1.
"Action and reaction. Karma. Causality. Do you know what they all have in common?"
"...?"
"You receive in proportion to what you give."
Nature, life, even fate itself works that way.
To move the greatest being, one must pay the greatest price.
"What do you think I could do with this as the price?"
"Huhk…!"
[Black Box]
The moment I revealed the box that held the darkness of the abyss, the Golden Goblin couldn't even breathe properly.
"Oh? So you do know what this is?"
"I-I have only heard of it in legends… from the elders… Human… sir!"
He couldn't even bring himself to look me in the eyes.
"Then what price should you pay just to witness what's about to happen?"
He couldn't answer.
It was literally a priceless treasure—something beyond value.
"Your shop's entire inventory? Worthless. Your entire race is worth less than this. Do you admit that?"
"...Krk. Yes."
"The price for observing what's about to unfold… will be this."
I pulled out a blank check from his drawer.
"Sign it."
"Krk…? But there's no name, no amount written?"
"I'll fill those in whenever and however I want. You just write your name. Your true name."
"Kuhk… krkrk…"
"You're not losing out. Not at all."
It was no exaggeration.
He might learn secrets of the world.
Just witnessing the event might raise his "rank."
Trembling violently, he signed.
His true name: Kmuro.
Once a true name is written on an officially issued check, the promise cannot be broken.
A blank check. A very useful card has been added to my deck.
Satisfied, I stored the check in my inventory and picked up the magic contract.
There is no guarantor for the contract. Will you pay the price and proceed with the summoning?
"Yes."
The summoned target will be determined at random depending on the grade of the offered price.
However, if you know the target's true name, you may designate who to summon.
At the system's message, I took hold of the [Black Box].
"I offer this as the price. Rrrgh… I summon… □.□.□.□."
Fighting the pain constricting my heart, I forced out the name, letter by letter.
The moment I spoke the summoner's true name—
KUUUUUUNG—
The entire space trembled as colossal darkness began pouring in.
This was no longer an alley behind the marketplace, nor the underground general store.
Only countless stars and endless darkness existed here.
The universe.
That infinite space was layered over the present.
Even the system held its breath and watched.
A colossal being appeared—one whose mere presence changed the flow of the worldline.
"Hh-hhk…"
The Golden Goblin trembled like a terrified child.
A supreme devil.
A being of a rank so mighty one might call them a god.
A presence capable of interfering not just with physics, but with concepts themselves.
Humans called him the Demon of Sloth, Belphegor.
The world tore off its mask of "game" and dragged us into the abyss.
A space filled with things beyond human cognition.
An overwhelming terror that made me want to rip my own body apart just to escape.
In despair, pain, and helplessness—
A golden palace overflowing with malice revealed itself.
Legions of enormous demons breathed greedily in unison.
And atop a splendid throne forged from corpses, blood, and gold—
He appeared.
…Though in an unexpectedly shocking form.
2.
"Yaaawn. What a nice nap~!"
Time, which had frozen, began to flow again at the languid, sweet voice.
"How long has it been since I was last summoned!"
With a tinkling laugh, a blonde beauty appeared.
A face pure and beautiful like an angel.
Breasts swelling like a full moon, and a waist as slender as an ant's.
Black-red see-through lingerie draped over her body.
Innocence and decadence blended so perfectly it made my heart pound.
"Did you summon me?"
Belphegor asked, eyes sparkling like a startled deer.
Covering her body with both arms, she exuded a sweet fragrance.
Pure yet lewd.
Vulgar yet holy.
Lowly yet noble.
Get a grip.
A dizzying wave of desire flooded me, enough to make me forget even fear.
It's all a trap!
For a supreme demon, appearance was merely a shell to switch at will.
Just like a magician uses a beautiful assistant to distract the audience—
This demon had merely chosen the most effective form to disarm a young, energetic human male.
She's not a woman… Not even something that should be called a living being.
Just hearing her voice made breathing difficult.
