. It's the right move...
Lord of the Heavens? That bastard's true name is Zeus.
The supreme god of Olympus? If we're talking about raw power alone, he's easily among the top ten gods of Atlantis.
The problem is, he's just as crazy as the King of the Demonic Heavens, though perhaps not quite as extreme...
As evidenced by his recent mission to defile Ju Seohyun, the Lord of the Heavens is quite the pervert.
I don't want to be manipulated by the Divine Seat... Should I just refuse the contract?
The King of the Demonic Heavens urges you to make your choice.
The Lord of the Heavens urges you to make your choice.
"A formal contract...? Doesn't that mean I have to choose just one of you? Since I know nothing about either of you, I have no idea which to choose."
I need to think clearly, without being blinded by the power of the Divine Seat.
The fact that they offered me a formal contract immediately after the tutorial meant they valued me highly. In other words, I might have the opportunity to contract with other Divine Seats even in Atlantis.
I was a highly valuable commodity, and they were the buyers. They were the ones who would regret losing me, not the other way around. The initiative lay with me.
The King of the Demonic Heavens has sponsored 10,000 AP.
"If you contract with me, I'll provide unwavering support. I'm on a completely different level from those petty gods."
It was a husky woman's voice. The 10,000 AP sponsorship was likely meant to impress me.
The King of the Demonic Heavens certainly had deep pockets though he was equally insane.
"I still don't understand what you are. Someone like you wouldn't need me specifically."
The King of the Demonic Heavens has donated 10,000 AP.
"The reason I want you is because you're entertaining. In all seven Atlantises, no human has ever captivated me like you have."
The voice was husky and feminine, so pleasant to listen to that it sounded like a professional voice actress.
No, the voice isn't what matters right now.
There couldn't possibly be someone like me in Atlantis. Even I think what I did in the tutorial was abnormal.
The root of my actions lies in the Pleasure World App.
From the King of the Demonic Heavens' perspective, who knows nothing about the app, I must seem like a madman.
[Lord of the Heavens has donated 10,000 AP.]
"Surely you know who I am?"
"Of course. You are Zeus, the greatest god of Olympus, the god of the sky and thunder."
I couldn't pretend not to know him. Zeus gets irritated if people don't recognize him.
[Lord of the Heavens has donated 10,000 AP.]
"Good. I trust you'll make the wise choice."
Logically, choosing Zeus was the right move.
It was easy to guess why Zeus wanted me.
Zeus is a notorious womanizer.
I had to admit it. Zeus and I had something in common at least when it came to women.
"First, would you mind if I check my Class? It won't take long. I'll make my Class visible to you all."
[The Lord of the Heavens nods.]
[
The King of the Demonic Heavens is preparing something.]
While checking my Class, I planned to carefully consider the formal contract.
The Lord of the Heavens had agreed. He must be curious about which Class I could choose.
In the original story, the Divine Seats never liked this kind of thing.
[Sung Yujin, you can choose from a total of 7 Classes.]
[1. Gladiator]
[Strength +7, Agility +5, Stamina +7, Mana +3]
[Class Skills: Swordsmanship (C), Combat Recovery (B)]
"The only thing you can trust is your sword."
Hmm. Just one of the standard Classes.
It wasn't hard to figure out why I could choose the Gladiator Class. I had used the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger during the tutorial. If I had used a bow or spear instead of a sword, I probably would have gotten the Archer or Spearman Class.
Even if I don't care about the others, I really want Combat Recovery.
Combat Recovery, as the name suggests, is a skill that restores health or heals wounds during combat. Of course, it's not as powerful as using a potion.
For someone like me who already has Perfect Recovery, Combat Recovery isn't strictly necessary. In terms of utility, Combat Recovery can never match Perfect Recovery.
[2. Demon Lord]
[Strength +6 Agility +4 Stamina +5 Mana +12]
[Class Trait: Demon Body (B)]
"I will transcend humanity! Aaaaaaaah!"
Is this...? A Class created because of the King of the Demonic Heavens?
The King of the Demonic Heavens hadn't just been observing me; he had also been sponsoring me and even set missions for me. The Demon Class could only be attributed to his influence.
[Mana increased by a whopping 12!]
There's no need to be disappointed that the Class Skill is only one. Class Skills often unlock automatically as your stats increase later on.
The Class Skill Demon Body is a passive ability that enhances physical capabilities.
This is an Advanced Class.
[3. President]
[Strength +1, Agility +1, Stamina +2, Mana +7, Luck +2]
[Class Skills: Hidden Line (A), Box (C)]
"The President's power ranking is only third place."
"You all know this is a lie, right?"
I was speechless.
The appearance of this class was likely due to my unique trait, Deception (A).
I quickly moved on to the next class.
[4. Politician]
[Strength +1, Agility +1, Stamina +2, Mana +7, Luck +2]
[Class Skills: Distortion (A), Hereditary (B)]
"It's absurd that sovereignty should belong to the people in the first place."
"I am the state."
"..."
I was speechless once again.
Surely the next class wouldn't be like this too, right?
...But what I feared came true.
