The silence in the hall was absolute. Lin Feng, the genius of Mist City, was on his knees, trembling not with fear, but from the magical pressure of the soul contract burning through his veins.
"The money, Lin Feng," I said, extending my hand with a calm that cost me every ounce of willpower.
Lin Feng looked at me with bloodshot eyes. With shaking fingers, he untied a spatial pouch from his belt and threw it at my feet.
"Take it… damn demon. But I swear my family won't rest until—"
"If you finish that threat, the contract will interpret it as intent to harm me and fry your brain," I cut him off with a fake yawn. "Jo, please collect the funds."
Old Jo picked up the pouch with trembling hands. When he opened it, the glow of hundreds of thousands of Soul Stones flooded the room.
At that instant, the System reacted.
[EXTERNAL PAYMENT DETECTED]Amount received: 400,000 Soul Stones.Do you wish to apply this to the principal debt balance?(Warning: 05:12 remaining until interest collection: 'Life Extraction')
'Everything,' I thought urgently. 'Apply all of it.'
The pouch in Jo's hands vanished in a whirl of white light.
[PAYMENT SUCCESSFULLY PROCESSED]Updated balance: -999,740,000 Soul Stones.Achievement unlocked: [The Debtor's First Step].Reward: Instant Rank Up to Level 2 Cultivator.
A burst of pure energy slammed into my cultivation core. The pain of "Credit Fatigue" vanished, replaced by a violent warmth that repaired my muscle fibers and expanded my meridians. My eyes flashed with a brief golden hue.
Lin Feng, sensing my sudden surge in power, went even paler.
"Level 2?" he whispered, incredulous. "You were Level 1 barely ten minutes ago. No one can break a rank barrier that fast."
"That's what happens when you're a 'starving man,' Lin Feng," I said, feeling real strength flow through my arms for the first time. "You learn to value every second of life."
I flicked my hand, and Lin Feng was blown out of the mansion by a gust of wind born from my new spiritual pressure. The merchants, seeing the game was over, fled after him, afraid they would be next on the list of scams.
I was left alone in the ruined hall with Jo. The old man looked at me as if I were a stranger.
"Young Master… you just paid nearly half a million stones. We're saved, right?"
I sighed, looking at the screen only I could see.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]Due to your new Level 2 status, your credit line has been expanded.Loan limit increased: 5,000,000 Soul Stones.Updated interest rate: +5% monthly on total balance.New notification: You have (1) pending message in your 'Infamy' inbox.
I opened the inbox with a bad feeling. It was not a System notification. It was a letter written in perfect calligraphy, emanating a trace of dark energy.
"Han Seo-jun. The soul adhesive was a clever touch, but reincarnators are usually more subtle. Enjoy your Level 2 while you can. See you at the Moon Festival."
My blood ran cold. Someone in this world knew I was not the original Han Seo-jun.
"Jo," I said, tucking the letter into my robe. "Close the gates. And bring out the most expensive wine left in the cellar."
"Are we celebrating, sir?"
"No," I replied, staring into the darkness of the garden. "We're planning how to survive someone who knows too much truth."