I forced myself to focus on her eyes, not the glimpses of exposed skin.
In those gleaming crimson irises, madness and desire swirled.
Born wicked to the core.
Demons feed on the negative energy of living beings.
And this being stood at the pinnacle of that hierarchy.
"I did summon you."
"I'm curious—how did you even come to know my true name?"
Belphegor giggled like an innocent girl.
"That's a difficult question to answer."
I wasn't the only slave mining ore in that dungeon.
In an age where a human life wasn't worth a single coin—
Those who let slaves live had reasons for doing so.
How could I explain all of that in a moment?
"I'll let it slide since it's been so long since I got some fresh air."
"Thank you."
"So then—why did you summon me? Most humans prefer angels."
She swayed her upper body adorably, as if asking me to answer.
To forget the dizzying temptation, I kept my eyes on hers as I replied.
"Because a rational demon is better than a blind angel."
Angels are certainly good.
They help humans willingly.
But for the sake of their idea of good, they sometimes try to control others.
That won't do.
Demons are evil.
They trick and steal whenever they find an opening.
To maintain a society of such beings, absolute restraints are required.
Thus, to them, contracts—promises—are absolute.
Within the bounds of a contract, they are ironically the most trustworthy beings of all.
"Kyarururuk. I love that answer."
Belphegor clapped her hands and bounced lightly in place.
"But why are you using that for a contract instead of opening it?"
"…"
"It's a Black Box. Even for me, that's incredibly precious."
Belphegor let out a dreamy breath and continued:
"It might contain a divine sword that could blow away a mountain range in a single strike, or a grimoire that could make you a Grand Mage."
"If I relied on such things, I'd be controlled by them. How could a child holding a knife possibly defeat a Swordmaster wielding a twig?"
"…"
"Even aside from that—"
There could be rewards like "perception," "comprehension," or other conceptual abilities.
Those would be precisely the kinds of talents I desperately desired.
"But what use is it if the one who owns it is a fool?"
I closed my eyes and spoke with self-mockery.
Was I lacking in external conditions?
Absolutely not. I may have lacked talent, but in every other regard I had the best conditions possible.
And yet, what was the result?
The root of every problem was ultimately me.
"Oh? A man hiding darkness… interesting, very interesting."
Belphegor giggled and placed her hand on the contract.
"So what are you planning? What do you intend to do with this?"
"I intend to form a mutual contract between superior and subordinate."
"Good, good. With such a price, I'll grant any kind of contract you want. Who do you want killed? Which woman do you want stolen? Want to conquer the world? I can lend you my generals and my armies if you want."
"A slave contract."
The moment the word slave was spoken, a bright smile blossomed on Belphegor's face.
"Kkakakakak!"
A laugh so refreshing it was terrifying.
"So that's why you came to me. Excellent choice!"
Belphegor shed her playful façade, licking her lips.
Love and hate. Sloth and diligence.
Two sides of the same coin—inseparable.
The Demon of Sloth, paradoxically, fit most perfectly with diligence in this regard.
Belphegor had always enjoyed seducing people in a woman's form and working them like slaves.
"The terms of the contract are as follows."
I recited them one by one.
Recalling the slave contract that once bound me.
The subordinate (Eul) must absolutely obey whatever the superior (Gap) commands.
The subordinate cannot refuse or neglect the superior's orders.
If the subordinate fails to comply, the superior may inflict "appropriate" pain.
Appropriate. What a terrifying word.
It meant: as much pain as the superior desired, with no limits.
The more I listed, the brighter Belphegor's expression became.
It fits her tastes perfectly.
This contract was far more vicious than the one I once suffered under.
The subordinate cannot commit suicide until the contract ends.
The subordinate cannot harm the superior's parents or any designated individuals.
The subordinate must complete the tasks assigned by the superior in the exact order listed.
No one—not even the superior—may overturn this contract.
Every word dripped with poison.
With its absolute coercive force, the subordinate would be forced to fulfill everything.
