n

n

nThe jumper looked at me in a weird way. Without the need to see his full face, I could simply tell he felt disgust towards my request.

n

"Are you asking me for that trash? What? Are you going to be a clown for those gods? Entertain them in the middle of their sex?

"

nHis words were harsh, but I didn't care about that tone filled with ridicule. Instead I noticed something else.

"So you have one?

" I eagerly asked.

n

"Sure, it's not a big deal,

" he shrugged,

"you can have it from going to the special quests after quest five. Why do you make a big fuss over such nonsense?

"

nWas it common? I didn't know that. According to the old man's words from before, this reel was something important, far more important than anything else.

n

"I want one,

" I hurriedly said,

"I can exchange it with anything you want. Coins, gears, even stat beads and orbs… anything you say I'll give in exchange.

"

n

"Humph, I want nothing I have a tone of,

" his words extinguished my excitement but I didn't show it on my face.

n

"Then what do you want in return?

"

n

"Let me see… How about following me and calling me boss?

"

nThis bastard!

"Don't go overboard!

" I roared in warning but he was so shameless to shrug and say:

n

"I'm not the one wanting this reel this badly, right? Either you follow me or you forget about this thing. Why rush things though? You'll get many of these useless reels later on.

"

nI wanted to punch him in the face at this moment but hardly restrained myself. This shameless jumper was taking advantage of me.

nOk, don't regret it then. You started this and brought this upon yourself.

n

"I can exchange for anything else, anything you want,

" I tried to reason with him. At this moment he held my neck with icy fingers.

n

"I said what I wanted plus… You don't have anything that I really want. The thing I want most isn't possibly in your possession.

"

nThe thing he wanted most? These words kept ranging in my head for a long minute while I frowned. Something deep down my mind started to resonate with his words.

nWhat was the thing he wanted the most? Do I really know it?

nI had this feeling, like I knew what he was looking for. The more I thought about it, the more I felt confident about it. Yeah, I knew what this arrogant jumper wanted, but I couldn't recall it at the moment.

nI didn't give up. I started to recall the long time discussion with the old man about him. He once narrated his story and from that story I got the inspiration to come here.

nI recalled the way he got the class, how he ended up dead in the end. But through all this I didn't find what I was looking for.

n

"Something isn't right,

" I muttered and the jumper acted as if he didn't hear me. I was speaking to myself here. There was definitely something wrong in this story.

nWait… Just as I thought about it, I recalled another thing. This wasn't the only time the old man spoke about him to me. In another time he narrated the strongest existences in the apocalypse, those who defied heaven and even gods.

nReincarnation was one of them, time travelers were also there. And jumpers! I squeezed my brain and tried my best to recall what he said about them until my eyes suddenly popped wide open.

nI recalled! I knew what this dude here wanted the most!

nAccording to the old man, reincarnation was born like this. Time travelers got a blessing from one of the supreme gods of time to be able to travel for a few minutes, days, and even months backwards. As for jumpers…

nThey got their heaven defying ability from someone else. The old man took the jumper in front of me as an example back then. He spoke lightly about that, and it happened way after he told me about this lad's adventure here.

n

"I know what you are looking for,

" I said in a firm tone. The look I had from the jumper was filled with ridicule. But I wasn't bluffing. This time I was sure of having him in my grasp.

nYou tried to screw with me before bud, and I was going to f*ck you now!

n

"Stop spouting nonsense…

"

nI didn't even wait for him to continue his words as I instantly said, interrupting him:

n

"You are looking for someone, someone who doesn't belong to this world. He came from another world, gave you your power and died in your arms…

"

nI could see his eyes widened but I didn't stop speaking.

n

"You lied to me. The highest quest you experienced was fifteen, right? There you accidentally stumbled upon him. Despite dying, he gave you this unique power of jumping through dimensions. You are traveling not to avenge him, but save him. Yet all your efforts went in vain.

"

n

"You…

" this time his voice came a bit softer than usual and more shaky,

"how can you know all this? Who the hell are you?!!

"

nI could even see his body trembling faintly. This jumper, the mighty person with such high cultivation was shaken by my words. And he had to feel like that.

n

"I know because I simply came from the future,

" I shrugged,

"and as I came from there I can firmly tell you this… You'll fail!

"

nIt was a small lie, a white lie to make him fall into my trap. There was no way for him to tell the difference or make an ascertain of my words.

n

"Impudence!

" he roared like a wounded beast and even went fast towards me. His hand rose high in the air and wanted to slap my face.

nYet I calmly stood there unflinched with his demeanor. He was strong, but anyone had a weakness. Even the mightiest gods had their weaknesses.

nAnd bud, I got your weakness under my fingertips. I would enjoy pressing hard on it until you yield.

n

"I'm telling the truth,

" I slowly said in my normal calm tone,

"you couldn't rescue him, ended up traveling across a thousand worlds before you finally broke out. Tell me, isn't a thousand times your limit?

