Negotiating With The Grim Reaper

Suddenly its voice turned chaotic, like the screeching of a banshee.

"Who dares treat the Child of Monarch in such manner?"

"Do tell me their names. Even if they arrive at the River 10,000 years later, we will remember you, O Child of Monarch, and make them pay for what they did to you."

The Grim Reaper sounded angry on Neo's behalf.

It was a good sign.

Hopefully, the Grim Reaper was biased in Neo's favor.

"No need to worry about. Let's carry on with the ritual."

"If you wish so, O Child of Monarch, we shall begin the ritual."

 "But if you wish for revenge just say a word. We shall make their deaths painful beyond imagination."

The voice reverberated through Neo's spine. 

"Then, in accordance to the promise made 500 years ago, you, who have been sacrificed and carry the aroma of The One, should be taken in exchange for another soul to be revived."

"However, the exchange must be fair, both souls must be similar, and we do not take any responsibility for the body of the revived soul."

"If the vessel is damaged, the revived soul would die as soon as it is revived."

"Do you still wish to carry on with the ritual?"

Neo nodded.

His body was not damaged so he could be revived as long as he returned quickly.

"Tell me, who is the soul dost wish to revive?"

"Mine."

Suddenly, there was a short moment of silence.

"Pray tell again?"

"The soul I want to revive is mine. I am the sacrifice too. Is it against the rules?"

"….No. We do not think so."

Silence.

"…"

"…"

"What are you waiting for? Send me back."

"A-ah, please wait, O Child Of Monarch."

The sheer absurdity of the situation gave the Grim Reaper a pause.

"This has not happened before. While your words are not against the rules of the promise made 500 years ago, they seem… wrong. We shall confirm the next step of actions with the Monarch—"

"Huh? You are going to disturb the Great God Hades over such a small matter?"

Neo quickly spoke up.

The Great God of Hades, probably, like other Gods, saw other humans and his children as nothing more than his subjects.

Neo knew he was misusing a loophole in the revival ritual.

So…

If the Great God Hades knew what he was doing, he would refuse to revive him.

Neo had to stop the Grim Reaper from going to the Great God Hades.

"What is your job?"

"To help the souls cross the River."

"Yes, but that's not all."

"You are the trusted servant of the Great God Hades who was given an important job."

"If you are going to ask the Great God Hades for help in every little matter, what is the point of you being here?"

"You have to make the decisions yourself. This is what you must do."

"But the current situation is abnormal. It is not a decision, we can make by our own choice."

"Then refer to the manual."

"…?"

The Grim Reaper was confused as to what was the point of Neo's words.

However, it listened.

Someone like Neo, who carried the blood of Death, was naturally above him and, as a 'trusted' servant of Hades, it was natural for the Grim Reaper to treat the kin of his master gracefully.

The Grim Reapers chest swelled with pride when it realized it was Hades trusted servant.

"Why do you think there are manuals for everything?"

"….I do not know."

"tch, tch,"

Neo's gaze sharpened, which made the Grim Reaper pay attention.

"Manuals are to teach the newbies what must be done when a certain situation arrives."

"But we were not given a manual about the promise made 500 years ago."

"There is a manual. What was the promise?"

"To revive a soul when another soul, covered in the aroma of The One, is sacrificed in an equal exchange."

"There you go. You have your manual. Use it to see if there is a problem with my revival."

Neo asked with a serious expression,

"Am I going to revive a soul?"

"Yes."

"Am I covered in the aroma of The One?"

"Yes."

"Is the exchange of souls fair?"

"Yes."

"So, is there any problem with the ritual's conditions?"

"…No, we do not see any problem."

Neo quickly hid his smile and opened his mouth,

"See, I knew there was a reason why the Great God Hades chose you as his aide. You are competent at your job. These days people like you are hard to find."

The Grim Reaper bobbled its head up and down to nod.

His voice grew soft.

"O Child of Monarch, you have taught us much. We thank you for your generosity. Now, let us complete the ritual."

A string of smoke came out the Grim Reaper's hand and enveloped Neo.

Neo found it hard to breath.

The smoke entered his orifices and suddenly he gagged.

He was back in the water cave.

[Unique Skill Exp +1]

[Unique Skill: Death (1/10)]

Looking at the screen before his eyes, a smile dawned on his face.

He did it.

Neo returned from the embrace of death.

"Now, I just need to do it a few more times."

It was going to be a long long day.