THE CURSED GAMER

Chapter 465: How Is This the Solution?

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‘Fucking extraterrestrial bastards.’

He didn't like any of these old beings. Always scheming, always working toward their own benefits.

But what choice did he have but to endure this? In the end, he didn’t even dare sigh, he simply nodded. “I agree.”

“Sorry, not so fast, there are more things you'll need to agree to.” the entity said and Neji frowned. “While I like to entertain myself, I do have some responsibilities. Else Brother will be mad. If you succeed in this and do get strong enough to kill the Primordial, that means we lose a client. I can't be harming my own business, can I? So how do you plan to compensate for that?”

“I…” he frowned. “I don't know?”

“You do, boy. Take over the realms ruled by the Primordial and take over the Cube. And therefore you will be a more than worthy replacement as our client. Hey, if you do particularly well, we might even bring you into [The Empire]. No need to be curious about what that is yet, you'll have plenty of time to discuss it with my Brother if you do succeed in this.”

Neji stared at her and thought. By brother, she must be talking about her male counterpart, He Beyond Omnipotence. This meant that he not only had to defeat the Primordial but also take over his empire and the cube in one fellow swoop. Neji wasn’t well-versed in the art of war and colonization, but Gilgamesh was. If this was what it’d take to win, he’d manage.

So essentially, she was telling him to take over the Primordial God's ‘Kingdom’, and then join her ‘Empire’. Perhaps Primordial himself didn't agree to join them, so she was willing to help Neji out to eliminate him. This was a political game.

On top of all that, he had to take over the Cube too. The Prime gods would have done so already if it was easy, so things were complicated. 

Neji understood now. This entity was only willing to help him out because of her own cause… sadly, he couldn't even be mad about it. Neji was desperate and he'd take anything.

Neji nodded soon. If it'd allow him to beat the Primordial, he would do it. He would do anything. On top of that, taking over the Primordial's belongings should soothe his satisfaction too.

“Contract,” she smiled and said, as the air before her shimmered and warped. “Read it through before agreeing.”

A document materialized out of thin air, floating ethereally before him. It glowed with a soft, otherworldly light, its edges flickering like the gentle flames of a celestial fire. The parchment itself seemed ancient, yet alive, pulsating with a power that Neji could feel in his very bones. It was similar to the Divinity Neji had, but much higher in power grade. 

Neji read it well. He didn't want to take any chances with a being like this. From what he could see, the contract didn't hold anything she didn't say already.

She said, “Before you agree, I should let you know one more thing. You will be granted quite a few Negative Traits. Status Defects, basically. They are unavoidable, as what I'm about to grant you wouldn't be tolerated by the Probability Storm if I don't balance things out. You’ll be torn apart, otherwise. I'm telling you this now so that you don't get surprised later. Without them, reality wouldn't allow your existence to pass through the opportunity I'm about to push you through. For what it counts, you won’t be weakened because of them. Just suffer a little. So don’t complain, be thankful.”

Entity Beyond Omnipotence said, and though he frowned, he didn't have any way to argue. He might have to go a lot, but he wasn't planning to back down now. 

Neji listened to her and finished reading the contract. He nodded. “Thank you great being for your mercy and kindness.” Neji couldn’t help a little sarcasm, which she chose to ignore. “I agree with everything that my eyes have read in this contract.” He said as the contract burst into light particles. 

Saying ‘that my eyes have read’ meant if she had hidden any words he couldn't see, he didn't agree with it. Not that he could escape a scheme from an entity of this caliber if she really tried to pull him into it.

“In that case,” the entity, Raki, looked at Sisty and swiped a finger. A force pulled her back into Neji's body. “Bye.”

Instantly, a dozen prompts blinded Neji. 

[Ding! Status Effect…]

[Ding! Status Effect…]

[Ding! Status Effect…]

[Ding! Status Effect ‘Passive Berserk’ has been added.]

Neji could only catch that one out of the many others before the entity snapped her fingers.

His body began to flow and he looked at her, panicking, “Wair, h-hey! What about Kurai?! You can't-”

Neji's body blinked out of existence. The black cat in Raki’s arms, Kurai, growled at her but that just made her smile.

“This is his trial, not yours. Stay put.”

-「Put your hand in my hand, And we'll stand, Let the sky fall (let the sky fall), When it crumbles (when it crumbles)...」

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Far away from that realm that existed beyond time and space, Neji kneeled in front of a color-changing castle.

His body trembled and shook in pain, and his scream filled the realm. Although he couldn't see, his white hair had gone black and his blue eyes turned golden; an effect of the Berserk Trait.

From another trait, Neji’s body was filled with pain. 

His senses all burned. His body slammed around like a fish out of water, while he held his own throat to stop a phantom pain.

How long has passed like that? 

At one point, he calmed down. He lay there while breathing heavily. Turning to his side, Neji’s eyes shone in recognition.