"

nHis hand froze already even before I spoke. From one aspect of things, he was still shocked about me knowing all this. And from another aspect this was the first time for him to hear something about his future.

n

"You are lying,

" he retracted his hand but his eyes still showed his anger,

"I even consulted a great oracle before. I would definitely rescue him in between a hundred and two hundred attempts.

"

n

"No, you won't,

" I calmly shook my head before adding,

"you don't have the power to resist the collapse of a dying world yourself. But with me, you can.

"

n

"A dying world?

" his face twitched under his scarf,

"do you know the world he came from?

"

nI slowly nodded but said no more.

nAt this moment things became clear to him. I had something he wanted. Not to help him rescue that man, but the info about the origin of that man himself.

nHe tried, I knew he tried his best according to the old man's words, to save that man. But his only shortcoming came from one simple info that he didn't know.

nWhat was the origin of that man? That made him crazy. The more he tried to search for the world that man came from, the more loss he felt.

nEven the great oracle he spoke about couldn't help. After all, I knew many things and a lot of secrets about oracles. They had limited powers and they were confined to the world they lived in.

nNo matter how strong and unique that oracle was, she couldn't see beyond the veils of our world.

nI calmly waited while he finally sighed. He took out a golden reel and extended it to me.

"This is the thing you want. In return I want to know the answer to my question.

"

n

"No thanks, I don't want it now.

"

n

"What the hell are you talking about?

" he burst out in anger as he screamed in a very domineering way. I had to admit, standing this close to him made my heart quiver out of fear.

nHe was so strong, much stronger than me at this point. But I would never sell such valuable info for such a cheap price.

n

"As you said earlier,

" I shrugged and said in a casual tone as if I didn't really want this reel anymore,

"I can get it from later quests. So why rush things now?

"

n

"Don't play games with me… Do you want to die?

"

n

"Kill me then,

" I calmly spread out my arms as if I was really readying myself to die,

"but with it my answer would be gone forever.

"

n

"...

"

nI watched his face twitching more violently alongside his body. He was now feeling more enraged and much helpless than ever.

nEven seeing you in such a sad state wouldn't make me change my mind. Bud, you were the first to try and take advantage of me. Don't blame me for this, blame yourself first.

n

"I know you want something extra for this, fine. Tell me what you want and I'll comply.

"

nHe finally yielded. Great! Now it was time for me to reap my rewards.

n

"You'll follow me from now on, and call me boss,

" I returned his words back to him. I could see his face getting redder for a second there before he controlled himself in an envying manner.

n

"Good, I agree,

" he simply threw his weapon down this easily,

"let's sign a contract for this.

"

nSomething seems fishy here. I couldn't help but feel bad omen rising inside my heart. This jumper was so arrogant and his freedom was everything he had.

nHow could he agree to my condition in such a simple way? No way! Don't tell me he had something up his sleeve, like that Selvator kid!

n

"Ok, hold on a second,

" just as he agreed I hurriedly opened my market interface. The auctions of my items were about to finish in less than five minutes. As for the auction of my desired item, it still was raging on wildly with a price exceeding forty-five million coins.

nC'mon, don't raise the price any higher than this! It was already double the price I had in mind initially.

nHowever I wasn't there for these auctions. Instead I opened the search bar and looked for something unique.

nEarth grade contract: can bind anyone even with the power to negate any limitations and chains on the soul. Can be used only on beings living inside your world. Initial price: ten million coins. Current auction price: fifteen million coins. Buyout price: twenty-two million coins

n

"Buyout price now!

" I said without hesitation and my words slightly startled the jumper next to me.

nIt was a real pricey contract, but it had its own uses and benefits. This was worth each penny paid in it. After all this contract would last forever between the two of us.

nOnce I took the contract out, it exuded a faint green golden color. The moment the jumper saw it in my hands, it looked like a cat got its tail stomped upon by someone.

n

"What the hell is that?

" he pointed at the contract in my hand while I started filling out the conditions.

n

"Time of contract… Hmm… forever… Conditions… hmm… Serving me with utmost loyalty and absolute obedience…

"

nI neglected his scream and even spoke loudly about the conditions I was writing there.

n

"Stop it! This isn't fair! We didn't agree on this!!

" he screamed in panic yet I never stopped my hand or my lips.

n

"Benefits for me… Hmm… He will work for my orders, all his inventory items are mine, whatever he gains in the future will also be mine…

"

n

"F*ck you! This isn't a contract! This literally selling myself to you!!

" he roared but I finally completed the contract while checking on the remaining items. I raised it in the air with a satisfying smile over my face.

n

"It's ready, here is my signature,

" I hurt my hand with the tip of my sword and let a drop of blood fall over the contract.

"Now it's your turn.

"

n

"No way! I won't do it!

" he blurted it out but I simply shrugged.

n

"If you don't want it then fine, but don't expect to save that friend of yours ever in your life. You'll lose him, no, you'll fail his trust and let him die out there without even helping him.. Tsk, what a cold hearted man you are, what a loser you are. Letting your benefactor die like this, just for a simple contract… I'm really disappointed in you!

"

n