"That monster?" Zeth's smile dropped again.
Death explained, "Don't worry. Say my prayer after you revive, and you'll have access to my powers."
"Didn't you say I would only receive low-level skills as an intern? How the hell am I supposed to defeat that thing before it kills me?"
The skeleton let out a long sigh. "You'll have to figure that part out yourself. That's the real test."
"Could you please explain the powers I will receive?"
"A wide set of abilities, but overall they fall into two categories: malevolence and benevolence. You can only choose one."
"Malevolence governs curses, decay, and death. Benevolence governs healing, guidance, and the peaceful passing of souls..."
Death explained for a few minutes, and Zeth mentally noted each word. After absorbing the information, it was time to sign the contract. The skeleton handed him the same yellow paper, which contained only a few straightforward rules.
After reading everything twice, Zeth was ready to place his hand on the tattered scroll as a sign of acceptance. A soft white light emanated from the scroll, then it disappeared into the air.
"I suppose it's time for me to face the test," Zeth said, already aware of the answer. He opened his arms, ready to disintegrate into light... but perhaps he had expected too much.
With a chant in an unknown language, Zeth felt a radiant light beneath his feet before the ground opened into a circle.
"What?" was all he could utter before he found himself falling through the opening in the ground.
"Do your best, Zeth. Remember, both my future and yours depend on you!"
With those words, his astral body entered the universe, then the galaxy, and finally descended toward a familiar blue planet in a small solar system. It landed on a small island like a heavenly thunderbolt, tearing through the mansion's roof and striking the familiar dead body.
[Yeah... you revived.]
The blue screen appeared before his eyes, and Zeth felt his beautiful body again. Instantly, his hand reached up to check his skull, which was resting safely on his neck. The ground beneath him was stained with his blood, and his pajamas were soaked in it.
Zeth stood up and checked everything. All jewels were safe and sound.
"LET'S FREAKING GO!"
As he turned around again, he saw the same green monster down the hall, feasting on the corpses it had killed. A churn sounded in his stomach as he looked at the gruesome scene, but now was not the time for sorrow; the monster was still there, and so was the threat.
Zeth stood confidently, a sharp grin on his face, and walked down the stairs. "You ugly bastard! Enjoying your last meal?"
There was no reason to be afraid of that thing, not when he had Death by his side. Zeth chuckled, then laughed louder like a menace.
"Kekekeke... hahaha."
"Hahahahahahahaha."
"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The poor monster instinctively stepped back, still confused about how its prey was still alive. But Zeth was not afraid. He simply stepped forward with a smug grin.
"Oh, Heavens, gaze upon this fool! He dared to invade my island, while I, a future employee of Death, stand before him... tsk, tsk, tsk."
"Now you shall witness the wrath of the divine gods, and your screams shall serve as an example for all those who dare in the future. Prepare to perish, you maggot!"
His voice echoed through the hall as he spread his arms wide. Zeth closed his eyes and recited the prayer of the God of Death.
"Let peace be granted upon thee... and let the cycle of reincarnation continue. Holy and invincible, absolute and eternal, I pray to thee... God of Death."
He took a deep breath as changes slowly spread through his body... or so he thought would happen.
Nothing changed.
Zeth opened one eye, expecting something heavenly to descend upon him... it didn't. Instead, he saw a blue screen with plain white text.
[In order to wield power over death, let go of all materialistic attachments.]
Zeth's lips twitched as he looked at the hobgoblin standing before him, clearly unhappy with the interruption.
"Ahh... on second thought, peaceful negotiation doesn't sound that bad either, does it?"
The monster slammed its hand where Zeth had been standing a moment earlier, leaving a handprint engraved into the concrete floor. If it were before death, Zeth wouldn't have dodged the attack, but after hundreds of trials against Ares, Thor, and Hercules, his reflexes had become somewhat better.
"What's happening? System, explain something!" Zeth yelled, barely dodging another attack. But the system remained static. No answers appeared before his eyes. Zeth's mind raced as he recalled the system novels he had read, and he commanded,
"Self."
"Window."
"Status!"
[Bruh!]
Zeth froze.
Betrayal? Scammed? Anger? He didn't know what he felt first, only that if he died here again, there would be no second chance. Biting his lower lip, he sprinted through the hall toward the private cinema room.
"Info. Reboot. Update. Install packages, you damn clanker!"
Yet none of it worked. Perhaps the system wasn't supposed to reply directly? He barely dodged another piece of furniture thrown toward him.
The only option left was to use the basic skill that even NPCs in fantasy novels had. He looked at the monster and commanded, "Inspect!"
It worked.
A blue circle rolled around the monster, scanning its body from every angle. Zeth's smile widened. He hadn't been betrayed after all. Almost reaching the theater, he jumped behind one of the chairs in the dark room. Praying that monster doesn't possess night vision.
The scan completed after fifteen seconds. The circles closed, and a blue screen slowly materialized before his eyes.
'There it is!' Zeth grinned in excitement, reading the white text on the blue screen. And what he read made his heart stop beating.
[Shit... that's a monster.]