The superior's words would act like divine law upon them.
"Good, good! Keep going! Aaaaah!"
Belphegor even let out a scream, as if she were reaching climax.
Meanwhile, the Golden Goblin—Kmuro—looked utterly dead inside.
"Krkrk… P-please… mercy… Human, sir… master…"
A perfect slave contract.
A demonic contract of exploitation without death as an escape.
It was obvious what horrors he was imagining.
But to enslave this goblin, I wouldn't even need to use the blank check.
In front of a dread archdemon, a godlike presence, refusal was impossible.
The list went on endlessly.
⋯⋯⋯
Eventually, the contract neared its final stage.
"Only the last names remain."
Belphegor, flushed with excitement, asked like a child waiting for candy:
"Who is the superior?"
"Cha Eunho."
"Of course. And the subordinate?"
Belphegor waited, filled with anticipation.
Kmuro looked like a man already dead.
Drumroll.
It felt like the sound of a grand reveal echoed around us.
"The subordinate is… Cha Eunho."
The moment the words left my mouth, their reactions split in two.
"...?"
The goblin, not understanding, looked around in confusion.
But after a moment, Belphegor finally grasped the meaning—and shrieked:
"Kyaaaaaah! How could you think of something like THAT!"
Excitement, thrill, madness—everything exploded at once.
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
What was the "talent" I needed most?
A superior body? Sense for swordsmanship? Mana sensitivity?
No. None of that.
You can't fix a broken person.
Trash stays trash forever.
I had learned that many times in a not-so-short life.
And I was no exception.
To turn a filthy rag into a spotless towel, one wash wasn't enough.
You had to scrub until your palms tore and your fingernails fell out.
A hundred times. A thousand times.
If that didn't work, you'd have to throw it into the spinner and crush it.
Could I really do this continuously?
Right now, maybe.
But…
When a terrifying future arrives—one you knew was coming.
When despair and suffering stretch on without end.
When even so-called geniuses and monsters are ultimately devoured by despair—
At that moment, will I still be able to hold on to this mindset?
Will a worthless piece of trash like me?
Not a chance.
Right after discharge from the military, I vowed to become a dutiful son—that resolve didn't last three days.
It wasn't that I didn't know how to lose weight, or how to get into Seoul National University.
What about alcohol and drugs?
Do I truly have the confidence to resist that sweet temptation for life?
"The greatest risk in my plan… is me."
The talent I needed most wasn't one for fighting others.
What I needed was effort, will, conviction.
A talent that would force my goals to be achieved—a talent to defeat myself.
I needed a will that would never, ever break.
And if I don't have it, I'll hammer it into myself by force.
Belphegor watched me, so excited her neck had flushed red.
Sign and tear the contract to activate it.
This contract is guaranteed by a supreme demon. It is absolutely irreversible.
Do you wish to proceed?
Even the system warned me.
The slave contract in the dungeon alone had been a nightmare.
Until the quota was met, I could neither rest nor collapse.
A contract guaranteed by a low-rank demon had already been hell—and this one was guaranteed by a supreme demon.
"Of course. I'm the kind of idiot who needs to be tossed onto burning hellfire before waking up."
I signed, then ripped the paper apart.
Ding, ding!
The contract has been activated.
Light erupted as the system inscribed the contract into the universe.
Excitement and fear, thrill and yearning swirled inside me.
"Real discipline begins now. Look forward to it."
I placed a hand over my pounding heart and whispered:
From today onward, I am my own slave, and my own master.
And…
If the price is too great, you should be suspicious.
Even Belphegor, blinded by the colossal price I offered, didn't notice.
Guaranteeing the contract? Absolutely not. That's the straight road to utter ruin.
Parents warn for a reason.
A contract does not enslave only the debtor.
Depending on the case, the guarantor can become a slave to the contract as well.
Even a supreme demon like Belphegor.
This would become a hidden dagger—one capable of piercing kings and the world itself.
It was my final hidden move.