“The Dreamweaver’s Fortress…”

The castle back in the hyperverse where Godmother brought them. He was in front of it right now…? 

Neji was outside it, but unlike earlier, the stars were still bright in the sky, and the castle wasn’t destroyed.

‘Did the Primordial not destroy it yet…?’

Neji was in pain, and he was having a hard time thinking. Still, he pushed himself up and began to strode towards the castle. If the Beyond Omnipotent had sent him back here, he must be ready to counter the Primordial. He hoped. 

He had to go in there and fight.

He tried to summon Kurai, but that didn’t work. Neji walked in front of the castle and went through all his summoning skills, but to no avail. He stopped when he reached the gate of the castle-sized mansion.

Unlike earlier, two guards were standing before the door. They looked like monsters, a mix of orcs and dragons.

[Waraki – Dragonorc – Low Class 7]

[Taraki – Dragonorc – Low Class 7]

“Who the hell is this guy…?”

“Doesn’t matter, kill him. Our Lady ordered us not to let anyone disturb today.”

The two guards were speaking another language, but Neji could understand them.

Neji growled, his mind clouded in anger. 

These… these must be the Primordial’s people. They had to die!

“Boost!” he called the boost to his ‘DEX’, feeling himself pumping up. 

The guards saw him take a battle pose and swung their spears. Their movements were fast, but Neji went faster by calling forth his three transformations.

He turned into a humanoid dragon with massive wings, while the blue cloak of Tenseigan Mana Mode spread around his body. The Lightning Armor clad over it to blitz around. With these boosts, his speed was off the hook as he blurred past them and slammed their heads together. 

They didn’t die with that, like Neji hoped, but they did stagger back. 

Neji called another “Boost!” on his STR. His explosive power increased 4 folds, but that was a lot under the influence of the three transformation’s boost.

The guards used their own transformation, turning into massive monsters, and threw Neji on the floor, slamming him around and sending him flying a few times. But the fight didn't last long. Although they were large, building-sized monsters, with power to level universes, they barely lasted the 50-second mark. Upon the 5th Boost, Neji ended the fight with ease.

[You have slain a Low Class 7 enemy.]

[You have slain a Low Class 7 enemy.]

[You have Leveled up 670 times.]

While huffing and growling, Neji pushed open the door. Inside, he paused to find an old Godmother sitting on a couch and sewing a sweater.

“Huh? What happened to you?” he asked in confusion. Why has she returned to her old form? And why was she so relaxed…?

She tilted her head. “Hm? I almost erased you thinking you were another intruder, but you seem to recognise me? Rare, since I don't recognize you.” the old lady said and a second later, she blinked. A light of understanding passed through her eyes and she turned her head toward the interior of the castle, “Hey, girl! Come here for a bit, I think your ritual might have succeeded.”

Neji frowned but waited. Thumps of hope filled his heart. The sound of a large door opening was heard from deep inside the castle, followed by footsteps. The steps grew quicker until a woman dressed in a witch outfit rushed out of the corner.

“Wha- what?!” she blinked while running toward him. 

Neji's heart stopped for a second.

His world slowed down.

“Why is his hair and eyes like that? And the m-magic circle was in my room, how did he pop out here??” Although she was complaining, a massive grin was stretched upon her lips; her beauty mark twinkled. The Witch leaped at him and put her arms around his neck. “It doesn’t matter! Young master, I missed you!”

“....”

It took Neji a long moment through his migraine, though his heart was already in a rush. Like the Beyond Omnipotent entity had said, thankfully, his INT was high. He realized what this situation was.

A while ago, the Godmother had said that she and the Director used to live in this castle back in the day. Then, this meant…

“Growggghr!”

A disgusting growl erupted out of Neji’s throat and he bit down on the witch’s neck, causing her to let out a scream.

Neji was shocked, but his body didn’t listen to him. ‘That woman! What did she do to me?!’

The witch could push him away if she wanted, but she just screamed, unwilling to hurt him. Neji felt helpless, unwilling to hurt her. Thankfully, Godmother moved immediately and threw a needle at his forehead. It passed through his skull and his brain, as he fell paralyzed into the ground.

“I thought you said he loved you?” She stood up and approached the scene, while the witch cast a spell to heal her neck.

“I- I don’t know what’s going on…”

Despite being confused himself, Neji had his lips curled up. He let out a laugh while the Godmother of All Demons and the Director of the Last Act stood over him, looking down at him in confusion.

“Maybe it’s not him… How odd.” said the Godmother, tilting her head and looking deep into the monstrous eyes of the man near her feet. “On another note… he has good potential to be a Demon.”

As if there hadn't been hints enough, the Godmother dropped another piece that fit into the puzzle. Neji came to fully accept the situation with that.

For better or worse, he had been sent back in time, sent to the past, not on a small scale, but on an Omniversal one.

And along with that… he realized another thing as well.

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