40 Back to the Academy
Back in the world of the living, in the portal tower, the old man were pacing back and forth.
He had reluctantly told Foo about the portal, as he had intended to follow along. As long as he were there to guide him, the danger would be minimal.
But alas, not only did Foo happen to venture there alone, the destination was uncomfortably similar to The Abyss. The intended destination was only a remote place in the outskirts of the spirit world. Where there were basically no dangers, and a qualifying spirit could be found with some searching.
He had been worried about the destination, and the gatekeeper had refused to show up again.
Although the old man remembered Foo's trick to lure it out, there was no way that the old man would be able to do that. He had thought that he was shameless, but he was obviously just the frog in the well compared to Foo.
But finally, the archway lit up, and the space inside distorted. Out from the distortion came a stumbling man, and a rolling skull.
This man was obviously our Foo, currently distracted by a message:
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Congratulations!
Despite the fact that you are the definition of evilness, your mere presence have redefined pure goodness.
The title [The Saint] gained!
---
[The Saint]
The personification of goodness.
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He had barley begun to rejoice over that he got a title that could balance the [The Devil] title, when he thought back at the situation that sent him here.
"Those bastards! How dare they banish me?!"
Upon seeing Foo's lively appearance, the old man sighed in relief. He must have been mistaken. He had not seen The Abyss himself, only heard about it, so it was possible that he had mistaken the destination earlier.
However, the gatekeeper that were currently hiding in a corner had different thoughts: ``Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Even The Abyss can't get rid of him?! It is way worse than I had suspected! If he have a grudge against me, I would be screwed!``
But Foo had no thoughts to spare the gatekeeper, and he did help him get to the spirit world after all. What Foo was worried about was whether the stuff he brought back would help him pass the examination.
"Hey! Gramps! Does that skull there count as a spirit? Or rather, would it enable me to pass the examination?"
With a question mark almost visible above his head, the old man turned to look at the skull that was lying on the floor. Currently the jaw was slightly twitching, but that was the only sign of life.
"Well... it does indeed seem possessed... But it seems to be an undead rather than a spirit... Don't tell me that you are perusing necromancy? I have to warn you that it is forbidden on this continent."
"Ahahaha, no, you are mistaken. It is just something that followed along..."
"Hmm, it is quite odd. Normally it would be reeking of miasma, but this one even seems to be radiating slight holiness... But that is impossible. Necromancy and holiness are the definition of incompatible."
Frowning, Foo cursed the abominations that forced him to return early. But then he remembered that the Devil thingie was still inside his body. Unlike the skull, that would probably be a proper spirit.
However, there was the matter with the contract... You had to contract with a spirit to be able to be called a sorcerer. Thus he decided to coax the spirit into making a contract.
``Hey! Spirit! Make a contract with me!``
``Eek! Begone Devil!``
``...``
Foo was speechless. Devil? Were you not calling yourself The Devil just some minutes ago? How come that this conversation suddenly seems like I am the evil overlord trying to beguile the innocent spirit to offer his soul to me?
``Just shut up an make a contract!``
After Foo subconsciously applied some pressure, the spirit gave in and offered a contract to Foo.
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-Contract-
By signing the contract, you agree to...
...
...
...
########
It was full of complicated text, obviously made so that one would not know what was being agreed upon. Although the contract was describing beneficial terms in the beginning, they were later negated, and dozens of unfair terms were sneakily added further on.
However, who was Foo? He had been living on Earth! The complex art of Terms of Service agreements and other legal procedures were making the spirit's attempt look like the naive attempt of a child.
Trying to replicate the notion of offering a contract, Foo offered the spirit a contract of his own. It was so detailed that it seemed to be a world of its own, and there were promises of benefits everywhere. However, deeply concealed in it did it drop all benefits, and had the victim become his slave for all eternity.
Smugly, Foo presented the spirit the contract. And the spirit accepted it right away.
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Congratulations!
You have gained the slave `Lucifer`!
########
``The hell! Why the heck did you not even read it! I laid down lots of effort on that! It is a masterpiece! And you did not even give it a glance!``
Foo was highly depressed. It must be the most beautiful contract ever made, but the spirit did not even bother to look at it! What was the point in all that effort if it was just going to accept it regardless?
``Eek! It is not like you were going to let me refuse it, right?``
The spirit had a point. Foo could only massage his forehead and pretend that he had managed to fool the spirit with his elaborate words.
Laying the matter behind him, Foo turned his attention back to the old man.
"Alright, now I have contracted with a spirit! I should be able to take the examination!"
"Are you sure that it is strong enough? It won't do with just the casual spirits. It have to be strong enough to substitute for a wizard's skills."
Thinking back on how the abominations and the self-proclaimed Devil, seemingly called Lucifer, seemed quite powerful, Foo replied, "It should be alright. What could possibly go wrong?"
