God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 225: Episode _Don’t Talk to Me About Suckers (5)
8.
The hand on his shoulder felt as heavy as lead. His mind knew he had to get it off, knew that something was wrong, but his body wouldn’t react. The great high-rank demon Grokile, who could dodge dark magic attacks that flew at him in a thousandth of a second.
He was too stunned to speak.
He quickly turned his gaze to assess the situation. The smile from before came into view. No, that wasn’t right. The smile had been there since before, and it had grown wider compared to then. But it didn’t feel the same. Before, it had a somewhat servile feel to it. Grokile, who had seen the servility of countless insignificant beings, was sure of it. To be precise, it was the smile of someone who was servile but hadn’t abandoned their pride, someone confident in their actions, which was why he had found it agreeable enough to talk to him.
But not now. Servile? It was as if he were mocking the very idea. Was he mocking him? He must be. His eyes were clearly saying it.
’You sucker.’
That’s why his body wouldn’t move. Demons were a race that lived for hundreds of years. They fought from the moment they woke up, day in and day out, but to survive in such a battlefield, you had to be smart. Even if you weren’t brilliant, you had to have the sharpest instincts in the world. And those sharp instincts were helping him grasp the current situation.
The human’s attitude had changed in less than a second due to a specific trigger. And that trigger was?
’...The contract.’
How could he not know? Wasn’t it the demons’ specialty? The demonic contract, which they held out to humans after filling them with all sorts of sweet talk, hope, and the promise of a bright future, showed them the greatest rewards they could imagine. For humans, it was also called the devil’s contract, as it meant falling into the abyss of ruin the moment they signed. It seemed he had fallen for that very trick.
It was absurd. That’s why his body froze even more. Me, a demon. And not just any demon, but the high-rank demon Grokile, scammed by a human?
He forced his trembling body to calm down and closed his eyes. At the same time, he recalled the contract’s terms. He hadn’t read it, but upon signing, it was imprinted in his mind. Countless clauses flooded his thoughts. It hadn’t seemed that thick when he held it. He carefully scanned it from the beginning.
[Party A: Han Simin, Party B: High-Rank Demon Grokile...?]
And he got stuck on the very first part, the definition of the parties.
"...Party A?"
"That’s right, punk."
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped him. I signed such an absurd contract? Without even checking the minor details? Why?
He asked his self from ten minutes ago, but there was no answer. That’s how excited he had been. He was happy to be on the continent and had naturally assumed it was a summoning by magic circle. Looking back, there were more than a few strange things, but at the same time, there were plenty of factors that made it understandable why he would sign. For one, the fact that his power wasn’t restricted was a condition worth signing away his liver and gallbladder for. The problem was, he hadn’t actually intended to give them away.
"No. This isn’t real."
Having grasped the situation, Grokile swallowed hard. The important part started now. As someone who had stolen countless human souls through demonic contracts, he knew better than anyone how serious his current situation was if he had messed up.
’Calm down.’ He spoke. Without a tremor.
"How dare you pull a contract scam on me, the high-rank demon Grokile?"
"Huh?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Human, you bastard! You have no fear! Did you not wonder for a moment why I signed without reading the contract? Now that the contract is made, you must know. My identity. I am the great high-rank demon of the Demon Realm!"
"You’re Grokile."
"...Yes, I am Grokile!"
"So what?"
"So what? I showed you mercy, intending to use you as a faithful servant to plunge this continent into darkness, and now you’re getting cocky, not knowing your place."
"You’re the one getting cocky, you slave bastard."
Grokile was speechless.
The beginning was crucial. The human was likely not well-versed in the details of demonic contracts. Even among demons, few possessed demonic contracts, so how could a human know? His reaction wasn’t quite what he wanted, but he held onto his belief. The human was an ignorant brat who was getting ahead of himself. He was acting this way because he had absolute faith in the contract; if he poked at its weaknesses, he wouldn’t be so bold.
For that purpose, he revealed a secret.
"Hmph. You put too much faith in that contract. There aren’t many ways to break a contract, but they exist. If I were to abandon my activities on the continent and return to the Demon Realm without fulfilling the contract, it would be voided. Of course, I would be held responsible for breaking it, but I, a great high-rank demon, would at most have my soul bound, restricting my return to the continent for a few decades. But your pathetic human body would have its very soul torn to shreds."
"Ha!"
This was something he wasn’t supposed to say. It wouldn’t do any good for it to get out. Especially for demons who threatened humans to get what they wanted and steal their souls. Conversely, it meant that a creature less than a bug could, if it so chose, shackle a demon for decades. If they were more determined and researched it, they could inflict even greater damage. If word got out, the fear that a contract with a demon was inescapable would disappear.
Nevertheless, he revealed it. For Grokile, his own well-being was more important. And it seemed to have worked, as Simin’s expression turned serious.
"That won’t do."
"Agree to amend the contents of this insolent contract while I’m being nice."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I would rather return to the Demon Realm than be bossed around by a mere human. You said it yourself, didn’t you? The current situation on the continent is very unfavorable for black magic mages. You asked for help with the demons’ descent. Do you think that will be possible if I return? This is a no-loss proposition for me. Even if it takes a few more decades, the grand plan won’t disappear!"