[5. Revolutionist]
[Strength +1, Agility +1, Stamina +2, Mana +7, Luck +2]
[Class Skills: Public Security (S), Censorship (C)]
"Arise, you who refuse to be slaves!"
"Those who rose up were all arrested by Public Security."
Though absurd, by this point I began to take it seriously.
'The Distortion Skill is similar to my Deception Skill... and Hidden Line is a Hypnosis-type Skill.'
Even so, the Hidden Line Skill can only be used on a limited number of opponents, and hypnosis isn't well-regarded in this world.
'Public Security... that's impressive.'
This skill summons soldiers who faithfully obey the user's commands. It summons one soldier per point of mana, and the summoned soldiers appear to last for about three hours.
'Censorship is excellent too. Though limited, it allows me to see information from an opponent's status window, including their Class and contracted Divine Seat.'
The Public Security and Censorship Skills are quite appealing.
For now, I decided to keep the Politician Class, the Chinese Bear, on hold.
'...The next Class won't be Politician again, will it?'
Fortunately, it wasn't.
[6. Trainer]
[Strength +2, Agility +2, Stamina +2, Mana +3, Luck +3]
[Class Skills: Pleasure Training (A), Restraint (C)]
"Humans are animals too. They can be trained."
The Trainer Class likely stemmed from my training of Yu Seohee and Ju Seohyun during the tutorial.
Even without Pleasure Training, the Restraint skill seemed quite useful. Being able to immobilize opponents would be a significant advantage in combat.
Let's see... the final, seventh class is...
[7. Thunderclap Slayer]
[Strength +3, Agility +5, Stamina +2, Mana +8]
[Class Skill: Myriad Thunder (C)]
"First verse, second verse, third verse... Thunderclap!"
"My Myriad Thunder is only C-rank?! Fucking hell..."
This Class must be Zeus's doing.
There's no other explanation.
Myriad Thunder (C) appears to be a lightning-based skill. Just because it's C-rank doesn't mean it should be dismissed. Any skill related to lightning is inherently formidable.
If I choose a Class, it'll be either Demon Lord or Thunderclap Slayer. I'll have to pick one.
[Trainer.]
There's no denying its appeal.
But Pleasure Training can be done even without the Trainer Class, thanks to my Sensory Amplification skill.
Choosing Demon Lord would immediately grant a significant boost to my physical abilities... Thunderclap Slayer, on the other hand, allows me to wield lightning.
The Thunderclap Slayer was tempting. Physical abilities could be enhanced through various methods, but this might be my only chance to wield lightning.
I haven't mastered the Thunderlight and Dark Shadow techniques of the Youngcheon Style.
According to Jin Seyoung, my master in the Youngcheon Style, mastering Thunderlight and Dark Shadow requires a deep understanding of lightning and shadows.
No amount of explanation from others could help; true understanding could only come through personal enlightenment.
Fuck. Lightning is lightning, and shadows are shadows. What more is there to understand?
Perhaps choosing the Thunderclap Slayer would grant me insight into lightning, allowing me to finally master Thunderlight.
Perhaps because I was quietly contemplating my Class choice, the Divine Seats watching me erupted into chaos.
[Lord of the Heavens has donated 10,000 AP.]
"Choose the Thunderclap Slayer. You're lucky. It's a Class that's hard to come by."
"Ah, is that so? Maybe I will."
My heart was already leaning toward the Thunderclap Slayer.
If I chose the Thunderclap Slayer and formed a formal contract with Zeus, the synergy would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
[King of the Demonic Heavens has donated 10,000 AP.]
"Wait! Choose the Demon Lord. I'll give you a skill perfectly suited for the Demon Lord."
My eyes lit up.
"A skill? What kind?"
My tone toward the King of the Demonic Heavens became more polite. If he was offering a valuable skill, using honorifics was the least I could do.
[King of the Demonic Heavens has donated 10,000 AP.]
"Choose the Demon Lord and contract with me, and I'll grant you the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
[The King of the Demonic Heavens reveals the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to you.]
[Heavenly Demon Divine Art (????)]
[A martial art personally created by the King of the Demonic Heavens.]
[Type: ? Skill]
[Rank: S]
"Heavenly Demon Divine Art!" I exclaimed in surprise.
Isn't that a martial art that every Tom, Dick, and Harry in wuxia and fantasy novels knows?
I felt my heart flutter with excitement.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art... It might be a common martial art, but that just proves how incredibly powerful it is!
The King of the Demonic Heavens sponsors 10,000 AP.
"I know you manhwa readers are obsessed with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
"Yes! We're absolutely crazy about the Heavenly Demon! You really get us!"
Even I was getting excited about the Heavenly Demon Divine Art right now.
The King of the Demonic Heavens sponsors 10,000 AP.
"If you form a formal contract with me, you can become the Heavenly Demon Supreme."
"Heavenly Demon... Supreme...!"
Supreme.
What a magnificent-sounding word!
My heart was rapidly tilting toward the King of the Demonic Heavens.
[The Lord of the Heavens sponsors 10,000 AP.]
"Tch. That demon bastard is up to his tricks again... Choose me, Sung Yujin. I will bestow upon you the Thunderous Judgment."