Kyle was afraid of the answer he would receive to the question in his mind.
"Is there a way for me to become an Enforcer Adept like Sebastian after I've done my job?" he asked.
"That is a good question, Mr. Freeman," Magic Lady said politely. "Your progress is quite commendable. I can see that the Complex Law you have condensed is very powerful. Your power is so great that we would seek you out ourselves to recruit you as an Enforcer Adept."
"But you are even better as an Overseer. The value you add to the Array of Stars outweighs your value as a potential Enforcer Adept."
"This seems to be just the right job for you."
Kyle's heart dropped.
"I can never leave this world?" Kyle asked.
"You have the ability to leave as long as you find a replacement," Magic Lady said. "We will not forcefully keep you here. You are free to terminate your employment with us whenever you want."
Kyle gritted his teeth.
This was more than clear.
He would never leave this world.
He would be stuck here forever.
If he ascended, his employment would end.
Kyle had shown outstanding talent as a Seeker, and the Array of Stars knew that he would have an… unpleasant image of the company.
Just letting someone like that become stronger would not be a smart move.
Reality seemed to put its entire weight on Kyle.
It all came crashing down.
He knew it now…
He would never leave this world.
He would remain here for all of eternity.
"Then, why am I even doing this?" Kyle shouted in rage.
"Mr. Freeman," Magic Lady said politely. "There are-"
"Shut up with this corporate bullshit, bitch!" Kyle shouted. "I already know what's going on. Can't you just be honest, for once in your fucked life?"
Kyle couldn't see Magic Lady right now, but he could feel that the atmosphere had changed.
"You signed the contract," she said with a serious and apathetic voice. "I saved you from your horrible life on Earth. You knew what you signed up for."
"On Earth, you had nothing. You were a nobody. You were poor, had no family, no friends, and life was oppressive."
"Now, you are the ruler of an entire world. You have millions of people below you. You have all the power, riches, and connections any person on Earth would kill for."
"Yes, the Karmic Curses suck, but your Karmic Luck will improve. Within a couple of millennia, your Karmic Curses will vanish, and you will even gain the benefits of Karmic Blessings."
"You will literally be above everybody. You will be the undisputed emperor of an entire world."
"And yet, you complain? Is being the most powerful person in a world not enough for you?"
"You peaked. There's nowhere else to go. Accept it," she said with some annoyance.
"And don't even think about ascending. This world exclusively leads to only one Ascension Portal, and that belongs to us. We have people in the Sixth Realm watching it, and you're a couple of Realms too weak to interfere with the way ascension works."
"Accept what you're given and remain the overlord of this world. Countless people would kill to get to where you are."
Kyle gritted his teeth.
On paper, yes, this sounded amazing.
But it felt so empty.
He would forever remain some kind of janitor for a lower world.
He wanted to learn more.
He wanted to grow more powerful.
This was literally the only thing he had been doing ever since he got here.
"Now, with that out of the way," Magic Lady said, her polite tone returning. "My schedule is full, and I would like to get back to my own work."
Kyle took a deep breath.
Even now, the pain of the flames still assaulted him.
"What if I don't?" he asked.
"Mr. Freeman," Magic Lady said politely. "You have received your power as a hiring bonus. If you fail to fulfill your duties, we have the option to take your powers back."
At that moment, Kyle felt his Ether leaving his body without his consent.
His Core Spark became unstable and seemed on the verge of collapse.
"You are quite old for a Mortal, Mr. Freeman," Magic Lady said. "Do you think you can reach the top again when your body becomes the body of a 75-year-old man?"
"Besides, even if you did, you would still end up in our Ascension Portal."
"You have already cleaned the world to a great degree. People will be afraid of undergoing false rituals. Additionally, the saboteur has already left. The world will improve even without your presence."
"You are keeping me busy with your insubordination, Mr. Freeman, and my time is very, very valuable. If you keep refusing to comply, it is a smarter decision to simply accept the profits we have received so far and terminate our relationship with you."
Kyle gritted his teeth.
He hated this!
He didn't want to do these things, but the only other option was death!
Even more, his instincts and consciousness both told him that Magic Lady was not bluffing.
They had already gained something out of this.
"Fine!" Kyle shouted.
So, he continued. He continued towards the south and resumed his mission.
When he reached the southwestern corner of the world, he continued east.
Only the central landmass, the southern half of the world, and a couple of stragglers were left.
He was already halfway done.
Might as well finish the other half.
After Kyle killed over 300,000 people, the world changed again.
The flames around him became fiercer and changed color.
Instead of bloodred, they were now completely black.
The pain didn't increase.
Nothing seemed to change, except for the colors of his flames.
"You have received the final Karmic Curse," Magic Lady said. "If none of the previous Karmic Curses managed to deter you, nothing else will."
"You have been deemed irredeemable. You are lost to the world."
"Everyone can see the True Sin Aura you've acquired."
"There is no more Karmic protection."
"Killing you does not result in loss of Karmic Luck. In fact, the executioner's Karmic Luck will even increase. This counts for every Realm. There are also other effects, but they are not relevant to your current situation."
"I could kill you right now for a Karmic reward."
"Our contract does not mean anything anymore."
"You can not enter into a contract with a monster and be expected to keep to the terms."
"Anyone can do with you whatever they want."
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