"Hmm. You have a point."
After a long moment of serious contemplation, Simin finally conceded. Grokile could finally breathe a sigh of relief. ’Now he’s playing my game! The human brat is impressive, but there’s no way he can beat a high-rank demon who has survived for hundreds of years. I’m confident in my silver tongue as well. I’ll pretend to sweet-talk him into amending the contract and then work him to death for the rest of his life!’
"Then..."
"You do have a point," Simin repeated. "But..."
“Seriously. It’s infuriating.”
Grokile looked at him, confused.
“Sometimes, people who say things that are just asking for a beating need to get hit to come to their senses.”
Grokile stared in alarm.
Unfortunately for Grokile, his grand vision was torn to shreds before it could even be fully formed, all thanks to the hammer Han Simin had just produced.
*
“What do you think you’re—!”
He tried to resist.
“Shut up!”
“Aargh!”
But it was useless. This was no ordinary contract; it was a masterpiece Simin had painstakingly crafted during a period of such profound boredom that he’d considered logging out just to watch a movie. It might have looked hastily made, but he had revised it again and again, running over a hundred simulations to ensure there wasn’t a single clause that could be turned against him. It was a state-of-the-art snare, perfected to the highest degree.
There was no way Grokile could use physical force against Simin under such terms. Of course, it wasn’t impossible.
“Kuaaaargh!”
If he could endure the soul-searing agony of his dark magic being forcibly converted into holy power the moment he tried to channel it, and then use that twisted energy to inflict pain on Simin, it might work.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Holy power and dark magic were polar opposites. The catastrophic damage they dealt to each other meant that even a high-ranking demon accustomed to pain would experience a dizzying torment. No, it was more than just pain; it felt like his very soul was being incinerated.
And so, he had no choice but to meekly accept the price for his words.
“Whew. That was tiring,” Simin sighed.
Grokile remained silent.
Grokile lay battered on the ground, a tattered mess.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Kardian clicked her tongue, her brow furrowed in secondhand embarrassment. ’What a fool,’ she thought. ’If he’d grasped the situation, he should have groveled, played dead, or found a reasonable compromise like I did. Stupid demons. Hundreds of years pass, and they’re still just as idiotic.’ From the moment Simin set such a trap, Grokile should have known he wasn’t dealing with an ordinary human.
Once again, she felt a wave of relief that she hadn’t defied him and began to gather her mana. She had used a great deal to polymorph, but she had recovered much of it while resting, so casting a simple spell was no issue.
“Heal!”
He was stunned.
An unsolicited healing spell—a dragon’s absolute healing magic, no less—seeped into Grokile’s body. It was a miracle; his eyes shot open.
Simin grinned and gave Kardian a thumbs-up. “Nice. I like that kind of sense. I’ll give you five points. I have high hopes for you, you know?”
“Thank you,” she replied.
They were in the same boat, but she would sell out her fellow captive in a heartbeat. All for five points.
Grokile’s resentful glare fixed on her. Kardian met his gaze without flinching, a smirk playing on her lips. A conviction solidified in her mind.
’This demon invasion of the continent... I’m really looking forward to it.’
No matter what happened, even if it meant being beaten to death, she would watch from Simin’s side. To the intelligent black dragon, Han Simin was the eye of the storm in the coming war.
“Aaargh!”
“Quiet!”
“Please, spare me!”
“What’s the point of living, you bastard? Why don’t you just try dying for once!”
The punishment for his words lasted a long time—right up until Grokile, who had just been threatening Simin’s life, was begging for his own.
*
After the hours-long detour into chaos, the Specialists finally resumed their original objective, now with a swollen demon trudging miserably at the rear of their party.
“Let’s try enhancing it to +4,” Simin suggested.
The previous trial and error had proven immensely helpful. A high-ranking demon had appeared from a +9 gate, which was far more than they needed. They didn’t need overwhelmingly strong monsters, just ones that were moderately tough and gave a decent amount of experience. Thus, +4 was the target.
The hammer struck, and light flashed. They swallowed nervously, but this time, it seemed to have worked as intended. A horde of monsters poured out.
Simin’s gaze naturally shifted to Grokile. “Demon encyclopedia.”
Grokile looked confused.
“Explain what those are.”
“...What do you mean, you bastard... I mean, sir?” Grokile began, his face a mask of fury, but he flinched instinctively at the sight of the hammer and corrected himself. He then spat out the requested information. “A favorite snack among demons. A low-ranking demon could handle about twenty of them on its own.”
Unable to bring himself to speak politely to Simin, he avoided eye contact and directed his words to the other three humans. Simin let it slide with a nod. He and the three Specialists charged forward.
Exactly twenty monsters had appeared. ’A single meal for a low-level demon? Should be fine.’
A confident charge to meet the stampede of giant boars!
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!
“Aargh!”
A single collision sent all four of them flying backward.
“You son of a bitch!”
Simin’s hammer came flying straight for Grokile.
*
